NOVEL NEXT Chapter 172: The Whistler Forest
After a few moments, Instructor Chavez gave a signal to Commander Nathan…
Soon, the Mage Guard nodded in understanding and announced that they would continue with their own investigation.
Though they acknowledged the apprentices' efforts and offered gratitude, it was clear they hadn't come merely to clean up after a skirmish.
Their purpose ran deeper.
They had come for something else.
Just like that, their forces spread through the trees toward Relay Station Beta. It was located just over a ridge…
Instructor Chavez also instructed everyone to board the carriages, and soon, they arrived at this Relay Station Beta…
As soon as they entered the protected area, the group found signs of a small battle, but not devastation.
The main building and the watchtower itself stood intact, protected by various Formation Arts. Around it, dozens of Apprentice Mages and their slaves, wearing the gray-and-blue uniform of Rukh Tower, were busy cataloging corpses, gathering relic fragments, and tending to injured comrades.
"Ahh… So this is the Relay Station."
"It's like a mini settlement."
"Well, it is a small settlement. There are probably around thirty people stationed here."
"That's true… Just by being stationed here, you can get Academic Points already."
The five apprentices, Julia, Gian, Marcus, Lena, and Harvey, couldn't help but look at the place they had to be familiar with.
As they observed the place, they noticed a few mages already bartering supplies or arguing over Academic Points, the Tower's merit-based currency.
A young Apprentice ran by holding a small pouch with him, yelling about how he'd "found three One-Horned Magic Beasts" and deserved at least some Academic Points after it was killed.
Van's Ocularis Lens, on the other hand, scanned the surroundings quite swiftly. Soon, he identified the locations of the supply caches, potion reserves, and enchantment arrays being stabilized by support Mages.
Compared to their rough trek through Whistler, the station was definitely organized.
After some time, Instructor Chavez finally gave her students time to rest. They had traveled for several hours, and they also fought against the bandits… They deserve to have a decent meal served by the station.
Julia and the rest were provided a corner under a semi-collapsed canopy, with dried fruits, meat, and warm broth.
Julia had brought her own food but she also tried the simple but tasty meal served to them...
Gian, on the other hand, just munched quietly, lost in his thoughts, occasionally glancing at the blade he'd looted.
In the meantime, Marcus poked the armor Aura Artifact they'd taken as he was considering whether to just sell it or give it to his slave.
As for Lena, she was just tired. She lay back with eyes closed, while Harvey scribbled into a small notebook—likely refining a new spell diagram.
Their slaves—Van, Jax, Fin, Elias, and Theresa—stayed close, assisting as needed, though even they were given a moment to breathe.
And then, Instructor Chavez returned after some time.
She stood before them, hands clasped behind her back, the light breeze making her red-lined cloak flutter.
"You've all done well. Your performance today—against overwhelming odds—was more than what I expected from Apprentices." She then paused and looked at each of them…
"But the mission isn't over yet."
The five looked up as they recalled their mission here…
"The Relay Stations need more supplies and reagents. The wild magic beasts around Whistler Forest have become unstable, but that means rarities are surfacing. The Academy has issued a new directive."
Chavez snapped her fingers, and holographic images of four magical items shimmered in the air above her staff and aside from that, Chavez also gave them scrolls containing information about the items they needed to obtain.
Glowplume Fern — Delicate, luminous leaves that respond to moonlight.
Value: 10 Academic Points each.
Whistlehorn Toad — A creature whose croaks resonate with the mana frequency of nearby Mages.
Value: 20 Points each.
Honeycap Mushroom — Grows in damp shadows, rich in healing properties.
Value: 50 Points each.
Mana-Rolling Beetle — Elusive and armored, this creature absorbs ambient mana and rolls it into pearls.
Value: 100 Points each.
At this point, it wasn't hard to understand what they must do to pass their mission.
"Your task," she continued, "is to collect as many of these as possible. Not only for credit—but for training. You will explore, investigate, and return. Failure is acceptable. Cowardice is not. If you manage to get a total of 1,000 Points for the next three days, you will be given a special reward."
The five Apprentices looked at each other as excitement ignited in their tired eyes.
"This is a competition, then?" Marcus asked, half-smirking.
"No," Chavez said. "But if you must compete, do it with results."
She gave a curt nod and turned away…"
"Your slaves will accompany you," she called back. "You're responsible for their safety—and their usefulness."
The groups then formed quickly:
Julia and Van, Gian and Jax, Marcus and Fin, Lena and Elias, Harvey and Theresa…
Soon, the five groups stood at the station gates. They have already obtained a few more rations to ensure that they have food. During these three days of the mission, they were allowed to return to the relay stations. They could also ask for help by using a flare that was handed over to them.
Julia pulled her hood up, staff in hand.
"Van. Let's prioritize Glowplume Fern and Honeycaps. I read from the books that those Beetles and Toads could be harmful… They have predators out there that we want to avoid…"
As for the predators that she had mentioned, they were obviously the one-horned Badgers or Bramblebacks.
Van nodded, scanning his surroundings already.
[ Whistler Ecosystem Analysis: Bioluminescent Flora detected southeast. ]
'Ohh? That's faster than I thought.' Van mused as he didn't expect that his Ocularis Lens had already improved this much that it could already analyze a huge area around him…
In any case, Van suggested their direction to Julia and the latter didn't question him at all. She doesn't really have any skills on this matter and could only trust the slave she brought.
Just like that, they vanished into the mist.
In the meantime, Gian turned to Jax with a grin.
"Let's find those damn toads. I want to hear them croak. They'll respond to mana so I can just be a bait and you hunt them. Let's go to swamp areas or anything near the river. It should be a good start."
Jax gently nodded… "The toads should be a lot easier to find than those beetles..."
"Yes… We'll also have trouble if those beetles start flying everywhere. Let's focus on Toads and that mushroom…"
Just like that, their group took off west, toward the streams… Well, they heard from other mages stationed here about those streams in the western area. Although they were also in other places, the ones in the West could bring them better results.
Marcus then took out a vial and dropped a pinch of ash inside.
The liquid swirled with glowing blue, and after seeing this, Marcus smiled... "We're going to find the Beetles. Stay close, Fin. And take notes."
It seemed that the solution that Marcus just made could be used to find Beetles.
Just like that, they moved deeper into a different direction.
Lena, on the other hand, just moved forward… "Let's explore the area…"
Elias nodded and just followed silently… Soon, the two of them just melted into the underbrush as they disappeared through the fog.
And lastly, Harvey and Theresa. Harvey looked at the directions where the others left and decided to just pick a random path where he might not see any of them.
After all, Harvey didn't like to be in the same area as the other students and complete with the resources.
He was worried that his classmates might do the extreme and harm him and his female servant just for the Academic Points.
"Theresa, we have three days on our mission... Did you bring enough clothes? We'll do our best to return to the Relay Station but if we could not, we might have to sleep in the forest."
"I'm fine with that, Master. I also got some information about the location of other stations… I'll remind you if it's about to get dark…" Theresa replied.
"Ohh… T-that's fine… I guess…" Harvey muttered.
Just like that, their group also disappeared from the trees as they were shrouded by fog…
This had all happened under Instructor Chavez's watch…
"Nathan… I assume that you have prepared the observers in advance." Chavez said as she looked at the Station Commander.
"Yes, Mage Chavez… I sent them earlier and knew about the Apprentice Mages. Rest assured, they will be safe inside. As long as they don't fight against the One-Horned Magic Beasts, they should be just fine." Nathan replied.
Instructor Chavez wryly smiled after hearing this.
"They should be more than capable of fighting those One-Horned Zombies…" Chavez said softly.
Nathan heard this and didn't comment immediately as he didn't want to argue right now. Instead, after a moment of pause, Nathan smiled and replied.
"You are their instructor after all. I'm sure they'll be just fine."
Instructor Chavez liked this reply and nodded.
"Then I guess we should just wait for the result."