The wizard's journey

Chapter 9: The Rules

A hand as large as a basin and rough in texture rested on Yorkris's shoulder. Simultaneously, Yorkris's face paled as he felt an irresistible force emanating from his shoulder, hurling his body uncontrollably into the wall.

Dizzy and disoriented, Yorkris was momentarily stunned.

"Brother!" Yorklianna screamed in alarm, her face pale as she quickly ran to Yorkris's side in her white dress, steadying his unsteady stance.

The crowd looked on to see a small giant, standing two meters tall, in the place where Yorkris had just been, his immense height bringing an indescribable sense of oppression. This person's somewhat deformed face seemed slow to react, with a puzzled look, he said in a gruff voice, "What the heck, so weak..."

"What the f..." Grim, with his eyes wide in shock, stared at this sudden "monster" internally roaring, "Are you sure you came here to learn at the wizard academy, not to the knight academy or a human monster exhibition? Were you raised on giant's meat since childhood?"

Even Yorkris, who had been shoved aside, was shocked into silence by the sight of this humanoid monster, completely dumbfounded.

"Ha-ha, Andrew, did you think everyone has your strength?" The individual confronting Yorkris laughed smugly, then winced as he rubbed his swollen eye, glaring fiercely at Yorkris.

"This can't end today!" At that moment, a man about 1.6 meters tall squeezed through the crowd and ran to the side of the humanoid monster named Andrew, his shifty eyes looking around with a sleazy grin.

Yorkris charged at this sleazy man, knowing without doubt that this was the "Rat" Bayi had called out to.

Bang!

Yorkris was once again sent flying by a punch from the humanoid monster Andrew, his face pale as he clutched his stomach, shaking uncontrollably, barely able to stand. The two were clearly not on the same level; Yorkris was no match for this humanoid monster.

"Not fun, the wizard lord said no killing." The humanoid monster flexed his wrist regretfully, then added, "So weak and still want to fight for territory, huh, only the strong deserve their own place."

This humanoid monster spoke in a gruff voice, yet his thoughts were clear. Rat chimed in with mockery, "Today, we will teach you the rules of the Wizarding Continent for the first time: dominance by strength, ha-ha."

Bayi looked triumphantly as if he had personally knocked Yorkris senseless. "No, we can't let it end like this today; I, Bayi, have never suffered such a loss since I was young."

Bayi, with a swollen eye, walked towards Yorklianna with fiery eyes, resembling a raging bull. Yorklianna, already frightened, stood trembling next to her brother while the rest of the cabin's onlookers adopted a "none of my business" attitude, eagerly awaiting the drama.

On their first day aboard the ship, Grim and his companions were given a harsh lesson in the rules of the Wizarding Continent, their faces all sour.

"If you dare to bully her, I'll tell Barlon on the deck!" In a crucial moment, it was Wade, who had been too afraid to step forward, who threatened.

However, when faced with Bayi's furious gaze, he immediately backed down, waving his hands, "Uh... I was just kidding."

Bang!

Bayi puts Wade down with a punch and skims his mouth dismissively, which is met with cheers from the cabin, "Good job, oh yeah ......"

Grim and his companions stood in the ship's corridor, watching anxiously as heads popped out from cabin rooms, cheering and jeering, feeling a profound sense of isolation. Was this the merciless, strength-first rule of the wizarding world?

Just as despair began to take hold, a delighted voice came from behind Grim. "Ha-ha, dominance by strength? Why did no one tell me about this rule earlier? Excellent, big guy, I've taken a liking to your room. Here's the badge for this bottom-deck cabin for you." With those words, a copper badge was indeed thrown, hitting the humanoid monster Andrew on his bald head before clattering to the ground.

Andrew and the Rat next to him were momentarily frozen, unable to believe their eyes. Had someone lost their mind? Was she want to die?

The voice belonged to Lafi. Grim and the others suddenly remembered her, their despair turning to surprise. With Lafi taking a stand, using her mastery of witchcraft to deal with a brute like Andrew would be no issue at all.

Indeed, Lafi murmured a witchcraft spell and pointed at Andrew. In an astonishing turn of events that left everyone gaping, a giant vine wrapped around him several times, knocking him off balance and to the ground with a thud, as he whimpered in defeat.

"Damn it, die!" Yorkris took advantage of Old Ham's shock, landing another punch on his eye. With this man dazed, Yorkris knocked him down with a knee to the stomach.

"Ah... stop! Ah! I was coerced, please forgive me!" Seeing the tide turn, Rat pleaded in a panic, his face pale and sweat beading on his forehead. He hadn't anticipated that this group would include a witchcraft practitioner who could easily incapacitate Andrew.

Grim sneered, "Go to hell!" Using the fighting skills he honed as a street urchin, Grim quickly floored Rat.

Silence ensued in the cabin, a stark contrast to the previous chaos. All eyes were on Lafi, as everyone present was tested and found to have the potential of a wizard apprentice in the remote area of the Eastern Coral Islands. They had never witnessed such a display of power and assumed Lafi's abilities were her own, not realizing she used a magical instrument to cast the spell, instilling a mix of awe and fear in them.

"Ha-ha, fantastic, now I can live in the upper-deck cabin, no longer squeezing with the sailors. Thank you, big guy." Lafi cheerfully said as she entered her new room and slammed the wooden door behind her.

As the spectacle ended, everyone retreated to their cabins, closing their doors behind them. Grim glanced at the three defeated men, unconcerned, and turned to Yorkris and Yorklianna. "Since it's settled here, I'll be off then."

"Thank you, I... ah..." Yorkris struggled for words, embarrassed by his recent actions and feeling ashamed, merely nodding without looking up at Grim.

Yorklianna, understanding her brother's temperament, tearfully expressed her gratitude to Grim and the others. "Thank you, we'll never forget this, and thank you, Brother Wade."

She even turned to thank Wade, who, equally embarrassed, had just stood up, sporting a blackened eye, and then awkwardly left.

Binhamson laughed heartily, "My great people of Tanbrolson City cannot stand to see their companions bullied. For companions, we'd climb mountains and cross seas, let alone face a two-meter tall humanoid monster, or even a demon from the abyss..."

Grim, speechless, quickly departed. "Hey, Grim, wait for me! That punch of yours was the coolest I've ever seen. Paired with your 'go to hell', I bet if our Sherry saw it, she'd definitely dump her boyfriend and throw herself into your arms..." Binhamson continued to tease Grim as they walked away.

Shortly after, Grim opened the door to his room and was greeted by a musty smell. He was relieved to find his room unclaimed, sparing him the need for confrontation. The room was modest, equipped only with a bed, a table, and a chair. Despite the poor conditions of the cabin, Grim settled in and lit a candle. He then took out two books: "Meditation Guide" and "Hunting Nose Transformation and Scent Atlas".

Through his study of the Meditation Guide, Grim had successfully awakened his magic power, although he assessed himself to be at the initial stages of magic power, roughly between levels 2 and 3. According to the guide, a wizard's normal magic power level is the product of their mental strength times ten. With Grim's mental strength measured at 12, his potential magic power could fluctuate around 120 points.

Grim lamented the absence of a crystal ball, a common wizarding tool for monitoring one's condition. The Hunting Nose Transformation and Scent Atlas contained more advanced wizardry knowledge than the Meditation Guide, making it challenging for Grim to fully understand without prior wizardry knowledge.

This book is divided into two parts: the transformation of the wizard's nose, known as "Hunting Nose," and the scent atlas, which records the molecular elements of 17,852 distinguishable odors, including those that elicit significant reactions.

With time on his hands, Grim saw memorizing this book as a significant advantage for his upcoming studies at the wizard academy. Ten days passed quickly, and as the ship ventured deeper into the sea, filled with terrifying tales and mysterious sea creatures, Grim faced the monotony of his meals with resignation. He suspected the mushrooms in his constant diet of fresh fish mushroom soup were magically cultivated by wizards.

Amidst the routine, an exciting change occurred with shouts of "Pirates!" echoing through the cabin. However, the mood was more of excitement than fear, as the ship was protected by a formal wizard, making the occasional pirate visit more of a novelty for the apprentices. Curious, Grim made his way towards the commotion outside.