"Ah..."

Harry Red's agonized screams in the flames were like the cries from the abyss. No matter how he screamed, it could not stop the spread of Nidhogg's unquenchable fire. In an instant, Harry Red became a human torch, instinctively rolling on the ground in a grotesque manner like a toad wallowing in a mud pit.

"The Ivory Hunting Group won't let you get away with this! Captain Gade of the Thunder Axe will avenge me!" Through the flames, Harry Red's eyes were filled with pain and hatred as he stared at Nidhogg.

Beneath his pale mask, Nidhogg remained unmoved and said softly, "Annoying." With a wave of his hand, another fireball flew over.

Boom!

After the violent explosion, the world fell silent. Harry Red was completely engulfed by the raging flames and was reduced to ashes in an instant. Nidhogg sneered, glanced at the sun to roughly determine his direction, and then left with large strides.

Seven days later.

After more than ten days of trekking through the Thorny Forest, Nidhogg had gained a lot, especially after chasing Harry Red for several days. Nidhogg felt as if he had an infinitely potential body, improving every moment, with every cell in his body cheering, seemingly with endless energy.

Nidhogg couldn't help but marvel; indeed, a body-refining sorcerer needed frequent excursions.

That day, as Nidhogg spotted a stretch of farmland, he finally confirmed that he had left the Black Sota Wizard Academy's direct jurisdiction in the Thorny Forest and officially entered a human civilian settlement. With this realization, he knew he needed to plan the next part of his journey carefully.

Pondering this, Nidhogg approached the nearest farmer.

The farmer was practically a replica of old Nero, and upon seeing Nidhogg, the "wizard master" asking for directions, he was astonished and honored. He not only gave detailed directions but also offered to personally guide Nidhogg, an offer which Nidhogg declined.

Walking alone on the dirt path, Nidhogg continuously pondered the key points of his mission.

According to Tutor Pel Arnos, Nidhogg's main task was to gain experience. With so many powerful figures around, he didn’t need to stand out, as everything was ultimately for the Witch Hunter qualification battle fifteen years later. However, since it was a mission, Nidhogg thought he should at least investigate; not doing so would be irresponsible.

With this thought, Nidhogg started planning his course of action.

In the context of black wizards, three types of behavior could mark someone as one: Firstly, mass slaughter of ordinary humans in the wizarding world for evil experimental purposes; Secondly, forcibly recruiting wizard apprentices as soul slaves (this is more difficult and not common for black wizards); Thirdly, violating the basic interest principles of the wizarding world—there were historical occurrences of wizards like this (essentially, anti-human; without fourth-level strength, betrayal is impossible).

Engaging or investigating black wizards was inherently dangerous, let alone hunting them down.

Even though Tutor Pel Arnos confirmed the black wizard was just a newly fallen wizard apprentice, how could anyone be sure? If it were a formal wizard, rushing in would be suicide.

Thus, the best strategy was disguise...

Having been a member of the lower-class civilians (beggar in his youth), Nidhogg was well-acquainted with certain urban rules. So, after maneuvering easily, Nidhogg donned a set of knight's armor, strapped a bone dagger to his waist, and put away his mask, earrings, and other magical items. Still feeling he didn’t look menacing enough, Nidhogg activated a distortion spell, creating a massive scar across his left cheek through his eye to his forehead, making him appear formidable.

Afterward, Nidhogg went to a blacksmith's shop selling weapons.

"Give me the biggest broadsword you have, heavy and sturdy," Nidhogg said, thinking that to quickly tap into his body's potential of constitution points, a heavy broadsword was essential. Combat was secondary; the main goal was that carrying a heavy sword long-term would better train strength, increase endurance, and build vitality.

The blacksmith, with a pungent sweat odor, yellowish stubble on his cheeks, and dripping sweat, looked at Nidhogg, appearing somewhat taciturn. He removed his dirty, greasy blue apron to reveal broad shoulders and thick, muscular arms. Moments later, he dragged out a broad-handled broadsword about one and a half meters long from the back room, scraping the ground as it moved.

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Taking the broadsword, Nidhogg swung it in the air a couple of times, finding its size and weight just right. Without any combat techniques, his expectations weren't high, so he said satisfactorily, "Alright, this one. How much?"

The blacksmith watched Nidhogg swing the sword effortlessly and couldn't hide his astonishment. This knight was powerful, far surpassing those ruffians in the tavern, and could definitely secure a good position under noble patrons. He might even become a legendary knight one day.

That was the blacksmith's assessment of Nidhogg.

...

Typical regional cities were divided into two parts: the noble section and the commercial section.

The noble section emphasized luxury, spectacle, refinement, and rank, spending the wealth extorted from their tenants, servants, and commoners, showcasing their superiority and satisfying their ever-growing indulgent desires.

In contrast, the commercial section was filled with profit, chaos, dirt, violence, and some cheap thrills.

Boom!

Nidhogg entered a tavern where rowdy, shouting rogue knights gathered. The place was filled with the spit from mouths mixed with the smell of cheap malt liquor. Busty women flitted about, bringing infectious laughter and drunkards bragging loudly about their adventures—a unique tavern melody.

Nidhogg swaggered in, drawing the attention of mercenary knights who lived by the sword, but seeing his formidable presence, they mostly resumed their activities, save for a few teasing barmaids who merely grunted.

Finding a vacant table, Nidhogg sat down. Soon, a scantily clad waitress with a bold figure approached. Though slightly older with less smooth skin, her figure was exceptionally curvaceous, making her popular among the virile rogue knights. She bent over to place cheap malt beer in front of Nidhogg and lay across the table, giving him a provocative look, her voluptuous chest squashed into view.

Nidhogg smiled, knowing the tavern customs well from years as a vagrant in Biser City.

Without a word, he discreetly slipped a silver coin into the woman's cleavage. Seeing her surprise, he gave her a hearty pat, saying, "If there's a job near Pamil Town, let me know." Nidhogg pointed to Pamil Town on the map.

"Alright."

The woman was thrilled by the silver coin and looked at Nidhogg with excitement.

Such a generous patron hadn’t appeared in the tavern for over half a year. She thought to herself that if no suitable job came up by evening, she might invite this "decent-looking" chap (rogue knights are usually favored for their ruggedness and ferocity, unlike the noble aesthetic; some wizards have entirely lost their aesthetic sense) to her room, as it might bring in additional income.

However, her thoughts were soon dashed.

An hourglass later, a short, chubby man wearing leather shoes pushed open the tavern door. Surveying the noisy, dirty tavern, he chuckled, revealing his gold-inlaid teeth, and announced loudly, "Cargo for Bangar City. I need five strong men. One gold coin for the job!"

Typically, the journey to Bangar City took about twenty days, and thrifty merchants usually offered only thirty to forty silver coins. Clearly, this merchant was quite generous.

"Hey! Hire me! If you encounter bandits, I’ll kick their sorry butts all by myself!" roared a rogue knight, standing up boastfully to show off his bear-like physique.

"Hah, who do you think you are? Don't listen to his bluster, fatty. Once, this guy ran away at the sight of bandits. No one has hired him in months—he's a coward!" another knight jeered, flaunting his robust build.

Meanwhile, on Nidhogg’s side.

The waitress approached again to inform Nidhogg that Bangar City was just a dozen miles east of Pamil Town, making it the nearest city to Pamil Town.

"Hey, you looking for a fight...?"

A brawl erupted in the tavern. Whenever a lucrative job appeared, these red-eyed mercenaries fought fiercely, following a custom where the last few standing were hired.

This occasion was no exception.

The waitress speaking with Nidhogg shrieked as a big fellow, knocked over by another rogue knight, toppled towards Nidhogg's table.

Planning to take the job, Nidhogg had to demonstrate his strength. Seizing the opportunity, he grabbed the unlucky giant with one arm and hoisted him overhead, despite the man's frantic struggle against Nidhogg’s iron grip. With a shout, Nidhogg hurled him out of the tavern, the man drawing a parabola in the air before crashing outside.

This spectacle naturally drew the attention of all remaining fighting rogue knights. Realizing Nidhogg was not to be trifled with, they intentionally avoided his table as they continued their squabble.

The waitress at Nidhogg’s side gazed at him with shining eyes, instinctively moving closer.

Minutes later, Nidhogg stood with four bruised and battered rogue knights as the chubby man at the tavern door chuckled, "Alright, you’re hired. Let’s set off—Miss is getting impatient."

Miss?

Nidhogg was puzzled, realizing the "cargo" must be this young lady.

Shortly thereafter, Nidhogg and the rogue knights, led by the chubby man, reached the city gate. Four carriages awaited them—three were loaded with Aihuo Grass (a local specialty), while the last was a luxurious vehicle, clearly not meant for cargo.

"Marlington, are you ready?" a girl’s impatient voice called from the carriage window. She appeared about fourteen or fifteen, leaving Nidhogg and the rogue knights stunned.

Her robe—a wizard's robe?

Only Nidhogg wasn't surprised by the girl’s wizard apparel. Seeing a wizard apprentice on the continent was common. What surprised him was that a wizard would hire knights for protection. Even as an apprentice, a wizard's attack power far surpassed that of ordinary knights...

But soon, Nidhogg's expression changed, for he sensed no magic from the girl. He didn’t believe a fourteen or fifteen-year-old could conceal her power from him. Wearing a wizard's robe without any magic unless officially designated by an academy was liable to draw legal pursuit from the wizarding authorities.

Moreover, the consequences were quite severe.

Simply put, the dignity of wizards is not to be infringed by commoners!