Seeing herself about to be surrounded by wasteland wolves, the apprentice's face hardened with resolve.
Then, her right hand suddenly thrust backward.
Crack! Her right palm split wide open, revealing rows of stark white teeth—as though an extra mouth had sprouted there.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
From the mouth on her right hand, several globules of foul-smelling green solution shot out.
"Graaah..."
The solution blobs struck the wasteland wolves, immediately producing thick white smoke and corroding through their flesh at terrifying speed, exposing the wolves' raw red muscles and pale bones.
The pack's assault faltered. Seizing the opportunity, the apprentice rapidly chanted a few syllables, casting an acceleration spell on herself.
Finally, before the wolves could catch up, the apprentice burst through into a layer of white mist.
After entering the mist, the apprentice let out a heavy breath of relief.
She looked around.
Here, there were strangely many human structures, all made of wood, appearing to form a temporary settlement.
And all around, many official wizards and apprentices dressed in Black Bone Forest Academy attire were coming and going.
"Halt! Apprentice! Password! And token!"
Countless black owls swarmed around the apprentice, assembling into the shape of a giant humanoid, with a voice booming from its mouth.
"Black Bone Supreme!" the apprentice murmured, producing a black badge and holding it before the giant.
"Correct!" the giant said. Its form dispersed, breaking apart into countless owls that flew off in every direction. The apprentice pulled out a map and studied it.
"I didn't realize I'd gone this deep. This area is marked as dangerous with three or more white bones. Without the strength of an official wizard, I'd better leave as soon as possible..."
"Yo! What a revolting smell! Let me guess who's here!"
Just then, several apprentices heading outward surrounded the apprentice who had just arrived.
The one in the lead, though also wearing apprentice attire, was dressed in particularly fine materials. Around their neck hung a delicate silver necklace that radiated powerful energy fluctuations—it was clearly a Magical Item.
"Is there even a need to guess? This disgusting, sewer-like stench—besides our pig-person Niss, who else could it be?"
The other apprentices burst into laughter.
The one who had spoken earlier stepped forward and yanked back the newcomer's hood.
Beneath the hood was revealed an exceedingly ugly face.
The top of the head was bald, the teeth sparse. A pig-like nose jutted from the face, and the entire body radiated a foul stench.
This apprentice who had entered the outpost was actually Leilin's fellow townsman and former classmate—Niss.
"Lady Lilisite!" Niss bowed in greeting, though her expression was somewhat stiff.
Because of her appearance, she had endured countless acts of discrimination and harassment at Black Bone Forest Academy, though most apprentices wouldn't go this far.
The apprentice blocking her path was of the Lilisite family bloodline, trailed by a gaggle of lackeys. Their manner was extremely arrogant, and they had often mocked Niss's appearance back at the academy.
"Hmph!" The lead apprentice nodded coolly, a look of reserved pride on their face.
"Pig-person Niss, this isn't a place for you. Don't let your stench disturb the honored wizards! They're all my elders, you know!"
The Lilisite apprentice covered their nose, a contemptuous sneer on their face.
"I... I'll leave right now..."
Niss hastily backed away.
But as she turned to go, she tripped. Inadvertently, the red ore in her hand was revealed.
"Hm! Wait!" The Lilisite apprentice immediately called Niss to a halt. "What's in your hand? What is it? Show me!"
"No! No! It's nothing!" Niss retreated repeatedly, trying her best to conceal it, but the panic in her eyes was impossible to hide.
"Wretch!"
The apprentice cursed and suddenly struck. Their entire right arm swelled in an instant, muscles bulging in thick ridges, veins standing out prominently.
Bang! A fist slammed into Niss's face, sending her entire body flying like a ball.
In midair, a red ore stone dropped to the ground, spinning like a top.
"A Makov Crystal? And red-quality at that?" The Lilisite family apprentice stared at the red ore on the ground, a flash of delight and greed passing through their eyes.
"That's mine... my..." Seeing the greedy expression on the Lilisite family apprentice's face, Niss's heart sank. But this crystal was extremely important to her—it was her capital for advancement. So she mustered her courage and spoke in a low voice.
"Damn wretch! Even the skin on your face is this thick!"
The Lilisite family apprentice who had struck her shook their arm. "This crystal was clearly my harvest from yesterday. You despicable thief, damn pilferer—not only did you dare steal it, but you also dare claim it's yours!"
The apprentice waved their hand. "Get her! Seize her and hand her over to the academy's enforcement squad!"
The several apprentices behind them immediately closed in with malicious intent.
Niss backed away repeatedly, yellow pus streaming from her eyes.
The nearby apprentices watched this scene with eerie calm. Even a few visiting wizards were the same.
That apprentice was a member of the Lilisite family!!!
And the Lilisite family was one of the three great families of Black Bone Forest Academy! Many of its members held key positions in the academy!
Offend them, and you could forget about getting by in the academy ever again!
Moreover, the garrison wizards at this outpost were all Lilisite family members—even if others wanted to intervene, they were powerless to do so.
Besides, wizards were a rather pragmatic bunch, and dark wizards even more so.
Why would they go out of their way to oppose the Lilisite family for the sake of Niss, this ugly monstrosity of an apprentice?
So at most they sighed quietly to themselves and went back to what they were doing, as if they hadn't seen a single thing happening here.
"Heh heh! I've been sick of you for a long time. Just seeing your back every day makes my stomach turn!"
One of the encircling apprentices sneered. Their right hand clawed forward! A shadowy black claw materialized out of nowhere, striking toward Niss's face.
"I'm going to smash that disgusting face of yours!"
The apprentice roared, as if in that very moment something called justice had possessed them.
"Don't!" Niss raised both hands to shield her face.
Bang! The black claw struck her hands but bounced off a layer of skin, only slightly scratching the surface.
As the product of a failed mutation experiment by an official wizard, Niss's appearance had been transformed as it was, but she had gained some resistance to apprentice-level spells. Her strength had also increased considerably—whether this was fortune or misfortune, she couldn't say.
"Damn it!"
The encircling apprentices' faces flushed red, as if they'd been humiliated. They exchanged a glance and suddenly attacked in unison.
Fireball! Ice Spike! Hurricane! All hurtling toward Niss's head at once.
"Don't... don't force me!" Niss cried out, clutching her head with both hands, and burst through the barrage of spells.
"Ptoo!" Then she opened her mouth and spat, a glob of green pus spraying out and hitting one apprentice square in the face.
"Aaah!" The apprentice's facial muscles immediately sloughed off in chunks. Clutching their ruined face, they rolled around on the ground.
At this moment, a burst of spiritual power belonging to a Third-rank Apprentice erupted fiercely from Niss's body.
"Hiding your strength pretty well, aren't you?" Seeing how things were going, the Lilisite family apprentice from before finally lost their composure.
He stepped forward several paces, a mocking smile on his face. "Do it again! Aim for here!" He pointed arrogantly at his own face.
Under his pressure, Niss retreated step by step. She had enough wits about her—if she dared attack a member of the Lilisite family here, the garrison wizards would tear her to shreds.
"Haha... don't dare? Then I'll just have to do it myself!" The Lilisite family apprentice laughed wildly, pointing a finger at Niss.
"Bind!"
From the silver necklace around his neck, countless fine silver threads suddenly burst forth. They spread outward layer by layer like a spider's web, enveloping Niss.
Swish swish!
The silver threads converged inward, binding Niss tight.
Sizzle! Even though Niss's skin had been modified, the silver threads bit in and left angry marks, yellow pus oozing from the wounds. A look of pain appeared on her face.
"All together! Kill this wretch!"
Consumed by the furious rage of having his pride tarnished, this Lilisite family apprentice had begun to brazenly disregard the academy's rules, intending to kill a fellow student on the spot!
After all, he was of the Lilisite family—even if he committed some offense, it would only mean solitary confinement. The family would surely rescue him. What was there to fear?
Niss watched as the apprentices closed in again, spell light flickering in their hands, and lowered her head in despair.
"Am I going to die here today? It might be a kind of release, but dying in this form... I really can't accept that..." Niss thought silently.
BOOM!!!!
Tremendous magical fluctuations washed over them.
Niss squeezed her eyes shut, only to find no pain anywhere on her body. She raised her head in surprise.
Then, her face filled with astonishment, her mouth falling open.
In her field of vision, a massive Venom Wyvern circled above the outpost's barrier.
And a giant hand of black flame was reaching downward, its raging dark fire immediately tearing a huge black hole in the barrier above.
"Enemy intrusion!"
The owls from before reassembled once more, forming the shape of a giant.
"Get lost!"
A young man in black robes waved his hand dismissively.
A colossal black fireball descended from the sky like a meteor!
VROOOM!!!
Feathers scattered in all directions. The giant made of owls had barely touched the flames before completely dispersing. Owl after owl was burned to char and dropped from the sky.
P.S.: Just to make an author's statement—regardless of whether this story has a heroine, it definitely isn't Niss.