Bai Shi looked at Sellen and asked, “Teacher, do you have anywhere you plan to go next?” Sellen shook her head. “I don’t have anywhere in particular I need to be, and there’s nothing in the Academy now that I feel I must have.” “What about you, my apprentice? Is there anywhere you wish to go? Your teacher will lead the way.” Bai Shi considered for a moment. The Academy of Raya Lucaria housed countless books of all kinds; he wondered if he might find some useful information. The academy had a long and storied past, so it should have records of the various historical events that had transpired. If such written records existed, they would be a great help in his investigation of the history of the Lands Between. “Teacher, where does the academy keep its archives?” “If you know anything, Teacher, you could also just tell me directly.” Sellen frowned slightly at Bai Shi’s question. Finding grimoires and spellbooks within the academy couldn’t be easier; they were practically everywhere. It even boasted the magnificent Grand Library, which held countless precious documents. But as for historical records, akin to annals of history, Sellen really couldn’t recall any. Besides, the center of the Lands Between... As far as Sellen could remember, wasn’t that just the sea? Could there have been something else there in the past? “I’m afraid I can’t answer that question for you, my apprentice. All I know is that it’s a sea, and I’ve never investigated it further.” “However, if there’s one thing the academy doesn’t lack, it’s books. Their collection is surely the largest in the Lands Between.” “If you’re truly set on finding something, I suppose the Grand Library would be the place to look.” “The vast majority of the academy’s books are in the Grand Library where the Queen of the Full Moon is imprisoned, though you can still find a good number of reading rooms throughout the campus.” “I’ll take you to one of those first. If we don’t find anything, we can figure something else out.” Sellen suddenly remembered something and looked at Bai Shi. “Oh, right, apprentice. I was so caught up in hearing you wanted to come to the academy that I just followed you here.” “Now that I think about it, I seem to have forgotten to ask what you came here to do.” Bai Shi scratched his head. Hadn’t he mentioned it? Oh, it seemed he actually hadn’t. It was all because Teacher Sellen had been in such a rush to get here, even more eager than he was, that she had never even asked. “I have quite a few things to accomplish at the academy this time.” “First, I need to clear out some of the sorcerers and retake the academy.” “I plan to have you, Teacher, lead the academy from now on.” “Then, I need to break the seal on the academy and reopen it.” “I need to allow my collaborator, Ranni, to enter the academy and rescue the Queen of the Full Moon. Ultimately, the queen will help me achieve my most important goal.” “I need to use her secret art—‘Rebirth.’” “But don’t worry, Teacher. Afterward, she won’t interfere with the academy in any way.” Sellen hadn’t expected Bai Shi’s objective to be the liberation of the Queen of the Full Moon. The Carian Royal Family considered the sorcerers of the Primeval Current to be taboo. One could say the predicament of those sorcerers today was single-handedly caused by the Carians. Sellen knew her own nature; she was one to repay every grudge. Coming to the academy this time, she had even entertained the thought of utterly destroying the Carian Royal Family. ...But she decided against it. The Queen of the Full Moon had already lost her mind. There would be no satisfaction in taking revenge on someone who had already lost their wits. And since this was what her apprentice wanted to do, she would let him. She wouldn’t lay a hand on the Queen of the Full Moon now. What could she do? She just had a soft spot for her apprentice. But that ‘Lunar Princess’ Ranni... after vanishing without a trace, she had now reappeared? Could her foolish apprentice have been deceived by one of Ranni’s schemes? It seemed she would have to pay closer attention from now on, lest the boy be led so far astray he wouldn’t know which way was up. Sellen nodded and said gently to Bai Shi, “I see. If that’s what you want to do, then go do it. Your teacher will always support you.” “For now, I’ll take you to a nearby reading room. Let’s see if we can find the information you’re looking for.” “Are you still planning to proceed by stealth? If so, the rest of the way will be quite difficult.” Bai Shi glanced at the large door Sellen had sealed with glintstone. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢•𝕟𝕖𝕥 “No need. We’ve come this far, and I’ve had enough of playing around.” “The classrooms may be soundproof, but with a commotion this big, there must be quite a crowd outside by now.” “Let’s just head out from here and wipe them all out in one go.” For some time now, the sound of spells bombarding the door had been audible from outside. The heavy door was already battered and broken. If not for Sellen’s glintstone seal, it would have been blasted through long ago. Sellen walked over and laid her hand on the glintstones, and the seal on the door was released. Bai Shi stepped forward and pushed the classroom door open. The moment he did, he was met with the sight of numerous sorcerers waiting outside. Bai Shi had barely shown his face when a vast assortment of spells shot toward him. Many Twinsage Sorcerers cast their spells in unison, and countless glintstones flew chaotically through the air. But Bai Shi simply summoned a storm, blocking all the glintstones with ease. Seeing Bai Shi emerge from the classroom, the assembled sorcerers were still confused. The academy’s leadership wouldn’t deign to inform the rank-and-file sorcerers of outside affairs, so they were completely oblivious to the world beyond their walls. They didn’t know the man before them was Bai Shi, the ‘Lord of Stormveil’ whose power was now ascendant across the Lands Between. They only knew that he was likely the intruder. But when Sellen walked out from behind Bai Shi to stand at his side, the sorcerers finally understood the situation. Realization dawned on them. Now they understood. Wasn’t that Sorceress Sellen?! Sellen looked at the sorcerers before her and spoke coolly, “Those who lower their staves and surrender now will be spared.” “Otherwise, your fate will be far worse than a simple death.” Upon hearing Sellen’s words, a good number of sorcerers immediately dropped their staves and surrendered. Sellen looked up at Bai Shi, speaking as if showing off. “Hmph, hmph~. See, apprentice? It seems that in a place like the academy, your teacher still has more influence.” “Yes, yes, you’re certainly famous at the academy.” Infamy was a kind of fame, after all. Sellen caught the hidden meaning in Bai Shi's words and shot him a fierce glare. Daring to disrespect his teacher out here in the open. Just wait until they got back, she’d teach him a thing or two. But for now, dealing with the sorcerers in front of them was the priority. Although many had surrendered immediately, during the time Bai Shi and Sellen were chatting, quite a few sorcerers had continued to cast spells. Unfortunately for them, it was all in vain. Their spells were still held firmly at bay by Bai Shi's storm, unable to harm the master and apprentice in the slightest. Sellen looked at the remaining sorcerers and smiled at Bai Shi. “Apprentice, I believe you were curious before whether glintstone sorcery had any uses besides shooting projectiles.” “In fact, it does. There are many, though ordinary sorcerers will never see them in their lifetime.” “Today, your teacher will demonstrate a use that you won’t find in any spellbook.” Hearing Sellen’s words, Bai Shi grew expectant. Sellen had already demonstrated how to use glintstone for defense and sealing. By the looks of it now, she was preparing to attack. “The essence of glintstone sorcery is simply to transform magical energy into glintstone, which is akin to the stars.” “What I’m about to do isn’t really sorcery. It’s merely an application of magical power.” “Take Ambush Shard, for example. It can generate a glintstone at a great distance from oneself, correct...?” Sellen raised Azur's Glintstone Staff in her hand, pointing it at one of the sorcerers who was still resisting. The sorcerer, realizing something was wrong, immediately started running, attempting to dodge the attack. But Sellen’s magic had already locked onto him. In a confrontation of magical power, her terrifyingly immense energy instantly overpowered his. The magic within his body spun out of control. Sellen’s magic generated a tiny glintstone inside his body. Under her control, all of his runaway magic was drawn into this single shard. Just as this sorcerer had created glintstones countless times before with his own magic, this time was no different; his power was easily converted into glintstone. But the glintstone inside him seemed to have no limit, absorbing his magic and growing ceaselessly. With a pained scream, dense, blood-soaked glintstone crystals pierced through his flesh, riddling his body like a sieve. In the end, his entire person resembled an irregular glintstone sea urchin with a head and legs. The dead sorcerer fell, his body of crystal shards shattering across the floor. The sorcerers who had been attacking moments before all dropped their staves, but it seemed to be too late. Sellen locked onto them all and repeated the process. Soon, the entire corridor was paved with glintstone fragments. “You see, apprentice? Magical power is just that convenient.” “However, the prerequisite for doing this is a massive disparity in magical power.” “Not a difference of one or two times, but dozens of times over.” The remaining sorcerers couldn’t help but feel a chill run down their spines. A witch... This was a genuine witch... They had only heard of Sellen’s reputation, but they had never experienced it firsthand. To the sorcerers, the scene before them was a vision of hell. One of the surrendered sorcerers accidentally blurted out the thought in his heart. By the time he realized what he’d done, everyone around him had scrambled away in terror, afraid of being splattered by his blood. He immediately dropped to his knees, apologizing profusely. However, Sellen paid him no mind, simply leading Bai Shi straight past him. It was normal for them to feel fear, to call her a witch. Because she was, indeed, the witch of the academy. She would never deny it. She had killed many sorcerers in the past to further her research into the Primeval Current, and she didn’t feel she had done anything wrong. As they walked, Bai Shi didn't bother to lower his voice from the remaining sorcerers, asking directly, “Teacher, there’s really no need to keep them alive.” “We’ll soon have the academy under control. Once we open the gates, countless sorcerers will flock here.” “At worst, we can just restart sorcery instruction, and we’ll have new sorcerers trained up in no time.” Hearing this, all the sorcerers trembled, shivering in fear. Sellen glanced at Bai Shi, a little surprised. “Apprentice, are you being a bit too extreme?” “What’s there to expect from those sorcerers on the outside? Most of them were driven out during factional infighting.” “The ones who remain here are at least somewhat stronger.” “You don’t really think the academy can be run with just a handful of sorcerers, do you?” “Besides, there’s no need to kill for the sake of killing.” “You must remember, the fundamental purpose of a sorcerer is to explore magic.” Bai Shi gave a couple of sheepish laughs, abandoning the thought of a thorough purge. He couldn't help it; that's just how the Tarnished were. After all, in the game, you just killed your way through everything, even stopping to kick any passing dog a couple of times. The sorcerers were left where they stood, looking at one another. It seemed the goal of this master and apprentice pair was to take control of the academy. Since they had already surrendered, they should probably just find a place to hide, right? Soon, under Sellen's guidance, Bai Shi fought his way to a reading room that housed a large number of books. Although it couldn’t compare to the Grand Library, the number of books here far exceeded that of the library in Stormveil Castle. And according to Teacher Sellen, there were several more reading rooms one in the academy. Bai Shi clicked his tongue. The Academy of Raya Lucaria truly was a sacred ground for sorcerers, a hall of knowledge. It was no wonder that so many sorcerers longed to return. Bai Shi searched here for a long time but couldn’t find any relevant information. Teacher Sellen had been helping him search as well. Her efficiency in finding books was much higher than his, yet she also came up empty-handed. Sellen pressed a finger to her chin and shook her head. “It seems we’ll have to wait until we get to the Grand Library to find the information you’re looking for, my apprentice.” “Although the other reading rooms also have plenty of books, if there isn’t a single one here, the others are likely the same.” “It seems there really is something hidden about this, or it wouldn’t be so difficult to find...” Bai Shi put down a copy of “Glintstone Crab: A Guide to Farming and Cuisine,” which he had found here for some reason, and looked up at the bookshelf. “It seems that’s the only way.” “I hope I can find the answers there.” Sellen was about to say something when she suddenly raised Azur’s Glintstone Staff and cast a glintstone barrier toward a nearby wall. In the next moment, several spells burst through the wall, blasting the bookshelves to smithereens, but all were blocked by Sellen’s barrier. The reading room's wall collapsed along with the books, revealing a large group of sorcerers outside. This time, the sorcerers’ ranks were vast and numerous. Not only were the top sorcerers from the academy’s other classrooms present, but they had also brought along their own classrooms’ most exceptional students. Since Bai Shi and Sellen had stopped concealing themselves, their enemies had already learned the true identity of the intruders. Since it was these two, they couldn't expect any mercy. Perhaps the ordinary sorcerers could survive, but their leaders would surely not be able to save their own lives. In that case, their only option was to fight to the death. “Lord of Stormveil! I never expected you to be that witch’s apprentice!” “You are indeed powerful, but you shouldn’t have been so arrogant as to face all of us sorcerers at once.” “There are only two of them! The advantage is ours!” Bai Shi ignored their words, simply drawing his Sword of Night and Flame and pointing it at them. He unleashed his powerful aura without reservation, making it difficult for many of the ordinary sorcerers to breathe as fear gripped their hearts. “Surrender and you live.” “Except for you few.” The other sorcerers dropped their staves one after another and slowly retreated, leaving the few leaders exposed at the front. In the end, only a dozen or so sorcerers remained by their side. The leaders at the front had anticipated this outcome. To put it bluntly, they were all birds of a feather, gathered together only by mutual interest. So, it was only natural that the others would abandon them to save their own skins. They raised their staves, and the radiance of their sorcery lit up the schoolhouse. A dense volley of Swift Glintstone Shards flew toward them, their piercing power designed to penetrate armor. One Comet after another was unleashed, and from the classroom ceiling rained a downpour of Shattering Crystal. A meteor shower filled the entire corridor. The sorcerers from every classroom fought with all their might, using every trick up their sleeves to jointly deal with the master and apprentice before them. Faced with such a dense barrage of attacks, Bai Shi dared not rely solely on sorcery, unleashing his full arsenal of techniques without holding back. He would surely be fine himself, but if he only used sorcery, he couldn’t guarantee Teacher Sellen would emerge unscathed. A short while later, the sorcerers had been torn apart in various ways, their severed limbs scattered everywhere. Quite a few had vanished completely, reduced to mere 'shadows' on the walls by the searing sun. Bai Shi drank from his flask, restoring the wounds on his body. A large portion of his chest was exposed, his internal organs clearly visible. He had to admit, these sorcerers were highly skilled, especially those few leading them. Moreover, they had all been holding back with each other. When they truly fought, each was fiercer than the last, to the point where even their own comrades were surprised. The Twinsage Sorcerer from before, even with his twin brother sewn onto him, was not considered among the top tier of these classroom leaders. The Lazuli and Olivinus Conspectuses were the oldest, and their prime scholars were the most powerful. They were on a similar level to Teacher Sellen, perhaps even a bit stronger. Those two could even use Comet as a common means of attack, and their defenses had few weaknesses. They could already be considered top-tier heroes, even posing a threat to a demigod holding a Great Rune. No wonder they had dared to send puppet soldiers to harass Stormveil before. If Godrick were here, he probably would have been shot full of holes in short order. Even the other demigods wouldn't fare well if they took the full force of these sorcerers' attacks. It was only because the Queen of the Full Moon was overwhelmingly powerful herself, and her full moon sorceries completely countered glintstone sorcery, that she had been able to suppress these sorcerers so thoroughly, forcing them to only act after she lost her mind. But none of that mattered now. They had all become corpses beneath Bai Shi's feet. At this point, the entire upper echelon controlling the academy had been wiped out by Bai Shi. Sigh, from what I've seen in online datamines, it seems like Black Myth: Wukong only has two endings. I feel like there's still a lot of content that wasn't finished, and the story doesn't feel complete. I hope they add more with DLC >_<>