This wizard only wishes to be a teacher

Not good!

Many half-fairies and Wizard Apprentices were filled with fear; they watched as the Magic Beast quickly recovered and felt fearless. Many thought of Lucien and several other Third-level Wizard Apprentices’ furious shouts and hurriedly pulled out their secretly kept Magic Plants from their hands, tossing them to the ground as if they were hot potatoes.

However, there were those whose eyes were filled with despair because they had used the Magic Plants as soon as they got them.

After all, for these Second-level Wizard Apprentices who had been exploited by their mentors for years, they knew that if they didn’t use these precious Magic Plants in time, they would eventually be taken by their mentors. Although using them immediately could waste part of the effect and even cause some toxicity to their bodies, they couldn’t care less.

But now, they could feel that this Magic Beast, more formidable than the Third-level Wizard Apprentices, had already set its sights on them.

"Run!" someone roared, trying to find an exit to escape. But the next moment, a long tongue suddenly appeared behind him.

In the next instant, he was dragged away by a terrifying pulling force and finally, under the entanglement of the tongue, fell into the belly of the giant frog, Cux. Soon, screams of agony and the cries for help from that Wizard Apprentice echoed from inside Cux’s stomach.

"Qi Uncle, save me! Save me!" a half-fairy cried out in terror, as the enormous creature had already turned its attention toward her, and its tongue had stuck to her head.

"Qi Uncle..." the half-fairy screamed in fright.

Meanwhile, the fairy leader waved her hand, and a wooden spike attacked the long tongue stretched out by Cux.

However, her attack landed on Cux’s body but had no effect, not even catching Cux’s attention as it leisurely continued at its own pace to drag the terrified half-fairy towards its mouth.

"Sigh." The half-fairy named Qi shook his head, sighed softly, but then waved his hand, and a wooden spike pierced the forehead of the half-fairy, shattering her Spirit Sea, giving her a quick death before she could be swallowed alive by Cux.

Silence. The other Wizard Apprentices and half-fairies quietly listened to the horrifying struggles and painful moans emanating from inside Cux’s stomach.

Many faces bore traces of dread and concern, as they had all just gathered Magic Plants from the garden. Although they had already thrown them away, no one could be sure whether Cux would come searching for them after dealing with those who still secretly kept the Magic Plants.

At that time, Lilia was holding Adeline, her eyes full of vigilance.

However, Lucien squinted his eyes; he was watching Cux, who was still "calling the roll," but he thought of the sacrifices needed for the Moon Wolf, Tuso.

Fortunately, after dealing with those three apprentices who hid the Magic Plants, Cux stopped its execution and just lay down on the spot to rest, seemingly digesting the "stockpile" in its belly.

But as long as one got slightly close to Cux, they could hear the struggling and cries for help from inside its belly, along with faint wails and a sound similar to slapping liquid.

Many apprentices felt sympathy and slightly lowered their heads.

Snap—

Suddenly, Cux spat out two badges from its mouth, somewhat similar to the purple leaf command tokens. The badges were round, but the pattern inside resembled the faces of the two apprentices who had been swallowed without being killed.

"Ritual!" Lucien’s pupils contracted, and he was the first to act, rushing toward the two badges.

The other Wizard Apprentices reacted as well. Perhaps they were not clear what these coin-like items were for, but sometimes, it’s better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them!

Lucien’s body was enveloped in a shadowy aura; under the enhancement of the witchcraft "Shadow Stealth," he quickly merged into the underground shadow, using his faster reaction speed to grab one of the round badges.

While facing Lucien, who had already entered the shadow, the others hesitated slightly and then started scrambling for the other badge still outside, ultimately enabling Qi, the half-fairy, to get it in hand with the coordination of the fairy leader.

"You just killed a companion, wasting a badge." Lilia, who had just gathered Magic Plants and was most wary of Cux, hence staying farthest away, had missed the badges.

However, she recognized the secret of how these badges were produced, and she used this to accuse Qi, who had just killed that half-fairy directly, trying to pressure him to hand over the badge he had just acquired.

"The badges we obtained are ours," the fairy leader blocked Lilia, her eyes cold. "No one knew there would be such a thing as a badge; my people didn’t do anything wrong. Besides, now both sides have one badge each, which is fair."

Lilia looked at the half-fairy who had already burst out in aura, glanced at Lucien, who had already emerged from the shadow, and then looked towards the other weaker Wizard Apprentices, her eyes flickering slightly.

"Hmph." She snorted lightly and turned away.

"Mina, when we leave later, remember to take the Ice Snow Flower. The Kux only moves within the garden. If you move quickly and I will also give you a Witch Tool for acceleration, there is still a chance." After returning to her spot, Lilia looked at her student.

"Mentor... I..." Mina’s face was pale. She could still hear the wailing from inside the Kux’s stomach, and Lilia’s action was undoubtedly experimenting with her life.

"There’s no need, Lilia." Bennett looked at the few Level 2 Wizard Apprentices who also looked distressed and then at Lilia, shaking his head slightly. "I guess there will still be other ways to obtain the badge later. Besides, what if the Kux does chase us and kills us all once we take the Ice Snow Flower and leave?"

Lilia ignored Bennett and instead looked at Lucian. Clearly, she was using this as a threat to pressure him into giving up the special badge he held. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Lucian’s right hand, holding the "Ritual Badge," tightened slightly. He was well aware of the badge’s value, but now was not the time to fall out with Lilia, especially with the group of semi-fairies glaring at them.

Moreover, with other options still available, Lucian did not want Lilia to act as recklessly as she had suggested.

If the Kux could leave the garden and keep chasing them, the secret realm would become extremely perilous.

"Lilia, I recall you have a ’Song of the Deep Sea’." After a brief silence, Lucian looked at Lilia, stating his condition.

The Song of the Deep Sea, a special natural liquour. It can either be taken directly to enhance spiritual power or used as a raw material combined with others to brew a Magic Potion that assists a third-level Wizard Apprentice in advancing to a Formal Wizard. It is more valuable than the "Praise of Moonlight," a very precious ingredient.

However, in the secret realm’s interior, this temporarily unnecessary material naturally isn’t as valuable as the Ritual Badge Lucian held, for those special badges might be the "credentials" needed to enter the core of the realm.

Bennett opened his mouth as if moved, but looking at Lilia, whose spirit seemed off, he ultimately said nothing.

Lilia stared at Lucian, a hint of ferocity in her gaze. "Alright, then you better take good care of it."

As she spoke, she took out a bottle and quickly exchanged it with Lucian.

"Lord Lucian, I am Gagarin..." At that moment, a spiritual power cautiously connected with Lucian through witchcraft. Gagarin’s attitude in this secret communication was exceptionally humble. Although he did not discuss any core content, Lucian knew this was seeking his protection.

After all, the recent incident with Mina had undoubtedly made all her students feel a profound sense of crisis, and they were now all looking for new support.

Lucian did not promise anything, only agreeing to take care within his capacity before ending the communication.

However, he also gained a useful piece of information, that Lilia’s doll Adeline had not been used by Gagarin before.

This was either Lilia’s treasured possession kept hidden until now or a deliberate "gift" or "trade" from a Formal Wizard for this operation.

"Unfortunate Lilia." Lucian glanced at Lilia, who was examining the badge beside him, and shook his head slightly, now too lazy to think too much about someone whose perceptions were already twisted.

Perhaps, as Lilia herself said—the Ritual Badge was just temporarily in Lucian’s care.

Because of the Kux currently "resting," the apprentices were very gentle and proper in looking for the exit.

In fact, the exit was not hard to find since the garden had a beautifully decorated small wooden door. Now, the many apprentices in front of it had only two choices—open the door or try to climb the wall.

After a brief discussion, a semi-fairy, somewhat nervous, approached the wooden door and cautiously pushed it open, then tentatively took two steps forward.

Everything seemed normal, but when the half-fairy tried to return, an invisible membrane seemed to block him; even his voice was muffled, and his words could only be guessed by his moving lips and gestures.

This made many apprentices hesitant and prefer to observe a bit longer. Meanwhile, Lucian grabbed Carly and quickly walked out of the garden.

The moment they left the garden, Lucian’s eyes were met with a vast expanse of white, which made him close his eyes slightly. After briefly adjusting, Lucian reopened his eyes and surveyed the new environment inside the Cloud Country ruins.

"So... so many mushrooms!" Carly exclaimed.

And that was the truest depiction of their current environment. Looking around, there were giant silver-white mushrooms nearly two meters tall, their silvery-white mycelia spread out like a gossamer gown covering the ground, giving it an enveloped in silver look from a distance.