Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Starsoul World, year 380 of the Wizard Calendar.
The development of the Starsoul World was increasing rapidly and supernatural creatures were spreading out all over. As races with centuries of development shared their culture, the entire world seemed to grow overnight, especially with the arrival of wizards.
They came and settled on a continent they named the Wizard Continent. They created the Wizard Calendar, calling the year of their arrival in Starsoul World “Year One.” Led by Catherine, hundreds of thousand of wizards and their families left the wizard tower and began the creation of their own new life.
After more than 300 years, and with the effort of several generations, the empty Wizard Continent was finally growing in population and thriving. Many wizards with transformed Bloodline Knights created their own world out of wasteland that they tamed for humans and cleared of magical beasts.
After centuries of transformation, the bleak Wizard Continent had become a paradise for humans. A wizard tower stood tall on the ground, creating witchcraft boundaries that covered the continent. It adjusted the climate, environment, soil, and water as well. Each city was guarded by its own wizard tower and the horizon line was dotted with them.
The wizard towers ruled the entire Wizard Continent, and the towers were all managed by the wizard school. The Gathering of Wizards was the highest governing authority and they resided in the legendary tower, a holy land for wizards.
Wizardry was the future, and wizards were the superior beings. It was everyone’s dream to become a wizard, and everything was built to serve them. Entering the wizard school and becoming an apprentice wizard was the only road to honor and glory. Every individual was a wizard descendant, with the blood of wizards running through their veins.
The wizards weren’t confined to land, they started exploration of the oceans and beyond as well. They discovered the other continents and other intellectual races like goblins, dwarves, trolls, and fairies. They also discovered another familiar race, the elves.
Elves named their continent the Sylve Continent. Here they re-established the empire of elves. Wendy, the Queen of the Elves, abandoned her wizard-name after entering this world. As elves perfected the wizardry system, the queen renamed it the arcane system, and elves called themselves arcanists.
Elves and wizards seemed to have found their futures here in Starsoul World and developed smoothly. The thriving wizard civilization was now prospering more than ever before. The population of wizards grew rapidly, reaching its limit. Their tower-centric civilization was stepping forward every day, as was their building technology.
Alchemy witchcraft, blood witchcraft, dreamcraft, boundary witchcraft, and ghost witchcraft were absorbed by the wizard towers. The towers had now become symbols of power. It became a common belief that a wizard with a tower was undefeatable.
The advanced astrologers and summoners learned how to study the starsoul, a divine creature that represented the rules and consciousness of the Starsoul World. Their behavior changed as the world changed. They had the power to communicate with the astral world, and anyone who dared to harm them would be swallowed up by the Starsoul World.
Brock Kim was a goblin of the Copper Dynasty of Goblins. To his memory, the goblin civilization had started a few decades ago, at the end of the city-state period when the goblins built their first kingdom. With their large army and weapons, goblins had triumphed over trolls, dwarves and fairies. Just as they were about to become the ruling race of the Titan Continent, wizards had come to their world.
Wizards crossed the oceans in spaceships and appeared in the sky of the Titan Continent like gods. The goblins had looked up at the spaceships and realized that their world had changed completely.
Without even making a move, the wizards conquered the goblins easily. At the sight of the gigantic spaceships and the sound of alchemy artillery, the goblins knelt on the ground, admitting defeat.
From that moment on, the Titan Continent was a part of the wizard’s culture. Goblins, dwarves, trolls, and fairies became slaves to the wizards.
Trolls oversaw mining, dwarves crafted alchemy accessories, goblins worked in wizard workshops, and fairies grew magical herbs and plants. The wizards did not directly enslave them, but invited them to become allies of the Wizard Alliance. To Brock Kim, however, it was nothing but slavery.
Later the goblins found out, that “wizard” was not even their new overlords’ name. They were humans. Wizards were humans who’d gained god-like powers. It was a saint occupation.
Wizards built wizard towers in the goblin cities. Traders and investors came into their world. A human was now the noblest being, enslaving and exploiting. Goblin nobility went along with the humans and began the slave trade. Countless goblins, dwarves, and trolls were enslaved and taken to the Wizard Continent, never to return.
“They destroyed our peaceful life, and brought nothing but disaster!” Brock Kim said. “We lost our freedom, became slaves, and lived as they demanded. Curse them! They even tax us and steal our gold. They are powerful creatures from a fearsome world. I heard that these wizards were frightened by the high elves who understand arcane magic, so they escaped from their world and came to ours!”
Brock Kim was a young goblin who was taken into slavery and sold to Wizard Continent by the Great Lord of the Copper Dynasty. Down at the bottom of the human spaceship, slaves from different races were locked into special cages. Brock Kim was locked up with several goblins who were all terrified. He looked around and observed the spaceship. The detail caught Brock Kim’s eyes. Goblins were naturally drawn to elaborate and intricate gadgets. They were capable of manufacturing copies of exquisite machinery and tools from most workshops.
Muskets, bombs and mechanical arms built by goblins were known for their quality and fine work on Wizard Continent. Even apprentice arcanists were no match for goblins. True arcanists could produce that level of work, but you had to be a City Master or a descendant of a Great Wizard to afford such luxury.
After traveling for about one month, the spaceship landed in the faraway city of Britney, a main coastal city owned by wizards on the Wizard Continent. A huge volume of passengers got off here and went into the station. Slave owners used a trailer to take Brock Kim off the ship, through the station, and into the city. It was the first time he’d seen the wizarding world.
The tall wizard tower caught his eye immediately. There was an alchemy clock on the tower, ticking and tocking. One could tell the local time from afar. Then he noticed the bustling streets and the tall, neat houses. Steam locomotives were roaring past. Advertisement banners were hung up by hot-air balloons. The ticket seller rang the bell when the train stopped. Shops and delicate merchandise could be seen everywhere. All the citizens were wearing fine clothes, and they walked with class and charm.
There was a circus performing on the street. Giant advertisements were put up on the wide front doors of the theater. As the slave owners continued on, night fell on the city. Rows of gas lamps illuminated the streets and the city patrol ran past with muskets.
Brock had never seen so many humans. Compared to the Titan Continent, this was a fantasy land. Brock would’ve never imagined that this was what the humans’ world looked like.
“Is this the human world? How can it be so colorful and powerful?” marveled Brock. “How did they master mechanics and all these fantastic powers?”
He curled up in the cage, clutching the iron bars and staring at everything with wide eyes. It was all so enchanting! This was such a colorful, dreamy world compared to the dull, gray land of the Titan Continent.
An enormous monster bird appeared on the top of the wizard tower. It flapped its wings creating strong, whirling winds that produced a high shriek. On top of the bird sat a wizard wearing fine clothes in a seat protected by a shield.
Brock looked to the sky, as the bird flew away, staring at the vanishing figure on its back. “It’s because of wizards that the human world is so wonderful,” he said. “They are so powerful, can…can goblins become wizards?”
Foreign slaves locked up in cages were dragged out by giant, transformed camelids. In the cages were goblins with green skin and pointy ears, strong dwarves with giant beards, and trolls with horrifying fangs.
A crowd gathered around them, full of curiosity. Humans threw food to the cages as if they were watching animals at a zoo. Slaves inside the cages screamed in panic, roared in anger, or curled up in fear as the crowd laughed out loud. Brock Kim, however, simply watched the crowd with wide eyes full of hope.