Witch Training Manual: My Water Magic Is Wrong

Wayne glanced at Torren but didn't rush to express his opinion.

He had originally planned to go straight down, but since the two brothers had offered to be his guides, he figured he might as well use them. After all, he didn't know much about the mine, and it was better to get a feel for it than to wander around aimlessly.

"Since you're familiar with this place, tell me about the current situation down here."

Upon hearing this, Toren immediately perked up.

He patted his chest, straightening his back a bit more: "Brother, you've come to the right person. I'm not bragging, but few people know more about what's going on in this mine than I do."

He cleared his throat and began to speak eloquently.

"Brother, the place we're standing here is the shallow part of the top section of the third level. Anyone who can get to this level needs to be at least a third-tier strength to survive. Those at the first or second tier basically stay on the first or second level and don't dare to go down."

Wayne glanced at him.

"And what about you? What are you doing here, a second-tier character?"

Toren immediately defended himself, saying, "While I may not be the strongest, I've still climbed my way up from the top. I know the terrain well and which areas are safe to traverse. Besides, my brother Logan has a keen sense of danger and can always sense something amiss beforehand. That's what we've relied on to work together for so many years."

Wayne didn't respond, which was taken as tacit agreement.

Seeing that he didn't object, Toren continued, "Brother, let me tell you, the biggest force on this third level right now is the Divine Servant Team. You don't know, but right now, the top three on the leaderboard are all from the Divine Servant Team. I don't know where those people get their skills from, their points are rising incredibly fast, they're rushing deeper like they don't care about their lives. If this continues, they'll dominate the top 100 on the leaderboard."

He paused, lowering his voice slightly, "However, it's not like no one is going to stand up to them. Those ruthless individuals ranked fourth to tenth on the list formed an organization called 'Black Hand' at the end of last year, specifically to counterbalance the power of the Divine Servant Team. Now these two groups are openly and secretly competing on the third floor, vying for territory, mines, and hunting areas. Those of us caught in the middle aren't having an easy time."

Wayne asked, "What are the Divine Servant Team doing on these three levels?"

Toren shook his head: "Nobody knows exactly what they're doing. Anyway, every time they go down to the third level, it's a large group of people going together. They never share what they bring out with anyone. We only know that they seem to be looking for something, but nobody knows what it is."

Wayne continued, "So what's the situation on the third floor recently?"

Toren immediately chimed in, "Oh, right, brother, I almost forgot. Something really big has happened recently."

"What is it?"

"The woman in second place on the leaderboard, Tessa, has betrayed the Divine Servant Team."

Wayne's expression shifted slightly.

Tell me more.

Toren was clearly the kind of person who couldn't keep a secret, and he spilled the beans as soon as Wayne asked: "Tessa was a long-time member of the Divine Servant Team, I think. She joined the team earlier than many others and held a high position. But just three days ago, she suddenly rebelled, killed two Divine Servant Team members who came to hunt her down, and ran into the deeper levels alone."

"Hunt her down?" Wayne seized on this word. "After she rebelled, the Divine Servant Corps sent people to hunt her down?"

"Yes, and they've sent quite a few people." Toren lowered his voice. "This news only came out yesterday. Apparently, Tessa had a falling out with the higher-ups of the Divine Servant Team. Nobody knows the exact reason, but the Divine Servant Team is searching for her everywhere, and the bounty is huge."

Wayne asked, "How much is the bounty?"

"One thousand points, plus five hundred silver magic coins."

Wayne was still thinking.

Logically speaking, having spent so much time with Tessa in that tower, he should have expected to run into her here. He never imagined she would actually come here.

No, it's better to avoid meeting her altogether. He vividly remembered his days of imprisonment. That woman spoke politely, but she was ruthless when it came to her actions.

As he was thinking, Toren tentatively asked, "Brother, do you know this Tessa?"

Wayne shook his head: "I don't know him."

Toren didn't press further, stroking his chin as he continued, "Anyway, the Divine Servant Corps is looking for her everywhere right now. If we run into her down there, it's best to avoid her. Getting involved with that kind of ruthless character who dares to rebel against even the Divine Servant Corps is bound to bring bad luck."

Wayne didn't respond.

Logan squatted down beside him, rubbing his rumbling stomach, and looked up at his older brother: "Big brother, I'm hungry..."

Toren glanced down at him and said, "Okay, I'll take you to find something to eat later."

After saying that, he looked at Wayne and said, "Brother, do you want to come with me? There's a small outpost down here with food and a place to rest. It's better than wandering around aimlessly outside."

Wayne asked, "Is there another outpost down here?"

"Yes," Toren nodded. "I know two outposts. One is in the eastern camp, occupied by the Blackhand gang. The other is at the transit station on the northwest platform. It's not big, but at least it provides shelter from the wind and rain, and sells some hot food and basic supplies. I survived there when I first came down."

Wayne thought about it and saw no reason to refuse. Going down to check the situation and find out more was better than wandering aimlessly in this mushroom forest alone.

"Alright, lead the way."

Toren breathed a sigh of relief, turned around and led Logan down the left fork in the road, glancing back to remind him as they went.

"Stay close, there's a stretch of road ahead that's not easy to walk on, the ground is covered in moss and it's very slippery. Logan fell there once and tore his pants."

Wayne followed Torren for a while, their feet sinking into thick, soft moss that was slippery and easy to slip on. Just as he was about to ask how much further, four people suddenly appeared from a fork in the road ahead.

He wore a greyish-white robe with a silver eye totem embroidered on his chest.

Divine Servant Team.

Four people stood in a line, blocking the middle of the road. The one in the lead was a tall, thin man who held a jeweled staff in his hand. His gaze swept over Toren and Logan, and finally landed on Wayne.

Just then, one of them recognized Wayne.

"Is it you?"

The tall, thin man tilted his head: "You know him?"

The shorter team member lowered his voice and quickly recounted what had happened at the church: Wayne had refused Ophina's invitation, five of the Divine Servant team members had been taken down, and none had survived.

The tall, thin man's expression immediately changed after hearing this.

He took a step forward, slamming his staff into the ground, his tone blatantly hostile: "So it's you. Lady Ophina personally invited you, and not only did you not give her face, you even dared to injure our people?"

Wayne stood still, without moving.

Toren froze, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace, and took a small step back, muttering, "Big brother... this... this has nothing to do with me..."

The tall, thin man ignored Toren and stared at Wayne: "Kid, you're unlucky to have run into me today. Take him away."

Three people behind him had already surrounded Wayne.