"What kind of news?"
"Reportedly from a merchant claiming to offer a special channel," Andrey replied, his tone uneasy.
"Recently, these kinds of rumors have been spreading widely among the apprentice candidates. These merchants claim they have ways to rapidly enhance spiritforce in a short time."
Robb's eyes narrowed. "So Locke was tricked?"
"No... it's worse than that."
Andrey shook his head. "Those forbidden drugs do increase spiritforce temporarily—but the price is..."
He didn't finish the sentence, but Robb immediately recalled the twisted flesh and constantly trembling eyeballs.
"I've heard that these merchants may be backed by sorcerers."
Andrey continued, "They need large numbers of test subjects, and desperate apprentice candidates are perfect targets."
Robb was struck by a sudden realization. So Locke had been a marked target from the beginning?
Then he recalled how right after Locke's incident, people just happened to be whispering nearby about how he got the spiritual catalyst through a special channel—far too much of a coincidence.
"That's why I came to warn you." Andrey's voice dropped to a grave tone. "No matter what kind of temptation is dangled in front of you, don't touch anything from an unknown source."
"Don't worry, I'm not that stupid." Robb forced a smile. "Besides, haven't I already found the right path?"
Andrey nodded with a hint of relief.
"True. Even Lord Hugo recognized your talent in potion-making. And your progress with the Solar Breathing Technique is going smoothly."
"But that reminds me..." he suddenly changed the subject. "How do you plan to handle Madam Elena's class today? She's notoriously strict."
"Well..." Robb glanced at his notes. "I've already reviewed the section in Basic Alchemy about simple potions."
He picked up a densely scribbled notebook and casually showed some of his notes on herb properties.
"Plus, the hands-on practice I got at the herbal shop yesterday gave me a deeper understanding of many ingredients."
Andrey took the notebook and flipped through it, visibly surprised.
"You wrote all this yourself? You even documented rare herbs' reactions and behaviors in such detail..."
Just then, a commotion broke out outside—muffled exclamations and hurried movement.
"Another one," Andrey's face darkened instantly. Even his usually refined tone grew raspy.
The two exchanged a look. At this hour, any sudden disturbance usually meant someone had taken the irreversible path.
"Should we check it out?" Robb asked hesitantly.
Andrey unconsciously rubbed his collar—his habit when facing a tough decision.
But in the end, he slowly nodded. "Let's go. But stay back. Around this time, the white-robed sorcerers always show up on cue when they need new test subjects."
By the time they reached the corridor's end, a small crowd had already gathered. It was still barely dawn, but anyone who lived here clearly didn't have the luxury of laziness.
Unlike the chaos during Locke's incident, this time everyone kept their distance—as if afraid of something.
Under the flickering light of the magic crystals, Robb saw a twisted figure curled up in a corner.
Morning light streamed through the window slats, falling on what used to be a delicate female face—now distorted into something horrifying.
"It's Emily..." someone whispered.
That name hit Robb like a jolt.
He'd seen the duke's daughter just yesterday afternoon. Though her clothes were disheveled, she still wore a luxurious silk gown and a gemstone necklace.
Even as someone's servant, this noble girl had clung to her aristocratic grace.
But now...
Not only was Emily's face unrecognizable, her body was twisting in ways that defied logic. The expensive gown was soaked with sweat and clung tightly to her skin, revealing disturbing outlines.
Something inside her was squirming, warping her once-slender figure into something grotesque.
"I heard she was in Marcus' room just a few days ago..." a female apprentice murmured.
"Heh. Emily was never the type to give up. She always dreamed of becoming a full apprentice."
"Yeah. Thanks to selling her body for magic crystal shards, she could afford a dose of the mental catalyst."
"Tch, what a shame. I remember how proud she was when she first arrived. Said even if she became an experiment, she'd rather stay here. Look at her now..."
The whispers abruptly stopped.
At the far end of the corridor, a tall figure in a white robe had appeared. A sneer echoed from behind the mask.
"Another fool who doesn't know her place."
The white-robed sorcerer's voice was devoid of emotion. "I've been working on a new transformation formula. Just happened to need a suitable test subject."
With a casual wave, he released an invisible force, binding the mutating Emily and preparing to take her away.
As the magic closed in, her once-delicate features twisted further in pain. The gemstone necklace bit deep into her swollen neck.
Just then, she struggled weakly and lifted her head toward the crowd of apprentices.
Robb saw her eyes—once clear and jewel-like—now bloodshot and webbed with crimson veins.
Within that blood-red haze, something strange seemed to be shifting, constantly rearranging itself.
"Help... me... ugh—" she tried to speak, but only garbled sobs came out of her throat.
The sorcerer, clearly annoyed, pulled out a glowing, eerie potion from his robe. "Looks like you need to be quiet for a while..."
"Let's go." Andrey tugged on Robb's arm. "What comes next... is better left unseen."
They had only taken a few steps when a piercing, chilling scream rang out behind them—carrying with it an unearthly undertone, like something howling from the deepest depths of the abyss.
Back in the dorm, Robb couldn't calm down for a long time.
Everything that had happened today was just too heavy. From Locke last night to Emily this morning—each one was a brutal reminder of the harshness of this world.
"I have to get stronger. Fast."
In this dark and ruthless world, strength was the only way to survive.
Whether to stay alive—or to avoid ending up as meat on a white-robed sorcerer's table.
He reopened his notebook and returned to studying herb properties.
Madam Elena's lesson was coming soon. He had to be fully prepared.