In Newly Town, the morning’s thin mist had yet to disperse.

A motley crew had assembled outside the camp, preparing to venture deep into the treacherous swamp.

Velin Klein stood at the head of the party, with 17 members behind him.

The Mage apprentice, Ryo, stayed close by his side, clutching an ash wood Magic Staff with a nervous expression.

Three elites, formerly of the Gray Wolf Mercenaries, were now the core of Newly Town’s guard. They silently inspected their studded leather armor and shortswords with practiced movements.

Two dark-skinned, able-bodied hunters carried shortbows, with skinning knives hanging from their waists. They were the guides for this expedition, and their knowledge of the swamp was second to none.

Behind Ola Stonebeard followed ten of his men, just as crudely equipped but powerfully built. They were responsible for guarding the supplies and also served as the party’s reserve force.

The expedition’s guardians weren’t all human. Velin carried the insect queen, Sarah, with him, while fifty Bader Dung Beetles were silently dispersed in the grass and tunnels around the party.

The swamp in July was like a giant steamer basket.

The sweltering air was so thick you could wring water from it, and the stench of rotting plants was pervasive.

Swarms of mosquitoes frantically dove for any patch of exposed skin.

But the expedition party wasn’t too bothered. Everyone had smeared a pungent green ointment on their collars and cuffs.

It was an insect repellent Velin had specially prepared before setting out, its effects far surpassing the hunters’ traditional Smoked Grass.

The party strictly followed another of Velin’s orders—to only drink boiled water.

This earned some grumbling from a few of the former Rock Breaker Knights, but under the severe gazes of the guards, no one dared to disobey.

On the third day of the march, though everyone was drenched in sweat and looked exhausted, not a single person had fallen to diarrhea or sickness. This was an unbelievable miracle compared to previous swamp pioneering teams, and everyone credited the boiled water.

Around noon, the party rested on a small, slightly elevated hill. Velin opened his waterskin and took a sip of cooled, boiled water.

His gaze swept over the camp before finally landing on a corner.

Ryo was hiding there. He took out a small vial stamped with the seal of the "Origin Association."

He tipped the vial upside down to get out the last drop of ink, dabbed it onto his finger, and began meticulously tracing a Rune onto a wooden board. It was the Light Skill, the first basic runic structure an apprentice Caster learns.

A faint white light gathered at his fingertip, flickering unsteadily.

PUFF—

The light went out, leaving behind a wisp of gray smoke.

Ryo choked and coughed twice, his face a mask of frustration.

Velin had a good impression of him. ’A hardworking young man,’ he thought, then looked at him and teased,

"What’s the matter? Run out of ink?"

The double entendre made Ryo’s face flush crimson. He shot to his feet, head bowed in embarrassment, and wiped his hands on his pants over and over.

"Sir... this was supposed to be thrown away... I thought there might still be some... so..."

"I’m not blaming you. I want to know, if you were at a Magic Academy, how much would it cost to practice the Light Skill once?"

Velin tore off a piece of tough jerky and tossed it to him. Ryo caught it but didn’t eat. He seemed to find some reassurance in Velin’s calm tone, and his tense shoulders relaxed slightly.

"If... if it were at the Magic Academy, the instructors would require us to use at least three sheets of standard parchment and one bottle of ’Moonlight Ink’ every week to practice drawing the Rune for the Light Skill."

He paused, as if calculating the figure.

"Just those materials alone would cost about 30 Copper Leaves per week."

Velin quickly made the conversion in his head. That was equivalent to four days’ wages for a skilled craftsman, just to practice one basic Magic.

"And that’s not all, Sir," Ryo’s voice dropped. "The real expense starts when you begin to access your ’bloodline’... The deep meditation once a month requires renting the academy’s ’Aether Quiet Room,’ and that costs one Silver Moon for two hours!"

"To enhance your bloodline, you also need to consume high-level Magical Beast ingredients that match your bloodline’s characteristics. A single portion of flesh and blood from a Level 3 Magical Beast costs at least one Golden Sun on the black market."

Ryo’s head drooped even lower. "So most apprentices without connections can only ever become contract Mages for some noble lord, spending their entire arduous lives paying off the debts of their youth... In the end, they can only reach Level 3, or maybe struggle their way to Level 4. They can never be truly... free."

Velin said nothing. He stared into the fire before him, the flames reflecting, undisturbed, in his wine-red pupils.

’Is any of this surprising?’

’The ruling class has a natural desire to build class barriers.’

The United States oil tycoon Rockefeller once said: "I do not welcome competition, I destroy competitors."

This other world was no different. The nobles used Golden Suns, resources, and information barriers to raise the price of admission to the Extraordinary so high that commoners could only gaze up at it in despair.

Suddenly, Velin remembered something else.

"Then why did you join the Golden Sail Commerce Association?"

"Because... because the Golden Sail Commerce Association offers the best contracts," Ryo’s tone became much lighter.

"They don’t care about your background, only your ability. The Association’s contracts are strict, but they’re more like an investment."

"They provide you with resources, and you need to use your abilities to create value for the Association to pay them back. Although most of the profits go to the Association, the contract clearly states that you can personally keep a portion of the spoils and research results."

"Most importantly, with the Golden Sail Commerce Association, there’s a day when the debt can be fully repaid." He clutched the wooden board in his hand as if it were his only hope.

"As long as you’re capable enough, you have a chance to pay everything back and become a free Mage. That’s absolutely impossible with the nobles!"

Velin didn’t ask any more questions. He gazed into the distance, his sight piercing through the flickering firelight and distorted shadows of the trees.

Caroline, that woman who always dressed in magnificent gowns and armed herself with pride and sarcasm, wasn’t just focused on expanding her commercial machine.

She had intentionally left a door open—a door that allowed people like Leo to see something called ’hope.’ This surprised him a little.

On the fifth day of the expedition, the party had penetrated deep into the heart of the swamp, and the surrounding scenery grew increasingly strange.

Thanks to Ryo’s guidance, the party gradually found the right direction, and the aether concentration in the air was rising steadily.

"Sir," Ryo suddenly stopped and closed his eyes. "In that direction... it’s very strong. Like... like a bright moon."

He pointed ahead and to the left. The party stopped at once. Everyone crouched down, and the veterans silently drew the shortswords from their waists.

Instead of advancing directly, they followed the old hunter, Finn, up a gentle slope covered in shrubs.

The further they went, the thicker the smell of blood in the air became.

"There’s something up ahead!"