Wizard: Starting with Symbiosis with Algae

If Evan had passed out a few minutes later, he would probably have witnessed something even more shocking.

He would see Lynn, the pioneering superstar he had been longing for, and his face would show the same astonished expression.

...

After Evan went down, the situation on the field became clear.

In a one-on-one situation, Lynn has no chance of losing.

So after defeating Evan, Lynn didn't finish him off.

Ultimately, it's not some irreconcilable feud; we should stop here.

Although Evan's vulnerability was far greater than expected.

He knocked his opponent down with a punch and a small attack with a flying stick, which did surprise Lynn for a moment, but it wasn't anything to worry about.

Being complacent about defeating a weak, inexperienced level 2 apprentice is something only new recruits do; it's too naive.

Lynn was a veteran who had successfully pioneered the land.

He immediately adjusted his breathing and turned his attention back to Elon.

Judging from his aura, this silent, short, iron-gray man was a level above Evan. But aura is one thing, but the ability to remain calm and collected during a fight is what truly sets them apart.

Elon's iron fist slammed down, and the badge on Lynn's chest trembled slightly.

His fist was imbued with magic, fast and hard, requiring power far exceeding 2.0 to achieve that speed.

It was obvious that Elon's fist had been magically modified; it wasn't a normal blunt strike.

It may be related to magnetism.

Lynn stepped aside, thinking to himself.

The iron fist grazed his shoulder.

After a brief encounter, he immediately realized that this person's strength and magic were far superior to Evan's, and he could not be complacent.

"Blue-light algae! Come on!"

Thick, durable, large blue algae spread rapidly from his cuffs, wrapping around his forearms and torso, forming a layer of armor with a faint blue glow on his skin.

A mixture of various algae of different heights provides excellent cushioning against both blunt and sharp objects.

Although civilized people wouldn't use it to bite their opponents, the trace amounts of toxins contained in the algae can still cause a slight loss of balance upon contact.

Victory is accumulated little by little.

The moment the blue algae covered his entire body, Lynn slightly bent his knees, preparing to summon four flying rods to flank Elon from the side and deliver a heavy blow so that he and Evan could reunite in their dreams.

However, before the flying stick could even bite, Elon's follow-up move had already arrived.

Lynn had to take a step back to create some distance.

He flipped his palm over, preparing to change his tactics, to test the strength of the pike, and to give Elon a big one.

Then something strange happened.

Elon's fist, which was halfway through its swing, suddenly froze in mid-air.

He shuddered violently, as if he had been constipated for three days and three nights, clutching his chest and bending over, his body convulsing uncontrollably.

Lynn was taken aback.

He clearly didn't do anything.

The flying sticks that have been eating fertilizer with him these past few days haven't even touched Iron, not even a single algae strand. How come this guy suddenly stopped working?

An attempt to stage an accident for extortion has occurred within the supposedly civilized academy.

Lynn's expression turned serious.

Among the apprentices he knew, probably only Joe could handle this situation. That naive, slippery eel would seek out a civil service wizard who specialized in mediating such disputes.

It's not cheap to hire someone for that, but he earns tens of magic stones every minute now, so he's making time specifically for it...

Just as he was making plans, a crisp clinking sound interrupted his thoughts.

The sound of a stone falling into the grass?

Lynn looked closely.

Elon's tooth fell out; it was a metallic molar that rolled into a crevice in the bare grass.

"...What do you mean?"

Lynn suddenly remembered Evan's compensation request.

Have I really gotten myself into something dirty?

This is way too serious!

He even suspected for a moment that the dirty thing might also be harmful to him.

..

Elon crouched down, his iron-gray fingers groping for teeth in the grass.

He waved at Lynn, making indistinct whispers, but his writing tools were out in the distance, so he couldn't convey any effective information.

"No, buddy... what's going on?"

Lynn took two steps closer, wanting to see what was going on.

Then, just as he bent down, Elon's body, which was only missing a few teeth, suddenly cracked open with a "crash."

The left hand, right hand, elbow joint, and leg joint shot out in different directions like disassembled building blocks.

The iron-gray cross-section is perfectly rounded.

Lynn instinctively pressed down on the main skull that was still in place.

Logically, having made a basic deduction, he shouldn't have approached.

But who knows how to preserve the body after leaving?

Thankfully, I managed to keep my head.

Just as Lynn caught his breath, the bone in his hand began to peel off from head to toe, a layer of iron-gray paint peeling off.

At one moment, Lynn heard the screams of countless children.

"Run! Run! The giant is coming! He's coming with his giant beasts!"

Then, only the sound of the wind remained on the playground.

And there's also awkwardness.

Beating a classmate to pieces with a single punch sounds impressive, but it's definitely not something to brag about.

Lynn's heart skipped a beat as he watched the parts rolling around openly in four directions.

Let's not even talk about how to put these things back together.

Don't run away!

"Come back here, all of you!"

"Enveloped in blue light!"

Lynn wrapped her arms around the still kicking legs and fingers.

Then operate the launch stick.

"Flying Rod! Bring the small parts back!"

Four flying rods swooped down, some grabbing a gray thumb joint, others hooking their tails around half an elbow.

Lynn himself also crawled down, his knees scraping against the bare grass, his hands brushing aside the withered grass and pebbles, slowly collecting the parts that had rolled away.

He lay on the ground searching, but some parts were nowhere to be found.

Who can I complain to about this?

...

The sun gradually rose to its zenith.

The parts on the playground were finally gathered together, forming a small pile of iron-gray wreckage.

"My head is gone!"

"Where's the head?"

Lynn squatted down beside him, hands on his knees, panting, a thin layer of sweat beading on his forehead.

The effort was almost in vain.

How come the most crucial part, the head, is gone?

Can someone become a wizard's apprentice even if they lose their head?

That kind of thing is terrifying to even think about.

Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps came from the entrance of the playground.

A young girl came running up, panting, carrying two fuzzy little grasses in her arms.

Upon seeing Lynn, her eyes lit up, and she quickened her pace to run closer.

"Senior Lynn, your mentor is looking for you!" She caught her breath and handed over the grass she was holding. "To save you time, your mentor sent someone to find these two types of Edranor grass."

Lynn straightened up and wiped his sweat. After recognizing the person as Melsu and her grass, he was momentarily speechless, his gaze unconsciously glancing at the pile of iron-gray parts at his feet.

"...Okay, I'll be right there."

"But here, I..."

Melsu's gaze had already slid down following his line of sight.

She looked at the pile of parts on the ground, blinked, and asked:

"Senior Lynn, why did you dismantle our academy's Class-One Protected Creature, the miniature iron golem, a friend of wizards?"

"A Class I protected species, a friend of the wizard?"

She walked over in a few steps, bent down, and curiously looked at Lynn's hand.

"Yes."

"Senior Lynn, have you been exposed to the Iron Plague Virus recently? The little Ironmen are terrified of it."

Lynn withdrew her hand. Wasn't that for disinfection?

"Excuse me, but how small are these miniature Iron Men?"

"Very, very, very small."