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Chapter 72: Final Deadline

Not only had they missed this deadline, but Zorro’s consistently somber expression and the rising frequency of survey missions around the camp hinted at further delays.

The camp now housed more initiates than it did several months ago.

Sein estimated that there were around fifty people in his camp, with a similar number in the other camp.

After finishing his survey mission for the day, Sein returned to the camp only to find several unfamiliar faces.

The arrival of these junior initiates was a sign that the patience of the full-fledged black mages was wearing thin.

Even initiates with relatively low strength had been dispatched to the camp.

There was no doubt that the elemental beads they carried had been taken away by the senior initiates within the camp.

There was still no sign of Bousse or Marie here. After a brief stay, Sein returned to his own tent.

During dinner time, Leena, Faye, and another senior female initiate named Marlena returned to their tent in succession.

Despite the aroma of mushrooms filling the tent, it failed to stimulate their appetites. Faye, in particular, grimaced in response. “We’re going to have mushrooms again?”

Having endured a diet consisting mostly of mushrooms for more than three months, it was no surprise that Faye had grown weary of the taste. Just the sight of mushrooms was enough to make her feel full.

“If you’re sick of it, you could trade food with those initiates who specialize in dendro magic. I noticed a few new intermediate and junior initiates in the camp today too. They probably have some leftover food supplies from their journey through the vast desert, which you may find appealing,” Sein suggested without looking up.

His main focus remained on the mushroom soup simmering over his Minor Fireball spell.

Faye pouted upon hearing Sein’s suggestion.

“I got fed up with those guys and their magic plants long ago. They’re always so greedy, trying to exploit me. They are treating me as if I’m a magic item wholesaler. As for those junior initiates, their goods were snatched up in no time, so there’s nothing left for me.”

She then leaned closer to Sein and said, “There’s no one better than my junior. Even though I’m tired of mushroom soup, you always manage to come up with something new. What kind of seasoning did you add today?”

“Crushed vines and a bit of minced meat,” Sein responded casually.

“Did you say meat?” Faye’s eyes sparkled with interest.

Sein’s minced meat was, of course, not human flesh. He was not that twisted.

Instead, it was a substantial amount of magic beast jerky offered by Marlon, an intermediate initiate.

Marlon and Stenson were the main culprits for snatching up the new junior initiates’ food.

They were swift and ruthless, leaving only a little behind for other senior initiates to avoid drawing negative attention to themselves.

Marlon and Stenson were not known for their kindness, but within the black mages’ community, character was not a significant concern.

In some ways, those two initiates deserved recognition.

For instance, Marlon had previously vowed to repay Sein for saving his life.

At that time, Sein did not acknowledge the initiate’s vow, so he was surprised Marlon quickly offered him a piece of jerky.

Food was a precious commodity in the camp, and a piece of magic beast jerky, about the size of a palm, was deemed a fair exchange for a nutritional potion with less than a third of its remaining amount.

Observing Marlon’s behavior when he departed, it was evident that he still remembered Sein’s previous act of kindness.

Sein had no intention of consuming the jerky all at once, as doing so did not align with the sustainability principles of a mage.

Instead, he ground it into minced meat, so that it could add some variety to their meals for the next month.

Marlena was also seated at the table inside the tent. While nothing in particular had happened between Sein and this frivolous female initiate, after several months of sharing the same space, Sein had grown more accustomed to her presence.

At the very least, he did not find her as off-putting as he did initially.

Sein had acquired “Water Ball”, the most basic hydro magic spell, from Marlena.

In return, Sein took care of her meals for over three months.

During dinner, Faye conveyed an important piece of news.

“Zorro and the others are planning to merge the two camps. Their initial idea for setting up coordinate generators proved to be a failure, as it isn’t suitable for the unique conditions of the Sand World. The full-fledged black mages’ patience is also wearing thin. A few Quasi Mages who managed to make contact with them have been issued ultimatums.”

After taking a sip of his mushroom soup, Sein asked, “What’s the final deadline imposed by those full-fledged black mages from the academy?”

Faye glanced at Sein and the other two girls sitting beside him before replying in a hushed tone, “I heard it’s three months from now.”

***

As the final deadline set by the full-fledged black mages approached, the camp became increasingly busy.

Even initiates with powerful connections like Sein found themselves forced into more distant and perilous survey missions.

Within just half a month, the two separate camps in the Sand World had merged into one, comprising more than a hundred initiates.

While some junior initiates had arrived at the camp during this time, there were no new fresh initiates to be seen.

There was still no sign of Bousse and Marie, and Sein was beginning to worry.

Two months later...

Sein was no longer out on missions. Under the protection of Zorro, his primary responsibility was the maintenance of magic equipment in the central camp, alongside Faye.

It was unclear whether the intense pressure from the full-fledged black mages or a stroke of luck had played a role, there was finally a breakthrough.

A week prior, two Quasi Mages from the camp had finally pinpointed the precise coordinates of the Sand World and successfully made contact with the full-fledged black mages in the Magus World.

Zorro shared that the spatial coordinate generators would be activated in two weeks.

At that time, all the elemental beads on their side would be activated, and the full-fledged black mages and vice deans on the other side would collaborate to establish a stable channel connecting the two worlds.

Sein felt a sense of relief, thinking that he would soon be able to leave this world.

However, as the day of the coordinate generator’s activation drew nearer, a gray storm loomed on the horizon, visible across the vast expanse of yellow desert.

Its sudden appearance filled many initiates, including Sein, with a sense of unease.

A group of more than a dozen initiates, including a Quasi Mage and two senior initiates, had set out to investigate the situation.

While they concluded that the sandstorm would not hit their campsite, the potential for unforeseen events continued to be a source of anxiety.