A Wizard’s Secret

“Swoosh!”

A beam of white light emerged from the placement of runes, and a figure dressed in black had formed as the light dissipated. Merlin, dressed in his black robe, had returned to the Dark Magic Region.

“Dark Magic Region, I’ve finally returned!”

Merlin lifted his head and looked around, letting out a long sigh of relief. He had already put away his Fort Udon robe before coming back to the Dark Magic Region to avoid any unnecessary trouble.

There did not seem to be much change to the Dark Magic Region. However, when Merlin stepped up to the stone tablet, the high and mighty black cat Didimoss that had usually been there did not appear.

Merlin waited a moment more, but there was still no sign of Didimoss. So, he gave a slight bow and continued walking towards the Dark Magic Region.

The runes fluctuated along with the dim flickering of the Dark Magic Ring in his hand, with this Merlin had passed through the big runic circle of the Dark Magic Region. He entered the real Dark Magic Region, and the Wizard towers came into sight.

“Wizard Merlin!”

Some young Spell Casters who walked by bowed slightly upon seeing Merlin, behaving very respectfully. Merlin merely nodded as a sign of acknowledgment. The atmosphere in the Dark Magic Region seemed very harmonious as well but different from Fort Udon where the Dark Magic Region had more of a “learning” atmosphere. With a single look, one could tell that there were many Spell Casters who buried their heads in potion research, runology or alchemy every day. They seldom explored outside of the Dark Magic Region.

Merlin’s status in the entire Dark Magic Region was at a highly respectable level. In addition, he was a Six-Elemental Spell Caster, and he had even killed two geniuses of Ozmu. These was news that everyone in the Dark Magic Region had heard of already. Many Spell Casters saw Merlin as a genius who could replace or perhaps even overcome Kleis!

With no delay, Merlin immediately made his way to Wizard Leo’s tower.

He had just entered the Wizard Tower when Wizard Leo’s booming voice had called out to him. “Merlin, come over to me at once!”

Merlin knew clearly why Wizard Leo was summoning him in such a rush. It must be an issue concerning the bracelet that had been sealed with the power of Darkness Eye.

Wizard Leo had personally created this bracelet, so there was definitely some sort of connection to him. It was not unusual that Wizard Leo would have some concerns regarding what had happened.

On the first floor of the tower, Wizard Howl was buried in his potion research as usual. Merlin called out politely, “Wizard Howl!”

“Swoosh!”

Wizard Howl stopped what he was doing and looked up abruptly. He stared at Merlin. However, the way Wizard Howl looked at the moment gave Merlin a huge shock.

Wizard Howl had a thin and pallid countenance; his entire body was flashing with extremely unstable Element fluctuations. His eyes, especially, had a surprising aura of death.

“Wizard Howl, what’s wrong with you?”

Merlin asked with a frown.

“Hehe, Wizard Merlin, I’m about to leave the Dark Magic Region. It has been so many years, but the Spell Models in my Awareness have never stabilized. I’ve prepared so many potions, but none of them have succeeded. I’m sick and tired of living a life like this… Not long ago, I’ve tried to construct a completely new spell, but naturally, I failed. Consequently, it has caused my previous Spell Models to become even more unstable…”

Wizard Howl described everything in simple terms. Despite the instability of Spell Models inside his Awareness, he had tried to construct new spells, which was practically akin to killing himself.

However, Wizard Howl had been stuck in Wizard Leo’s tower for many years. He had gotten fed up of such a life a long time ago, and neither was he really a maniac who could prepare potions or anything like that. He simply had a problem that other people found difficult to understand.

“Wizard Howl, I’ve some Spell Model-stabilizing Potion. Do you want…”

Merlin had remembered the Spell Model-stabilizing Potion he had obtained when he had been in Floating City. Nevertheless, before he could finish his sentence, Wizard Howl interrupted him. “Wizard Merlin, my Spell Models can’t be stabilized with potions anymore, not at all. I know that there’s not much time left for me. In Wizard Leo’s tower, I’ve never seen a Spell Caster that has grown as fast as you have. After all these years of researching potions, I’m not without any results at all…”

Having said so, Wizard Howl suddenly took out a bottle of green potion and shook it gently. There was a look of confidence on his face as he lowered his voice. “I occasionally receive incomplete potion formulas. After dozens of years researching, improving, and perfecting them, I’ve finally succeeded in preparing this. Hehe, as for the effects, Wizard Merlin, you may feel it carefully yourself!”

Merlin felt rather puzzled. As he was figuring out what Wizard Howl meant, a sudden and terrible Mind Fluctuation emanated from Wizard Howl’s body.

That sliver of horrifying Mind Power fluctuation was, alarmingly, much more powerful than Merlin’s Mind Power. It had reached the power of a Sixth-level Spell Caster and was even close to that of a Seventh-level Spell Caster.

Merlin was extremely shocked. Wizard Howl was merely a First-level Spell Caster. How was it possible for him to possess such horrifying Mind Power?

Seeing the change in Merlin’s expression, Wizard Howl sniggered. He spoke in a low voice, “Hehe, originally, I’d thought that if my Mind Power becomes stronger, it’d be able to stabilize the Spell Model I’d constructed so rashly back then. However, I was wrong. No matter how great my Mind Power is, it’s very difficult to rectify any mistakes once a spell has been constructed wrongly or once instability occurs. Haha, what’s the use of having even greater Mind Power? At the end of the day, I’m still a First-level Spell Caster!”

For a moment, Wizard Howl looked at Merlin quietly. “Wizard Merlin, as a Six-Elemental Spell Caster, surely you need a far greater amount of Mind Power than the average person for support before you can construct Spell Models. As long as you promise me one thing, I’ll give you this Mokra Potion, the product of my life’s research. What about it?”

Merlin truly felt that there was something very strange about Wizard Howl today. There was even a slight hint of madness. However, if Wizard Howl’s Mind Power had really become so great due to the Mokra Potion, then Merlin would be quite tempted.

These days, Merlin was relying on the Mind Power duplicate in the Bell Space to cultivate and could feel that the increase of his Mind Power was not as fast. After all, his Mind Power was now at Fourth-level. If he wished to level up quickly, he would need at least a few years, or maybe even a few dozen years to accumulate if he were to meditate step by step.

If he had Mokra Potion and the meditation of the Mind Power duplicate in the Bell Space, it would definitely solve Merlin’s problem of having limitations when it came to increasing his Mind Power.

After pondering for a moment, Merlin finally spoke aloud, “Wizard Howl, what promise do you need me to make?”

“Hehe, my condition is very simple. Wizard Merlin has to kill Kleis after becoming a powerful Spell Caster in the future! That is my condition!”

When Wizard Howl brought up Kleis, his face practically became twisted. He looked extremely hideous.

“En? Kill Kleis?”

Merlin looked at Wizard Howl, who had a twisted expression. He had never imagined that Wizard Howl, who had always been very calm, would have such hatred against Kleis despite all of them being Spell Casters in the Dark Magic Region.

In fact, to Merlin, there was already no way to undo the hands of fate. After killing Bluebird, Merlin knew that the battle between him and Kleis would eventually be inevitable.

Therefore, Merlin was already determined to kill Kleis. It would not matter much that he promised Wizard Howl he’d do it.

“Alright, Wizard Howl, I promise you. However, before I’m powerful enough to do so, I won’t strike rashly!”

Merlin answered in a very cautious manner.

“Haha, just this one sentence from Wizard Merlin is enough. Even if I can’t kill Kleis in this lifetime, Wizard Merlin, you definitely can! If such a day really comes, Wizard Merlin, please remember to tell Kleis that among his killers, is a weak and pitiful man like me. Haha, a weak and cowardly man who couldn’t even protect his daughter…”

Merlin looked at Wizard Howl, who was very agitated. He could more or less guess that Wizard Howl had suppressed this hatred and enmity in his heart for a very long time, but he could do nothing except wait quietly in the Wizard Tower.

“Mokra Potion – I’m left with only three bottles now, and all of them are yours! Also, there are some necessary potion materials in the potion formula that might be very complicated, but they’re not very expensive. In fact, you may exchange all of them in the Resource Tower in the Dark Magic Region. Alright, Wizard Merlin, Teacher Leo still waiting for you. Up you go.”

Wizard Howl waved his hand before lowering his head and not saying a word more. However, Merlin could clearly feel that the deathly aura around Wizard Howl’s body seemed to have increased.

Merlin was quiet for a few moments. Finally, he kept the Mokra Potion and potion formula. These were very valuable things but Wizard Howl had passed them to Merlin so quickly. Perhaps Wizard Howl could not help but make this his only choice.

“Wizard Howl, there will be such a day!”

Determination flashed in Merlin’s eyes. He then turned around and entered the Runic Magic Circle.

“Swoosh!”

Merlin’s body was covered in the Runic Magic Circle and disappeared from the lower floor of the tower. Wizard Howl, who had buried his head in work, presently lifted his head slightly. There was a hint of a relieved smile at the corners of his lips.

“It’s time to leave and settle the matter! Kleis, even if I can’t kill you, someone else will eventually kill you for me. Haha…”

Wizard Howl sniggered as he stood up. Then, his figure disappeared within the Wizard Tower…

…

“Creak!”

Merlin had just arrived at the top floor of the tower when he saw the big doors, which had been tightly shut. Almost as soon as Merlin walked up to them, the doors immediately swung open. Wizard Leo already knew of his arrival.

Merlin did not hesitate and immediately walked through the big doors.

“Teacher Leo!”

Merlin lifted his head only to see Wizard Leo with his two empty eye sockets and the ugly, bloodshot vertical eye on his forehead. However, Merlin’s attention on Wizard Leo’s Darkness Eye had increased compared to previous times.

Merlin understood Darkness Eye a lot more now. It was a powerful Pandora Demon Ability personally created by the Great Legend of Darkness, Wizard Oflas. It was a special Pandora Demon Ability that was even more powerful than the Pandora Demon Abilities that could be fused with spells.

Darkness Eye had a total of seven forms. It had definitely not, as Wizard Leo had said in the Abyss Fort back then, been perfected by Wizard Leo himself. No matter how gifted Wizard Leo was, he would never be able to perfect such a powerful Pandora Demon Ability.

“Swoosh!”

Suddenly, Darkness Eye on Wizard Leo’s forehead opened. A tremendous pressure enveloped Merlin’s body right there and then.

“Merlin, you’ve finally returned. Did you encounter some trouble this time on the Kurdmansla Islands?”

In a raspy voice, Wizard Leo slowly opened his mouth and spoke.