Exiles of the Netherworld

Darkness shrouded the world, yet mankind held light in their hands.

......

"Roar!!!"

A series of low, terrifying howls suddenly echoed through the empty underground valley! Like claps of thunder in the unknown darkness, the chilling sounds assaulted the eardrums of a black-robed youth by the lakeside, who winced in pain with his hands over his ears.

The black hood slipped off, revealing refined, handsome features of aristocratic bearing, though his complexion was ghostly pale with blood trickling from his ears. Yet his eyes remained lucid and his expression steadfast once again.

Alberic-a humble apprentice of dark magic.

Just then, the cavern ceiling crumbled as in an avalanche, sending rocks raining down around Alberic, who could only scramble frantically.

"Roar!!!"

Another earsplitting bellow echoed mockingly, as if scorning the utter insignificance of this human before the maw of absolute power. All struggles and defiance would be futile.

The roar's owner was a mid-level magical beast - a Brine Crocodylus.

The underground lake at Alberic's feet was its habitat.

Now the crocodile ceased its roaring to glare at the human, lashing the rocks violently with its gigantic tail. Still catching his breath, Alberic shuddered under its horrific pressure!

Ghostly light emanated from its pale eyes amidst the gloom, much of its head burnt and blistered-evidence of injury from Alberic's earlier spells.

To the crocodile, this insolent human had clearly provoked and challenged it.

Though fear of death had not completely overcome the apprentice, the beast's patience was utterly exhausted!

It hurtled towards Alberic, gaping maw poised to crushing his skull within those jagged teeth, rank drool dripping...

In that split second, Alberic made his move!

The chance he had been waiting for finally came!

His left hand scattered a handful of iron phosphorus powder!

His right fingertips unleashed the secondary fireball spell gathered through his remaining magic power-

Secondary Fireball!

In a flash, a soccer-sized fireball shot forth at lightning speed!

"Boom!!!"

The powder instantly combusted upon contact, detonating with the fireball in a thundering explosion!

The ear-splitting blast shook the entire cavern, shattering the crocodile's massive jaws into pieces amidst scattered flesh and blood.

Blown back three or four meters by the shockwave, Alberic staggered to his feet, gazing excitedly at the crocodile carcass as he pumped his fist.

I knew it!

Thanks to the explosive iron phosphorus powder, this secondary fireball that Alberic had placed high hopes on unleashed power beyond his imagination.

......

With the battle over, Alberic's face had become ghastly pale from the extreme drain on his mental and magical powers - his energy nearly spent.

Mustering a shred of strength, he first gritted through the pain to stand. Then he swam to a small island in the middle of the lake, picking three vibrant glowing Starlight Grass. He made his way back to the battle site, claiming the Brine Crocodylus's most precious magic crystal, as well as harvesting its massive, power-suffused skull. With the spoils of victory secured, he swiftly departed the lakeside.

In truth, Alberic had claimed no more than half the spoils from the Brine Crocodylus' corpse.

He was forced to abandon the remainder of materials and the beast's blood suffused with elemental magic. It was not that he was unwilling, but in this subterranean world, peril lurked at every moment.

His powers utterly depleted after the intense battle, Alberic dared not linger any longer in this domain of danger.

The three Starlight Grass had been his ultimate purpose in braving the crocodile's turf-the fundamental reason he risked his life in this mismatch.

"Huff...huff..." Heavy breathing echoed out of the darkness.

The sound seemed to emanate from the lake's edge.

Alberic quickened his steps without another glance back at the place of calamity.

......

Mosobla City.

As the center of the subterranean realm known as the "Gloom Territories", this was the one and only city established by dark wizards in history - a place revered by all creatures of shadow.

Twenty-meter high city walls revealed the passage of ages through their azure bricks, soaked over epochs in the blood of countless slain beasts. Arcane sigils of suppressed power shimmered in those crevices, speaking tomes beyond words.

After two days of hurried travel, Alberic arrived at this magnificent city, finally reassured that his safety would be secured.

"Hey, Alberic. Looks like you got beat up pretty bad!" A mocking chuckle rang out from the parapets as Alberic approached the passageway reserved for mages.

Over a dozen people garbed similarly to Alberic in black robes stood atop the city walls. The one who had spoken was a scar-faced, swarthy man at the center.

Though he and Alberic harbored no mortal grudges, he held no qualms in reveling at the latter's misfortunes.

While the other apprentices present refrained from verbal mockery, cold indifference dominated their countenances.

Their cold-bloodedness was no surprise, for it was simply the way of this underground domain.

Rivalries between Mosobla's apprentice mages were commonplace. Might reigned supreme as the solitary doctrine in this subterranean world, leaving no room for the meek or the merciful.

Survival of the fittest was the cardinal rule.

Including Alberic himself, no one would selflessly aid another without cause.

If he witnessed a fellow apprentice meeting misfortune, he might even feel a twinge of relief at one less competitor for scarce resources.

Paying no heed to the ridicule from the mage atop the walls, Alberic produced his insignia to the Minotaur Captain guarding the gates. "I'm an apprentice sent by Master Mossitore to gather materials from the surface. Let me into the city at once!"

The brawny Minotaur Captain, whose might rivaled a high-level magical creature, now showed utmost deference and compliance before this lowly apprentice.

What he revered was not Alberic the stripling, but the status of a black mage and the master whom Alberic had invoked - Mossitore the Elder.

Within Mosobla City, as across the entire Gloom Territories, the black mages represented the ultimate authority.

Alberic paid the apprentices' cold mockery no heed, passing through the gates without incident - much to the disappointment of those eager for dramatic confrontation.

Alberic's name carried weight at Mosobla's Academy of Dark Magic. Now sixteen, he was on the cusp of advancing to Intermediate Apprentice.

But his talents alone failed to account for this youth garnering the praise of several esteemed archmages. What truly commanded respect was the recognition granted by masters of the dark arts.

None could predict when Lady Luck might smile on Alberic, allowing him to be taken under the wing of some lofty archmage.

Should Alberic become disciple to a preeminent spellcaster, his standing among Mosobla's apprentices would rocket into the upper tiers in an instant.

"Hmph!" Alberic's frigid disdain incited that scar-faced apprentice's fury.

In truth, the scarred apprentice had no intention of directly antagonizing Alberic - rather, he was more wary of the latter's girlfriend.

His eyes flashed cunningly as he muttered orders to his lackey: "Inform Yrque that Alberic has returned gravely wounded."

"Those two are arch-rivals. Heh heh, I'll bet Yrque has no wish to see Alberic strutting before him one day as an Intermediate Apprentice."

While the scarred mage himself boasted middling power, his lackey was a recent arrival to Mosobla, having started learning magic less than two years past. The newcomer could barely be considered an Entry-level Apprentice.

In the Gloom Territories, those lacking personal power must cling to the shadows of stronger patrons.

The lackey dared not defy his scarred master's bidding, even knowing it would pit him against Alberic and his deranged lover.

Should Alberic truly fall at Yrque's hand, that mad sorceress would surely wreak a vengeance beyond reckoning.

As for the scarred apprentice?

He had his own august patron. Thus he had no fear of that sorceress.

In fact, the scarred mage competed directly with Alberic's lover in certain spheres of influence.

Hence his resentment towards Alberic, cohabiting with that woman.