Kobold Wizard's Journal

Chapter 343 Elimination and Differences

At first glance, the wizard apprentices rarely walked in groups; most of them were walking silently at a distance from each other.

Ruger stared wide-eyed at the kobold, looking around. The group of wizard apprentices nearby all looked bewildered. Further away, in the dim light, the kobold's slightly peculiar eyes couldn't make out their expressions, even though he was now a dragonborn kobold. He was actually quite satisfied with the dragon blood he had been bathed in. Others might see no redeeming qualities from this dragon, only that it made him stronger and gave him better regenerative abilities, but from a wizard's perspective, he quite liked this purer, less affected dragon blood.

The scenery in the canyon was very monotonous. The mountain walls on both sides were incredibly high, and even after walking for a long time, there was no change in the view at the end of the canyon.

The brightness at high altitudes, unobstructed by mountain walls, was naturally better, but only to a limited extent. Under the pitiful light, the wizards high in the sky appeared as tiny black dots, and it was impossible to tell whether they were moving with the group.

Ruger was already quite thirsty, so he crushed a black fruit and used the freezing ray to make a cup of shaved ice, which he ate as he walked.

The sudden surge of magic startled the nearby wizard apprentices.

Ruger just smiled and continued eating heartily. Finding the fruit flavor too bland, he crushed another black fruit and poured it on top.

Once the surrounding wizard apprentices fully understood what he was doing, their expressions became even more interesting. Some chose to ignore it, while others were naturally dissatisfied. However, this interruption also subtly eased their suspicions that had filled them along the way.

Ruger ate without a care in the world.

His conspicuous dog face had long since honed his ability to disregard the opinions of others.

Crunch, crunch! Ruger was still playing with the last piece of ice in his mouth, a piece he had deliberately created at the end of a spell when making shaved ice.

A loud laugh drew people's attention away.

Ruger chewed on an ice cube and looked into the distance.

Those were the people walking at the very front, and one of them, a wizard apprentice so indistinct he was barely visible, seemed to be laughing loudly with his head thrown back; the trembling shoulders of the man could be seen in his blurry silhouette. The wizard apprentices around him were all deliberately keeping their distance from the laughing man. In an instant, hundreds of eyes were fixed on him.

Suddenly the man started running and laughing, as if he had encountered something happy.

But the direction he was running was not towards their target; instead, he would sometimes lean to one side and sometimes run sideways, circling around.

This bizarre appearance is truly astonishing.

Ruger bit into an ice cube and looked up at the small black dot hanging high in the sky, like an alternative star.

Those wizards seemed to have anticipated this, and showed no intention of coming down to investigate.

Ruger looked at the laughing wizard apprentice, who had stopped running and collapsed beside a rock, muttering something under his breath. Another apprentice bravely went to listen, but the man shut his mouth and passed out.

After a brief commotion, the group continued towards the so-called end of the canyon, with no one voluntarily turning back.

The person who laughed first seemed to be a signal; from then on, people started to fall behind.

Some sat on the ground with vacant eyes, silent; others wept softly; and a few even fell into a deep sleep.

As Ruger passed by, he curiously watched a wizard apprentice, who could be described as a strong man, sitting on the ground sobbing. His sad appearance, the sound and manner of his sobbing were completely like those of a child, and one who was not even ten years old.

The group moved forward amidst an increasingly tense and eerie atmosphere.

Ruger noticed that many of the wizarding apprentices present did not feel fear when they saw this strange situation, or rather, fear was only the second emotion. They all had their eyes shining and were suppressing their excitement.

Ruger suddenly realized that the wizard apprentices he met here were somewhat different from those he had encountered in other places.

They were more confident and bolder. The sight of people around them falling one after another, inexplicably stopping halfway, only excited them more. It made their steps more firm and steady as they landed, as if each step they took on the road was not stirring up dust, but rather a powerful confidence emanating from within.

Gradually, the number of people dropped to less than half.

Ruger craned his neck to look.

He stroked his chin and secretly cast a mental boost on himself, unsure of the effect, but better than nothing.

The group of apprentices continued walking.

The unchanging canyon scenery ahead, with its seemingly endless end, did not cause these wizard apprentices any anxiety.

Ruger raised an eyebrow as he looked at the excitement hidden beneath their calm expressions.

In this vast world, there are many outstanding people.

It might not be as easy as he imagined, no wonder old dog Lunther prepared those two parting gifts for him.

The old dog-head, with his special status, was well aware of the cruelty of the wizarding world. His slightly talented contracted nephew, placed on a higher level, might just be an ordinary member.

The number of people has already decreased, and the median line has been crossed.

Ruger looked at the wizard apprentices.

As more and more people fell, the remaining wizard apprentices showed no fear, but instead radiated even more confidence and excitement.

Ruger noticed that several overconfident individuals seemed to be looking around, as if they wanted to eliminate some people to ensure their own success. In the end, they looked up at the wizard in the sky but still did not dare to make a move.

Gradually, the number of people remaining dwindled to less than one hundred.

The canyon widens as you walk along the sides, until one side of the mountain wall is no longer visible.

Since the canyon shows no signs of closing up, there is no question of an end.

Therefore, it can be concluded that this so-called end must refer to something else.

Bored, Luger casually picked up a fruit and ate it as he walked. As the number of people decreased, although no one was frightened, their pace did indeed quicken.

They had been traveling for an unknown amount of time; Ruger estimated that it had taken about two normal days in the underground city.

Suddenly, several more people fell down in various poses.

Things have finally changed.

First, the light changed slightly, and then a solitary stone house appeared abruptly in the middle of the wide canyon.

All the surviving wizard apprentices slowed down their pace without prior agreement.

As the small house came into clearer view, they all stopped in their tracks. This must be what they called the end, the thing that even those who quit could get a hundred merit stones, the thing at the end.

As the crowd gradually slowed down, the middle-aged wizard who had appeared earlier descended slowly from the sky once again.

(End of this chapter)