A Wizard's Secret

by Stayrr

Anyone who could construct a stable Spell Model could become a Wizard — that was the Wizards’ ultimate secret! Having been given a new life as the son of an aristocrat and armed with a super quantum computer from his past life, Spell Models came as easily as breathing to Merlin. With this overwhelmingly huge advantage, would Merlin become the greatest Grand Wizard of all time?

13. 393

Read A Wizard's Secret - Chapter 393 - Attempting the Runic Tower Again I online free - Light Novel Full

Chapter 393: Attempting the Runic Tower Again I

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

On a quiet beach, a white light appeared, and a few solemn-faced Spell Casters emerged from the light.

"We've finally returned to the Dark Magic Region, Wizard Merlin. The situation at hand is too grave. Let's report back together."

These four were Wizard Envia and the rest of their delegation. The trip to Blacksand Fort had brought about a disastrous situation. The sudden attack from Ozmu had caused Blacksand Fort to be in chaos, and numerous spell casters' organizations suffered irreconcilable losses.

Although most of the delegations were only a small part of their respective spell casters' organizations, they consisted of young prodigies from these organizations. Now that they were killed by the surprise attack from Ozmu, the entire southern Spell Caster world would experience a massive upheaval.

This matter was too grave hence it would have to be reported to the higher-ups of the Dark Magic Region immediately for them to start making preparations. In addition, the Dark Magic Region had lost three Seventh-level Spell Casters including Heusius as well as the powerful Wizard Leo, who possessed Darkness Eye. Thus, the total loss of the Dark Magic Region could be considered massive.

"Yes, let's go together!"

Merlin agreed and quickly rushed into the Dark Magic Region along with Wizard Envia and the others.

"Hum."

Once they stepped through the light veil, several tall towers that stretched into the clouds appeared before Merlin's eyes. The familiar Dark Magic Region materialized before them once again.

"Wizard Merlin, you're back!"

Upon returning to the Dark Magic Region, Merlin was greeted by a Fourth-level Spell Caster. He had been waiting there to welcome them.

"We're back. Bring me to the Wizard Tower of the Seventh-level Wizards. I have an important report to bring to them."

Merlin said in a deep voice.

"Hmm? Wizard Heusius and the others aren't back yet?"

When the Fourth-level Spell Caster who was waiting for them saw that Wizard Heusius and the others did not follow behind them, his face turned anxious.

"There had been some interference, so they'll not be back for a while. We really need to report to the Seventh-level Wizards."

Wizard Envia stepped forward and said with a somber expression.

This Fourth-level Spell Caster was only a follower of the Seventh-level Wizards and was aware that Merlin was highly valued by the higher-ups of the Dark Magic Region. In that sense, Merlin outranked him, therefore he nodded and immediately led Merlin and the others toward the Seventh-level Wizards' Tower.

Since Wizard Envia did not have a flying spell, the Fourth-level Spell Caster flew very slowly, huffing and puffing all the way as he transported Wizard Envia and the others to the Seventh-level Wizards' Tower.

"Please wait here. I'll inform Sir Wizard Morse!"

Subsequently, the Fourth-level Spell Caster disappeared, leaving Merlin and the others to wait alone in the Wizard Tower.

After a moment, an elderly but rosy-looking and burly Spell Caster appeared from the depths of the Wizard Tower.

"Merlin, you have something to report?"

This Wizard was a Seventh-level Spell Caster of the Dark Magic Region. Similar to Wizard Heusius, he was one of the core strengths of the Dark Magic Region.

"Wizard Morse, it's truly something important. It's about our trip to Blacksand Fort."

Merlin stood up and glanced at Wizard Morse's follower who was standing behind him.

Seeing Merlin's gaze, Wizard Morse naturally understood. If Merlin was being cautious, it must truly be a dire situation. In addition, the fact that Wizard Heusius and the others did not come back also raised some questions.

Therefore, Wizard Morse waved the follower away, leaving only the four Wizards and himself.

"Tell me, what happened? Why isn't Heusius and the others back yet?"

Wizard Morse's expression was serious as he gazed at them intently.

"Wizard Heusius and the others are gone. They won't be back anymore. Even Wizard Leo died on the way back trying to protect us."

Wizard Envia was the one who spoke. He gripped his fist tightly, reliving the scene in his head when Wizard Leo had faced-off against the Black-White Great Wizard. They would never forget it as without Wizard Leo, none of them would have made it back alive.

"What? Died? What on earth happened? Tell me clearly!"

Wizard Morse's expression changed violently like he dared not believe his ears. Faint elemental fluctuations began to appear around his body as it was apparent that his emotions were very anxious.

"The Black-White Great Wizard from Ozmu led a team of highly-skilled members of Ozmu and invaded Blacksand Fort. Their sudden attack disrupted the summit and caused massive losses to all the large spell casters' organizations. Although Blacksand Fort managed to force Ozmu into retreating in the end, many large spell casters' organizations were attacked once again by the ambush set up by Ozmu on their way back. Besides a few lucky survivors, almost all delegates from every spell casters' organization are dead!"

Despite Merlin's calm demeanor which expressed no emotional turmoil in his tone, everyone could still feel the heaviness in their hearts. The loss of Wizard Leo, Wizard Heusius, and the others were all the absolute core strengths of the Dark Magic Region.

The Dark Magic Region was a small spell casters' organization, far from its glorious days under the Great Wizard Fidel. Even the loss of one Seventh-level Spell Caster was bad enough. What more to lose three Seventh-level Spell Casters all at once in addition to Wizard Leo who was almost on par with a Seventh-level Spell Caster.

The Dark Magic Region could not afford a loss like this!

Subsequently, Wizard Morse carefully inquired further, which Merlin and the others reported to him in full details according to their knowledge.

"Merlin, did you really cultivate Darkness Eye?"

When Wizard Morse heard that Wizard Leo had given Darkness Eye to Merlin, he looked at Merlin with an astonished gaze.

Merlin did not answer. He raised his hand and showed a blinking blood-red vertical eye in his palm. It looked extremely eerie.

Seeing this blood-red vertical eye, Morse's gaze grew even more astonished. He looked like he wanted to say something, but in the end, he just shook his head.

"Alright, why don't you go back first. I'll inform the other Seventh-level Wizards about what happened. If there are any more questions, we'll inform you immediately."

Wizard Morse waved his hand, and Merlin and the others left the Wizard Tower.

"Phew…"

Once they had left the Wizard Tower, Wizard Envia exhaled heavily. He took a few steps toward Merlin and whispered, "Wizard Merlin, how do you think the higher-ups will manage this?"

"That's for the higher-ups to worry about. Now that the entire southern Spell Caster world is going to descend into chaos, you should hurry back and construct more Fourth-level spells!"

Merlin had a premonition that this was just the tip of the iceberg. Ozmu had not only invaded a large spell casters' organization like Blacksand Fort but also slaughtered a large number of Spell Casters. Such crazy behavior was, in a way, in line with Ozmu's reputation. They had always acted outrageously irrational.

However, this time, Ozmu had gone too far. Their actions might unite the entire southern Spell Caster world. If the three largest spell casters' organizations decided to work together, they would form a formidable alliance.

If and when that happened, then a real confrontation with Ozmu would be unavoidable. As part of the southern Spell Caster world, the Dark Magic Region would most certainly be involved.

Wizard Envia and the rest nodded in understanding. This trip to Blacksand Fort had made them painfully aware of the inadequacies of their own abilities even though they had previously been considered as prodigies and placed on a pedestal in the Dark Magic Region.

Once they arrived in Blacksand Fort, however, they were not even able to clear the first and second rounds. The gap in their abilities was too jarring. Therefore, at a time when the southern Spell Caster was on the brink of descending into chaos, their foremost priority would be to hone their abilities.

"Wizard Merlin, although Darkness Eye is indeed powerful, it's a cursed power. If the situation is not dire, I think you should not use its power lightly."

Wizard Envia took a long look at Merlin and reminded him gently.

"A cursed power!"

Merlin tilted his head to look at Darkness Eye in his palm. He could feel the darkness and stench of death which were oozing from it. He was perfectly aware of the danger posed by Darkness Eye. Right now, his only protection was the Flame Maxim which was suppressing its power.

However, Merlin knew that he could not rely solely on the Flame Maxim to solve this problem as Darkness Eye would slowly diminish the powers of the Flame Maxim. He had to learn to control the third form of Darkness Eye as soon as possible. That was his utmost priority.

Since Merlin owned Darkness Heart and had constructed Darkness-type spells, he was quite familiar with the powers of Darkness-type magic. He was more suited to cultivate Darkness Eye compared to Wizard Leo.

To control the third form of Darkness Eye, the most straightforward method was still to construct a Fourth-level Darkness-type spell. Merlin was lacking Mind Power but fortunately, he had the ingredients for more than one thousand portions of Mokra Potion that were gifted to him from the eighth prince in the Imperial City.

He had such an abundant amount of ingredients that even with a thirty percent success rate, he would be able to produce at least three hundred portions of Mokra Potion. If he consumed all that, Merlin himself was not sure how much further his Mind Power would be enhanced.

Once his Mind Power was enhanced, it would be easy to construct spells. Now Merlin had to deliberate whether to construct the Fourth-level spells using derivation from the consumption of Maxims in the Matrix or to just construct existing Fourth-level spells.

This decision was very important as it would affect Merlin's future paths, so he had to consider both options carefully.

Both options had their merits. If the Fourth-level spells were derived by the Matrix, they would be more suitable for Merlin and surpass existing spells in every aspect. However, it would need to consume the power of Maxims.

Perhaps the Flame Maxim would be temporarily enough for Merlin to derive all Fourth-level spells, but in the future, he would need to derive the Fifth-, Sixth-, and even Seventh-level spells independently.

When it was time, the amount of power of Maxim which it would consume would also be colossal, so Merlin had to consider the long-term consequences as well.

Merlin could not make up his mind on either option. However, before he started constructing Fourth-level spells, Merlin had another place to go – the Runic Tower!

Previously, Merlin was not able to clear the seventh floor but now with Darkness Eye, he was confident to make another attempt on the Runic Tower. After all, once he had successfully constructed a Fourth-level spell and became a Fourth-level Spell Caster, he would not be able to attempt the Runic Tower anymore.

On the seventh floor of the Runic Tower, the treasure left behind by the Great Wizard Fidel still remained. Naturally, Merlin did not want to miss this opportunity.

Thinking along these lines, Merlin decided not to return to the Wizard Tower and flew toward the Runic Tower instead.

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Chapter 394: Attempting the Runic Tower Again II

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

There was a large number of Spell Casters on the front lawn of the Runic Tower. Ever since Merlin's last attempt on the Runic Tower, more and more Spell Casters in the Dark Magic Region were willing to try their luck. After all, there was no loss even if they failed.

Nevertheless, most of them were truly simply trying their luck because only a precious few managed to break through to the fourth floor, not to mention the fifth or sixth floor.

"Whoosh."

A dark figure slowly descended from the sky, drawing speculation from the Spell Casters around the Runic Tower. The Runic Tower only allowed Spell Casters below the Fourth-level to enter so if a Fourth-level or above Spell Casters tried to enter, they would immediately be ejected out violently by the Runic Magic Circles.

However, only Fourth-level Spell Casters could fly!

"Who's that Wizard?"

"Oh? It's not a Fourth-level or above Spell Caster, I think it's Wizard Merlin!"

"Wizard Merlin? I see, although he's not a Fourth-level Spell Caster, he has a Flying-type casting tool. Hmmm… I wonder why he came to the Runic Tower. Is he going to attempt it again?"

Merlin was considered a well-known figure in the Dark Magic Region. Therefore, his arrival stirred up lots of debate among the Spell Casters around the Runic Tower.

Merlin did not pay any attention to them. He raised his gaze toward the soaring Runic Tower. The last time, he was defeated on the final floor and could not clear it. This time, with Darkness Eye and the ability to wield its third form, Merlin was much more confident attempting the Runic Tower.

Thus, he did not dither and walked into the Runic Tower.

Coincidentally this time, there were a few other Spell Casters on the first floor. Upon seeing Merlin, a look of astonishment appeared on their faces, and they bowed respectfully at him.

Merlin nodded his head genially and continued his stride until he came to the guardian spirit on the first floor. With a light wave of his hand, fierce flames began pouring out. The guardian spirit on the first floor was completely unable to withstand it.

First floor, second floor, third floor…

Merlin progressed like a hot knife through butter. Soon, he was already on the sixth floor.

The guardian spirit of the sixth floor, Wizard Effidel slowly appeared. When he saw Merlin, he was momentarily stunned. With a weird expression, he asked, "Why are you here again? It hasn't been that long since you last cleared the sixth floor, but now you're making another attempt? If you're here to claim the prize on the sixth floor, then you're sorely mistaken, Wizard Fidel had already made a rule that every person can only claim one treasure on each floor!"

Merlin had not even remembered the treasure chest on the sixth floor until Wizard Effidel's reminder. It seemed that Wizard Fidel had it all thought out so that the Runic Tower would not be misused by a single person to claim all his treasure.

"I came to attempt the seventh floor of the Runic Tower!"

Merlin bowed his head at Wizard Effidel and headed toward the overlapping Runic Magic Circles. These overlapping Runic Magic Circles required at least the ultimate power limit of the Sixth-level to be broken!

Merlin was extremely familiar with the challenge after his last Runic Tower attempt. He did not activate Darkness Eye, but instead released the strongest form of Fiery Collapse.

"Boom!"

It felt like the entire Runic Tower was rumbling. Following the explosion of the ultimate power limit of the Sixth-level, the overlapping Runic Magic Circles collapsed in an instant.

"The seventh floor!"

Merlin's figure was wrapped in a white light and re-appeared on the seventh floor. This was his second time on the seventh floor, also the top floor of the Runic Tower.

"Huh? Someone else managed to break through to the seventh floor again? Merlin had just gotten here not too long ago the last time, and now someone else is here? The Dark Magic Region must be sprouting a good crop recently…"

Upon arriving on the seventh floor, Merlin saw the familiar black cat Didimoss again. ( NovelFull )

"Sir Didimoss, we meet again!"

Merlin was the first to speak.

The black cat Didimoss stared at Merlin with a trace of astonishment shining through his bright glassy cat eyes. He asked, "Wizard Merlin, it has only been a short while since your last attempt on the Runic Tower. Are you truly confident that you can clear the seventh floor?"

"It doesn't matter whether I can clear it or not. I'm just here to try."

Merlin also knew that the seventh floor of the Runic Tower required powers that were on par with a Seventh-level Spell Caster, which was extremely difficult to achieve for Spell Casters below the Fourth-level.

In the entire southern Spell Caster world, the only Spell Caster below the Fourth-level who was able to stand against and vanquish a Seventh-level Spell Caster was the Miracle Child. Of course, Merlin now had the help of Darkness Eye, especially one that was being suppressed by the Flame Maxim, allowing him to wield its third form freely.

Therefore, the list must now include Merlin because he could use the third form of Darkness Eye to vanquish a Seventh-level Spell Caster!

It was also because of the powerful Darkness Eye that Merlin chose to come to the Runic Tower to make another attempt on the seventh floor.

The black cat Didimoss nodded daintily and continued its graceful pace in the air.

"Very well, if you want to try, then so be it. You'll still choose to fight with the power level of a Seventh-level Spell Caster?"

"Certainly. I'm not at all familiar with runology. I choose the power level of a Seventh-level Spell Caster!"

Previously, Merlin was defeated from the Runic Tower because he was struck by Didimoss' Runic Thunder. The Runic Thunder wielded by the black cat Didimoss was equivalent to the power level of a Seventh-level Spell Caster and thus, Merlin's Perfect Armor was not able to withstand it.

This time, Merlin had come prepared!

The black cat Didimoss gave Merlin an assessing look. Slowly, he said, "There's Runic Magic Circle here that releases Runic Thunder as powerful as a Seventh-level spell. If you can break the Runic Magic Circle, then you'll clear the seventh floor!"

The rule was simple enough, which was to break the Runic Magic Circle. However, for Spell Casters below the Fourth-level, it was a challenging feat.

Similarly, perhaps only someone like the Miracle Child would be able to clear the seventh floor. Even with Darkness Eye, Merlin did not have full confidence that he would succeed. He could only try.

"Runic Thunder!"

Human words suddenly spilled from the black cat Didimoss who was still strolling in the air. Immediately, a bolt of lightning as thick as a man's arm appeared and flew toward Merlin.

Merlin could sense the intimidating power contained inside the lightning bolt. His Perfect Armor did not stand a chance against it, not to mention any Third-level spells, even with the addition of Pandora Demon Abilities.

In this situation, his only chance was to wield the third form of Darkness Eye.

"Darkness Eye, dispel!"

Merlin unfurled his fingers and revealed Darkness Eye in his palm. The slow-blinking blood-red eye radiated an overwhelming amount of power as a crimson ray shot out.

"Boom!"

The Runic Thunder seemed to have collided with an invisible force. With a loud explosion, it sizzled and dispersed. Even though it packed the power of a Seventh-level spell, it could not go anywhere near Merlin.

"Leo's Darkness Eye? Furthermore, it's the third form!"

The black cat Didimoss was very familiar with the Dark Magic Region as he was one of the oldest beings in existence. He had been created back when the Great Wizard Fidel was still alive.

Since then, many years had passed and the black cat Didimoss witnessed the slow descent of the Dark Magic Region from its glory days to its current state of despair. The era right now could be considered hitting rock bottom, with only one Ninth-level Spell Caster left.

Thus, the black cat Didimoss naturally knew about Wizard Leo and his circumstances, especially Darkness Eye. Additionally, it was a famous special Pandora Demon Ability, so the black cat Didimoss was quite familiar with it.

"Crack crack."

The Runic Magic Circle on the seventh floor began to crumble. Once Merlin wielded the third form of Darkness Eye, the black cat Didimoss immediately knew that he would be able to clear the seventh floor.

The treasure on the seventh floor would finally be obtained by Merlin.

The black cat Didimoss took a deep gaze at Merlin. At last, he brandished a cat claw at the wreckage that was once the Runic Magic Circle and grinned. "You can stop wielding Darkness Eye. The Runic Magic Circle has been broken into pieces. You've already cleared the seventh floor! Tsk tsk, what an unexpected outcome. Wizard Fidel invested all his effort to pass on his lifetime knowledge of runes to a Spell Caster proficient in runes so that runology could be expanded and advanced further. With this turn of events, I guess the Great Wizard Fidel's grandeur plans will all be for naught."

The sole purpose of building the Runic Tower was to select a Spell Caster who was highly-proficient in runes to continue the lifework of the Great Wizard Fidel in runology.

It was unfortunate that in the end, the Spell Caster who managed to clear all seven floors turned out to be the rune-illiterate Merlin.

The one question that the black cat Didimoss could not figure out was, how did Merlin, a Third-level Spell Caster, wield the third form of Darkness Eye?

However, the black cat Didimoss instinctively knew that it was a secret, so he did not ask further. After all, he was only a guardian spirit, albeit one who was truly ancient and had a life force. He was still tied to the rules set by the Great Wizard Fidel in the beginning.

"Rumble."

The black cat Didimoss opened a small room inside the seventh floor, then he said to Merlin, "Wizard Merlin, come on in, you've cleared the seventh floor of the Runic Tower. The Great Wizard Fidel's lifework lies inside this room. That's the treasure prepared for you!"

Merlin used his Mind Power to lightly scan the room, but it was almost completely shrouded with Runic Magic Circles, so his Mind Power could not see anything. In order to find out the treasure left behind by the Great Wizard Fidel, Merlin would have to enter the room himself.

With that in mind, Merlin took a deep breath and slowly reeled in the power of Darkness Eye. He gave a small bow to the black cat Didimoss as a sign of respect.

Following that, Merlin stepped in!

"Hum."

The room shrouded in Runic Magic Circles shook gently like ripples on water like it was completely cut off from the outside world. At the same time, Merlin's figure disappeared from the seventh floor.

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Chapter 395: Runic Heartprint

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

On the seventh floor, Merlin entered a small room that was completely isolated. He could not see anything outside, and the people outside also could not see anything inside. Even the black cat Didimoss, the spirit of the Runic Magic Circle, could not see anything in the small room.

Therefore, Merlin could look at the treasures left by the Great Wizard Fidel in the small room with ease.

The treasures on the seventh floor were the Great Wizard Fidel's most precious treasures. Merlin was also full of curiosity. For so many years, no one had been able to conquer the seventh floor of the Runic Tower. Besides the Great Wizard Fidel himself, no one knew exactly what treasures there were here.

The decoration in the small room was very simple. Merlin swept his gaze around and immediately concentrated at an area which was emitting white light.

There was a huge mysterious rune in this area. It floated in the white light, rolling incessantly, looking incredibly mysterious.

"Whoosh."

Suddenly, a figure loomed out from within the white light, looking just like the guardian spirit of the sixth floor of the Runic Magic Circle, Effidel.

Effidel looked exactly like the Great Wizard Fidel. Naturally, this figure was not Effidel, so there was only one explanation – it was left behind by the Great Wizard Fidel.

"Finally, someone has conquered the seventh floor of the Runic Tower… What's your name?"

The Great Wizard Fidel calmly looked at Merlin.

Merlin's heart was slightly shocked. The fact that this apparition could communicate with him greatly surprised him. However, he was a figure left behind by the Great Wizard Fidel, so he must be related to the treasure here.

Thus, Merlin respectfully answered, "My name is Wilson Merlin!"

"Wizard Merlin, don't be afraid. This figure is merely a projection of me, and it can't support itself for too long. When you obtain the treasure, the projection will disappear. There's not much time left, so let me introduce to you the treasure I left behind, a Runic Heartprint!"

"Runic Heartprint?"

Merlin looked at the huge runes in mid-air that were presumably the Runic Heartprint left behind by the Great Wizard Fidel, but he could not detect anything special.

"Indeed, the Runic Heartprint. This Heartprint contains my lifetime's understanding and comprehension of Runic Magic Circles. With this Heartprint, even those who don't know runes can rely on it to activate a Runic Magic Circle. It's a special treasure that I've created. Although it's different from a casting tool, it's stronger than some powerful casting tool!

"Of course, the most important thing about the Runic Heartprint is still my understanding of runes. You can slowly digest the runes in the Heartprint and become a great Rune Wizard!

"This world is full of mysteries. I've seen all kinds of prodigies, even some Third-level Spell Casters who could kill Seventh-level Casters! Such talents are few and far in between, but it doesn't rule out the chance that there would be such Wizard in the Dark Magic Region in the future. If you're really such a prodigy but aren't interested in runology, then I hope you'll find a Spell Caster in the Dark Magic Region proficient in runology and pass on the Runic Heartprint to him in the future, so as not to waste my entire life's efforts."

Merlin already understood that the Great Wizard Fidel's projection did not have any consciousness. When it asked for Merlin's name earlier, it was only set by the Great Wizard Fidel. The projection only spoke according to what the Great Wizard Fidel had set in the beginning.

Soon after, the Great Wizard Fidel's projection gradually faded, and before long, it completely dispersed, leaving only the huge rune in the room.

The runes in the white light were the Runic Heartprint that the Great Wizard Fidel had mentioned. It was the painstaking effort of the Great Wizard Fidel's life that he originally wanted to pass on to the true runology prodigy of the Dark Magic Region, who would conquer the seventh floor using his understanding of runes, and finally obtain the Runic Heartprint.

A prodigious Spell Caster like that could better inherit the Great Wizard Fidel's lifelong understanding of runology but now, it was Merlin who had conquered the seventh floor.

"Even if one isn't a runology Spell Caster, once one possesses the Runic Heartprint, one would be able to use the Runic Heartprint to activate Runic Magic Circles and become a formidable Rune Wizard!"

Merlin looked at the Runic Heartprint in mid-air and gradually became interested. He was not proficient in runology, so he could not even set up Runic Magic Circles, much less understand what runes were.

His energy had limits. Apart from spells and Pandora Demon Abilities, Merlin did not have much energy to study the boundless and profound field of runology. However, since there was such a mysterious treasure like the Runic Heartprint, he naturally wanted to give it a try.

Perhaps he would not get the genuine and precious knowledge on runology even after obtaining the Runic Heartprint but the mysteries of the Runic Heartprint was enough to satisfy Merlin.

If in the future a genius in runology appeared in the Dark Magic Region, it would not be too late to pass on the Runic Heartprint to him then.

"Hmm? Earlier, the Great Wizard Fidel's projection didn't seem to have mentioned how to obtain the Runic Heartprint."

Suddenly, a thought struck Merlin. The Runic Heartprint was indeed mysterious but he did not know how to obtain it. Even the Great Wizard Fidel's projection seemed to have forgotten to mention this point.

Merlin frowned and took a few steps forward. He walked to the area which was bathed in the white light, wanting to look at the Runic Heartprint and figure out how to obtain it. While he was still at a distance from the Runic Heartprint, it seemed to have sensed something and was fiercely shaken.

"Hum hum hum."

The white light rolled like a cloud, enveloping Merlin in it. At the same time, the huge and mysterious Runic Heartprint instantly turned into a ray of light and engraved itself into Merlin's mind.

"Boom!"

A large amount of information suddenly appeared in Merlin's mind. Merlin's mind went blank as if it was fried.

This state only lasted for a moment before Merlin quickly recovered. He could feel a sudden increase in knowledge in his mind. Moreover, in his Awareness, there was a huge rune faintly emitting white light. It was the Runic Heartprint.

This Runic Heartprint was very mysterious. It floated in the Awareness and did not interfere in Merlin's Spell Model and the Flame Maxim. Furthermore, upon closer inspection, he could see that there were numerous mysterious runes on the surface of the Runic Heartprint, faintly arranging into countless Runic Magic Circles to protect the Runic Heartprint.

These Runic Magic Circles must have been the Great Wizard Fidel's painstaking effort. Its purpose was to protect the Runic Heartprint so even if any accident happened, the Runic Heartprint would still be intact, and the Great Wizard Fidel's lifetime of effort would not be wasted.

In addition to the protection of the Runic Magic Circle, Merlin could not destroy the Runic Heartprint either. However, Merlin was very satisfied with everything else.

The Runic Heartprint was different from the Flame Maxim and could be easily controlled by Merlin. If he used the Runic Heartprint, he could see a white imprint gradually appear on his forehead, which seemed to make Merlin appear full of mystery.

The Runic Heartprint indeed had a great deal of knowledge regarding runology, which was incredibly valuable. To Spell Casters who wholeheartedly studied runology, this was a priceless treasure. All this knowledge was the Great Wizard Fidel's comprehension and understanding of runology, and the Spell Casters who liked runology would be able to advance by leaps and bounds, greatly enhancing their comprehension of runology.

However, to Merlin, there was not much use. What he really took a fancy to was that the Runic Heartprint would be able to help Merlin master runes. Regardless if he did not know anything about runes, with this Runic Heartprint, he could even arrange powerful Runic Magic Circles.

"Let's see if this Runic Heartprint really is as wondrous as it seemed."

Merlin took out the Runic Magic Disc he received at the beginning from his ring. It was just an ordinary Runic Magic Disc but since Merlin did not know about runes and did not do any research about runes, this Runic Magic Disc had become a mere decoration. Merlin also had no way to activate the Runic Magic Circle in the Runic Magic Disc.

"Runic Heartprint!"

Merlin chanted in a low voice and activated the Runic Heartprint. Immediately, the Runic Heartprint became more distinct in the middle of Merlin's forehead, and runes began to enter the Runic Magic Disc one by one.

"Hum hum hum."

Instantly, the Runic Magic Disc in Merlin's hands began to activate, and the Runic Magic Circle in the Runic Magic Disc rapidly began its arrangement. Even though Merlin did not know runology, he knew that this Runic Heartprint was incredibly powerful!

The Runic Heartprint enabled a Spell Caster who did not know anything about runology to become a master in runology in an instant. All sorts of Runic Magic Circles could be easily arranged.

"Good, good. I've never thought that it was actually true. With this Runic Heartprint, I'll be able to activate any Runic Magic Circle no matter how complicated it is!"

Merlin was overjoyed. He did not understand runology so he had to forcefully break any Runic Magic Circles he encountered, which was extremely troublesome. Moreover, some incredibly complicated and powerful Runic Magic Circles were not inferior to other powerful Magic Abilities and were extremely tough to forcefully break.

Now that he had the mysterious Runic Heartprint, he had nothing to fear regarding Runic Magic Circles anymore. After all, the Great Wizard Fidel had reached the peak in the comprehension of runology. The Great Wizard Fidel would even be able to reach the peak of the Great Wizards by relying on runes and become second only to those great legends!

"It's time to leave!"

Merlin was very satisfied after obtaining the Runic Heartprint. He did not return to the seventh floor but instead drew a picture in the air inside the small room itself, fiercely activating the Runic Heartprint.

Instantly, mysterious runes from the Runic Heartprint shot out and formed a Runic Magic Circle. This was a simple Transport Magic Circle that Merlin could easily arrange by using the Runic Heartprint.

Then, Merlin walked into the Runic Magic Circle. White light wrapped around Merlin, and he instantly disappeared from the Runic Magic Circle.

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Chapter 396: Runology

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Outside the Runic Tower, several Spell Casters saw the light on the seventh floor, which showed that Merlin had entered the seventh floor again and was starting to attempt to conquer the seventh floor of the Runic Tower.

"As expected of Wizard Merlin. He can even enter the seventh floor of the Runic Tower at will. I thought that Wizard Merlin entered by fluke the previous time. Who would have thought that he would be able to enter the seventh floor again? Looks like Merlin's strength enabled him to easily enter the seventh floor!"

"Wizard Merlin didn't manage to conquer the seventh floor previously. I wonder what the result is this time?"

The Spell Casters outside the Runic Tower came to try their luck in conquering the Runic Tower. However, now that Merlin had entered the seventh floor, they simply watched the outcome from the outside.

"Rumble."

Suddenly, the entire Runic Tower began to shake. Many Spell Casters were shocked and did not know what was happening. However, it stopped just as suddenly as it had started. Before some Spell Casters were even able to react, the shaking had stopped.

"What's going on?"

"What just happened? What happened to the Runic Tower?"

The shaking of the Runic Tower had just stopped, and several Spell Casters had not returned to their senses yet. However, they were astonished to find that the gate to the first floor of the Runic Tower was completely sealed.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh."

At the same time, several Spell Casters who were attempting the Runic Tower were transported out one by one. Even they did not know what was going on, and they all expressed confusion on their faces.

Some Spell Casters even tried to enter the Runic Tower again but as they approached it, they were blocked by a thin layer of light. There was no way to enter.

Even if they wanted to break this layer of light, they would not be able to do so even with several Seventh-level Spell Casters.

"Oh, the Runic Tower must be sealed!"

"The Runic Tower is sealed? It'll only seal after someone conquers the seventh floor. Are you saying that someone conquered the seventh floor and obtained the treasure that the Great Wizard Fidel left behind?"

"Wizard Merlin must've conquered the seventh floor!"

It was only speculation at first, but as more and more Spell Casters recalled the information about the Runic Tower, they came to the realization that the treasure of the seventh floor of the Runic Tower had been taken away by someone.

Besides Wizard Merlin, no one in the Dark Magic Region could conquer the seventh floor of the Runic Tower.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh."

Many Wizards were guessing and speculating outside the Runic Tower when a white light suddenly appeared outside Wizard Leo's Tower. A figure staggered out from the white light.

"It really can transport me here!"

The figure that walked out of the white light was Merlin, who had just left the Runic Tower. He used the Runic Heartprint to arrange a Runic Magic Circle which directly transported him outside Wizard Leo's Tower.

This had also helped him avoid several unnecessary troubles.

Merlin looked at the direction of the Runic Tower. He knew that after conquering the seventh floor and obtaining the Runic Heartprint, the entire Runic Tower would be sealed. This was a major event, and he was worried that the entire Dark Magic Region would be strongly affected.

Thus, he directly used the Runic Heartprint and arranged a Runic Magic Circle to return to Wizard Leo's Tower.

Merlin hurried back to the Wizard Tower. Although Wizard Leo had died, his Wizard Tower was still around. According to the rules of the Dark Magic Region, once it was determined that a Spell Caster above the Fourth-level was dead, his Wizard Tower would be removed.

However, the Dark Magic Region was still under investigation, so the Wizard Tower could still exist for a year. If Merlin still had not become a Fourth-level Spell Caster after a year, then the Dark Magic Region would arrange other tutors for him.

With Merlin's current potential, if other tutors were to be arranged to him, most of them would be Spell Casters above the Seventh-level from the Dark Magic Region.

Merlin did not think about those matters. He went directly to the room and began to check some content regarding runes in the Runic Heartprint.

Runology, alchemy, and potions were all said to have the same status as spells construction, especially runology, which was vast and profound. A Spell Caster proficient in runology could even challenge many powerful Spell Casters, which was incredibly unfathomable.

Merlin was not clear before but looking at the introduction of the Runic Heartprint now, he slowly began to gain an understanding of runology.

The core and the most fundamental source of power in runology was Mind Power! Mind Power was illusory. A general Spell Caster would use Mind Power to imitate Spell Model and stabilize Spell Models, but besides that, it did not seem to have any other function.

However, if one wanted to research runology and arrange Runic Magic Circles, Mind Power was essential.

Runes were, in fact, more like mysterious imprints. These imprints were activated by Mind Power in a special way, and then combined and arranged to form mysterious Runic Magic Circles.

This was a rather complicated process. Mind Power was illusory, and only the Spell Caster himself would be able to control it. Even Merlin's Matrix was unable to control the illusory Mind Power.

Since the Matrix could not control Mind Power, Merlin naturally could not rely on the Matrix to learn and research runology. However, after conquering the seventh floor of the Runic Tower and obtaining the Great Wizard Fidel's Runic Heartprint, Merlin could be considered to have a systematic understanding of runology.

Runology relied on Mind Power to activate runes. Originally, these runes were also illusory and could not interfere with matter. However, when countless runes were arranged in a specific way, changes could be formed.

Different Runic Magic Circles could use the power of different Elements such as Runic Thunder and Runic Wind which used Runic Magic Circles to grasp the power of the Elements. Thus, their power was not inferior to Spells or even Pandora Demon Abilities.

This was runology! If Wizards used Spell Models to absorb Elements and transform that into Magic Power, then releasing Spells was all about using the power in their own Spell Models.

The stronger the Spell Model, the stronger the Magic Power! However, runology was completely different. It used Runic Magic Circles to control the power of Elements. The more refined the Runic Magic Circle, the more perfect and stronger the arrangement, the more powerful it would be. There was no need to be a powerful Spell Caster.

In the Spell Casters' most glorious era, the strongest First-level and Second-level Spell Casters who were proficient in runology would even be able to kill Seventh-level Spell Casters by using Runic Magic Circles!

Of course, such Wizards were rare. If the Runic Magic Circle was too complicated, it would require a terrifying amount of Mind Power. Furthermore, runes were much more complicated than Spells.

"It really is hard to research runology. Thankfully, I have the Runic Heartprint now, so I don't have to spend my energy learning runes."

Merlin had some knowledge of runology, and even more understanding of the Runic Heartprint.

This was the result of the Great Wizard Fidel life's painstaking effort. It contained numerous Runic Magic Circles which could be activated at any time using the Runic Heartprint.

To Merlin, this was an extremely powerful casting tool. With the Runic Heartprint, Merlin no longer had to be afraid of being attacked of trapped by others who used Runic Magic Circles.

Merlin looked at the Runic Heartprint repeatedly and was relieved when he confirmed that he could indeed freely control the Runic Heartprint.

However, even with the Runic Heartprint, it was not enough. Merlin did not have any advantage in the chaos that would follow. Furthermore, Darkness Eye still consumed the power of the Flame Maxim unceasingly.

Therefore, the most important thing now was to construct Fourth-level spells as soon as possible!

To construct a Fourth-level spell, he must first increase his Mind Power. Only when his Mind Power was strong enough would he be able to construct Fourth-level spells. Merlin's ring contained thousands of portions of Mokra Potions, but he lacked the time to brew them.

Now was the perfect opportunity to brew potions. Thinking about this, Merlin took out the Mokra Potion materials from the ring and began to brew the potions in the peaceful Wizard Tower.

…

"Whoosh."

In the silent forest, the falling maple leaves painted the entire forest red.

A black-robed figure slowly appeared from the maple forest. He looked around and walked to a thick maple tree and clapped it skillfully.

"Bang."

The maple tree shook violently. At the same time, the thick layer of maple leaves on the ground was blown away by the strong wind, revealing a mysterious Runic Magic Circle. No one knew how long it had remained unused.

"I've finally found it! The Dark Magic Region really is hard to find. Fortunately, three Seventh-level Spell Casters from the Dark Magic Region died at Blacksand Fort this time and I've obtained their Dark Magic rings. Otherwise, even if I found the Runic Magic Circle, I still wouldn't be able to enter Dark Magic Region."

This mysterious black-robed figure then took out a Dark Magic ring and used Mind Power to activate the Runic Magic Circle. The Dark Magic ring in his hands and the mysterious runes that flew out one by one corresponded to the Runic Magic Circle on the ground.

"Swoosh."

A white light quickly enveloped the black-robed Wizard, and he disappeared in the blink of an eye.

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Chapter 397: Troubled Times

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Merlin returned to his senses from the haze. He had been brewing potions for a long time and after brewing a few portions, he started to use them.

Every time he consumed the potion, he would have to sleep for a period of time. Therefore, Merlin was currently in a dreamy state of being half asleep and half awake.

However, his Mind Power did grow at a rapid pace. The Mokra Potion effects also began to weaken a little but could still support Merlin's Mind Power growth. If he finished taking all the Mokra Potions, there would be no problem for his Mind Power to grow to the Sixth-level.

"The Mokra Potions have finished. I'll have to brew them again!"

Merlin looked at the Mokra Potion materials in the ring and found that there was still a large amount left as if they were uncountable. In this period, he could only vaguely remember that he took around thirteen portions of Mokra Potions.

As there were too many potions, Merlin did not check on the growth of his Mind Power and simply repeated the same actions of brewing the potions, consuming the potions, and sleeping throughout a period of time.

"Rumble."

Just as Merlin was about to continue brewing the potions, he found that the entire Wizard Tower started shaking. He focused his eyes slightly and saw that there seemed to be some drastic changes outside the Wizard Tower.

"Whoosh."

The Runic Heartprint appeared on Merlin's forehead. Merlin quickly arranged the Runic Magic Circle and left the Wizard Tower directly.

…

The Dark Magic Region had always been peaceful with not many changes. It was impossible for the outside world to disturb them. If one wanted to enter the mysterious Dark Magic Region, one would need to go through the Runic Magic Circle by using the precious Dark Magic ring.

Besides the official members of the Dark Magic Region who had the Dark Magic ring, outsider Spell Caster would not have the Dark Magic ring at all. Without the Dark Magic ring, it was impossible to enter the Dark Magic Region.

As such, the peace and calmness of the Dark Magic Region had been maintained for hundreds of years.

Now, the peace of the Dark Magic Region had been broken. The entire sky seemed to be shrouded in a faint light where numerous mysterious runes flashed by.

This was the activation of the Runic Magic Circle which protected the Dark Magic Region. This huge Runic Magic Circle was personally arranged by the Great Wizard Fidel, and rumor had it that it could even block attacks from Great Wizards.

At this time, in the sky shrouded by the Runic Magic Circle, a huge black cat slowly walked in the air and spoke. Its voice reached the ears of every Spell Caster in the Dark Magic Region.

"There's a foreign invasion!"

This huge black cat was the spirit of the Runic Magic Circle in the Dark Magic Region stone tablet, Didimoss. As the spirit of the Runic Magic Circle in the Dark Magic Region, the black cat Didimoss was clear about anyone trying to enter the Dark Magic Region.

"Foreign invasion? How could that be? How long has it been since the Dark Magic Region has been discovered and invaded by foreign enemies?"

"Even the Runic Magic Circle has been activated. Besides Sir Didimoss, only Wizard Delma, the only Ninth-level Spell Caster in our Dark Magic Region can activate the Runic Magic Circle. However, Wizard Delma hasn't shown himself for a long time. Would he simply activate the Runic Magic Circle like that?"

Many Spell Casters were shocked to see the black cat Didimoss in the air. These Spell Casters were no strangers to Didimoss, the spirit of the Runic Magic Circle that the Great Wizard Fidel had personally created. It could be the oldest existence in the Dark Magic Region.

At the same time, the black cat Didimoss controlled the big Runic Circle, silently guarding the entire Dark Magic Region.

"Damn it! It's another damn Runic Magic Circle. The Dark Magic Region really is a spell casters' organization that's most proficient in runology. It could trap me and make things so difficult for me."

A black-robed Spell Caster stood out conspicuously under the Runic Magic Circle. He had been firmly locked up by the Runic Magic Circle.

The Runic Magic Circle controlled by Didimoss could bring out the greatest power. Even Great Wizards would not be able to break it, much less this mysterious Spell Caster.

The fluctuations on this mysterious Spell Caster was only the Seventh-level at best. He entered the Dark Magic Region for an unknown reason and had caught the attention of the black cat Didimoss.

Low-level Spell Casters were easily ignored by Didimoss but Spell Casters of the Seventh-level and above were very important to the black cat Didimoss.

After all, there were only a few Spell Casters of the Seventh-level and above in the entire Dark Magic Region, and Didimoss also knew who all of them were. However, this mysterious and unfamiliar Spell Caster was a Seventh-level Spell Caster, and also had the Dark Magic ring, so it was natural that it would arouse Didimoss' suspicion.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh."

Several Seventh-level Spell Casters flew out from the highest Wizard Tower in the Dark Magic Region, including Wizard Morse. However, they did not know what was going on and could only see the black-robed Spell Caster currently imprisoned in mid-air.

The black-robed man imprisoned in the air had a sullen expression. Then, he sneered, took a deep breath, and shouted, "I'm a Seventh-level Wizard from Shadow Thorn, Wizard Tom!"

"Shadow Thorn?"

Perhaps the lower level Wizard did not know about Shadow Thorn but after hearing the declaration from the Spell Caster of Shadow Thorn as well as seeing his black Wizard robe and logo, the Spell Casters of the Seventh-level and above were very clear.

"It really is a Spell Caster from Shadow Thorn. What is he doing in our Dark Magic Region?"

"How did a Wizard from Shadow Thorn enter?"

There were many questions but under Didimoss' oppression, the power of the Runic Magic Circle was gradually about to crush Tom.

At this time, Wizard Tom finally put away his arrogance and continued. "I was sent here by the grand elder to invite Wizard Delma from the Dark Magic Region. If you ask Wizard Delma to come out, everything will become clear."

"Wizard Delma?"

The Seventh-level Spell Casters were stunned, but their expressions quickly became heavy. The lower level Spell Casters including Merlin did not know who Wizard Delma was.

"Wizard Delma? I've never heard of him before but judging by the attitude of those Seventh-level Wizards, he must be an important person in the Dark Magic Region. Could he be the one and only Ninth-level Wizard in the Dark Magic Region?"

Countless thoughts flashed past Merlin's mind. He had gone to Blacksand Fort before and naturally knew that the Spell Caster trapped by Didimoss was a Wizard from Shadow Thorn.

"Alright, Didimoss, put Wizard Tom down."

Without anyone's notice, an energetic aged Spell Caster with a ruddy face appeared in the air. His eyes, especially, were as deep as the stars, leaving a profound impression on the others.

"Wizard Delma!"

The Seventh-level Spell Casters greeted immediately. Now, even the dullest Spell Casters knew that it was Wizard Delma standing before them, the strongest Wizard in the entire Dark Magic Region, the Ninth-level Spell Caster Wizard Delma!

Heeding Wizard Delma's words, the black cat Didimoss nodded and gradually disappeared. The ever-present Runic Magic Circle shrouding the entire Dark Magic Region also slowly faded away.

Wizard Tom broke out of his restraints but his face was gloomy, and his eyes held some fear. As a Seventh-level Spell Caster from Shadow Thorn, how would he value a mere small-sized spell casters' organization like the Dark Magic Region?

However, he never expected that the Runic Magic Circle of the Dark Magic Region would be so formidable. It was much more powerful than the Runic Magic Circle in Blacksand Fort and Shadow Thorn. He suspected that even the Great Wizards would be unable to easily break the Runic Magic Circle in the Dark Magic Region.

Therefore, Wizard Tom put aside his contempt and went up to Wizard Delma before saying lowly, "Wizard Delma, I believe you've already gotten information regarding Blacksand Fort. Ozmu was too unbridled and led Spell Casters to attack Blacksand Fort and even killed the Spell Casters in our southern Spell Caster world on the way. The Dark Magic Region also lost three Seventh-level Spell Casters. Thus, Shadow Thorn, Miracle City, and Blacksand Fort have sent Spell Casters to various spell casters' organization to invite their strongest Spell Casters to discuss this major event in Miracle City. This is the image of Miracle City, Blacksand Fort, and Shadow Thorn signing a contract of an alliance. Please have a look, Wizard Delma."

After speaking, Wizard Tom carved out a few simple runes, in which there were indeed three extremely large Spell Caster life forces that had jointly signed the agreement.

Wizard Delma's eyes flickered slightly. He recognized the three Wizards who had signed the agreement. They were all Great Wizards from Shadow Thorn, Miracle City, and Blacksand Fort. The three large-sized spell casters' organizations had really joined hands.

Wizard Delma could not refuse such an invitation. Otherwise, he would have to face the three large-sized spell casters' organizations. It was an invitation on the surface but the fact was he had no choice but to go.

In the southern Spell Caster world, no one could go against the three large-sized spell casters' organizations!

"Alright, please wait a moment, Wizard Tom. I'll make some arrangements and follow you."

Wizard Delma remained silent for a moment before responding slowly.

"Of course, as you wish, Wizard Delma."

Wizard Tom smiled. As he expected, the Dark Magic Region did not dare to refuse the invitation of the three large-sized spell casters' organizations. This time, Miracle City, Shadow Thorn, and Blacksand Fort had suffered a huge loss. They naturally would not be willing to just let it go.

Originally, the three large-sized spell casters' organizations had been ready to go against Ozmu but now that this had happened, there were indeed some losses. However, it gave them a more appropriate reason to unite the entire southern Spell Caster world to deal with Ozmu together.

Below, Merlin also saw the images that Wizard Tom recorded in runes. Among the three Wizards, Merlin could only recognize one. That was the Great Wizard Utto, whom he saw in Blacksand Fort.

As he was a Great Wizard, Merlin had a very deep impression of Great Wizard Utto. Now, seeing that the Great Wizard Utto personally appeared to sign the agreement, the two other Spell Casters were obviously not simple either. There was a large possibility that they were also Great Wizards.

"These are troubled times. The three large-sized spell casters' organizations must be starting to act!"

Merlin secretly speculated that since Ozmu's previous move was too large, it was impossible for the three large-sized spell casters' organizations, the strongest in the southern Spell Caster world, to remain indifferent.

Perhaps Ozmu's sudden action had disrupted their previous plans and delayed their own attack on Ozmu, but with this, they were able to unite the factions in the southern Spell Caster world closely.

"Let's go, Wizard Tom!"

After Wizard Delma had finished his arrangements, he and Wizard Tom spared no time and quickly disappeared from sight.

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Chapter 398: Fourth-Level Spell!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Peace returned to the Dark Magic Region but the departure of their Ninth-level Spell Caster still caused a lot of discussions. Perhaps others did not know what this meant, but Merlin, who personally experienced Blacksand Fort, knew exactly how serious this matter was.

"Ninth-level Spell Casters were invited, and the three large spell casters' organizations have signed an agreement. They're really going to act against Ozmu. They've gathered almost all the forces in the southern Spell Caster world!"

Merlin was very clear that if even a small spell casters' organization like the Dark Magic Region was invited, it obviously meant that those three large-sized spell casters' organizations were ready to act.

Ozmu could fight against almost all large spell casters' organizations. Although it had great strength, the deeper reason laid in the fact that Ozmu's old nest was too hidden. Even if large spell casters' organizations wanted to destroy it, they could not as they cannot find the place.

This was somewhat different from the Dark Magic Region where one could kill a member of the Dark Magic Region and seize the Dark Magic ring to forcefully enter the Dark Magic Region. However, no one knew where Ozmu's old nest was located as it was incredibly mysterious.

This time, it was different. Blacksand Fort knew where Ozmu's old nest was. Perhaps it was because of this that Ozmu became reckless and decided to send Spell Casters led by the Black-White Great Wizard to attack Blacksand Fort.

Fortunately, Blacksand Fort also had a hidden trump card, which was a powerful Guardian Spirit that even the Black-White Great Wizard was no match against. The chaos in Blacksand Fort had instead brought together the forces in the southern Spell Caster world.

( NovelFull ) "Chaos is coming. I have to hurry and increase my Mind Power!"

Merlin returned to the Wizard Tower. This time, he frantically brewed potions day and night. As Merlin grasped the fire handling of potion-making and became more skillful, his success rate of brewing Mokra Potions also increased. What was originally a thirty percent success rate was increased to a nearly forty percent success rate.

Merlin was overjoyed by such a high success rate. Mokra Potions were extremely valuable, and although its effects had decreased now, it was still much more effective than the Bell Space and other potions.

He prepared several portions of Mokra Potions daily and used the next several days to consume the potion to increase his Mind Power.

Thus, Merlin's Mind Power very quickly rose to the beginning stage of the Fifth-level, then to the middle stage of the Fifth-level, and continued to grow, gradually reaching the peak of the Fifth-level.

At this time, more than a month had passed. Wizard Delma never returned even once, and the southern Spell Caster world remained peaceful as always.

However, Merlin knew that behind the peace, a huge storm was brewing.

"Peak of the Fifth-level. I can try constructing Fourth-level Spells now!"

Merlin finally stopped brewing Mokra Potions. He had consumed almost half of the Mokra Potions that he had prepared, and his Mind Power had reached the peak of the Fifth-level.

A large amount of accumulation was needed to increase one's Mind Power from the Fifth-level to the Sixth-level and it was impossible to do so in a short amount of time. Hence, Merlin did not continue brewing Mokra Potions and chose to construct spells instead.

At Merlin's current Mind Power level, it was not difficult to construct Fourth-level spells at all. He could construct several Fourth-level spells. Although it was unlikely that he could successfully construct Six-Elemental spells, there was no problem constructing the most powerful Fourth-level spells.

The difference was that the Fourth-level spells that needed to be constructed were, in the end, ordinary Fourth-level spells that used the Maxim as well as consumed the power of the Flame Maxim to derive a completely new Fourth-level spell.

"Matrix, derive new Fourth-level Fire-type Spell Model!"

Merlin activated the Matrix and started to check the two hundred and more Fourth-level Fire-type Spell Models derived after he consumed the Flame Maxim.

In the beginning, due to Merlin's insufficient Mind Power, he did not construct these Fire-type Fourth-level spells. However, it was different now. Merlin's Mind Power had reached the peak of the Fifth-level and was enough to construct several Fourth-level spells.

Most of the two hundred or so Spell Models had very high compatibility. They were all at least ninety percent and above, and there were even some with a hundred percent compatibility.

The biggest difference between the derived Spell Models and ordinary Spell Models was compatibility. Moreover, by deriving a new Spell Model according to the previously constructed Spell Models, the compatibility could reach a hundred percent.

Now, Merlin had to choose a Spell Model with a hundred percent compatibility. He would only be able to fully bring out the power of a Spell Model that way.

Merlin looked closely at the Fire-type Spell Model which he had constructed before. The Zero-level spell Fireball, First-level spell Furious Flame, Second-level Sea of Purgatory Fire, and Third-level spell Condensed Fire.

Apart from the ordinary Fireball, all the other spells were extremely complicated and were Offensive spells. Their offensive power was outstanding among other spells.

In this way, Merlin's choice of his Fourth-level spells had to be extremely violent, have very strong Offensive power, and possess high compatibility. Among the two hundred or so Spell Models, Merlin only found two such spells which fit his criteria.

After careful screening, Merlin finally picked a Spell Model that was derived by the Matrix. It had a hundred percent compatibility with the Spell Model constructed by Merlin previously, and was frighteningly powerful.

Such a powerful Spell Model should be very complicated and extremely difficult to construct, but newly derived spells were not like that. Spells that were derived by the Spell Casters themselves according to the situation were very convenient to construct, and the difficulty would be greatly reduced as well.

Basically, as long as one could derive new spells by themselves and had sufficient Mind Power, then one would basically be able to simulate the success of a spell in the Awareness. It was very simple and was also one of the benefits of deriving a spell.

Since he chose the spell, Merlin began to maneuver all his Mind Power and concentrated in simulating the first derived Spell Model.

Time passed bit by bit. Although the derived Spell Model was a good simulation and was not too complicated, it still required a long period of time.

"Boom!"

An unknown amount of time passed before Merlin's Awareness shook fiercely. A huge Spell Model appeared in his Awareness, and countless Fire Elements frantically entered the new Spell Model, quickly converting into Magic Power.

"It finally succeeded! My first Fourth-level spell!"

Merlin could feel that his Awareness was currently full of raging flames. Compared to the Fourth-level and below spells constructed before, a Fourth-level spell really was quite different.

It was just a single Fourth-level Spell Model, but its power was almost equal to all the previous Spell Models. Of course, that did not include the Pandora Demon Ability.

Fourth-level spells were a qualitative improvement. Merlin could clearly feel that the Spell Model of newly constructed Fourth-level Fire-type spell greatly suppressed the other Spell Models in his Awareness.

"Let's see how powerful it is."

Merlin sucked in a breath and felt that some Magic Power had accumulated in the Spell Model, so he used his Mind Power to simulate it and immediately released the spell.

"Boom!"

Flames covered the sky, faintly descending and enveloping the entire room. Everything that was touched by the flames was reduced to ashes.

"How powerful! The power of the spell itself can rival the power of ordinary Sixth-level spells!"

Merlin was pleasantly surprised to see that the derived spell power was so terrifying. He also noticed that the ability to release a strengthened version of the spell after releasing three ordinary spells had disappeared.

Merlin rarely cast the strengthened version spells after he cultivated a powerful Pandora Demon Ability. Merlin did not know what caused the strengthened version spells and why there were strengthened version spells.

However, now, Merlin slowly understood.

It was because the previous spells did not have a hundred percent compatibility and could never reach the point where it was most compatible with the Spell Caster. Therefore, the power of the spell could not be maximized.

Previously, the strengthened spells helped Merlin to bring out the true power of the spell into play. Now, after the new spell was derived by the Matrix using data integration, the compatibility became almost a hundred percent, reaching the point of perfect compatibility.

Therefore, the Fourth-level Fire-type spell which Merlin had constructed could be used to its full power at any time. There was naturally no strengthened version of the spell because the spell itself was already at the pinnacle of its power.

"I never thought that derived spells would be able to use its full power! The spell was able to burn everything in the room into ashes. With this formidable power, this completely new Fourth-level spell shall be called Incinerating Fire."

Merlin named this brand-new Fourth-level spell. Henceforth, there was a new Fourth-level spell in the world, Incinerating Fire!

Even in the future, Merlin could pass down Incinerating Fire, and make it a powerful spell unique to the Wilson clan.

Seeing the might of Incinerating Fire, it was indeed very powerful and could rival Sixth-level spells. However, it was not enough just by relying on the strength of the spell. There were still fire-type Pandora Demon Abilities!

Presently, Merlin only had Fiery Collapse, which strength was also quite strong. Although it was a Pandora Demon Ability that could not be combined with spells, it was suppressed by the Flame Maxim and forcefully fused into the Fire-type spells, so it also played a role in making the spells incredibly powerful.

Now, Merlin wanted to try and see if he could fuse Fiery Collapse into his newly constructed, brand-new Fourth-level spell, Incinerating Fire.

This kind of attempt was extremely important. Once successful, the power of Incinerating Fire would increase multiple folds.

Thinking about this, Merlin no longer hesitated and started to control Fiery Collapse.

"Fuse!"

Merlin immediately tried to fuse Fiery Collapse with Incinerating Fire.

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Chapter 399: Derivation

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Incinerating Fire was a Fourth-level spell that had a hundred percent compatibility with Merlin's previous spells. As for Fiery Collapse, it was a powerful Pandora Demon Ability.

Merlin now had a slight understanding of Pandora Demon Abilities. This mysterious and formidable power did not have to be specifically under certain spells but compatibility!

This kind of compatibility was virtually the same as the compatibility between spells. There was also compatibility between Pandora Demon Abilities and spells.

For example, it was absolutely impossible for Glacial Finger to be compatible with Fire-type spells. They were basically two different Elements and two different powers.

However, Glacial Finger could be compatible with Ice-type spells. Certain Ice-type spells had extremely high compatibility with Glacial Finger.

Therefore, with high compatibility, the Pandora Demon Ability could be successfully cultivated.

Merlin had now constructed a brand-new Fourth-level spell. Its prominent characteristic was that it conformed to Merlin's own characteristics as well as the characteristics of the spells he constructed in the past. As long as he successfully cultivated Pandora Demon Abilities for the previous spells, then there was no problem cultivating a Pandora Demon Ability for a Fourth-level spell with a hundred percent compatibility.

( NovelFull ) That included the merging of Fiery Collapse. Under the suppression of the Flame Maxim as well as the long amount of time it fused with Fire-type spells, the fusion between Fiery Collapse and Incinerating Fire was quite smooth.

"Phew…"

After a long moment, Merlin breathed out a sigh of relief. He held out his hand gently, and a flame emitting white light rose from his hand. It was Incinerating Fire!

"The fusion was a success. Incinerating Fire and Fiery Collapse merged, and its power was instantly raised to a level that's comparable to a regular Seventh-level spell. However, this is merely the first form of Fiery Collapse!"

Just by relying on Incinerating Fire, the strength was comparable to a Sixth-level spell, much less by adding Fiery Collapse. The power instantly increased to the point of a Seventh-level spell.

Furthermore, it was just the first form of Fiery Collapse. There were still second and third forms of Fiery Collapse. Now that Merlin had constructed a Fourth-level spell, he could cultivate the second form of Fiery Collapse.

Merlin still required the treasure from the ancient monument to cultivate the second form of Fiery Collapse which was pale white. After all, the treasures needed to cultivate the second form of Fiery Collapse were quite special.

"The third form of Darkness Eye can kill a regular Seventh-level Spell Caster! If Fiery Collapse is cultivated to its second form as well, its power would be terrifying. It might even be able to kill a regular Seventh-level Spell Caster."

Merlin carefully thought in his heart that between Darkness Eye and Fiery Collapse, there was no comparison between the two types of Pandora Demon Abilities.

The power of Fiery Collapse might not be as powerful as Darkness Eye. However, if it was fused into a spell and coupled with the strength of the spell itself, its power would be quite considerable.

Moreover, the new Fourth-level spell was derived by Merlin. From then on, Merlin would no longer be a traditional Spell Caster. In the future, the Fifth-, Sixth-, and even Seventh-level and above Spell Casters would have no practical reference significance to Merlin.

That was because Merlin had already embarked on another path — a way to derive spells and understand the essence of Elements alone. It was a path to becoming a Great Legend!

In the Spell Casters' most glorious era, the number of Spell Casters who started deriving from Fourth-level spells were quite rare. However, those Spell Casters were terrifying. Generally, Spell Casters who started deriving from Fourth-level spells did not simply aim to be Great Wizards, but the position above the Great Wizard – a Great Legend!

Only Great Legends could condense a Maxim and explore the essence and true meaning of spells. Deriving spells by oneself was the beginning of exploring the essence and true meaning of spells. They were better than Spell Casters who started deriving spells from the Seventh-level onward.

The probability of becoming a Legendary Wizard after starting to derive from Fourth-level spells was quite high.

Even Merlin himself could vaguely feel that the spells from ordinary Wizard were no longer suitable for him. After all, the Spell Casters who just merely constructed spells were simply too weak. In the Spell Casters' most glorious era, ordinary Wizard used a combination of spells and Pandora Demon Abilities which could burst into incomparable power. That was the true strength of Wizards.

Unfortunately, the number of Spell Casters were rare now. All sorts of inheritances had been submerged in the long river of history. One of the most common Pandora Demon Abilities could make many Spell Casters go crazy. It simply could not be compared to the Spell Casters' most glorious era.

Even in the Spell Casters' most glorious era, only Merlin was a Wizard who was extremely valiant and had unlimited potential!

The fusion of Incinerating Fire and Fiery Collapse was successful but that did not mean the end. On the contrary, it was just the beginning. His Mind Power was enough to support him in constructing several new Fourth-level spells!

"I'll need to consume some power of the Maxim to derive the spells. Although the power of the Maxim is extremely valuable, it's not my own power. Only by deriving spells and constructing them in the Awareness would I be able to control this unique power! Next, I'll derive a Fourth-level Darkness-type spell!"

Merlin took a deep breath. This time, he wanted to derive a Fourth-level Darkness-type spell.

Currently, Merlin had Zero-level spell Dark Mist, First-level Dark Light Realm, Second-level Darkness Tide, and Third-level Darkness Vortex.

These were all Hallucinating spells. If Merlin wanted to derive a new Darkness-type Spell, he should move in that direction if he wanted it to obtain a hundred percent compatibility.

Originally, Merlin already obtained a Fourth-level Darkness-type spell Darkness Nightmare in Abyss Fort. He even had Fifth- and Sixth-level Darkness-type spells. They were all extremely complicated and powerful spells.

Among them was a Fourth-level spell called Darkness Nightmare, which seemed to have reached the pinnacle of illusions. Thus, the Fifth-level and above Darkness-type spells began to develop in the direction of illusions and reality interfering with matter.

Merlin also considered ahead of time that the Fourth-level Darkness-type spell he wanted to derive should also be developed in this direction. Not only were Hallucinating spells strong but it could also influence a Seventh-level Spell Caster's Mind Power.

Even if a Seventh-level Spell Caster could not be dragged into an illusion, he still had to be affected. Besides influencing, it also had to possess strong offensive power.

This was the Fourth-level Darkness-type spell that Merlin needed!

"Matrix, start the analysis. Derive all Fourth-level Darkness-type spells!"

"Beep, commence derivation!"

Deriving an entirely new spell required a large amount of time. Especially this time, deriving a Darkness-type spell seemed to be even more complicated, so the time required was even longer.

Merlin simply waited quietly.

After waiting for more than ten hours, the sky outside the Wizard Tower gradually darkened, and the Matrix finally finished deriving a new Darkness spell.

"Beep, a total of three hundred and forty-three Fourth-level Darkness-type Spell Models have been derived!"

The Matrix had derived more than three hundred Darkness-type spells. Merlin did not look at them immediately, but instead rushed to check on the Flame Maxim in his Awareness.

The change in the Flame Maxim was obvious. Merlin could clearly feel that it seemed to have become smaller. Deriving Darkness-type spells really did consume the Flame Maxim a little.

Currently, Merlin only had one Maxim. Therefore, this sole Flame Maxim was especially crucial. Every little loss could not be recovered.

"Only two more Fourth-level skill can be derived. Otherwise, I'm afraid the Flame Maxim will really be exhausted!"

Merlin secretly decided in his heart that after Darkness-type spells, he would only derive two other Fourth-level spells and no more. The Flame Maxim could be used but it could not be completely exhausted.

He would leave a little to better suppress Darkness Eye as well as Fiery Collapse, just in case of any accidents.

After looking at the Flame Maxim, Merlin focused his attention on the Fourth-level spells derived by the Matrix. These three hundred or so Fourth-level spells mostly had high compatibility, and there were several dozen with a hundred percent compatibility.

However, Merlin only selected a few spells that had a hundred percent compatibility. All these spells had powerful hallucination effects, and none was inferior to Darkness Nightmare.

In the end, Merlin chose a spell that could not only influence the mind of a Spell Caster but could also stimulate a slight strangling power, which could strangle a Spell Caster trapped in an illusion.

For this spell, Merlin named it Darkness Illusory Death!

Now that a brand-new spell was derived, the next step was to simulate it in his Awareness. Merlin had done this step countless times, so he was already very familiar with it.

Soon, he simulated Spell Model of Darkness Illusory Death in his Awareness and merged it with Darkness Heart. It also smoothly raised to the second stage as well.

For Darkness Heart, as long as a Fourth-level Darkness spell was constructed, it could reach the second stage directly. It was also the strongest form of Darkness Heart and could improve the strength of a spell by five to ten times.

This was quite frightening. Merlin's Darkness spells were already powerful to begin with. Their destructive power could not be compared to Fire-type spells, but when it came to the degree of bizarreness and the effects of dealing with Spell Casters, Darkness spells were definitely the most powerful.

However, once a Spell Caster had reached the Seventh-level, his Mind Power would evolve, and the advantages of Darkness-type spells would be less obvious. As they were simply pure illusions, the advantages would turn into disadvantages as well.

However, Darkness Illusory Death was not purely an illusion as it also had the power of strangulation. Coupled with the amplification from Darkness Heart, it could also easily kill a regular Seventh-level Spell Caster!

"The two most important spells have been derived. The next choice would be much easier."

A smile appeared on Merlin's face. He had decided the next spell he would derive to be a Wind-type spell.

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Chapter 400: Returning to the Ancient Monument I

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

In comparison, deriving a Wind-type spell was much simpler. In Merlin's Awareness, he had constructed Zero-level spell Gale, First-level spell Wind of Freedom, Second-level spell Light Breeze, and Third-level spell Shadow Gust.

These spells were speed enhancers and had distinctive features. If Merlin wanted to derive a new Fourth-level spell, it would need to have sufficient speed.

Moreover, a Fourth-level Wind-type spell had another feature, which was to enable flight. Currently, Merlin could only rely on the Flying casting tool to fly, but he was no match for Spell Casters above the Fourth-level in terms of speed.

The exception was if Merlin could merge with Flash Wind. However, this would consume too much energy. Flash Wind was not meant for speeding up journeys, but for battle. It was able to increase one's speed countless times in an instant.

Therefore, if Merlin were to construct a new Fourth-level Flying spell now, there was no doubt that his speed would increase. Furthermore, if it was combined with Flash Wind, Merlin would be even more elusive during battle. If his opponent did not have Binding spells, then no matter how strong they were, they would be of no threat to Merlin.

Thus, the third spell that Merlin derived was a Fourth-level Wind-type spell.

Following that, he activated the Matrix and began deriving a new Fourth-level Wind-type spell. This time, Merlin monitored the changes of the Flame Maxim at all times.

When the Matrix began to derive a new spell, Merlin clearly felt a change in the Flame Maxim. It really was diminishing bit by bit as it was consumed by the Matrix.

Presently, the Flame Maxim was simply being used as an "energy" to support the derivation of a new spell by the Matrix!

The Flame Maxim was not used up too much. It was the same as when he derived Darkness-type spells — the Maxim shrank a little, and the Fourth-level Wind-type spells were derived.

Merlin selected the spell with a hundred percent compatibility which had greater speed and enabled flight. He named it Rainbow Wind because once it was cast along with Flash Wind, it was like a rainbow beam of astonishing speed.

These newly derived spells had never been created by any Spell Caster before. Being unique, they belonged only to Merlin.

In the future, Merlin could pass these on as spells unique to the Wilson clan.

Once the Wind-type spell was derived, Merlin continued with deriving an Earth-type spell. This would be a Defensive spell and was crucial as well. Based on the current state of the Flame Maxim, it could only further support the derivation of one or two spells at most. If Merlin went all out, he could even use up the Flame Maxim entirely and construct all types of Fourth-level spells.

However, if the Flame Maxim disappeared, it would cause more harm than good, and was not worth it at all.

Therefore, Merlin could only derive this last Earth-type spell.

The features of an Earth-type spell were obvious. It possessed great defensive strength. The derived spells would also have high compatibility. In general, most Earth-type spells that were derived could achieve a hundred percent compatibility rate.

As it turned out, it was as Merlin had predicted. A majority of the Earth-type spells that the Matrix had derived had compatibility that was near a hundred percent.

This time, his choice was not so easy. Most of the spells were almost the same, having only subtle differences in certain aspects. Previously, Merlin's Earth-type spells Earth Guard, Guardian Monument, Earth Veil, and Perfect Armor all shared a similar feature – they provided all-around protection.

Among the spells derived by the Matrix, the defense emphasis of the spells varied. Some were customized to defend from the front with terrifying capabilities whereas others were particularly effective in defending against a certain type of spell.

For spells that defended on all sides, their defensive capability on any one side certainly could not compare to those spells. Nevertheless, in terms of overall strength, they were the most powerful!

Naturally, Merlin chose a spell with all-around defenses. He gave it the name Rippling Armor. The reason for this was that the spell had a similar appearance to a suit of armor. Moreover, once Rippling Armor sustained a blow, ripples would spread across the armor as if it was water.

Each layer of these ripples would reduce the power of the attack by a margin. Through the progressive diminishing caused by the innumerable ripples, the force of the attack would dwindle unceasingly until it finally disappeared.

This was the greatest feature of Rippling Armor.

Furthermore, if it was combined with Pandora Demon Ability Fuse Earth, even the peak of the Seventh-level strength would have no way of overcoming Merlin's Rippling Armor.

"Phew…"

Merlin let out a long sigh at last. He had now derived and constructed Incinerating Fire, Darkness Illusory Death, Rainbow Wind, and Rippling Armor – four Fourth-level spells in total. These were all derived by the Matrix through the consumption of the Flame Maxim.

There was just a small ball left of the Flame Maxim. Merlin decided that before he obtained a new Maxim, he would not exploit the Flame Maxim to derive the remaining Thunder-type and Ice-type spells.

Although Merlin was currently still not a Fourth-level Spell Caster, he had already constructed four newly derived spells. Merlin's abilities were greatly improved. All four spells could be merged with a Pandora Demon Ability. If Merlin were to battle with Kleis once more, he did not have to worry even without activating the third form of Darkness Eye.

At the standard of Fourth-level spells, Merlin's utilization of the Matrix to derive spells was truly the greatest advantage. He had become frightening once more. Even if Kleis had cultivated a scary special Pandora Demon Ability, he was likewise still at the stage of the Fourth-level. Merlin, even without Darkness Eye, was not inferior to Kleis!

This was the double effect of Merlin's derivation of new spells and his Pandora Demon Abilities. Of course, if Kleis was able to successfully cultivate the fourth form of Spatial Blade, Merlin would be no match for him. However, only Spell Casters above the Seventh-level would be able to cultivate the fourth form of a special Pandora Demon Ability.

Otherwise, one would end up like Wizard Leo, who had forcibly activated the fourth form of Darkness Eye and died from the backlash.

Merlin sorted out his abilities. In the past, his powers were in a disorder for he had spells, Pandora Demon Abilities, the Flame Maxim, and even his fortified body.

These strengths were all scattered. As for now, Merlin had gradually brought together spells and Pandora Demon Abilities, completely merging them. The outstanding quality of power in Merlin's spells was developed to the fullest.

Even Kleis could not compare to the spells Merlin had constructed in terms of Fourth-level spells. Thus, by adding his Pandora Demon Abilities, Merlin could enhance the might of his spells to the peak of the Seventh-level. Of course, this only applied to Wind-type, Darkness-type, and Earth-type spells. As for Fire-type Fiery Collapse, it was still at its first form. At best, it was equivalent to an average Seventh-level spell and was still far from the peak of the Seventh-level.

"The second form of Fiery Collapse – it's time for another trip to the ancient monument."

Back then, Merlin clearly recalled that when he left the ancient monument, the flame sprite mentioned that if he wanted to cultivate the second and third form of Fiery Collapse, he would have to visit the ancient monument once more. This was because the treasures that enabled the cultivation of the second and third form of Fiery could only be found there.

As he thought of this, Merlin stood up immediately and left the tower.

The Dark Magic Region was as tranquil as before, with no trace of a tense atmosphere, for it could be considered very isolated. Other than the Spell Casters above the Seventh-level at the higher ranks, not many Spell Casters knew about the situation outside.

Most Spell Casters stayed silently in the Dark Magic Region. Here, there were various cultivation resources such as spells, potions, runology, and so on. Naturally, not many Spell Casters would head out voluntarily, and outsiders who came in were undoubtedly uncommon in the Dark Magic Region.

As a result, most Spell Casters of the Dark Magic Region had no knowledge of what the situation outside was like. Only the Seventh-level Spell Casters of the higher levels would occasionally leave the Dark Magic Region to inquire about the developments outside.

In particular, during recent times, even the sole Ninth-level Spell Caster in the Dark Magic Region, Wizard Delma, had left the Dark Magic Region. Obviously, a great change was brewing, so the higher-ups of the Dark Magic Region would frequently go outside to get updates.

Although Merlin had not left the Dark Magic Region, he knew that chaos was imminent. The great change in the entire southern Spell Caster world and the battle with Ozmu was not as simple as one might imagine. The entire southern Spell Caster world would be altered, and every Spell Caster would be embroiled in the conflict.

"Buzz buzz buzz."

The Runic Heartprint appeared on his forehead. Within the Runic Heartprint, Merlin instantly created a Runic Magic Circle. These Runic Magic Circles were originally left behind in the Runic Heartprint. Now that Merlin controlled it, he was able to control the Runic Magic Circles within.

The mysterious Runic Magic Circle began to gradually twinkle with white light, following which it rapidly engulfed Merlin. A powerful pulling force immediately absorbed Merlin into the Runic Magic Circle.

"Whoosh."

In the blink of an eye, Merlin's figure had disappeared from the Dark Magic Region.

…

In the dense mountain forest, lush, towering trees grew branches heavy with leaves. Birds in flight landed on the canopy and flitted around playfully, chirping constantly.

"Swoosh."

A white ray suddenly flickered. Soon, a black-robed figure stepped out from the white light, descending firmly onto the ground.

"There's a Runic Magic Circle here too? How many of these did the Dark Magic Region set up in the beginning?"

This figure was Merlin, who had just left the Dark Magic Region. He had followed the Runic Magic Circle of the Runic Heartprint, roughly determined the direction of the ancient monument, then selected a Runic Magic Circle that was in the general direction.

He did not think that he would be transported so far, immediately reaching the jungle where the ancient monument was.

Merlin turned back and glanced at the ground. Underneath the thick carpet of fallen leaves, there was a buried Runic Magic Circle. It was through this Runic Magic Circle that Merlin had arrived here.

It was obvious that this Runic Magic Circle had not been used for many years. If Merlin had not utilized the Runic Magic Circle in the Runic Heartprint, he would not have known about this Runic Magic Circle.

Back when the Great Wizard Fidel had founded the Dark Magic Region, the main way of entering and exiting was through Runic Magic Circles. Furthermore, in the countless years to come, the Dark Magic Region had set up an unknown number of Runic Magic Circles outside. Now, no one knew how many Runic Magic Circles were arranged in the beginning.

This was also due to the considerations of that time. If the Dark Magic Region was under attack where the attackers had successfully broken through the protection of the Runic Magic Circle, the Spell Casters of the Dark Magic Region could escape in an instant through the Runic Magic Circles by transporting to all sorts of different locations.

These points were all considered by the Great Wizard Fidel. By relying on the Runic Magic Circles, the Dark Magic Region had held on to its mystery for so many years and had not been under much threat since.

It must be said that when the Great Wizard Fidel founded the Dark Magic Region, he had thought of everything. Thus, even if the influence of the Dark Magic Region had declined by much, it did not receive many threats.

"Hmm? The ancient monument should be somewhere nearby up ahead!"

Merlin examined his surroundings. Just as he was looking for the ancient monument, he suddenly felt the presence of the flame sprite. Only those who had cultivated Fiery Collapse would have such a reaction when they were near the flame sprite.

It was clear that the ancient monument was not far from where Merlin stood! As he thought of this, Merlin shut his eyes lightly, carefully sensing the fluctuations of the flame sprite. Thereafter, he determined the direction and walked forward.

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Chapter 401: Returning to the Ancient Monument II

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

In the quiet jungle, a figure in black appeared.

"Looks like this is it!"

Merlin looked around him and could vaguely, feel a sense of familiarity from his memory. This was where the ancient monument had been. However, now there was only flat ground covered all over with a thick carpet of dead leaves. How could there be an ancient monument here?

"Rise!"

Merlin furrowed his brow, following which he waved his hand. Instantly, the fallen leaves were quickly spun by a whirlwind, drifting to the sides. An empty clearing appeared on the ground.

In the clearing, there was a small dirt mound. Merlin's eyes brightened for after this mound appeared, the feeling in his heart became even stronger.

"The ancient monument must be here, only for some unknown reason it had sunk in, leaving only a small part above the ground. If I hadn't come here before, it wouldn't have been easy to find."

Merlin mumbled to himself. He had already discerned that this small dirt mound was where the ancient monument had been, only for some reason, it had gradually sunk underground and was covered by the fallen leaves.

Back then, there had been a passage in the ancient monument, but now even the passage had been buried. Nonetheless, this did not faze Merlin.

( NovelFull ) "Open up!"

Merlin roared out in a low voice. His figure leaped forward in an instant, becoming a black flash as the energy in his entire body exploded furiously.

"Rumble."

The loud sound reverberated in the jungle. Merlin was currently using the pure strength of his body. He was already very strong. In one strike, the loose soil immediately collapsed inward and revealed a deep-reaching passage which headed downward.

"So, there's a passage!"

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. In the past, he had entered through the passage. Now, he had merely gauged the vicinity of the passage to directly force a way in.

Damp air came from within the deep passage. Although dead leaves and loose dirt covered the passage, there was still moisture which seeped inside.

Merlin entered the passage and felt a cool, gloomy force. He knew that there were patterned spiders and other guardian monsters in the ancient monument but with his current abilities, he should be able to easily deal with even the strongest guardian monsters.

"Squeak squeak."

Indeed, in a short moment, Merlin heard a strange noise up ahead, following which patterned spiders appeared in the passage one after another, blocking Merlin's path.

These patterned spiders had incomparably vibrant colors. Each of them had a large frame. Upon seeing Merlin, a blood-red look flashed in their eyes, and they appeared overjoyed.

In their eyes, Merlin was a delicious feast!

"Hmph!"

Merlin snorted coldly. A raging layer of flames immediately flared up around him. Wherever the Fourth-level spell Incinerating Fire went, the patterned spiders had no way of withstanding it, each being burnt to ashes.

Perhaps to the Merlin of the past, these patterned spiders were formidable, but to the current Merlin, they were barely worth a mention. Wherever he passed by, the patterned spiders were reduced to ashes.

"How weak!"

Soon enough, the patterned spiders were all burned to ashes. Merlin continued forward, and he quickly reached a flame-shaped statue.

This flame-shaped statue was life-like and detailed especially when Merlin arrived near it. It began to twist gradually, and a beam of firelight shot out wildly from the statue.

This firelight rapidly took shape, and it was the flame sprite that he had met back then in the ancient monument!

The flame sprite was surrounded by a furious burning blaze. As it saw Merlin, a stunned expression crossed its face. Following that, the flame sprite carefully sized Merlin up, and asked in a bewildered and uncertain voice, "I remember you. Back then in this ancient monument, you're Wizard Merlin who cultivated Fiery Collapse! You've already become a Fourth-level Spell Caster?"

The flame sprite found it hard to believe. How long was Merlin gone? At most, it had been a mere few years' time, and back then, Merlin was only a First-level Spell Caster.

Merlin shook his head lightly. "I'm still not yet a Fourth-level Spell Caster, only I've managed to construct a Fourth-level Fire-type spell."

"You've constructed a Fourth-level Fire-type spell?"

The flame sprite's eyes brightened as fluctuations emerged around it. Anyone could clearly see that it was ecstatic.

"Which is to say, you've come here now to cultivate the second form of Fiery Collapse?"

"That's right. I'm here to cultivate the second form of Fiery Collapse. The treasures that enable me to do so can only be found here in the ancient monument!"

Merlin did not deny this. Once he had cultivated the second form of Fiery Collapse, it would be a great blessing to the flame sprite as well. This was because once Fiery Collapse had reached the second form, the binding of the entire ancient monument would gradually vanish, ultimately allowing the flame sprite to achieve freedom.

This was the opportunity that the flame sprite had dreamed of!

Perhaps because the flame sprite was overjoyed, it flitted around constantly, and a scorching force could vaguely be felt in the air.

"Yes, yes, yes! The day is finally here. I've waited such a long time, and now I have a chance to escape at last. Wizard Merlin, I'll bring you to the obstacle. Only after clearing that obstacle can you obtain the various treasures within for the cultivation of the second form of Fiery Collapse!"

The flame sprite could wait no longer to bring Merlin to attempt the obstacle.

Merlin nodded. Previously, when he first cultivated Fiery Collapse, he had to go through an obstacle as well. Naturally, this time, in order to cultivate the second form, he also had to complete an obstacle.

Merlin did not know much about this ancient monument. He merely knew that it was left behind by a great Spell Caster named Wizard Dowland. According to Merlin's conjecture, Wizard Dowland should also be a Great Wizard!

Only a Great Wizard would have the ability to leave behind such a massive ancient monument and set up various spells and techniques within which lasted even after a thousand years. Most Spell Casters would have no way of achieving this.

The flame sprite quickly brought Merlin through many passages until they came before a stone room. Inside the stone room, there was a gray monster which resembled a hedgehog currently in a deep slumber.

"Snap."

The hedgehog-like monster seemed to have sensed the arrival of Merlin and the Flame Sprite and gradually woke up.

"Hmm? A puppet?"

Seeing this hedgehog-like monster, Merlin could feel its lifeless force as well as traces of severe energy. Only those puppets would emit such a force.

This hedgehog monster before him was a powerful puppet!

"Buzz."

Without warning, the eyes of the hedgehog puppet flashed with a red glow as if it had come alive. Thereafter, it's cold eyes flicked open and fixed upon Merlin!

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Chapter 402: Pursuit

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The hedgehog was merely a puppet, but in the instant that its eyes flicked open, Merlin could clearly feel a boundless surge of Fire Element fluctuations.

This meant that the powers of this puppet were rather terrifying. After all, during the Spell Casters' most glorious era, even a puppet would be a formidable presence.

There were even puppets which went against the natural order and were evenly matched with Great Wizards! However, those type of puppets had long vanished, and no one was able to obtain such a fearsome puppet anymore.

The full abilities of the hedgehog puppet before his eyes were only equivalent to a Sixth-level Spell Caster.

"Wizard Merlin, be careful. This hedgehog puppet is powerful indeed!"

The flame sprite softly warned Merlin once again, for it had an unparalleled familiarity with the hedgehog puppet. The flame sprite hoped that Merlin would complete this obstacle and obtain the treasures for the cultivation of Fiery Collapse so that it would be set free, but it was unable to command this puppet. Therefore, it was powerless, and could only silently pray for Merlin's success.

"Whoosh."

After it opened its eyes, the hedgehog puppet did not seem to slow down at all, rushing toward Merlin without warning. It was so fast that even Merlin was a little taken aback.

Nevertheless, no matter how fast the hedgehog puppet was, it could not compete with Merlin's Flash Wind.

"Swoosh."

Merlin's figure immediately appeared behind the hedgehog puppet, after which he slammed down with one hand.

"Boom!"

Endless raging flames turned into a sea of fire which covered the hedgehog puppet. These flames contained the power of Fiery Collapse, and its might was extremely frightening.

Furthermore, this was the Fourth-level spell Incinerating Fire. Everything the spell encountered was reduced to ashes. This hedgehog puppet, even if it was transfigured from an extremely extraordinary material, had no way of withstanding the full explosive strength of Merlin's Incinerating Fire which was merged with Fiery Collapse. It became ashes in the blaze.

"It's defeated?"

After the flames had gradually died out, the flame sprite's mouth was agape as if it found it hard to believe. The powerful hedgehog puppet was reduced to ashes with barely a whimper?

However, after having seen Merlin's Incinerating Fire and Fiery Collapse which was combined into the spell, the flame sprite sensed that its own Fire Element seemed to be stirring.

"What a powerful spell! Even the hedgehog puppet could not defend against a single attack!"

Upon seeing that Merlin had defeated the hedgehog puppet, the flame sprite was astounded but it still smiled and said, "Wizard Merlin, you've defeated the hedgehog puppet so you may enter the stone room to cultivate the second form of Fiery Collapse!"

Merlin looked at the room and nodded, following which he came before the stone room.

"Rumble."

After the hedgehog puppet had died, the stone door slowly opened, revealing a cramped room behind. Nonetheless, this small room was filled with precious treasures.

They were all Fire-type treasures. They were different in some aspects from when Merlin had cultivated the first form of Fiery Collapse back then, but mostly they just had a stronger effect.

Cultivating Fiery Collapse using these treasures would allow one to achieve the second form of Fiery Collapse quickly!

After looking through some of these treasures, Merlin bobbed his head. "Yes, I'll be able to cultivate the second form of Fiery Collapse now, but I might need some time."

Merlin looked at the flame sprite as he spoke calmly.

The flame sprite nodded. It knew very well about Fiery Collapse. Cultivation would take a long time. Even putting aside the rest of the process, the assimilation of the treasures alone would take no small amount of time.

Therefore, Merlin shut the stone doors, and patiently cultivated the second form of Fiery Collapse by himself in the stone room. The flame sprite waited outside, and would immediately know if anything happened.

In particular, the flame sprite's eyes revealed its extraordinary longing. It had been trapped in the ancient monument for far too long. Now that it finally had a rare chance to escape, naturally, it would be filled with desire.

One day, two days, three days…

In the blink of an eye, five days had gone by. However, in the stone room, Merlin seemed not to have moved at all. It was extremely quiet in the room, and there was not a single sound.

"What happened? Has the cultivation failed?"

The flame sprite was getting rather anxious. It had been five days but there was not the slightest movement in the stone room.

The flame sprite longed to enter the stone room and take a look, but Wizard Dowland had arranged everything in its place from the start, and the flame sprite had no way of entering the stone room.

Just as the flame sprite was becoming fretful and restless, the entire stone room began to tremble violently. At the same time, wisps of pale white flames emerged, burning from the cracks of the stone room.

"Pale white flames – this is the second form of Fiery Collapse!"

The flame sprite was overjoyed. It was familiar with Fiery Collapse. The first form was white flames whereas the second form consisted of pale white flames.

As for the third form of Fiery Collapse, it would be translucent. Therefore, seeing that pale white flames had appeared within the stone room, one could roughly determine that Merlin had succeeded in his cultivation.

"Rumble."

Indeed, Merlin's figure appeared before the flame sprite after the stone doors were opened. Although Merlin's complexion seemed to be somewhat drained, his eyes burned fervently, and he looked ecstatic.

"Is it a success?"

As soon as the flame sprite saw Merlin, it could not wait to ask.

"It's a success!"

A smile tugged at the corner of Merlin's mouth. Following that, he lightly stretched out a hand. His fingers were entwined with pale white flame – it was the second form of Fiery Collapse.

"You've succeeded indeed. Now we can head to the flame-shaped statue. Using the second form of your Fiery Collapse, activate the passage to leave the ancient monument!"

The flame sprite's voice revealed its irrepressible excitement.

Merlin narrowed his eyes slightly yet he did not follow the flame sprite's orders. Instead, he asked the flame sprite, "I wonder how would I cultivate the third form of Fiery Collapse?"

"The third form? Wizard Dowland did not speak of this back then but he had only mentioned that one could use the second form of Fiery Collapse to access a secret place within the flame-shaped statue. The third form of Fiery Collapse is hidden there."

Upon hearing what the flame sprite had said, Merlin pondered the matter for a long moment. He had not received any clues regarding the third form of Fiery Collapse, and merely knew that he would still have to cultivate the third form in the ancient monument. In other words, the ancient monument might still contain treasures for the cultivation of the third form of Fiery Collapse.

"Let's go to the flame-shaped statue and we'll find out."

The flame sprite could wait no longer and urged Merlin repeatedly.

After a long moment of consideration, Merlin did not have a better plan. His understanding of the ancient monument could never surpass the flame sprite's. Thus, he followed behind the flame sprite as they hurriedly walked toward the flame-shaped statue.

Before the flame-shaped statue, Merlin stood quietly. The flame sprite hovered beside him.

"Channel the full flames of the second form of Fiery Collapse into the flame-shaped statue to open the passage and to obtain the third form of Fiery Collapse. If you don't believe me, here's a Runic Magic Circle which was left behind by Wizard Dowland back then."

The flame sprite's words caused Merlin to look at the flame-shaped statue. There were a few mysterious runes, which true enough, mentioned that the third form of Fiery Collapse was linked to the flame-shaped statue.

Although he still harbored some suspicions, Merlin did not overthink it and began to extend his fair palm. Immediately, pale white flames surged out rapidly from his palm.

The flames burned furiously, containing terrifying might in every wisp. If it was combined with Incinerating Fire, its power would become even more fearsome and would be comparable to the peak of the Seventh-level.

However, even such petrifying flames could not induce any changes in the flame-shaped statue as they burned steadily. This showed that the statue was made of a substantial material.

After a moment, a change finally occurred to the flame-shaped statue. Mysterious runes began to emerge quickly, corresponding with the runes on the flame sprite's body.

"Crack."

Finally, the runes on the flame sprite's body disappeared. It began to bellow with laughter, and its voice was even shaky. Anyone could see that the flame sprite was excited.

"Haha, I've finally escaped. I can leave this d*mn place!"

The blaze on the flame sprite's body flared up countless times over in an instant and it became a Flame Being which was the same size as Merlin. Its body was suspended in mid-air, which was a strange sight.

Merlin had always felt that something was wrong about the flame sprite, but he did not know what it was. In the moment the flame-shaped statue shattered, a beam of light shot toward Merlin.

This was a narrow beam of firelight which combined with Merlin's flames. In that instant, a message materialized in Merlin's mind.

It was this message that caused Merlin's face to change greatly as he turned his gaze toward the flame sprite.

"You need the flame sprite to cultivate the third form of Fiery Collapse!"

This was the message left in Merlin's mind. That trace of flame was obviously left behind by Wizard Dowland, only for some unknown reason, it was contained in the flame-shaped statue.

In fact, Merlin had already faintly guessed that this was all orchestrated by the flame sprite. It only wanted to leave the ancient monument so it had been deceiving Merlin from the start.

It was true that the cultivation method of the third form of Fiery Collapse was hidden in the flame-shaped statue. However, the flame sprite knew what it was long ago. Namely, the flame sprite itself was the price that needed to be paid for the cultivation.

In order to escape its bonds, the flame sprite slipped the message regarding the third form of Fiery Collapse left behind by Wizard Dowland into the flame-shaped statue. The flame-shaped statue was also the place where the flame sprite was trapped. Once it was shattered, the flame sprite would be set free.

This time, Merlin had been duped. In the instant that he broke open the flame-shaped statue, the flame sprite had already opened the passage and rushed outside at its greatest speed.

By the time Merlin learned of the message left behind by Wizard Dowland, it was too late. The flame sprite had already escaped from the ancient monument.

"Trying to escape? I'm afraid it's not that easy!"

Merlin was in a rage. He did not expect that the flame sprite would make a fool of him. In order to cultivate the third form of Fiery Collapse, what he needed was the flame sprite.

It was clear that the flame sprite had been captured by Wizard Dowland on purpose and left behind for future Spell Casters to cultivate the third form of Fiery Collapse.

It was just that the flame sprite had somehow learned of Wizard Dowland's plan and made meticulous preparations. Ultimately, Merlin had fallen for its trick, unwittingly releasing the flame sprite.

"Swish."

Merlin's figure quickly flew through the passage as he gave chase. In terms of speed, he would not lose to anyone. As long as he could still sense the flame sprite's presence, he did not need to worry about losing track of it.

However, the flame sprite was also unbelievably fast. As soon as Merlin had rushed out of the ancient monument, he saw that the flame sprite had flown into the air, fleeing into the distance at top speed.

"Rainbow Wind!"

Merlin narrowed his eyes as his body gradually floated into the air as well, following which he transformed into a rainbow beam, chasing after the flame sprite into the distance.

One was in front, one was behind. The two figures had incredible speed. Merlin was able to lock onto the flame sprite's force. No matter where it fled, it could not escape Merlin's pursuit.

"Go on and run. I'll see how far you can run!"

Merlin was furious. The flame sprite was key to cultivating the third form of Fiery Collapse. Once it was gone, it would be impossible for Merlin to cultivate it.

Having been fooled by the flame sprite, Merlin was incomparably sullen. He did not say a word, only chasing after the flame sprite silently.

"This isn't good. If we keep on flying like this, I'll be caught in the end!"

The flame sprite glanced behind toward Merlin, full of agitation. It had initially thought that after a hard-won escape from the binds of the ancient monument, it could live its life in leisure, resuming its free life once again.

It had now successfully escaped from the binds of the ancient monument and had even left the ancient monument. Nevertheless, it could not obtain true freedom and liberty. Merlin's presence bitterly chasing from behind was enough to make the flame sprite experience a tremendous amount of pressure.

However, the flame sprite could do nothing else but escape, regardless of everything. As for battling against Merlin and chasing him away, the flame sprite had not considered it at all.

Although the flame sprite had great capabilities indeed, it was still lacking much in comparison to Merlin, especially since Merlin had merged Fiery Collapse with Incinerating Fire. Among Fire-type spells, there were very few who had a more powerful spell than Merlin's Fire-type spell.

The flame sprite did not even know that there was also a Flame Maxim in Merlin's Awareness. Overall, Fire-type spells were unlikely to harm Merlin.

The flame sprite no longer seemed to care in which direction it was going. It aimlessly picked a direction and escaped wildly while Merlin followed behind stubbornly. Without realizing it, the flame sprite and Merlin had lost track of where they were flying to.

Suddenly, a team of Spell Casters dressed in strange clothing appeared in the sky before them. Upon seeing the flame sprite, the Spell Casters were slightly shocked.

However, thereafter, one of them seemed to recognize that it was a flame sprite, something precious that one could only encounter by luck and not effort. Therefore, this strange group of Spell Casters instantly got into a peculiar formation, spreading out toward the flame sprite.

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Chapter 403: Subzero Snowfield

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The flame sprite's abilities were not very strong. In terms of pure strength, it was merely equivalent to a Fifth-level Spell Caster. Moreover, if a real battle began, it was not even at the standard of a Fifth-level Spell Caster.

The flame sprite was able to escape for such a long time only because of its unrivaled speed. Even after Merlin cast Flash Wind in addition to the Fourth-level Spell Rainbow Wind, he was barely able to keep up with the flame sprite.

However, this group of strangely-dressed Spell Casters had now formed into what looked like a formation of a Runic Magic Circle shaped like a pocket, trapping the flame sprite within.

The flame sprite began to panic and lost its wits, its body raging with flames once more. It was a sprite which had originally been born from flames, so naturally, it had perfected its control over fire.

"Boom!"

Endless flames began to rapidly cover the entire sky with shocking power. However, regardless of whether it was Merlin or that strange group of Spell Casters, they were not afraid in the slightest.

This was because Merlin had Fiery Collapse or his Defensive spells, and was not fearful of the flame sprite's flame attacks at all. As for the strange group of Spell Casters, they had formed a gigantic formation that seemed to somehow combine their powers. Upon seeing the sweeping flames, they immediately cast an Ice-type spell.

Instantly, swathes of ice crystals began to form in mid-air. Even the flame sprite's blaze was unable to escape and was frozen in place.

Merlin squinted slightly. These Spell Casters were completely different from the Spell Casters he had met before. They were merely Fourth-level Spell Casters but when grouped together, they were able to explode with the strength of a Sixth-level Spell Caster.

Even the flame sprite was forcefully halted by them as it was suppressed in a flash!

"Haha, so it's a flame sprite. This is a treasure indeed. To think that we've encountered such a treasure during this trip. We should get a great reward if we bring it back, right?"

"That's to be expected. A treasure like the flame sprite can only be found through sheer luck. It is our great fortune to be able to encounter it. However, there's still someone there. What do we do?"

These Fourth-level Spell Casters only seemed to notice Merlin now. Following that, the leading Spell Caster waved one hand. "Kill him. It's his bad luck that he has met us!"

However, before they could move, Merlin had struck. He had noticed the ruthless look on their faces and knew that they must have killed a certain number of Spell Casters. Their vicious nature was revealed in each of their eyes.

Spell Casters like these were significantly different from the Spell Casters Merlin usually met. It was as if he had arrived at an entirely new world.

"Darkness Illusory Death!"

Merlin did not hold back, and a blood-red light flashed over his body. The number of people he had killed was not few either. Seeing that they were about to attack, he did not need to spare their lives.

Therefore, a stretch of darkness descended. Almost every Spell Caster was instantly caught in an illusion. However, since this was Darkness Illusory Death, it also had an enigmatic power instead of merely causing illusions.

"Chi-chi-chi."

In the boundless darkness, Darkness Element which was initially acting normally now seemed to transform into the sharpest weapons, slashing unceasingly at every Spell Caster.

These Spell Casters were caught in the illusion and were faced with the slashing and strangling of Darkness Element. They could not put up the slightest bit of resistance. This was clearly a massacre and not a fair fight. Once Merlin displayed Darkness Illusory Death in addition to being combined with Darkness Heart, it was rare for a Spell Caster to be able to resist the attack.

Therefore, even if there were more of these Spell Casters, it was of no use as they were facing a Darkness Wizard.

One after another, the Spell Casters dropped. There were even many who were still sunken in the illusion, having no clue of what was happening as they were slashed and strangled to death by Darkness Element.

Merlin looked at his palm. He could feel a cold, dark force coming from the dead Spell Casters and worming into Darkness Eye in his palm.

"Negative energy!"

Merlin mumbled in a low voice. Darkness Eye was able to absorb negative energy, increasing its own strength continuously. Merlin had long been warned by Wizard Leo to be careful of the negative energy of Darkness Eye for there were also dangers along with its benefits.

Its advantage was that Darkness Eye relied upon absorbing negative emotions to gradually grow stronger. There was the fourth form, the fifth form, and so on, which could be cultivated in the future. However, the risk was that the stronger Darkness Eye became, the harder it was to control, likely to ultimately lead to a backlash.

The area shrouded by Darkness Element had now turned into a killing field. The corpses of the Spell Casters fell to the ground, and the air was suffused with the acrid stench of blood.

Merlin did not kill all of them, leaving behind two Spell Caster for inquiries.

"Swish."

Just then, the flame sprite grabbed the opportunity to escape. However, this time, Merlin would not let it escape so easily.

"Runic Heartprint, seal!"

Merlin's eyes flashed coldly and the imprint of Runic Heartprint flickered constantly on his forehead. Following that, mysterious runes flew out abruptly, forming a Runic Magic Circle in mid-air.

This Runic Magic Circle fell from the sky, completely binding the flame sprite.

Although this was not a very powerful bind, without the power of a Seventh-level Spell Caster, one could forget about escaping the suppression of this Runic Magic Circle. It was more than enough to deal with the flame sprite!

Having captured the flame sprite, Merlin could breathe easily now. He dispelled Darkness Illusory Death, and the two Spell Casters he had intentionally spared recovered their senses.

As they saw before their eyes — Merlin and the mass of dead bodies on the ground — an alarmed look flashed across their eyes, and they said shakily, "O' Wizard, we're Spell Casters of Subzero Snowfield. We've offended you this time. Punish us as you will!"

"Subzero Snowfield?"

Merlin furrowed his brow. In the southern Spell Caster world, if he had killed so many Spell Casters and Fourth-level ones at that, he would have thought that they came from a powerful spell casters' organization. However, it turned out it was a spell casters' organization which he had not even heard of.

"Where's Subzero Snowfield? What are you doing here?"

Merlin continued his inquiries.

The two Spell Casters raised their heads to look at Merlin. Although they thought it was a strange question, they did not dare to disobey, and answered quietly, "Subzero Snowfield is a massive country in Thule, a country consisting purely of Spell Casters…"

Before they had finished, Merlin's mind flashed with understanding. He instantly recalled the extremely mysterious place to the north of the Kingdom of Blackmoon called the Ice Nation!

Within the Ice Nation, most Spell Casters constructed Ice-type spells. They researched Ice-type spells intensively throughout their lives. Pandora Demon Abilities and other knowledge regarding Ice-type spells were developed by them to the peak. Furthermore, they were very different from Spell Casters within the Kingdom of Blackmoon.

"You mean the Ice Nation?"

Merlin spoke slowly as he fixed his gaze upon the two Spell Casters.

The two Spell Casters nodded hurriedly. It looked like this was the Ice Nation of the legends. Due to its unusual geographical location, most people besides Spell Casters would have no way of surviving in it.

In addition, the Ice Nation was a land of bitter cold, and the various resources needed by Spell Casters were scarce indeed. Therefore, many Spell Casters were unwilling to go to the Ice Nation. Over time, the Ice Nation seemed to become cut off from the rest of the world, existing only in the ancient records of a few spell casters' organizations.

"I didn't think that I've reached the Ice Nation. Tell me about the situation here."

Merlin did not have much understanding regarding this fabled country. Still, the distance between the Kingdom of Blackmoon and the Ice Nation was far too great. He did not expect that having chased the flame sprite the entire way, he had arrived in the Ice Nation.

Nevertheless, this indirectly demonstrated that the flame sprite and Merlin could move at an incredible speed. In reality, by using Rainbow Wind to its full potential combined with Flash Wind, Merlin's speed was astounding. It was a wild chase that took such a long time. Reaching the Ice Nation was not too far-fetched.

Upon hearing Merlin's question about "the Ice Nation", the two Spell Casters cautiously asked, "Sir Wizard, is it your first time coming to Subzero Snowfield? In this part of the world, almost no one talks about the Ice Nation as we now call it Subzero Snowfield."

"What do you want to know about Subzero Snowfield?"

Merlin thought for a moment, then asked softly, "What powerful spell casters' organizations are there in Subzero Snowfield?"

"Spell casters' organizations?" The two Spell Casters laughed bitterly. "There are no such spell casters' organizations in Subzero Snowfield. In general, it's every Wizard for themselves. You might think that there are so many of us, when in fact we only banded together recently."

Gradually, as the two Spell Casters gave a detailed explanation, Merlin began to have a rough idea of what Subzero Snowfield was like.

Subzero Snowfield was a peculiar place. Here, there was nothing that could be called a treasure, and the various resources needed by Spell Casters were almost depleted. Therefore, ever since the Spell Casters' most glorious era, almost no one was willing to come here.

For the following thousands of years, a few Spell Caster began to gather here for various reasons, gradually forming Subzero Snowfield.

Although Subzero Snowfield was established and Spell Casters gathered here, there was not a single spell casters' organization. An organization like this would need a heritage and inheritances. Furthermore, as a mighty force, it would need to be supported by a colossal amount of resources.

Subzero Snowfield did not fulfill any one of those prerequisites, so there were no spell casters' organizations in Subzero Snowfield. Everyone here was a lone wolf, and would sometimes struggle ferociously over a small number of cultivation resources.

This was the reason for the intense hostility that surrounded everyone as Merlin had perceived when he saw them.

Seeing that Merlin was deep in thought, the two Spell Casters were on tenterhooks. In Subzero Snowfield, a fight could break out at any time, and even a single word of disagreement could lead to a fatal brawl. They were not like those Spell Casters with profound knowledge. Conversely, they were more like the brutal Elemental Swordsmen.

Therefore, they were paying close attention to Merlin's attitude, hoping that he would be satisfied with their answers and thus spare their lives.

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Chapter 404: The Thousand Miles Snow Cave

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Countless thoughts flashed across Merlin's mind. He was still carefully digesting the information he had just learned.

After a long moment, Merlin cast a glance at the two Spell Casters and slowly said, "The Spell Casters of Subzero Snowfield are all lone wolves and can further combine their attacks to trap the flame sprite. What did you do it for?"

Merlin was interested in their technique of a combined attack.

The faces of the two Spell Casters shifted slightly, but they still clenched their jaws and replied, "We exchanged for our combined spell attack from other Spell Casters after paying a certain price. In fact, it's an Assembled casting tool. Each one of us holds a component, and we cast our spells through this casting tool. Thus, our power is magnified!

"As for why we did it? It was all because the second volume of the Neverending Book has been discovered. Rumor has it that it was obtained by a Fourth-level Spell Caster Nelson through chance, and he's now in hiding within an approximate range of a thousand miles in this location. Many Spell Casters are already looking for him."

Merlin's outward expression did not change at all but he was actually surprised. Assembled casting tools were extremely rare. Nevertheless, this was not to say that they did not exist.

It was just that an Assembled casting tool as powerful as the Bell Space was far too rare. Furthermore, most Assembled casting tools functioned just as how these Spell Casters had used them. Through Assembled casting tools, many Spell Casters were able to unite their strength, fighting above their own level!

Still, what Merlin was most interested in was not the casting tool of course, but the second volume of the Neverending Book that the two Spell Casters had mentioned.

Within Merlin's ring was the first volume of the Neverending Book. Merlin still remembered that there was some information regarding the second and third volume of the Neverending Book in the first volume. ( NovelFull )

According to the information in the first volume of the Neverending Book, the second volume should be on the shores of the Death Sea. However, Subzero Snowfield was a vast distance away from the Death Sea. How could the second volume appear here?

"It looks like the actual hiding place of the second volume of the Neverending Book is not in the Death Sea! The location given was likely a wrong one to deliberately mislead future generations."

Merlin gradually discerned that not all Spell Casters were so "generous" to pass down an inheritance to other Spell Casters willingly.

Some remarkable Wizards even had a twisted sense of humor, intentionally marking out some spells or Pandora Demon Ability or something else to be in a secret place to mislead future Spell Casters.

It was very likely that the first volume of the Neverending Book which Merlin had obtained was just like this. He was misled by the true creator of the Neverending Book, and details such as the location marked within the book were all false information.

"By collecting all three volumes of the Neverending Book, there's a high chance of obtaining a Flame Maxim. This should be a true fact for that remarkable Wizard must have left behind a Maxim. However, its precise location is falsely given!"

Merlin was determined to obtain the second volume of the Neverending Book! As long as he could gather the three volumes, he would be able to find some clue regarding the Maxim.

From Merlin's perspective, the thing which he now lacked the most was a Maxim. Perhaps others would not have much use for a Maxim even after obtaining it, only passively "enjoying" some benefits of the Maxim. However, for Merlin, he was able to derive new spells.

"Tell me, where's Nelson?"

Merlin glared at the two Spell Casters icily. He did not believe that these two Spell Casters would know nothing about Nelson for that would go against common sense. So many Spell Casters joining forces for the time being, merely for the sake of carrying out a search?

Therefore, the largest possibility was that these Spell Casters had received some information about Nelson, which was why they dared to assemble so many Spell Casters and headed out to look for him.

Looking at Merlin's cold stare, the two Spell Casters knew that they had no way of hiding the truth. Initially, they had decided that if Merlin released them, they might still try their luck and give it a shot. Perhaps they might really come upon Nelson within a certain region.

It was only a shame that they could not deceive Merlin at all.

"Sir Wizard, if only you let us go, we'll tell you everything we know about Nelson!"

One of the Spell Casters gnashed his teeth and spoke in a low voice.

"Slash."

As soon as that Spell Caster spoke, Merlin raised one hand. A stream of Darkness Element turned into a sword and pierced straight into the throat of that Spell Caster. Blood flowed over the ground, emitting a pungent, grisly stench.

Seeing the violent death of his companion and Merlin's decisiveness, the remaining Spell Caster no longer dared to bring up any conditions, and hurriedly said, "Nelson is hiding in the Thousand Miles Snow Cave. Many Spell Casters had rushed there. As we were slightly late in receiving the information, we're only going there now to try our luck."

"The Thousand Miles Snow Cave?"

Merlin nodded thoughtfully, following which the Runic Heartprint on his forehead rapidly set out a Binding Runic Magic Circle which immediately restricted the remaining Spell Caster.

"I'm not familiar with Subzero Snowfield, so you would have to lead the way to the Thousand Miles Snow Cave!"

Even though Merlin's tone was very level, the Spell Caster did not dare disobey, much less voice out any sort of opinion. He could only pray that Merlin would let him go upon reaching the Thousand Miles Snow Cave.

Following that, Merlin directed his gaze at the flame sprite which was suppressed by the Runic Magic Circle. This was the flame sprite mentioned in the message left behind by Wizard Dowland, an essential part of cultivating the third form of Fiery Collapse.

"Flame sprite, why did you escape?"

The flame sprite laughed gleefully. "If I don't escape, then should I have waited for you to use me in the future for the cultivation of the third form of Fiery Collapse?"

It looked like the flame sprite had known Wizard Downland's arrangement, which was why it schemed to escape. If it was not for Merlin, it would have already successfully escaped the ancient monument.

Nonetheless, Merlin did not plan to refine the flame sprite immediately. He would have to wait until he became a Seventh-level Spell Caster to do so. Only after he was able to fulfill the conditions of cultivating the third form of Fiery Collapse would he refine the flame sprite.

"Confine!"

Merlin cried out hoarsely. Instantly, the Runic Magic Circle rapidly shrank, transforming into a mysterious cloak which was glowing with light and runes as it fitted snugly around the flame sprite.

Under the suppression of the Runic Magic Circle, the flame sprite was stored away by Merlin.

"Whoosh…"

Merlin immediately grabbed the last remaining Spell Caster. His body flickered with vigorous Wind Elemental fluctuations, and the air whistled as he flew forward.

…

The spotless snow blanketed the entire canyon, but at the top of the canyon, there were many Spell Casters who had gathered. These Spell Casters were all looking at the towering peak opposite the canyon.

On the peak, there were uncountable large and small cave entrances. In particular, the passages within the caves snaked into different directions, making it hard to find any one person.

"That fellow Nelson had entered the Thousand Miles Snow Cave for what — five days by now? Yet there's not been a single sign of him."

"The Thousand Miles Snow Cave lives up to its name indeed. The crisscrossed cave entrances in addition to the wandering passages — once one enters the Thousand Miles Snow Cave, it's equivalent to gaining countless opportunities. It was not surprising that Nelson would flee into the Thousand Miles Snow Cave."

"It's just that we don't know who would be able to smoke Nelson out… Also, as more time passes, there are more and more powerful Spell Casters here."

Before the Thousand Miles Snow Cave, there were many Spell Casters who remained motionless as their gazes shone with a strange fervor, fixing onto the caves opposite them.

"Thud!"

Suddenly, a figure descended from the sky and landed heavily onto the ground, almost causing the entire surface to quake. The other Spell Casters were dumbstruck.

"How alarming. Who is this?"

Countless gazes instantly gathered on the figure who had landed from the sky. The figure gradually became clear. It was a bald, middle-aged Spell Caster with no eyebrows. There was also a vicious scar where his left brow would be, and he looked very fiendish.

The bald Spell Caster eyed the Thousand Miles Snow Cave, following which he smiled and nodded. "Good, it looks like I'm not too late. Let me try and see if I can force Nelson to come out?"

With that, the bald Spell Caster drew in a sudden, deep breath, following which he opened his mouth and unleashed a roar.

"Nelson, show yourself!"

"Rumble."

No one had predicted that the bald man's voice would be so loud. The opposite Thousand Miles Snow Cave, which was also a mountain, was initially piled high with a thick cover of snow.

However, after the bald Spell Caster had unleashed his yell, the snow on the peak gradually began to collapse, following which it tumbled with a rumble down the peak.

This was an avalanche, the mention of which would turn anyone pale!

"Wretched fellow, who is this bald Spell Caster? He actually caused an avalanche?"

"Does he have a death wish? Once the thick layer of snow burst out into a massive avalanche, even a Seventh-level Spell Caster who had not made thorough preparations would be buried in the avalanche."

Therefore, all the Spell Casters gnashed their teeth in resentment toward the bald Wizard. Nevertheless, his ferocious appearance in addition to the indistinct force of a Seventh-level Spell Caster that he emitted, was one of the reasons why the surrounding Spell Casters did not dare to act recklessly.

The bald Wizard seemed oblivious that he had aroused the anger of the crowd and continued doing as he liked. He opened his mouth and intense Wind Elemental fluctuations appeared around his body. He wanted to try screaming his throat out again.

"If you dare to make a single peep, you'll die!"

Suddenly, a black-robed Spell Caster walked out from the crowd, a wide hood hiding his face, making him appear enigmatic. The previous warning was delivered by this black-robed Wizard who could not bear the unbridled "roaring" of the bald Spell Caster any longer. Otherwise, if a giant avalanche was induced, everyone could forget about entering the Thousand Miles Snow Cave.

"Heh heh, many have said this to me but I'm still here well and alive!"

The bald Wizard merely cast a glance at the black-robed Spell Caster, and paid him no mind, and roared again. Moreover, this time, his voice was even louder than before. Perhaps he might really force Nelson to come out but an avalanche might have already buried them all even before Nelson could show his face.

"It's your death!"

The black-robed Wizard's voice simmered with rage, after which his figure flashed and appeared before the bald Wizard in an instant. He opened his palm and slammed it forward in one vicious stroke.

One could even catch a glimpse of a strange, blood-red eye, blinking unceasingly in his palm…

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Chapter 405: Dark Fire Incarnate I

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The bald Wizard was a Seventh-level Spell Caster who was deemed untouchable in Subzero Snowfield.

When he sensed the intimidating aura coming from this black-robed Wizard and saw the blood-red vertical eye in the center of his palm, the bald Wizard suddenly felt a dreadful chill in his bones, like plunging into ice-cold water.

This sense of imminent death had not been felt by the bald Wizard for a very long time. Ever since he became a Seventh-level Spell Caster, he slaughtered all Spell Casters who had previously offended him, and his brutal reputation was feared by many.

When he heard that someone had gotten hold of the second volume of the Neverending Book, the bald Wizard immediately rushed over. He had little to no interest in the Fourth- to Sixth-level spells inside the second volume of the Neverending Book as his true intention was to find some information about the third volume.

What the bald Wizard was ultimately seeking was the legendary third volume of the Neverending Book, which supposedly contained many Pandora Demon Abilities. It was because if a Seventh-level Spell Caster did not have any Pandora Demon Ability, his powers would be vastly inferior to others.

Unfortunately for the bald Wizard, he had not even managed to obtain the Neverending Book, not to mention the second volume from Nelson, before he found himself in peril.

"Darkness Eye, disintegrate!"

The black-robed Spell Caster uttered with a cold voice. Following that, a crimson light wrapped around the bald Wizard, and he felt as if his body was being squeezed strongly all around.

"Splat."

The bald Wizard, a Seventh-level Spell Caster, did not even get the chance to cast his spell when his entire body exploded violently into a bloody mess. Fresh blood spurted into the air and fell to the ground like raindrops.

He was dead. Just like that, with just a single blow, the bald Wizard was dead. His death was a stark contrast to his previously untouchable reputation.

"Sure enough, don't be arrogant. The more arrogant you are, the faster you die!"

A few Seventh-level Spell Casters hid among the crowd. They, too, had initially planned to enter the Thousand Miles Snow Cave and force Nelson to hand over the second volume of the Neverending Book.

However, these Spell Casters were much more discreet. They did not stride in like a king but instead blended into the crowd. As a result, the arrogant bald Wizard was killed by the black-robed figure.

"Tsss."

Everyone who was present took in a sharp intake of cold air. Some also recognized the power wielded by the mysterious black-robed figure. It was the legendary special Pandora Demon Ability Darkness Eye.

"It's Darkness Eye. Even the legendary accursed power has appeared!"

"Darkness Eye is truly powerful. To be able to kill a Seventh-level Spell Caster so easily without any resistance, its power is terrifying!"

"It's best not to provoke this Wizard… Since when did such a mysterious and powerful Wizard appear in Subzero Snowfield?

Many of the Spell Casters were discussing fervently among themselves, yet no one had any intention to challenge the black-robed figures' Darkness Eye. The power level displayed by the black-robed figure was fitting for Darkness Eye!

"True enough, Darkness Eye has stopped its backlash… Or perhaps, after I've constructed the Fourth-level Darkness spell, Darkness Heart had finally managed to properly achieve the second stage, so the negative energy emitted by Darkness Eye are absorbed by Darkness Heart and converted into Darkness-type Magic Power!"

The black-robed figure mumbled to himself. He was none other than Merlin, who came from afar!

Merlin's Darkness Heart went through another transformation after combining with the Fourth-level Darkness Spell Darkness Illusory Death. The resulting power from the combination was particularly terrifying.

Moreover, the existence of Darkness Heart made it difficult for the negative energy emitted by Darkness Eye to affect Merlin. Therefore, Merlin no longer suffered from its backlash while wielding the third form of Darkness Eye, nor did he need the Flame Maxim to help suppress Darkness Eye.

This is unless Merlin opened the seal placed by Wizard Leo on the fourth form of Darkness Eye, then there could be an overwhelming backlash which required the suppression of the Flame Maxim.

Otherwise, in general, Darkness Heart was able to absorb some of the negative energy and convert it into Magic Power. Thus, in that sense, Merlin was more suited to cultivate Darkness Eye compared to Wizard Leo.

After killing the bald Wizard, Merlin swept his gaze over the crowd. Naturally, he was aware that there were some Seventh-level Spell Casters hiding among the crowd, but it appeared that none of them dared to show themselves. Merlin's "viciousness" earlier had made them extra cautious toward him.

After all, Subzero Snowfield was not like the southern Spell Caster world. Here, it was the survival of the fittest, so it was normal for a powerful Spell Caster to kill a weaker Spell Caster. Unless there was a major conflict of interest, no one was willing to provoke a powerful Wizard like Merlin.

"The Thousand Miles Snow Cave, is it?"

Merlin narrowed his eyes. He could sense the deep horror within the Thousand Miles Snow Cave. Inside, there were a countless number of intersections and endless passages. It would be very difficult to find someone hiding inside the cave.

"Whoosh."

Merlin rose into the air and entered the Thousand Miles Snow Cave.

"Finally, he's gone!"

"We can also go in now but make sure we don't run into a confrontation with such a person."

Once they saw that Merlin had entered the Thousand Miles Snow Cave, the more powerful Spell Casters began to emerge from the crowd. In order to obtain the second volume of the Neverending Book as well as trace the location of the third volume, they would attempt the mission despite the danger it posed.

In the blink of an eye, numerous Spell Casters had entered the Thousand Miles Snow Cave, each manipulating their respective abilities to search for the elusive Nelson, who was holding the second volume of the Neverending Book.

…

Inside the Thousand Miles Snow Cave, Merlin was fully engaging his Mind Power. Although Mind Power of the peak of the Fifth-level was not considered particularly powerful, within this crooked, crisscrossed cave, even a stronger Mind Power would not be of any additional help.

Merlin was merely engaging his Mind Power to observe his surroundings. Inside the cave, it seemed that the deeper he ventured, the colder it became. In fact, the speed at which Merlin's Ice-type Spell Model was accumulating Magic Power began to accelerate rapidly.

"I wonder where Nelson hid? Additionally, the Spell Casters who came into the Thousand Miles Snow Cave much earlier may have found some of Nelson's tracks. If I can find their tracks, then I can find Nelson!"

Merlin knew that searching for someone in such a complex environment was an uphill task, hence following others was as good as any plan.

Thus, Merlin began to carefully examine some of the footprints left behind in the cave. Following the muddled footprints, he gradually ventured deeper into the Thousand Miles Snow Cave.

"Rumble."

Suddenly, the entire cave seemed to shake, and a burning smell filled the cave passages, accompanied by scorching heat.

"Fire-type spells?"

There was a trace of uneasiness on Merlin's face because he knew that in Subzero Snowfield, Ice-type spells were more commonly found. Due to environmental factors, it was extremely rare for Spell Casters to construct Fire-type spells. Even if there was, they usually originated from outside of Subzero Snowfield.

However, the Fire Elements fluctuations were beyond the level of an average Spell Caster, and could only be cast by a Seventh-level Spell Caster.

"Maybe someone has found Nelson!"

Merlin did not hesitate and began to head in the direction of the Fire-type spell explosion. The Wind Element flashed around his body and he transformed into a colorful ray of light, flying forward inside the pitch-black cave.

At the same time, a countless number of Spell Casters, too, like Merlin, flew toward the direction of the Fire Elements fluctuations.

…

Inside the Thousand Miles Snow Cave, three Spell Casters stood in a triangle, each of them watching the others warily. The situation tensed.

Behind them, a Spell Caster with tattered clothing was leaning against the cave wall, his body unmistakably weakened. He was panting heavily so it was apparent that he had suffered a massive injury and could not move.

Despite the supposedly massive injury suffered by this weakened Spell Caster, his eyes were constantly darting around, revealing a sly intention. However, the triangular formation of the three Spell Casters had blocked off all the exits.

All three Spell Casters looked unyielding, and powerful auras emanated from their bodies. They were all Spell Casters above the Seventh-level, and one of them dressed in a long red robe had a layer of flames burning all over his body.

"Damn you, Wizard Bass, are you really going to compete against the two of us? You know very well that you won't be able to leave with the Neverending Book!"

These two Spell Casters had subtly teamed up, their greedy gazes fixated on the quaint book in Wizard Bass' hand. It was the second volume of the Neverending Book, with sacred white rays glowing all around it.

The second volume of the Neverending Book had fallen into the hands of this red-robed Wizard Bass. He was not a Spell Caster from Subzero Snowfield but had traveled here from afar a few years ago.

"Hehe. My spell earlier had shaken the entire Thousand Miles Snow Cave. Anyone who's not an idiot would be able to guess that we ran into some trouble, and once they arrive, none of us would get the Neverending Book. Therefore, I think we should leave immediately. Once outside the Thousand Miles Snow Cave, we can fight it out!"

Wizard Bass said with a sneer. He already made up his mind that upon reaching the cave exit, he would flee from Thousand Miles Snow Cave at all cost. Once he escaped from Subzero Snowfield, no one would be able to stop him.

Otherwise, in the face of the combined effort between two Seventh-level Spell Casters, he would be exhausted to death inside the Thousand Miles Snow Cave, never to make it out.

Wizard Bass was betting on the chance that these two Seventh-level Spell Casters had absolute confidence of blocking him at the exit. Otherwise, they might rather wait until more Spell Casters arrived and snatch the second volume of the Neverending Book amidst the chaos.

However, waiting for the chaos was a risky option as they did not know how powerful the other Spell Casters inside Thousand Miles Snow Cave were. If an Eighth- or Ninth-level Spell Caster appeared, then they definitely would not stand a chance.

"Let him go!"

The two Spell Caster dared not delay any longer. By allowing Bass to escape, they still had a big chance to obtain the second volume of the Neverending Book.

Whereas if they waited for the other Spell Casters to join in the scuffle, it would be chaos, and no one could be confident of obtaining the Neverending Book.

"Hehe."

Wizard Bass' plan was successful. His figure flashed and flew directly toward the cave exit.

"Fiery Collapse!"

An icy voice sounded, and at the same time, pale white flames began to burn fiercely, turning the pitch-black passage almost as bright as day.

From within the burning flames, a black-robed figure could be faintly seen standing in front of Wizard Bass.

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Chapter 406: Dark Fire Incarnate II

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Fire?"

Wizard Bass was momentarily stunned. He was extremely proficient in Fire-type spells and had constructed his own spells until he became a Seventh-level Spell Casters. Fire-type spells, in particular, was one of his strongest element.

Yet, looking at the pale white flames released by the black-robed Wizard, he felt a sense of acute danger. It felt as if once he came into contact with the flames, there would be catastrophic damage.

It was a feeling which Wizard Bass had not felt in a very long time.

"Retreat!"

Wizard Bass did not hesitate and retreated backward. After all, he was a Seventh-level Spell Caster with lightning fast reflexes. The moment the thought formed in his mind, a spell had been released. His figure retreated backward in a flash and away from the burning flames.

Seventh-level Spell Casters derived spells that were best suited for them, so the level of compatibility was very high with some even achieving a hundred percent compatibility. Merlin, too, had been constructing Fourth-level spells with one hundred percent compatibility.

There were no essential differences between self-derived Fourth- and Seventh-level spells, but very few Spell Casters could derive new spells at the Fourth-level.

( NovelFull ) No matter how talented an elementary school student could be, it was impossible to understand calculus without slowly accumulating the knowledge that it comprised. Similarly, with the accumulation of profound knowledge and experience in constructing spells, it was much easier to derive a spell upon reaching the Seventh-level.

In terms of quality, however, as long as the spells were self-derived, there were no fundamental differences between them. The only difference would be their power levels.

Another benefit of self-derived spells was that the reaction time to cast a spell was nearly zero. On the other hand, previous spells, due to lack of perfect compatibility, would have a slight time lag. The time lag was usually very short that it was almost indiscernible.

Nevertheless, in a life-or-death moment, that tiny time lag was enough to determine the outcome of a battle. If Wizard Bass had not been a Seventh-level Spell Caster, there was no way he could have escaped the attack of Fiery Collapse earlier.

"Who the heck…?"

Wizard Bass was still a little nervous as he watched the black-robed figure gradually emerge from behind the pillar of flames.

"Hand over the Neverending Book!"

The mysterious black-robed Wizard was still covered in a layer of menacing flames, almost like an embodiment of fire. Of course, it was Merlin, who had entered the Thousand Miles Snow Cave earlier.

Merlin had followed the strong Fire Elements fluctuations and rushed here. Unexpectedly, he was the first to arrive and witnessed the exchange between Wizard Bass and the two other Seventh-level Spell Casters.

However, Merlin kept himself hidden in the dark. Since Wizard Bass and the others were fully focused on guarding against one another, they did not notice that there was someone else lurking in the dark. It was up till the point that Wizard Bass tried to leave that Merlin showed himself.

Since the Neverending Book was in Wizard Bass' hands, Merlin decided to act immediately. However, he did not expect that his sudden attack would be dodged by Wizard Bass.

On the other hand, Wizard Bass just had a close brush with death and was extremely wary of the mysterious black-robed Wizard. The flames earlier made him shudder in fear. It was definitely not the kind of force that he could handle by himself.

Nevertheless, obtaining the Neverending Book had not been easy for Wizard Bass either. He had to track down Nelson for many days and nights to obtain the Neverending Book, and even devised a plan to stop two Seventh-level Spell Casters from attacking.

( NovelFull ) Unpredictably, in the end, he was just one stroke short of success!

"Heh heh, you're not the only one who wants the Neverending Book!"

Wizard Bass was trying his best to delay time because the black-robed Wizard was far too intimidating. He did not have the confidence to challenge the black-robed Wizard alone, so the best he could do was to delay time and wait for the other Spell Casters to arrive.

He believed that the fluctuation earlier would have attracted a lot of attention from the Spell Casters inside Thousand Miles Snow Cave. At this point, Wizard Bass could only hope that he would benefit from the imminent chaos.

The catch, however, was that even he himself was not confident that he would be able to hold onto the Neverending Book amidst the chaos. Nevertheless, it was his only hope!

"Unwilling, I see?"

A cold look flashed across Merlin's eyes. He must get the Neverending Book, no matter what!

"Boom!"

It was only a single step from Merlin yet it felt like a huge stomp directly on Wizard Bass' heart. With a light flick of Merlin's finger, infinite darkness enveloped Wizard Bass, trapping him in complete darkness.

"Illusion?"

Wizard Bass was shocked as he recognized the illusion at once. The revelation made him even more shaken because he was a Seventh-level Spell Caster who had achieved the Mind Power of the peak of the Seventh-level. Most illusions were unable to affect him.

Yet with just a gentle flick of his finger, Merlin had cast an unknown Darkness Spell which managed to trap a Seventh-level Spell Caster like him in an illusion although the entrapment only lasted for a second before Wizard Bass managed to regain his consciousness.

Nevertheless, in a battle involving Seventh-level Spell Casters, one moment was all it took to determine the outcome!

"Incinerating Fire!"

The icy voice rang out again, and a faint gulp appeared on Wizard Bass' face. He had been entrapped by the illusion for just a second but when he regained consciousness, the opponent's Fire-type Spell had been activated.

This time, Wizard Bass was no longer able to escape. Pillars of fire had formed a circle around him and trapped him within. The scorching temperatures climbed, slowly draining his Defensive-type spell.

"Darkness Eye, disintegrate!"

Merlin extended his palm again and pressed downward. A crimson ray shot out and surrounded Wizard Bass. The Defensive-type spell on his body shattered immediately, allowing the white flames to engulf him and turned him into ashes within seconds.

Within a short time, Merlin had managed to kill a Seventh-level Spell Caster. It shook the other two Seventh-level Wizards to the core. Even if they joined forces, the most they had hoped to achieve was overpower Wizard Bass. It was downright impossible for them to kill him.

Contending and killing were two completely different concepts. Usually, the intention to kill required a person to be much more powerful than his opponent and had an absolute advantage over him in order to succeed.

Despite Merlin using only a short period of time to kill Wizard Bass, he had already used Fiery Collapse, Darkness Illusory Death, and Darkness Eye, all three of which were his strongest abilities.

It was with these three strongest abilities that he was able to kill Wizard Bass in such a short time as it was not easy to vanquish a Seventh-level Spell Caster.

Once he killed Wizard Bass, Merlin caught his opponent's ring in his hand and examined it with his Mind Power. Very quickly, he found a quaint book shrouded in a sacred aura. Lo and behold, it was the second volume of the Neverending Book. It was exactly the same aura that he sensed previously while obtaining the first volume, which proved that it was indeed the Neverending Book.

Merlin kept the ring securely, and turned around but narrowed his eyes again the next moment. Apparently, while he was examining the ring, the two remaining Seventh-level Spell Casters had blocked his way out.

"What? You want the Neverending Book in my hands as well?"

A chilling look flashed across Merlin's face. Two Seventh-level Spell Casters were indeed more troublesome to handle. Even so, it was just a minor inconvenience as he was confident that he would be able to eliminate these two Seventh-level Spell Casters within a short period of time.

It was for the sake of the Neverending Book, especially combined with the second and third volumes, to get the maxim left behind by the mysterious Wizard. That was Merlin's true purpose.

Therefore, Merlin would not easily give up on the Neverending Book, regardless of the obstacles.

Just as Merlin's murderous intent began to build up and was about to act, jovial laughter reverberated from inside the cave. "Haha, I'm not too late!"

"Swish."

When the sound faded, a burly middle-aged Wizard slowly emerged from the passage and gazed at Merlin and the other two Seventh-level Spell Casters.

Seeing the weakened Wizard leaning on the cave wall behind Merlin, a joyful look appeared on his face. "Nelson? I see, that means one of you have gotten the Neverending Book?"

The middle-aged Wizard did not emit a particularly dangerous vibe but the two Spell Casters' expression changed rapidly upon seeing him. In a low voice, they said, "Mad Wizard Mobundo!"

"Oh? There are people who still remember me? Not bad, not bad, it must be rare to find a such a loyal and kind Wizard who is willing to do good deeds like myself…"

The Spell Caster known as Mad Wizard said with a twinkling smile yet it sounded extremely sarcastic in the ears of those two Spell Casters. Both their faces showed a weird expression.

Mad Wizard Mobundo was a shameless, unscrupulous Wizard whom many Spell Casters were unwilling to go against. This was because Mobundo would do whatever it took in order to win. Normally, this was not frowned upon but Mobundo disregarded even the basic dignity of Wizards. He even used various despicable tactics such as poisoning and sneak attacks. In other words, there was nothing he would not do.

Once, he even dressed up as a woman… The fact that a Wizard like him dared to claim to be loyal and kind, literally made the two Spell Casters who knew him to feel ashamed to be called Spell Casters.

"Three!"

Merlin looked at Mad Wizard Mobundo calmly. He did not sense a particularly strong threat coming from him.

However, with the appearance of Mobundo, more Spell Casters began to appear. All of them were Seventh-level Spell Casters, and one after another, it came up to eight Seventh-level Spell Casters!

These eight Spell Casters all knew that the Neverending Book was in Merlin's hands, so their gazes were locked on Merlin. Nevertheless, no one dared to act because they could feel the extreme danger emanating from Merlin. No one wanted to be the first to strike.

"Eight?"

Merlin took a deep breath. At this moment, his heart was filled with adrenaline. So, what if there were eight Seventh-level Spell Casters? He would triumph over all of them!

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Chapter 407: Dark Fire Incarnate III

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Eight pairs of eyes were locked on Merlin. The Spell Casters were, to some extent, imperceptibly accumulating their powers. In order to obtain the Neverending Book, these Spell Casters from Subzero Snowfield were ready for the worst-case scenario.

"Kill him!"

Suddenly, without warning, a Seventh-level Spell Caster led the first attack. Wind Elements started to flash on his body and subsequently converged into a strong tornado. Inside the tornado were also some ice crystals.

This was a combination of a Wind-type spell and an Ice-type spell, and the resulting power was astounding! Even though it did not have any Pandora Demon Ability, its power was no less than an average Pandora Demon Ability.

The truth was, once Spell Casters reached the Seventh-level, their ability levels would begin to differ greatly from one another. One reason was that Seventh-level Spell Casters with Pandora Demon Ability would be able to cultivate their Pandora Demon Ability to its third form or third stage, thus they would witness a massive leap in their abilities.

Nevertheless, Spell Casters with Pandora Demon Abilities were of course very few in number. The other reason for the ability gap between other Seventh-level Spell Casters was due to the power level of their self-derived spells.

If a Spell Caster was proficient at constructing spells and spent the time to slowly derive a spell, it would be extremely powerful compared to Spell Casters who just rushed through the process.

This Spell Caster who led the first attack had derived a very powerful spell, one beyond the level of an average Seventh-level Spell Caster!

"Crash crash crash."

A huge tornado filled with ice crystals as sharp as jagged rocks hurtled violently onto Merlin's body. Merlin, however, was ready for the attack and already cast Rippling Armor. When hit, Rippling Armor released waves after waves of ripples that dispersed continuously, thus reducing the impact of the attack.

The power of Rippling Armor was rock-solid but with the infusion of Pandora Demon Ability Fuse Earth, its defensive power was even more impenetrable. It was impossible for a Seventh-level spell to break the defense of Rippling Armor.

Even the most powerful Seventh-level spell would only end up consuming more of Merlin's Magic Power. This was of course unless the spell contained a Pandora Demon Ability but then again, that would no longer be considered a mere Seventh-level spell.

The ripples on Rippling Armor gradually weakened and disappeared, which meant that the attack had been completely dispersed without causing any harm to Merlin.

"Swish."

Merlin made his move at the exact moment his opponent attacked. His bodily movement was indecipherably fast. In the blink of an eye, he was already right in front of the Spell Caster who led the first attack.

"Darkness Illusory Death!"

Merlin was not targeting this Spell Caster alone. He knew that although the remaining seven Seventh-level Spell Casters had not launched their attack, they were simply waiting to gauge his abilities.

However, if one of them was being threatened, Merlin was sure that the other Spell Casters would not stand down. Therefore, he decided to keep them preoccupied with their own predicament, and in the meantime, kill as many as he could as fast as possible. Any one less would help reduce Merlin's burden later.

After all, not everyone could stand up against eight Seventh-level Spell Casters without feeling unnerved.

"Fuu…"

Darkness descended abruptly and turned the entire passageway pitch-black. This pitch-black darkness was woven together by thick Darkness Elements and was not a mere illusion.

In fact, once a Spell Caster's Mind Power had achieved the Seventh-level, it was very difficult to entrap them in an illusion. At best, they would only be slightly disorientated, and would recover soon enough.

Merlin's purpose of casting Darkness Illusory Death was not to cause any harm to these Spell Casters but only to disorient them. Once they were disoriented, even for a split second, he would have the advantage to initiate the first move. He could also focus his power and kill at least one Seventh-level Spell Caster.

"Sh*t, this is a Hallucinating spell, act quickly!"

Some of the Spell Casters immediately sensed that something was wrong. Merlin's tactic was meant to give himself an opportunity but these Seventh-level Spell Casters were almost as old as time, hence they would not be fooled so easily.

However, despite their realization, it was not an easy task to regain consciousness. Darkness Elements had enveloped the entire passage, so everyone who was inside the passage would be affected by Darkness Illusory Death.

Just Darkness Elements alone would not cause them any harm but instead, the time spent being disorient would pose the greatest danger.

"Incinerating Fire!"

With a slight narrowing of Merlin's eyes, he transformed into an embodiment of raging fire with flames covering his entire body. Then, he pointed a finger toward the Spell Caster who had made the first attack.

"Boom!"

Endless surging flames began to burn rapidly on this Spell Caster, frantically attacking his Defensive spell.

Soon enough, the Defensive spell collapsed, and a sliver of fear appeared on the face of that Seventh-level Spell Caster. He did not expect that despite the threat posed by eight Seventh-level Spell Casters, he would be killed so quickly.

"No…"

With one final wail, the Spell Caster was swallowed by the column of pale white flames…

"Damn it!"

When the other Spell Casters recovered from the illusion, it was already too late. Merlin had already killed a Seventh-level Spell Caster at top speed. Some of their faces appeared gloomy because the killing of a Seventh-level Spell Caster had caused some apprehension and anxiety among them.

This was because at some point, they might also be killed by Merlin's lightning speed!

"Everyone, let's not hesitate anymore. This person is very powerful and can kill any of us in a moment's notice. If we don't join forces now, I'm afraid we'll be in trouble today!"

The remaining seven Spell Casters quickly formed an alliance. Merlin's tactic had shocked and repulsed them. At the same time, it also made them feel extremely threatened, so it was easier for them to join forces.

"Darkness Illusory Death!"

Merlin did not hesitate and cast Darkness Illusory Death again. For a moment, Darkness Elements filled the entire cave but this time, these seventh Spell Casters were prepared for it. They released their Mind Power at full blast, their concentration locked on Merlin.

Their strong Mind Power managed to pierce through Darkness Illusory Death, and the Darkness Elements gradually collapsed and disappeared. Merlin's attack did not work.

On the contrary, these seven Seventh-level Spell Casters released a party platter of attacks as spells filled the air and began to rain heavily on Merlin.

Merlin's Rippling Armor emitted a huge glow, and at the same time, Merlin gently extended his palm. This time, everyone could clearly see the oddity in his palm.

A blood-red vertical eye seemed to be embedded in Merlin's palm. The eye was blinking continuously, and whoever crossed gaze with this blood-red eye felt a heart-faltering sense of fear in their hearts that could not be dismissed.

"Is that the legendary Darkness Eye from the Great Legend of Darkness?"

Even though the Spell Casters in Subzero Snowfield were isolated from the rest of the world, there were occasional Spell Casters who came to them from the outside, so naturally, they knew of the legendary infamous Darkness Eye.

It was an accursed power, and any Spell Caster who cultivated the Darkness Eye would not have a pleasant outcome awaiting them. Yet, every Spell Caster who cultivated Darkness Eye had been incomparably fearsome.

Darkness Eye represented something far more terrifying – wherever Darkness Eye appeared, darkness and murder would follow!

"Darkness Eye, dispel!"

Faced with the endless spell attacks, Merlin dared not act carelessly. He did not want Rippling Armor to withstand so many Seventh-level spells. Even though Rippling Armor was powerful enough to withstand the attacks of Seventh-level spells, there were too many spells, so he was afraid that his replenishment of Magic Power might not be able to keep up with its consumption. In that situation, it would be dangerous for him.

If Rippling Armor disappeared, no matter how strong he was, Merlin would be decimated into fine powder by that barrage of spells.

Therefore, Merlin wielded the third form of Darkness Eye so that it could at least reduce, if not completely dispel, the attacks from the seven opponents.

A crimson ray flew forward and transformed into a large net, aggressively tackling the barrage of incoming spells.

"Hum hum hum."

The crimson ray glowed bright red as the attacking spells began to weaken, with some even fizzling completely. Facing Darkness Eye, many spells could not contend against its strength.

Even the strongest spells would only cause Darkness Eye to consume some additional Magic Power at most!

With Darkness Eye blocking the barrage of spells head-on, Merlin began to feel a great amount of pressure. At the same time, the blood-red eye in his palm seemed to be emitting a mournful wail. Although the third form of Darkness Eye was capable of withstanding Seventh-level spells with ease, it could only hold up for a short while in face of such a constant siege.

"Crack."

Finally, the crimson light ray split apart. The blood-red eye in Merlin's palm appeared to be gravely injured and became lethargic. Even the crimson ray faded slightly.

Darkness Eye was indeed gravely injured as its third form was incapable of withstanding so many Seventh-level spell attacks. However, Merlin could also distinctly feel that there was a stronger force within Darkness Eye which was trying to break free of its bindings.

This force, once released, would not allow any of these Seventh-level Spell Casters to escape unscathed. In fact, even an Eight-level Spell Caster was not a noteworthy opponent!

In his heart, Merlin knew very succinctly that the vicious force inside Darkness Eye should not be released. It was the fourth form of Darkness Eye which had been sealed by Wizard Leo.

Once the seal was broken, an unparalleled force would burst forth from within. Back then, Wizard Leo had used the fourth form of Darkness Eye to kill a powerful Eighth-level Spell Caster!

However, despite having obtained unparalleled power, Wizard Leo paid a heavy price for it. Not only had his body became skin and bones but he was also killed by the backlash from Darkness Eye when he wielded the fourth form for the second time.

Unless it was the last resort, Merlin would not break open the fourth form of Darkness Eye. It was his final trump card, one that he would not use unless and until he was faced with a life-or-death situation and had no other way out.

Right now, the spell attacks had been greatly weakened and his Ripping Armor had not shown any indication of failure. The spells were still landing relentless on the armor, but all they did was stir up waves of ripples on the armor.

"It's my turn!"

Merlin withstood the first wave of attacks from the seven Spell Casters, and now the Runic Heartprint began to appear subtly in between his eyebrows.

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Chapter 408: Dark Fire Incarnate IV

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Fire!"

With Merlin's low growl, raging flames began to pour out and melded into a pack of huge flaming dragons. These dragons then flew toward the seven Spell Casters.

Merlin's Incinerating Fire was on par with the peak power of a Seventh-level spell, so these Spell Casters did not dare to overlook it and began to cast their individual spells to resist its attack.

However, casting Incinerating Fire was merely a distraction to buy time for Merlin to set up a Runic Magic Circle. The Runic Heartprint gradually glowed brighter and became more visible.

"Binding Circle, seal!"

Merlin's Runic Heartprint contained an array of Runic Magic Circles such as Attacking Circles, Defensive Circles, Suppressing Circles, and so on. However, most of them required a long time to set up.

After all, the Runic Heartprint was not a Runic Magic Disc, so it was not a pre-prepared arrangement. The Runic Heartprint was created by the Great Wizard Fidel's profound understanding of runes. It was capable of storing countless numbers of Runic Magic Circles, and these could be set up by a completely rune-illiterate Spell Caster.

Nevertheless, truly strong Runic Magic Circles still required a long time to be laid out, thus Merlin could only search for a relatively suitable Runic Magic Circle that only required a short time to be set up.

( NovelFull ) Of course, the Binding Circle was still strong enough to bind a Seventh-level Spell Caster!

"Hum hum hum."

Flecks of mysterious runes emerged from the Runic Heartprint and rapidly coalesced into a mysterious Runic Magic Circle. Following a point from Merlin's finger, the Runic Magic Circle flew toward one of the Seventh-level Spell Casters.

"Sh*t, it's a Runic Magic Circle!"

"This bastard can also cast Runic Magic Circles?"

These Seventh-level Spell Casters became even more flabbergasted. The techniques wielded by Merlin far exceeded the limits of an average Spell Caster. Moreover, the power of his Pandora Demon Abilities, spells, and now Runic Magic Circle, were all extremely powerful, making it seem like Merlin would not be defeated despite the odds of seven to one.

In addition, these Spell Casters did not seem to have noticed that Merlin was not actually a Seventh-level Spell Caster or even a Fourth-level Spell Caster. If they knew the truth, he would have been just another worthless low-level Spell Caster in their eyes…

"Boom!"

The Runic Magic Circle slammed down mercilessly and transformed into an invisible cage, confining one of the Spell Casters within.

Breaking a Runic Magic Circle too, required a long amount of time. Therefore, when Merlin saw the effectiveness of the first Runic Magic Circle, he began to repeat his steps. Relying on the power of the Runic Heartprint, he set up another Binding Circle and imprisoned another Spell Caster.

"Damn it, since when did such a powerful Spell Caster emerge in Subzero Snowfield? Not only does he have powerful spells but he also has mysterious Pandora Demon Abilities and can set up powerful Runic Magic Circles in a short time. Who could defeat him?"

The remaining Spell Casters appeared in despair and lost their will to fight. In the first place, their temporary alliance was a fragile one which was formed for a common goal only.

Once they saw that it was hopeless to defeat Merlin, the thought of retreating immediately formed in their minds. The Mad Wizard Mobundo, especially, was incontestably the most thick-skinned as he was the first to run away.

"Go, go, go! The Neverending Book might be invaluable but we won't be able to get our hands on it this time. This person is as formidable as those Eighth-level monsters!"

( NovelFull ) The fact that the Seventh-level Spell Casters wanted to leave made things much simpler for Merlin. Although he was powerful, he could not stop any of the Spell Casters who were bent on leaving, besides the ones he had already imprisoned.

Moments later, the seven Spell Casters had disappeared without a trace, leaving only two Spell Casters who had been imprisoned by Merlin's Runic Magic Circle.

"Swish."

Merlin's gaze landed on these two remaining Spell Casters. Their hearts ran cold and one of the older, a white-haired Spell Caster hurriedly said, "Great Wizard, we're willing to sign a contract with you and follow after your lead."

"Sign a contract?"

Merlin paused in thought. A Seventh-level Spell Caster would make a great assistant. No matter the situation, a Seventh-level Spell Caster would not be taken lightly.

If he had two Seventh-level Spell Casters as assistants in this unfamiliar Subzero Snowfield, it would save him a lot of trouble.

With this line of thought, Merlin replied, "Sign a slave contract and I'll spare your lives!"

"A slave contract?"

Upon hearing Merlin's demand, the two Spell Casters' faces paled. In order to survive in a harsh region like Subzero Snowfield, they had used all sorts of underhanded methods including murder and deception, and slowly grown step by step.

The journey to become a Seventh-level Spell Caster was truly not easy. Therefore, compared to Spell Casters from other regions, Spell Casters in Subzero Snowfield were more willing to surrender themselves to more powerful Spell Casters.

Thus, signing a contract was very common.

However, the restrictions of a slave contract were much greater because their lives and deaths would be held in the hands of their master. This was the reason why both Spell Casters hesitated.

Merlin narrowed his eyes and extended a pale hand. A white flame flickered to life and started to burn. If they turned down his demand, he would kill them immediately with Incinerating Fire.

Seeing the white flame in Merlin's hands, the two Spell Casters paled further. Gnashing their teeth, they gritted and said, "We can sign the slave contract but there must be an expiry date. A hundred years! After a hundred years, you must let us go free!"

Finally, the two Spell Casters agreed to sign the slave contract with Merlin. Again, compared to Spell Casters from other regions, due to long periods of surviving in a harsh environment, concepts like self-dignity had long since been abandoned.

Their foremost priority was to preserve their own lives, so even the most severe slave contract was acceptable to them.

A smile appeared on Merlin's face. He was starting to like Subzero Snowfield. If he was in the southern Spell Caster world, no matter how dire the situation, it would be totally impossible for a Seventh-level Spell Caster to agree to a slave contract. In contrast, this demand did not appear too difficult to fulfil in Subzero Snowfield.

Following that, Merlin extracted two contracts from his ring, which swiftly flew in front of the two Spell Casters. They could only clench their teeth together as they carved down their mind imprints on the contract.

Merlin held the two contracts in his hand but did not stow them away immediately. Instead, he imprinted the power of the Flame Maxim onto both contracts. With the binding power of the Flame Maxim, even if the two Spell Casters became Great Legend Spell Casters later, they would not be able to break the binding power of the contract.

Merlin was being too cautious. Even during the Spell Casters' most glorious era, Great Legend Spell Casters were few and far in between. Every Great Legend Wizard had been a powerful existence who was able to fight against the gods.

Today, whether or not the Great Legend Wizard still existed was a mystery. Therefore, even without the imprint of the Flame Maxim, Merlin did not have to worry about any unexpected occurrences.

With the contract in hand, Merlin no longer had to worry about the threat from these two Spell Casters. The Runic Heartprint between his eyebrows flashed faintly and the Runic Magic Circle disappeared in an instant.

The two Spell Casters exchanged a convoluted glance, their expressions troubled. Right now, they had become Merlin's slaves and would be controlled by Merlin for a hundred years.

"Master!"

Nevertheless, these two Spell Casters had succeeded in growing themselves despite the harsh conditions of Subzero Snowfield. Naturally, they were not Wizards who were easily defeated. They quickly adjusted their outlook and greeted Merlin respectfully.

Merlin nodded, assessing both Spell Casters from top to toe with his gaze. He was not unfamiliar with handling slaves. For example, he had placed his slave Wizard Banmou with the Wilson family.

Between the two Spell Casters – one was slightly older, and the other had triangular eyes and looked somewhat fierce. At this moment, however, their faces were filled with congratulatory expressions. The transition from a respected Seventh-level Spell Caster to a lowly slave could be described as a plummet from their previous positions, which would be hard to accept for most people. Yet, these two controlled their emotions well.

"What are you called?" Merlin asked casually.

The older Spell Caster hurriedly replied, "Master, my name is Ernie!"

The fierce-looking Spell Caster also spoke respectfully, "Master, my name is Watson!"

"Ernie, Watson, you two lead the way. We can leave the Thousand Miles Snow Cave now."

Merlin said in a deep voice. He had obtained the second volume of the Neverending Book, so it was not necessary to remain inside the Thousand Miles Snow Cave any longer. Otherwise, if some Eighth-level or Ninth-level Spell Casters came along, then Merlin would be in danger.

Leaving the Thousand Miles Snow Cave right now would be dangerous as well but he had his newly minted slaves, Ernie and Watson, to walk in front of him and fend-off some of the unexpected attacks.

Ernie and Watson exchanged a helpless glance but had no choice. They, too, knew that it was extremely dangerous to walk in front of Merlin right now. Perhaps another powerful Spell Caster was just lurking around the next corner in the dark, waiting for Merlin to appear and launch a violent attack on him.

Since the two of them were walking in front, they would have to block any surprise attacks for Merlin.

In the dark silent cave, Merlin followed behind Ernie and Watson and carefully sensed for movement in his surroundings. At the same time, Ernie and Watson also dared not lower their guards because if there was an attack, they would be the first to be sacrificed.

Ernie and Watson were well familiar with the underhanded tactics of Spell Casters in Subzero Snowfield, so they were extremely cautious. Their Mind Power was constantly engaged to watch out for any movement around them, and they had cast Defensive spells around themselves. They would rather expend their Magic Powers than to save it without the spell.

Although they were extremely watchful and cautious, they did not encounter any attacks all the way until they saw the light at the cave exit. The closer they inched to the exit, Ernie and Watson heightened their guard.

Suddenly, both Ernie and Watson stopped in their tracks. Ernie grounded his teeth a few times and said in an almost-begging voice, "Master, there'll definitely be many Wizards waiting to ambush us at the cave exit right now. It's very dangerous for us to leave."

"You two go ahead!"

Merlin sighed deeply and then commanded in a steel voice. Obviously, he was sending Ernie and Watson to test the waters and bear the first wave of attacks.

Ernie and Watson did not have a choice since they had signed the slave contract and their lives rested in Merlin's hands. Naturally, they did not dare disobey his orders.

"Damn it, let's just sprint out as fast as we can!"

They exchange a look of resigned determination at one another. Merlin was rendered speechless watching their behavior. All they were going to do was to leave the cave. Was there really a need to look as if they were walking to the gallows?

Following that, strong elemental fluctuations flashed on their bodies. Like a spark of electricity, they zoomed out of the cave.

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Chapter 409: Dark Fire Incarnate V

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Rumble rumble."

Before Wizards Ernie and Watson could even exit the cave, the entire cave was shaken by a huge bombardment, like the entire structure was quaking.

Flames, ice crystals, tornados… Almost every spell conceivable had been concentrated to full power and aimed straight at the mouth of the cave. The power levels of the spells were also vastly different. There were Fifth-, Sixth-, and even Seventh-level spells.

Under the siege of so many spells, the previously determined looks on Wizards Ernie and Watson changed rapidly into despair. With speeds faster than before, they flew back into the cave.

"Master, there's really no way to go out!"

Wizards Ernie and Watson hung their heads bitterly. They really dared not dash out again. If the horrible wave of attack resumed and landed on their bodies, no matter no how many layers of Defensive spells they wore, the impenetrable barrage of spells would kill both of them in an instant.

The mere recall of the horrible attack still left some residual fear in them.

This was the reality of Subzero Snowfield. As long as there was a common enemy, regardless of whoever it was, these Spell Caster would join forces. Ernie and Watson could just imagine that hundreds of Spell Casters joining forces outside, waiting for Merlin to appear and launch a vicious attack on him.

The scale of attack earlier had shocked even Merlin as he was not sure if he would be able to withstand it.

"What do we do now? We can't just hide in here!"

Merlin's face sunk and his eyes landed on Ernie and Watson in contemplation. He was thinking if he should use the two of them as cannon fodders to divert the attention of the Spell Casters outside so he would dash out behind them.

As long as he could exit the cave, he could rely on Flash Wind to further increase the speed of Rainbow Wind, and no one would be able to catch up to him.

Seeing Merlin sizing them up with his gaze, Ernie and Watson's expression waned slightly. They were Wizards who had survived as Seventh-level Spell Casters in Subzero Snowfield, so they were, of course, aware of Merlin's line of thought to use them as cannon fodders.

If they previously held a tiny trace of hope to survive the dash outside, after the horrible siege of spells, they no longer held any hope. If they really continued to dash outside the cave, they would be killed by the endless barrage of spells in an instant.

The fact that these two were willing to sign such a severe slave contract with Merlin in the first place proved that they were less than eager to die. Therefore, before Merlin could speak, Wizard Ernie said, "Master, we can't just dash out like that. We might be killed by those hiding at the mouth of the cave itself."

Since some of the Seventh-level Spell Casters managed to escape earlier, they must have spread the word that the Neverending Book was with Merlin. That was why so many people had joined forces to kill Merlin as it was their only hope to obtain the Neverending Book.

"What ideas do you have?"

Merlin asked slowly. Unless he had no other choice, he, too, did not want to sacrifice these two Seventh-level Spell Casters as cannon fodders. However, if there was no other way, then they would have to do it.

Wizards Ernie and Watson obviously knew their lives were hanging on the line, so they cracked their brains to think of a solution. After a moment, they came up with a plan.

"Master, we can help test the waters and take the risk dashing outside, but we'll have to make some preparations, and we need your help." Wizard Ernie paused, then bit his lip and continued. "Please also lay out some Runic Magic Circles on our bodies, especially those with powerful defensive powers!"

"Oh? Runic Magic Circles? That's quite easy!"

With the Runic Heartprint, Runic Magic Circles were a relatively simple solution for Merlin. He activated the Runic Heartprint that was looming between his eyebrows.

The Runic Heartprint contained an array of Runic Magic Circles, including some powerful defensive Runic Magic Circles, but they required a long time to be set up.

Fortunately, they were not pressed for time right now because none of the Wizards outside dared to step inside the Thousand Miles Snow Cave. Therefore, Merlin had plenty of time to slowly arrange the Runic Magic Circles on Wizards Ernie and Watson.

Soon, with the help of the Runic Heartprint, Merlin had arranged two Runic Magic Circles that covered Wizards Ernie and Watson from head to toe. The mysterious runes glowed brightly, giving Ernie and Watson a little peace of mind.

With the protection of the Runic Magic Circles as well as their own powerful Defensive spells as Seventh-level Spell Casters, their confidence increased a notch to dash out of the cave.

Nevertheless, before exiting, there was one last critical step.

"Puppet, come out!"

Wizard Ernie used his large hand to grab two golden puppets from his ring. These puppets were commonly used in alchemy products.

Of course, an intelligent puppet would require advanced knowledge of alchemy to produce but an ordinary inanimate puppet like this was relatively simple to make. All it needed was a large number of alchemy ingredients.

Once these two puppets were affixed with elemental crystal stones, they began to move slowly. Their abilities were not very strong, only about equivalent to a Sixth-level Spell Caster but the purpose of Ernie and Watson summoning the puppets was to use them as cannon fodders. They would at least divert the first wave of attack, which would hopefully enable Ernie and Watson to dash out the cave after them.

Although it was still highly dangerous, the Thousand Miles Snow Cave had only one exit. Moreover, since they had become Merlin's slaves, they had no choice but to dash out. It was their only hope of survival.

Otherwise, with just a single intention from Merlin, he could sentence them to death!

"Go!"

Wizards Ernie and Watson were now Merlin's cannon fodders, but even then, they did not want to just wait helplessly to be claimed by death. On the contrary, they would do all they could in exchange for a hope of survival.

In fact, the two of them had a good grasp of the psychology of the Spell Casters waiting outside. If they were one of the Spell Casters outside, they, too, would be aiming straight at the exit. No matter whoever appeared from the cave, they would do whatever it took to kill the person, all for a chance at obtaining the Neverending Book.

Following the low growl from Wizard Ernie, the two puppets were the first to dash out of the cave. Despite their huge physiques, upon emerging outside the cave, a barrage of spells already blasted them into fine ashes.

The two powerful puppets dashed out of the cave and just like that, they were blasted into ashes. This made Wizards Ernie and Watson feel very uneasy.

Nevertheless, they followed after the puppets and dashed out, seizing the tiny gap after the first wave of attack to exit the cave.

"Bang bang bang!"

However, despite having managed to dash out of the cave, they were still faced with a series of terrifying attacks. Numerous Spell Casters wielded their strongest powers, hell-bent on killing anyone who exited the cave.

Unfortunately for Wizards Ernie and Watson who were cannon fodders, they attracted the attention of all the Spell Casters, and a barrage of spells rained down upon the two of them.

"Crack."

The incomparably powerful defensive Runic Magic Circle only managed to withstand the attacks for a small amount of time and suddenly broke apart. Even the Defensive spells on their bodies flashed continuously as if they were going to collapse at any time.

"Master, save us!"

Wizards Ernie and Watson did not care anymore. At the brink of life and death, they shouted at the top of their lungs.

"Whoosh."

When their voices fell, a Spell Caster had appeared outside the cave, unbeknownst to everyone. It was Merlin!

While Ernie and Watson were occupying all the Spell Casters' attention, nobody noticed that there was still one more Spell Caster left inside the cave. It was their real target, Merlin, who also held the Neverending Book.

After Merlin exited the cave, he saw a dense group of Spell Casters gathered below, driving Ernie and Watson into a dangerous situation.

"Humph!"

Merlin's eyes glimpsed as he had not perform a massacre for a long time. After all, killing was almost part and parcel of Darkness-type spells. Additionally, Spell Casters who cultivated Darkness-type spells for an extended period tended to be more or less affected.

"Darkness Illusory Death!"

By nature, Darkness-type spells were never limited to a certain number. No matter how many people were present, it did not affect the effectiveness of the spell. Thus, with just one Darkness-type spell, most of the Spell Casters were trapped in an illusion.

With a wave of Merlin's finger, the bright clear sky suddenly dimmed and darkened into a night sky. Large slabs of Darkness Elements began to shroud the entire sky.

The sky was completely pitch-black, and nothing could be seen. Even their Mind Power did not seem to have any effect, and most Spell Casters were still trapped inside the infinite illusion.

"Slash slash slash."

Darkness Illusory Death could not only entrap but also kill a Spell Caster. In this case, the Darkness Elements morphed into a razor-sharp blade and slashed the Spell Casters who were still trapped in the illusion.

Although the attacking power from the Darkness Element was quite weak, for Spell Casters who were trapped in the illusion, even the weakest attack could not be resisted.

Therefore, from the moment Merlin wielded Darkness Illusory Death, numerous Spell Casters were slaughtered. The stench of blood and death rose into the air and lingered.

Merlin activated Darkness Eye. He could clearly feel the negative emotions grow as the number of deaths increased which were subsequently absorbed greedily by Darkness Eye.

Negative emotions were the source of power for Darkness Eye. As long as it continued to absorb negative energy, Darkness Eye would become more and more powerful and could be cultivated to its fifth or even sixth form.

"It's not surprising that Spell Casters who cultivated Darkness Eye are often accompanied by killing and fear. It's the favorite source of power for Darkness Eye!"

Merlin muttered under his breath. Naturally, the negative energy did not affect him but it gave him a deeper understanding of Darkness Eye.

"Our Master's Darkness-type spell is truly formidable!"

Seeing that Merlin was able to effortlessly kill numerous Spell Casters, especially those who were completely immersed in the illusion, they could be killed with any spell.

Wizards Ernie and Watson felt a slight chill in their bones. Compared to Merlin, the so-called "massacre" in Subzero Snowfield was nothing but a child's play.

This was a true massacre. Wherever darkness shrouded, the stench of blood appeared…

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Chapter 410: Dark Fire Incarnate VI

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Wisps of negative energy wormed into Darkness Eye. Merlin could even sense the "glee" of Darkness Eye in his palm. Before Wizard Leo died, he had told Merlin that Darkness Eye was sentient.

Merlin now felt even more keenly that Darkness Eye was sentient indeed. Darkness Eye only required a continuous supply of negative energy to grow. The master of Darkness Eye would finally be unable to suppress it and suffer from a backlash.

In its lengthy history, most Spell Casters who cultivated Darkness Eye had, in fact, died due to the backlash from Darkness Eye. It was not surprising that Darkness Eye was called a cursed power.

"Want to come out? Without my permission, you have no way of doing so!"

Merlin seemed to be speaking to himself. In his eyes, he glimpsed an enormous ghostly face which snarled as it battered against the unyielding cage. Once it broke through, the ghostly face would surge out and swallow Merlin.

This was the fourth form of Darkness Eye which had been sealed by Wizard Leo using the last of his strength. Now that it was stimulated by the negative energy, it was futilely trying to break the seal.

"Darkness Eye has always been a concealed danger!"

Although Merlin knew that Darkness Eye could not become much of a threat within a short period, if there ever came a day when he unleashed the fourth form of Darkness Eye and resulted in its backlash, he could still use the Flame Maxim to quell it by force. He would not end up like Wizard Leo who died due to the backlash.

However, even the fourth form of Darkness Eye would result in such a terrifying backlash. In the future, there would be the fifth, the sixth, even the seventh form – how dreadful would those be?

Anyone who cultivated Darkness Eye would have no way of getting rid of it unless they acted like Leo, who paid with his life to seal Darkness Eye. Only then could he extract Darkness Eye. Nonetheless, in that particular case, Wizard Leo had died all the same.

Merlin could not bear the burden of such a cost! Thus, in the long term, Darkness Eye was really an unstable, dormant danger. No one knew when it would suddenly flare up.

These thoughts flashed across Merlin's mind all at once because Merlin's recent massacre had generated great amounts of negative energy. This was absorbed by Darkness Eye, which tried in vain to tempt Merlin to unleash its fourth form. Thus, all of these considerations crossed his mind.

Nevertheless, the priority now was to suppress the Spell Casters below because numerous beams of colossal Mind Power had soared into the sky, threatening to dispel Darkness Illusory Death.

Darkness Illusory Death was not of much use against Spell Casters above the Seventh-level. Therefore, Merlin pointed to the space between his eyebrows with both hands. The Runic Heartprint instantly emerged once more.

"Seal!"

Mysterious runes rapidly flew out from the Runic Heartprint, glowing brightly in the sky. Following that, they were directed by Merlin's Mind Power and rushed down immediately toward a few Spell Casters with formidable Mind Power.

"Swoosh swoosh swoosh."

This time, Merlin freely displayed the amazing capabilities of the Runic Heartprint. Blocks of mysterious runes quickly filled the sky, and powerful Runic Magic Circles were consolidated one after another. Then, they all flew downward.

All those who were bound by the Runic Magic Circles, even if just for a while, was enough to please Merlin because he had employed the Runic Magic Circles only to restrict their movements.

"Fiery Collapse!"

Pale white flames burst out in an instant, and like the spark that started a prairie fire, quickly extended in all directions. The area which was engulfed in darkness was turned into a sea of fire.

If Runic Magic Circles and Darkness Illusory Death were unable to cause those Seventh-level Spell Casters any real damage, then the current Fiery Collapse caused them no end of dread. This was because the Seventh-level Defensive spells they had cast were unable to withstand even the slightest contact with Fiery Collapse.

By relying on the second form of Fiery Collapse, Merlin had eliminated a few Seventh-level Spell Casters before so those Seventh-level Spell Casters could not afford to underestimate this attack.

"Let's go quickly. Dark Fire Incarnate is far too fearsome. We have no way of contending against him!"

"Dark Fire Incarnate – from now on, there's one more terror in Subzero Snowfield!"

Without realizing it, Merlin had acquired the nickname of "Dark Fire Incarnate". Of course, Merlin obtained this through his killings and his force. It was merely a nickname, yet it encapsulated Merlin's most frightening techniques.

However, Seventh-level Spell Casters were formidable, after all. The Runic Magic Circles which Merlin had constructed in a hurry could not hold on for long, so a few Spell Casters broke out of the binding of the Runic Magic Circle. Thereafter, they quickly escaped from the burning sea of fire, terror-stricken.

Following their departure, the name of Dark Fire Incarnate would also reverberate across Subzero Snowfield!

"Dark Fire Incarnate?"

An eerie smirk appeared on Merlin's lips. He had not expected that he would have such a nickname, one that was unmatched in its tyranny. In the southern Spell Caster world, not even those Ninth-level Spell Casters would dare to go by such an imperious title.

However, this was not the southern Spell Caster world but the incomparably chaotic Subzero Snowfield. Here, there was a simple method to obtain a nickname, which was to slaughter!

It was just like in the case of that Mad Wizard Mobundo, who was malevolent and unscrupulous but with powerful abilities. Once he began killing, he had no mercy, so he achieved the label of Mad Wizard, making Spell Casters clenched their jaws when they mentioned him.

"Master!"

Just then, Ernie and Watson hurried to Merlin's side. Their current appearance was rather pitiful. They had fled from the caves previously. Although they used two puppets to withstand the first wave of attack, they were still in a dangerous situation as they were bombarded by countless spells.

If Merlin had not appeared in time and cast Darkness Illusory Death inundating all the Spell Casters here, Ernie and Watson would have been in a less favorable situation.

Buoyed by the elated adrenalin of having narrowly escaped death, their minds could think of nothing else when they saw Merlin's god-like display of might.

"Master, we spotted Mad Wizard Mobundo escaping earlier. Heh, only Mad Wizard Mobundo could instigate so many Spell Casters to attack!"

Upon mentioning Mad Wizard Mobundo, an expression of rage flashed across Wizard Ernie's face. It looked like Mad Wizard had made him suffer in the past.

"Master, do you want us to hunt down Mad Wizard Mobundo?"

Wizard Ernie currently appeared to be incomparably disconcerted, yet he wanted to chase after Mad Wizard Mobundo. It must be a matter of pride. Merlin could tell that although Mad Wizard Mobundo's powers were not that great, he had many tricks up his sleeve. Moreover, he was treacherous and cunning, being able to stay on in Subzero Snowfield without trouble despite offending so many. Naturally, there must be something special about him, and he would not be that easy to kill.

"There's no need to create further trouble. Come on, we can't stay here any longer."

Merlin looked at the utter state of disorder that stretched across the front of the Thousand Miles Snow Cave. The stench of blood pervaded the air. He knew that they must not linger on here. If they did so and attracted Eighth-level Spell Casters, they would be in danger.

Thus, Merlin, Wizard Ernie, and Wizard Watson quickly left the Thousand Miles Snow Cave.

…

The icy wind wailed in the white, blinding expanse of the snowstorm. Three figures sped along in the air.

"Master, the snowstorm is far too violent. Should we find a place to rest first?"

These three individuals were Merlin and his two Seventh-level slaves. They were flying aimlessly, only wanting to leave the Thousand Miles Snow Cave as far behind as possible. They did not expect to encounter such a huge snowstorm in their journey.

The forces of nature were still beyond Spell Casters. Even a Great Wizard would become helpless when faced with certain powers of nature. Only the Great Legendary Wizards had the ability to shift even the weather and the landscape.

Merlin nodded in assent. There was really no point in continuing their flight with such a powerful snowstorm, so they found a cave which was relatively dry as a temporary shelter from the snowstorm.

The climate of Subzero Snowfield was so unpleasant that even Spell Casters found it hard to take. It was thanks to this that no Normies lived in Subzero Snowfield despite the provision of ample land. Only Spell Casters were able to survive in Subzero Snowfield.

In the cave, Wizard Ernie started a bonfire. The red flames were reflected upon the faces of Merlin and the rest, shifting incessantly along with the cold wind that blew in from time to time.

Merlin thought back to the battle today. His Darkness-type spell in addition to Darkness Heart was now so formidable, and it was unaffected by the number of Spell Casters.

Perhaps other Spell Casters would be afraid of the joined forces of countless Spell Casters. In such a case, even Seventh-level Spell Casters could be overwhelmed and killed. However, with Merlin's Darkness-type spell, he could place everyone into an illusion no matter how many of them.

Besides the Darkness-type spell, the might of Fiery Collapse had also increased. The second form had improved its powers greatly, reaching the peak of a Seventh-level spell, which was also its limit. Any spell that was not on the Eighth-level would be unable to block the scorching of Fiery Collapse. It was because of Merlin's powerful Darkness-type and Fire-type spells that he was named Dark Fire Incarnate by the many Spell Casters of Subzero Snowfield!

Still, other than these spells, what pleased Merlin was the use of the Runic Heartprint. The Runic Magic Circles created by the Runic Heartprint had miraculous strength. He was able to contend against eight Seventh-level Wizards, defeat them, and even turn two Seventh-level Spell Casters, Ernie and Watson, into his slaves. He could not have done all this without the Runic Heartprint!

The functions of runes did not merely include attacking, defending, and binding, which were not that different from most spells. They could further be used to create Runic Magic Circles to be used to teleport over long distances.

Nonetheless, this would require Runic Magic Circles that were set up in advance. The one-way teleportation could only be carried out after the two Magic Circles were mutually activated. Otherwise, if one traversed through space aimlessly by carelessly using a Runic Magic Circle, one was very likely to become trapped in a Spatial Gap, which was akin to seeking one's own death.

The only exception was Spatial-type spells. Only then would one be able to freely traverse space. Nevertheless, even then, one would need to use up an inconceivable amount of Magic Power, which most Spatial Wizards could not endure. ( NovelFull )

Ever since Merlin had arrived at Subzero Snowfield, he discovered that the Runic Magic Circles he created here were unable to react with the Runic Magic Circles surrounding the Dark Magic Region. In other words, he had no way of teleporting there directly. He would still have to rely on flight to return to the vicinity of the Dark Magic Region in order to locate the Runic Magic Circles to enter the Dark Magic Region.

"Subzero Snowfield is a good place indeed. At the moment, the southern Spell Casters must have descended into chaos. It looks like I should stay in Subzero Snowfield for a period of time and set up some Runic Magic Circles for emergency use!"

All these thoughts crossed Merlin's mind. Although Subzero Snowfield was disorderly, this could not be more suitable for Merlin. Moreover, he was able to avoid getting involved with the conflict between the southern Spell Caster world and Ozmu.

Thus, he should leave behind a few concealed Runic Magic Circles in Subzero Snowfield. In the future, if he encountered danger, he would have the chance to escape in this direction through the Runic Magic Circles set up by the Runic Heartprint.

If Merlin had set up a few hidden Runic Magic Circles in Subzero Snowfield beforehand, he would not have to force his way out of the Thousand Miles Snow Cave, and could instead bring Ernie and Watson directly to the Runic Magic Circle, teleporting their way out. ( NovelFull )

This was a frightening characteristic of a runologist, who was unmatched in their ability to escape. According to Merlin's understanding, that Mad Wizard Mobundo who had offended many Spell Casters, including a great number of powerful ones, was himself a runologist who was highly accomplished in runology.

It was by relying on Runic Magic Circles that Mobundo had escaped from being killed repeatedly, surviving up until now.

"Hum."

At last, Merlin set out a Runic Magic Circle in the cave. He did not keep this a secret from Ernie and Watson. They were Merlin's slaves, so Merlin controlled their every gesture and every word. Even if they knew that Merlin had arranged a Runic Magic Circle here, they would not dare to mess it up, to say nothing of telling others.

Therefore, the other two might as well pretend that they knew nothing, and closed their eyes to restore the Magic Power they had used up today.

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Chapter 411: True and False Clues

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Phew…"

Merlin let out a long sigh. He had not only set up a Runic Magic Circle in this cave but also left the cave, braved the snowstorm, and created Runic Magic Circles at a few other hidden locations.

In this manner, Merlin had placed Runic Magic Circles in Subzero Snowfield. Based on the great power of the Runic Heartprint, Merlin was able to perceive any Runic Magic Circle he had set as long as it was in Subzero Snowfield. In the future, even if he encountered any danger, he could instantly create a Runic Magic Circle and teleport here.

This was an effective method of survival!

After he had set up the Runic Magic Circles, Merlin found that the snowstorm had not ended. Thus, he could only stay in the cave, using this opportunity to review the second volume of the Neverending Book which he had just acquired.

Opening the Neverending Book, he was greeted with Fourth-level to Sixth-level spells. It was a dazzling array of spells which was far more comprehensive than the first volume of the Neverending Book that Merlin had obtained back then.

"Not bad. The Fourth to Sixth-level spells within this second volume of the Neverending Book could be used to populate the database of the Matrix." With that, Merlin activated the Matrix and began scanning and recording the Fourth- to Sixth-level spells of the Neverending Book into the Matrix. Merlin was very strict about the spells he placed into the database of the Matrix. He would not populate the database with spells which were too simple or even full of flaws.

Only when the various spells used were of a certain quality would the derived spells be more refined and have greater power. Therefore, ensuring the quality of spells within the database was crucial.

Nevertheless, Merlin knew that the true form of the Neverending Book was not like this. Previously, the first volume of the Neverending Book which he obtained had only revealed its true form after the black cat Didimoss had deciphered the runes. Only then did Merlin learn the secret of the Neverending Book.

Thus, in order to learn the secret of the third volume of the Neverending Book, he would have to decipher the runes hidden in the Neverending Book. In the past, Merlin would be helpless when faced with this, having to rely on the black cat Didimoss to decipher the runes in the Neverending Book.

However, now that Merlin had the Runic Heartprint, the mystical Heartprint created by the Great Wizard Fidel with his blood and sweat, he was able to decipher even the most complicated, obscure runes.

"Hum."

Following that, Merlin's left hand tapped his forehead, and the Runic Heartprint surfaced indistinctly. As expected, after the Runic Heartprint appeared, Merlin could "view" the hidden, dense runes in the second volume of the Neverending Book.

"So, there's a Runic Magic Circle after all. Runic Heartprint, decipher!"

Immediately, mysterious runes flew out from the Runic Heartprint and burrowed into the Neverending Book. The runes which were firmly adhered to the Neverending Book flashed slightly, following which they gradually faded under the effect of the Runic Heartprint.

The Neverending Book glowed with a soft light once more, after which its appearance changed greatly. It took on a form that was similar to the first volume of the Neverending Book. The only difference was that this was the second volume, and it held many Fourth-level to Sixth-level spells.

"It's been deciphered as I thought! This is the true form of the second volume of the Neverending Book."

Merlin felt a rush of glee and hurriedly focused his gaze on the cover of the Neverending Book. He carefully looked for information regarding the third volume.

Back then, the first volume of the Neverending Book had mentioned that the second volume was at the Death Sea whereas the third volume was in the Rock Cavern.

However, the second volume of the Neverending Book had now appeared in Subzero Snowfield. Merlin could not help but doubt the veracity of the information regarding the other volumes that was presented in the first volume.

On the cover of the second volume of the Neverending Book, there was also information about the third volume.

"The third volume of the Neverending Book is located in the mysterious Black Desert. Any Spell Caster who possesses the second volume of the Neverending Book will be able to detect the third volume in the Black Desert. Once all three volumes of the Neverending Book have been compiled, one will have the chance of retrieving a Maxim I had left behind!"

The cover of the second volume of the Neverending Book contained the words left by the great Wizard who had created the Neverending Book. However, this time, Merlin did not believe these words. Conversely, an odd expression had crossed his face.

The first volume of the Neverending Book mentioned that the third volume was in the Rock Cavern but now the second volume claimed that it was in fact in the mysterious Black Desert.

Merlin had heard of neither the Rock Cavern nor the Black Desert. Still, based on their names alone, he knew that both places would not be a walk in the park. Between them, one of them was surely false or maybe both were.

If Merlin had not obtained the second volume of the Neverending Book, he might have truly believed that the third volume was in the Rock Cavern. If someone had received only the second volume, they might have gone to the Black Desert in search of the third volume.

Nonetheless, the more Merlin thought about it, the more he felt that the Neverending Book was hidden in neither of these places. These two locations were likely false information that the Great Wizard had intentionally left behind back then.

As for the Great Wizard's purpose in doing so, he could not guess at the moment. It might merely be a cruel prank played by that Wizard or a spontaneous scheme.

Still, no matter what the goal was, Merlin would no longer believe that it was in these two places. Regardless of whether it was the Rock Cavern or the Black Desert, Merlin would not go.

"It's a shame that there are only false clues in the Neverending Book."

Merlin shook his head helplessly. He took out the first volume of the Neverending Book, comparing both volumes. Other than the spells, there was nothing different between them.

"Swoosh."

Suddenly, just as Merlin placed the two volumes of the Neverending Book together, they began to emit a gentle glow which quickly shrouded both volumes.

Merlin's Mind Power could distinctly feel that the two volumes of the Neverending Book were slowly merging together. This mystical transformation somewhat stupefied Merlin.

"The three volumes of the Neverending Book must surely hold some secrets!"

Merlin thought that the three volumes of the Neverending Book were far too enigmatic. Moreover, the Wizard must have been a Great Legendary Wizard to be able to leave behind a Maxim. It was not surprising that the Neverending Book left behind by a Great Legendary Wizard would have strange features.

The merging process took only a short time. Soon enough, the light of the Neverending Book gradually dissipated, and what was before Merlin's eyes was a volume that appeared more mysterious, filled with an alarming, terrifying force.

This force was very likely left behind by that Great Legend who created the Neverending Book.

"Since they've merged into one volume, what changes are there?"

With a reach of his hand, Merlin held the transformed Neverending Book in his palm. This volume was made by an unknown material which twinkled with a faint golden light. Even the words seemed to contain fantastic magic, making the words unforgettable in just a glance.

"This new volume of the Neverending Book is rather unusual and mysterious. There are First- to Sixth-level spells inside, and the Spell Models are imprinted into one's memory in just a glance. How wondrous!"

Merlin carefully flipped through the new Neverending Book. The contents within had not changed much and were still First- to Sixth-level spells. It was appropriate for the merging of the first and second volumes.

However, there was a great transformation on the cover.

As Merlin directed his gaze on the cover of the Neverending Book, the words on the cover flew out and formed into words in mid-air.

"O' fortunate one, you haven't been to the Death Sea or the Rock Cavern, and likely have not gone to the Black Desert. These places are deathtraps. Once you step into them, not even a Great Wizard would be able to help you.

"Only by possessing the first and second volume of the Neverending Book can one receive the true message. I have placed the third volume of the Neverending Book on the top of Sky-Piercing Peak. Only when you've obtained the third volume and merge it forming the Neverending Key, will you be able to access the Maxim I've left on Sky-Piercing Peak."

These words appeared on the cover of the new Neverending Book and were deeply imprinted into Merlin's mind. Following that, the words disappeared, and there was not a word left on the cover – only a blank space as if everything had been a dream.

However, Merlin knew that it was not a dream. The Spell Caster who had left this message behind was a Great Legendary Wizard named Saitu. No matter if it was the Neverending Book or the Maxim, it was left behind by the Great Legendary Wizard Saitu.

Moreover, the initial places of the Death Sea, the Rock Cavern, and the Black Desert were all dangerous locations. Once one entered these places, one would be in a disastrous situation, unable to escape. This was a trap set by Wizard Saitu.

He did not know what Wizard Saitu's intention was in devising such a dangerous trap. If Merlin had not obtained the second volume of the Neverending Book, he might have actually gone to the Death Sea in search of the second volume. At that point, he would be in grave danger.

"So, it's at Sky-Piercing Peak?"

A strange glint emerged in Merlin's eyes. He believed that no Wizard in the southern Spell Caster world would be unfamiliar with Sky-Piercing Peak because it was located within the territory of the southern Spell Caster world.

Moreover, it was very well-known, being the highest peak in the south. In addition, a rather famous Spell Caster clan had grown in the area surrounding Sky-Piercing Peak, and it was occupied by this clan.

"Since there's much trouble in the south, I won't go to Sky-Piercing Peak for now."

Merlin believed that the third volume of the Neverending Book was ninety percent likely to be at Sky-Piercing Peak. Otherwise, Wizard Saitu would not have gone to such lengths, requiring two volumes of the Neverending Book to be merged before a new clue was provided.

If it was still a false clue, Merlin would admit defeat. A trip to Sky-Piercing Peak was necessary for the sake of a Maxim even if turned out to be fake. It was just that he would not go now.

The entire southern Spell Caster world was in chaos right now. Merlin had escaped all of that, waiting for time to pass before returning.

Moreover, Sky-Piercing Peak was occupied by a Spell Caster clan. The capabilities of this clan were not weak, and there were a good few Seventh-level Spell Casters. Even if Merlin reached Sky-Piercing Peak, he would not be able to acquire the third volume of the Neverending Book so easily.

Therefore, with various reasons considered together, Merlin still decided to stay in Subzero Snowfield for some time.

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Chapter 412: The Mysterious Frozen Lake

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The snowstorm persisted for a few days before it gradually stopped. The sky outside was finally bathed in a warm stream of sunlight. However, the sun was not fierce in the entire Subzero Snowfield, and even the frost would not melt. Under the illumination of the sunshine, one could clearly see that Subzero Snowfield was piled in a thick blanket of snow.

"It's time to leave!"

Merlin cast a glance at Wizards Ernie and Watson in the cave. Now that they had recovered most of their strength, they could hurry on their way. It was just that Merlin did not know where to go.

He had only been in Subzero Snowfield for not too long and was not even familiar with the place. Before this, when they had left the Thousand Miles Snow Cave, he had merely flown off without a direction in mind and did not know where he should head toward.

"Ernie, where should we go now?" ( NovelFull )

Merlin directed this question at Wizard Ernie. Wizard Ernie, despite appearing relatively old, had a lively mind. He was fond of trying to figure out Merlin's thoughts and was rather similar to Wizard Bammou in terms of personality.

"Erm… Master, if you don't mind, let's go to where I stay first." Ernie spoke carefully. Naturally, he understood what Merlin meant. After the past few days of observation and learning, Ernie and Watson now knew that Merlin was an outsider who came to Subzero Snowfield and was not familiar with the situation in Subzero Snowfield.

Merlin pondered for a moment. "Alright, just as you suggested then. We'll head to your place first."

Therefore, this band of three took flight once more, heading toward Wizard Ernie's residence.

In the sky, the view below was an expanse of whiteness as the ground was completely covered in snow. It was extremely astounding. Merlin had never experienced such a spectacular view.

"Hoo…"

Suddenly, a colossal gust of snowstorm appeared in mid-air, rolling toward Merlin and the other two. Most snowstorms would not be much of a threat to them but this current one appeared extremely fearsome. Even Merlin was stunned to his core.

"Keep away from it, move!"

The Runic Heartprint between Merlin's brows abruptly flickered once more. Merlin quickly set up a simple Runic Magic Circle to block the snowstorm in front.

"Crack."

It was as if the Runic Magic Circle served no purpose as it was completely crushed and swept away by the snowstorm, turning quickly into fragments. Fortunately, Merlin and the rest had evaded in time.

"What a formidable snowstorm!"

Merlin and the rest looked at the snowstorm with lingering trepidation. However, the weather was calm now, so how could there suddenly be this peculiar snowstorm?

Moreover, even though this snowstorm was powerful, its range did not cover a large area. Conversely, it only covered a very small region.

"That's not right. It's not a snowstorm!"

Merlin narrowed his eyes slightly. He sharply perceived that this snowstorm contained an extremely veiled trace of Elemental fluctuations. Such fluctuations would only appear when someone had cast a spell.

"Hoo hoo hoo…"

Before Merlin could find out the source, another wild gust of snowstorm rolled in from the distance. Wizards Ernie and Watson's expressions shifted greatly.

"D*mn it, what's really happening here?"

Wizard Ernie and Wizard Watson could not help but begin cursing. They felt as if after meeting Merlin in the Thousand Miles Snow Cave, they had nothing but bad luck, and now they had encountered such an odd snowstorm.

These snowstorms contained terrifying strength. Even as Seventh-level Spell Casters, they dared not resist it by force. There was a possibility that the snowstorm would tear their Defensive spells apart, crushing them into pieces.

"Come on, let's go over for a look. There's something wrong about these snowstorms!"

After the gusts of the snowstorms had disappeared, Merlin immediately flew into the air, his Mind Power unreservedly sweeping in all directions. With this, not even the most concealed things could escape its detection.

"Hmmm, what intense Ice Element. Those seem to be frozen Spell Casters?"

Merlin's Mind Power suddenly came across a queer area. It was a lake of unparalleled size. However, the lake could no longer be seen for it was frozen under a thick layer of ice crystals.

On the frozen lake, there were many frozen Spell Casters in all sorts of positions and appearances. Their postures were exceedingly amusing as well. Nonetheless, upon closer look, one could see that their current postures were, in fact, a reproduction of how they normally moved.

Still, on this frozen lake, these Spell Casters were frozen in place, dead forever. The ice sculptures left behind merely preserved the postures of their final moments.

There were even shards of ice crystals which had shattered upon falling to the ground. It must be those who tried flying across the lake, not expecting to be frozen, and ended up falling.

"There's something weird about this lake!"

Merlin's expression turned solemn. Thereafter, he lightly waved one huge hand, and a flash of thunderbolt appeared on the lake.

"Crack."

He was not surprised in the slightest that even the thunderbolt was frozen immediately, shattering on the ice as it fell.

Merlin drew in a deep breath, becoming even more apprehensive of this lake. It should be known that although his Thunder-type spell was not merged with Pandora Demon Ability, and he had not constructed a Fourth-level one, its might should not be underestimated. Now, it was frozen in place instantly.

As he considered this, Merlin wanted to investigate the true nature of this lake even more. Thus, his gaze landed on Wizards Ernie and Watson. ( NovelFull )

Ernie and Watson, upon seeing that Merlin was staring at them, immediately erupted into grievances deep in their hearts. This frozen lake was so terrifying. Who knew whether they could withstand its effects and avoid being turned into an ice sculpture?

However, they could only carry out this perilous task. Why did they have to be Merlin's slaves?

A slave's duty was to fulfill their master's every wish, including acting as cannon fodder.

Nevertheless, Wizards Ernie and Watson had agreed to become Merlin's slaves because they were hoping to survive. Now that they were facing such a dangerous lake, they were very unwilling to take the risk.

Therefore, Wizard Ernie cautiously suggested. "Master, it seems like there's nothing interesting to investigate about this lake. It's far too dangerous. We'd better leave quickly."

"Leave?"

Merlin's icy glare swept across Ernie and Watson, following which his tone became even more chilly, causing both of their hearts to tense up.

A slave possessed a slave's intuition. Wizards Ernie and Wizard Watson, upon receiving Merlin's frosty glare, dared not linger any longer. They hurriedly began to cast their Defensive spells, gnashed their teeth furiously, and flew toward the lake.

Nevertheless, as they reached the lakeside, they did not have the courage to fly in directly. Instead, they summoned a few alchemy puppets from their rings.

These alchemy puppets did not possess the slightest life force, and were only half-complete, and could not even be activated. However, they shared a common point, which was being made of extraordinary material. As a result, they were extremely durable and difficult to destroy, and their sturdiness was capable of withstanding the peak of a Sixth-level spell without being damaged.

With that, Ernie and Watson got ready to let the alchemy puppets to give it a try so that they could be better prepared.

"Go forth."

They flung the alchemy puppets with all their strength. In an instant, as soon as the alchemy puppets approached the overhead vicinity of the lake, they were immediately frozen and dropped from the sky.

"Crack crack."

The two alchemy puppets made of incomparably durable material was unable to defend against the freezing of the lake. They dropped from the air and instantly shattered into fragments.

Seeing that even the sturdy alchemy puppets could not withstand the power of this strange lake, Wizards Ernie and Watson turned green in the face. They looked toward Merlin.

However, Merlin still wore the same, cold expression, causing them to fall into supreme despair.

"D*mn it, why am I, Ernie, so unlucky? Never mind that I've met a Wizard who was so strong but he caused a such a mess. Although it's a lowly state to be a slave, there's still a day where I'll finally win back my freedom. Why did we have to encounter such a peculiar and dangerous place on our journey?"

Ernie was foul-mouthed and appeared very unwilling. Still, since they were already Merlin's slaves, they dared not disobey Merlin's commands, and could only put on a bold front as they slowly walked toward the lake.

"Whoosh."

By the time they had rushed to the center of the frozen lake, they had each cast their Defensive spells. The frigid cold conditions immediately assailed the surface of their bodies, freezing their Defensive spells in an instant.

Although their spells were not shattered for now, as the ice crystals thickened, they felt an increasing pressure as if their spells would fracture at any second.

Once their Defensive spells were shattered or they had exhausted their Magic Power, they would be not far from death, likely to end up like those ice sculptures on the frozen lake.

Merlin narrowed his eyes slightly. He was sensing the extreme chill of the lake, which only seemed to have absolute dominance over spells below the Seventh-level, freezing them instantly.

However, once it was a Seventh-level spell, the frigid cold conditions of the lake could not do much besides releasing a terrifying chill. This would freeze Wizard Ernie and Wizard Watson to death, and it was completely depleting their Magic Power.

Under the assault of the frigid chill, Wizards Ernie's and Watson's Magic Power was placed under a great strain. In a short moment, they would no longer be able to hold on, and the chill would invade their bodies, turning them into ice sculptures.

"The Seventh-level is the limit! The frigid chill of this frozen lake must be at its limit. Seventh-level spells can defeat it!"

Merlin glanced at Wizard Ernie and Watson who were casting spells in desperation, no longer calculating how much energy was being consumed. There were plenty of benefits in taking both on as slaves. At the very least, when they encountered future dangers, he could send them ahead to bear the brunt.

If they were in a perilous area, he could let them forge ahead. Merlin was able to save himself much trouble by having two slaves with such powerful abilities, and he did not have to take a risk.

Even if they were cannon fodders, Wizards Ernie and Watson were high-grade cannon fodders. They would not die so easily and could likewise bring Merlin plenty of benefits.

It was just like how they came across this mysterious lake this time around. Merlin did not need to risk himself to try it out for Ernie and Watson had already tested out the limit of the frigid chill of the frozen lake.

"Fiery Collapse!"

Since Merlin now knew the limit of the frigid chill of the frozen lake, he no longer hesitated. He raised a hand and pointed abruptly at the frozen lake. Instantly, in the air above the lake which was as spotlessly white as a mirror, dense pale white flames appeared and burned furiously.

"Boom!"

After Merlin had unleashed the flames, the entire frozen lake began to tremble violently as if a fearsome power had been residing in the frozen lake and was now gradually reviving.

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Chapter 413: The Ice Goddess!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The frozen lake was melting quickly, and a burst of "cracking" sounds rang out. Merlin immediately withdrew Fiery Collapse. Ernie and Watson retreated rapidly until they were far away from the frozen lake.

"Rumble."

The frozen lake was still swaying. The surface of the lake which was initially as glossy as a mirror began to split open as deep fissures appeared. A ferocious gust of chilly wind suddenly whistled from within, sweeping out from the cracks and gradually fading after it came out.

"There are stairs?"

Wizard Ernie suddenly pointed at the crack in the middle on the frozen lake. Indeed, a faintly discernibly flight of jade stairs could be seen in the crack.

"Master, there's something strange about this frozen lake. I've never heard of this in Subzero Snowfield. Who knows, it might have been left behind from a distant past. Since there are stairs, there must've been someone living there. Perhaps it was left behind by a powerful Spell Caster!"

As he spoke, Wizard Watson's eyes twinkled with enthusiasm. If it was left behind by some great Spell Casters, then it was an ancient monument. Although Subzero Snowfield was extremely barren, ancient monuments would occasionally appear. From these ancient monuments, they could obtain alchemy, spells or even precious Pandora Demon Abilities of the legends, greatly boosting the abilities of Spell Casters. This would happen from time to time.

Now that they were looking at such a peculiar frozen lake, with its flight of stairs, naturally, one could not help but think of an ancient monument.

"Both of you, walk ahead. Go in for a look first!"

Merlin seemed to have come to a decision and spoke to Wizards Watson and Ernie.

Wizards Ernie and Watson exchanged a glance in a powerless manner. They were being dispatched as cannon fodders once again, walking into the dangerous unknown of these stairs. No one knew what hazards they would encounter inside.

However, they were now Merlin's slaves. This was what they were supposed to do, and they were aware of this. Therefore, they began to heed Merlin's orders and slowly went down the stairs within the crack.

Merlin followed behind them both, gradually advancing toward the stairs. This flight of stairs was made of jade which looked magnificent, causing them to gasp in amazement!

Jade was enjoyed as an abundant output all over the world. Nonetheless, in terms of time period, there was no doubt that the era that cherished jade the most was the Molta Empire from three thousand and six hundred years ago.

During the era of the Molta Empire, regardless of whether it was the common folk, the aristocrats or great Spell Casters, they all had a great fondness of jade. Therefore, there were traces of jade everywhere.

However, to be as extravagant as to use jade to build stairs was rarely seen. Most Spell Casters would not have been able to accomplish this.

If this ancient monument was truly left behind from the era of the Molta Empire, it must have been an extremely powerful Spell Caster – a Great Wizard at least – who was able to be extravagant enough to use jade to build stairs.

Merlin counted – this flight of stairs consisted of around three hundred and sixty-five blocks of jade. It was a rough allusion to the number of days in a year. This was definitely not a coincidence. After descending the stairs, they found an extended passage. What astonished them was that in the passage, regardless of whether it was the floor tiles or the two walls and ceilings of the passage, everything was paved with jade.

This was basically a world of jade. It was enough to show that the previous master of this place was very fond of jade.

"Master, the end is just up ahead, and there's only a jade door!"

Wizard Ernie had stopped in his steps. During this period, they had vigilantly observed all their surroundings. No one knew what sort of dangers lay hidden in the ancient monument.

Nonetheless, it looked like they still had not met any dangers, only a jade door. This door was blocking their path, and they could only move ahead by opening the door.

"Break down the jade door by force."

Merlin instructed Wizards Ernie and Watson. This jade door did not appear very strong, and brute force should be enough to break it open.

Wizard Ernie drew in a deep breath, and intense Elemental fluctuations appeared around his body.

"Whiz."

An ice spear consolidated from ice crystals appeared in an instant, after which it whistled through the air, flying viciously toward the jade door.

"Rumble."

There was a deafening crash. Ernie's Seventh-level Ice-type spell had countless permutations and could be unleashed in various forms but with more or less the same power. Still, it was unable to shift the door.

"Master, this jade door is far too solid and durable. I can't get it open!"

Wizard Ernie was somewhat flustered. He was a majestic Seventh-level Spell Caster, yet now he was incapable of opening a jade door.

Merlin had been observing the changes in the door. From the moment Wizard Ernie had cast his spells, mysterious runes had, in fact, emerged on the surface of the jade door.

However, these runes were very obscured, and their color was not that different from jade, which was concealed on its surface. If Merlin had not scrutinized it, not even his Mind Power would detect anything out of the ordinary.

"It must mean something. So, it's runes?"

In the past, Merlin did not understand runes, and would not have been able to decipher even a crude Runic Magic Circle. Nevertheless, with the Runic Heartprint now, no runes could mystify him.

"Swoosh."

The Runic Heartprint between Merlin's brow flickered faintly, and streams of light engulfed Merlin's eyes. This was the power of the Runic Heartprint. As long as it was runes, it could not escape the screening of the Runic Heartprint.

As expected, following Merlin's use of the Runic Heartprint, the Runic Magic Circle on the jade door was discerned clearly by Merlin. This was an extremely mighty and complicated Runic Magic Circle.

If one was using brute force, never mind Seventh-level spells, not even Eight-level spells could break it open.

The only exception was a special Pandora Demon Ability such as Merlin's Darkness Eye and Kleis' Spatial Blade. The fourth form would need to be unleashed or it needed a Ninth-level Spell Caster to forcibly break the door down.

Nonetheless, it was naturally not that troublesome for Merlin. He did not need to force it open because it was a Runic Magic Circle on the jade door. Merlin could use a corresponding Runic Magic Circle to break it open in a precise manner.

"Whoosh."

A beam of light flew from Merlin's forehead. Merlin pressed down firmly with his left hand between his brows. The Runic Heartprint was throbbing faintly, and mysterious runes accompanied the light.

These mysterious runes rapidly flew to the surface of the door. Following that, the jade door quaked slightly. Merlin, using the Runic Heartprint, could clearly perceive that the runes concealed within the door were gradually dismantled.

As soon as the strength of the Runic Magic Circle had vanished completely, the jade door began to slowly swing open.

The jade door gradually opened to reveal a hall which seemed to come from a dream world. This great hall was extremely spacious, and the floor was paved with the most exquisite emerald jade. There were also a few massive pillars that were likewise carved from jade. These were made entirely from jade and were not merely inlaid with jade on the surface.

This was a genuine world of jade. It was the first time Merlin had witnessed such an opulent place!

"Tss."

As soon as they entered the great hall where everyone was stunned to their core, they could not hold back a cold shiver. This was uncommon indeed. It should be known that they had cast their Defensive spells. What sort of extreme chill was able to make them incomparably cold in these circumstances?

Their gazes roved around in all directions. In the front of the hall, they saw a wide jade bed, and on this bed lay a bare, naked woman.

This woman who was completely bare and naked was at the peak of beauty. Her face was serene, and her eyes were shut, just like a sleeping beauty. It was the first time Merlin had seen such delicate features.

Regardless of whether it was Avril or Charise, there were more or less a few flaws, spoiling their aesthetic looks. Still, this was what they possessed as real humans, and was extremely normal.

However, the naked woman lying on the bed before his eyes was perfect from head to toe, without the slightest flaw. It was impossible for a person who was so flawless to exist.

Moreover, although the woman's body was completely bare, it aroused neither lust nor longing. Conversely, there was a sense of holy purity as if one should prostrate oneself in worship.

"The Ice Goddess!"

Suddenly, a fine light shone in Wizard Ernie's eyes, and he seemed to tremble all over.

"Eh? Wizard Ernie, do you recognize this woman?" Merlin looked at Wizard Ernie in suspicion. This aged Wizard's personality was similar to Bammou's but Wizard Ernie was bolder. In order to survive, he had now thoroughly cast aside the pride of being a Seventh-level Spell Caster, obeying Merlin's every word.

Obviously moved, Wizard Ernie replied, "Exactly, Master, I know this woman. In other words, I've seen her statue before. Master must know that before the era of the Molta Empire, besides Spell Casters, there were also powerful gods. These gods were the sole, true rulers of heaven and earth. Normies and Spell Casters shared a similar position, being controlled by the gods.

"However, following the subsequent founding of the Molta Empire, Great Wizards showed up one after another among Spell Casters. Spell Casters entered their most glorious age, and there were even Legendary Wizards who were able to kill gods! Especially those Honored Legends – they were even more powerful and scary, leading Great Wizards to wipe out and suppress countless gods, then banishing many of them. In the end, they've won the glory of Spell Casters!

"As for the appearance of this woman, it's the same as one of the many gods I've seen before in an ancient book. She's called the Ice Goddess, who controls ice and frost, and she's in Thule! We're in Subzero Snowfield – is that not in Thule?"

Wizard Ernie seemed rather worked up. He had never thought that he would be able to see one of the gods who had been killed, suppressed, or sent into exile by Great Wizards in the legends!

Gods and Spell Casters were completely different. If a god was said to be innately powerful, possessing great strengths from birth, then their chances of growing stronger in the future were far too slim. The only way for these countless gods to advance was to absorb the faith of living creatures. From there, they received and relied upon the power of faith. These gods were truly immortal, and could gradually increase their strength over a thousand years, ten thousand or even longer.

However, Spell Casters were different. A genius Spell Caster could become a Great Wizard in over a decade, and there were even those who could form a Maxim and become a Great Legend in a mere twenty years!

Gods and Legends were more or less the same. The gods' greatest ability was their absolute control over Elements. This was an innate gift, so when faced with Spell Casters below the level of Legend, the gods had an overwhelming advantage.

However, once a Spell Caster had become a Legend and consolidated their own Maxim, they gained the ability to contend against a god. A Maxim controlled the Elements as well, and its command of Elements was equally matched to a god's.

The most formidable Legendary Wizards' mastery over a particular Element was even more terrifying than these natural gods', and they were able to easily kill most gods. Legendary Wizards like these were named Honored Legends!

Back when Merlin had been in the Ship of Nikola and obtained the Flame Maxim, only then did he gain a simple understanding of the relationship between gods and Spell Casters. However, even then, he had not seen a god with his own eyes.

Now, the legendary god – the Ice Goddess – was silently lying on the jade bed in a serene and tranquil manner!

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Chapter 414: The Legend of Ice

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The Ice Goddess laid so quietly on the jade bed as if she was in a peaceful sleep. Wizard Ernie, Wizard Watson, and Merlin were even holding their breaths but none of them dared to take a step forward.

Besides this mysterious Ice Goddess, there was an unseen pressure stemming from the mass of light as pure white as ice crystals, above the Ice Goddess.

The light emitted an intangible force as well as an incomparable chill. Boundless Ice Element seemed to be suppressed under this ball of light.

The pressure coming from the ball of light filled the entire sumptuous hall to the point where even the Ice Goddess's bare and naked body seemed to pale in comparison before this ball of light.

"What is this really?"

Wizard Ernie did not know what this ball of light was but since it appeared before the Ice Goddess, it was obviously closely linked to the Ice Goddess.

It was just that Wizard Ernie and Wizard Watson did not know what that connection really was. Conversely, it was Merlin whose eyes suddenly sharpened as a realization swelled up and stormed his thoughts.

Maxim, it was a Maxim! Only Legendary Wizards could create a Maxim. As Merlin possessed a Flame Maxim in his Awareness, he could be said to be familiar with Maxims.

The ball of light before their eyes was giving off a force that was even more fearsome than the Flame Maxim had been. It must be a very powerful Maxim. Furthermore, its purpose was clear too, which was too suppress this bare and naked Ice Goddess.

In the area where the Ice Goddess dwelled, a part of the strength of the Maxim had in fact completely isolated her from the external world, preventing contact from anyone. That mysterious ball of Maxim had confined the Ice Goddess here.

A Legend who could suppress a god must be very formidable. The Legend Nikola could only compare to the gods. It was difficult for natural gods to increase their strength, and they were often incapable of progressing one step even in a billion years. However, if they enjoyed the faith of many living beings and gathered the power of faith, their divinity was consolidated.

The stronger their divinity, the more they were immortal. A god with divinity would never die. This was the true reason they were so difficult to deal with. Therefore, when the Spell Casters seized the chance to rise, they had merely banished most of the gods instead of killing them thoroughly. This was because natural gods, especially those who possessed divinity, was near impossible to kill.

The Ice Goddess before them must also be a god with divinity. Otherwise, that Great Legendary Wizard would not have confined her here.

Naturally, Merlin was not looking at the Ice Goddess but the mysterious Maxim. He did not think that he would stumble across a Maxim by chance, and one which was far stronger than the Maxim the Legend Nikola had left behind.

Merlin had an intense desire for Maxims now. With a Maxim, even if he was not able to control it, it would still supply the Matrix with energy, following which Merlin could derive new Fourth-level and even Fifth-level spells.

However, as he looked at the white expanse of the Maxim, and the Ice Goddess suppressed beneath it, his face shifted uncertainly for he felt a vague sense of danger in his gut.

"Watson!"

Merlin flashed his gaze at Wizard Watson.

Wizard Watson slightly turned blank, following which his face took on a pained expression. Merlin had asked for him, surely for something unpleasant. Nevertheless, he was now Merlin's slave and was completely powerless. He could only respectfully arrive at Merlin's side.

"Master, what are your orders?"

"Go and take a look in front of the Ice Goddess, and see what danger is there?"

Merlin bluntly ordered Wizard Watson to test out for any danger. However, this blatant use of Wizard Watson as a cannon fodder resulted in the change on Wizard Watson's expression where it darkened slightly.

Wizard Ernie was somewhat rejoicing. It was a good thing he was usually more quick-witted and had always carried out Merlin's orders in a thorough manner. Thus, now that they had encountered such danger, he dodged a bullet at last, and it was Wizard Watson who was sent ahead to scout.

Although Wizard Watson was reluctant, he could do nothing else. He could not disobey Merlin's order for Merlin, who had the slave contract in his grasp, was in control of his everything!

"Whoosh."

Watson clenched his jaw and directly transformed into a light wind. Instantly, he dashed toward the Ice Goddess. The wind whistled and blustered, appearing rather mighty.

If there were any Runic Magic Circles or anything of that sort, it would have been triggered. However, even after this enormous gale, there did not seem to be any Runic Magic Circle.

Wizard Watson felt a rush of gleeful relief. It looked like there was no danger, so he heaved a sigh of relief and prepared to stop. Just then, a figure gradually projected from the white ball of light hovering over the Ice Goddess.

This figure was dressed in a long white Wizard robe, and he looked to be full of a noble presence. The instant he appeared, the entire hall seemed to dim in comparison.

Wizard Watson was slightly shocked and hurriedly retreated, staring at the projection in alarm.

At this point, the projection began to speak slowly, "I wonder which Wizard had stumbled across the Sealed Site? This is the forbidden area where I had spent immense effort, through great difficulty, to suppress the Ice Goddess! The Ice Goddess has plenty of believers in Thule, and through the constant accumulation of hundreds and thousands of years, her divinity was unparalleled in strength. There was no way to kill her completely. Thus, I could only create a Maxim and confine her here forever. In the future, when no one believes in her anymore, her divinity will fade day by day before finally vanishing completely, and she would die naturally.

"The Ice Goddess is extremely powerful, so leave quickly!"

As soon as the projection finished speaking, it quickly dissipated as if it had never emerged.

Only Wizard Ernie and Wizard Watson were left, staring dumbly at the ball of light in mid-air. They knew nothing about Legendary Wizards, and were not even clear about what a Maxim was. After all, after Spell Casters had enjoyed their most glorious era, they had quickly deteriorated, and many inheritances were buried in the long river of time.

"Leave?"

A cold smirk tugged at the corner of Merlin's mouth. He had come across a Maxim after much difficulty. How could he possibly let it go so easily? As for the powerful Ice Goddess, she would be terrifying if she awakened. However, it had been a few thousand years, and even Thule had been turned into the current Subzero Snowfield. There were no Normies at all, so how could there be people who believed in the Ice Goddess?

After such a long period without followers, the Ice Goddess' divinity had vanished long ago. The current Ice Goddess did not have a single ounce of life force in her. Evidently, this was simply a corpse, and the god, who had once caused endless headaches to a Great Legend, was long dead.

Therefore, even if Merlin seized the Maxim, the Ice Goddess would not revive.

When Merlin had obtained the Legend Nikola's Maxim, he had received some memories as well. Therefore, he had a basic understanding of natural gods and Legendary Wizards.

Although Merlin was not worried about the revival of the Ice Goddess, taking the Maxim was another problem. Back then, the Flame Maxim had been purposefully left behind by the Legend Nikola to be given to the Spell Caster who could clear the obstacles.

Thus, Merlin was able to smoothly absorb the Flame Maxim. It was not because Merlin was that special, just that the Legend Nikola had considered the matter when he left the Maxim.

However, this Maxim was different. It was used purely to suppress the Ice Goddess and was full of a frantic, powerful force. It would be exceedingly difficult for Merlin to absorb this.

Moreover, this Maxim was many times stronger than the Flame Maxim left behind by the Legend Nikola. Merlin had no absolute assurance of the outcome.

Nevertheless, no matter what, Merlin must give it a shot. After all, he had a daring vision. If he wanted to continue deriving new Fourth-level, Fifth-level, and even Sixth-level spells, he could not do without powerful Maxims to supply the Matrix with energy.

However, Maxims were incomparably precious. Now that he had come so far, it was hard to say if he would find another Maxim in the future.

"Both of you, stand guard outside the door, and don't let anyone in!"

Merlin said to Ernie and Watson in an icy tone.

Ernie and Watson exchanged a doubtful glance but they did not dare disobey an order from Merlin. Even though they were now curious about the Ice Goddess and the Maxim, they had to leave the hall and retreat to the doorway, helping Merlin to guard the door.

"Maxim!"

Merlin drew in a deep breath and fixed his determined eyes upon the mysterious Maxim hovering above the Ice Goddess. Following which, in one big stride, he came before the Maxim.

By this point, he was able to clearly see the features of the Ice Goddess. She was perfect indeed without any flaw. It was just that ordinary humans could never be perfect, and even the powerful Legendary Wizards were not perfect.

Only natural gods could look so perfect because they were the darlings of heaven and earth. Therefore, they could become gods, and were perfect from birth, far above the rest. Still, it was not necessarily a good thing. For one, it was far too challenging for them to level up to the extent that they were finally surpassed by Spell Casters on all fronts.

Merlin did not pay any more attention to the Ice Goddess suppressed on the jade bed but reached out a big hand and immediately grasped that enigmatic Maxim.

"Crack."

As he was holding the Maxim, Merlin learned that this was an Ice Maxim. Not all Legendary Wizards would have been able to use an Ice Maxim to suppress the Ice Goddess who had complete control over Ice Element.

To be able to completely transcend a natural god in terms of controlling an Element – only Great Honored Legends could do so! The Ice Maxim before him could be used to suppress the Ice Goddess, which meant that the master of the Maxim was the Great Legend of Ice!

"So, it's a Maxim left behind by the Great Legend of Ice!"

Merlin was blown away. Honored Legends were extremely powerful. If most Legends were able to contend against gods, then Honored Legends were totally able to vanquish and suppress natural gods.

In the Spell Casters' most glorious era – the Legend of Darkness, the Legend of Fire, the Legend of Ice, and so on – were among the greatest Spell Casters, leading countless formidable Wizards to banish numerous gods. In this manner, the Spell Casters' most glorious era was achieved!

However, Merlin did not think too much of it in the present. The moment he grabbed the Ice Maxim, his entire body seemed to become frozen. It was a feeling that was countless times more terrifying than any attacks from Ice-type spells he had experienced in the past.

Merlin could even sense that his thoughts were freezing up in that instant!

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Chapter 415: Seizing the Maxim

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The power of the Ice Maxim exceeded Merlin's expectations. The very moment his hand wrapped around the Ice Maxim, everything seemed to come to a complete stop.

If he was an ordinary person, it would be futile to even attempt to seize the Maxim as it would be a suicide mission. Even without anyone's control, the Maxim contained insurmountable power. The fact that this Maxim was strong enough to suppress the Ice Goddess for thousands of years by itself, was a testament to its power.

Moreover, an Honored Legend's Maxim was not the same as ordinary Maxims. In order for a Spell Caster to be known as an Honored Legend, he must first be able to produce an ultimate Maxim, namely the strongest Maxim of one of the elements!

Only after producing an ultimate Maxim, the Spell Caster was worthy to become an Honored Legend. This also meant that their ability to control the particular element had surpassed the gods.

This Ice Maxim was one of those ultimate Maxims. When Merlin took the risk to seize the Maxim, he was immediately attacked by it. His entire body became frozen, and all the power of the Maxim shifted to suppress Merlin.

The Ice Goddess' body, on the other hand, without the suppression of the Ice Maxim, swiftly decomposed and eventually turned into dust scattered across the jade bed.

Just as Merlin had predicted, the Ice Goddess had long since lost her divinity, and was nothing but an ice-cold corpse that had died a long time ago.

Once the Ice Maxim ceased its suppression, the corpse began to decompose and turned into dust.

Merlin did not pay any attention to the disappearance of the Ice Goddess as he was in a rough spot himself. He had fallen into a grave situation. The power of the Ice Maxim was too overwhelming, so all his strength and abilities were rendered useless in an instant.

"Hum hum."

Finally, the Flame Maxim inside Merlin's body flickered to life. Sensing the suppression of the Ice Maxim, the Flame Maxim leapt up with urgency.

A blazing heat spread rapidly all over Merlin's body. Two auras – one hot and one cold – began to struggle for dominance inside his body.

Merlin regained his consciousness but his heart was filled with fear. Losing his consciousness for a split second earlier was like a nightmare. He knew that if the Flame Maxim had not been there, he would have been suppressed by the Ice Maxim forever.

This time, it had been too risky for him to rush into seizing the Ice Maxim! It was a completely different experience from receiving the Flame Maxim. Although the Fire Maxim was also uncontrollable by Merlin, it was intended by the Legend Nikola as a reward for any Spell Caster who had successfully defeated the challenge. Therefore, despite Merlin being unable to control the Flame Maxim, it still would not cause him any harm.

On the contrary, the Ice Maxim was originally intended to suppress the Ice Goddess hence, its strongest power was suppression. Regardless of what it encountered, it would suppress it to the best of its ability.

Right now, the Ice Maxim was doing exactly that, which was using all its power to suppress the Flame Maxim. Once the Flame Maxim was completely suppressed, Merlin would be suppressed as well.

An Honored Legend's ultimate Maxim naturally had extraordinary powers that far outstripped the Flame Maxim's. Even right now, Merlin could feel that the Ice Maxim had occupied most of his body in addition to penetrating his Awareness and "suppressing" the Flame Maxim.

The Flame Maxim too, was in an unstable state as if it would disappear any time soon.

Once Merlin regained consciousness, he realized the danger he was in. Despite the fear in his heart, he held no regrets. He already had a plan in his mind so he grunted. "Matrix, derive Fourth-level Thunder-type spells!"

This was Merlin's plan all along. As long as he could introduce the Ice Maxim into his Awareness, he could activate the Matrix. After some strange transformation, the Matrix appeared to be able to absorb the power of Maxims to derive new spells.

Merlin's intention of seizing the Ice Maxim was not to control it. A powerful Maxim like this, if it was not specifically produced with the intention to be absorbed by another, even a Great Wizard would not be able to control it.

Thus, Merlin did not even consider controlling the Ice Maxim. All he wanted was to provide raw power for the Matrix to derive spells. The Flame Maxim had almost been exhausted and Merlin did not want to consume it anymore, so when he encountered the Ice Maxim, it was an opportunity he simply could not miss.

Nevertheless, whether or not this plan of Merlin's would be successful was contingent on the ability of the Matrix to absorb the power of the Ice Maxim to derive new spells.

"Beep. Derivation successful. A total of two hundred and eighty-six Fourth-level Thunder-type spells have been derived!"

Upon hearing the beep from the Matrix, Merlin was ecstatic. This meant that his plan had worked, and the Matrix was able to absorb the power of the Ice Maxim to derive new spells.

Merlin carefully inspected the Ice Maxim and sure enough, it had diminished slightly though the difference was not very noticeable. After all, the Ice Maxim was far more powerful than the Flame Maxim.

However, this was just the beginning. The Ice Maxim was still very powerful, so Merlin would need to consume larger amounts of its power.

"Matrix, derive new Fourth-level Ice-type spells!"

This was already the last of Merlin's Fourth-level spells. Once he had derived all the spells, then he only had to wait until his Mind Power achieved the Sixth-level, construct the last two Fourth-level spells, and voila, he would become a Fourth-level Wizard!

The Ice Maxim diminished a little more but still, it was not noticeable. Merlin took a deep breath. He had to quickly exhaust the Ice Maxim in one swoop. Otherwise, it would remain in his Awareness and could not be controlled. It was a huge ticking time-bomb!

"Matrix, derive Fifth-level Darkness-type spells!"

"Matrix, derive Fifth-level Fire-type spells!"

…

Merlin activated the Matrix and began to derive Fifth-level spells one after another. The power required to derive Fifth-level spells, of course, exceeded the power required to derive Fourth-level spells. Therefore, with every successful derivation of Fifth-level spells, the size of the Ice Maxim diminished at a speed visible even to a naked eye.

"Thud."

Finally, after deriving four types of Fifth-level spells namely Darkness-type, Fire-type, Earth-type, and Wind-type spells, Merlin stopped the Matrix.

The Ice Maxim had diminished from the size of a fist to the size of a fingernail. At this stage, the Flame Maxim was also barely able to balance out the power of the Ice Maxim.

Additionally, with the intervention of Merlin's Mind Power, the Flame Maxim also managed to suppress the now-diminished Ice Maxim.

Merlin did not fully exhaust the Ice Maxim. After all, it was still a Maxim. Moreover, it a Maxim which belonged to the Great Legend of Ice. Merlin was sure that it possessed some unique characteristics and would be of great help for his Ice-type spells.

Of course, the most important reason was because Merlin wanted to obtain the memory fragments from the Ice Maxim. Every Maxim carried some memory fragments from its Spell Caster.

The Flame Maxim from the Legend Nikola also carried some memories with it. The greater the size of the Maxims, the more complete the memory would be. Otherwise, they would just be disjointed memory fragments.

However, in Merlin's case, he merely wanted to understand some of these memories, so even the memory fragments were sufficient.

Thus, Merlin quickly extended his Mind Power into the Ice Maxim.

"Boom."

There was tremendous aura that gave people a shudder. In the memory, Merlin "saw" an almost perfect woman standing in the midst of a snowstorm, like the holiest of all goddesses. It was none other than the Ice Goddess.

Around the Ice Goddess, there seemed to be many other gods surrounding her. They protected the Ice Goddess in the middle as she was the most powerful god in Thule and also kept a large group of gods under her command.

Whereas in front of the Ice Goddess, stood a tight pack of ordinary-looking Spell Casters. These were Great Wizards, and they stood so tightly packed that even at a single glance, there were more than a hundred of them gathered together.

Merlin felt extremely shaken to the core. If the number of Great Wizards alone were already more than a hundred, he could not imagine how impressive the Spell Casters were during the golden age of Spell Casters. This was just the tip of the iceberg. It was not surprising that the Spell Casters managed to exile even the most powerful gods.

This scene was obviously from the fateful day three thousand and six hundred years ago when the Spell Casters and the gods went to war with each other. Under the leadership of the Great Legendary Wizard, the Spell Casters had fought against countless gods.

In the end, they managed to kill, suppress, and exile most of the gods, subsequently securing the respectable leadership position for the Spell Casters.

The Ice Goddess, too, must have been suppressed by the Legend of Ice for this reason until thousands of years had passed and her divinity diminished away, then the Ice Goddess was truly dead.

The scene changed, and a gigantic palm appeared in the sky. This gigantic palm descended from the sky like a country. Inside, infinite Ice Elements transformed into several huge dragons and swallowed all the gods.

Even the Ice Goddess was unable to control the Ice Elements from this country because the ultimate Maxim was controlled by the Legend of Ice!

Although the Ice Goddess was powerful, her control over the Ice Elements was far from the Legend of Ice, who possessed the power of its ultimate Maxim. Therefore, once the Legend of Ice attacked, she could not resist and was subsequently suppressed.

However, due to the continuous worship from her numerous believers in Thule over thousands of years, the level of divinity attained by the Ice Goddess was so incomparably powerful that it was impossible for the Great Legend of Ice to kill her. All he could do was produce an ultimate Maxim to suppress her for an indefinitely long period of time to rid her of the divinity.

These memory fragments were from the Ice Maxim the size of a fingernail, so the memories were extremely scattered and disjointed. It was Merlin who organized them and arrived at the conclusion. Nevertheless, Merlin's focus was not on the war between the Spell Casters and the gods because it was already a common mention in most ancient books where they contained information of Great Legendary Wizards who led the Spell Casters to exile the gods.

Merlin was more interested about the tiny memory fragment in the Ice Maxim that described the powerful tactics used by the Legend of Ice to suppress the Ice Goddess. Other than the power of the ultimate Maxim, there was a Glacier Country that descended from the sky and enveloped all the gods!

"Glacier Country, a special Pandora Demon Ability!"

Merlin mumbled softly, his eyes sparkling with excitement. Glacier Country was like Darkness Eye where both of them were special Pandora Demon Abilities. Since Glacial Country was invented by the Legend of Ice, its memory was deeply weaved into every strand of his Maxim.

Therefore, even a single strand of the Ice Maxim contained a complete memory of Glacial Country. Merlin had braved a huge risk to seize the Ice Maxim but now he was about to reap its benefits. He quickly immersed himself into the memory of Glacier Country and investigated the cultivation methods of this special Pandora Demon Ability.

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Chapter 416: The Frost Lord I

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Seven forms!"

Merlin swiftly immersed himself in the cultivation methods of Glacier Country. The first message he deciphered was that Glacier Country had a total of seven forms. This was considered very powerful among special Pandora Demon Abilities.

Similar to Kleis' Spatial Blade and Wizard Leo's Darkness Eye, these were all special Pandora Demon Abilities with seven forms, so they were considered highly powerful. Naturally, the special Pandora Demon Ability Glacial Country invented by the Great Legend of Ice also had seven forms and was just as powerful as Darkness Eye and Spatial Blade.

Nevertheless, in order to complement its powerful abilities, the cultivation method of Glacier Country was also extraordinarily challenging. Furthermore, Merlin had never cultivated any special Pandora Demon Abilities. Even Darkness Eye was passed down to him by Wizard Leo, so he had no inkling of how challenging it would be to cultivate a special Pandora Demon Ability.

First and foremost, Glacier Country required Ice-type spells – that much was certain. Whether it was Darkness Eye or Spatial Blade, even if they did not require specific spells, the ability to construct spells was a must.

( ) As a Six-Elemental Spell Caster, Merlin of course also constructed Ice-level spells but this was merely the most basic prerequisite for cultivating Glacier Country. There was an even more onerous requirement, which was a physical transformation.

This was the most important requirement of all because once Glacier Country descended, it would be nothing short of a freezing arctic, and the conditions would be frigid. If a Spell Caster's body was unable to withstand such frigid conditions, it would be impossible to wield Glacier Country.

Physical transformation was the most arduous challenge for Spell Casters because their bodies were usually their weakest trait.

Seeing that cultivating Glacier Country required physical transformation, Merlin thought about Wizard Leo. He wondered back when Wizard Leo cultivated Darkness Eye, was it the need for physical transformation that made him dig out his eyes?

What about Kleis? Did he also undergo some special physical transformation in order to cultivate Spatial Blade? Otherwise, the act of slipping through space and slashing space with his bare hands were definitely not feats achievable by the weak physiques of Spell Casters.

The more Merlin dwelled on the question, the more he became certain of his inference. Every Spell Caster who cultivated a special Pandora Demon Ability had to undergo a physical transformation or else it was impossible to cultivate a special Pandora Demon Ability.

( ) Neither constructing spells nor cultivating ordinary fusion Pandora Demon Abilities imposed any physical requirement on the body. On the other hand, cultivating a special Pandora Demon Ability demanded great physical requirements from the body. The only reason Merlin managed to wield Darkness Eye so easily was owed to the fact that Wizard Leo had passed it to him directly.

If that was not the case, it was difficult to determine whether Merlin might have been able to cultivate Darkness Eye.

The foremost requirement of Glacier Country was a physical transformation, which involved immersing the body in frigid cold conditions so that it would be able to withstand the invasion of Ice Elements.

Moreover, the colder the environment that was being immersed, the more effective it would be toward cultivating Glacier Country. Merlin's ring did, in fact, contained a thousand years' ice bone marrow which he kept for the purpose of cultivating the second form of Glacial Finger. Since he already gave up on Glacial Finger, he no longer had any use for this thousand years' ice bone marrow.

However, the amount of this thousand years' ice bone marrow was simply too little so it would not suffice for Merlin to undergo a physical transformation.

In fact, cultivating a special Pandora Demon Ability was incredibly difficult, and the success rate was only one out of ten attempts. The first challenge, namely the physical transformation, was enough to fail countless Spell Casters. This was because only a very small handful of Spell Casters would be able to persevere through the physical transformation.

Darkness Eye, for example, perhaps did not require such drastic physical transformation but once cultivated, the Spell Caster would need to be constantly vigilant for its backlash. On the other hand, Glacier Country did not contain a large amount of backlash but imposed stringent physical requirements. Only after the physical transformation was successfully completed, the danger of cultivating Glacier Country would be reduced.

However, the transformation process would be akin to hanging a millstone against one's neck. Due to the inherently weak bodies of average Spell Casters, without the protection of spells, even the slightest chill might not be bearable for their bodies.

However, Merlin was not just an ordinary Spell Caster. He had practiced the mysterious postures of the relief structures, so his physical condition was very strong. Hence, he was relatively confident about attempting the physical transformation.

Thinking along these lines, Merlin withdrew himself from the memory fragments of the Ice Maxim and looked around. He was still in the magnificent great hall built from jade.

The only difference was that the naked body of the Ice Goddess on the huge jade bed had disappeared. This was because when Merlin seized the Ice Maxim, her corpse had decomposed and turned into dust, and was scattered by the wind.

On the jade bed, Merlin only saw an exquisite white gold pendant which was previously worn by the Ice Goddess on her chest. Initially, he thought that it was just an ordinary ornament but the Ice Goddess' body as well as all the other items had turned into dust and disappeared except for this pendant, which was still intact without blemish.

This proved that the white gold pendant was extraordinary!

Merlin stretched out his hand and grabbed the white gold pendant. The moment the pendant touched his hand, Merlin felt a cold aura gradually permeate into his body, and concentrated Ice Elements immediately gathered around the pendant.

"Hmm. Besides speeding up the formation of Ice Elements, it also gradually improves the body's condition to allow it to bond better with Ice Elements!"

Merlin's heart was filled with delight. This pendant was perfect for his current situation. In order to cultivate Glacier Country, he first had to undergo a physical transformation so that his body could endure frigid cold conditions.

Right now, this white gold pendant would help him slowly improve his physical form as well as increase his affinity to Ice Elements. While these features might not have any immediate benefits, over a long period of time, they would be extremely helpful for him to train his body to withstand frigid conditions in the future.

This pendant was called the Goddess' Blessing, and was originally made by the Ice Goddess to be given to her believers. After she was suppressed by the Legend of Ice, this pendant was all that was left.

Merlin hung the Goddess' Blessing on his neck and took a deep breath, then exited the magnificent great hall.

Outside the great hall, Wizards Ernie and Watson were waiting anxiously, eager to see what was happening inside. Neither the Ice Goddess nor the mysterious ball of light was a sight that they had ever witnessed with their eyes.

Nevertheless, they were Merlin's slaves, so they did not dare disobey his orders. They could only hold back their curiosity and stand guard outside the great hall.

"Master!"

Upon seeing Merlin, their spirits rose.

"Let's go, this place is going to collapse soon."

Merlin did not even turn back as he headed straight for the exit, leaving a stunned Watson and Ernie staring at his back.

"Going to collapse?"

They did not believe that this mysterious place was about to collapse but just as Merlin's words fell, the entire passage began to shake violently. The magnificent great hall rapidly collapsed, and large chunks of rocks were about to fall on them.

Wizards Ernie and Watson were astounded. It looked like Merlin's words were not to be taken lightly. This place was indeed about to collapse soon, so they hurriedly followed him.

"Rumble rumble."

When Merlin, Ernie, and Watson walked out of the mysterious underground passage and returned to the frozen lake, the entire lake began to thaw.

Thick layers of ice began to rapidly break apart and melted into a large river. Previously, the river water had been frozen solid and, thus, was not flowing. At this moment, following the massive cracks in the ice layers, the frost began to melt and rapidly converged into a strong gush of water, running downstream, forming a real, flowing river.

Merlin had already anticipated this transformation. When the Legend of Ice used the Ice Maxim to suppress the Ice Goddess at the bottom of the lake, her natural affinity toward the Ice Elements as well as the powerful Ice Maxim attracted Ice Elements to the lake. Gradually, the lake surface froze and turned into the mysterious frozen lake.

Moreover, following the passage of time, the Ice Maxim at the bottom of the lake might have leaked some of its powers, therefore causing all kinds of strange and bizarre occurrences around the lake.

Now that Merlin had seized the Ice Maxim, and the Ice Goddess was irrevocably dead, the mysterious frozen lake would naturally cease to exist. Instead, in its place, was just a plain, ordinary river.

Seeing the transformation of the mysterious frozen lake take place in the blink of an eye, Wizard Ernie and Wizard Watson exchanged a look. They knew that Merlin must have done something inside the great hall to trigger this transformation.

Nonetheless, despite their envy, they did not dare to conceive any ill-intention toward Merlin. As his slaves, their lives were completely in Merlin's grasp.

"Master, are we going to continue the journey?"

Ernie asked cautiously. Previously, they were heading toward Ernie's residence but had come across this mysterious frozen lake on the way there. As a result, Merlin obtained an unexpected find.

Merlin did not answer immediately. Instead, he asked Ernie and Watson, "In Subzero Snowfield, is there some item or place that can improve a Spell Caster's physique in order to be able to withstand the invasion of frigid blasts?"

"Improve physique? Withstand the cold invasion?"

Wizard Ernie and Wizard Watson bobbed their head in unison. "There's only one place with that effect. It's the Frost Pond belonging to the Frost Lord!"

"The Frost Lord?"

Merlin's eyes frowned slightly. This moniker was quite unique, and it was the first time he heard of it. The moniker also did not sound like it belonged to a Spell Caster.

"Who's the Frost Lord? What's the Frost Pond?"

Following Merlin's inquiries, Watson and Ernie explained in detail.

The Frost Lord was indeed not a Spell Caster but had evolved from a snow sprite with thousands of years of experience. Its abilities were unfathomable. Some said it was on par with a Seventh-level Spell Caster while others said it was comparable to an Eighth- or Ninth-level Spell Caster.

Regardless, the Frost Lord was extremely mysterious and powerful. Although most Spell Casters knew that the Frost Lord was only a snow sprite, none of them dared to offend the Frost Lord.

Therefore, the Frost Lord designated an area where various types of snow sprites could inhabit freely. Some Spell Casters who were favored by the Frost Lord were also able to enter this strange area.

As for the Frost Pond, it was built by the Frost Lord over a long period of time. According to rumors, the Frost Pond could be used to nurture some of the snow sprites. Additionally, Spell Casters who were favored upon by the Frost Lord could also enter the Frost Pond. Once baptized, it would instantly improve one's physique, and increase one's affinity with Ice Elements to beyond imaginable levels.

As a result, the power level of Ice-type spells would increase many folds.

"The Frost Pond actually has such a unique effect. Very well, I'm going to visit the Frost Lord!"

Once Merlin learned the information about the Frost Lord, he could not wait to get going. If the Frost Pond truly had that rumored effect, then he had a very high chance of cultivating Glacier Country!

Naturally, Merlin did not want to miss this opportunity. Therefore, leading two thoroughly confused slaves Ernie and Watson, he flew swiftly toward the Frost Lord's designated area.

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Chapter 417: The Frost Lord II

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

A heavy snowfall had just lifted and the sky turned azure blue. From the clear skies, warm sunlight shone on the entire Subzero Snowfield.

Nestled in the icy depths of the snow-capped mountains, stood a majestic palace complex. At this moment, several snow sprites were flying toward one of the palaces.

From a distance, a few Spell Casters gazed wistfully at the scene. "There're so many snow sprites. Tsk tsk. Besides here, where else can you see such a spectacular view?"

"Yeah. If these snow sprites were encountered elsewhere, they would be in great danger. In this place, however, the Frost Lord reigns supreme. Especially here, the rank of snow sprites is second to none. Who would dare challenge them?"

"Today is probably the day the Lord Master opens the Frost Pond, so these snow sprites are rushing to accept the Frost Lord's test to get an opportunity to be baptized in the Frost Pond."

There was a fervent discussion among the crowd. These people consisted of Spell Casters who were allowed to enter the Frost Lord's area and were given a relatively safe degree of guarantee. However, in this area, the highest status still belonged to these snow sprites.

Like sprites from the other elements, snow sprites inherently possessed a weaker status, so if they were encountered elsewhere, they would be caught by Spell Casters. In this place, however, the Frost Lord reigned supreme, so no one would even dream of harming the snow sprites.

The Frost Lord too had started as a weak little snow sprite, and slowly grew into a remarkable overlord in Subzero Snowfield.

Nevertheless, the Frost Lord was very low-key and basically only focused on nurturing the snow sprites. In Subzero Snowfield, there were many snow sprites born here, so most of them would come to the Frost Lord's area for protection as well as to enjoy the various facilities prepared for them by the Frost Lord.

This was the ultimate paradise for snow sprites!

"Whoosh…"

Suddenly, three silhouettes flew swiftly toward the huge palace with mighty winds swirling around their bodies. From afar, they looked considerably impressive.

"Who's that?"

"Is someone trying to provoke the Frost Lord?"

Many of the Spell Casters were astonished. After all, the Frost Lord had lived in Subzero Snowfield for many years and was yet to be provoked by anyone. According to rumors, there had been Spell Casters who attempted to catch some of the snow sprites but ultimately their fates were unbeknownst to anyone.

In short, the Frost Lord was extremely low-key, to the extent that no one knew its true abilities. However, that also did not mean that it was not powerful.

However, it was still unheard of for someone to provoke the Frost Lord so brazenly.

The three silhouettes in the sky landed in front of the palace with a mighty swoop.

"Ernie, Watson, you two go ahead and negotiate with the Frost Lord on what are the conditions that will allow me to be baptized in the Frost Lake."

These three people were of course Merlin accompanied by Wizards Ernie and Watson. They arrived directly in front of the Frost Lord's palace. Merlin must first use the Frost Lord's Frost Pond to improve his body and his physique in order to cultivate Glacier Country.

"Us again…"

Wizards Ernie's and Watson's expression paled. Initially, they thought that after signing a slave contract with Merlin, they would just find a peaceful place to construct their own spells where a hundred years would pass by quickly enough.

However, beyond their wildest expectations, in just a short period of time, they had already faced one dangerous situation after another. Moreover, in every single instance, Merlin had sent them to carry out the most dangerous missions.

The Frost Lord was definitely not someone to be provoked. Although both Ernie and Watson were Seventh-level Spell Casters, they knew that they amounted to nothing in the eyes of the Frost Lord.

In this case, the Frost Pond was the most precious treasure which belonged to the Frost Lord and was only ever allowed to be used by the snow sprites. Never before in history had the Frost Pond been opened to be used by a Spell Caster. Thus, they were quite certain that this impending negotiation with the Frost Lord would not allow them to escape unscathed.

However, since it was Merlin's orders, they had no choice but to obey. They flew directly into the palace.

The moment they crossed the palace doors, a few snow sprites flew out. Upon spotting Ernie and Watson, they shrieked loudly. "Stop, who are you? How dare you enter the forbidden area? The Great Lord Master will surely punish you severely for this. Leave now!"

The snow sprites were fearless in this place.

Wizards Ernie and Watson looked at each other and decided to release their formidable Elemental fluctuations as Seventh-level Spell Casters. For a split second, these intimidating Seventh-level Spell Caster auras stunned the snow sprites into silence.

"Seventh-level Spell Casters. These are Seventh-level Spell Casters!"

"I've seen these two before. Are they not Wizard Watson and Wizard Ernie?"

"Turns out it's those two cunning Spell Casters. Hmph, they were never good news in Subzero Snowfield to begin with. Nothing but a bunch of wicked, abominable Spell Casters. Let's quickly report to the Lord Master!"

Once they recovered from the shock, the snow sprites swiftly flew back inside the palace and reported to the Frost Lord.

Ernie and Watson stepped backward and spoke with a trace of embarrassment, "Master, let's just wait here. I'm sure the Frost Lord will be coming out soon."

Merlin looked at Wizards Ernie and Watson coldly. As for the thoughts that were running through their heads, Merlin knew it as clear as day. While the two of them dared not defy his orders, they also would not execute his orders uncompromisingly. Unlike Wizard Bammou, Wizards Ernie and Watson were unwilling to put themselves in unnecessary danger.

Waiting outside was obviously much safer compared to entering the palace because no one knew what the Frost Lord had prepared inside the palace. They did not dare enter the palace but also dared not defy Merlin's orders. Thus, they came up with such a ruse to attract the Frost Lord outside.

"Creak."

Soon enough, the main door of the palace slowly creaked open and a flock of snow sprites flew out. The surrounding temperature dropped radically, causing everyone to shudder.

Right in the center of these snow sprites, like the moon cradled by the stars, was a lady covered in a long, snowy white robe, similar to a Wizard's robes. This delicate-looking yet stone-faced lady was the Frost Lord!

Merlin was not that much surprised because snow sprites had no gender to begin with. Even if they became as powerful as the Frost Lord, this fact would still be unchanged. All the Frost Lord did was transform itself according to its own preferences. Therefore, even if it turned into a man right this instant, Merlin would not be surprised.

"Wizard Ernie, Wizard Watson, why have you trespassed into my forbidden expanse?"

The Frost Lord's gaze was locked on Wizard Ernie and Wizard Watson. After all, they were not unknown entities but Seventh-level Spell Casters in Subzero Snowfield. Despite being far from comparable to the Frost Lord's abilities, it would not regard them lightly.

"Hehe, Frost Lord, this time it's not us who are looking for you but our Master, Wizard Merlin!"

There was a smile on Wizard Ernie's face. At this juncture, he no longer had anything to worry about. Since it was an unchangeable fact that he had become Merlin's slave, and the news would soon spread throughout Subzero Snowfield in a matter of time anyway, he might as well acknowledge it now. Perhaps, it would even help him gain some favor with Merlin.

"Your Master?"

The Frost Lord paused slightly but seemed to recall something in its head and glanced at Merlin with a half-smile. "There were rumors that Wizard Ernie and Wizard Watson signed a slave contract with a mysterious Spell Caster to be his slaves! Seems that the rumors were true…"

The looks on Wizards Ernie and Watson's faces turned sour. Although it was a fact that they had become Merlin's slaves, the Frost Lord's words uttered before them were laced with ridicule.

"Hmph. Frost Lord, the reason our Master came today is to ask for your permission to use the Frost Pond. Tell us, what are the conditions that you may grant our Master to use the Frost Pond?"

Wizard Ernie asked quietly.

Just as he ended the question, and the Frost Lord was yet to answer, a few snow sprites began to shriek in a shrill voice. "No, no, you wicked, abominable Spell Caster, how dare you try to suggest to the Frost Lord to use the Frost Pond. That's solely for the use of the snow sprites. We'll never allow despicable Spell Casters like you to use it! Get out from the Lord Master's land!"

Wizard Ernie's face glowered. "I'm talking to the Frost Lord. Wo are you to speak up, you little cretin?"

Following that, Wizard Ernie's gestured with his hand, and a large icy palm appeared to grab the snow sprite. Although Wizard Ernie was not particularly powerful, he was still a Seventh-level Spell Caster. So, even a simple gesture from his hand was not a blow that could be endured by an average Spell Caster, not to mention a snow sprite.

Furthermore, despite the Frost Lord's nurturing of the many snow sprites, none of the snow sprite besides itself had been able to achieve the level of a Seventh-level Spell Caster. There were, however, a number of them that were comparable with a Sixth-level Spell Caster.

Between Sixth- and Seventh-level laid a huge hurdle, not only for snow sprites but also Spell Casters. Merlin had once found a flame sprite whom he had trailed after in the ancient monuments. It had lived in the ancient moment for countless years and yet remained at the level of a Sixth-level Spell Caster, unable to move forward.

This was enough to show the massive gap to achieve the Seventh-level. Especially for these elemental sprites, it was even more arduous to achieve.

"Crack."

The large icy palm cast by Wizard Ernie was shattered into smithereens with just gentle touch from the Frost Lord. In terms of control over the Ice Elements, a Seventh-level Spell Caster like Wizard Ernie was still far beneath the Frost Lord.

After all, the Frost Lord was inherently a snow sprite. Once a sprite was able to break through its shackles, its control over its own element would increase many folds, and the power of its spells would become incredible beyond imagination.

This was also the reason why the extent of the Frost Lord's abilities was so unfathomable!

After shattering Wizard Ernie's spell, the Frost Lord's tone was frosty. "Wizard Ernie, Wizard Watson, and this Wizard Merlin, the Frost Pond belongs to the snow sprites. It's impossible to allow you to use it. Please leave!"

The Frost Lord immediately rejected Merlin's request as it was impossible for him to use the Frost Pond.

"Swoosh."

Merlin lifted his gaze and stared directly at the Frost Lord.

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Chapter 418: The Frost Lord III

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

With a wave of Merlin's hand, Wizard Ernie and Wizard Watson understood immediately and retreated behind Merlin.

"All of you step back. Let me find out just how formidable is this Dark Fire Incarnate who recently appeared in Subzero Snowfield."

The Frost Lord also gestured the snow sprites to retreat to safety. At this moment, its voice changed faintly and became more androgynous-sounding.

"Boom!"

Merlin slowly rose into the air, and blazing flames began to rage all over his body. Then, a huge fire burst forth and transformed into a pack of flaming dragons, making it appear as if the entire sky was lit with fire.

Under the scorching hot temperatures, the palace complex, which was situated on a snow-capped mountain, began to quiver dangerously. Large quantities of snow and ice melted into streams of water that gushed down the mountains.

Merlin's flame was Fiery Collapse, which was already inherently powerful but here, it was the natural opposing force to the snow sprites. Therefore, once his flames were released, the countless number of snow sprites were unable to withstand and scattered into the palace.

Inside the vicinity of the palace, there seemed to be specific Runic Magic Circles that protected them. Therefore, once the snow sprites were inside the palace, the flames were no longer a threat to them.

Merlin was now standing in the midst of the flames like a holy statue of fire, regarding the Frost Lord with an unnerving stare.

The Frost Lord took a deep breath, and the originally slender body began to transform rapidly. Its body expanded swiftly like a balloon that was being inflated.

"Thud."

The Frost Lord's expanded body was about four to five meters high, almost the size of a small giant. Two pairs of wings sprouted on its back, and well-toned muscles covered its entire body. Even its face was frightful, a far cry from the delicate beauty it displayed earlier.

"This is Frost Lord's true form!"

Merlin's eyes narrowed into slits as he flicked a finger.

"Flick."

An animated fire tongue spewed out in an instant and split into thousands of tiny little fire tongues that soared through the air toward the Frost Lord. These flames did not contain a single trace of black smoke so it looked unusually clean. However, the power they contained would make any person shudder in fear.

Every tiny little fire tongue was capable of exploding with unparalleled force, sufficient to severely injure a Seventh-level Spell Caster. Once Merlin's Fiery Collapse had been fully merged with his Incinerating Fire – a derived spell plus a Pandora Demon Ability – its resulting power was almost equivalent to the ultimate limit of a Seventh-level spell.

"Ice Freeze!"

A low growl sounded. In an instant, the Frost Lord's voice became a very powerful and intimidating male-sounding voice. Compared to the matchless beauty it had displayed earlier, even Merlin could not help the slight upturn in his lips. It seemed that the genderless Frost Lord did not comprehend that such a drastic change in demeanor would be stomach-churning for most people.

The Frost Lord's current form was that of a giant with wings. With a slight motion of its finger, the surrounding air temperature began to plunge immediately. At the same time, a watery mist began to appear and turned into ice crystals, subsequently multiplying in the direction of the thousands of tiny little fire tongues.

"Crackle crackle."

The sound of fire and ice crackled against one another as their forces continued to intertwine with one another. Merlin's Fiery Collapse and the Frost Lord's Icy Chill turned out to be surprisingly equally matched, and neither one was able to subdue the other.

This was far beyond Merlin's expectations as well as the expectations of the Frost Lord's.

Originally, the power of Merlin's flames had already achieved the ultimate limit of a Seventh-level spell. Anyone below the level of an Eighth-level Spell Caster was no longer an opponent to him. However, right now, the Frost Lord was able to compete with him as an equal.

Once a snow sprite broke through its Seventh-level shackles, its abilities would be greatly improved. Furthermore, its control over Ice Elements would be frightening, so it would simply be a walk in the park to achieve the ultimate limit of the Seventh-level. Similarly, if the fire sprite managed to break through to the Seventh-level, its control over Fire Elements would also be fearsome.

This was the advantage held by the sprites. At this moment, the two competing forces were wrangling over one another, and the Fire-type Spell Model in Merlin's body was providing massive amounts of Magic Power to sustain Fiery Collapse. Colossal columns of fire blazed powerfully, tinting the entire sky a fiery hue of orange and red.

The small giant which had been transformed from the Frost Lord flapped its wings almost imperceptibly, and many long icicles began to form in mid-air. Following that, the Frost Lord lifted a gigantic icicle in his hands and slammed it violently in Merlin's direction.

"Whoosh."

Merlin transformed into a light breeze and instantly retreated to safety. With Flash Wind under his belt, his speed was impressive enough that very few were able to keep up with him.

Nevertheless, looking at the Frost Lord before him, Merlin felt a slight pang of worry in his chest. His face, too, revealed a peculiar expression. He had not expected that the Frost Lord's transformation would end up in this manner.

The current Frost Lord was quite violent and barbaric, and his abilities were not the least bit dismissible. All the surrounding Ice Elements seemed to be under his control, and Merlin struggled to even cast Ice-type spells. It was as if he was being suppressed.

"Hehe. Dark Fire Incarnate, is this all you can do? You're supposedly the Dark Fire Incarnate but you've yet to wield any Darkness-type spells. Come on, give me your best shot!"

The Frost Lord rumbled in a thunderous voice. The two pairs of wings supported the Frost Lord as it rose slowly into the air. Around him, ice-cold air swirled continuously, and numerous ice crystals formed in the air.

Merlin narrowed his eyes. The Frost Lord was truly difficult to defeat. This opponent was probably on par with him at the ultimate limit of the Seventh-level or perhaps even slightly more powerful than him. Since they were in Subzero Snowfield, and Ice Elements were aplenty, if it was a real battle, the Frost Lord would have the upper hand.

However, Merlin was bent on entering the Frost Pond. He took a deep breath and began to activate the Spell Model of Darkness Illusory Death.

Suddenly, the entire sky dimmed as darkness shrouded the entire palace. Pitch-black darkness descended except for the top of the palace where mysterious runes began to glow brightly, apparently resisting the darkness.

As Merlin released his Darkness Illusory Death, his indifferent eyes stared right ahead at the Frost Lord. As long as his opponent was distracted for a split second, it would immediately face Merlin's thunder-like attack.

In the dark, the Frost Lord howled loudly. Around him, layers upon layers of ice had formed a thick wall yet it failed to stop the darkness from descending.

The Frost Lord had had a very long lifespan. From the day of its birth until it achieved its current powerful Frost Lord form, more than a thousand years had passed. Elemental sprites had a very long lifespan so although their innate Mind Powers were not strong, over a long period of time, they would eventually strengthen to an impressive level.

Therefore, Merlin's Darkness Illusory Death did not pose any threat to the Frost Lord. Instead, it utterly infuriated him because the snow sprites which did not manage to go inside the palace were killed by Darkness Illusory Death without any resistance.

In Frost Lord's eyes, these snow sprites were like its own children.

"You've killed my children so you must die!"

The Frost Lord's deadly growl was even more terrifying than before, accompanied by its thickening chilling aura as if it was preparing to launch an earth-shattering blow.

The entire mountain-top seemed to be vibrating, and even the fluffy clouds in the air seemed to be frozen solid, forming a huge cage that surrounded Merlin and the others.

Wizards Ernie and Watson's faces paled greatly. Although they knew that the Frost Lord was powerful, they did not expect it to be so strong to the extent that they were completely helpless to resist.

Merlin knew that the Frost Lord was livid, so he had to fight for his life! The fact was, this entire area had been occupied by the Frost Lord for thousands of years, so it had long since been prepared as its personal battlefield. In this place, the Frost Lord's powers could be increased several folds.

Once the power of the entire area was activated, the Frost Lord's power would undoubtedly surpass the Seventh-level and reach the Eighth-level as well as the peak power of the Eighth-level!

"Frost Lord, you might want to reconsider. If we truly start engaging in a big battle, will the snow sprites in the palace be able to survive? If push comes to shove, I'll just break open the seal on the fourth form of Darkness Eye. For an accursed power like this, I'm sure you're well aware of the strength of its fourth form!"

Merlin saw that the Frost Lord was beginning to prepare for a large battle with an unpleasant expression on his face. He did not expect that his opponent would be so terrifying when it went berserk, so Merlin had to take a step backward and revealed Darkness Eye in his palm.

The blood-red, demonic-looking eye was constantly glowing crimson as if there was a strange power lurking within it.

"Darkness Eye…"

Although the Frost Lord only snarled softly, due to its gigantic size, its snarl was like a peal of thunder reverberating across the sky.

As for Darkness Eye, there were a few higher-order Spell Casters who did not know about it. Even in the remote Subzero Snowfield, many of the Spell Casters have heard of the legend of Darkness Eye.

It was an accursed power that contained unparalleled power as well as the embodiment of darkness.

The blood-red eye in Merlin's palm appeared to be very spirited. Even Merlin himself could sense the "excited" mood of Darkness Eye. Darkness Eye was longing for a battle, longing for a bloodbath, and longing for the flood of negative emotions.

Only negative emotions would be able to help it to grow stronger. More than anything, it longed for Merlin to uncover its seal and release the fourth form of Darkness Eye once again.

However, as long as it was not the last resort, Merlin would not do it.

"Crackle crackle."

A sinister-sounding laugh became faintly audible, and behind Merlin, a huge fuzzy ghostly face filled the sky, staring coldly at the Frost Lord.

Darkness Eye seemed to have arrived at its Armageddon's call. If the Frost Lord activated the power of the entire area, Merlin would have no choice but to break open the seal of the fourth form of Darkness Eye.

Following the loosening of the seal on Darkness Eye, the huge ghostly face behind Merlin began to become clearer. The ghostly faces continued to distort and change, and the darkness aura thickened discernibly!

The real battle was a mere hair's breadth away!

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Chapter 419: The Frost Lord IV

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Merlin regarded the Frost Lord coldly. Unless he had no other choice, he would not break the seal on the fourth form of Darkness Eye. He knew that once the seal was opened, he would have to use the power of the Maxims to constantly suppress the fourth form of Darkness Eye. Once the power of the Maxims was exhausted, Merlin would no longer be able to suppress Darkness Eye.

Nevertheless, improving his body was also an important quest because if he succeeded in cultivating Glacier Country, Merlin would possess two types of special Pandora Demon Abilities. By then, even if Merlin was only able to wield its third form, Glacier Country would suppress everything in its surrounding when it descended. Should the opponent be too strong to be suppressed, his abilities would still be considerably weakened.

Thereafter, Merlin would wield Darkness Eye. With this combination, even Kleis who possessed Spatial Blade would no longer be his opponent. Therefore, the Frost Lord's Frost Pond was quintessential to him. There was no price that Merlin was unwilling to pay in order to enter the Frost Pond and improve his physique.

"Hoo…"

The giant ghostly face belonging to Darkness Eye seemed to be getting clearer and clearer. The Frost Lord's face fell slightly. It could vaguely sense a vicious power lurking as if once the ghostly face fully appeared, the Frost Lord would be in grave danger.

"The fourth form of Darkness Eye…"

After a long, tense silence, the Frost Lord exhaled heavily, and its humongous body began to gradually change back into the delicate-looking beautiful lady it displayed earlier.

However, after witnessing the Frost Lord's terrifying true form, Merlin could no longer gaze fondly at the current form.

"Well, if your desire is to enter the Frost Pond, it's not completely impossible!" The Frost Lord said pointedly, finally relaxing its tone. It appeared that the Frost Lord too, did not want to engage Merlin, the Dark Fire Incarnate, in a life-and-death battle.

"What are your conditions?"

Merlin's eyes narrowed in concentration as he curled his fists into a tight grip, and the huge ghostly face behind him disappeared without a trace. Darkness Eye seemed to resent Merlin for reining it in, so waves of "angry" emotions were ebbing out. However, they did not affect Merlin as he was still able to easily suppress Darkness Eye.

"Why don't you come in with me first?"

The Frost Lord regarded Merlin with indifference and turned to fly back into the palace.

Merlin did not hesitate and led both Wizards Ernie and Watson to follow behind the Frost Lord, and they flew into the mysterious palace.

This palace was only accessible to the snow sprites since it was specifically built for them by the Frost Lord. In other words, it was built for the sole purpose of training the snow sprites in the Frost Pond.

Upon entering the palace, Merlin felt even colder than before. Even with his physical fitness, he felt quite chilly and had no choice but to cast a spell.

Whereas Wizards Ernie and Watson, upon entering the palace, immediately cast spells on themselves in order to walk around freely.

"Crack."

Around Merlin and the others, occasional ice crystals would appear and freeze rapidly as well as a thin layer of ice which slowly spread on the ground toward Merlin.

Merlin stepped on it gently, and the ice layer instantly shattered into pieces in all directions.

"Interesting!"

The corners of Merlin's mouth curved into a smile. It was not an attack but a snow sprite which was practicing its innate abilities. These snow sprites were mostly equivalent to a Fourth-level Spell Caster.

It was unknown how many snow sprites the Frost Lord had gathered in the palace. In Subzero Snowfield, the Frost Lord was like a banner that attracted a countless number of snow sprites.

"We're here!"

Quickly, the Frost Lord came to a stop. Merlin and the others looked ahead and saw a huge pond with a few snow sprites inside, appearing to be enduring great suffering.

These snow sprites were either completely unaware that strangers had arrived by the pond or were aware but too preoccupied in their own predicaments to care.

The surface of the Frost Pond looked extremely calm but the icy aura emitting from it caused Merlin to feel a sense of astonishment. It was a level of extreme chill that he had never encountered before, almost like there was a special kind of power hidden in the Frost Pool.

"Gulp gulp."

The snow sprites in the Frost Pool suddenly started to struggle frantically, and their auras became more and more chaotic as they struggled for help. However, the Frost Lord who stood beside the Frost Pool stayed very still and did not show any intention of extending a helping hand.

Soon enough, the snow sprites were completely submerged by the cerulean blue pond and lost their life forces. Just like that, two snow sprites were swallowed by the Frost Pond.

It seemed like the Frost Pond was not as simple as it was rumored to be.

"Frost Lord, are those snow sprites not under your protection?"

Merlin pointed at the Frost Pond but his meaning was clear. Why did the Frost Lord not react when the two snow sprites fell into danger?

Throughout Subzero Snowfield, it was a well-known fact that the Frost Lord protected all the snow sprites. As long as they made it into the Frost Lord's territory, they would be safe from harm.

Now, on the other hand, those two snow sprites could have been easily rescued by the Frost Lord yet the Frost Lord had chosen to stay aloof to their cry for help. This appeared to be completely different from the rumors.

"This is their destiny! I can protect them for a moment but I cannot protect them forever! If they want to be strong, then they have to pay the price of becoming stronger!"

At this moment, the Frost Lord seemed to be particularly cruel. The Frost Lord looked at Merlin and said, "The Frost Pond is here but it was built with my own blood, sweat, and tears for the sake of the snow sprites. If you want to enter the Frost Pond, you must agree to one condition."

"Tell me, what is it?"

Merlin was already prepared to pay a steep price. If the Frost Pond was truly as magical as its legend and could improve Merlin's physique to the point that he would be able to cultivate Glacier Country, then no price was too high to pay.

"It's very simple. I need you, after the baptism in the Frost Pond, to help me defeat another snow sprite!"

The Frost Lord's words surprised Merlin. Was there another snow sprite in Subzero Snowfield that could attract Frost Lord's wrath?

The Frost Lord's infallible reputation was known throughout Subzero Snowfield yet he had never heard of a snow sprite that could compete against the Frost Lord.

In fact, there was not even a snow sprite that could compare to a Seventh-level Spell Caster.

"What's the real problem?"

Naturally, Merlin had to ask. Although he was eager to enter the Frost Pool as soon as possible, these details had to be discussed properly first.

"Wizard Merlin, that snow sprite is probably about as strong or perhaps just slightly stronger than me. It's not that much stronger compared to me. This is a matter between the other snow sprite and I. If Wizard Merlin agrees to defeat the snow sprite with me, then you can use the Frost Pond whenever you want."

The Frost Lord did not elaborate further but even from the simple explanation, Merlin could surmise that the snow sprite being targeted by the Frost Lord would not be easily defeated. In fact, it was even stronger than the Frost Lord, albeit not by much.

Nevertheless, it was still an extremely tricky mission. The Frost Lord was already stronger than him so to defeat a snow sprite slightly stronger than the Frost Lord was definitely going to be a tough row to hoe.

Seeing that Merlin was hesitant, the Frost Lord continued. "Wizard Merlin, it won't be just you and I. I've also invited some powerful Great Wizards among the Seventh-level Spell Casters!"

Surely, to be labeled "powerful" by the Frost Lord was no average Joe! He did not expect the Frost Lord's plan to be so comprehensive and well-prepared, and even invited along some powerful Spell Casters.

Merlin deliberated internally for a moment and finally nodded his head. As long as he was able to cultivate Glacier Country, no price was too great to pay. Moreover, it was only to defeat a snow sprite that was comparable to the Frost Lord.

"Very well, let's sign a contract."

The Frost Lord was very thorough as it took out a contract which flew toward Merlin.

Merlin quickly glanced through the contents of the contract. It was according to what the Frost Lord had said earlier and did not contain any traps. So, it was safe for him to sign it.

"Hum hum."

Merlin imprinted his Mind Power onto the contract, and the Frost Lord kept it. Satisfied, the Frost Lord nodded at Merlin. "Wizard Merlin, please go ahead. The Frost Pond is now open for you to use! Though I must remind you, the Frost Pond is very dangerous, and its frigid blast is unparalleled. Although it can help improve a Spell Caster's physique, the effects are not as good as the Spell Casters' original bodies are too weak to begin with."

Merlin clearly understood the Frost Lord's heavily-laden words. Entering the Frost Pond came with a certain degree of risk. Even the snow sprites were completely submerged by the Frost Pond and would remain in the Frost Pond forever.

What more the Spell Casters' weak bodies.

Merlin stripped off his black Wizard robes, revealing a very well-proportioned figure. From the outside, Merlin did not look strong at all. In fact, he looked even a little on the thinner side.

After taking off his clothes, however, the curves on Merlin's body would be envied even by powerful Elemental Swordsmen. Within those tout rippling muscles, packed a formidable mass of power waiting to explode.

"Frost Lord, please be rest assured. Since I'm the one who came to you, I'm prepared for any eventuality. Moreover, how would a mere Frost Pond be my downfall?"

Merlin took a deep breath and jumped into the chilly Frost Pond.

"Crack."

The moment Merlin jumped into the Frost Pond, the entire surface of the Frost Pond froze instantly. Especially the spot where Merlin had jumped in, it was condensed into a thick layer of ice, effectively trapping the tip of Merlin's forehead which was just emerging onto the surface.

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Chapter 420: Level Up, Fourth-Level Spell Caster!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The Frost Pond was frozen in an instant, and Merlin's movements also seemed to stop momentarily. Wizard Ernie and Wizard Watson gazed at the Frost Pond unblinkingly. As Merlin's slaves who had signed a slave contract with him, their instincts were most finely attuned to him.

Based on their instincts, Merlin's mind imprint had not disappeared from their slave contracts, which meant that he was not dead.

"Crack."

Suddenly, the ice crystals on the Frost Pond shattered into pieces, and Merlin's figure reappeared in the Frost Pond. His body was enveloped with a layer of icy aura, which continuously pervaded into his body. A look of agony appeared on his face.

Of course, it was impossible for the Frost Pond to freeze Merlin inside but once his body entered the pond, endless icy aura began to help Merlin transform his body.

With the icy aura pervading the body, an average Spell Caster would not have been able to withstand the extreme cold and would die. Merlin, however, had practiced the postures of the mysterious relief sculptures, so his body was extremely durable.

Therefore, despite the invasion of the icy aura destroying his body beyond recognition, the regenerating ability of Merlin's body kicked in and mended the destruction. Every time the icy aura destroyed a part, his body would quickly regenerate and subsequently be destroyed by the icy aura once again.

It was in this endless cycle of repeated destruction and regeneration that without realizing it, Merlin's physical transformation had been more than halfway completed. His body was now able to withstand the invasion of frigid blasts, and his affinity with Ice Elements achieved a formidable level only second to the snow sprites.

Snow sprites were, in essence, snow spirits. Where there was an extremely high concentration of Ice Elements that produced a spark of awareness, a sprite was formed. Naturally, they had unimaginable levels of affinity with the Ice Elements, whereas Merlin was merely a Spell Caster. At this moment, nonetheless, he possessed a level of affinity to Ice Elements that was only second to these snow sprites.

This also implied that Merlin's immersion in the Frost Pond to undergo a physical transformation was a huge success!

However, it was also a very painful process. The continuous cycle of destruction and regeneration was beyond anything that anyone could imagine. It was only through sheer determination that Merlin had managed to endure it.

"Splash."

Merlin abruptly opened his eyes and stood in the middle of the Frost Pond. His body was still swirling with dense icy aura but there was no trace of discomfort. Instead, there was a sense of fondness in him.

"The transformation is a success!"

A thought struck in Merlin's heart, and he extended a finger to cast an Ice-type spell. Despite it being only a Third-level spell, the entire Frost Pond was frozen solid in an instant. The power level was terrifying, clearly exceeding the level of an average Third-level spell.

For the first time, Merlin could also distinctly feel his level of affinity toward the Ice Elements. It was truly incredible, only second to the snow sprites.

"Whoosh."

Merlin rose from the Frost Pond and stood before the Frost Lord. Smiling, he said, "Thank you so much, Frost Lord. This Frost Pond is no longer of use to me. You can allow the other snow sprites to use it now."

"Oh? Wizard Merlin, you're apparently able to withstand the icy aura of the Frost Pond, and managed to undergo the physical transformation so quickly. The speed you took was even faster than the snow sprites…"

Deep inside, the Frost Lord was very astonished. The Frost Pond was created by its own two hands, so no one knew the Frost Pond better than the Frost Lord. Even some of the snow sprites could not withstand the process and had to stay in the Frost Pond forever, becoming a part of the Frost Pond.

However, Merlin as a weak-bodied Spell Caster was surprisingly able to undergo a physical transformation in the Frost Pond. It was truly incredible. Additionally, the Frost Lord could clearly sense that Merlin did not cast a single protective spell in the Frost Pond. He had endured the entire physical transformation with his own flesh and blood.

The Frost Lord was puzzled and full of unanswered questions because it would not have known that Merlin possessed the mysterious relief sculpture, and thus was able to possess extraordinary regenerative powers even as a mere Spell Caster.

It was for that reason that the transformation had gone so smoothly, and within such a short period, he managed to undergo a physical transformation with the help of the Frost Pond.

"Frost Lord, please arrange a quiet place for me."

Since Merlin had succeeded in his physical transformation, he could finally attempt to cultivate Glacier Country, hence he needed a quiet environment where he would not be disturbed by anyone.

Obviously, the Frost Lord's territory was not the best choice, but since Merlin had signed a contract with the Frost Lord to defeat the other snow sprite, it was understood that he could not leave.

The Frost Lord nodded. "Of course, no problem. I'll personally show you the way."

Thus, the Frost Lord led Merlin to an isolated courtyard where he would not be disturbed, which perfectly fitted Merlin's request.

"Wizard Merlin, you may meditate here. When the time comes, I'll come and look for you."

Merlin knew that the Frost Lord was talking about the matter of the contract, it appeared that the Frost Lord still needed to make some preparations. Therefore, he nodded. "Just inform me when the time comes!"

Merlin waited until the Frost Lord left before using his Mind Power to carefully examine his vicinity. After he had made sure there was no particular discovery, he said to Ernie and Watson, "You stand guard outside the door. Don't allow anyone to disturb me!"

Sensing the seriousness in Merlin's tone, Wizards Ernie and Watson both nodded. As Merlin's slaves, they could only obey his orders.

With two Seventh-level Spell Casters standing guard, Merlin felt a little relieved as he stepped into the house.

The furnishing in the house was very simple but it exuded a feeling of serenity. Merlin did not care one way or the other, and began to closely examine the condition of his body.

After the transformation in the Frost Pond, his body's regenerative ability was still as resilient as before. This was the benefit he derived from the mysterious relief sculpture. Although the posture did not provide much help to Merlin in terms of battle strength, it benefitted him greatly in many other aspects.

The physical transformation this time, for one, would not have been successful without those strong regenerative powers.

Merlin's body right now had indeed vastly improved its affinity to Ice Elements that even the Ice-type spells he released were more powerful than before. All the requirements to begin cultivating Glacier Country had been fulfilled.

However, Merlin did not immediately start cultivating Glacier Country. A special Pandora Demon Ability like this would consume an incredible amount of Magic Power, and the Magic Power contained in the few Spell Models in his Awareness was definitely not enough to support more than a few tries of Glacier Country.

Therefore, he had to first construct Fourth-level spells!

At present, Merlin was yet to construct Ice-type and Thunder-type Fourth-level spells. Once these two Fourth-level spells were successfully constructed, Merlin would become a Fourth-level Spell Caster.

The Ice-type and Thunder-type Fourth-level spells had already been derived by Merlin using the Matrix back when he forcibly seized the Ice Maxim. In order to diminish the power of the Ice Maxim, he used the Matrix to derive many new spells.

He even derived four types of Fifth-level spells, so Merlin was in no shortage of spells. What he lacked right now was Mind Power because although he had reached the Mind Power of the peak of the Fifth-level, it was still insufficient.

Fortunately, Merlin still had the ingredients for Mokra Potion, so he could brew a large amount of Mokra Potion here. Although the Frost Lord's area was not completely secure, Merlin was more reassured by the protection of Wizard Ernie and Wizard Watson.

Therefore, in the subsequent period, Merlin began to frantically prepare the Mokra Potion. During the process of brewing, he also took occasional doses of Mokra Potion.

Even though the effect of the Mokra Potion had weakened significantly as a result of Merlin's long-term use, it was ultimately unable to beat the large amount of Mokra Potions brewed by Merlin. Back in the Imperial City, the eighth prince had given Merlin a thousand servings of potion ingredients, so even with a one third success rate, he was able to brew more than three hundred servings of Mokra Potion. This was a huge number.

Naturally, with such a huge number of Mokra Potions, Merlin's Mind Power grew rapidly. Nevertheless, to advance from the Fifth- to the Sixth-level, he still needed to accumulate the requisite Mind Power. Therefore, despite consuming countless servings of Mokra Potion and rapidly growing his Mind Power, there were no signs of breaking through.

"Boom!"

Finally, after three months of consuming unknown portions of Mokra Potions, Merlin's Mind Power had broken through. Like boiling water, his Mind Power began to surge wildly.

"Sixth-level Mind Power!"

Merlin slowly opened his eyes and smiled. Since he held more spells than an average Spell Caster, and the level of complexity of his spells exceeded that of an average Spell Caster, the amount of Mind Power required was also beyond imaginable levels. Until now, the only obstacle keeping Merlin from becoming more powerful was his Mind Power.

It was fortunate that Merlin's Mind Power had finally broken through to the Sixth-level, so now he was able to easily construct Fourth-level Ice-type and Thunder-type spells.

The Fourth-level Ice-type spell, Arctic Realm, was also a new spell derived by the Matrix. It was still a Binding spell but it became a territorial binding and its binding powers were greatly enhanced.

The derivation of Ice-type spells continued in the same vein, in which all of them constituted Binding spells, so along the way, their binding powers would become stronger!

With Arctic Realm, Merlin became more confident to cultivate Glacier Country. Furthermore, the Spell Model of Arctic Realm was very stable and had accumulated a large amount of Magic Power, enough to power Glacier Country many times over. Therefore, it would be completely sufficient to be used in a battle.

Besides Arctic Realm, Merlin's Fourth-level Thunder-type spell, Thunder Realm, was also successfully constructed. This was a large-area Offensive spell. When a spell reached Fourth-level spell, its range of attack was key.

Even Incinerating Fire was a large-area Offensive spell as a result of the gradual evolution of spells. Spells that attacked a single target was becoming rarer and rarer.

During the Spell Casters' most glorious era, a single gesture from the Great Spell Casters was enough to destroy countless mountains and valleys. This was made possible because all the spells they constructed were large-area spells.

"Boom!"

When the final two Fourth-level spells were successfully constructed, all the Spell Models in Merlin's Awareness vibrated gently, followed by a subtle feeling flooding in his Awareness. All the Spell Models began to rotate frenziedly, and countless elements gathered chaotically on Merlin's body as if a black hole was engulfing all the elements.

From this moment on, Merlin had finally leveled up to a Fourth-level Spell Caster!

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Chapter 421: Glacier Country

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Becoming a Fourth-level Spell Caster was a significant point of divergence. If he was in the Dark Magic Region, he would have been able to build his own Wizard Tower and teach his own students. On the career path of Spell Casters, he would have become a highly qualified Wizard!

However, for Merlin, the benefits he sensed from becoming a Fourth-level Spell Caster was much more than these. The moment the last two Fourth-level spells were successfully constructed, a shockwave rippled through his entire Awareness. The Spell Models, which had been tilted dangerously, were restored to perfect balance and became as still as a pond.

All the Spell Models in his Awareness came together as a whole, which released an impressive level of Mind Power. With the current level of Mind Power, Merlin could even try to construct a Fifth-level spell!

Furthermore, Merlin discovered that the spells he cast now seemed to have a holistic feeling to them. All six elements, Fire, Wind, Ice, Earth, Thunder, and Darkness were wildly pervading his body, whereas Merlin's body was like a black hole that engulfed these elements hungrily.

Upon leveling-up to Fourth-level, all the Spell Models within his Awareness underwent a subtle change. It seemed like the limits of the Spell Models had been expanded and thus, they were able to accommodate more Magic Power. This transformation was experienced by all Fourth-level Spell Casters, and not only to Merlin.

It was no wonder, then, that Fourth-level Spell Casters were fundamentally different from those below Fourth-level. Upon leveling-up to Fourth-level, their abilities were increased many folds, and in all aspects, their powers exceeded Spell Casters below Fourth-level.

After Merlin became a Fourth-level Spell Caster, he did not immediately construct Fifth-level spells. Although the balance in his Spell Models finally allowed large amounts of Mind Power to be released and he could actually construct Fifth-level spells, he knew that if he constructed the Fifth-level spells, the Spell Models in his Awareness would lose its balance once again. Then, he would have to consume large amounts of Mind Power to stabilize the Spell Models.

In that situation, it would have been hard to determine whether there would be enough Mind Power left to activate spells in a fight. Although it was not usually a noteworthy point of consideration, Mind Power was actually a crucial component. Without Mind Power, a Spell Caster would face problems to even cast a spell.

This was because in order to cast a spell, Mind Power is involved to activate the Spell Model, and from there, the spell is released.

After leveling up to a Fourth-level Spell Caster, Merlin began to cultivate the special Demon Ability, Glacier Country. Since he had already constructed his Fourth-level Ice-type spell, Arctic Realm, he was able to cultivate Glacier Country.

The biggest hurdle in cultivating Glacier Country was the physical transformation. It was the tipping point for most as it was very difficult to achieve. Most of the Spell Casters were unable to successfully transform their bodies.

Those who wanted to cultivate special Demon Abilities had to undergo the challenge of physical transformation. Once the transformation was successful, they would possess a powerful ability. On the other hand, if the physical transformation was unsuccessful, they would only face certain death.

Merlin had relied on the impressive regenerating powers of the mysterious relief sculptures to succeed in his physical transformation, thus, it was no longer difficult for him to cultivate the Glacier Country.

"Hum".

On Merlin's body, a mysterious symbol appeared. This mysterious symbol glowed with an ice-cold aura, drawing a chilling shudder. Endless Ice Elements began to accumulate around Merlin's body.

The first step of cultivating the Glacier Country was to successfully carve out the mysterious symbol. Following that, he had to use his Mind Power to stimulate the symbol and follow the instructions of the Glacier Country to make it descend.

"Boom".

Merlin's Mind Power was already sufficiently strong, coupled with his success in carving the symbol and stimulation of his Mind Power, the ice-cold sensation reappeared. Then, an invisible freezing space suddenly descended.

"Crack crack".

Since Merlin was in the center, he could feel the invasion of the frigid blasts, but his body was now able to withstand the invasion and as a matter of fact, even felt a sense of familiarity.

An invisible ice-cold power enveloped the entire area. Merlin knew that this was the Glacier Country. If anyone was trapped within it, a mere thought from Merlin would be able to freeze the person or stir up a snowstorm, allowing infinite Ice Elements to rage throughout.

This was the horror of the Glacier Country. Once the Glacier Country descended, any Spell Caster who was trapped in it would be suppressed. In some instances, the Spell Caster would not even be able to wield half of his power.

The most important function of the Glacier Country was to suppress, limit and bind!

However, this was only the first form of the Glacier Country. Its binding ability was not too strong, and its effect on an average Seventh-level Spell Caster was also mediocre.

The Glacier Country also had seven forms. As the Demon Ability belonged to the Legend of Ice, its power was naturally formidable. Nevertheless, it would not be easy to cultivate its second, third, or more powerful forms.

Merlin's Darkness Eye was already cultivated by Wizard Leo to its fourth form, except that Wizard Leo had sealed the third and fourth forms. 1

Later on, Wizard Leo passed it down to Merlin, hence Merlin being able to wield the third form of the Darkness Eye. In fact, if Merlin resisted the backlash of the Darkness Eye in the future, he would immediately be able to wield the fourth form of the Darkness Eye.

The Glacier Country, on the other hand, was different. Merlin had to cultivate it step-by-step, from its first form onwards. The cultivation of Glacier Country was similar to other special Demon Abilities, which required an understanding of 'ice'.

Merlin's understanding of 'fire' was truly comprehensive. Since he had a Fire-type Maxim, he always had a profound understanding of 'fire'. In contrast, Merlin's understanding of Ice-type spells was no different from a beginner.

If he had to understand the essence of 'ice' in order to improve the Glacier Country to its second and third forms, it would take an indefinite period of time.

It could possibly take years, or maybe even decades. After such a long time, Merlin was not sure if the Glacier Country would still be useful to him.

Thinking along those lines, Merlin became frustrated. However, when he sensed the Ice Maxim that was being fully suppressed by both the Flame Maxim and his Mind Power, he had a stroke of genius.

If it was an understanding of 'ice' that he needed, there was no one who was more profound than the Ice Maxim itself. After all, it was the ultimate Maxim that belonged to the Legend of Ice and was the strongest Maxim of its element!

Thus, Merlin wielded the Glacier Country again, and the invisible Glacier Country descended. This was just its first form, so it was invisible and had a very small range. Naturally, its power was not very strong.

Once the Glacier Country descended, Merlin used all his strength to push the Ice Maxim, which had been 'driven away' by the Flame Maxim until only a small smidgen was left, directly into the Glacier Country.

"Boom."

The Ice Maxim gradually seeped into the Glacier Country, and it changed in its entirety rapidly. Since Ice Maxim had been the strongest technique of the Legend of Ice, its understanding of ice was almost at its peak. As a result, the Glacier Country was changing rapidly.

The originally invisible Glacier Country began to turn slightly transparent, enough to be faintly visible to the naked eye. This was the second form of the Glacier Country. Merlin could also clearly sense that its binding power had increased in strength.

Nevertheless, the Glacier Country was still evolving. Soon, it became translucent, and the landscape of the Glacier Country became apparent to the naked eye. It was like a realm of ice and snow, with draughts of frigid blasts whirling in the air. Its binding power was strong enough to suppress any Spell Caster.

Even the powers of special Demon Abilities would be weakened inside the Glacier Country. This was the third form of the Glacier Country. Merlin could clearly sense that the Ice Maxim was being consumed rapidly as if it would be completely exhausted quickly enough.

This was Merlin's limit, the third form of the Glacier Country!

"Retract!"

Merlin immediately activated the Flame Maxim to drive the Ice Maxim out of the Glacier Country. Without the Ice Maxim, the Glacier Country stopped changing its form.

"The third form!"

Finally, Merlin's Glacier Country stopped changing. He was now able to maintain the third form of the Glacier Country for about an hour. It was considered a long time; enough to kill any enemy that could cross his path.

Of course, this was also Merlin's limit. If it was the fourth form, Merlin might not even be able to support it, or perhaps his Magic Power would be depleted in the first instance and his Spell Models would collapse. The evolution of every form of special Demon Abilities was onerous and worsened substantially with each subsequent evolution.

The evolution from its first form to its third form took only a very short period of time, but it was not due to Merlin's cultivation. Instead, it had occurred by deception, because Merlin used the Ice Maxim to 'deceive' the Glacier Country into unlocking its third form.

Nevertheless, this 'deception' would only be made possible if a Spell Caster had, like Merlin, accidentally obtained the Ice Maxim, as well as was been eligible to cultivate the Glacier Country. If any of the two requirements had not been fulfilled, then it would not have come to fruition.

In reality, Merlin was the only person who relied on the Ice Maxim to 'deceive' the Glacier Country and cultivate its third form.

"I see. The Ice Maxim has such properties. In that case, I better save it."

Merlin did not expect that the Ice Maxim, which was being forcefully suppressed by the Flame Maxim to prevent it from creating chaos in his Awareness, had such properties. It was actually able to help cultivate the Glacier Country quickly 2 . Therefore, he should preserve the Ice Maxim and not exhaust it, so that he could use it again when he was ready to cultivate the fourth form of the Glacier Country.

The translucent state of the Glacier Country was big enough to cover an area of a few hundred meters. Moreover, Merlin could also condense it further and reduce its coverage area, but it would consume significant amounts of Mind Power. If the coverage area of the Glacier Country was reduced, its power would be increased.

After successfully cultivating the Glacier Country, Merlin opened his eyes. He had been in the Frost Lord's area for three months now. It was time to take a break.

Thus, Merlin stood up, opened the door, and calmly walked outside.

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Chapter 422: Sorrow

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

On the other side of the door, Wizards Ernie and Watson were still standing respectfully as they remained vigilant to their surroundings. As Merlin's slaves, they did not dare defy any of his orders.

Since Merlin requested them to stand guard, it must have been important. However, in contrast to Wizard Ernie's careful diligence, Wizard Watson's attitude appeared to be more slipshod.

From inside the house, Merlin was able to observe all the happenings outside. Within this period, he also developed a certain understanding of both Ernie and Watson.

Although Wizard Ernie was quite old, his personality was cautious and adaptable. Upon becoming Merlin's slave, he fully discarded all his pride as a Seventh-level Spell Caster.

People like Ernie might not become high achievers, but in Merlin's eyes, these were the type of people he needed. Watson, on the other hand, though he could not disobey Merlin, he was ultimately unable to discard his pride as a Seventh-level Spell Caster.

Wizard Watson's attitude could be considered to be normal. After all, he was a high-level Spell Caster and held a certain level of dignity associated with being a Seventh-level Spell Caster. Therefore, despite becoming a slave, he upheld his dignity.

In Merlin's eyes, Watson's usefulness was limited because he was quite normal. If they were ever faced with a highly dangerous situation, Merlin would choose to sacrifice Watson instead of Ernie.

Wizard Ernie was similar to Wizard Banmou in the sense that Merlin could use them as an extension of himself, and thus, they were able to help him solve a lot of problems.

"Master!"

When Merlin walked out of the house, Wizard Ernie immediately noticed and acknowledged him respectfully.

Wizard Watson hesitated slightly but came to Merlin's side.

Merlin nodded slightly. "Throughout this time, did the Frost Lord come?"

"Master, the Frost Lord never came," Wizard Ernie replied after pondering for a while.

Merlin was slightly surprised to hear that the Frost Lord did not come at all in the last three months. After all, before Merlin entered the Frost Pond, he signed a contract with the Frost Lord to defeat another snow sprite. Now three months had passed, yet the Frost Lord had not initiated any action. It was very strange indeed.

"Come, let's go out and see."

With both Ernie and Watson by his side, Merlin exited the isolated courtyard and headed towards the outside world.

The palace of the Frost Lord was extremely luxurious. The main color scheme was white, yet it seemed perfectly spotless, so it was obvious that the snow sprites cleaned the palace quite often.

Moreover, Merlin could also see a large number of snow sprites scurrying in and out of the palace complex. Ordinarily, there were very few of them outside.

They were similar to flame sprites, who were also extremely rare. Merlin had only ever encountered one flame sprite, and it was inside the ancient monuments. Even then, the flame sprite had been captured by the Great Wizard Dowland, the owner of the ancient monuments, who then imprisoned it for thousands of years.

Flame sprites and snow sprites were both elemental sprites, but inside the Frost Lord's palace complex, the number of snow sprites was unexpectedly bountiful. Their population was so dense that they seemed to be everywhere.

Wizard Ernie stole a look at Merlin and seemed to notice the look of disbelief on his face, so he carefully explained. "Master, one of the reasons there are so many snow sprites here is because they don't have a limited lifespan, so they could live for more than tens of thousands of years. Therefore, as time passes, it is not impossible for the number of snow sprites to slowly accumulate to its current population size in the Frost Lord's palace."

"Additionally, Subzero Snowfield is covered in thick snow all year long, so it's like a wonderland for Ice-type Spell Casters. With the high concentration of Ice Elements, more snow sprites are born here compared to anywhere else."

"However, the real reason behind the incredible population of snow sprites is the Frost Lord's influence. With the Frost Lord's protection, these snow sprites would not be captured by other Spell Casters and can live peacefully. Otherwise, no matter how many snow sprites there were, the Spell Casters would not cease their actions."

Listening to Wizard Ernie's explanation, Merlin nodded darkly. It was true that no matter how many snow sprites there were, their population would not be enough to cater to the level of demand from Spell Casters.

The power of the Frost Lord protected a large population of snow sprites and provided a stable environment for them to grow.

The snow sprites in this palace all possessed the skills of a Fourth-level Spell Caster and above. However, as opposed to Spell Casters, the differences in the snow sprites' level of abilities were determined based on their control over the Ice Elements.

Newborn snow sprites, on average, were already powerful enough that their control over the Ice Elements were comparable to a First-level Spell Caster. They were born naturally powerful and could progress up to Fourth-level rapidly with no problem.

Nevertheless, since God granted them such an advantage in the early stages, their progress would not be as smooth-sailing in the later stages. At Fourth-level, they would encounter a difficult hurdle, where many of the snow sprites would be required to undergo their first transformation.

If their transformation was successful, their control over the Ice Elements would be a cut above the rest. The Ice-type spells that they wielded would be much more powerful than Spell Casters of the same level. This was an attribute derived from their natural predispositions.

However, should the transformation be unsuccessful, these snow sprites would disappear completely and return to the air and the earth.

Moreover, this was far from over. From Fourth- to Sixth-level, snow sprites did not face any difficulties and were able to progress smoothly, but Seventh-level posed an even bigger hurdle.

Among all the snow sprites inside the palace complex, only the Frost Lord alone had succeeded in the transformation to achieve Seventh-level. Similarly, if this transformation was successful, then the snow sprites' abilities would be on par with Seventh-level Spell Casters with Fusion Demon Ability.

However, the specifics of how the snow sprites could undergo their transformation were not known by Ernie, Watson or even Merlin. It appeared to be a closely-guarded secret.

All the snow sprites in this palace were Fourth-level and above, which also meant that they were the ones who had undergone a successful transformation. The snow sprites below Fourth-level, who were yet to experience their first transformation, were not eligible to enter this palace.

"Bang."

A massive crashing sound rang out, and Merlin stopped in his tracks. He raised his head to look around.

In the open space ahead of them, two powerful snow sprites appeared to be fighting. Judging from the elemental fluctuations emitted from their bodies, their controls over Ice Elements were extremely strong. These were Sixth-level snow sprites.

These two powerful Sixth-level snow sprites must have been fighting for a long time, and it was not a training spar, but a life-or-death battle!

Merlin frowned slightly and began to quietly observe the scene.

A few other snow sprites also gathered around these two snow sprites, but they did not seem to care about the public scrutiny and focused only on the intense battle between them. They controlled the Ice Elements and released a litany of powerful spells, wildly attacking each other.

Time and time again, both snow sprites injured themselves causing their body to turn slightly translucent. Once they turned completely transparent, they would collapse into nothing.

The collapse of a snow sprite was equivalent to its death!

The fight was a battle of death, but the other snow sprites surrounding them seemed like they were witnessing a common routine. They did not act other than simply observing the vicious battle between these two snow sprites.

"Gulp…"

Finally, one of the snow sprites seized the opportunity while its opponent's attention was diverted. It cast an Ice Freeze to freeze its opponent, and then with a wide-opened mouth, it violently devoured its opponent.

Yes, devoured, as in a snow sprite just swallowed another snow sprite whole. This was Merlin's first time witnessing this scene, so his jaw fell open with an expression of disbelief.

Like Merlin, Wizard Ernie and Wizard Watson, too, were astonished. Sixth-level snow sprites were considered powerful even in the outside world, and there were not that many of them in the palace to begin with.

The fact that the Frost Lord allowed the snow sprites to engage in a life-or-death battle was already hard to believe, but now they even devoured one another. It was incomprehensible.

Nevertheless, the other snow sprites did not seem at all surprised at the ending. Their expressions were resigned as they had already expected for it to happen. In addition, their focuses were transfixed on the snow sprite that had just devoured its companion.

Standing in a distance, Merlin's eyes were still shining with disbelief. However, a flicker of understanding had begun to dawn on him when he sensed a change in the elemental fluctuations emitted by that snow sprite.

The elemental fluctuations on the snow sprite intensified, like a pot of boiling water that reached its boiling point.

"Boom."

The snow sprite exploded in an instant, blowing away the snow sprites around it. With that, the snow sprite that had earlier devoured its companion collapsed.

"Another failure!"

A gentle sigh resonated behind him, and Merlin promptly turned around. Apparently unbeknownst since when, the Frost Lord had appeared behind him.

The Frost Lord's gaze was locked on the snow sprites in a distance, its face riddled with a complicated expression. Merlin contemplated for a while and slowly spoke up. "Is this the real reason you're protecting the snow sprites? Just so that they can devour one another to boost their abilities?"

From Merlin's short observation, he understood that the two snow sprites were actually trying to devour one another. In order to boost their abilities, they would have to defeat their opponent to be able to swallow them.

The fact that they were able to devour their own companions in public without any fear of repercussion meant that the practice was endorsed by the Frost Lord. In the outside world, the Frost Lord had a praiseworthy reputation, but it seemed like there was a cruel side that was hidden from the public eye.

"You realized it?"

The Frost Lord's expression did not waver. With a single glance at Merlin, the Frost Lord casually replied, "Correct. The population of snow sprites used to be extremely few in numbers, and our abilities were pathetically weak. We used to be captured by Spell Casters to boost their own powers, and there was nothing we could do. However, later on, I was fortunate enough to undergo the transformation. Through lots of experience, I found out that there was only one way for snow sprites to transform to Seventh-level, which is to devour a snow sprite of the same level.

"It's so cruel to devour your own companions to transform! Regardless, it is our only option. Right now, the snow sprites only have me to fend-off the Spell Casters, but if I'm no longer around, the remaining snow sprites would revert into vulnerable prey for the Spell Casters once again. Therefore, more snow sprites must achieve Seventh-level, and for that purpose, they must transform!"

"Thus, I built the Frost Kingdom, so that the snow sprites will be protected in this place! Large numbers of snow sprites throng this place upon hearing the news because they would enjoy some peace for a while. However, if they want to transform and become stronger, they would have to devour their companions. It's just that, over such a long period of time, I'm still the only snow sprite that had managed to transform after devouring a companion. The rest have all failed."

The Frost Lord looked at the snow sprites in a distance, unconcealed sorrow on its face.

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Chapter 423: Wizard Blackmurk!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Merlin kept silent. Apparently, it was truly arduous for snow sprites to transform themselves and to enhance their abilities. It was also inexplicably cruel that they had to devour their own companions to have a chance at transformation.

The flame sprite that Merlin was currently suppressing had not undergone any transformation despite surviving countless years in the ancient monuments. As such, its abilities did not grow. Perhaps it was because there were no other flame sprites around for it to devour, thus it could not transform.

In the entire kingdom of the Frost Lord, the only snow sprite that was comparable with a Seventh-level Spell Caster was the Frost Lord alone. All the other snow sprites, despite their attempts to transform, had not succeeded.

Merlin suddenly recalled that the Frost Lord had made him sign a contract to defeat another snow sprite that was also equivalent to a Seventh-level Spell Caster.

Previously, Merlin had wondered why the Frost Lord would want to defeat such a powerful snow sprite, but now he realized the Frost Lord had a very important purpose.

"Frost Lord, you're thinking of devouring a companion in order to transform further?" Merlin asked in a low voice, his gaze unwavering from the Frost Lord.

Besides this, Merlin could not think of another reason why the Frost Lord would spend so much effort to defeat a similarly-skilled Seventh-level snow sprite.

The Frost Lord replied after a long pause, "You're right. Right now, I can only protect these snow sprites temporarily. There are many Spell Casters in Subzero Snowfield who are much more powerful than I am. Perhaps they could not be bothered, or do not bear any bad intentions towards the snow sprites, therefore they had never acted against my kingdom. Nonetheless, entrusting our safety to the will of others will not last forever. We snow sprites have to control our fate in our own hands! Therefore, I need to become more powerful, and the only way is for me to transform is to devour a companion!"

A steely look of determination rose in the Frost Lord's eyes.

"Frost Lord, how long will it be until we can depart? I cannot afford to spend a few years here!"

Merlin was referring to the contract. No matter for what reason the Frost Lord wanted to defeat the other Seventh-level snow sprite, Merlin was only concerned about discharging his obligations under the contract and to leave this place. He did not want to be confined in this place for a long time.

"Soon, just wait for a bit. Once Wizard Blackmurk is ready, we can move."

Once the Frost Lord mentioned Wizard Blackmurk, Merlin's heart thumped, and he glanced expectantly at Ernie. Wizard Ernie quietly replied, "Master, Wizard Blackmurk is a Seventh-level Spell Caster, but his reputation in Subzero Snowfield is savage. He has an Alchemy Creature that is completely venomous all over. He excels at concocting venoms so deadly that even Seventh-level Spell Casters have to be careful. Even the slightest contamination from his venom would corrode all defensive spells. In Subzero Snowfield, Wizard Blackmurk is so fearsome that even the Eighth-level Wizards are unwilling to provoke him. I wonder what price the Frost Lord paid to persuade Wizard Blackmurk to come."

Just the mere mention of Wizard Blackmurk revealed a trace of trepidation on Wizard Ernie's face, which shed light on his infamy in Subzero Snowfield. Additionally, most of it constituted villainy, that even Wizard Ernie felt terrified of him despite being at the same level.

Actually, upon achieving Seventh-level, the gap between Spell Casters becomes more pronounced. The comparison between an average Seventh-level Spell Caster and a top Seventh-level Spell Caster could be as different as heaven and earth. Merlin and many other Spell Casters might be able to cross-levels and vanquish average Seventh-level Spell Casters, but the top Seventh-level Spell Casters had an arsenal of powerful spells and were also supported by Fusion Demon Abilities. This league of top Seventh-level Spell Casters were truly formidable that even Merlin was not a worthy opponent.

Wizards Ernie and Watson were considered average Seventh-level Wizards. They had neither powerful spells nor Pandora Demon Abilities, so in comparison, they were far from the powerful Seventh-level Spell Casters.

This Blackmurk was obviously not an average Seventh-level Spell Caster, so much so that even Wizard Ernie was terrified of him.

"Hum".

Suddenly, a gentle breeze whooshed past, then immediately followed by vortex forming in the sky. Its effects were so distinctive that even a First-level Spell Caster would be able to sense that the change was brought about by someone controlling the Wind Elements.

Merlin squinted slightly. Someone was coming!

The Frost Lord looked at the vortex in the sky and its lips curled into a mysterious smile. It said slowly, "We just mentioned Wizard Blackmurk, and he's here! Looks like we don't have to wait too long, we can depart soon!"

The Wizard Blackmurk mentioned by the Frost Lord was apparently arriving now. Someone who was specially invited by the Frost Lord would surely be quite outstanding, in addition to Wizard Ernie's trepidation at the mere mention of his name, Blackmurk must be extraordinary. Hence, Merlin also expanded his Mind Power to observe his surroundings

Soon, a small black dot appeared in the distant sky. Amidst a vortex with unparalleled force stood a blue-robed old man looking down in disdain.

"Whoosh".

The old man landed in just one stride. Every step he took seemed to be shrouded by black smog. At the same time, behind him was an indistinguishable monster that was three-meters tall and dark as night. A nasty stench lingered after every step, and its body was covered with a strong corrosive venom.

It was the Alchemy Creature that was covered in venom. The venom even made Merlin feel threatened.

"Skrr-skrr-skrr".

Wizard Blackmurk led the Alchemy Creature forwards, and wherever they stepped was filled with a foul stench. Looking bizarrely creepy, it was accompanied by a trace of black smoke. A pitch-black, tar-like sticky substance oozed out and rapidly corroded the pure white ice crystals.

"Hehe, Frost Lord, I came as promised!"

Blackmurk grinned slightly as he led the Alchemy Creature to stand before the Frost Lord. His glance swept over Merlin and the others but did not stop on them, his attention fully tuned to the Frost Lord.

The Frost Lord's face twitched slightly as it threw a repulsive gaze at the Alchemy Creature behind Blackmurk. In a deep voice, the Frost Lord said, "Wizard Blackmurk, let me introduce to you the Dark Fire Incarnate who recently sent waves in Subzero Snowfield, Wizard Merlin! This time, I've invited Wizard Merlin to join us in challenging Paolo."

"The Dark Fire Incarnate?"

Blackmurk was momentarily stunned, then he shifted his gaze onto Merlin.

Blackmurk's gaze was aggressively penetrating as if he was trying to see through Merlin's entire body. Nevertheless, Merlin was not at all afraid of Blackmurk, so both their gazes met and began to challenge one another mid-air.

"Hmph. What is this Dark Fire Incarnate nonsense? He's naught but a mere dark wizard, how dare he call himself an incarnate? Frost Lord, I don't care whom you invite along, but people who aren't powerful enough should not be weighing us down, it will only embarrass us!"

"Bang".

The Alchemy Creature behind Blackmurk took a violent lurch backward, and its huge body broke the ice layer. Following that, accompanied by a foul stench, it leaped forward like a flash of lightning straight at Merlin.

On the other hand, Blackmurk stretched out a scarlet tongue and licked his dry chapped lips with a cruel glint in his eyes.

Merlin's eyes narrowed but did not panic. Instead, he gently extended a finger and made a small tapping gesture.

"Roar".

Flames, endless flames, formed a wall of fire and blocked the Alchemy Creature from advancing. When black venomous substance was shot out of the Alchemy Creature, it would immediately be burned to ashes by the pale white flames without a trace.

"Oh? Interesting!"

This was the first time Blackmurk had met Merlin. Although he had previously heard of Merlin, they were all rumors. Apparently, rumors about the Dark Fire Incarnate was already widespread in Subzero Snowfield.

In Subzero Snowfield, there were many Spell Casters with fierce reputations like Merlin, so Blackmurk did not care to know. However, the one thing that caught his attention was the rumor that Merlin had obtained the second volume of the Neverending Book.

In the second volume of the Neverending Book, he would be able to find the third volume of the Neverending Book. The reason Blackmurk had not pursued it back then was because he was entangled in another matter, but now that he met Merlin here, he would not hold back any further. Thus, he directly ordered the Alchemy Creature to attack.

Half of Blackmurk's abilities actually rested upon the Alchemy Creature. As long as a single dab of venom managed to contaminate Merlin's body, Blackmurk believed that it was enough to induce a headache for any Seventh-level Spell Casters.

This was also the reason why Blackmurk had been able to have such a fearsome reputation in Subzero Snowfield. The venom-covered Alchemy Creature inspired fear among the Seventh-level Spell Casters.

"Knock it down!"

Blackmurk snorted. He had injected so much effort into this Alchemy Creature that it was almost invincible. Regardless of what attack befell the Alchemy Creature, it did not cause too big of an impact.

The same was true of Merlin's flames. Despite his flames already achieving the ultimate limit of a Seventh-level spell, its power was not fully utilized to attack the Alchemy Creature but was used as a means of defense. Therefore, the Alchemy Creature was not afraid. Despite being covered in a blanket of raging flames, the Alchemy Creature continued its sprint towards Merlin.

Merlin could not help but frown. An Alchemy Creature that was not afraid of death was truly troublesome to deal with. Regardless, he would not allow the Alchemy Creature to come close to him.

Moreover, Merlin also had Flash Wind, so he was only a mere thought away from leaving, and the Alchemy Creature would no longer be able to harm him. Nevertheless, since he was being tested by Blackmurk, he refused to budge!

"Hoo".

Merlin pointed a finger towards the sky, and in an instant, all the snow sprites in the palace were staring vacantly at the sky. They saw concentrated Darkness Elements gathering in the sky, and the formerly bright sky turned dark.

Subsequently, the sky would turn even darker and eventually pitch-black, to the point that it would not be possible to see their own fingers stretched out in front of their faces!

This was Merlin's Darkness Illusory Death spell that had been further enhanced by the Darkness Heart. In fact, it was even more intimidating than those powerful Fusion Demon Abilities!

In the blink of an eye, darkness descended!

Blackmurk's face changed when he felt the presence of a strong illusion. It would not affect him, but his Alchemy Creature was not an inanimate monster. It possessed a tiny sliver of awareness that was deliberately left behind by Blackmurk himself. Otherwise, an inanimate Alchemy Creature would not be able to grow and become stronger.

Now, the tiny sliver of awareness that he left behind in the Alchemy Creature would be threatened by Merlin's darkness spell, as the Alchemy Creature might very well be entrapped by the illusion.

For the first time, Blackmurk sensed that the rumored 'Dark Fire Incarnate' was truly powerful!

"Crack".

At this very moment, the Frost Lord acted. With a wave of the Frost Lord's hand, strong Mind Power pierced the darkness and a thick ice wall blocked the Alchemy Creature's way, separating Merlin and Blackmurk.

"Both of you are my esteemed guests, so please stop. Your respective techniques and strengths will be useful when the time comes!"

The Frost Lord could see that Merlin and Blackmurk were equally matched as long as they did not use their trump cards. This actually impressed the Frost Lord because Blackmurk's notorious reputation had prevailed in Subzero Snowfield for such a long time that even Eighth-level Wizards dared not provoke him. This was mostly due to the strength of his Alchemy Creature.

The fact that Merlin was able to restrain Blackmurk's Alchemy Creature was already a testament to his abilities.

"Dark Fire Incarnate Wizard Merlin, I'm very interested in the second volume of the Neverending Book in your hands. We'll battle again at the next opportunity!"

Blackmurk said with a smirk, his tone laced with deadly venom.

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Chapter 424: Paolo I

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

On the snowy horizons, there were some occasional dome-shaped igloos. The characteristics of these houses were very unique because it was put together using blocks of ice. Most of them were built by Spell Casters.

At this moment, two Spell Casters, a male and a female, stood before the dome-shaped igloos. The female Spell Caster was young, perhaps fourteen or fifteen years old. Her face was pure and innocent, and her big eyes were transfixed on the tall man dressed in a long white Wizard's robes.

"Brother Paolo, my father asked you to explain some of the things that I need to pay attention to regarding the First-level Wind-type spells, but your explanation just now was a little too complicated, so I didn't understand. Can you repeat it again?"

The tall, white-robed Wizard had handsomely chiseled features, and his smile was exceptionally dazzling, like a bright ray of sunshine that made everyone feel warm.

The female Wizard liked the white-robed Wizard's smile so much, that she even told a small lie to see him for a little longer. Using her lack of understanding as an excuse, she requested the white-robed Wizard to repeat himself.

The white-robed Wizard appeared to be very patient as he smiled. "Alright, I'll explain it to you again."

Following that, the white-robed Wizard started to share some knowledge about First-level Wind-type spells in a simplified manner. His explanations were very detailed, which showed that his understanding of First-level Wind-type spells was very profound.

The female Wizard listened intently, but more attention was paid to the white-robed Wizard in front of her. She was very fond of Brother Paolo as he was kind and talented. Her father once mentioned that it was only a matter of time before Paolo would become a Fourth-level Spell Caster.

A Fourth-level Spell Caster was the strongest person the female Wizard had ever seen. She seldom went out in Subzero Snowfield and had only met a handful of people, so from her limited exposure, a Fourth-level Spell Caster was already very powerful.

Once the white-robed Wizard finished explaining, the female Wizard suddenly asked, "Brother Paolo, do you know if there are more powerful Wizards outside?"

"Outside?"

The white-robed Wizard paused slightly, and his smile faltered. Then, he nodded his head. "Of course there are more powerful Spell Casters on the outside. Besides Fourth-level, there are also Fifth, Sixth, and even Seventh-level Spell Casters!"

The female Wizard was enthralled to hear that. Naturally, she did not understand what Seventh-level Wizards were like, because the most powerful Spell Caster she had ever met was only her father, who was a Fourth-level Spell Caster.

"Whoosh".

Right there and then, an old Wizard returned from Subzero Snowfield. Upon seeing the old Wizard, the female Wizard smiled and rushed forward to welcome him. "Father, you're back. Brother Paolo was just telling me about the outside world."

"Oh, the outside world? You'll see it one day."

The old Wizard cast an unfathomable look at the white-robed Wizard. For some unknown reason, his gaze was faintly filled with awe.

"Teacher!"

The white-robed wizard also came to the old Wizard and greeted him respectfully. If the old Wizard was the white-robed Wizard's teacher, then the 'awe'-filled gaze was all the more incomprehensible.

Nevertheless, the awed look in the old Wizard's eyes was fleeting and was soon replaced with a calm expression. He nodded. "Paolo, you…"

Before he could finish, however, Paolo's expression changed drastically. The old Wizard seemed to realize what was happening and quickly raised his head. The previously clear sky had suddenly turned dark.

Moreover, the darkness seemed to be condensing even further. Concentrated Darkness Elements seemed to be gathering in frenzy.

"My, my, my, how unexpected. The Seventh-level snow sprite Paolo is actually hiding here as a teeny-weeny Spell Caster!"

From the infinite darkness, a figure slowly emerged. The figure was dressed in a black robe and his features were child-like. He looked very young, except for a pair of harrowing, battle-scarred bottomless eyes that caused people to be involuntarily spellbound.

"Who are you?"

After a lengthy pause, the white-robed man stood up abruptly, and the smile disappeared from his face. Instead, it was replaced by an icy look. The old Wizard, on the other hand, was now hunched behind the white-robed man as he murmured in a low voice. "Master."

Just a moment ago he was the white-robed Wizard's 'teacher', but in the blink of an eye, the 'teacher' had become a slave. This abrupt change was quite puzzling, but the white-robed man seemed unperturbed. He nodded. "Retreat now. The matter at hand is not for you to be involved in!"

The old Wizard took a deep look at the mysterious figure that emerged from the darkness and swiftly retreated. Seventh-level fluctuations flashed on his body. Apparently, he was a Seventh-level Spell Caster too!

The mysterious Wizard who emerged from the darkness only glanced placidly at the retreating old Wizard. Calmly, he said, "Who I am is not important. What's important here is, today you won't be able to escape!"

"Really? With just this darkness spell? Let me guess, the Frost Lord invited you to come, and besides you, there are also others in hiding to ambush me. Come out then, Frost Lord, I've already smelled your aura, you know very well that neither of us can fool the other."

The white-robed Wizard, Paolo, had his hands clasped behind his back. There was not a single trace of fear. Instead, he spoke calmly as his eyes swept around the vicinity.

"Sigh."

A deep sigh resounded in the air, followed by a gust of white cold air. The cold air gradually condensed into a figure, and it was the Frost Lord.

The Frost Lord glanced at the white-robed man with a troubled expression. In a low voice, it said, "Paolo, we meet again!"

Paolo seemed to be filled with regret as he replied, "Yes, we meet again. This time, you've made the decision to devour me?"

Paolo seemed to be mocking himself as he stared unblinkingly at the Frost Lord.

The Frost Lord did not react. Quietly, the Frost Lord said, "Paolo, we were born together and grew up together. Then, we were forced to devour our companions to finally become Seventh-level snow sprites! In order to protect more snow sprites, I need to build a stronger force to stand against the Spell Casters, so that the snow sprites will no longer be captured. I needed your help, but instead, you chose another path. You chose to wander around and be free, but you have neglected your mission! Nevertheless, it's still not too late, Paolo. Besides me, you are the only snow sprite in Subzero Snowfield that had managed to transform. As long as you agree to follow me back to the kingdom and help the other snow sprites, it's still not too late."

"And if I don't agree?" Paolo asked in a frosty tone.

"Don't agree…"

After a moment of silence, the Frost Lord raised its head fiercely with a look of determination and said, "If you don't agree, then don't blame me. In order for snow sprites to become stronger, we can only devour our companions. I've reached the bottleneck, so in order to transform, I can only devour you. Since you are unwilling to help me voluntarily, then you will contribute your strength to help me transform, in order to protect the snow sprites!"

The look on the Frost Lord's face was maniacal.

"Haha."

Paolo laughed. "Your so-called mission is nothing but shackles that you have placed upon yourself. No one forced you to shoulder the burden. That is their destiny as snow sprites and a part of nature. The fact that you and I managed to escape that destiny was merely a stroke of luck, it does not make it a mandatory requirement! If there was any use to force it to happen, and if your method was correct, then tell me, why is it that after so many years, not a single Seventh-level snow sprite has emerged from within your kingdom?"

Paolo sneered. He was well acquainted with the Frost Lord. After all, they were born together and grew up together, and they even devoured their own companions together and transformed into Seventh-level snow sprites. In the entire Subzero Snowfield, it was a very rare occurrence.

Later on, due to the clash in their ideologies, these two snow sprites went their separate ways.

"Too late, whatever you say now is useless! Wizard Merlin, Wizard Blackmurk, attack!"

The Frost Lord took a deep breath and its expression turned indifferent once again. The main purpose of coming here today was to surround Paolo and devour him in order for the Frost Lord to embark in its transformation.

Wizards Merlin and Blackmurk had both signed a contract with the Frost Lord. Thus, they could only attack as per the Frost Lord's command and help the Frost Lord suppress Paolo.

"Darkness Illusory Death!"

With a sweeping command from Merlin, the surrounding became pitch-black to the extent that it was impossible to see one's outstretched fingers. Even Paolo would not be able to sense his entire surroundings.

This was a very dangerous situation because there could be unknown threats lurking in the darkness. Since the Frost Lord had deliberately planned this trip to confront Paolo, there must be a detailed strategy.

Thinking along those lines, Paolo dared not regard the attack lightly. He frantically activated his Mind Power, because it was the most direct way to break through the illusion.

"Boom".

An enormous Mind Power rose into the sky. Merlin's darkness spell was unable to counter Mind Power above Seventh-level, so Paolo was immediately able to observe his surroundings.

However, by looking clearly at his surroundings, Paolo found himself in grave danger!

A huge, gangly, pitch-black Alchemy Creature that was emitting a foul stench was headed straight towards Paolo, its hands outstretched to smash him to death.

The Alchemy Creature's speed was unmistakably fast, and because of Merlin's Darkness-type spell, Paolo did not notice it until now. It was too late for him to escape, he could only face it head-on.

"Ice Freeze!"

Paolo extended a finger and a thick wall of ice appeared before him. When it came to the control over Ice Elements, Spell Casters of the same level were still far from comparable to the elemental sprites.

Therefore, despite being cast in a hurry, Paolo's Ice-type spell was still quite powerful.

"Crash".

The Alchemy Creature slammed its palm onto the thick wall of ice, and there was a 'hissing' sound. It was the venom eating away at the ice crystals, and soon enough the ice crystals corroded away and revealed a gaping hole. The venom-covered Alchemy Creature reappeared on the other side, and its crimson gaze was locked on Paolo.

Paolo's face paled. He remembered rumors of a Spell Caster who was similar to the Alchemy Creature in front of him.

"Wizard Blackmurk!"

With Paolo's gasp, Wizard Blackmurk showed himself. He was controlling the Alchemy Creature from afar as it battled Paolo. Even Merlin had to admit that compared to any Spell Caster, the venom-covered Alchemy Creature was much tougher to defeat.

Any Spell Caster would be hard-pressed to fight a venom-covered Alchemy Creature because even the slightest contamination from the venom would land them in a place of no return!

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