Chapter 1, Apple
In accordance with the status of the countries within the Rhine Alliance, the Rhine Magic Academy is a second-tier institution on the continent, located in the northern part of the capital, Rhine City. Its teaching style is characterized by simplicity, which has directly resulted in the absence of any figures who have shocked the continent throughout its more than three hundred years of history. Due to the demand for magicians from various countries, magic academies are often the most egalitarian places in a continent marked by a strict hierarchy, where, at the very least, it is uncommon for commoner magic apprentices to be killed by nobles. Furthermore, commoner students who successfully graduate often have a significant opportunity to become nobles after a period of practical experience.
The magic of the Gloria continent has developed over many years, primarily for the needs of warfare, forming a rigorous system. Generally speaking, for every two levels a wizard's magical power increases, the level of magic they can wield increases by one. This means that a level 10 wizard can cast level 5 magic, while a level 11 wizard requires the magical power to cast two level 5 spells. Of course, there are also anomalies outside this system, such as the necromancer Rodriguez.
Rog's father, Lord Rivers, is a minor noble of the Rhine City-States Alliance, with a fief consisting only of a small town and several surrounding villages, home to merely a few thousand people. Nevertheless, as a nobleman with a fief, Rog is entitled to include "Otto" in his name, a symbol of this minor hereditary nobility within the Rhine Alliance.
The dark energy was indeed the soul of Rodriguez. Utilizing the artifact, the Soul Pearl, which isolates all soul powers, he successfully escaped the Judgment Light and evaded the pursuit of the celestial realm. However, the power of the Judgment Light is insurmountable; no artifact can compare to the true power of a deity. Moreover, the Judgment Light is initiated by the chief god of the celestial realm to eradicate excessively powerful evils in the world. After the battle at the Oedipus Temple, the Soul Pearl had exhausted all its power. The necromancer did not destroy Rog's soul but chose to merge with it, inheriting all of Rog's characteristics. Due to the limited energy of the Soul Pearl, most of which was used to confine Weina's soul, the necromancer only incorporated the fundamental understanding of magic during the soul fusion, abandoning the vast specific spell knowledge. At this point, Weina's soul was left with only the most core fragment of energy, referred to as the energy of the Divine Source, with all of its consciousness long dissipated. This fragment of the Divine Source was also integrated into the soul.
The necromancer did not annihilate Rog's soul; instead, he merged with his soul consciousness. "I have already been too deeply marked by this world; all I can do is destroy. Perhaps for this world, creation is the most important. When an apple jumps onto the chessboard and begins to rampage, its impact on the entire game is far greater than that of a piece that jumps off the board"
Mastering magic requires talent, and becoming a qualified magician takes a considerable amount of time. This also results in a relatively small number of magicians on the continent, which in turn elevates their status significantly. Moreover, most high-level magicians are quite wealthy individuals, as various gems, magical silver, and mysterious iron magical materials are all quite valuable. Advanced magical items often enable cross-level battles among magicians. It has been said that a magician's magical power is proportional to their wealth.
The source of the divine is the purest form of soul energy. The rogue, whose soul and body have been thoroughly transformed, will use this to create his own pet. Mage pets are generally the prerogative of high-level mages and are all summoned beasts. As for creation, "that is the domain of the gods," thought the necromancer. However, the gods have never been respected by necromancers, who are too busy merging souls and transforming bodies. After completely merging with the Soul Law Pearl, the rogue's physical form has become unrecognizable. Yet, for various reasons, the rogue's appearance remains unchanged: he is still short and stout, with a bulky figure, an unremarkable face, and those sinister eyes. However, the Soul Law Pearl has brought another mysterious ability: space.
The names of the continent are varied and peculiar, with each country typically having its own designation. In recent years, with the rise of the Holy Church and the expansion of ecclesiastical power, various nations have gradually accepted "Gloria" as the name of the continent, meaning "a hymn of praise to God." The Rhine Alliance is located in the southeastern corner of the continent and is formed by the union of more than a dozen principalities, which can only be considered a second-tier power compared to the three major powers of the continent: Dero, Austro-Hungary, and Asrophik. However, it is better than some and worse than others. King Lu and the 14th Duke of Tushiyi often flaunt their military strength in front of the remaining thirty-odd small nations, especially the neighboring Principality of Ron and the City-State of Kedu. Nevertheless, this king has a far greater interest in art, beauty, and immortality than in territorial expansion, and during his reign of over a decade, he has mostly maintained peaceful relations with neighboring countries.
Rog did not have any objections himself, but even if he did, he would not dare to express them. After understanding the origins of the divine source, he felt an immense envy towards Bren. "He will definitely not be the last one," Rog thought fiercely.
In the year 682 of the Sacred Calendar, Rog Otter Rivers had already spent four years at the Rhine Magic Academy. With a talent that could be considered quite bright, he would be able to graduate from this magic academy and become a formal magician in two more years. In this tumultuous era, due to their well-known destructive power, magicians were in high demand. At the same time, because of the equally well-known weaknesses of magicians—poor physical strength and lengthy incantation times—protecting magicians became the foremost consideration in warfare. Even so, even the most renowned generals of the continent found it difficult to completely avoid casualties among magicians.
Rog did not expect the old man to provide him with any further financial support; he needed money for his daily pleasures. Thus, he sweet-talked and ingratiated himself with a mid-level mage named Fess at the academy, managing the magical laboratory for him and handling tasks that Fess found difficult to undertake. At that moment, Rog was in the magical laboratory studying a mysterious orb that had inexplicably appeared before him. The orb was dark, pale, and lacked luster, with several cracks on its surface, giving it an unremarkable appearance. The only thing that seemed somewhat unusual was the faint flickering of black and white lights within the orb. Rog widened his eyes, carefully estimating the value of the orb, unaware that the orb was also studying him. Suddenly, the orb cracked open, and a stream of black mist surged toward Rog's forehead, entering his mind. Rog, who had been carefully estimating the orb's value, was taken by surprise as the orb was also examining him. The black mist rushed toward his forehead and entered his mind. Rog's entire being seemed to transform into that of a mollusk, writhing and squirming. At times, parts of his body would bulge out, while other areas would sink in, and black blood would occasionally spurt from his skin. Finally, Rog slowly opened his eyes, which were now completely pale, and a low, sinister laugh echoed: "This soul's mental strength is quite impressive." Rog looked at the fragments of the magical orb on the ground, and at that moment, the white mist struggled to fly out but could not escape far from the orb's fragments. Rog's eyes brightened as the white mist and the fragments of the orb were drawn into his forehead, and a piercing scream was faintly heard in the laboratory. Inside Rog, it felt as if boiling water was churning, and it took a long time to calm down. When he opened his eyes again, he had returned to the appearance of an ordinary person.
Rog's talent is not particularly exceptional. After four years of half-hearted training, he has only managed to become a Level 2 Mage, capable of casting basic and Level 1 spells. According to the regulations of the Rhine Magic Academy, a student can graduate upon successfully casting two different Level 2 spells, which corresponds to reaching Level 4 Mage. However, the soul fusion of a Necromancer brings forth immense and unparalleled divine power from the essence and the tome, allowing for exceptionally high magical control. After all, a Mage's strength is not solely determined by the amount of magical power; understanding and mastering that power may be even more crucial. According to Rog's understanding, a Mage's strength also lies in cunning and wealth. "A Level 1 Mage with magical enhancement rings on all ten fingers will never be defeated by a barehanded Level 2 Mage." The Necromancer agrees with this point, as the gap between Level 1 and Level 2 Mages is akin to the intellectual disparity between an idiot and a moron. Given Rog's current abilities, comprehending Mages above Level 4 remains somewhat challenging for him.
After three days and three nights of a dreamlike existence, having been scolded by Feis several times, the necromancer finally completed his work
Rog's family has fallen into a bit of decline, with only 4 servants remaining in the household, which is quite embarrassing for a noble with a fief. Old Rivers, aside from his irritable temperament, lacks any financial management skills, and the family's income continues to decrease year by year. However, this does not prevent Rog from learning all the vices expected of a noble: arrogance, pride, lust, and rage, along with the cunning and treachery not typically found among ordinary nobles. At the age of fourteen, Rog first became a man with the maid in his home, and from then on, he increasingly turned the small estate into a chaotic mess. Old Rivers had no choice but to send Rog to the magic academy a year later, exhausting the few ancestral jewels they had left.
Rog woke up. From this moment on, Rog remained Rog, and Rodriguez was also Rog. The necromancer had finally deceived the celestial realm and placed that apple on the chessboard