Wizard: I Have a Nightmare World

Lynn stood steadily on the teleportation platform. The gray-brown sky hung low, as if it might collapse at any moment.

The smell of sulfur mixed with the metallic odor in the air made him subconsciously hold his breath for half a second.

He looked around. The teleportation platform was located inside a semi-enclosed metal watchtower. The metal fence around it was covered with scratches of varying depths, and in some places there were dark brown patches that looked like dried blood.

In the distance, several low, grayish-brown buildings were emitting black smoke, and the sounds of clashing metal and hoarse shouts could be faintly heard.

This is the Astral Outpost.

As soon as he stepped out of the teleportation platform's area, a middle-aged man wearing a gray-blue standard robe quickly came to greet him.

The man wore a silver-gray badge on his chest, with two crossed short swords and a star-shaped mark in the middle.

"You're Lynn?"

The middle-aged man's gaze swept over Lynn, his tone carrying a hint of scrutiny.

Lynn nodded in agreement.

"Yes, it's me."

Seeing that Lynn had admitted his identity, the middle-aged man took out a record board from his pocket, made a mark on it, then put the record board away and waved to him.

"My name is Fei Qing, and I'm from the Seventh Logistics Squad. Come with me, and I'll tell you about the situation on the way."

Lynn followed, and as he stepped out of the watchtower where the teleportation platform was located, a gust of cold wind hit him.

Only then did he get a clear view of the outpost, which was built on a gray-brown wasteland and covered an area roughly the size of two football fields.

The outer perimeter is a ten-meter-high metal wall, covered with dense defensive runes. Some of the runes are still flashing, indicating that a battle has recently taken place.

Inside the walled compound, there are a dozen or so low-rise buildings, mostly constructed of a mixture of gray-brown metal plates and some kind of stone.

"A total of thirty people came to White Raven Tower this time. You are one of the six who arrived early. The remaining twenty-four people will arrive in batches within seven days after the official conscription order is issued."

Fei Qing spoke as he walked.

Lynn raised an eyebrow slightly when he heard that six people had arrived early.

"Six people arrived early? What does that mean?"

Fei Qing glanced back at him, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"Don't you know?"

Lynn did not answer his question.

"Those who are recruited in advance are either those with special talents in their respective fields, or those who are in urgent need of filling a vacancy."

Fei Qing held up one finger as he spoke.

"One of them is very talented in alchemy; that kid can repair broken weapons."

"The other two are combat apprentices who have won awards in the academy's arena."

"Another one is a reconnaissance type, which can control eagle-like creatures to share a field of vision."

"As for you, you should know very well what that old man Bloodvine did before, right?"

Fei Qing paused for a moment, turned around, and lingered on Su Lin'en for two seconds.

Now, without the other party needing to say it explicitly, Lynn herself understood perfectly.

"The Bloodvine Wizard of White Raven Tower is the chief potion master of the Third Legion of the New Moon Expedition."

"Last month, the Third Chapter lost two potion masters during a deep exploration of the astral plane, and the remaining apprentice potion masters are simply not up to the task."

"And Bloodvine withdrew from the expedition due to injury, so... his disciple naturally had to be brought in to fill this gap."

Fei Qing shrugged as he spoke, his tone tinged with a hint of schadenfreude.

Lynn remained silent for a moment, without saying a word.

Although he already knew about the conscription from the Bloodvine Wizard, hearing with his own ears that he was being promoted because of a vacancy for his mentor was a completely different experience.

"So, I was recruited as a potion master?"

That's right. At this outpost, potion masters are ten times more valuable than combat apprentices. Your potion-making ability is your passport.

Fei Qing nodded, acknowledging Lynn's statement.

Soon, as the two were talking, they arrived in front of a gray-brown building. A rusted sign hung above the main entrance, which read "Seventh Special Logistics Team - Material Distribution Office" in Common Language.

Fei Qing pushed open the door, and a wave of heat mixed with the smells of sweat, medicine and metal hit her.

There were already three people sitting in the hall.

A burly young man with bulging muscles in his arms and short hair was squatting on the ground, with a badly worn battle axe beside him and a whetstone in his hand, sharpening the axe blade.

He looked up, his gaze sweeping over Lynn, his expression anything but friendly.

The second one was a thin girl wearing dark gray leather armor and carrying a short bow on her back.

She was sitting against the wall, resting with her eyes closed. When she heard the door open, she only opened her eyes slightly and glanced at it before closing them again.

The third one was a slightly chubby boy wearing a monocle.

There were several mechanical parts beside him, and he was gently tightening something with a small screwdriver. He looked like the apprentice with alchemical talent that Fei Qing had mentioned.

Fei Qing clapped his hands, attracting the attention of the three people in the hall:

"Newcomer, White Raven Tower, Potions Master direction."

The moment the words "Potion Master" were uttered, the short-haired youth who was sharpening his axe paused, looked up, and his gaze became somewhat subtle.

He put down the whetstone, stood up, looked Lynn up and down a few times, and grinned.

"Potion Master? That's someone who just cowers behind a table making potions?"

His tone was clearly provocative.

Lynn glanced at him, said nothing, and walked straight to the empty seat in the center of the hall, where she sat down.

Seeing that he didn't react, the short-haired youth became even more energetic, strode up to Lynn, and looked down at him.

"What? Did I hit the nail on the head? Too scared to say anything?"

The slightly chubby boy wearing a monocle frowned and said in a low voice:

"Kullen, that's enough, he's new here, don't..."

"What do you mean?"

The short-haired youth named Kulen interrupted him without turning his head.

"I just want this potion master to know that in this outpost, some people make a living with their fists, and some people make a living with their medicine bottles."

"If he can't even stand up straight, then no one will dare to use the medicine bottles he makes."

Lynn raised his head, his dark purple pupils calmly looking at Cullen's harsh face.

He didn't get angry, nor did he argue back. He simply stood up slowly and calmly said:

"You're right, fists are indeed more convincing than medicine bottles."

Kulen's eyes lit up.

"Oh? You want to try?"

Lynn didn't answer, but simply raised her hand.

With a thought, the [Wind Binding Technique] is activated!

A gentle breeze instantly gathered around Kuren, transforming into three invisible chains of air that instantly bound Kuren's hands, feet, and neck.

Kulen's expression changed drastically, and he immediately exerted his strength to break free.

His physical condition was indeed excellent; his muscles bulged, and he forcefully broke free from the restraints of the first stream of air.

But Lynn's second and third streams of air followed closely behind, coiling around him like venomous snakes, tightening their grip.

"you!"

Kulen roared, his arms bulging with veins, as he tried to break free of his restraints.

Lynn remained standing calmly in place, without even taking a single step back.

His gaze was firmly fixed on Kulen, his right hand's five fingers slightly spread, and his mental energy continuously poured into the spell model of [Wind Binding].

The standoff between the two lasted for about ten seconds.

Kulen's face gradually turned from flushed to pale, and his breathing became rapid.

He was horrified to discover that no matter how hard he tried, the air current chains seemed to be attached to his body, tightening the more he struggled.

His hands and feet began to go numb, and the airflow around his neck made him feel suffocated.

"Enough, that's enough..."

He squeezed out two words through gritted teeth.

Looking at his expression, Lynn confirmed that he was genuinely admitting defeat, then gently clenched her fingers and withdrew the [Wind Binding Technique].

The air current chains dissipated instantly, and Cullen swayed, managing to avoid falling by bracing himself against the table next to him with one hand.

He was panting heavily, and when he looked up at Lynn, the contempt from before was gone, replaced by a look of seriousness.

"Zero-ring trick, [Wind Binding Technique]."

"I can tell you that I only used 50% of my mental energy just now."

Lynn's calm tone echoed in the hall.

The hall was completely silent at that moment.

The thin, archer girl sitting against the wall opened her eyes and looked at Lynn seriously for the first time.

The slightly chubby boy wearing a monocle stopped using the screwdriver in his hand, and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.

Cullen took a deep breath, straightened up, and after a few seconds of silence, extended his hand to Lynn:

"Seventh Combat Squad, Cullen Frings."

Lynn reached out and took his hand: "Lynn."