Wolund arrived at the edge of Olifindor and plunged into the water, descending straight to the lakebed.
An eerie blue glow spread beneath his feet as countless sharp hexagonal crystal pillars pierced the submerged ground—some thick, some thin, some long, some short—their surfaces shimmering with sapphire-like radiance.
What should have been pitch-black waters were now bathed in an ethereal blue light, breathtakingly beautiful, as if he had stepped into a forest of gemstone.
This magic stone vein was, without a doubt, the lifeblood of Olifindor, and Wolund naturally took it very seriously.
The area around the magic stone vein was densely woven with magical formations, most designed to trap intruders and prevent theft… Only Olifindor’s mining teams could extract the stones in a regulated manner, matching the vein’s natural growth rate.
Wolund carefully inspected the surroundings, but the magical formations showed no signs of disturbance, operating smoothly as always.
"Just a coincidence?" Wolund murmured to himself.
It wasn’t unusual for the magic stone vein to occasionally emit irregular surges of energy due to the stones’ growth.
His figure darted between clusters of blue crystals as he meticulously combed through the entire vein once more, yet still found nothing out of the ordinary.
Dismissing his doubts, Wolund swiftly ascended, breaking through the water’s surface.
Kalinda was already waiting on the shore. A gust of wind swept around him, helping to dry him quickly.
His drenched robes clung tightly to his body, leaving the secretary lady feeling oddly parched.
Unfortunately, as a flicker of flame emerged from Wolund’s fingertips and merged with the wind magic, steam rapidly rose, and soon, he was back to his usual composed self.
"Did you find anything?" Kalinda asked.
Wolund shook his head lightly.
"Everything’s normal—isn’t that a good thing?" Kalinda tilted her head. "Wolund, what’s still troubling you?"
She could see the faint trace of concern lingering on his face.
Wolund spoke slowly, "The magic stone vein… hasn’t had any issues for a very long time."
Kalinda grew even more puzzled. "Well, the formations beneath it have been reinforced and modified by generations of Olifindor’s headmasters… No ordinary person could possibly breach them."
"You’re not wrong, but I didn’t find any traces of poachers either…"
"Isn’t that normal? No one would be foolish enough to try causing trouble here."
"Kalinda, remember this."
Wolund’s brows furrowed slightly. "Never overestimate the intelligence of reckless fools, and never underestimate the capabilities of those driven by greed."
……
"Nine hundred ninety-seven…"
"Nine hundred ninety-eight…"
"Nine hundred ninety-nine…"
"One thousand…"
In the secluded woods, Mian collapsed onto the ground after completing a thousand push-ups, his body utterly spent.
Trembling, he reached for the dark green potion bottle he had set aside earlier and gulped down its contents in one go.
A pungent, spicy sensation flooded his mouth, as if he had swallowed a mouthful of chili oil. The urge to vomit surged, but he clamped a hand over his lips, forcing himself to swallow every last drop.
The potion was a Body Tempering Elixir, commonly used by low-tier warriors and not difficult to brew.
The sixteen-year-old boy lay on the ground, panting heavily. Though his frame still appeared lean and frail beneath his sweat-soaked white shirt, hidden beneath were well-defined muscles, sharp and angular.
Kahn and his gang were still targeting him, beating him up whenever he was alone.
Mian knew all too well that the only way to escape bullying wasn’t by relying on others—it was by becoming stronger himself.
Even if he couldn’t fight back yet, at the very least… training would make him more resilient.
Right now, the freshmen’s magical abilities were still in their infancy, too underdeveloped for combat… and even when they did master spells, openly using them against others would be unthinkable.
But muscles and physical strength? As long as he was willing to endure the grind, the results would come.
Moreover, in the early stages, a warrior’s progress was far more noticeable than a mage’s.
These were all suggestions given by Professor Enlaisi, who had also provided him with the Body Tempering Elixir recipe after a heart-to-heart talk.
Back when Kahn first targeted him, Mian had even considered dropping out. But now, he was determined to persevere at Olifindor.
Yes, there were people like Kahn, but there were also kind souls like Mr. Xia Lun, Teacher Mo Lini, and Professor Enlaisi who had extended their help… Mian didn’t want to let them down.
Becoming a low-tier warrior quickly wasn’t impossible for him—and he was fully prepared to endure the sweat and toil required.
……
"Hey, doesn’t it feel different lately when we rough up that commoner?"
"Yeah, his reactions aren’t as satisfying anymore."
Listening to his lackeys’ chatter, Kahn grew increasingly irritated at the mention of that brat.
Initially, Kahn had approached Mian with an offer—to serve under him. With Mian’s talent, having such a subordinate would guarantee dominance in the academy once they both matured.
But that ungrateful fool had refused.
Countless people would kill for a chance to associate with him, yet this lowborn dared to reject his proposal. To Kahn’s pride, it was unforgivable.
If he couldn’t have him, then he had to be destroyed—otherwise, Mian would become a thorn in his side later.
He didn’t necessarily need to kill him; driving him out of the academy would suffice.
Yet despite the relentless torment, Mian stubbornly clung to his place at Olifindor.
Kahn’s eyes darkened with malice. If Mian kept enduring like this, there wasn’t much he could do.
The Stark Family still cared about its reputation—outright murder was off the table, and the family wouldn’t stoop to targeting a student’s family over schoolyard conflicts.
"Hey! Look, it’s that commoner!"
"What’s he doing crawling out of the woods?"
"Perfect timing—I was just itching for some fun…"
Spotting Kahn and his gang, Mian’s face paled. He had just exhausted himself from training and hadn’t recovered yet.
Panicking, he turned to flee but stumbled, collapsing to the ground.
"Hahaha! This idiot’s so scared he tripped over himself!"
"Don’t think we’ll go easy on you just because of that!"
Two noble students sneered as they closed in, one in front and one behind, ready to strike.
Then, footsteps approached from behind.
Aina, arm-in-arm with Xia Lun, happened to pass by on their way back to the estate.
Xia Lun’s gaze swept over the scene coolly. "What are you doing?"