Back in the days when he had first decided to stop participating in tribal hunts, and before the fat grubs had appeared, Aiskin would often share her hard-earned food with him.

  This went against every kobold instinct. It was what made her unique. Even if she picked her teeth with her nails while talking, even if the roasted meat she brought was charred and foul-smelling, and even if her speech was never quite fluid—her "ability to communicate" being relative only to the clumsiness of other kobolds—Tars truly considered her a friend.

  Although it began because he had coincidentally saved her during a tribal hunt, he knew that kobolds were not creatures that understood gratitude. Even Aiskin wouldn't give up her own food just because her life had been saved.

  In his heart, he felt that Aiskin cherished him because, in this tribe, there was finally a special little kobold who could chat with her—someone who said things she had never understood, heard of, or even imagined. Just like that charred, stinking meat; it was only because she learned during their chats that he liked cooked food that she had tried to prepare it. Part of it was to make her friend happy, and part of it was her own desire to try something new.

  "Brother Tars, be careful catching bugs alone. There are smelly lizards nearby lately," she said with a solemn face.

  "Lizardmen? Their hunting parties crossed into our territory?" Tars was surprised. For a hunting party to recklessly enter another tribe's land was more than just stealing prey; it usually escalated into a war between the two races.

  "Not a hunting party. Just one lizardman here, two there, three over there. They are catching fat bugs too," she explained.

  Tars found this highly irregular. Usually, the two races were separated by their respective vast hunting territories. The only thing lizardmen and kobolds shared was their terrifying reproductive rate. Survival and hunting depended on the scale of the tribe; a large hunting party was an invincible weapon against massive subterranean beasts. Now, it seemed the creatures of this region were having their entire way of life altered by the grubs. But surely the lizardmen didn't need to travel this far to find them.

  They talked more about Holy Lord Black-Claw. Aiskin still followed the tribe to hunt because Black-Claw didn't like eating grubs. As long as enough food was offered, he didn't care if the kobolds caught bugs for themselves. In this regard, he was better than the tyrannical Gray-Long-Neck. Furthermore, Gray-Long-Neck wasn't dead.

  During a hunt led by Gray-Long-Neck, they had encountered the current Black-Claw. The two intelligent subterranean beasts had fought on sight. Following a massacre of kobolds, Gray-Long-Neck had been defeated and fled to parts unknown.

  "Holy Lord Black-Claw does not like to be disturbed. He chose a guard for his Great Cave. The tallest one, Humph, was chosen," Aiskin gestured as she spoke. "The Master gave him a black fruit. After Humph ate it, he grew taller—this high! Stronger than three of me!"

  Tars froze for a moment before realizing who this "Humph" was.

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  "Now he stands at the Master's cave entrance. He doesn't have to get his own food; he eats a lot at once," she said.

  This "Humph" was the big oaf Tars had spared. Usually, no matter what anyone said, the giant only responded with two grunts, so some kobolds had started calling him Humph. Thinking back, Tars had managed to scare "Big Silly Humph" into saying quite a few words during their last encounter.

  Tars and Aiskin shared half a grub and talked for a long time. He even taught her how to pronounce the word "friend" in Catacomb Common. Unsurprisingly, she was delighted.

  Long after Aiskin left, Tars was still thinking about Humph. He was fascinated by the fruit she described; eating it and immediately becoming taller and stronger made it sound like a divine fruit.

  He pulled out the small pouch he had been guarding like a treasure. With a racing heart, he sensed the object with his mental power, opened the mouth of the bag with both hands, and turned it upside down.

  Objects—some recognizable, some not—tumbled out in a small heap. He first gathered several books, then five crystals of standard size. After sorting through the pile, he found that aside from a few mysterious items, the bulk of it consisted of spellbooks and several scroll-like objects. He wasn't surprised; the half-man had known exactly what he needed.

  "Eh? A journal?"

  He flipped through the books and stopped at the last one. It was actually the diary of a wizard apprentice named Karyu. The half-man had been thorough indeed. The diary contained a young man's doubts, his awe at first encountering magic, and his reflections along the way. To Tars, who lacked formal instruction, this was a priceless treasure.

  Suddenly, he realized something: he hadn't forgotten the half-man. He remembered exactly who gave him the storage pouch, the fine robes the figure wore, the missing half of his head, and the clean-shaven chin. Recalling the half-man's words, he had a hunch. He stood up and took out the white testing stone.

  Gripping one end, he took a deep breath and concentrated. The stone began to emit a soft white light. He stared intently at the ten dots. Finally, one dot slowly lit up. The corners of his mouth curled up. It was a pity his branch of kobolds didn't have tails, or he surely would have been wagging it. This meant his mental power had already reached the standard for a Level 1 apprentice. He had met the first prerequisite.

  He returned to the diary, intending to read until he hit something he didn't understand. This diary was a window into an unknown world. The opening mentioned life at a magic academy, which filled Tars with longing, but Karyu mostly glossed over it. The text was instead filled with confusion regarding spells and regret over poor choices. Intense emotion bled through the lines—anger and disappointment written across different days.

  Who was this Karyu? Had the half-man found the pouch? Or had he killed Karyu for it?

  The diary mentioned two paths—two long-term choices for development. One was the "Beast-King Wizard," and the other was the "Book of Congelation." Interestingly, Karyu had followed neither. The "Book of Congelation" was only mentioned in passing. Karyu's greatest regret was not taking the path of the Beast-King Wizard, as it was considered a relatively easier way to become an Official Wizard. By the time Karyu learned this, he had already solidified his Zero-Ring spell and missed the window of opportunity.

  More interestingly, Tars found through his search that there were no spells or knowledge related to the Beast-King path in his pile. He, too, was unable to take that road.

  The diary also suggested that one shouldn't force things when learning spells; everyone has a different "affinity." A spell with high affinity is easily mastered and quickly improved.

  Tars read through a third of the diary before encountering too many things he didn't understand. He had seen the journey of an apprentice—from the initial meditation to the solidification of a spell—and the lingering confusion that followed.

  "At least I probably don't have to be too confused."

  He put down the diary and looked at the few items before him. Fewer choices meant less confusion, and fewer opportunities for regret later on.