Scene – Inside Aplika Academy, Tianzhu is walking. He stops in front of a room and knocks. Principal Nandu's voice comes from inside.
Nandu – Come in.
Scene – Tianzhu opens the door and enters. Inside, he sees Nandu and Rundie sitting on a sofa.
Tianzhu – Master..?
Nandu – Come, sit here, Tianzhu.
Scene – Tianzhu goes and sits on the sofa.
Nandu – From now on, you will stay with Sir Rundie and go on adventures with him for a few months only.
Tianzhu – Huh..?! But why?
Rundie – You remember the attack that happened a few days ago during the exam, right?
Tianzhu – Yeah…
Rundie – I was investigating who was behind it, and during that investigation I reached the elf kingdom, PREVELF. There, I met that elf whom you saw and who escaped using a portal. And guess what—she is the Queen of PREVELF. And in that attack, both she and the king, her husband, were involved.
We don't know the complete reason yet—why or for what purpose the attack was done—but because of that attack, they saw your capabilities, and now they consider you a danger to themselves.
Tianzhu – So it wouldn't be wrong to say that they came here to check how powerful this year's students are, and whether they could become a threat to them in the future… (thinking)
Nandu – Well… yes, you're right.
Tianzhu – But still, I can't decide alone. First, I need to talk to my mom and dad, because I'm still only a 15-year-old kid.
Rundie – Don't worry about that. I've already taken permission, and they agreed.
Tianzhu (in his mind) – What?! So fast?!
Tianzhu – I… I see. But master, how did you get permission so quickly?
Rundie (in his mind) – Ahem… who said it was quick? I've been requesting them for the past two days, practically begging, and only then did I get permission…
Rundie – It's… it's a secret!
Tianzhu – …Then okay. If mom and dad agreed, what can I even say? But where are we going?
Rundie – You are a very powerful kid. At such a young age, kids like you are extremely rare. But that alone isn't enough. First, I'll train you a bit, then I'll give you missions. That training itself will be your adventure.
Tianzhu – Then I'm ready! Just tell me when we're leaving.
Rundie – Right now.
Tianzhu – Huh? R-right now?
Rundie – Yes. I don't know when that damn elf will make her next move. The faster you become strong, the better.
Tianzhu (in his mind) – But I'm already quite strong… still, becoming stronger isn't a problem. Though wasting time on useless training would be pointless…
Scene – Rundie grabs Tianzhu.
Rundie – Okay, Principal Nandu, bye. We're leaving now.
Nandu – Good luck, Sir Rundie.
Scene – Rundie vanishes along with Tianzhu. Only Nandu remains in the room.
Nandu (thinking) – That kid is very capable, and there's no better teacher for him than Sir Rundie.
Scene – Meanwhile, inside a jungle, Rundie appears along with Tianzhu.
Tianzhu – Ugh…!
Scene – Tianzhu stabilizes himself.
Tianzhu (in his mind) – This was my first time traveling through teleportation magic.
Tianzhu – So where are we?
Rundie – Far away from Lave City.
Tianzhu – But where are we going?
Rundie – Just follow me.
Scene – Both of them start walking.
Tianzhu – Okay…
Scene – After some silence—
Tianzhu – By the way, master, why did you come to Aplika Academy?
Rundie – Hm… you guess. Why do you think I came?
Tianzhu – Hmm… I think you came because you wanted a disciple—someone you could personally teach your magic and make the next strongest magician of humanity?
Rundie – Heh… heh… heh… w-well, that could also be true.
Tianzhu – Oh! So you didn't come for that? Then why did you come?
Rundie – Well, I just came to roam around. I also studied at Aplika Academy, so I came to check on Principal Nandu. Coincidentally, a few days later, the entrance exams were happening, so at his request I stayed to watch—and that's when I saw you. I thought that if you got proper training, you could become very powerful.
Tianzhu (in his mind) – Seriously?!
Tianzhu – Master, I have a question.
Rundie – Ask.
Tianzhu – If you studied in the same school, then why does the principal call you Sir Rundie? He should've called you by your name directly, right?
Rundie – You're not wrong, but my rank is much higher than his. That's why.
Tianzhu – I see.
Rundie – Rank doesn't only show power. Rank also represents status. The higher the rank, the higher the status. It doesn't necessarily mean you'll have more money, but with that rank and status, you can earn a lot of money.
Tianzhu – Oh…
Scene – Suddenly, Rundie stops.
Rundie – Okay, we're here!
Scene – Tianzhu looks ahead and sees a massive hollow area completely filled with fire.
Tianzhu – W-why are we here?
Rundie – For your training. This place is called Flame Land.
Tianzhu – What kind of training will happen here?
Rundie – You have to survive inside these flames for a full two days.
Tianzhu – That's easy. I don't even need this kind of training.
Tianzhu (in his mind) – Using your Ghost Barrier, I could stay here for two days—or even two years.
Rundie – Oh? So confident?
Tianzhu – No no… this is pure confidence.
Rundie – Then how about a battle?
Tianzhu (in his mind) – A battle..?
Tianzhu – Okay.
Rundie – The rules are simple. We fight inside Flame Land. Whoever gets thrown out of Flame Land is out. And the fight won't stop until one of us admits defeat.
Tianzhu – Yeah!
Scene – Both of them jump into Flame Land.