Chapter 133: The Death of Celes

Shadow Forest Command Center.

Kibel had changed into a clean wizard’s robe, though the sleeve on his right arm remained empty. He rested his one arm on the table, his wrist bent, chin supported by his hand, his expression cold and gloomy.

Outside the command center, a circle of second-level and first-level wizard apprentices gathered, each bearing varying degrees of injury. They looked at one another, uncertain of what to do. They had been summoned by the highest-level call to arms, yet they had not caught a glimpse of Wizard Kibel. Although they knew Kibel was inside the command center, no one dared to enter rashly. The Shadow Forest battle camp had strict regulations: only third-level wizard apprentices possessed the authority to meet Kibel directly.

"Move aside!"

The crowd was pushed apart by a tremendous force. Ingmar appeared, supporting Sanier, with Lin Wei following closely behind.

"Master Sanier..."
"Master Ingmar..."

The surrounding apprentices quickly cleared a path, bowing slightly to the three of them. Everyone looked at Sanier with a hint of shock; they had not expected that the most powerful person in the Shadow Forest, aside from Wizard Kibel himself, would be so severely wounded.

"I can walk on my own..." Sanier nodded to Ingmar. Despite his serious injuries, he still felt compelled to maintain a proper demeanor before his teacher, Kibel.

Ingmar pushed the door open for Sanier, then followed him inside. Lin Wei, silent and composed, followed them in as well.

"Teacher."

The moment Sanier saw Kibel, he paused, taken aback to see that his teacher had also lost an arm.

"Master Kibel..." Lin Wei and Ingmar bowed in greeting.

Kibel looked up. "I was worried you might have met with an accident during the night raid. It seems my concerns were unnecessary," he said, appearing to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Ingmar and Lin Wei provided cover for me," Sanier stated unobtrusively.

Kibel stepped down from his seat and approached the three. He looked at Ingmar and Lin Wei, then shifted his gaze to Sanier’s shoulder, letting out a soft sigh. "If Celes were still alive, he could have repaired an injury like a severed limb in no time."

"Celes!?" Lin Wei suddenly looked up, his eyes fixed on Kibel.

"Hm?" Kibel noticed Lin Wei’s reaction, looking puzzled. "What is it? Do you have a question?"

"Master Kibel, the Celes you speak of... is he the Wizard Celes, the mentor of biological mutation at the academy headquarters?" Lin Wei pressed for confirmation.

"Yes... Do you know him?" Kibel raised an eyebrow. He had no recollection of a third-level apprentice named Lin Wei during his time at the academy.

"What a pity..." A sudden wave of regret washed over Lin Wei. Wizard Celes had fulfilled his duties toward him completely. Lin Wei hesitated for a moment before saying, "He was my mentor."

"Oh?" Kibel’s gaze turned cold, his tone full of suspicion. "I left the academy a year ago. I only remember the new students that year were named Anbis; I don't recall a student named Lin Wei."

"I am a new student from this year."

A new student?!

As soon as Lin Wei finished speaking, not only Kibel, but even Sanier and Ingmar were stunned, their faces etched with disbelief. A promotion to a third-level wizard apprentice in less than a year?!

"You need not doubt this; anyone at the academy can verify my identity." Lin Wei paused, looking at Kibel. "Master Kibel, how did you confirm the news of Mentor Celes’s death?"

Kibel looked at Lin Wei with a strange expression. "I have means of communication with the academy. I am kept informed of certain developments there."

"Did he die in the surprise attack by the Fanged Blood Shadows?" Lin Wei continued to inquire.

"He..." Kibel hesitated for a moment, sighed, and looked at Lin Wei with complex eyes. "No, he died at the hands of his own people."

"His own people!?" A chill flickered in Lin Wei’s violet pupils upon hearing this.

"I only heard rumors. You should investigate the specific facts yourself," Kibel said, patting Lin Wei on the shoulder.

Lin Wei nodded slightly. His face showed no sign of joy or sorrow, but his mind was churning with thoughts: *What a pity, Mentor Celes... If I have the chance, I will avenge you.*

Celes was the only person since Lin Wei had arrived in this world who had harbored no grudges or entanglements with him, and who had shown him genuine kindness. For him, Lin Wei maintained a sense of respect.

"Lin Wei... what about your strength?" Kibel finally asked the question deep in his heart.

Ingmar and Sanier perked up their ears as well. They could not believe that Lin Wei, who possessed such formidable power—even among third-level apprentices—was just a first-year student!

Lin Wei was not surprised; concealing his strength was not a long-term solution, and he had prepared a story from the very beginning.

"While I was on a previous external mission, I was attacked by flower sprites," Lin Wei said, spinning his fabricated lie while using his intelligent core to control the minor fluctuations in his body to avoid detection by Kibel. "When I was cornered, I escaped into an abandoned mine, where I accidentally discovered a sapling of the Stone Milk Flower."

"Stone Milk Flower?!" The three of them were visibly shocked.

It was one of the scarcest herbs on the Star-Link Continent, possessing an incredible effect for rapidly increasing spiritual power, far exceeding any standard potion. Even official wizards benefited significantly from it, let alone apprentices. If Lin Wei had consumed a Stone Milk Flower, it would have been enough to complete his accumulation of maximum spiritual power as a third-level apprentice within fifty years.

However, the success rate for consuming a Stone Milk Flower was only ten percent. Failure meant the collapse of one's spiritual power and certain death.

"Yes. I had no other choice at the time, so I had to gamble on that ten percent chance. Fortunately, I succeeded," Lin Wei said dismissively.

Kibel nodded, somewhat touched. As for Ingmar and Sanier, their eyes were filled with something else as they looked at Lin Wei—envy.

"Sacrifice and reward are always balanced. You took a tremendous risk of death, and you deserve such a reward. If Celes were still alive, he would certainly be proud of you." Kibel seemed to have had some friendship with Celes; a look of regret flashed across his eyes when he mentioned him.

"Thank you, Master Kibel..." Lin Wei bowed slightly.

"Master Kibel!"

Just then, the door was pushed open again, and two third-level wizard apprentices entered. They were the ones who had fled earlier. The moment they saw Sanier, their bodies went rigid.