Lord of Smoke and Dust"

Darkness shrouded the world, while humanity held the light. "Roar!" Suddenly, from the vast and silent underground valley came a series of low, terrifying roars. These thunderous sounds, like thunderbolts in the unknown darkness, sent shivers down the spine of the young man in black robes by the lakeside, who covered his ears in agony. The black hood fell to the ground, revealing a handsome face with a noble air. Though pale and bleeding from his ears, his eyes remained clear, and his expression regained its determination. This was Sane, a humble apprentice of dark magic. At this moment, the rocks on the ceiling of the underground lake fell like an avalanche, constantly crashing around Sane. He could only scramble to avoid them. "Roar!" The deafening sound came again, as if cruelly mocking the insignificance of this human in the face of absolute power. All the struggle and resistance seemed futile. The owner of the terrifying roars was a mid-level magical beast, the Brackishwater Giant Crocodile. The underground lake beneath Sane's feet was its habitat. Now, it stopped roaring and gazed at the human before it. Its massive tail slapped the rocks, and the terrifying aura made Sane shudder as he caught his breath. His white eyes gleamed in the gloom, with most of his head showing signs of scorching from the previous magic. Clearly, Sane's earlier spells had inflicted some damage on it. However, in its eyes, this human was clearly provoking it. While the fear of death hadn't completely overwhelmed the young dark wizard, the crocodile's patience had run dry. It charged at Sane, opening its massive jaws, aiming for Sane's head. Sharp fangs dripped with saliva, and the foul stench was nauseating. In that split second, Sane made his move! His left hand scattered a handful of iron phosphorus powder. With the little remaining magic in his right fingertip, he released a long-gathered spell— Secondary Fireball! In an instant, a soccer-sized fireball shot out at incredible speed. "Boom!" The powder instantly ignited, combined with the impact of the fireball, creating a massive explosion! The deafening blast shook the entire mountain valley, and the crocodile's enormous jaws were blown to pieces, its flesh and blood scattered everywhere. Sane was blasted several meters away by the shockwave, barely getting back on his feet. He looked at the crocodile's lifeless body with an excited fist pump. He had made the right bet! Thanks to the iron phosphorus powder causing the explosion, this secondary fireball that Sane had placed high hopes on had unleashed unimaginable power. ... As the battle ended, and with excessive consumption of mental energy and nearly depleted magical power, Sane's face turned pallid. Gathering what little strength he had left, he first stood up, swam to the small island in the middle of the lake, plucked three bright Starlight Grasses, and then returned to the battlefield to collect the most precious treasures of the Brackishwater Giant Crocodile: magic crystals and a massive crocodile skull suffused with abundant elemental power. Afterward, he quickly left the lakeside. In truth, Sane had only taken half of the Brackishwater Giant Crocodile's value. More corpse materials and magical beast blood with abundant magical elements were left behind, not because he didn't want them, but because in this underground world, danger lurked every second. Sane, now severely weakened, couldn't afford to expose himself to further peril. Three Starlight Grasses were his ultimate goal for venturing into the territory of the Brackishwater Giant Crocodile, the reason he had braved the life-threatening battle. "Whew, whew," a low breathing sound came from the darkness. That voice seemed to emanate from the direction of the lake. Without a second thought, Sane quickened his pace, eager to leave this place. ... Mosbula City. As the center of the "Shadowed Realm," the underground world, the only city ever established by a dark wizard, this was a place revered by all dark creatures. On the twenty-meter-high city walls, blue bricks showed signs of the passage of time. In the gaps between the bricks, aside from the dried-up blood of countless magical beasts, obscure and oppressive magic runes were inscribed. After two days of traveling, Sane arrived at this magnificent city. Finally, the stone that had been hanging over his heart was lifted, and his safety was to some extent guaranteed. "Heh, Sane, it looks like you are quite quiet. It was an injury!" When Sane walked up to the special passage for magicians, a mocking laugh came from the city walls. More than a dozen apprentices in black robes stood on the city walls, and the one speaking was the scar-faced man, his dark skin bearing a scar. Although he had no enduring grudge against Sane, he didn't mind seeing Sane's misfortune. While the other apprentices present didn't taunt him verbally, their expressions were mostly indifferent. It wasn't that these apprentices were heartless; it was simply the norm in the underground world. Even among the dark magic apprentices in Mosbula City, conflicts were common. In the underground world, might makes right, and those who don't adapt to this rule cannot survive. Everyone for themselves was the only law. Including Sane himself. He wouldn't help others for free. If he witnessed another dark magic apprentice's misfortune, he might secretly rejoice at having one less competitor for resources. Disregarding the mockery of the scar-faced apprentice, Sane took out his badge and said to the Minotaur captain guarding the city gate, "I'm an apprentice magician, ordered by Master Mocido, to go outside for a collection mission. Let me in immediately!" The powerful Minotaur captain, with strength comparable to that of high-level magical beasts, was extremely respectful and obedient in the presence of Sane, despite his low apprentice status. His respect wasn't directed at Sane, the low-level apprentice, but rather at the identity of a dark wizard and Sane's mention of Master Mocido. In Mosbula City, or indeed the entire Shadowed Realm, the identity of a dark wizard represented the ultimate truth! Ignoring the cold words and sarcasm of the apprentices, Sane passed through the city gate. This left them greatly disappointed, as they had hoped to see more misfortune befall him. Sane was a notable figure in Mosbula City's Dark Magic Academy. At sixteen years old, he was about to reach the threshold of being an intermediate apprentice. Potential didn't necessarily equate to a young person's future, but what really caught the attention of these dark magic apprentices was the praise Sane had received from several great dark wizards. No one knew when Sane would get lucky and be taken in as a disciple by a highly esteemed dark wizard. Once Sane became a disciple of a master, his status in the apprentice circle of Mosbula City would immediately soar to the middle-upper level. "Hmph!" Sane replied to the taunts and disdain with indifference, leaving the scar-faced apprentice visibly annoyed. This guy didn't necessarily want to pick a fight with Sane; rather, he was more wary of Sane's girlfriend. After a quick thought, the scar-faced apprentice whispered to his hench.