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Chapter 257: Clue I

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"It really is the Neverending Book… You're lucky to obtain the Neverending Book and bring it here to me. If it was anyone else, they would have no way to decipher the runes of the Neverending Book. However, the great Sir Didimoss is able to do it!"

The magnificent black cat's voice became sharper. Following that, Merlin sensed that the stone tablet which stood on the beach was beginning to shake softly, after which mysterious runes appeared one by one and were slowly grasped by the black cat.

At the same time, Merlin perceived that streaks of powerful Mind fluctuations had emerged around the black cat. This gust of Mind Power made Merlin scared out of his wits.

Mind Power was something intangible. In reality, it was unable to cause any physical injury to anyone. However now, Merlin could feel the waves of Mind fluctuation around the black cat Didimoss as if once Didimoss' petrifying Mind Power was targeted at him, he would have no resistance at all.

"Inscription, open!"

Didimoss pronounced a few ancient, mysterious characters, following which the enigmatic runes on the stone tablet were quickly engraved into the Neverending Book in Merlin's hands.

The Neverending Book began to shine with waves of white light as if it was struggling mightily, but after a moment, the white light of the Neverending Book gradually weakened until it finally faded away.

What caught Merlin off guard was that this time, what he saw was a completely new volume of the Neverending Book. In this volume, lines of Molta language were recorded, containing an abundance of information. Merlin looked over the contents roughly and began to feel rather ecstatic for this information was about the clues on the second and even the third volume of the Neverending Book.

"Alright, the runes of the Neverending Book have been deciphered. How exhausting. I'm afraid I'll have to sleep for a few months. Wizard Merlin, your elemental crystals stones were delicious but the great Sir Didimoss has given you his help. Whether or not you can locate the second and third volumes of the Neverending Book is all up to you…"

With that, the black cat Didimoss immediately transformed into a cloud of black fog and disappeared into the stone tablet.

Merlin bowed slightly toward the stone tablet. He knew that this time around, Didimoss had exhausted a lot of energy to decipher the runes of the Neverending Book. After all, the Neverending Book was a legendary treasure, and the Runic Magic Circles it contained could not be easily deciphered.

"Teacher, this is…"

Emma, who was standing on one side, was stunned by the scene she had just witnessed. The marvelous Didimoss was able to speak the human language, and the powers he possessed were even more inconceivable to her.

Merlin did not explain much but kept the Neverending Book instead. He was ready to closely examine the secrets of the Neverending Book once he had returned to the Dark Magic Region.

"Let's go. Didimoss is a spirit of a Runic Magic Circle personally engraved by the Great Wizard Fidel, the founder of the Dark Magic Region. He's a peculiar creature, older than any Spell Casters in the Dark Magic Region."

Merlin gave Emma a simple introduction of the black cat Didimoss. Even though Emma only half-understood it, she recognized that this marvelous black cat had an impressive position in the Dark Magic Region. Thus, she also bowed deeply toward the stone tablet before she followed Merlin into the Dark Magic Region.

"This is the Dark Magic Region!"

Merlin heaved a small sigh. Looking at the familiar scene before his eyes, and the blocks of towers rising into the sky, his heart seemed to relax. He had already completely assimilated into the Dark Magic Region and had inadvertently become a part of the Dark Magic Region long ago.

Therefore, he felt a sense of belonging in the Dark Magic Region as if he had returned "home" to Prakash City.

Emma was inquisitive and in high spirits, continuously inquiring about the towers soaring into the sky, so Merlin answered her questions one after another.

"Alright, Emma, you should slowly familiarize yourself with the Dark Magic Region. However, I'm not a Fourth-level Spell Caster, so I don't have an individual tower which I built. Thus, I have no way of accepting you as a student in my Wizard Tower. You still need to head over to the gray-robed Wizards for your appraisal – they'll eventually assign you to the tower of some other Wizard."

Merlin had not become a Fourth-level Spell Caster and was unable to individually build a Wizard Tower, so he had no way to immediately take on Emma as his student.

Nevertheless, Merlin had explained to Emma before that if she joined the Dark Magic Region, she would need to abide by their rules. Even if Emma was assigned to another Spell Caster's tower, Merlin would still be her "teacher" as long as she was willing.

"Go ahead, I'll wait for you outside."

After he spoke, Emma nodded and drew in a deep breath. She walked into one of the towers. There, they would test her Spell Caster Quality as well as assign her to a Wizard Tower.

Seeing that Emma had gone in, Merlin quietly waited outside. Regarding Emma's Quality, her Mind Power was not very strong, and she had only constructed three Zero-level spells. According to the Dark Magic Region's system, she would most likely be assigned to Wizard Leo's tower.

If that was the case, it would save them a lot of trouble.

After a long time, Emma came out. A dejected expression hung on her face, and when she saw Merlin, she was somewhat hesitant to speak.

Merlin smiled. "How was it, which Wizard's tower were you assigned to?"

Emma shook her head helplessly. "My Spell Caster Quality was terrible, and I was assigned to Wizard Leo's tower… Teacher, I've embarrassed you!"

From Emma's perspective, Merlin was able to be so strong when he was only First-level. It was clear that in the Dark Magic Region, he was the cream of the crop. Emma was somewhat disturbed that as his student, she had inferior Spell Caster Quality.

However, Merlin breathed a quiet sigh of relief, and a smile appeared on his face. "As expected, you're assigned to Wizard Leo. There's no need to be so despondent. I did not explain to you that, I'm Wizard Leo's student, and am staying in Wizard Leo's tower at the moment. Your assignment to Wizard Leo's tower saves us a lot of trouble. I'll explain your situation to Wizard Leo."

"What? Teacher, you're also assigned to Wizard Leo's tower? The Spell Caster inside said that only Spell Casters of the lowest Spell Caster Quality would be assigned to Wizard Leo's tower…"

Emma still found it rather unbelievable that Merlin was also assigned to Wizard Leo's tower.

Merlin's features gradually became stern, and he said solemnly, "Spell Caster Quality is not everything. What's more, Wizard Leo is one of the strongest Spell Casters in the Dark Magic Region. You should feel lucky to be able to be in his tower. Alright, as for the rest, you'll know about them later. Firstly, I'll bring you to Wizard Leo's tower."

Emma bobbed her head and followed closely behind Merlin.

In a short while, Merlin had brought Emma to the front of Wizard Leo's tower. It looked the same as before, but only when he returned here did Merlin feel truly comfortable.

"Come on."

Merlin and Emma walked into the tower. On the first floor, Wizard Howl was engrossed in studying his potions as always. Merlin knew that Wizard Howl was obsessed with potions. In the past, he had thought that Wizard Howl, being a First-level Spell Caster and an official member of the Dark Magic Region, would have been very strong.

However, as Merlin slowly leveled up to a First-level Spell Caster, his horizons were gradually broadened, and he learned some things about Wizard Howl.

Although Wizard Howl had successfully leveled up to a First-level Spell Caster, the Spell Model he had created in the beginning had left him with an unseen affliction. As a result, he needed potions to sustain himself.

This constant suffering due to an unstable Spell Model was a situation similarly faced by Wizard Hill. It was because of this that Wizard Howl was so obsessed with potions. He hoped that through potions, he would be able to thoroughly cure his affliction.

Nonetheless, in so many years, Wizard Howl had not leveled up to a Second-level Spell Caster. It was evident that he had failed, and the potions he was preoccupied with did not completely cure his internal affliction.

Merlin shook his head slightly. A Spell Caster of this sort, without any hope, was the most pitiful. It was not surprising that besides anything to do with potions, Wizard Howl had a certain detached attitude toward other matters.

"Let's go, I'll bring you to meet Wizard Leo. He's on the highest floor of the tower!"

Merlin brought Emma to the Runic Magic Circle on the first floor and activated it in a routine manner. A white light flashed instantly, and Merlin and Emma's figures vanished from the first floor.

After they disappeared, Wizard Howl, who had been immersed in his potions, raised his head lightly. As he looked at the Runic Magic Circle from the corner of his eyes, a forlorn look grew upon his face…

…

"It's Merlin, I suppose. Come in!"

Merlin had just reached Wizard Leo's room when he heard Wizard Leo's voice coming from inside.

"Creak…"

Merlin pushed the door and entered. He saw that Wizard Leo was beaming, appearing to be in good humor.

"Wizard Leo!"

Merlin bowed forward slightly but felt rather puzzled. He did not know why Wizard Leo seemed to be overjoyed today. Ever since he had joined Wizard Leo's tower, Merlin had seldom seen Wizard Leo crack a smile.

"Merlin, well done. You killed Weiss and defeated Bluebird – two of Ozmu's prodigies. Haha, your reputation now has surpassed my own!"

The blood-red third eye on Wizard Leo's forehead flickered slightly with rays of crimson light. Merlin, who understood the behavior of Wizard Leo well, immediately knew that Wizard Leo was truly ecstatic.

Merlin did not expect that the news would spread so quickly. He had just returned to the Dark Magic Region, and the news had already reached them.

Seeing Merlin's expression, Wizard Leo seemed to guess Merlin's thoughts, and said, "Merlin, the news was able to spread so quickly was not because of you but because of Ozmu. We had just signed a pact with Ozmu, so of course, we're following Ozmu's every move closely. In addition, it's not like Weiss and Bluebird were obscure nobodies, so naturally, we kept track of their whereabouts."

Merlin nodded. It turned out that it was because Ozmu was observed by the Dark Magic Region and other spell casters' organizations that they would so quickly know that he killed Weiss and Bluebird.

"Teacher Leo, there were some things which I was hiding from you. It's about my Pandora Demon Ability…"

Merlin muttered to himself for a long time before deciding to tell Wizard Leo about Glacial Finger and Fiery Collapse. After what happened when they visited Abyss Fort, Merlin already had absolute trust in Wizard Leo. His possession of these Pandora Demon Abilities was not something he had to conceal from Wizard Leo anymore.

Chapter 258: Clue II

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Merlin was just about to tell Wizard Leo about his possession of Pandora Demon Ability but Wizard Leo waved his hand lightly. "Whatever Pandora Demon Ability you have, that's your secret. You don't have to tell me.

"I'm just feeling gratified. What is Kleis in comparison? You're far more outstanding than Kleis. Weiss and Bluebird are only the beginning. In the future, you must kill Kleis with your own hands, understand?"

A beam of light abruptly shone out of the crimson third eye on Wizard Leo's forehead, and he wore a grave expression.

Merlin was somewhat taken aback. According to the pact between the Dark Magic Region and Ozmu, Spell Casters above Fourth-level were not allowed to make any moves. However, Merlin was not a Spell Caster above Fourth-level, but a First-level Spell Caster. Even if he leveled up in a short time, he would still merely be a Second-level Spell Caster.

Only Merlin would have the opportunity to kill Kleis who had betrayed the Dark Magic Region!

"Teacher Leo, I'll keep this in mind. If I encounter Kleis in the future, I'll kill him myself!"

Merlin replied in a low voice, a glint of determination flashed in his eyes.

Wizard Leo gave him a desolate smile and slightly bobbed his head. "Very well. Surely you've come to find me for some other matter as well?"

Wizard Leo wore a half-smile as he looked toward the direction of the door.

Merlin's heart leaped, and he hurriedly gestured for Emma to come in, following which he said to Wizard Leo, "Wizard Leo, her name is Emma. Three years ago, I met her outside by chance and saw that she had Spell Caster Quality, so I gave her some spells. I didn't think that in three years, she would consecutively construct three Zero-level spells. Therefore, I unofficially took her on as my student, and she's been assigned to your Wizard Tower."

Merlin briefly explained Emma's situation to Wizard Leo. Emma, despite seeing that Wizard Leo's appearance was rather scary, still steeled her nerves and bowed toward him.

"Not bad, Merlin. Since you've approved of her, you'll have to guide her through her cultivation in the Dark Magic Region."

Wizard Leo did not mind but instead handed the matter over to Merlin. The hardest thing to do for someone with a temper like Wizard Leo's was to handle a student.

"Oh right, Wizard Leo, there's one more thing I need your help. I've become a First-level Spell Caster, and have found an attendant, who's also your previous student, Laurinka. As she did not become a First-level Spell Caster, she was stripped off her Dark Magic ring and was sent away from the Dark Magic Region. Thus, now she has no way of entering the Dark Magic Region and is still waiting outside. I need your help, Teacher, to help me apply for an attendant's Dark Magic ring."

Merlin quickly clarified the matter of Laurinka. Wizard Leo flapped his hand and appeared rather impatient. "That's a trivial matter. I'll send for someone to bring the Dark Magic ring used by attendants, but you understand that according to the Dark Magic Region's rules, any trouble caused by your attendant is equivalent to trouble caused by you. Therefore, you must be prudent in selecting an attendant."

Merlin nodded. An attendant was a representative of a Spell Caster, so many Spell Casters even after becoming Second- or Third-level in the Dark Magic Region, still had no attendants. That was because they were judicious in selecting an attendant, so if there was no one suitable at the moment, they could only choose not to accept any attendant for now.

With Wizard Leo's help, a Spell Caster arrived at the tower soon enough, delivering a Dark Magic ring used by attendants to Merlin. As soon as the ring was delivered, Merlin's servant, Laurinka, was in fact already in the Dark Magic Region's records. That way, there would be no errors.

With the Dark Magic ring, Merlin brought Emma away from Wizard Leo's room. After they came out, Emma heaved a sigh of relief. With some residual fear, she asked, "Teacher, that was Wizard Leo just now? He's really scary…"

Merlin knew that there were not many people who would be unafraid of Wizard Leo's terrifying appearance. However, he had known Wizard Leo for a long time and had a clear understanding of Wizard Leo's character, so he was not frightened.

"Emma, Wizard Leo's a good person. You'll learn that after some time. Come on, I'll bring you to your room. You can rest first, and slowly familiarize yourself with the Dark Magic Region later."

Merlin helped Emma settled in the tower, and briefly went through a few things she should take note of before he hurriedly rushed back to where Laurinka was.

"Laurinka, put on this Dark Magic ring, then you may return to the Dark Magic Region once again."

Merlin gave a small smile and handed the Dark Magic ring to Laurinka.

Laurinka appeared to be very moved as she could finally return to the Dark Magic Region. Back then, when she was sent away from the Dark Magic Region, she felt that all her dreams turned to dust like there was no hope left. She would still be a nobody even if she returned to her clan.

However, with Merlin, she had become his attendant now. From this day onward, her chances of becoming a First-level Spell Caster were greatly increased. Moreover, due to Merlin's extraordinary status, she would no longer be someone insignificant even though she was merely Merlin's attendant.

"Swish!"

With her stirred up emotions, Laurinka and Merlin went through the Runic Magic Circle together and returned to the Dark Magic Region once again.

…

"Whew…"

Merlin finally returned to his room and heaved a long sigh. Only when he was back in the Dark Magic Region would he feel so relieved and comfortable.

"Earlier, Sir Didimoss deciphered the runes of the Neverending Book. Only then did this legendary treasure revealed its true appearance. Perhaps there really are clues to the second and third volumes of the Neverending Book in it."

Merlin mumbled to himself, and then quickly retrieved the volume of the Neverending Book from his ring.

Currently, due to its runes deciphered by Didimoss, the Neverending Book no longer looked like it previously did. With its bright shining light, it used to appear plain and unadorned.

However, this was the true appearance of the Neverending Book. Merlin quickly checked the cover of the book, on which appeared some mysterious words in the Molta language.

Merlin began to go through the mysterious Molta language carefully.

"The three volumes of the Neverending Book contained some spells and Pandora Demon Abilities which I created when I had nothing better to do. Initially, it was just something I scribbled in passing, something I planned to destroy. However, after some thought, I felt that it would be a shame to do so. Therefore, I've placed the three volumes of the Neverending Book at three different places. The second volume is on a beach somewhere near the Death Sea. Naturally, one would be able to find it with the first volume.

"The third volume of the Neverending Book is at Rock Cavern. One would be able to locate the third volume if one is equipped with the first and second volumes!

"For anyone from future generations lucky enough to collect all three volumes of the Neverending Book, the spells and Pandora Demon Abilities are only a small plaything. On an impulse, I've sealed a Maxim in a hidden place. Only by gathering all three volumes of the Neverending Book would one be able to find and obtain this Maxim…"

Having finished reading the words in Molta language of the Neverending Book, Merlin was astounded.

The one who wrote this passage in Molta language was undoubtedly the Spell Caster who passed on these three volumes of the Neverending Book. Nonetheless, in this Spell Caster's eyes, the spells and Pandora Demon Abilities in the Neverending Book were only a "small plaything", not worth mentioning.

The bigger treasure left behind by this Spell Caster was a Maxim that he had sealed away.

What was a Maxim? Merlin was not clear on that but he vaguely knew that even the Great Wizards were unable to master Maxims. For instance, the Spatial Rings worn by many Spell Casters, in fact, were implanted with a Maxim. However, the Great Wizards themselves were unable to transfigure such a Maxim.

Even the Bell Space that Merlin had obtained also contained a Maxim.

Therefore, even though Merlin was unsure what a Maxim was, he knew that it was something even Great Wizards dreamed of – to think that a mysterious Spell Caster had left behind a Maxim.

Nevertheless, this required a person to collect all three volumes of the Neverending Book. Merlin had only heard of the Death Sea, but it was too far away. It was not even in the Kingdom of Blackmoon, but further down south, past the different areas of influence belonging to many spell casters' organizations, where one would finally reach a sea that stretched as far as the eye could see.

That would be the Death Sea. Not even Spell Casters who were above Fourth-level would dare to say that they could reach the Death Sea. It might be that only Seventh-level Spell Casters would be able to reach the Death Sea despite the difficulties.

Although the second volume of the Neverending Book would be difficult to retrieve, there was ultimately still a sliver of hope. As for the third volume of the Neverending Book, it was hidden by the unknown Spell Caster at Rock Cavern. Merlin had never heard of any place called Rock Cavern so it would be almost impossible to find.

With no way of compiling all three volumes of the Neverending Book, one would naturally be unable to obtain the sealed Maxim. Therefore, regardless of how beneficial or tempting it was, it did not matter.

"With my current capabilities, I'm unable to even reach the Death Sea. It's practically an impossible task to obtain the second volume of the Neverending Book…"

Merlin shook his head helplessly. It was far too difficult to retrieve the second and third volumes of the Neverending Book. Even if it could be done, it would definitely not be completed in a short time.

Following that, Merlin offhandedly kept the Neverending Book, and instead, took out the Pandora Demon Ability, Destructive Wind, which he had taken from Weiss!

This was a Wind-type Demon Ability with decent power. However, Merlin's Wind-type spells were Speed spells, so he had no way of cultivating Destructive Wind. The Dark Magic Region had Pandora Demon Abilities as well, so Merlin was thinking of exchanging Destructive Wind for another Pandora Demon Ability which he could cultivate now, and which would be helpful to him.

For something as significant as exchanging a Pandora Demon Ability with the Dark Magic Region, the first person who came to Merlin's mind was Wizard Leo. If he had Wizard Leo's assistance, then the trading of a Pandora Demon Ability with the Dark Magic Region would surely go more smoothly.

With that in mind, Merlin walked out of the room once more.

…

"Teacher Leo, I'm afraid there's something I need your help with."

Merlin stood before Wizard Leo and spoke respectfully.

"Go on, what is it?"

Wizard Leo asked nonchalantly with a calm expression.

Merlin drew in a deep breath, and calmed his turbulent emotions, after which he said softly, "Teacher Leo, I would like to exchange a Pandora Demon Ability with the Dark Magic Region!"

"Hmm? You want to exchange a Pandora Demon Ability?"

Wizard Leo's initially peaceful face immediately shifted slightly. The blood-red third eye on his forehead flashed open as well, fixing its glare on Merlin.

Chapter 259: Dark Magic Space

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Merlin nodded with a serious expression; he indeed intended to exchange a Pandora Demon Ability.

"Pandora Demon Abilities are usually the most important secret in all spell casters' organizations. Even I have never received a Pandora Demon Ability from the Dark Magic Region. Only those who have made a huge contribution to the Dark Magic Region will be rewarded with a Pandora Demon Ability. You must realize how important a Pandora Demon Ability really is. Are you sure you want to exchange it with the Dark Magic Region?"

Wizard Leo kept reminding Merlin of the importance of Pandora Demon Ability. He had Darkness Eye in the past, but he did not exchange it with the Dark Magic Region.

In fact, many Spell Casters would not exchange their Pandora Demon Ability with the Dark Magic Region willingly should they obtained it as it was too difficult to find even one Pandora Demon Ability.

Merlin directly stated his reason. He explained in a low voice, "Teacher Leo, the Pandora Demon Ability doesn't suit me, so I want to exchange for a more compatible Pandora Demon Ability with the Dark Magic Region."

"It's the Pandora Demon Ability that you got hold of after killing those from Ozmu, right?"

The red vertical eye on Wizard Leo's forehead stared straight at Merlin as he asked with a smile.

Merlin nodded, knowing that he could not lie to Wizard Leo.

Upon seeing the nod, Wizard Leo let out a cold sneer. "Hehe, only Ozmu possesses so many Pandora Demon Abilities. They don't even mind to use the Pandora Demon Ability to tempt those genius Spell Casters."

Wizard Leo hated Ozmu from the bottom of his heart, so his tone was always filled with abhorrence.

After saying that, Wizard Leo paused a little, and calmed down. "Let's go. We'll have to see Wizard Heusius if you want to exchange your Pandora Demon Ability!"

Following that, Wizard Leo brought Merlin out of the tower and headed toward the few tallest towers in the Dark Magic Region.

It was not Merlin's first time in the tower of a Seventh-level Spell Caster, so he appeared rather collected.

With Wizard Leo, it became easier to find Wizard Heusius. Without taking much time, Wizard Heusius appeared.

"Leo, what are you up to this time?"

Wizard Heusius glanced at Wizard Leo with a helpless look on his face.

"Hehe, old fool, I'm naturally here for an important matter. It's about my student, Merlin. Old fool, I'm sure you've heard of it?"

Wizard Leo did not state their aim straightaway. Instead, he asked Wizard Heusius.

Heusius took a knowing glance at Merlin and squinted his eyes. Chuckling softly, he said, "How would I not hear about it? This time, Merlin has eliminated two prodigies of Ozmu – Weiss and Bluebird. Tsk tsk. Never mind about Weiss but Bluebird is the Wizard who has caused countless troubles to many spell casters' organizations. She possesses two Pandora Demon Abilities and is exceptionally strong. But she has died by the hands of Merlin. Leo, you got an excellent student there!"

The information of Merlin eliminating Weiss and Bluebird might not be known to average Spell Casters but the higher authority of the Dark Magic Region could have received the news first-hand.

Weiss and Bluebird were simply Third-level Spell Casters; they could go around causing trouble without being restricted by the pact. In fact, this matter had greatly troubled spell casters' organizations such as the Dark Magic Region.

The pact with Ozmu only restricted the actions of Spell Casters of Fourth-level and above. However, many ordinary Fourth-level Spell Casters could not stand against Weiss and Bluebird anyway. The spell casters' organizations were fairly concerned about this matter. Little did they expect that Merlin would kill both of them. As his feat shocked the spell casters' organizations, he had also resolved a hidden concern among spell casters' organizations.

Wizard Leo nodded and said, "After killing Weiss and Bluebird, Merlin has obtained a Pandora Demon Ability…"

Wizard Leo did not continue his words. Instead, Wizard Heusius' expression changed slightly, then he revealed a hint of elation. "You're saying that Merlin has obtained a Pandora Demon Ability?"

After a slight pause, Wizard Heusius seemed like he had understood something as he squinted his eyes at Wizard Leo. "Leo, you're not here to tell me this news, am I right?"

"That's right. Merlin wanted to use this Pandora Demon Ability to exchange for another Pandora Demon Ability with the Dark Magic Region."

Wizard Leo finally stated their aim for being there. Heusius was not surprised at all. In fact, he had already guessed it.

"Exchanging for another Pandora Demon Ability? You can indeed exchange Pandora Demon Ability with another one in the Dark Magic Region. Otherwise, you have to make a huge contribution to the Dark Magic Region to be rewarded with a Pandora Demon Ability. Hehe, that's why I haven't cultivated any Pandora Demon Ability until now. Leo, you're one lucky guy since you have Darkness Eye…"

Even the Seventh-level Spell Caster, Heusius, did not possess a Pandora Demon Ability, proving how rare and precious a Pandora Demon Ability was. It was extremely fortunate of Merlin to obtain a Pandora Demon Ability. Wizard Leo was the same since he had obtained the Pandora Demon Ability accidentally.

Furthermore, there were only a small number of Spell Casters who were rewarded with Pandora Demon Ability after making a large contribution to the Dark Magic Region. After all, not all spell casters' organizations could have such vast resources comparable to Ozmu.

"Merlin, I can't make the decision for you to exchange for Pandora Demon Ability. The Dark Magic Region may not have the Pandora Demon Ability that you'd like to exchange with. In addition, your Pandora Demon Ability must be of equal value with the one you want to exchange for. After all, there are still distinctions between various Pandora Demon Abilities. Let's go. Let me bring you to a place. The Pandora Demon Ability you'd be able to exchange for would depend completely on your own luck."

After saying that, Heusius walked into the deeper parts of the tower. Merlin looked at Wizard Leo who was beside him.

Wizard Leo nodded. "Follow Heusius."

Merlin took a deep breath and quickly caught up to Heusius as they headed toward the deeper parts of the tower.

The tower of the Seventh-level Spell Caster was not much different from the others. Merlin simply trailed behind Heusius, both remained silent. Then, they reached a complicated Runic Magic Circle.

"Only the towers of the Seventh-level Spell Casters have such Runic Magic Circles. Even your teacher, Wizard Leo, doesn't have this Runic Magic Circle. Via this circle, you'll reach the true core region of the Dark Magic Region – the Dark Magic Space!"

"Dark Magic Space?"

After being in the Dark Magic Region for such a long time, this was Merlin's first-time hearing about a place called the "Dark Magic Space", so he glanced at Wizard Heusius with a questioning look.

Meanwhile, Wizard Heusius shook his head. "This is the most important place of the Dark Magic Region. You'll know when you see it."

Thereafter, he brought Merlin into the Runic Magic Circle and a white light flashed, immediately encompassing Merlin and Wizard Heusius.

"Swish!"

Both disappeared in the blink of an eye along with the flash of light.

…

"Boom!"

Two figures instantly appeared along with the flashing light in a secretive space. They were Wizard Heusius and Merlin.

As soon as Merlin had arrived at the place, he scanned his surroundings. He realized that there was no sky here nor was there any land. It was as if Heusius and he were floating in the air.

In this space, there was a light that lit up the entire space just like the day. Moreover, there were many densely-written and complex mysterious runes etched all over the space.

This was the "Dark Magic Space" Wizard Heusius had mentioned earlier.

"Merlin, the Dark Magic Space is very unique, and it isn't created by the Great Wizard Fidel. After all, this is a stable space, the product of the Maxim. Even the Great Wizard Fidel can't manipulate the Maxim.

"We can place unique Elements in the Dark Magic Space, so there are places here that are rich in Fire Elements, Wind Elements, and so on. We can even concentrate a certain type of Elements in one place, then synthesize elemental crystal stones or precious treasures after going through a long period of accumulation."

Merlin could not help but feel astonished at the fact that such a wonderful yet stable space existed. It was much stronger than his Bell Space. However, the Bell Space might still be incomplete at this point; Merlin had not collected all the casting components just yet. Thus, the Bell Space was currently far less stable than the Dark Magic Space.

However, the Bell Space had the simulation function while the Dark Magic Space could probably only be capable of nurturing Elements and producing elemental crystal stones besides being stable and secretive. After all, the elemental crystal stones were the product of all types of Elements after going through a long period of changes.

Other than the elemental crystal stones, rare treasures such as the hundred years' ice bone marrow might appear should the Elements had been accumulated here for a sufficiently long time, be it hundreds or thousands of years.

With such a wonderful function, it was not surprising that the Bell Space was kept confidential. Only the Seventh-level Spell Casters of the Dark Magic Region knew about this place.

Wizard Leo might know some information about the Dark Magic Space, but he could not enter this place.

The Dark Magic Space was not created by the Great Wizard Fidel. Instead, it was an object that was obtained incidentally. It might have been passed down since the ancient times. It was the same case for Merlin's Bell Space.

After the Great Wizard Fidel had obtained the Dark Magic Space, he had treated it as the most important secret in the Dark Magic Region.

"The Dark Magic Space contains many Seventh-level spells. Although the Seventh-level spells are of no use if the user hasn't derived and constructed it on his own. How about reading the experience and notes of the Seventh-level Spell Casters when they derived their own spells? Hehe, there are many records here that contain the experience of Seventh-level Spell Casters when they derived their Seventh-level spells. Sometimes, we would show them to some Sixth-level Spell Casters, hoping that the records can inspire the Spell Casters."

Wizard Heusius pointed to the rows of shelves in the Dark Magic Space as he introduced them to Merlin.

Merlin was surprised by what he had seen. This was the true resources available in a spell casters' organization. Many Seventh-level spells might not be of any use, but the process of which the Seventh-level Spell Casters had derived their spells was invaluable. Some Sixth-level Spell Casters might be inspired by the records, then went on to derive a brand-new spell, thus becoming Seventh-level Spell Casters.

"There's certainly a large barrier between Spell Caster clans and spell casters' organizations. The difference is simply too large to overcome…"

Merlin shook his head slightly. It was not surprising that a Spell Caster clan could hardly stand against a spell casters' organization no matter how powerful it was. The Dark Magic Region was only a small-scaled spell casters' organization, but its resources were not something attainable for any Spell Caster clan.

Even the Sterling House, founded by the Great Wizard Sterling, would not have as many resources as the Dark Magic Region after hundreds of years. After the Great Wizard Sterling left the Sterling House, it was feared that this powerful influence would immediately fall apart; it could not be passed down for many generations like the spell casters' organizations could.

Chapter 260: Guardian Wizard

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The Dark Magic Space was huge; Wizard Heusius was still introducing the place to Merlin in detail.

Without realizing it, Wizard Heusius had brought Merlin to a place that was densely etched with runes. At this place, Merlin saw a figure who wore a black Wizard's robe. The figure was tall, but he was sitting cross-legged on the floor, meditating. His entire being did not give off any aura at all – just like a dead man.

Wizard Heusius halted and spoke softly to Merlin, "This is the Guardian Wizard of the Dark Magic Space."

"Guardian Wizard?"

Merlin was full of questions, but Heusius' expression remained grim as he said, "That's right. Guardian Wizard. Other than Didimoss, there's probably no one in the Dark Magic Region who knows about his name and his origin. The Guardian Wizard has been here ever since I joined the Dark Magic Region. He never goes out and has always stayed in the Dark Magic Space, protecting this place. He may even be related to the Great Wizard Fidel…"

It was apparent that Heusius held a lot of respect toward the mysterious Guardian Wizard, while Merlin was slightly surprised. The Guardian Wizard did not look old, but little did Merlin expect him to have stayed in the Dark Magic Region for such a long time.

"Alright, Merlin. Take out your Pandora Demon Ability. If you want to bring anything out of the Dark Magic Space, you must gain the permission of the Guardian Wizard. Without it, no one can bring anything out of here."

Merlin nodded. He took out Destructive Wind which he had gotten from Weiss, from his ring.

Wizard Heusius did not even look at it and directly passed it to the Guardian Wizard. He said to the Guardian Wizard respectfully, "Guardian Wizard, this is Merlin, an official member of the Dark Magic Region. He has obtained a Pandora Demon Ability by luck and wishes to exchange for another Pandora Demon Ability with the Dark Magic Region. Please have a look at it, Sir."

The Guardian Wizard who had kept his eyes closed slowly opened his eyes. After receiving Destructive Wind, he took a brief look at it and said monotonously, "We don't have this Pandora Demon Ability in the Dark Magic Space. You can exchange for a Pandora Demon Ability of equal value here!"

After saying that, the Guardian Wizard waved his hands and countless runes appeared in his hands. Slowly, a door appeared in the Dark Magic Space.

Upon seeing the Guardian Wizard had drawn so many runes effortlessly, Merlin was overwhelmed with shock. Although the Dark Magic Region specialized in Runology, even the Seventh-level Spell Casters who specialized in the study of runes would not be able to set up a Runic Magic Circle as effortlessly as that.

Ignoring other aspects, the Guardian Wizard had to have a deep understanding of Runology.

"Enter. That's the place where the Pandora Demon Abilities are kept!"

Heusius revealed a smile and stared at the door as he said with mixed feelings.

Merlin nodded, then walked through the door.

As soon as he walked in, Merlin adapted quite well to his surroundings. There were some bright lights that lit the space up like daylight.

In it, there were many small white jade boxes floating in mid-air. The boxes were shining, making them look dreamy.

"The Pandora Demon Abilities in the thirteen jade boxes on your left are of equal value with Destructive Wind. You can choose from them! However, you can only open one box, so choose wisely. Once opened, you must memorize the cultivation method of the Pandora Demon Ability stored in the jade box in two hours. After two hours, you must leave this place!"

Just when Merlin was glancing at the boxes, a chilly voice came from behind him. The Guardian Wizard had entered through the door since who-knows-when.

Merlin was listening closely to his words. This was the rule in the Dark Magic Space. Even the Seventh-level Spell Caster must adhere to the rules here, so Merlin set his gaze to the thirteen jade boxes on his left.

"Swoosh!"

The Guardian Wizard flipped his palm around and a jade box appeared in his hands. Then, he placed Destructive Wind into the box and etched some mysterious runes in mid-air that were roughly stamped onto the box.

After sealing the box, the Guardian Wizard placed it aside. The thirteen jade boxes on their left had now become fourteen in total. This meant that the Dark Magic Region now possessed fourteen Pandora Demon Abilities which were of the same level as Destructive Wind.

This was a large number, but it still could not be compared to Ozmu yet.

Merlin came directly to these jade boxes and carefully scanned them. There were mysterious runes etched on the jade boxes. As soon as he extended his Mind Power toward it, he could read a brief introduction about the Pandora Demon Ability which contained in the jade box.

Merlin now possessed Glacial Finger, Fiery Collapse, and Darkness Heart. However, both Glacial Finger and Fiery Collapse were Offensive Pandora Demon Abilities. Even Darkness Heart could be used as an Offensive Pandora Demon Ability.

Thus, Merlin really wished to have a Defensive Pandora Demon Ability now.

Meanwhile, he should not choose the most powerful Pandora Demon Ability. He should go for the Pandora Demon Ability that could be incorporated into his spells just like Darkness Heart. He should not underestimate the mere two stages of cultivation. Once he had reached Fourth-level and Darkness Heart had been incorporated into his Darkness-type spells, the power of his spells would reach an unimaginable height.

Moreover, during the most glorious age of Spell Casters, the strong Pandora Demon Abilities were always the ones that could be incorporated into the spells. Only those capable of being incorporated into the spells were said to be the most powerful Pandora Demon Ability.

Merlin's Glacial Finger and Fiery Collapse could not be incorporated into his spells, so they were not considered very powerful in this sense.

Hence, Merlin first decided that he would pick an Earth-type Pandora Demon Ability. Three of the jade boxes contained this type. However, Merlin continued to filter them and took out an Offensive Earth-type Pandora Demon Ability.

Finally, he was left with two Pandora Demon Abilities which were suitable for Merlin. Both were Defensive Pandora Demon Abilities and had only two stages.

These two Pandora Demon Abilities were called "Impeccable Shield" and "Fuse Earth".

"Impeccable Shield" as its name suggested, was a Pandora Demon Ability which could gather endless Earth Elements to form a gigantic shield with terrifying defensive ability. However, the first stage of "Impeccable Shield" was comparable to a Fourth-level Defensive spell, so it was considered somewhat powerful.

Merlin was already tempted to pick "Impeccable Shield" but he was moved when he saw the Pandora Demon Ability in the other box.

"Fuse Earth", the Pandora Demon Ability with a weird name, was the Pandora Demon Ability which was most suitable for Merlin.

He could begin the cultivation of Fuse Earth as soon as he had constructed his First-level spell, Guardian Monument. Moreover, he could easily incorporate the Pandora Demon Ability into his spells should he succeeded in cultivating it. It appeared to be similar to Darkness Heart, but there was a distinct difference between them.

Darkness Heart was known as the most favorable ability to have in conjunction with Darkness-type spells in ancient times. If one cultivated Darkness Heart, one could express a large strength no matter what sort of Darkness-type spells one possessed.

However, Fuse Earth was different where the Pandora Demon Ability was only specific to Earth-type Defensive spells. It could only be incorporated into Earth-type Defensive spells, thus enhancing the strength of the spells.

Furthermore, Fuse Earth had a unique point; it could be merged with the spells in its first stage unlike Darkness Heart which could only be merged with Fourth-level spells.

With Fuse Earth, Merlin would be able to greatly enhance his defensive ability. At that time, his overall strength could be improved, and he could completely overcome his lack of defensive ability without the use of bowknot-shaped Enhancing casting tool.

Fuse Earth was a match made in heaven for Merlin. Thus, after seeing this Pandora Demon Ability, Merlin chose Fuse Earth without a moment of hesitation.

"Guardian Wizard, I'll pick Fuse Earth!"

Merlin turned around and said to the Guardian Wizard.

The Guardian Wizard took a nonchalant gaze at the jade box and said in a calm tone, "Are you sure you want to choose Fuse Earth? Once you've made the decision, you can no longer change your mind."

"Yes, I'm sure. Please reveal the jade box, Sir."

Merlin replied with a determined look.

"Alright! Two hours later, you must place Fuse Earth back into the jade box."

Thereafter, the Guardian Wizard stretched his palm wide and mysterious runes flew out from his palm and rapidly dived into the box. The runes on the jade box began to shake violently, then slowly disappeared from sight.

Although he only had two hours, it was more than enough for Merlin to read the cultivation method. Since he had the Matrix, he could easily memorize the cultivation method within a few minutes.

"The Matrix, begin recording!"

Merlin initiated the Matrix in his mind. After everything was set up, Merlin then slowly opened Fuse Earth and carefully skimmed through it.

"Fuse Earth had two stages. In the first stage, one must've constructed a First-level Earth-type Defensive spell. In the second stage, one must've constructed a Fourth-level Earth-type Defensive spell.

"Cultivating Fuse Earth successfully required that it be coupled with the use of Lava Soil!

"Should Fuse Earth be cultivated successfully, the strength of the Earth-type Defensive spell could be increased by three to six-folds!"

Other than the introduction of Fuse Earth, the remaining was the detailed cultivation method of Fuse Earth. After reading through it, he frowned slightly.

It was not difficult to reach the first prerequisite of the cultivation since Merlin had constructed a First-level Earth-type Defensive spell, Guardian Monument. However, he had to have an item called Lava Soil to successfully cultivate Fuse Earth.

This was quite difficult since Merlin had not heard of Lava Soil before. It had to be difficult to find.

The successful cultivation of Fuse Earth only resulted in a three to six-folds increase of the spell's strength. This was far less than the five to ten-folds increase effect of Darkness Heart.

However, Fuse Earth had an overall excellent effect. After all, Darkness Heart was considered a well-known Pandora Demon Ability. Many Pandora Demon Abilities that had three stages could not even be compared to Darkness Heart.

"Alright, it's time. Place Fuse Earth back into the jade box and you may leave now."

The emotionless Guardian Wizard suddenly spoke in a firm tone.

Chapter 261: Lava Soil

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Sigh…"

Merlin heaved a long sigh. Luckily, he had recorded everything about Fuse Earth in the Matrix. He could read it again after returning to the tower.

Hence, Merlin placed Fuse Earth back into the jade box. Then, he turned around and bowed slightly to the Guardian Wizard. Following that, he left the door and returned to the Dark Magic Space.

Wizard Heusius was waiting silently for Merlin in the Dark Magic Space. Upon seeing Merlin, Wizard Heusius revealed a smile and asked Merlin, "Wizard Merlin, have you found the Pandora Demon Ability that you need? I've never been through that door before…"

Heusius glanced at Merlin with admiration. Although he was a Seventh-level Spell Caster, he did not possess any Pandora Demon Ability. Since he had never made any important contribution to the Dark Magic Region, he never had the chance to enter the door and pick a Pandora Demon Ability for himself.

Merlin nodded, "I finally found what I needed. Wizard Heusius, can we return to the Dark Magic Region now?"

He could not wait to return to the tower to study the newly-obtained Fuse Earth.

Wizard Heusius nodded, then brought Merlin to a Runic Magic Circle in the Dark Magic Space. A white light flashed and covered Merlin and Wizard Heusius. In an instant, both figures disappeared along with the flashing of lights.

…

"Boom! Boom!"

A bright light flashed in the tower and the red vertical eye on Wizard Leo's forehead immediately opened wide. The eye let out strings of red light.

"Swish! Swish!"

Two figures walked out of the light. It was Merlin and Wizard Heusius who had just left the Dark Magic Space.

"Teacher Leo!"

After seeing Wizard Leo, Merlin revealed a smile. Wizard Leo nodded slightly. "Great, Merlin. It seems that you've found a Pandora Demon Ability that's suitable for you."

After a slight pause, Wizard Leo smiled at Wizard Heusius. "Old fool, I must thank you this time. Merlin, let's go!"

Then, Wizard Leo brought Merlin and left Heusius' tower.

During their journey, Wizard Leo did not ask Merlin about the Pandora Demon Ability that he had chosen. Instead, it was Merlin who could not stop himself from telling Wizard Leo. "Teacher Leo, I've exchanged for a Pandora Demon Ability called Fuse Earth in the Dark Magic Space."

"Hmm? Fuse Earth? I've heard of that, it's quite good. It's a Defensive Pandora Demon Ability, and it can also be incorporated into your spell. It's indeed a Pandora Demon Ability that's most suitable for you!"

Wizard Leo smiled. Apparently, he knew well about Fuse Earth.

Following that, Wizard Leo headed straight toward the top floor of the tower while Merlin returned to his room.

"Matrix, get me the information on Fuse Earth!"

Merlin instructed the Matrix to give him the information on Fuse Earth which it had recorded in the Dark Magic Space. Although Merlin had read through the information before, he was not able to look at the details of the information.

"Fuse Earth requires Lava Soil… Where do I find Lava Soil?"

Merlin frowned. The cultivation of the Pandora Demon Ability was not difficult. There might be some Pandora Demon Abilities that had a horrendous cultivation method. At the very least, the cultivation of Merlin's Glacial Finger and Fiery Collapse was not difficult. Only the cultivation of Darkness Heart was slightly difficult.

However, the most difficult part of cultivating Pandora Demon Ability was finding the items needed during cultivation. When Merlin cultivated Glacial Finger back then, he had obtained the hundred years' ice bone marrow from Wizard Sammir.

Meanwhile, the item needed to cultivate Fiery Collapse was already prepared in the ancient monument. In the case of Darkness Heart, the cultivation was mostly based on Merlin's understanding and reflection. Of course, Merlin would not be able to do it without Wizard Leo's Clarity Stone.

Thus, it was most difficult to find the item needed to cultivate the Pandora Demon Ability. Take the cultivation of Fuse Earth for example. Merlin didn't even know where he would find Lava Soil.

"Lava Soil. It should be an Earth-type item. I may be able to exchange for some books that introduce rare items of all types from the Resource Tower."

Merlin thought for a moment, then stood up and headed toward the Resource Tower.

…

The Resource Tower was bustling with people. Most of them were official members of First-level and above. However, Merlin's presence in the Resource Tower still caused quite a stir.

After all, Merlin's current identity was very different from before. He was a Six-Elemental Spell Caster. Moreover, there were rumors going around that Merlin had killed two Third-level genius Spell Casters from Ozmu.

He was more active than Kleis back then, so even Third-level Spell Casters would nod to Merlin when they saw him.

Merlin was familiar with such treatment since he had been the center of attention in Tolle City then. Almost all Spell Casters of Shadison clan would show him their utmost respect when they saw him.

"Yeah, it's here. Earth-type potion material, alchemy material, and some rare items. I want these three books."

Merlin looked around randomly and found these three books related to Earth-type items. No matter if it was about potion materials, alchemy materials or rare items, Merlin had exchanged for them as long as they were related to Earth-type. These books might be helpful for Merlin to locate Lava Soil.

These three books were not expensive; they cost a total of less than fifty contribution points. Of course, Merlin did not consider this amount to be expensive since he had ten thousand contribution points. Even if he used up one thousand contribution points, he still had a lot left that could support his usage for a long time.

Moreover, he did not come to the Resource Tower very often, so he had little chance to use his contribution points.

After exchanging for these three books, Merlin let the Matrix to record all the content of the books. He did not have the time to read through the books in detail.

"The Matrix, find me the information about Lava Soil."

After recording the content of these books, Merlin directly searched the content with the help of the Matrix.

"Beep. Search completed. One information found. Lava Soil, mainly found in volcanoes, is a special type of soil which was formed after buried for thousands of years. It's a vital alchemy material. Rumors have it that there are many active volcanoes in Kurdmansla Islands and Lava Soil may be found from one of the volcanoes."

The Matrix had indeed found useful information about Lava Soil from the books.

Merlin was overwhelmed with elation. Lava Soil was an alchemy material, apparently used to transfigure a powerful alchemy product. However, the cultivation of Fuse Earth required the use of Lava Soil to be successful.

Moreover, the information also mentioned the rough location of Lava Soil. It could be found in the volcanoes at a place called the Kurdmansla Islands.

"Kurdmansla Islands? That place, huh. This is kind of troublesome…"

Merlin frowned. He had heard about Kurdmansla Island before. It was in the vast sea far away from the land and the Dark Magic Region. Instead of Death Sea, it was located in the true ocean near north.

Kurdmansla Islands was not under the influence of any spell casters' organizations such as the Dark Magic Region or Abyss Fort. In fact, the place was very famous for it was rich in rare potion and alchemy materials.

Hence, many roaming Wizards had gathered in Kurdmansla Islands. There were even Wizards from spell casters' organizations.

Merlin really wanted to look for Lava Soil at the volcanoes in Kurdmansla Islands. However, after careful evaluation, he thought that his ability was currently still lacking. Going to Kurdmansla Islands was different from going to Floating City and Tolle City. There were powerful sea creatures of all levels there, be it Fifth, Sixth or even Seventh-level.

The roaming Wizards there might also be Seventh-level Wizards. Although it was rare to have roaming Wizards who had become Seventh-level Spell Casters, the matter was not impossible. These Spell Casters mainly lived on the Kurdmansla Islands, subtly creating a commanding aura for the place.

Thus, Kurdmansla Islands was almost an equal influence on Sterling House as described in the Dark Magic Region's books.

If Merlin wanted to go to Kurdmansla Islands, he must improve his overall strength no matter what.

To improve his overall strength, the most plausible way to do it was to construct Second-level spells. Merlin's Mind Power had grown sufficiently strong now. Although he was still far from having Fourth-level Mind power, constructing a Second-level spell should not be an issue.

The Second-level spell that could drastically improve Merlin's ability was undoubtedly the Second-level Darkness-type spell, Darkness Tide. Once he had constructed Darkness Tide, Merlin could truly have the ability to stand against a Fourth-level Spell Caster in his top form with the enhancing effect of Darkness Heart.

"I still need a little more Mind Power to construct Darkness Tide. Let's wait until the Mind Power duplicate in the Bell Space has doubled again. Then, I'll construct Darkness Tide."

Merlin had made the decision in his mind, so he simply stayed in the tower to concentrate on meditating without taking a step out of the tower.

…

"Buzz…"

After a few days, the Bell Space at Merlin's chest vibrated violently. Merlin opened his eyes and muttered to himself, "It seems my Mind Power duplicate has reached its limit again."

Thus, he rapidly extended his Mind Power into the Bell Space to have a look. As expected, his Mind Power duplicate had reached its limit. With the Bell Space, the rate at which Merlin's Mind Power increase had sped up drastically.

"Merge!"

Without a moment of hesitation, Merlin merged the Mind Power duplicate in the Bell Space with his own Mind Power. Instantly, his Mind Power spiked up.

"Phew…"

Merlin heaved a long sigh. He felt that his Mind Power had increased to an unimaginable level. Such powerful Mind Power was definitely sufficient for him to construct his Second-level spell, Darkness Tide.

Chapter 262: A Life-Saving Object

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Matrix, begin analyzing Darkness Tide's Spell Model!"

As he felt the tremendous Mind Power within his body, Merlin no longer had any doubts as he began mobilizing the Matrix and reanalyzed Darkness Tide's Spell Model.

Darkness Tide's Spell Model was more complicated. It was even more complex than Dark Light Realm's Spell Model. However, this was nothing compared to the powerful analytical computing abilities of the Matrix. Very soon, the Matrix had reconstructed many Spell Models.

As Merlin had done many times, he chose the most stable Spell Model among them. It was also the one most compatible with the Spell Models of Dark Light Realm and Dark Mist.

In fact, compatibility became extremely important when a Spell Caster wished to become a more advanced Spell Caster. As his powers increased, he could construct more advanced Spell Models.

Like Second-level Spell Models, not only was there a requirement for certain levels of compatibility with First-level Spell Models but also there must be compatibility with Zero-level Spell Models.

The Spell Model would become problematic if the compatibility level was too low and the entire Spell Model would collapse in mere moments in the end. This was also why advanced Spell Casters were so rare. With every level they progressed to, the difficulty to construct suitable Spell Models increased manifold.

The only reason why Merlin was able to disregard the issues of compatibility and stability of the Spell Models was his possession of the Matrix. He could construct spells calmly and never had to worry about the Spell Models collapsing.

Having chosen the Spell Model, the next step was to simulate the Spell Model into his Awareness by using his Mind Power. This might take up a long period of time. After all, Darkness Tide was just too complex.

Merlin mobilized an immense amount of Mind Power and began to simulate the Darkness Tide's Spell Model with all his might.

An entire day had passed. With a sudden tremble, Merlin's entire body released an unnerving dark aura. An endless stream of Darkness Elements was rushing madly into Merlin's body.

"It's a success! I've constructed Second-level Darkness-type spell, Darkness Tide!"

Merlin opened his eyes. Although he seemed fatigued, his eyes were full of excitement. He had successfully constructed his first Second-level spell. As long as he had sufficient Mind Power, he was able to construct more Second-level spells.

"After Enhancement by Darkness Heart, even those with Fourth-level Mind Power wouldn't be able to withstand it if the strengthened version of Darkness Tide was released. Perhaps even those with Fifth-level Mind Powers would be somewhat affected."

Merlin was far too well-acquainted with the power of Darkness Tide. It was of the same origin as Dark Light Realm, only much more powerful. Once released, the Darkness Elements would surge toward the enemy like a tide. It would be extremely terrifying as it was more powerful.

It was even more terrifying due to Merlin's possession of Darkness Heart. The power of Darkness-type spells would also increase substantially.

Merlin's strength increased greatly as well after he obtained Darkness Tide. He could be considered to have stepped onto the level of a Second-level Spell Caster. Darkness Tide was an extremely difficult spell among Second-level spells. It would be much easier to construct other Second-level spells after successfully constructing Darkness Tide.

However, speaking of the Kurdmansla Islands, the distance between there and the Dark Magic Region was just too great. The Pandora Demon Ability, Fuse Earth, would be of tremendous help to Merlin, so he could not give up cultivating it.

If Merlin were to go, it may take him a year and a half. Within that period, if his Mind Power were to increase substantially again, it was possible for him to construct a second or third, or even more Second-level spells.

Therefore, Merlin had vaguely decided in his heart that he would first choose a spell most suitable for himself from the Resource Tower before leaving the Dark Magic Region.

When Merlin had obtained the first volume of the Neverending Book, there were spells of various types from the First to Third-levels, providing an abundance of spells. For roaming Wizards, those were naturally enough and more than they could ask for. However, for Merlin, the Dark Magic Region possessed a profound heritage and a long legacy; many of the unique spells there were not in the Neverending Book.

Due to this reason, Merlin had prepared to choose a Second-level spell in the Resource Tower.

…

"Is a Second-level spell this expensive?"

Merlin frowned. He had arrived at the Resource Tower only to discover that these Second-level spells were easily a hundred or two hundred contribution points each. There were even some Second-level spells that were worth three hundred contribution points or more. These were extremely expensive for many of the Spell Casters in the Dark Magic Region.

However, these spells were extraordinary indeed. They were far more powerful than the Second-level spells recorded in the Neverending Book.

For example, the Fire-type Second-level spell Merlin had chosen, Sea of Purgatory Fire, was even more horrifying than Furious Flame. Once cast, the surroundings became a sea of fire which was as terrible as a purgatory.

There was also the Second-level Earth-type spell, Earth Veil, that would create a light formed by the condensation of Earth Elements around the Spell Caster. This was greater and stronger than Guardian Monument. If Merlin had the opportunity to cultivate the Pandora Demon Ability Fuse Earth to completion, this Earth Guard would become immensely horrifying once it was incorporated into the spell. The strength would increase by three to six folds immediately.

In addition, there was a Second-level Wind-type spell, Light Breeze. The name was simple but it was still far stronger than Wind of Freedom. Once cast, the Spell Caster's own body would become as light as the wind with increased speed.

Other than these three spells, there was also Lightning Flash. This was a spell that shared the same origin as Thunderlight Ball. The characteristic of being as fast as lightning would manifest, happening in a fleeting flash but with more terrifying destructive power.

Finally, there was an Ice-type spell called Ice Seal Zone. This was an extremely unique spell that would freeze every target within a zone as long as the zone was ice sealed.

The larger the zone was, the weaker the effects of the ice seal. Likewise, the smaller the zone, the more terrible the effects of the ice seal would become.

These five Second-level spells along with Darkness Tide constituted Merlin's future Second-level spells. Provided that he did not find better spells, he would construct these spells one by one after he had obtained sufficient Mind Power.

"Sea of Purgatory Fire, Earth Veil, Light Breeze, Lightning Flash, and Ice Seal Zone. Matrix, store all of these five spells."

Merlin instructed the Matrix to record these spells. The five spells were remarkable. Altogether, they cost Merlin more than a thousand and five hundred contribution points.

These were merely Second-level spells, and third-level spells would be even more costly. Fortunately, it was almost a year soon and Merlin would be able to receive ten thousand contribution points from the Dark Magic Region again.

After Merlin had chosen the Second-level spells and made impeccable preparations, he paid a visit to Wizard Leo's house to bid him farewell.

"Teacher Leo!"

Merlin's voice rang out. Following that, the huge doors slowly opened. There were traces of weariness on Wizard Leo's face. It seemed that he had been doing some sort of experiment which was making him very tired.

"Merlin, what's the matter?"

Although Wizard Leo had been frowning and looked weary, he still asked with a pleasant countenance upon seeing that it was Merlin.

"Teacher Leo, I've come to bid you farewell. I'm ready to pay the Kurdmansla Islands a visit."

Merlin gave a simple statement on his reason for the visit. Wizard Leo's eyebrows, however, became more tightly furrowed. It was only after a long moment that Wizard Leo slowly opened his mouth to speak. "Indeed, Lava Soil can only be found on the Kurdmansla Islands, but it's very far from the Dark Magic Region. If anything happens to you, I'm afraid I'd have no way of getting there in time."

Although Merlin had been in Floating City and Tolle City, in reality, Wizard Leo had always been paying attention to Merlin. In addition, there was a powerful deterrent force in the Dark Magic Region. Other than Ozmu, no one else dared to fight Merlin.

However, it would be different on the Kurdmansla Islands, which were too far away from the Dark Magic Region. Many Spell Casters had never even heard of the Dark Magic Region, so what impact could that have?

If he were to run into danger there, the Dark Magic Region would be helpless as well. Merlin's decision of traveling to the Kurdmansla Islands this time was actually a lot more dangerous than before.

"Teacher Leo, I've already made sufficient preparations!"

Merlin spoke staunchly.

A long moment passed before Wizard Leo nodded his head and said, "Very well, your capabilities can't be considered weak anyway. The typical Fourth-level Spell Casters aren't able to fight you. To be a great Spell Caster, you still have to go out often and experience the various wonders of the Spell Caster's world. In the future, this will also be very advantageous for you to construct your own unique spells."

Wizard Leo finally approved of Merlin going to the distant Kurdmansla Islands.

Just as Merlin was about to leave, Wizard Leo said, "Wait for three days before you leave the Dark Magic Region. After three days, pay me a visit here. I'll make you a life-saving object."

Having said this, Wizard Leo shooed Merlin out.

"Three days to make a life-saving object? Since he said it's life-saving, I'm afraid this isn't a simple object."

Merlin cast a glance at Wizard Leo's house. He felt a glimmer of eagerness for that life-saving object Leo was going to produce in three days.

Merlin could truly feel the sincere concern of a tutor for his student from Wizard Leo. It was the same as it had been with old man Etha. Although he had a weird temper, Merlin had always felt grateful for old man Etha.

Having left Wizard Leo's house, Merlin fell into contemplation for a few moments. Finally, he still felt that he should take the opportunity during these three days to teach Emma more.

Emma did not have the Matrix, and Merlin did not intend to directly take out the Spell Model constructed by the Matrix. This was Merlin's greatest secret, one that he would not reveal before anyone.

Furthermore, Merlin wanted to nurture Emma into a true Spell Caster. Naturally, he could not use such dubious and opportunistic methods to teach Emma.

"Teacher?"

When Emma saw Merlin outside the house, excitement showed up clearly on her face.

Merlin nodded and said, "After a few days, I'll leave the Dark Magic Region. So, during these few days, I'll be teaching you and imparting some knowledge on constructing Spell Models."

Although Merlin depended on the Matrix to construct Spell Models, he had become a First-level Spell Caster after all. Having spent such a long time in the Dark Magic Region, he knew some things about constructing Spell Model even though he had never constructed one personally before.

That was more than enough for him to teach Emma. Thus, Merlin waited quietly as he taught Emma.

Three days passed by in the blink of an eye. Merlin glanced at the highest level of the Wizard Tower as his heart filled with curiosity at the life-saving object that Wizard Leo would make. Therefore, he had come early to Wizard Leo's house and waited quietly.

Chapter 263: What One Sees and Hears

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Come in, Merlin."

Wizard Leo's voice wafted out from the house, sounding somewhat raspy.

Merlin pushed the door open immediately and walked in. He lifted his head to look, only to discover that Wizard Leo, who used to be full of vigor and energetic, now had an extremely weary expression on his face. Even the blood-colored light emanating from Darkness Eye on his forehead was somewhat dim.

"Teacher Leo, what had happened to you?"

Merlin could not help but ask immediately.

However, Wizard Leo waved his hand. A smile appeared at the corners of his lips and he spoke in a low voice, "Hehe, nothing much, it's just that I've expended a lot of energy producing this object. I'll be restored after a few days' rest. Come, Merlin, I've spent three days making this bracelet. Part of the Darkness Eye's powers is in it. All you have to do is to infuse Darkness-type elements into the bracelet at crucial moments, and the powers within the bracelet will be mobilized. However, that can only happen once so you must be careful. Don't mobilize the powers inside the bracelet unless you're forced to."

Wizard Leo's voice was somewhat raspy, and he looked extremely weary. At that moment, Merlin finally understood that it was all because he had been making this bracelet for him.

Furthermore, Wizard Leo had created this bracelet with such solemnity, a bracelet which definitely had extraordinary powers, that Merlin was afraid Wizard Leo had paid a certain price for it. It was far from the mere few days' rest he had said he would need to recuperate.

"Teacher Leo…"

Merlin took the bracelet, but he was somewhat at a loss and did not know what to say. His travels to the distant Kurdmansla Islands this time was extremely dangerous. Wizard Leo had journeyed to many places, so naturally, he knew the dangers there. That was why he had created such a life-saving bracelet for Merlin, regardless of the cost.

"The Kurdmansla Islands are very far. After you leave the Dark Magic Region, you must be careful as you go about your business… Alright, go out, I'm tired!"

Wizard Leo slowly closed his eyes and let Merlin leave.

Merlin gave a small bow before putting the bracelet on and turning to leave immediately.

Before he left, Merlin pondered for a moment before calling Laurinka and Emma to his side. He had to brief them on some matters.

"Laurinka, Emma, I might have to leave the Dark Magic Region for a period – could be a few months if it's short, or a year if it takes a long time, or perhaps even longer. So, you must amass knowledge well in the Dark Magic Region. Especially you, Emma. You've already constructed three Zero-level spells, but this isn't your limit. You must try to construct a fourth Zero-level spell and become a Four-Elemental Spell Caster!"

Emma and Laurinka could be considered Merlin's closest kin in the Dark Magic Region now, with the exception of Wizard Leo. Therefore, he had already decided to transfer part of his contribution points to Laurinka and Emma before he left so that their cultivation in the Dark Magic Region could be more successful.

"Teacher, are you really going to leave the Dark Magic Region for such a long time?"

Emma was somewhat reluctant to leave Merlin. Before Merlin, she still seemed to be the innocent and unaffected young lady from Ditas Town back then.

A smile appeared on Merlin's face as well. He opened his mouth to speak. "Emma, you must study the construction of spells well. If you have the chance, take the initiative and look for Wizard Nasha. She's very kind and detailed when it comes to guiding Spell Casters."

After a pause, Merlin seemed to have suddenly remembered something. He immediately lifted his head and swept his glance at Laurinka and Emma, before saying in a low voice, "Right, if you have the opportunity, go to Prakash City and visit the Wilson family for me. Visit my family!"

Merlin remembered the Wilson family. He remembered Old Wilson, Macy, his two wives, his son, and daughter. It had been a very long time since he had returned to Prakash City, so he did not know how they were now.

Now that he had to leave the Dark Magic Region for such a long time, there was a slight reluctance in his heart. Naturally, it would be best if Emma and Laurinka could have the opportunity to go to Prakash City.

"Teacher, don't worry. We'll definitely pay your family a visit when we have time."

Both Emma and Laurinka nodded.

"Then, I'll be at ease."

Merlin stood up and took a deep breath. Thereafter, he left Wizard Leo's tower and headed toward the Runic Magic Circle in the Dark Magic Region.

Merlin looked at the densely packed Runic Magic Circles and walked directly into their midst as he was already very familiar with the process as he had done this countless times. Following which, beams of light began to envelop Merlin; his emotions started to become somewhat complicated.

The place where he was heading toward this time, the Kurdmansla Islands, was a completely strange and unfamiliar place. Furthermore, they were simply just too far from the Dark Magic Region.

Merlin practically had no way of enjoying the protection of the Dark Magic Region on his journey this time. He would be like those roaming Wizards who had to venture off and make a living wandering from place to place alone.

"Hopefully, this trip will go smoothly…"

In the midst of Merlin's sighs, the silhouette of his body disappeared in an instant with the white light, gone without a trace.

…

On a narrow mountain road, a figure ran forward in a mad dash at an extremely high speed. There was a sound of wind whistling in the surroundings before the figure vanished in the blink of an eye into the thick forest amidst the winding and narrow mountain roads.

"Stop first. I've run out of Magic Power again, I need to use the elemental crystal stones to restore my Magic Power."

This figure slowly came to a halt. Thereafter, it looked for a cave to rest and began to use elemental crystal stones to restore his Magic Power. Lo and behold, he was a Spell Caster.

This figure was Merlin, who had just left the Dark Magic Region. Due to the immense length of the journey this time, Merlin did not rent horses and a carriage. Instead, he directly relied on Gale and Wind of Freedom to rush his journey in a frenzy.

However, that had caused great exhaustion of his Magic Power. Therefore, Merlin would pause from time to time and used Wind elemental crystals to restore his Magic Power.

Indeed, elemental crystal stones could be used to quickly restore Magic Power. However, that was an extremely extravagant practice. Some roaming Wizards could only obtain a single elemental crystal stone with great difficulty at any one time. How would they dare to use them so extravagantly for the purpose of restoring Magic Power?

Only people like Merlin, a Spell Caster who came from a spell casters' organization, and possessed many elemental crystal stones, would use them in such an extravagant manner to speed up the restoration of Magic Power. His purpose was to hurry and reach the Kurdmansla Islands sooner.

"Alright, Magic Power has been restored. Let's continue to hurry forward!"

Merlin had used elemental crystal stones to restore his Magic Power. It was very quick, so his Magic Power was restored in just mere moments. He could then cast Gale and Wind of Freedom again.

"Swoosh!"

Merlin had a map with him, one that he had obtained through an exchange in the Dark Magic Region. Hence, he followed only a direct route as he moved forward. There was not a single instance when he used the wide main roads. Instead, he continuously darted through the thick forests of the mountains.

"Hmm, is there someone in front?"

Merlin was extremely fast. However, he seemed to have discovered that there were people in front of him. His speed decreased slowly as he went forward to look.

All he saw was a vast space in the midst of the thick forest. There was a crowd with over a hundred nude men surrounding a gigantic rock. They seemed to be praying.

Merlin shook his head gently. He had seen such a sight many times. These men were barbarians who had not undergone development to attain civilization. There were many people like them who existed both in the Kingdom of Light and the Kingdom of Blackmoon.

Relatively speaking, the development of civilization for both the Kingdom of Light and the Kingdom of Blackmoon were extremely great to these barbarians.

Merlin had left the Dark Magic Region for almost half a month. He had been through many places and had seen all sorts of barbarians. He had also seen the vast differences between folk cultures in the Kingdom of Blackmoon.

It was only by literally walking out that he could have seen all that, and it had greatly enriched Merlin's knowledge and experiences, giving him a more intuitive and profound understanding of this world.

The Kingdom of Blackmoon was too vast. This world was also too vast. Even a few great and powerful Elemental Swordsmen would not dare to claim that they had walked on every corner in the Kingdom of Blackmoon.

Only Spell Casters could travel to various places. From the distant lands overseas to the depths of the wild, thick forests, Spell Casters had left their mark almost everywhere.

If one were to explain this using civilization theory, the extraordinary group, the Spell Casters, had actually far surpassed the development of the Normies in this world. Spell Casters were at an even higher level of human advancement.

For example, there would not be any Normies at the Kurdmansla Islands, the destination of Merlin's trip this time. There were powerful and huge sea monsters that could easily swallow a small village. Hence, Normies would not be able to contend with them at all.

Only Spell Casters could survive in such horrendous environments, and also thrive with incomparable prosperity.

"Go, let's continue on. According to the map, I've only just completed half of the journey now."

Merlin disregarded this tribe of barbarians. Fierce Wind Elements appeared in surges around his body, turning into a black shadow. Immediately, it dashed past the barbarians.

"It's a god!"

All the barbarians shouted when they saw Merlin. They knelt on the ground as they murmured to themselves. Merlin did not know what they were saying.

Merlin shook his head helplessly. Ignoring them, he continued to walk forward.

One day, two days… Ten days!

Merlin only walked out from that thick forest after another ten days. That was enough to describe the scale of how vast the forest was.

Merlin arrived at another grassland after passing through the forest. This grassland was immensely vast; there seemed to be no end to it. In the distance, Merlin could hear a horrifying noise which sounded as though it came from aterrible force of nature 1 .

"Those are… Galloping wild beasts?"

Merlin felt greatly shocked. On the vast grassland were thousands of fierce wild beasts that were running wildly. Such a spectacular scene could cause even Merlin to feel a mysterious sense of awe. For a moment, he even stopped to watch the amazing sight of thousands of beasts galloping.

These were only the most common of wild beasts, but once gathered, the destructive power formed was more powerful than Merlin's spells. Even with Merlin's capabilities now, he would not dare to stand before them and resist these terrible wild beasts.

"Not only must a truly great Spell Caster have deep and profound knowledge, but he must also have expansive life experiences! Only then can he create even more mystical and powerful spells that are much closer to the nature of the world!"

In Merlin's mind, he suddenly remembered the words of a great Wizard who he had seen in the Dark Magic Region. At the time, Merlin did not comprehend what those words meant, but now he seemed to have gained some insights.

It was because when he saw the spectacular sight of a thousand beasts galloping, there was an inexplicable throbbing in his heart; a desire to create a new spell.

Only Seventh-level Spell Casters could create new spells. Some special geniuses, gifted Spell Casters, although few, could create completely new spells that were the most suitable for themselves due to various reasons.

However, creating new spells were too difficult. Moreover, Merlin relied on the Matrix for even the construction of spells. All that had happened was he had felt his heart palpitating mysteriously; he did not truly want to create new spells.

"Forget it. It's better if I wait until I've gotten more foundational spells if I wish to create new spells. Hopefully I'll be able to rely on the data integration processed by the Matrix and derive the most suitable new spells for me!"

Merlin shook his head and tossed the unrealistic idea to the back of his mind. Thereafter, he continued to hurry toward the Kurdmansla Islands.

Finally, another month had passed. Merlin had traversed grasslands, lakes, mountains, forests, and the likes. He was already immensely fatigued, but he could finally see the ocean.

He cast a glance over the boundless ocean. The sea breeze hitting his face seemed to bring with it a waft of saltiness.

A smile broke out on Merlin's face. He could see the ocean now, which meant that he was not far from the Kurdmansla Islands!

Chapter 264: Two-headed Infant

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The sea stretched endlessly, seemingly without borders. It was the first time in this world that Merlin had witnessed such a vast stretch of sea. It looked much more spectacular than any grassland, mountain, or jungle that he had seen throughout his journey.

Merlin gradually approached the beach. The scorching heat of the sun had him feeling stifling hot. The breeze blew on him, gently flapping his black Wizard robe in the air.

However from his view on the beach, aside from the endless stretch of sea, Merlin did not see any islands, much less the Kurdmansla Islands, which was a huge cluster of islands consisting up to thousands of smaller islands with varying sizes. It was so large that one should be able to spot them at one glance.

"Could it be that I've come to the wrong place? The Kurdmansla Islands isn't here?"

Merlin frowned and proceeded to check his surroundings. He did not find any footsteps on the beach, which indicated that people seldom come to this beach.

Clearly, Merlin had successfully located the sea, but he failed to find the Kurdmansla Islands.

As such, Merlin chose a direction and continued walking along the beach.

"Ooh-ooh-ooh…"

A gust of sea breeze blew from afar. From it, Merlin could vaguely make out sounds of wailing, as if an infant was crying.

"Infant cries? Is there somebody up front?"

A cold shiver trickled down his spine. Being at an unfamiliar place, Merlin dared not let his guard down. The infant cries came out of nowhere, which made it very peculiar. He was instantly vigilant.

Nonetheless, as he needed to investigate the infant cries, Merlin quietly made his way towards the source of the sound.

*****

Behind a huge rock on the beach hid two Spell Casters, a male, and a female. They looked panic-stricken. Fear was written all over their faces.

"Why's there a Two-headed Infant?"

"Rumor has it that this place is one of the most dangerous zones around Kurdmansla Islands. That proved to be very much true now since we've already stumbled upon a Two-headed Infant though we've only just entered the peripheries of this region. I'm just afraid that this is just the beginning of our doomed fates!"

Though both of them looked like Second-level Spell Casters, they seemed to be terrified by this "Two-headed Infant", as if they were not confident of defending themselves against it.

Right now, they could only hope for a miracle.

"Ooh-ooh-ooh…"

The intermittent infant cries gradually turned louder and clearer. The two Spell Casters were stricken with fear upon hearing the wails. Once targeted by the Two-headed Infant, one's death would be imminent, and it would be a dreadful one.

"Just wait, if someone else walks by this place, maybe the Two-headed Infant will shift its attention to the passerby, then we'd be safe."

The male Spell Caster uttered helplessly.

"You really think we'd be this lucky? This place has always been flagged as extremely dangerous. Spell Casters won't normally venture here. What makes you think someone will just pop by here and drag the Two-headed Infant's attention away?"

Even the female Spell Caster's voice trembled a little. The Two-headed Infant was a Darkness-type sea beast, which excelled in Mind Power attacks. On top of that, with its immense Mind Power, it could lure and control other sea beasts or Spell Casters.

For this reason, many Spell Casters would not want to encounter a Two-headed Infant, because it was too much of a nuisance. Without enough Mind Power, even a Third or Fourth-level Spell Caster would be controlled by a Two-headed Infant. They would then lose their conscience slowly, eventually dying a gruesome death. That in itself would be a horrid scene to behold.

These two Spell Casters had previously witnessed a fellow Spell Caster who was controlled by a Two-headed Infant, who then unwittingly sliced off his own body, piece by piece, and fed his own flesh to those brutal sea beasts.

The mere recall of such a scene made them shudder in fear. They would not want to be at the receiving end of the Two-headed Infant's mind-controlling abilities and proceed to do unimaginable things.

"Eh? Someone's really coming this way!"

Suddenly, the male Spell Caster glanced delightedly at a spot on the beach, some distance away. He saw a figure approaching them with great speed.

"Let's hope this will catch the Two-headed Infant's attention. As soon as it notices that Spell Caster coming our way, we'll leave this place at once, and run as far away as we can. It'll be best if we can return to the Kurdmansla Islands!"

Excitement appeared on the male Spell Caster's face as he watched the figure approach.

*****

"Ooh-ooh-ooh…"

Merlin raced wildly along the beach, intense Wind Element fluctuations beaming from his body. He had finally found the "person" who was emitting those infant cries.

Perhaps, it should not be called a "person", because the infant cries came from a small, two-headed creature, with two infant-like faces.

Those two faces were ugly and haunting. One face had different-colored eyes, red and blue respectively, which seemed to be bleeding as fresh blood was slowly dripping onto the ground. The other face had tiny pits all over, giving it a sieve-like appearance, which looked ghastly and atrocious.

The sight of this monster was indefinitely more terrifying than Wizard Leo, even for the likes of Merlin. After finding out what this creature looks like, he too exhaled sharply and immediately took a few steps backward.

"What kind of monster is this? Could it be a sea beast?"

Merlin mumbled softly. Throughout his time in the Dark Magic Region, he had only heard of the presence of numerous powerful sea beasts at Kurdmansla Islands and that they came in various grotesque forms. Besides, they were immensely powerful and had a distinct difference from Elemental Monsters or Elemental Beings, in that they were special creatures exclusively spawned from vast seas.

"Ooh-ooh-ooh…"

Right when Merlin was still observing this two-faced monster, its cries suddenly became loud and sonorous. At that instant, Merlin felt his concentration shifting out of focus. Ominous streaks of Dark Elements were followed by an immense wave of Mind Power and it started to shape images of a lucid illusion around him.

"A Darkness-type monster?"

When Merlin sensed the illusion, he felt relaxed. If this monster was a stronger kind of beast, he might have to keep vigilant. However, since it was a Darkness-type monster, he was not afraid.

Merlin had perfected the Darkness Heart and that granted him invulnerability against most Darkness-type spells. Why would he worry about this monster's illusions? Plus, back at Abyss Fort, he had already experienced countless illusions in the Darkness Void. Why would he fear this monster with two giant heads and scary faces?

"Interesting. It's my first time here and I've already met such a unique sea beast, but sorry to say, you've taken on the wrong opponent. Illusions are useless against me, break!"

A smile etched across Merlin's face. With that, the force of darkness surrounding his body shuddered slightly. His Darkness Heart had taken effect and the illusion around him vanished immediately.

Upon breaking the two-headed monster's illusion, Merlin moved slightly. An intense Wind Element emerged from his body, which surged abruptly, reaching the two-headed beast in almost an instant.

Merlin spread his palm and muttered, "Demon Ability, Glacial Finger!"

"Swoosh"

A streak of chill immediately gushed towards the two-headed beast. It realized the approaching danger too as its two heads started producing extremely high-pitched sounds.

These high-pitched sounds penetrated the clouds, and even Merlin flinched when the sounds reached his ears.

"So-ush."

The high-pitched sounds seemed to be doing the trick. A frog-like monster suddenly jumped out from the shore and its body expanded rapidly, just like a balloon. With one pump it grew about three or four times in size.

The frog monster puffed out two big eyes, its humongous body shielding the two-headed monster, clearly protecting it. However, Merlin did not hesitate and the chills from his Glacial Finger enveloped the frog monster's body.

"Ka-cha!"

It seemed that the frog monster was not really powerful either, because after being subjected to the cold snap of Glacial Finger, its gigantic body immediately disintegrated into countless little fragments and scattered onto the beach.

This time, it truly scared the two-headed beast as nervous expressions began to show on its faces. It scrambled back to the sea for safety.

"Trying to escape? Too late!"

It was Merlin's first encounter with a sea beast and the strange creature piqued his interest, so he wanted to catch this two-headed monster alive to carefully study it.

Hence, he prepared to withdraw his spell to first trap the two-headed beast. Even a First-level spell would also work effectively on the two-headed beast. Besides its great Mind Power and the ability to create illusions, the beast did not have any other spells, which was why Merlin was quite confident of catching it alive.

Suddenly, as the two-headed beast was escaping towards the shoreline, both its heads let out a loud shrill simultaneously, the loud sound numbed any bystanders' senses.

"Bom-Bom"

Along with the loud shrill, Merlin felt like the entire beach was shaking. A huge water column had risen into the sky from beneath the sea and a gargantuan creature emerged, swiftly making its way towards the beach.

Simultaneously, some giant seagull-like creatures appeared in the sky above, and they too let out a long squeal, after which they dived downwards.

That was the sea and the sky reacting, and now the beach too. Rat-like creatures with shiny black coats of fur burrowed out from the thick sand, letting out sounds of "chi-chi-chi". Their tiny eyes gleamed with a bloody illumination.

"These are all summoned by the two-headed monster?"

Merlin could not help but to inhale sharply, seemingly taken aback. That two-headed monster that he thought to be harmless had surprised him by recruiting so many menacing monsters.

*****

"Damn it, damn it, what kind of idiot is this Spell Caster? How can he enrage the Two-headed Infant? Does he intend to have our graves dug here?"

The two Spell Casters hiding behind the big rock could not help but stare in awe as they witnessed the scene not far away, the male Spell Caster reacted furiously shortly after.

That was what a Two-headed Infant was truly capable of, commanding the presence of many sea beasts. Even most Fourth-level Spell Casters would flee as far as they could after seeing a Two-headed Infant.

However, someone dared to attempt the live capture of a Two-headed Infant, even going so far as to enraging the monster. Right now, the Two-headed Infant was truly incensed as it summoned the control of so many of sea beasts.

At the heart of such a huge commotion, it became impossible for them to creep away from the beach.

"So, what shall we do now?"

When the female Spell Caster saw the swarm of sea beasts on the beach, the color drained from her face. She was clearly at her wits' end.

"What else? Wait. We can't make a move now, cause if the Two-headed Infant and those sea beasts see us, we're toast! Blame it on that idiot, he's the one who enraged the Two-headed Infant…"

The male Spell Caster was still fuming as he glanced at the beach a distance away, looking at that figure with the black Wizard robe.

******

Back on the beach, Merlin stared at the many sea beasts surrounding him, a serious expression on his face. These sea beasts had gathered around him from all directions, effectively surrounding him. Meanwhile, the Two-headed Infant sat high up on the back of another sea beast, positioning itself like a war general as it commanded the rest of the sea beasts.

Merlin finally understood clearly that these sea beasts were all summoned by the two-headed monster.

Merlin's sights were set on the humongous sea beast that was just washed ashore. Its whole body was like a hill, and its huge size alone was enough a factor to deter anyone.

Any normal Spell Caster would feel helpless at the sight of it.

As for Merlin, he merely raised his guard a little. These sea beasts may have come in numbers, but he was not afraid at all. Based on the energy radiating from these sea beasts' bodies, he inferred that their powers were only equivalent to that of a Fourth-level Spell Caster.

Only that gigantic sea beast managed to deter Merlin a little. The other sea beasts may have come in great numbers, but to Merlin, they were all easy to defeat.

"Darkness Tide!"

Merin did not hesitate for one bit as he went on the offensive, his first move in the form of a recently constructed Second-level Darkness-type spell, Darkness Tide.

At that moment, the originally sunny beach was plunged into darkness. Light rays were distorted, and rich Darkness elements rapidly condensed. A huge shroud of darkness engulfed the numerous sea beasts around him in almost an instant.

Darkness Tide is a Second-level Darkness-type spell. With the complementing enhancement from Darkness Heart, even if Merlin had not unleashed the enhanced version of Darkness Tide, he would still be capable of casting an illusion over a Fourth-level Spell Caster.

As for the numerous sea beasts, they were all monsters with weak Mind Powers. The only exception was that two-headed monster as it was a Darkness-type monster. Hence, it would probably be unaffected by Darkness Tide. As for those sea beasts that it had summoned, they stood no chance against the illusions from Darkness Tide.

At the moment darkness befell, all the monsters went silent, as they were all propelled into the realm of illusion.

"Kill!"

At the time, these sea beasts could only await their slaughter, as Merlin walked freely in the darkness like a fish that was granted water 1 . He casually cast his spells. Even though there was a large number of them, it did nothing to help them as they were absolutely defenseless and were annihilated one by one.

Darkness Tide paired with Darkness Heart, it was the very first time that its mighty powers were exhibited. The scary fact was that this was only a Second-level Darkness-type spell.

If it was a Third-level or Fourth-level spell, Darkness Heart could assimilate into the Fourth-level Darkness-type spell, which by then, the power of Darkness-type spells would be truly tremendous. It would reveal the true powers of the notorious Demon Ability, Darkness Heart.

"Ka-cha".

Merlin was casting Ice-type spells, killing a huge number of the evil monsters, which he followed up by using flames. After that, Merlin harnessed his Magic Powers and charged towards the sea beasts with his strong physique, thus obliterating them.

It was quite the pity because the moment Merlin unleashed Darkness Tide, it seemed to have invoked fear in the two-headed beast. It was indeed unaffected by the Darkness Tide spell as it immediately found its way out of the area that was immersed in darkness, leaping into the endless stretch of sea.

"Shame, I still can't catch that two-headed monster."

Merlin was panting. He had just used his strong physique to kill god-knows-how-many monsters, and now fatigue was catching up to him.

Until Merlin dispersed the Darkness Tide, darkness slowly receded, sunlight regaining its shine on the beach. Suddenly, a dreadful scene came into sight.

On the vast beach laid an immeasurable amount of torn carcasses belonging to those killed sea beasts. It was a scene of macabre.

*****

"This… How's it possible? Who in the world is this Spell Caster?"

Looking at the dense masses of numerous sea beast carcasses on the beach, the two Spell Casters who were hiding behind the rock looked astonished. Their emotions were tumultuous and they were unable to settle down even after a while.

Even the Two-headed Infant had resorted to fleeing. It was a known fact that a Spell Caster as high as the Fourth-level would act cautiously upon seeing a Two-headed Infant. It was to the extent that they would not hesitate when presented with any slightest chance of escaping.

In fact, they had never heard of someone who could force a Two-headed Infant to flee. Perhaps, only those Fifth-level or stronger Wizards could pull off such a feat.

Could it be that this Spell Caster, who looked so young, actually be a Fifth or Sixth-level Spell Caster?

"Shu-ack"

Right when these two Spell Casters were still accustoming to their pounding hearts, that black-Wizard-robed figure on the beach some distance away seemed to have noticed something, abruptly turning his sights towards their hiding spot.

These two Spell Casters felt their hearts sink, as they crouched behind the rock. They dare not move in the slightest.