Wizard: Starting with Symbiosis with Algae

He was drugged and felt as tired as if he had worked for three consecutive days.

When he discovered this, he was already tightly bound to the only swivel chair in the single room, looking like an uncle crocodile with his mouth covered.

What the hell is going on?

Joe nervously glanced around. The lights were on, bright and clear; at least it wasn't some kind of alien invasion horror movie.

He didn't know why he thought of that first, but the first thought that pops into a person's mind at such a time is often completely irrational.

He personally found the boat and never missed a regular inspection. He even had the ability to check every single serving of drinking water and food to confirm that there were no abnormal sources of magic. He believed he had done everything he could to the best of his ability.

How could such a thing happen?

He struggled a few times. His body felt heavy and sluggish, and his brain's processing speed plummeted as well.

Magic is something we can't even begin to grasp right now.

The magical pathways within his body seemed to be blocked by something, and he couldn't sense anything.

Then he saw the person directly in front of him.

The geography student was leisurely holding a tube of flocculent metal medicine.

Aluminum...lead...barium carbonate?

grass.

It is a metal solvent without magic.

This thing doesn't trigger any magic warnings, so even if he goes through the detection process forever, he won't find anything wrong.

Joe suddenly twisted his body, intending to use his trump card in a desperate gamble.

However, the next second, the apprentice from the Spiritual School calmly reached out and gently straightened the swivel chair.

With just that one support, Qiao was pinned to the spot, unable to even twist or turn.

The two spoke in a casual tone, taking turns.

"Hello, Captain, are you having fun in the rocking chair?"

Good evening, your surgery was a success.

Joe felt a surge of anger rise from his chest to the top of his head. This casual, nonchalant tone was more infuriating than any threat or intimidation.

"You're insane!" he hissed, lowering his voice. "What have you done? Seizing control of a ship belonging to a wizard in charge! You'll be punished when we get back to our home planet!"

This is common sense. The most critical issue in interstellar travel is the distribution of power. Especially on expedition and research vessels, the confined and cramped environment can make wizard apprentices extremely temperamental; a single spark could ignite an entire cabin. Therefore, a strong leader, a core figure to whom everyone obeys, is indispensable. (P.S.: The environment on recruitment ships is similar to a sailboat.)

Therefore, regulations stipulate that only formally declared teams can sail out of the country. Crew members are not allowed to arbitrarily disobey the captain.

In his anger, a sudden flash of inspiration struck Joe.

"...Is your target Ruby, or Lynn? You're going to kill—"

Before they could finish speaking, the two wizard apprentices exchanged a glance and burst out laughing.

The next second, a rag was stuffed into Joe's mouth, silencing him and silencing his anger.

This alchemy apprentice, who rarely travels far from home, ultimately lacks social experience.

Why did he just blurt out the target's name?

This puts them in a difficult position.

"We're law-abiding wizards," the geology apprentice said with a smile.

"The price they offered for killing a wizard apprentice wasn't enough," the Spiritualist School said apologetically, clasping their hands across their chests.

"Ultimately, there's no specific person who has to be brought back to the home planet."

"Besides, Captain, we just want you to get some sleep."

Joe didn't give up. He wriggled his body, mobilizing his specially modified tongue muscles, which were far stronger than those of ordinary people, and forcefully pushed the rag aside. Saliva flew everywhere as he gasped for breath.

"Only I can repair the ship. And only I can deal with the special creatures on that planet. Release me, and you can take command. I can offer you assistance."

These words were spoken with sincerity and clarity.

But that's a lie.

In Joe's mind, flying sticks and the like were nothing but dirt chickens and clay dogs.

This was mainly to mislead the two people who didn't have much fighting ability.

As long as they dare to loosen their grip, even for just a moment...

As the sole registered leader of this ship, he would not hesitate to twist the heads off those two men.

In times of crisis, lies are necessary, and so are the means.

He holds both power and the law, so his chances of winning are not small.

The two wizard apprentices looked at him with sneers.

"Joe, you're really naive."

"Wait, we can talk..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the dual constraints of minerals and magic reactivated on Joe.

His consciousness rapidly dissipated at the cold touch, and his bodily functions were forcibly reduced to the minimum level required to sustain life.

He finally sobbed, "I am the captain. You will regret this."

Then it was plunged into complete darkness.

……

Meanwhile, on the other side...

Lynn has made considerable progress in learning the art of cold magic.

To be honest, as an ordinary person who had never even been exposed to meditation before setting off, his current progress is so fast that it seems abnormal.

But Lynn herself was not satisfied. It was far from enough.

Ruby gripped his wrist, her fingertips applying slight pressure, her magic flowing in a specific rhythm.

"That's it—strong-weak, strong-weak, weak-weak. Control the intensity of your magic output in this order. Stay calm, don't rush to push it up."

As Lynn listened, he began to have a subtle sense of déjà vu. The way he controlled the cold magic was somewhat like playing a guitar.

"Isn't there a way to get immediate results?" he asked, unwilling to give up.

"Yes, for example, the systematic learning of spell loops."

"Can you?"

"No. That's a skill that only advanced apprentices can master."

Advanced apprentices are wizarding apprentices of level three or higher. As a transitional stage from mortal to full-fledged wizard, they possess the ability to survive in complex magical environments. The academy does offer this knowledge, but the consequences for those who fail to meet the standards are severe.

"Is there a way that a level two wizard apprentice could use?" Lynn asked again.

Ruby thought for a moment, then solemnly replied, "Not as a human."

"……what?"

"I mean, transplantation and modification. Didn't you already transplant a part of it? Use that to activate the control of magic."

Lynn paused for a moment. Indeed.

If symbiosis counts, then there are already quite a few things about him that aren't original.

In fact, there are various meditation methods in the wizarding world. The biggest feature of the basic meditation method is not its high efficiency, but its versatility and low risk.

To put it bluntly, it's about learning the basics for beginners to stay alive; it's not about making a splash, but about avoiding accidents.

There's nothing we can do then. We can only learn it honestly.

He regained his composure and focused his attention on the flow of magic.

Strong and weak, strong and weak, weak and weak...

Several tens of minutes later.

Ruby moved her slightly numb toes.

A chill emanated from Lynn's palm, and visible white mist swirled around his fingertips.

Ruby immediately let go of his hand.

Lynn raised her hand and touched her cheek.

It's quite cold.

Then he rubbed his face; his palms and arms felt no coldness. A portion of the magic had automatically protected the area where the spell was cast—this was the effect of sequentially inputting magic.

Ruby clapped her hands, her tone unusually approving: "A milestone. You can use spells on the surface of your body, but you still need to practice casting them within a certain range outside your body."

"Oh, thank you, ma'am. I've taken another step closer to becoming a Level Two Apprentice recognized by the Academy. Perhaps we'll end up in the same prison someday." Lynn shook the lingering cold air from his hands and suddenly asked, "Ruby, are there any valuable items we forgot to bring from the wreckage of our spaceship?"

Ruby nodded.

"Yes, they exist. But they can't be pieced together to form a complete spaceship, and the academy won't recognize them if we take them back."

That's quite true. This is the real world, not a building block set; a spaceship with only a steering wheel can't be called a spaceship. But Lynn figured that if he could dig out some parts and sell them separately, it should be a decent source of income.

He got up and walked towards the door.

Ruby grabbed him.

"Wait, Lynn, help me."

"Um?"

"My throwing rod isn't fully tamed yet."

"……what?"