Wizard: Starting with Symbiosis with Algae

"Name?"

"Lynn".

"No surname?"

"Yes, there is no surname."

The student dormitories are located on the edge of the mirror city.

This location isn't because the academy neglects its students. Quite the opposite, it offers a wide view, overlooking everything, and even the entrance at the foot of the mirror is very convenient.

This is a hidden perk for students.

The middle-aged second-level wizard apprentice at the registration desk looked up and sized up Lynn with a hint of surprise.

A vibrant young man, whose records show that he was just granted special approval to be promoted to a Level 2 apprentice this morning.

"And...the surgery hasn't even been performed yet."

His tone suddenly held a hint of approval, as if he had seen something rare.

"He has a bright future ahead of him."

Lynn scratched his head.

"Can I go into the dorm?"

"Wait a moment." The wizard at the registration desk put down his pen. "Second-level apprentices naturally have greater privileges. They can bring some controlled drugs into the dormitory. And—well, you've already settled your twelve magic stone fees, so you are indeed eligible to move in."

Why 12 magic stones? He remembered that the accommodation cost was around 9 magic stones, has the price gone up again?

Lynn gripped the handle of the stroller tightly, her palms sweaty.

The truck was piled high with fertilizer bags, haphazardly tied together with an old rope.

He originally planned to find a hotel, but then he thought that staying at the college would be more convenient.

The student-run black market is located in the small forest near the college gate. It's very convenient for those living on campus to frequent it.

As for this fertilizer

"It's food, sir."

food?

The wizard at the registration desk covered his nose; he could smell the stench even from behind the counter.

Young people these days really have unique tastes.

For safety reasons, he took a metal instrument out of the drawer.

The probe slowly swept across the trolley, and the instrument emitted a short "beep"—harmless, green light.

"Alright. Food... is fine too." He put the equipment back in the drawer. "Talented young people, it's normal for them to be unconventional. As for second-level apprentices, be careful not to manufacture flammable or explosive materials in the dormitory. The rest is up to you."

Flammable and explosive materials?

It seems that some senior member of the academy once did something extraordinary here.

"Thank you, sir."

A faint scent of moss filled the corridor.

Lynn found her room on the fourth floor.

When the door was pushed open, the moss along the door frame turned from dark green to pale blue, as if it had been startled awake.

Inside the gate, in the flower bed, there once grew an Edra rubra.

His graduation thesis.

Normally, Edra rhododendron is a short, hairy plant that is timid by nature.

If a human gets within three steps, it will quickly curl and deform its leaves, piecing them together into a ferocious human face in an attempt to scare away the intruder.

But the one in front of us had already burned out. The few pieces that were barely pieced together to form a "human face" were staring venomously at the dried-up bottom of the pond.

Its roots were pulled out of the soil, and before it died, it desperately tried to reach the depths of the pool.

Lynn stood in front of the flower bed and remained silent for a moment.

That resentment has now shifted its target.

He looked around. The corridor was deserted. In the distance, the faint hum of alchemical equipment could be heard coming from behind a door.

When he left, everything was perfectly fine.

He even checked the timer for the fill light.

What is the problem?

But the next moment, Lynn stopped in Bengbu.

The lights were on.

It was the sun lamp that dried it out completely.

The pool is not filled with water.

It was even deprived of the right to escape.

No wonder there was an extra cost for magic stones; that's where the problem lay.

He took a deep breath, pulled his gaze away from the withered corpse, and forcefully pushed open the door to the room.

"...Since things have come to this, we can only eat first."

The apprenticeship area is about 55 square meters, and it has everything you need.

To the left was a folding desk. His notes from before he left were spread out on the desk.

The bed is embedded in the wall and can be folded up when not in use, leaving a small space in the room that is just big enough for one person to lie down.

A small magic heater stood in the corner, its ash-covered opening indicating that it hadn't been lit in a long time.

Small but complete.

For a novice wizard apprentice, such accommodations are quite respectable.

Incidentally, before becoming a junior wizard apprentice, he lived in a room shared by four people, but it was free.

But that's all in the past.

This room is just a temporary one; Lynn, who is rich and knows how to enjoy life, will get a luxury suite in a few days.

Lynn carried the fertilizer bag into the room and tore open a corner of it.

Grayish-white granules were poured into the washbasin with a splash. The basin filled automatically, and the fertilizer slowly dissolved in the cold water, releasing a thick, acrid ammonia-smelling steam from the surface.

Lynn took off her clothes, stepped barefoot into the warm, sticky light, and immersed herself in it.

So warm.

The algae fibers gently wrap around the skin, causing a slight tingling sensation.

He could feel those tiny nutrients seeping into his blood vessels through his pores, slowly flowing to all parts of his body along the long-dried meridians.

Blue light algae and tetrads work together.

He closed his eyes and rested the back of his head on the edge of the pool.

The solar concentrator was moved to the edge of the pool, and the lamp simulating the solar spectrum was brought close to the water's surface. Stimulated by the dual light sources, the blue-green algae began to grow actively, and the pool water became slightly warm.

The room was filled with a peculiar smell, a mixture of fertilizer, algae, and humid air. It didn't smell good, but Lynn thought it was alright. He'd smelled plenty of things on that wild planet, and this was practically a pleasant fragrance.

[Endurance +0.02]

The footsteps in the corridor gradually thinned out.

The luminescent mycelium automatically dimmed its brightness, and the entire dormitory building fell into a peaceful silence.

Lynn slept for three whole days.

When the knocking sounded, the fertilizer leachate had already turned a pure blue-green. The solar concentrator was still shining diligently, its light penetrating the thick layer of algae.

[Endurance +0.02]

"I really slept for a long time."

Knock knock. Knock knock.

Lynn opened his eyes. It sounded like someone was knocking on the door; was it to remind him of his medal award?

Ruby said she had to go back to her family to take care of some things, so it couldn't possibly be Ruby who came.

[Endurance: 1.65]

Lynn arrived at the door

...

There were two people standing at the door.

A quiet, short man stood in front of the door frame, his facial features stiff and unnatural.

Okay, actually I didn't seem very natural.

His skin was the color of an iron plate, and it was so stiff that you could hardly see the rise and fall of his breath.

He had no language ability, so he could only quietly raise a thin electronic screen, on which a line of text was displayed:

"The magnetic field indicates that he is inside."

The other guy had a pointed snout and monkey-like face. A thin, forked lizard tongue protruded from between his lips, slowly swirling and swirling in the air, savoring the molecules of air.

He smacked his lips and retracted his tongue.

"Damn it! Don't embarrass yourself with your little magic." He slapped the short guy hard on the back. "I can smell it without even using my tongue—that guy's boiling shit in there."