Kobold Wizard's Journal

Chapter 201 Nightmare and the Bell Toll

“As for wizards… there used to be a first-ring wizard, and he was in charge of things, but most of the people coming and going were wizard apprentices like you and me.” Flame Man Raiden said as he flipped the roasted meat.

"Aren't you ready for a promotion yet?" Ruger asked as he approached the campfire.

“I’m not in a hurry. I came here to find some new ingredients. There are many things here that I’ve never seen before,” Leiden said, his eyes shining in the firelight. He reached out and gently poked the campfire to reduce the flames and adjusted the roasting meat. “You’re here just in time. We can go out together to collect samples. Since you’ve come to this camp, you must be an apothecary apprentice, so we can continue our exploration together.”

Ruger opened his mouth, wanting to say that he was just a novice, practically useless in the field of pharmacists. Of course, if someone could guide him and tell him how to do it, he would be very willing to learn.

“Those people…” Ruger sat down by the campfire.

Logically, there should have been someone among those people responsible for guiding him, a pharmacist apprentice who was arriving for the first time.

“Just like you thought, they all went to town,” Raiden said, turning the roast meat. “Originally, the camp was the center, with the wizard assigning tasks to explore and collect samples in the vicinity. Once a satisfactory quantity was reached, or a sufficient amount of service was completed, the contract would grant them their freedom, allowing them to become free explorers of the Nightmare World. But then that town suddenly appeared… At first, it was just the sound of bells, and then the houses gradually came into view…”

"So, they turned to exploring the town?" Ruger couldn't help but sniff.

"First, three people went together, but they never came back after entering the town. Then that wizard also went, but don't worry about them. Maybe they got some benefits. And now, I only arrived a few days earlier than you, so they didn't take me with them and left me here to guard the camp."

Leiden, on the other hand, seemed indifferent to the outcome of staying at the camp.

“The Nightmare World is a wondrous place; while there are dangers, there are also unexpected rewards,” Raiden said, cutting a piece of roasted meat.

"Thank you."

Ruger took a piece of roasted meat that had been cut off; it smelled delicious.

He held a piece of roasted meat in his hand, but he couldn't help turning his head to look at the town in the distance.

The world was quiet, the town was quiet, with only the occasional crackling of the campfire at my feet, highlighting the dripping grease from the roasting meat.

Suddenly, several more figures dressed in wizard robes came into view.

It wasn't from the direction of the dead tree, but from the other side of the town, as if it were circling around the town, taking it in for a closer look.

“Are these people from the camp?” Ruger asked.

Leiden shook his head: "Judging from its shape, it probably came here because of the town."

Clang! Clang! Clang—

A bell rang out in the deserted town.

The people who had been lingering on the edge of town for a long time seemed to be frightened and hurriedly ran away.

Ruger stuffed the roasted meat into his mouth and said, "Was it like this before?"

His mouth was stuffed with roasted meat, so his speech was a little unclear.

"The bell only rang once a day before the town was fully revealed, and this is the first time it has rung since the town was fully revealed," the fire-man Raiden said with certainty.

Leiden's unhurried demeanor was quite reassuring and did not cause any irritation to others.

Ruger really liked this kind of person. The two exchanged a glance, both understanding each other's meaning; neither of them would willingly take the risk for the time being.

The two began to happily eat the barbecue.

It has to be said that Ruger has been missing this taste for a long time.

With each bite, the aroma of meat, mixed with a sense of bliss, bursts forth from your nostrils.

"They should be in a position where they won't easily discover this place, right?" Ruger looked at the few people who were still standing in the distance.

"There's no need to worry. The reason why the exploration of the Nightmare World is open to wizard apprentices is because this area is not suitable for generating strong magical fluctuations. Second-circle wizards have to be very careful, and first-circle wizards cannot go all out. So most of the people you see are wizard apprentices."

Leiden spoke slowly, his words serving as a more perfunctory response than a formal answer.

Hearing this, Luger felt relieved. In other words, ordinary wizard apprentices who caused trouble could be dealt with easily. Leiden was confident, and so was Luger.

"However, there is a type of wizard apprentice who is more troublesome. You should know that it was not the Supreme Council's long-term exploration mission that led people to the Nightmare World. There is a long history before that, with wizard organizations and even wizard apprentices who enter and leave the Nightmare World to explore on their own. As a result, there are naturally many wizard paths. Among them are some annoying guys here, such as Nightmare Wizards. Encountering such wizard apprentices can be very troublesome."

Leiden said he was difficult, but Ruger didn't sense much importance from his tone.

As Ruger ate his meat, he looked into the distance. Of those guys, only one was still in the same spot; the rest had already entered the town.

“Ignore them, what we need to do first is what we’re supposed to do,” Leiden said.

"For example, cultivating it?"

Ruger moved the seemingly real yet illusory fleshy wings beside him.

Leiden nodded and said, "The information I received is that cultivating Nightmare Organs is the top priority. This will make it easier for the Nightmare World to accept us, less likely to attract the attention of Nightmare Monsters, and allow us to consume more Nightmare Creatures and taste all kinds of things from the Nightmare World. We don't need to worry too much about our bodies' ability to withstand it. However, your bloodline-modified body will definitely be more resilient than that of a typical wizard apprentice."

"Probably, but how do you cultivate this thing?" Luger asked.

“We’re nurturing it right now,” Raden said, pointing to the roast meat. “It will benefit from staying in the Nightmare World. Eating things from the Nightmare World will also promote fusion. And it can directly devour some monsters from the Nightmare World, which is especially beneficial for apprentices like you who haven’t reached the limit of mental strength. It can also increase your mental strength by devouring Nightmare monsters. But you have to know how to do it within your limits, otherwise you’ll easily become one of those crazy people among the faith wizards who have burned their brains out.”

"After listening to your explanation, I'm even tempted to take a walk around the town."

Ruger tore at the newly allocated piece of roast meat in his hand.

It's obvious without much thought that besides the elusive and precious rewards, there must be some so-called nightmare monsters there.

Leiden shrugged noncommittally upon hearing this.

“Another optimal way to cultivate a nightmare organ is to devour the nightmare organs of others,” Raden said. “Of course, normal wizarding apprentices wouldn’t pursue this extreme, but nightmare wizards would have a much greater desire for it, as they are experts in this field.”

Clang! Clang! Clang—

Ruger abruptly stood up, as did Leiden, who was usually calm.

The distant town began to blur, seemingly disappearing from the world bit by bit, and none of the figures who went in, including the wizards from the same camp whom Luger had not yet met, showed any sign of coming out.

(End of this chapter)