Having replenished his bodily magic once more, Grimm decided to disregard the secret realms altogether. Instead, he set off casually in a random direction, maintaining constant contact through the crystal ball in the hope of sensing information from the other members of his squad.　　Though he had suppressed the fluctuations of his markings, even the ten-point intensity he emitted made Grimm stand out like a torch in the night. Other wizard apprentices who detected him kept their distance.　　Half a day later.　　Boom!　　After the wave of fire, Grimm's mark could no longer conceal its fluctuations, erupting fiercely in all directions. The black-spotted leopard that had ambushed Grimm seemed to realise he was not to be trifled with. Its agile body dodged the flames nimbly before fleeing in panic.　　However, Grimm suddenly let out a cold laugh towards a distant clearing before sitting cross-legged to replenish his magic.　　Through his hunting s

　　"Yorkiana..."　　As he hurried along, Ling continued to call out through the crystal ball, hoping to make contact with Yorkiana as soon as possible and determine the distance.　　Click...　　Suddenly, Grimm's crystal ball emitted a piercing screech before steadily detecting Yorkiana's presence. She finally made contact with Grimm, her faintly blurred face appearing within the sphere.　　Grimm exclaimed with delight, "Yorkiana, how are things on your end? Have you made contact with anyone else?"　　Yorkiana seemed to be running incessantly, the crystal ball jostling about. The half of her small face not concealed by the mask betrayed an anxious expression, so tense she appeared on the verge of tears.　　"Brother Grimm, Heinrich and I are being pursued by several sorcerer apprentices from the Labyrinth Academy. We've just made contact with Sister Lafey and Sister Robin—we're heading towards the rendezvous point."　　Heinrich was one of Yorki

　　Amlock and Lafey remained on high alert, silently enduring the oppressive weight of the Mark emanating from the distant sky. They pushed their power to its absolute limit, poised to unleash their full might in battle at any moment.　　There was no alternative. Once the Mark value reached ten points, eliminating other wizard apprentices became exceedingly difficult. Moreover, the apprentices were now forming groups, making seizing the Mark an even greater challenge—unless one was utterly desperate.　　Whoosh!　　The moment a wind elemental bat appeared within their field of vision, Lafey drew his bow with a sharp jerk. Terrifying life fluctuations and wind elemental surges violently condensed into the arrow. His hawk-like gaze had already locked onto the figure atop the elemental bat, poised to unleash a thunderous strike at any moment.　　Amlock's form rippled with seven or eight mystic golden patterns, the lines undulating as if alive. The silver lightning

　　Three days later.　　Binson and Yoric finally reunited with Lafey, Grimm, Yorkiana, and Robin, forming a complete small group.　　Now, had Grimm not possessed such formidable strength, Lafey and Amlock's groups might well have joined forces. Yet with Grimm's emergence, Amlock—ambitious and unwilling to settle for mediocrity—naturally declined to team up with Lafey.　　As for Heinlo, despite Yorkiana's pleas to stay, he departed citing unwillingness to be a liability. Coupled with what Grimm's group had previously heard from Yorkiana, this sudden departure caused them to revise their opinion of this obscure wizard's apprentice.　　After a moment of heated discussion, the group gathered around Lafey in a circle.　　Lafey sat upon a fallen tree trunk, his legs casually crossed in a rather unkempt manner. Holding a forked branch he'd picked up, he pointed earnestly at the map.　　Now that we're here, probability suggests the next secret realm openin

　　With a surge of turbulent magical energy, the second secret realm of the trial ground opened.　　Perched atop the colossal tree, Lafey's single eye transformed into an eagle's gaze, its vision surpassing human limits. He bellowed downwards: "Southeast, six thousand eight hundred metres!"　　"Right, understood. We'll go stake out a spot then."　　Yoric responded with a grunt before charging towards the portal, axe raised, radiating a savage aura that made him resemble a barbaric caveman.　　Robin's colossal steel-maned beast let out a thunderous bellow. The ground rumbled violently as it charged headlong towards the secret realm, its immense frame crushing and uprooting grasses and trees in its path with terrifying, exaggerated force.　　Robin bellowed from afar, "Lafey, you lot had best hurry up!"　　"Ah! My dear wife, wait for me! I haven't boarded yet..."　　Binson's voice echoed from afar.　　Two enormous leaf-like wings sprouted