After tidying up the laboratory, Thain walked toward the dormitory with a heavy heart.
Due to the recent experiments under Mentor Mosido that had turned his days and nights upside down, the Black Magic Academy was technically in its daytime cycle.
A multitude of apprentices passed by Thain.
None of the novice or low-level apprentices heading to their public courses dared disturb the black-robed apprentice with the white mask and steady aura. The reverence in their eyes showed they had adapted well to life in the Black Magic Academy.
Since a batch of new apprentices had enrolled three years ago, the floating airship had delivered two more groups. However, each time, the number of apprentices dwindled. The most recent batch, arriving last year, had shockingly few children—only about fifty passed the entrance tests.
Perhaps because of the smaller intake, the academy's official black mages no longer casually slaughtered these "ants" during public lectures when in a foul mood. Sometimes, Thain mused that these new apprentices were lucky.
Had they arrived over a decade ago when Thain first came to the Underdark, the casualty rate exceeding fifty percent would have plunged them into true despair.
In recent years, the mortality rate had been controlled at thirty percent. According to an offhand remark from Mentor Mosido, this was at the behest of Dean Dadaron.
If not for the sheer number of black mages like Master Kosoron—who had long grown indifferent to life and habitually crushed the foolish or those they disliked like "bugs"—the casualty rate might have been even lower.
Yet no matter how low, apprentices still met misfortune or death daily. Master Kosoron's dissection classes never lacked fresh specimens, many of whom had been among the attending apprentices just the day before.
The cold, ruthless laws of the Underdark forced these apprentices to tread ever more carefully.
By the time Thain reached the White Crow Grove before the dormitory, hardly any low-level or novice apprentices remained nearby. The academy's lecture time was approaching, and not a single apprentice dared be late. Not one!
Upon entering the grove, Thain didn't proceed to the dorms. Instead, he veered off the path and into the dense woods.
The White Crow Grove was vast, the largest forest within the academy. Though its flora couldn't rival the botanical garden's diversity, aside from white crow trees, it housed peculiar plants and small creatures.
Of the fifty-plus animal specimens and two hundred plant specimens Thain had collected, a third came from this grove. He was a frequent visitor here.
Moving eastward through the seemingly pathless thicket, Thain's destination was a massive tree canopy in the eastern part of the grove.
The forest was eerily quiet, save for faint chirps of insects and birds—enough to soothe even the most agitated soul.
Few apprentices would imagine such a tranquil haven existed within the cold, oppressive Black Magic Academy.
The White Crow Grove stood right beside the apprentice dorms. Those living on higher floors saw only dense treetops from their windows, never suspecting the serene beauty hidden beneath.
The academy's tense atmosphere and ever-present dangers deterred low-level apprentices from exploring. As for intermediate apprentices and above, most knew this was the territory of the academy's overseers and thus avoided disturbing it.
Only Thain had wandered here regularly for over four years.
And he never came empty-handed.
"Seven, I'm here!" Thain called up toward the towering thirty-meter canopy.
The sound of flapping wings followed, and before Thain could react, a half-human-tall owl appeared before him.
This was the academy overseer Thain had met and befriended over four years ago.
Now, they were friends who understood each other well.
Thain's circumstances aside, the owl—named Seven—had revealed its strength to be at the quasi-magical beast level, comparable to Thain's senior apprentice brother, Zorro.
Quasi-magical beasts were stronger than high-tier magical beasts but still fell short of official mages.
From Seven, Thain learned that magical beasts matching official black mages in power were called tiered magical beasts. However, such creatures were rare in the Underdark.
Decades ago, a few tiered magical beasts had roamed near the city of Mosobula. Unfortunately, they encountered a group of even more ruthless and powerful black mages.
Not just tiered beasts—quasi-magical and high-tier beasts alike were hunted to near extinction. Even the underground demi-human warriors, said to rival official mages, were massacred.
Mosobula City was founded amid such bloodshed. The long-dried bloodstains on its walls dated back to those brutal conflicts.
Through Seven's tales, Thain envisioned scenes of hundreds of thousands of demi-humans charging toward Mosobula, or waves of subterranean beasts surging forth—only to be obliterated by the black mages' overwhelming elemental power.
It was this absolute might that cemented Mosobula's status as the heart of the Underdark.
Learning these historical secrets gave Thain a clearer understanding of Mosobula's past and the timeline of the black mages' arrival.
Thain had once asked Seven about its age. Unlike his senior sister Faye, who considered the topic taboo, the owl overseer answered without hesitation.
One hundred thirty-seven years old—still relatively young for its kind. Magical beasts typically outlived humans and possessed greater physical resilience.
As for its name, "Seven" simply denoted its birth order among its siblings.
When Thain inquired about the total number of owl overseers in the academy or Seven's lineage, the owl remained silent. Such matters were classified, strictly forbidden from disclosure.