Wizard: I Have a Nightmare World

Lynn stood at the cave entrance, watching the two teams slowly approach the hill from two directions.

The Steelscale Academy team stopped on the left, their dark gray uniform robes swaying back and forth in the night wind.

The man leading the group, riding a jet-black warhorse, dismounted with a swift and clean motion, barely kicking up any dust as he landed.

He removed his helmet, revealing a angular face, his gaze sweeping across the surrounding terrain like that of a hawk, finally settling on the direction of the cave where they were.

The Moon Ring Academy team set up camp on the right side.

The silver-white robe shimmered softly in the dark red moonlight, like a flowing ray of moonlight falling to the ground.

The leader was a witch with long, silver-gray hair braided into a thick plait that hung down her chest.

She raised her hand to signal the group to stop, then walked alone to a high point, took out a silver object and held it up to her eyes, as if observing something.

"The leader of the Steelscale Academy is Gareth, a third-class apprentice. It is said that his Steel Hardening Technique can withstand three first-level sorcery spells without breaking through his defenses."

Du Wei leaned against the cave entrance, his voice low, but with a seriousness that Lynn had never heard before.

"The leader of the Moon Ring Academy is Isabel, who is also a third-class apprentice and specializes in ice magic. She once killed a runaway first-ring puppet in a simulated battle within the academy."

Lynn's gaze swept over the two of them, silently noting down this information.

"Will they all participate in this expedition?"

"Lynn asked."

"Not just them, look over there."

Du Wei shook his head and pointed to the distant horizon.

Lynn looked in the direction he was pointing and saw several faint bright spots moving slowly in the night sky.

Those bright spots don't resemble stars; their movements are too regular, and they are slowly descending.

"Those are airships from other colleges."

"The students of the seven divisions of the Holy Mystery Academy will all be sent to this world: White Raven Tower, Steel Scale, Moon Ring, Obsidian, Crown of Thorns..."

"The first group of people to enter has all arrived now."

Du Wei explained.

Lynn silently counted; there were at least five or six bright spots, and the number kept increasing.

For the first time, he truly realized the scale of this recruitment drive.

Dozens or even hundreds of third-class apprentices are thrown into a strange new world, facing a civilization that once had a second-ring wizard-level expert.

Even though the strongest being of that civilization had been severely injured, the strength of a hundred third-class apprentices was still a staggering number.

"With so many apprentices, how are the expedition team going to coordinate them? We can't just let everyone fight their own battles, can we?"

Lynn voiced his doubts.

Du Wei chuckled, a laugh that carried an indescribable meaning.

"Coordinate? Nobody knows how to coordinate."

Lynn frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"This means that the true rule of the Astral Expedition is that everyone fights their own battle."

Du Wei turned around, leaned against the cave wall, and looked at the flying boats that were constantly landing in the distance.

"The academy will only provide one map and one ultimate goal: find something of value and bring it back."

"How you find it, how you steal it, and how you survive is your own business."

"Of course, there is still a basic bottom line: we cannot kill each other. After all, the expedition team also has to deal with the resistance of the plane's natives. If we kill each other, no one will survive."

"But not killing doesn't mean you can't rob."

As Du Wei spoke, a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.

"You've found a relic, and you've found the Steel Scales people too."

"Who arrived first? How are the portions divided? Who has the final say? These questions can never be answered with mere words."

Lynn was silent for a few seconds, a strange feeling welling up inside him.

He originally thought the Astral Journey would be a unified military operation, with superiors issuing orders and subordinates carrying out missions, and everyone working together under a command structure.

But now, after hearing what Du Wei said, the so-called expedition is more like a hunt.

A pack of wolves, released into an unfamiliar hunting ground, each establishes its own territory and searches for prey.

The academy just throws them in, and then they have to figure out how to survive and get their share back.

"Understood."

"So what we need to do now is find our place in this hunting ground."

Lynn let out a soft breath.

Du Wei patted him on the shoulder, about to say something, when suddenly their expressions changed at the same time.

A violent tremor ran through the air, as if something enormous was tearing the sky apart.

Lynn suddenly looked up, his eyes nearly popping out.

On the horizon, a massive crack is slowly tearing open.

The crack was a hundred meters long, with eerie blue flames burning along its edges, as if someone had cleaved the sky with an invisible giant blade.

Inside the crack was a bottomless darkness, from which countless points of light were emerging. These points of light grew more numerous and denser, eventually converging into a dazzling river of light that poured down from the crack.

The river of light drew a magnificent arc in the night sky before crashing down onto the plain several kilometers away.

The shockwave spread out like ripples, and even from this distance, Lynn could still feel the ground beneath his feet trembling slightly.

"The main force of White Raven Tower has arrived."

Du Wei's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible excitement.

Lynn's mouth was slightly open, his gaze still fixed on the crack in the sky, his heart filled with indescribable shock.

He once thought he had witnessed the power of the wizarding world: the towering White Raven Tower, the workshops of the Blood-Eyed Wizards, and the demonstrations of first-circle witchcraft.

But compared to the scene before us, those things are like fireflies compared to the bright moon.

Is this the work of a formal wizard?

No, these teleportation arrays were all set up in advance. The wizard who set up the teleportation arrays was probably at least a third-ring level wizard.

Those beings are the true pinnacle of power in the wizarding world.

These third-class apprentices were merely scouts sent to the front lines.

"Let's go down and take a look."

"The main force of White Raven Tower has arrived, which means the expedition has officially begun."

Du Wei patted him on the shoulder.

Lynn took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart, and followed Du Wei down the hill.

When he reached the edge of the plain, the scene before him once again exceeded his expectations.

Dozens of tents have sprung up on the plain, arranged in a ring.

In the center of the tent was a wide open space, where a three-meter-high teleportation array frame stood. The frame was made of some kind of silvery-white metal and covered with densely packed runes. The runes were slowly rotating, emitting a soft light.

Around the portal, dozens of apprentices dressed in White Raven Tower robes were busy at work.

Some people are moving supplies, some are setting up a warning array, and some are sorting and stacking boxes of medicine and materials.

The entire camp was operating with extremely high efficiency; everyone knew what they were supposed to do, and almost no one stood still in a daze.

In the center of the camp, a middle-aged man in a dark purple robe was standing in front of an unfolded animal hide map, talking to several apprentices who appeared to be leaders.

As Du Wei led Lynn into the camp, the middle-aged man looked up, his gaze sweeping over the two of them, lingering on Lynn for a moment before moving away.

"Du Wei, you've come at the right time."

The man waved, signaling Du Wei to come over.

Du Wei strode forward, with Lynn following behind him, stopping a few steps away.

"This is Mentor Edmund, one of the mentors leading the expedition to White Raven Tower."

Du Wei whispered a brief introduction to Lynn, then turned to Edmund.

"What new instructions does the mentor have?"

Edmund's gaze swept over Lynn again before landing on the map.

"We just received word that the advance teams from Steelscale and Luna have arrived, while the Obsidian team is still on their way."

Edmund pointed to several locations marked on the map.

"The indigenous people's range of activity is larger than we expected. After you took down Red Rock Fortress, the garrison of the other fortresses has already begun to shrink their defenses."

"This is a good opportunity, but it also means they will concentrate their efforts on defending the core area."

Du Wei nodded, his gaze falling on the largest marker in the center of the map: Totem Holy City.

"This is where the real tough nuts to crack are."

Edmund pointed his finger at the location of the Holy City.

"According to intelligence, that second-ring totem master is still alive. Although he was severely injured, he is not completely dead."

"Moreover, he has at least three first-ring totem masters and dozens of totem warriors whose strength is equivalent to that of a third-level peak apprentice."

"We need to weaken their peripheral forces as much as possible before the main force arrives."

Edmund raised his head and glanced at everyone present.

"Tomorrow's mission is to divide our forces into three groups and simultaneously attack the three fortified cities in the north, west, and south."

"The Steelscale and Moonring forces will cooperate with our operations, while White Raven Tower will be responsible for the main attack on the southern citadel."

"As for you advance team members who arrived earlier..."

Edmund's gaze fell on Duve and Lynn.

"Responsible for clearing out the outer reconnaissance posts and supply lines to ensure that the main force's advance is not disturbed."

Du Wei nodded.

"clear."

Edmund nodded in satisfaction, then waved.

"Go ahead, prepare well, we'll meet tomorrow morning and set off."

As Lynn left the camp, he glanced back at the slowly operating teleportation portal.

The silvery-white runes spun continuously under the dark red moonlight, like some ancient gears slowly meshing, propelling the war machine of this expedition forward.

For the first time, he truly understood the world he lived in; the wizarding world was not the academy, towers, potion formulas, and quiet research rooms he had imagined.

It is a ravenous beast, devouring dying worlds to prolong its own lifespan.

He had just been swallowed by this giant beast.