"Pierce."

  Gwen appeared beside Pierce at some point, looking at him with a gaze full of doubt and uncertainty.

  She leaned in closer and whispered, "You didn't really desert, did you?"

  It wasn't strange for her to think this way; Pierce looked far too clean, not at all like someone who had just survived the meat grinder that was Zone No. 28.

  While Pierce was indeed the top student of The Spire Academy, participating in this joint operation meant he was technically under the jurisdiction of the City Guard. If he had truly shirked his defensive duties to save his own skin last night, the Warlords who were already eyeing him maliciously would show no mercy.

  Especially Harlan.

  Before Pierce could answer, Sia couldn't help but interject in his defense, "It's not like that! Lord Pierce he..."

  Pierce raised a hand to stop Sia, having no intention of wasting breath on meaningless explanations. He strode directly toward the temporary registration desk nearby, removed his Recording Ring, placed it on the desk, and said to the somewhat dazed clerk:

  "Register the Merit Points."

  The clerk snapped out of his trance, hurriedly took the ring, injected mana, and began to inspect it.

  A few seconds later, his eyes widened dramatically, pupils constricting violently as if he had seen something through the ring that shattered his worldview.

  The surrounding Wizard Apprentices, seeing this reaction, grew curious.

  An apprentice waiting in line behind him urged impatiently, "What are you staring at? Hurry up and call out the number!"

  The clerk finally reacted, looked up at Pierce with a gaze bordering on awe, scribbled a line quickly on the parchment, and then raised his head again, his demeanor respectful to the extreme:

  "714 Merit Points. Registration complete."

  As his voice fell, the hall went dead silent, as if someone had pressed a mute button.

  Immediately after, the crowd erupted into an uproar.

  "714 Merit Points?! Did you read that right?"

  "Real or fake? That's too exaggerated!"

  "How many heretics did he kill? Even if they were all Disciples, he'd have to kill dozens, right?"

  "Unbelievable... that's more than ten times mine!"

  Everyone stared at Pierce as if looking at a monster, unable to recover for a long time.

  Although they voiced doubts, everyone knew very well that the Recording Ring was bound by contractual laws and could not make errors. Moreover, the ring had a built-in video retention function; a simple check of the battle records later would reveal the truth. There was absolutely no need for the person involved to fake it.

  This meant that Pierce had indeed, overnight and single-handedly, slaughtered enough heretics to fill half a street, earning over 700 Merit Points!

  Instantly, the way many Wizard Apprentices looked at Pierce changed completely.

  To get this score, the number of Disciples Pierce killed had to be at least 15 to 20! And it definitely included more than one tough nut at the Peak Grand Knight level!

  Had it been any of them, they would never have achieved such a feat—they would likely be corpses by now.

  Such strength was undoubtedly far above the vast majority of Rank 3 apprentices present!

  Gwen was stunned for a long while too. When she came back to her senses, her gaze toward Pierce became incredibly complicated.

  "Worried about you for nothing."

  She muttered, then couldn't help but sigh, rubbing her temples in frustration.

  "And here I was thinking my 200 or so points were pretty good. Now it seems I've been utterly crushed by you... You're a complete monster!"

  Beside her, Sia pursed her lips and nodded in deep agreement.

  In these days at the garrison, she had seen many so-called elite apprentices, but she had never seen one like Pierce—mastering Silent Casting at such a young age, with spellcasting speed as fast as lightning and power that was absolutely devastating.

  And he had that terrifyingly powerful familiar!

  If these traits appeared in an Official Wizard, it wouldn't be surprising. But appearing in a 16-year-old apprentice, it was shockingly impressive.

  At this moment, the apprentices around them were no longer looking at Pierce as a peer, but as some incredible legendary creature.

  Pierce didn't want to stay and be gawked at like a rare animal. Waving his hand and dropping a "I'm going back to rest," he left coolly with his two followers.

  The suppression operation wasn't completely over; a long cleanup phase lay ahead, so there was no rush to exchange his loot just yet.

  ...

  Back at his quarters.

  Pierce lifted his large hood and turned his head slightly. Ini was curled up inside, sleeping soundly, a string of crystal-clear drool hanging from the corner of her mouth.

  This little guy was practically treating his hood as a mobile dormitory.

  Pierce shook his head and laughed.

  Whenever he went out now, he would take Ini with him or leave Mist Raven to guard the house, preventing this rare little creature from being stolen by some greedy apprentice.

  And this little thing was very sensitive to danger—or rather, extremely afraid of death. Before any battle broke out, she would burrow deep into Pierce's hood. As long as the enemy couldn't break Pierce's defense, they couldn't hurt a hair on her head.

  Only when the battle was over would she jump out to show off, celebrating how "they" had slaughtered the enemy.

  "Eee..."

  Sensing the change in light, Ini opened her eyes groggily, blank for a few seconds, before rubbing her eyes awake and wobbling out of the hood.

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  "Eee eee..."

  "Alright, alright."

  Pierce responded, taking out the pre-prepared nectar, pouring it into a special miniature crystal cup, and placing it on the table.

  Ini cheered, flew onto the table, picked up the thumb-sized cup, and drank greedily, her face full of happiness.

  Watching the little guy's carefree appearance, a smile appeared on Pierce's lips.

  He sat cross-legged on the bed, took out the heavy book on spell models, and began scanning the pages.

  Of the 7 spell models he had purchased earlier, only Jump and Ray of Enfeeblement remained unmastered.

  Last night's battle had been almost entirely a "newbie crushing" session, consuming negligible Spirit, so this was the perfect time to analyze these two spells.

  Jump, as the name suggested, could significantly enhance the recipient's jumping ability. This spell was similar to Feather Fall, but while one was for cushioning falls from heights, the other was for mobility in pursuit or crossing complex terrain.

  Some wizards also liked to make it permanent on their followers, effectively boosting their agility and dexterity.

  Ray of Enfeeblement fired a ray imbued with negative energy; upon hitting an enemy, it would drastically reduce their strength. If the spell's power was high enough, it could instantly turn a heavy-armored Grand Knight into a weakling unable to even lift his sword.

  One buff, one debuff—both highly practical.

  For a wizard, unless they reached the realm of a Legend where they could crush everything with absolute power, spell combinations and tactical setups were crucial.

  A reasonable spell chain allowed a wizard to dispose of strong enemies in the most effortless and rapid manner. To achieve this, the prerequisite was mastering a sufficiently large and comprehensive library of spells.

  Quantity and quality—neither could be lacking.

  This was why wizards were forever on the path of seeking knowledge.

  Of course, most wizards, limited by energy and talent, could only choose between the two, specializing in a single school.

  But Pierce was different.

  With the Omniscient Eye, he needed only 7 to 8 days to learn a Rank 1 spell. If he spared no cost to analyze at full speed, he could devour 4 to 5 a day.

  Given a month, he could learn every Rank 1 spell on the market.

  The reason he hadn't done so was simply that it was unnecessary. Many spells had overlapping functions; he only needed to select the best 20 to 30 to build his system. Spirit was precious, and there was no need to waste it on trash spells.

  With a thought, the spell models for Jump and Ray of Enfeeblement were instantly constructed in his mind, complex knowledge flowing into his deep memory like water.

  After closing his eyes to digest this knowledge thoroughly, Pierce opened them and exhaled a long breath.

  Next, I'll have to wait until I return to the Academy to buy new spell models.

  For this period, I'll focus on constructing Will Runes and improving my existing spells.

  Suddenly, Pierce's expression shifted slightly. He raised a hand.

  A precise gust of wind element particles swept up, blowing Ini—who was trying to sneak out through the window crack for an adventure—into a somersault, tumbling her back onto the table.

  "Eee!"

  Ini steadied herself, hands on hips, shouting in protest.

  "Stay in the room."

  Pierce released Mist Raven to watch over the troublesome little guy, then closed his eyes and began his routine meditation.

  ...

  Crack!

  After listening to his henchman's report, the exquisite crystal goblet in Harlan's hand shattered instantly. Sharp fragments mixed with crimson wine splattered all over the floor, looking like a puddle of glaring blood.

  But he couldn't care less about that. His face was iron-blue, his eyes filled with shock, rage, and disbelief.

  Pierce actually came back alive and unharmed?!

  Damn it! How is this possible?!

  Harlan stared daggers at the henchman kneeling and trembling on the floor, his voice so gloomy it seemed ready to drip water. "Speak! What exactly happened?"

  "M-My Lord, I... I don't know either!"

  The henchman was sweating profusely, stuttering in his defense. "Last night, we strictly followed your orders, pretending the defense line collapsed and secretly letting a large number of heretics break through. There were 20 to 30 Disciples alone! Logically, that Pierce should have been torn to pieces long ago!"

  Harlan's expression fluctuated wildly.

  He believed this henchman wouldn't dare lie to him; after all, something like this could be verified with a simple check.

  "Did Pierce really get that many Merit Points?" Harlan asked suddenly, his voice dry.

  The henchman froze, then whispered, "Logistics has already re-verified it. Pierce's Merit Points are completely compliant, without any fabrication."

  Harlan fell into a deathly silence.

  A moment later, he said in a low voice, "Go to Logistics. Bring me Pierce's Recording Ring."

  The henchman, feeling as if granted amnesty, immediately agreed and left.

  Before long, he ran back holding the silver Recording Ring, presenting it respectfully to Harlan with both hands.

  Harlan took the ring, injected his Spirit, pressed the face of the ring to the center of his forehead, and closed his eyes.

  The magical footage within the ring slowly unfolded in his mind.

  About 4 or 5 minutes later.

  Harlan opened his eyes again. His originally sinister face was now filled with thick shock and terror.

  "Silent Casting... This kid actually mastered Silent Casting at the apprentice stage!"

  "And that terrifying casting frequency and precision..."

  For the first time, Harlan regretted agreeing to that big shot from the Pell family to deal with Pierce.

  A genius who could master metamagic techniques at the apprentice stage and single-handedly kill over 10 Disciples... once he successfully advanced to Official Wizard, his future would be limitless.

  Offending such a future big shot made his scalp numb just thinking about it.

  For a moment, Harlan's face was extremely ugly.

  The henchman watched his expression carefully and probed, "My Lord, what do we do next?"

  Harlan looked up sharply, a flash of brutality in his eyes, and glared at him coldly. "Trash! Get out of here!"

  The henchman trembled and scrambled out of the room.

  In the blink of an eye, only Harlan remained in the room.

  He paced back and forth on the carpet, his expression changing constantly. After a long while, he suddenly gritted his teeth fiercely, a look of desperate ruthlessness flashing in his eyes.

  Things have come to this... I must kill Pierce. Otherwise, when he becomes a wizard, he will absolutely never let me off!

  Harlan knew better than anyone that once this mission failed, he would lose his value in that big shot's eyes, and the other party would never waste effort to protect a discarded pawn.

  At that point, he wouldn't even have to wait for Pierce to advance. Just Master Morven standing behind Pierce could easily crush him like an ant.

  Things had developed to this stage; he had no retreat.

  Either Pierce died, or he died!

  ...

  On the second day of the stronghold suppression, the City Guard began a large-scale sweep of the heretic remnants.

  Early in the morning, the Wizard Apprentices and knight students in the garrison received a Message to assemble at the Command Hall.

  Entering the Command Hall again, Pierce keenly noticed that the hall seemed much emptier.

  Originally, there were 120 teams, meaning 120 Wizard Apprentices. But now, only a little over 100 remained.

  The 10 or so missing apprentices had either died in that night's melee or withdrawn due to heavy injuries.

  If apprentices with magical protection suffered such losses, the casualties among knight students went without saying. The number of deaths and disabling injuries among them was at least 3 to 4 times higher. It was only because substitute students kept filling in that the ranks didn't look so ragged.

  "Junior Pierce."

  Vance walked over, looking at Pierce with a gaze containing deep awe.

  "I heard you took out over 20 Disciples in one night and got over 700 Merit Points! Amazing, truly amazing!"

  Vance was both envious and admiring.

  Thinking in Pierce's shoes, if he had been defending Zone No. 28, he would probably be in a shroud by now. He couldn't withstand that intensity of a charge.

  But Pierce was not only unharmed but also made a fortune from it. This strength compelled submission.

  The world of wizards was ultimately one where the strong were respected.

  Previously, while Vance valued Pierce, it was more of an equal treatment based on his seniority as an upperclassman. But now, his words and demeanor carried an imperceptible respect, implicitly placing Pierce in a higher position than himself.

  Before long, Gwen arrived too.

  The three gathered together and chatted casually about the upcoming operation.

  "Although the Apep stronghold was destroyed, many core members took advantage of the chaos to escape through secret tunnels."

  Vance had relatives holding important positions in the City Guard, so his information was obviously more current than others.

  "Fortunately, Master Aylmer from The Spire Academy, along with over 10 instructors, set up a Detection Barrier in the Northern Outer City in advance. Any creature tainted with demonic aura will trigger an alarm the moment they touch the barrier."

  "Besides that, the main force of the City Guard has blocked all major traffic routes. As long as these rats dare to show their heads, they are dead."

  "Our next task should be to cooperate with the City Guard to clear out the remnants hiding in the sewers and ruins."

  Hearing Vance's words, Gwen mused, "The remaining small fry are scared witless and aren't a threat. But if they are determined to turtle up, digging them out of this complex maze won't be easy."

  Heretics might lack other skills, but their ability to hide like rats was top-notch. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to linger under the Wizard Council's nose for so many years.

  Vance laughed. "Don't worry about that. The Wizard Masters surely have ways to locate them."

  He paused, his expression turning solemn, and lowered his voice.

  "Also, you must not let your guard down. I heard that among the heretics on the loose, there is still a Madness Drinker!"