Chapter 113: Selection

Within the Tower of Myriad Wonders, spellcasters in diverse attire continued to come and go. During his half-year stay in the Dark Spirit Domain, Merlin rarely left the tower, but he had gained some understanding of its common practices.

In the Dark Spirit Domain, any spellcaster in a grey robe was one who had accepted a mission from the task hall and had been assigned to certain areas within the domain. For instance, the grey-robed mage who had inspected Merlin's Dark Spirit Ring, as well as the seemingly indifferent grey-robed mage within the Tower of Myriad Wonders, were both assigned their roles by taking on tasks from the hall.

These assignments had specific prerequisites, the most crucial being that one must be at least a first-level spellcaster and an official member of the Dark Spirit Domain to qualify.

Merlin arrived at the Tower of Myriad Wonders, paying no attention to the laid-back grey-robed mage, and headed straight for the second floor.

The second floor was bustling with spellcasters, mostly looking to select first-level spells as they prepared to advance to the first level. Merlin glanced briefly at the shelves holding the first-level spells and then moved toward the zero-level spell section. Zero-level spells were the most abundant in the Dark Spirit Domain, with more than ten bookshelves filled with them.

He first picked a set of wind spells, specifically the Gale Technique, a skill introduced in a class by Mage Nasha. The Gale Technique was all about speed, not for harming others but for enhancing the spellcaster's own agility, doubling their movement speed.

Merillon had previously constructed the Gale Technique, which enabled him to move so fast that, to onlookers, he was only a faint blur.

"Two contribution points—not too expensive," Merlin noted as he glanced at the price. The low cost wasn't because the Gale Technique was weak; rather, it was due to its widespread availability. Most spellcaster organizations, and even some independent mage families and wandering mages, possessed this technique.

After selecting the Gale Technique, Merlin continued browsing the shelves. He had spent the past six months rigorously training with the intermediate meditation technique in Mage Leo's tower, increasing his spiritual power severalfold—enough now to support constructing a first-level spell model.

Thus, Merlin intended to gather as many spell models as possible. Aside from the Gale Technique, he was particularly interested in dark spells. The intense battle at Count Selin's castle, where he faced Merillon, had shown him the eerie power of dark spells. If not for the black-robed elder's timely intervention, Merlin might not have survived.

However, dark spells were scarce in the Dark Spirit Domain. After checking several shelves, Merlin still hadn't found any, which he expected, as organizations differed in their specializations. For example, the Abyss Fortress specialized in dark spells and undoubtedly had a vast array, while the Dark Spirit Domain excelled in runes. The Grand Mage Fiddle, who founded the Dark Spirit Domain, had reached an extraordinary level in rune mastery.

Suddenly, Merlin's gaze fixed upon a row of bookshelves near the corner, where a few dark spells were faintly visible.

He picked up a few books at random, noting their unique names.

"Dark Hand: Gather dark elements to bind the target. More effective when cast at night. Three contribution points."

This binding-type spell wasn't what Merlin needed, as he already had Ice Freeze, which was also a binding spell. While Dark Hand had its unique advantages, it didn't surpass the binding power of Ice Freeze. He put it back and examined other dark spells.

"Dark Ray: Penetrates with a powerful effect, accompanied by intense negative emotions. More effective when cast at night. Three contribution points."

This was an offensive dark spell with decent power, though somewhat limited in scope, and possibly not as strong as Fireball. Merlin decided against choosing this spell.

The higher cost of these dark spells didn't necessarily reflect greater power; rather, it was because dark spells were so rare in the Dark Spirit Domain that they demanded more contribution points.

Merlin didn't choose "Dark Hand" or "Dark Ray" because their types overlapped with spells he had already constructed.

What he really wanted was a hallucination-type spell like the "Dark Mist" Merillon had used before.

After searching for a while longer, Merlin finally found the spell he needed.

"Dark Mist: Uses dark elements to create an enclosed dark space. Those with insufficient spiritual power may fall into an illusion. Five contribution points."

Merlin had finally found "Dark Mist." The description matched Merillon's Dark Mist, which had trapped Merlin in a pitch-black, silent void without any sense of direction, where even his spiritual power seemed ineffective. The unsettling disorientation still sent chills through him.

Although his weaker spiritual power at the time contributed to the experience, the spell's potency was unmistakable.

"Five contribution points—just as expected."

Merlin had spent enough time in the Tower of Myriad Wonders to know that the most expensive zero-level spells required five contribution points. Any zero-level spell that cost five points was either top-tier in its category or had distinctive attributes.

Having selected both "Gale Technique" and "Dark Mist," Merlin would have five spells if he successfully imprinted these models in his sea of consciousness. This would make him a powerful five-element mage among his peers.

Most spellcasters mastered three elements; stronger ones might reach four, like Merillon and Mage Leo.

However, five-element mages were exceedingly rare, even in the Dark Spirit Domain. So far, Merlin hadn't met any with more than four elements.

Still, becoming a five-element mage was not Merlin's ultimate goal. He already had spells for binding, speed, defense, and hallucination, but his offensive capabilities relied solely on Fireball. Though effective against a single opponent, it was beginning to fall short of his needs.

Thus, Merlin sought an even stronger offensive spell, capable of striking multiple enemies, to fill his current gap in combat power.