Sovereign of the Ashes

Chapter 182: Invasion Plan

Sein appeared somewhat disconcerted upon realizing the truth.

Yet, his expression remained hidden from the other initiates from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring below, thanks to the Solar Eye Mask.

Sein’s brief silence caused the intermediate and junior initiates gathered below to exchange uncertain glances with each other.

They were aware that the opposite side of the river was the Divine Tower of Shadow’s territory, yet they chose not to leave immediately.

Their decision to remain near the medium-sized secret water mine resource point was indeed intriguing.

Sein regained his senses and finally took notice of the initiates before him.

For him, retracing his steps to search for large, small, and medium-sized resource points was impractical.

Time was a luxury he could not afford. His aim was to rank among the top twenty in the Regional Inter-Divine Tower Academy War.

His decision to aim for the top twenty instead of the top ten was due to the lack of clarity about the rewards for higher rankings.

The full-fledged mages from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring had merely hinted at more substantial rewards for higher positions, without delving into specifics.

Perhaps it was because the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s most optimistic forecast was only for one or two initiates reaching the top twenty.

After all, only one initiate from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring managed to break into the top twenty in the previous war.

Therefore, having two initiates reaching the top twenty was considered an improvement over the previous year’s single top-twenty finish.

Breaking into the top ten seemed overly ambitious, even to the full-fledged mages of the divine tower.

To sustain his rapid point accumulation, Sein had to move eastward into the territory of the Divine Tower of Shadow Academy to plunder points.

Venturing into another academy’s territory presented an advantage—all resource points there would be unmarked for Sein.

Once occupied, those resource points would grant Sein a certain number of points.

Additionally, by defeating or eliminating initiates from other divine tower academies, Sein could acquire half of the total points accumulated by those opponents.

As the Regional Inter-Divine Tower Academy War neared its first month, most small resource points in the trial space were claimed by various divine tower initiates.

What remained were the large and medium-sized resource points that were guarded by extraplanar creatures.

This suggested that even the weaker junior and intermediate initiates might have amassed a significant number of points by now.

Even without the mobility granted by the Levitate spell, some luckier junior initiates could still outscore some senior initiates simply by being the first to claim several small resource points in succession.

During the Regional Inter-Divine Tower Academy Wars, up to thirty percent of initiates perished in every session.

Given that the total number of initiates from all the divine towers could reach seventy to eighty thousand, this translated to a staggering twenty thousand or more initiates perishing in the trial space.

The high mortality rate was primarily due to the ruthless nature of the competition, where killing and plundering were the most efficient means of point accumulation.

While control over resource points could shift to other divine towers, leading to the loss of points, the points earned from defeating or killing initiates from other academies remained secure!

After all, the dead could not come back to life to reclaim their points, nor could those who used their badges to escape the trial space.

It was this harsh, unspoken rule that fueled intense large-scaled conflicts among the initiates from various divine tower academies as the war continued beyond half a year.

This conflict lasted for over a year.

Countless initiates perished in these fierce battles, and those who survived often hastily exited the trial space using their divine tower badges.

In the end, only the elite initiates, vying for the top one hundred or top twenty positions, remained. [1]

The most intense competition among initiates was still about half a year away, with the climax of the battle reaching its peak after a year or two, ultimately determining the final standings.

Currently, the main focus of all major divine tower academies, including the formidable Divine Tower of Land Academy and the aggressive Divine Tower of Radiant Thunder, was likely on their regional resource points and extraplanar creatures.

While a few initiates might venture into other regions to hunt, their numbers were probably limited.

Sein was not seeking to stand out as a maverick; he was simply following what he believed was the most effective strategy.

Heading to the Divine Tower of Shadow Academy’s territory was his quickest route to accumulating points.

He heard that the Divine Tower of Shadow, along with the Divine Tower of Radiant Thunder had cornered Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s initiates in the last war, and wondered if this was a chance for retribution.

Before venturing into the territory of a rival divine tower, Sein was determined to capitalize on the opportunity presented by the medium-sized resource point below.

The 500 points offered by capturing this medium-sized resource point were significant, and the extraplanar water serpents guarding them likely contributed a considerable number of additional points.

Besides, Sein was also interested in the valuable hydro-attribute ores that could be collected in the secret water mine.

Their excellent ductility made them highly useful for Sein’s alchemy experiments and selling them could prove lucrative.

“Are you guys planning to claim and occupy this medium-sized resource point?” Sein asked the initiates below.

The freckled male initiate’s expression betrayed a flicker of interest, but he eventually shook his head in resignation.

“We can’t possibly overcome the guardianship of those extraplanar water serpents with just our own strength,” he admitted.

“Each water serpent is as formidable as an intermediate-level magic beast, and in water, their combat prowess rivals that of high-level magic beasts. Veyle and I might manage to hold our own in water combat, but the rest aren’t much of an asset in this situation,” the freckled male initiate explained honestly.

Veyle was the female initiate who had previously spoken to Sein. Together, they were the only intermediate initiates present in this area.

Battling in water posed unique challenges compared to fighting on land.

The water significantly hampered the effectiveness of the junior initiates’ spells, making it difficult for them to reach the water serpents guarding the resource point.

On the other hand, the senior initiates and Quasi Mages had passed on marking this resource point because not only was this place perilously close to the Divine Tower of Shadow’s territory, the presence of the formidable water serpents guarding it also added an extra layer of difficulty.

Given these factors, the senior initiates and Quasi Mages deemed it unwise to invest their time and risk their safety for a middle-sized resource point that might eventually benefit other initiates.

This practical perspective led them to seek more viable opportunities in other parts of the region.

“I’ll deal with those water serpents, but I’ll need your support to keep them at bay with your magic spells,” Sein proposed.

His suggestion visibly surprised the freckled initiate and the others.

After a brief moment of shock, the young man quickly responded with enthusiasm, “Aye aye, sir!”

1. Author's Note: The Divine Tower of Verdant Spring also generously rewards initiates ranked in the top one hundred, but Sein has no interest in it. ?