At first, Ize refused Luke’s dogged, sticky-candy-like following.
He believed in keeping a low profile and staying hidden; having a lively little sidekick hopping around him was completely at odds with his survival creed.
However, on second thought, this otherworld seemed to harbor an inexplicable malice towards him. The system’s options always carried a risk to his life, and there were many things he simply couldn’t avoid doing.
Under such circumstances, having a trustworthy and reasonably capable helper might just make many troubles easier to resolve, and taking action much more convenient.
Besides, this guy Luke seemed so “utterly ordinary”—neither a chosen protagonist blessed by fortune, nor a destined villain who would stir up storms, and he had nothing to do with any key figures in the plot lines. His flaming red hair might make him stand out, but among the many genius monsters of Starshine Academy, both his talent and background appeared “safe” enough, fitting Ize’s core principle of “staying out of the spotlight.”
After weighing it all up, Ize half-heartedly, half-reluctantly accepted this unexpected “little brother.”
Thus, by a twist of fate, Luke became the first—and so far the only—person on this vast continent to catch a glimpse of the iceberg’s tip that Ize kept hidden.
Of course, in Ize’s heart, he never truly considered Luke a servant. He saw him more as a simple-minded, easily guided junior who needed direction.
He would share the milder, surplus potions he brewed with Luke; before Luke set out to train, he’d secretly spend effort to tailor-make or forge suitable magic tools for him according to his attributes.
It could be said that Luke’s meteoric rise at Starshine Academy, his emergence among his peers, owed much to the silent support of Ize, the “man behind the curtain.”
At this moment, Luke once again snatched up the book on the table—《As an Academy Underachiever, I Can Level Up My Magic Just By Adding Points》—his face full of indignation as he continued to pour out his complaints to Ize: “Senior! Honestly, the author of this book is poisoning the foundation of the Empire’s future! If the young generation of magicians all fantasize about getting some ‘system’ from nowhere, gaining strength without effort, just dreaming their way to power, the Empire is doomed! Books that twist values and ruin the atmosphere like this should be banned, they shouldn’t even be published!”
Ize rubbed his nose awkwardly, his tone subtle as he reminded, “Um… Luke, my book 《After Being Dumped by the Princess, I Became the Empire’s Strongest Magician》, in essence… isn’t all that different, right?”
“That’s not the same at all!” Luke immediately retorted loudly, his face alive with passion, as if he were defending some sacred belief. “Senior, in your book, the main character is a peerless genius to begin with, outstanding in every way. He was just hiding his strength for some reason at first! That proves the protagonist became powerful through his own hard work! That’s fundamentally different from those settings where they completely rely on cheats and never put in any effort themselves!”
Ize: “……” He silently held his forehead in his heart. In the end, aren’t they both written for the readers’ enjoyment? This fan filter is way too thick.
He coughed lightly in embarrassment, deciding to cut to the chase and come clean: “Uh… Luke, have you ever thought about the possibility that this book, 《As an Academy Underachiever, I Can Level Up My Magic Just By Adding Points》… is also written by me?”
“Ah?!” Luke’s expression instantly froze, switching from righteous outrage to shock, and then tinged with embarrassment. “Uh… well… Senior, you—you’re updating two novels at the same time?! No wonder the updates for ‘Dumped’ have slowed down lately…”
Seeing this, Ize chuckled and patted him on the shoulder, explaining, “No helping it, you know my writing speed isn’t that fast to begin with. Besides, the first book is nearly at its end; isn’t starting a new book perfectly normal?” He silently added in his heart: Well, it makes money. Who would complain about having too many ways to make money?
In reality, the target audiences of these two books were slightly different. The first one, 《After Being Dumped by the Princess》, was more of a “noble’s comeback” story, with pure romance elements, and its protagonist’s status made it easy for the nobility to relate. The second book, however, was aimed squarely at the much larger “ordinary folk”—the average noble-born students and the masses of commoners. After all, geniuses are rare, but there are countless “nobodies” yearning to rise up. That’s why the second book’s sales later surpassed even the first.
Luke responded quickly, his face immediately breaking into a fawning smile, trying to recover from his earlier “slip”: “Hehe, I knew it! This is definitely Senior’s new work! I’m your most loyal die-hard fan—how could I possibly not recognize your writing style and essence?”
Ize looked at him, half smiling: “Oh? Really? But just now when you were criticizing it, you didn’t look like you recognized my pen name at all.”
“I was… I was just testing you, Senior! Yeah, just testing!” Luke’s eyes flickered, clearly lacking confidence.
Of course he hadn’t recognized it. Honestly, he’d been reading this new book with great enthusiasm in private, but in front of Ize, how could he admit he was “following” another book (even if it was by the same author)? So, thinking on his feet, he’d come up with the “critique” tactic to distance himself.
Ize saw through it but didn’t expose him, not bothering to fuss over this minor bit of scheming. Instead, he asked, “Alright, enough about that. You’ve been out training for a while this time—besides reading novels and showing off, you must have made some real progress in your cultivation, right?”
“Who says I haven’t!” At the mention of cultivation, Luke’s attention was instantly diverted and he became excited. “During this training, I’ve gained new insights into fire magic. I feel my strength has taken another leap forward!”
At this, his face once again glowed with confidence, even glancing at Ize with anticipation.
After all, he’d challenged Ize countless times before, but couldn’t even touch the hem of his robe.
If this new technique he’d realized could make Ize react, even just manage to snag a strand of his hair, that would be enough to excite Luke for days.
Ize was interested, too, wanting to see just how much the kid had grown. He walked to the corner of the room and activated a previously set, extremely well-hidden miniature directional teleportation array. “Let’s go, somewhere more spacious.”
In a flash of light, the two of them vanished from the dormitory and reappeared in a remote, uninhabited mountain far from the academy.
Ize stood at ease, hooking his finger at Luke. “Come on, show me your new insight.”
“Senior, be careful! This time, I’ll definitely make you see me in a new light!” Luke called out, his magic surging as fire elements gathered swiftly around him.
In an instant, dozens of blazing fireballs appeared in midair like a meteor shower, whistling as they shot toward Ize from every direction!
Ize’s figure remained motionless, standing right where he was.
Just as the dense fireballs were about to swallow him whole—at the moment the flames would have touched his body—his figure suddenly blurred, leaving a string of lifelike afterimages in his place.
The blazing fireballs passed through the afterimages, crashing fiercely into the ground behind, kicking up a cloud of dust, while Ize’s true form was nowhere to be seen.
Luke seemed to have anticipated this, his eyes sharpening as he chanted a supporting incantation.
At once, wild winds roared around them. The fireballs that had already missed their mark were forcefully redirected by the powerful gusts, speeding up and twisting at bizarre angles, as if alive, slicing through the air from Ize’s blind spot—his back—striking with ferocious force!
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
This time, the fireballs didn’t miss. Every single one landed squarely on Ize’s back, erupting in blinding flames that swallowed him whole.
A hit!
Luke was overjoyed, barely restraining a cheer. After over a thousand challenges and countless sneak attacks, he’d never even touched the hem of Ize’s robe! But this time, he hadn’t even ambushed—he’d come at him from the front, using his newly mastered “wind-aided fire, directional control” technique, and actually struck him!
A huge sense of accomplishment washed over him.
See, hard work isn’t for nothing! Senior Ize isn’t so out of reach after all—there’s hope that I can catch up to him!
Just as this thought arose, a stabbing pain shot through the back of his thigh, instantly shattering his reverie.
“During a match, when life and death are on the line, and you dare to let your mind wander?”
Ize’s calm, unruffled voice echoed behind him like a specter.
Luke hadn’t even seen how he moved—he just felt his legs buckle, and with a “thud,” he fell flat on the ground.
He lay on the earth, face full of disbelief, looking back at Ize—who stood there, not a corner of his clothes singed and his breath perfectly steady—blurting out, “Senior! I—I definitely hit you just now! Why… why aren’t you hurt at all?!”
“Rookie, you need more practice.” Ize looked down at him with a “can’t-be-helped” expression. “Until you’re certain your opponent has completely lost the ability to fight back, you must never let your guard down! How many times have I taught you this?”
Luke grimaced, slowly pushing himself up, rubbing his aching thigh where he’d been kicked, and complained with a pout, “Senior… this was just a spar, right? Couldn’t you at least hold back a little? That hurt so much…”
“If it doesn’t hurt, how will you remember?” Ize sighed, his tone growing more earnest. “Luke, you and I are just ordinary people among the masses, without the death-defying plot armor of story protagonists. In this world, a single misstep really can mean death. So, no matter what you face, caution always comes first.”
Here we go again… Luke thought, a little helpless. Senior always talked about being “ordinary” and “mortal” as if it were a mantra; to him, it seemed a bit too pessimistic. Novels are novels and reality is reality. He was a promising third-rank magician—how likely was it for him to just drop dead?
“But…” Ize’s tone softened, bringing a hint of approval. “This time, your idea of using wind magic to assist and control the direction of the fireballs was pretty good. Being able to combine two different magic elements, even just at a basic level, shows you’re using your head. That’s an excellent start.”
Ize knew well the art of nurturing others—balancing tension and relaxation. Constant criticism and pressure would crush even a genius’s confidence. Only by timely encouragement amid persistent urging could one best inspire another’s potential, guiding them ever higher.
Hearing this rare praise, the grievance in Luke’s eyes faded away, replaced by excitement and motivation from being recognized.
He’d chosen the right person to follow—his senior was truly strong and gentle.
……