Glory
Scott's eyebrows rose slightly, his expression turning serious.
The Age of the Mage of Glory was the most pivotal era in the development of magical civilization—so much so that one could say it divided history into two distinct periods:
> The Age of Traditional Magic and The Age of Modern Magic.
It was an exceptionally fundamental question. Though everyone knew about it, providing a truly comprehensive answer was no easy feat.
Scott murmured deeply, his thoughts sparking like lightning as his voice resonated, drifting into the air:
> "Ancient mages pursued absolute power and eternal life, striving to break the limits of mortality. This ambition gave rise to an unparalleled magical civilization—a world of grandeur and brilliance. To march forward on this path was to constantly break through the boundaries of existence, advancing toward the infinite sea of magic."
---
> "At the peak of ancient magical civilization, mages began exploring other dimensions. There were millions of realms—some similar to ours, others vastly different. One by one, they were discovered and conquered by the ancient mages.
They constructed grand teleportation arrays, weaving through the fabric of space itself, enabling seamless travel between dimensions.
Their mastery of magic grew so profound that they began unraveling the mysteries of the cosmos—the void, time, and even immortality itself."
---
> "As magical civilization advanced, the mages of old grew ever more powerful. They neared immortality, and the resources they claimed became ever greater.
In the early days of this era, there were only a few dozen Great Mages—true prodigies capable of expanding the frontiers of magic. Their rarity was absolute, with only one emerging every thousand years.
But as civilization reached its zenith, the number of high-tier mages exploded exponentially, multiplying like an unstoppable geometric sequence."
---
> "Thus, the world saw an era where high-tier mages were no longer rare.
Many even reached the threshold of immortality, their hunger for power growing boundless.
At first, their greed was satisfied by the limitless plundering of other dimensions.
But after thousands of years—after discovering nearly ten thousand worlds and spending five centuries searching—
The ancient magical civilization could no longer find a way forward."
---
> "The world is finite. But the ambition of mages is limitless.
It took the ancients five hundred years to understand this simple truth.
And naturally—when the mages realized there were no more resources to claim—
A civil war broke out."
---
> "For a thousand years, a brutal civil war engulfed all mages across countless dimensions.
The most powerful, who could reshape nature with mere thought, turned the battlefield into a slaughterhouse.
Planets burned, ancient teleportation formations were obliterated, crystalline warships exploded one after another.
High-tier mages who once claimed immortality began to fall, one by one.
The Great Mages, once seen as godlike, were crushed like insignificant ants, reduced to cannon fodder—
Their bodies torn apart, turning to scattered ash and drifting smoke under the sheer force of planet-wrecking spells."
---
> "By the war's end, over half of the discovered infinite dimensions were destroyed.
Countless realms lost all contact with the main world.
Over 70% of high-tier mages were wiped out.
And the survivors?
They clung to life, teetering on the brink of death, amidst the ruins of their fallen empire."
It seemed as though the civil war was nearing its breaking point, potentially leading to the dawn of a new barren age—until a brilliant yet ignorant farmer, in an unknown dimension, invented a seemingly harmless little creation.
---
> "The historical records of this genius mage's name have long been lost. Thus, the new generations of mages simply call him 'The Innovator.' His methods have also been buried by time, but what he created is known in modern society as... 'The King Slayer Virus'!"
---
> "Perhaps his thought process was simple:
If there weren't enough soldiers... why not create something that could enhance the combat abilities of magical beasts—allowing them to replace mages on the battlefield?
After all, there seemed to be no end to the number of magical beasts!"
---
> "And he succeeded.
The beasts infected by the King Slayer Virus, once weak and insignificant, transformed into terrifying killing machines—becoming creatures known as 'Demonic Beasts.'
They felt no exhaustion.
They never retreated.
They seemed... immortal!"
---
> "Within a century, this brilliant farmer used his army of demonic beasts to unify his entire dimension. His monstrous army grew to a billion strong.
Other mages, witnessing his success, began to refine and enhance their own versions of demonic beasts."
---
> "And so, within a hundred years, demonic beasts became the primary forces in the mages' civil war,
appearing in every corner of the vast ocean of space."
---
> "Unfortunately, all the mages failed to recognize two crucial flaws in their plan."
> "First—
The King Slayer Virus had an unprecedented ability to self-replicate and was ferociously contagious."
> "Second—
While the virus boosted the combat strength of the demonic beasts,
It also gradually increased their intelligence—so subtly that no mage noticed.
And after fifty years of brutal, blood-soaked battle,
Over ten billion demonic beasts had evolved beyond mere creatures...
A new race was born—
The Demon Race."
---
> "At last, on the final day of the three-thousand-year civil war—
The Demon Race awakened!"
---
> "Almost simultaneously, nearly every demonic beast within the ocean of space revolted against their masters, as though responding to an unseen terror.
The mages—who had lived as untouchable kings for ages—
Found themselves utterly helpless against the battle-hardened, war-forged demonic beasts.
And worse...
The demons had already absorbed the technology and magic of the human mages!"
---
> "Kingdoms on land crumbled, one after another.
Entire dimensions were completely wiped out.
In just ten years, the Demon Race mercilessly hunted down any mages who had managed to escape into the vast ocean of space.
Once noble and powerful, the high-ranking mages became nothing more than stray dogs—
Hiding in the darkest corners of spacetime,
Living in endless terror,
Unable to reclaim their place in the world."
---
> "For the next ten thousand years, humanity was plunged into an age of unparalleled darkness.
Under the relentless rule of the Demon Race,
Mages lost their dignity.
They lost their pride.
And worst of all...
They lost their freedom."
---
> "Ten thousand years had passed.
Once, the ancient mage civilization had reigned supreme over the infinite ocean of space,
But just like a castle built on sand, it had been washed away by the raging tides, leaving no trace behind.
The descendants of the once-great high mages—who had once wielded 'absolute power'—
Could now only rely on primitive survival methods,
Breeding in massive numbers just to ensure their race would not perish entirely."
---
> "The dark age finally ended after ten thousand years—not because of humanity's strength,
But because of internal power struggles within the Demon Race itself.
Their conflicting ideologies and endless disputes led to fractures in their unity.
And only then did humanity find its first sliver of an opportunity.
In the shadows, the mages launched a revolution.
Through the tireless efforts of countless magical prodigies,
A new magical civilization was established—
One completely different from that of the ancient mages.
Only then could humanity once again embark on the path of magic…
The path of glory."
---
> "Under the unprecedented leadership of the great King Bo Pido,
Humanity salvaged countless remnants of the old mage civilization,
Establishing Guilds to rebuild order.
After three thousand years of bloody war,
Humanity rose once more,
Becoming the rulers of the endless ocean of space.
The modern mage civilization flourished—
A radiant beacon of life standing against oblivion!"
---
> "It has been sixteen thousand years since the end of the Dark Age.
Tens of thousands of cycles have passed since the fall of the ancient mage civilization.
And now, today—
We stand in the greatest era in the history of magic.
The Age of the Mage of Glory—
The age of the mage of the glory."
---
As Scott pondered the final lines, a countdown appeared in the sky, signaling the approaching end of the exam.
He had no choice but to abandon his thoughts of elaborating on the life of the great King Bo Pido. Instead, he hurriedly wrapped up his answer, speaking a few concise yet factual sentences without much further thought.
---
The very moment the last word left his mind—
BOOM!
The entire world collapsed with a deafening roar.
Like fragile butterflies scattering in the wind, reality shattered into countless fragments.
A tremendous force violently expelled Scott from the illusion.
His vision exploded with white light, and in the next instant—
His consciousness snapped back to the classroom.