Night Ranger - Chapter 375

Chapter 375: Magic Medicine King

p>Because the Dead Area was a map that was released in a later expansion, it hadn’t been completely explored by the time Marvin transmigrated.

As for the Secret Garden, many player guilds explored it and gathered enough information, but because of the special nature of the instance, Marvin himself hadn’t personally experienced it. He had obtained some secondhand information, but it was difficult to say whether it was all accurate.

From what he remembered, the origin of the Secret Garden was related to a Wizard’s school of magic from an ancient era.

That school of magic was called the Mikenshi school. Mikenshi Wizards were focused on cultivating Magic Medicines, and in their golden age, their organization’s branches covered every corner of the Dead Area. Of course, much had changed over time in the Dead Area.

At that time, the Mikenshi school’s status in the Dead Area was comparable to the South Wizard Alliance’s in Feinan Continent, occupying at least half of the territory.

They were expert Herbalists and focused on cultivating Magic Medicines, and thus, under the suggestion of a Mikenshi Wizard, they opened a unique space, a place very suitable for cultivating them.

Originally, it was a very ordinary medicine garden, but as the Mikenshi school constantly grew over the years, more and more Magic Medicines filled the garden.

These Magic Medicines grew crazily and wantonly, and although the Mikenshi Wizards set layers of barriers around the garden, their dense aura still attracted a powerful existence.

It was a frightening monster that had been lingering between Feinan and the Astral Sea. He drooled at the aura leaking out and took advantage of a Mikenshi caster that was experimenting with summoning to hijack the spatial tear.

That monster swallowed many Mikenshi Wizards. Although he was eventually sealed by a powerful Wizard, the Mikenshi school still suffered a huge blow and wasn’t able to recover. Monsters began to appear on the Dead Area Continent from different spatial tears, which made the Mikenshi very unstable. They half-closed the Secret Garden, only leaving some Wizards behind to defend it.

For many years, the Mikenshi school continued being attacked by various enemies and gradually weakened.

That was a story that was far too old. Marvin’s information suggested that at some point, the constantly weakening Mikenshi school had to keep retreating because it was unable to withstand a particularly formidable enemy. They eventually took a stand and fought a decisive battle outside the Secret Garden, ultimately suffering a crushing defeat.

The remaining Mikenshi Wizards released that first monster, intending to go for mutual destruction.

And they succeeded. The enemy and the monster both perished.

But they were also defeated, as all the Mikenshi Wizards had been wiped out in the battle. Only a Wizard Apprentice remained from these cultivators of Magic Medicines, left behind the barrier of the Secret Garden, completely at a loss.

That apprentice felt constant anxiety, afraid that another enemy would come. But in the end, none did, and he buried all the dead lifeforms in the Secret Garden.

In fact, many Magic Medicines had their own wisdom. Despite it being superficial, they were still lifeforms.

In the garden, a seemingly ordinary Magic Medicine kept trying to tempt the last Mikenshi Wizard.

It promised him great power.

The apprentice was bewitched and he approached that Magic Medicine. In the end, the latter swallowed the apprentice, even consuming his soul!

That Magic Medicine gained control over the Secret Garden after swallowing the apprentice’s soul. It grew unsatisfied with the current situation and decided to study the knowledge left behind by the Mikenshi school. For humans, it was only knowledge of how to cultivate and control Magic Medicines, but for the Magic Medicine, it was a way to understand and improve itself.

The Magic Medicine kept growing stronger and stronger as it studied, and it swallowed most of the other Magic Medicines in the Secret Garden before ultimately becoming a Magic Medicine King.

It gave itself a name, Eric. It was that pitiful Wizard Apprentice’s name.

…

To this day, Magic Medicine King Eric remained in control of the garden. It had very frightening strength, and moreover, it was almost invincible in its home, the Secret Garden.

Most importantly, this guy was very crafty. Regardless of what happened, it would never rashly appear in person. Most of those who saw his appearance had already lost their souls. In fact, only the players who cleared the instance learnt that Magic Medicine King Eric was the one who had deliberately let out the alluring aura that attracted the monster from the Astral Sea.

Eric was very good at illusions and disguising itself. When the Secret Garden was opened, it often took the appearance of an ordinary tree or a small flower, coldly watching as the greedy humans and other lifeforms looked at the Secret Garden’s rare Magic Medicines.

However, many of these Magic Medicines were illusions. Almost all the Magic Medicines in the Secret Garden ended up in Eric’s belly. The remaining Magic Medicines either had indestructible seals set up by the Mikenshi Wizards or were frightening enough that Eric didn’t dare to provoke them.

Thus, each time the Secret Garden was opened, it appeared to be a gift from the ancient Wizards to their descendants, while in fact, it was Eric’s plot.

It opened the door, luring powerhouses in just to eat its fill.

Over the years, no one was able to see through Eric’s plot because it understood how to act. It wouldn’t provoke those who were really powerful, letting them freely depart. But it was very proficient at creating Illusions, with skill comparable to a Master Illusionist’s, reaching the realm of the fake becoming real. Those people were confused, thinking they knew the truth about the Secret Garden, but they didn’t.

That was only the “truth” that Eric wanted people to know.

Every time the Secret Garden opened, it was because it was Eric’s mealtime. Of course, the Secret Garden really did have some powerful Magic Medicines waiting for people to pick them, but they were rare.

The Great Elven King’s injury was caused by Divine Fire, and the strong effect was brought out through the fusion of three potent Divine Powers.

There was only one Magic Medicine that could counteract the effect of the Divine Fire, called [Underworld River Water]. And in the information left behind by the Mikenshi Wizards, there was a list of Magic Medicines that had been cultivated, which included the [Underworld River Water].

Marvin was sure that Ivan must have seen it before deciding to break into the Secret Garden.

He didn’t know whether there would still be any Underworld River Water in the Secret Garden, but since that place was opening, he wouldn’t mind taking a trip inside.

Although it would be good for Marvin to get his hands on the Underworld River Water, Magic Medicine King Eric was his real target.

But that guy was very crafty, so even though he knew a bit about the Secret Garden, he still had to be cautious.

…

While moving through the Secret Garden, adventurers not only had to worry about Magic Medicine King Eric’s traps, but also needed to guard against each other.

After all, the ancient Magic Medicines were very precious. With the draw of such benefits, even many powerhouses were unable to control themselves.

Furthermore, the Magic Medicine King took part in it with its great skill at playing with people’s minds. It would often take control of people without them knowing by speaking to their hearts and then exploiting their weaknesses.

In short, the Secret Garden was a place filled with danger.

Many Legends were buried there. This was why it was known as the [Tomb of Legends] in the players’ hearts.

This was not only related to the Magic Medicine King, but also the creators of the Secret Garden, the Mikenshi Wizards.

In order to protect these Magic Medicines, they set up a lot of runes, arrays, and restrictions in the Secret Garden.

Anyone wanting to enter the Secret Garden would have their capabilities reduced greatly. Whether it was skills, specialties, or various abilities, they would all be severely suppressed.

Only their attributes would not be suppressed. Even Legends would be weakened in the Secret Garden, reduced to about two-thirds of their original strength.

This was also the reason Marvin dared to compete with the other Legends.

Even if his skills and specialties were also suppressed, with his 30 Godly Dexterity, Marvin had a slight advantage and could overcome some of them.

Moreover, he now had another method, Desperation Style!

The effects gained from the Martial Path couldn’t be suppressed by the Secret Garden. This was an area similar to the Ice Monster cave in that sense. Marvin had already gotten used to the Ice Monster cave in the past few days.

Thus, in the Secret Garden, the classes that more commonly trained in the Martial Path would be most dominant. The Monk class was the most typical example.

Unfortunately, Monks would rarely enter the Secret Garden, as most of them had little interest in material wealth and would rarely be influenced by others.

As for Wizards, their spells would also be severely restricted.

Legend Wizards in the Secret Garden would be roughly equivalent to Half-Legends! This was a very frightening drop in rank!

But with the appeal of Magic Medicine, very few Wizards would be able to restrain themselves.

Every time the Secret Garden opened, most of the people that came would be Wizards rushing from all over the Dead Area.

They would also be the ones suffering the most losses.

Although some people did manage to come out alive each time the Secret Garden opened, only a small portion could claim to have obtained any benefits from it. Moreover, many of those people were nobodies that would quickly disappear from sight.

But no one could ignore the Secret Garden’s appeal.

This was the part of the draw of Eric’s illusion.

…

Marvin considered the information he had about the place.

As Marvin’s influence grew, his “prophetic” ability in this world would slowly weaken.

He knew that he had to advance to Legend before the Great Calamity. Only with an increase in strength would he be able to challenge a powerhouse like Dark Phoenix.

Otherwise, even if he had the Sea Elven Queen’s help, he wouldn’t be able to rescue Hathaway from Dark Phoenix.

He decided to enter the Secret Garden not only to help Ivan and the Great Elven King, but also for himself.

If he could grab the crafty Magic Medicine King, in the hands of an Alchemist, this strange Magic Medicine could be used as materials and refined into a very fierce potion.

Marvin knew that the first player guild that cleared the Secret Garden had obtained a part of the Magic Medicine King and successfully refined it into a potion that could raise one’s attributes.

This wasn’t a short boost of attributes like Dragon Strength. It was a permanent increase! He had heard it wasn’t just a small boost either.

Increasing one’s attributes in the Legend realm was very difficult, yet this potion was able to do it. How could Marvin not desire it?

‘Eric’s characteristics are [Swallow] and [Absorb]. It became known as the Magic Medicine King was because it swallowed and absorbed a huge amount of Magic Medicine, with its body eventually gaining the effects of many formidable Magic Medicines.’

‘This guy is like a weaker version of the Archdevil’s head. The Numen at that time continuously collected the precious bloodline power from the Archdevil’s head to the point that the Numen still have powerful descendants even today. If I can contain the Magic Medicine King, I should also be able to continuously make powerful magic potions.’

For many powerhouses, these magic potions were something they would be willing to risk their lives for.

In the upcoming Chaos Era, Marvin would need many allies and would also need to increase their strength. Eric was the best option.

Thinking of this, an excited expression flashed in Marvin’s eyes. He began preparing a plan based on the information he knew.

But at that time, the horse crossed a shallow river, and the silhouette of an ancient village became faintly discernible in the distance.

‘[Breton Village], finally!’

A faint light flickered in the distance through the fog. Marvin frowned, quickly approaching.

It was a barrier with black flames flickering on it.

Marvin checked and was surprised to find that the entire village was covered by this barrier.

‘[Blackfire Lava]? That Wizard organization joined in?’

Marvin sneered in his mind, ‘They want to keep it for themselves?’

Sure enough, before he reached the barrier, two black-gowned Wizard Apprentices appeared outside of it.

In the middle of their gowns there was a black flame, and below that was boiling lava.

“Please go back, sir.” The apprentice on the left was a bit older and earnestly informed, “[Blackfire Lava] has already joined forces with other powers to control this place. People without enough strength don’t have the qualifications to enter the Blackfire Barrier.”

The one on the right side was quite rude. He glanced at Marvin and seeing his youth, he revealed a disdainful expression. “A little guy coming out of nowhere actually dares to come to the Secret Garden? Could it be that you don’t know that with your strength, you would only be throwing away your life? Get the fuck out or we will take care of you!”

The apprentice on the left frowned but didn’t say anything.

In the western part of the Dead Area, [Blackfire Lava] was considered the largest Wizard organization. For this opening of the Secret Garden, their leader personally led the entire organization to occupy this place, intending to join forces with other Legends to enter and explore the Secret Garden.

Because the number of spots was limited, they wanted to prevent others from snatching any and thus a scene like this happened.

The entire Breton Village was sealed off by a Barrier.

Each group keeping watch had at least one 3rd rank Wizard overseeing them. Along with the Legend powerhouses they joined hands with, an ordinary person simply couldn’t enter.

Hearing this, Marvin dismounted and completely ignored the two Wizard Apprentices, using Shadow Escape to pass through the Blackfire Barrier!

“You are courting death!” The Wizard Apprentice on the right suddenly became angry and started to cast a spell at Marvin.

Chapter 376: Mana Wraith

p>But Marvin didn’t let the Apprentice cast his spell. He struck first!

Back when he was at the 2nd rank, he dared to kill people from the Three Ring Towers. Today, with his strength soaring, and even being able to step into the Legend Realm if he wanted, how could he be afraid of a little group like [Blackfire Lava]?

At that time, the Wizard Apprentice had only chanted a third of his incantation before a figure appeared in front of him at the speed of lightning.

“Bang!”

Marvin unhesitantly punched him in the face!

“Crash!” How could a pitiful Wizard Apprentice take a hit from a Half-Legend? The punch broke his teeth and the Apprentice flew back through the air, cutting a sorry figure as he fell on the ground!

The slightly older Apprentice was greatly startled. Marvin’s move was enough to show his strength.

This was the strength of 4th rank class holder at the very least!

It definitely wasn’t someone they could provoke.

“Woosh!”

A shadow flew over from the sky. A black-gowned caster was sitting on a flying carpet, looking at Marvin coldly. “You want to cause trouble?”

This was a 3rd rank Wizard, apparently the Blackfire Lava specialist in charge of this group.

Marvin sneered, “The one causing trouble is Blackfire Lava. Do you really think the Secret Garden is yours?”

After saying this he used Night Boundary and disappeared!

The 3rd rank Wizard knew that things weren’t good. He tried to ascend while intending to cover himself with magic armor.

But before he could do any of that, an icy dagger pressed against his neck.

“Sir…” The 3rd rank Wizard was frightened.

He hadn’t used an inspection-type spell on Marvin. After seeing how young Marvin was, he had just assumed that he wasn’t very powerful.

“You people of Blackfire Lava like to judge people’s strength based on their appearance, don’t you?” Marvin sneered, “I’m very curious as to how you survived in the Dead Area.”

The two Apprentices on the ground looked at the scene, numb from fear.

Especially the one Marvin punched. He rolled his eyes, pretending to pass out.

He really regretted his earlier words.

“Sorry. I haven’t seen such a young and powerful expert like you in the Dead Area Continent for a very long time…”

The 3rd rank Wizard’s life was in Marvin’s hands, and he was almost unable to keep the flying carpet aloft. He cautiously asked, “Dare I ask what Sir’s name is?”

“Marvin.”

“Oh, turns out it’s Sir Marvin.” The 3rd rank Wizard’s previously indifferent expression turned to one of flattery. “We of Blackfire Lava weren’t planning on monopolizing the Secret Garden. In fact, we welcome powerhouses like you to join us… What happened before was a misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding?” Marvin glanced meaningfully at the Wizard Apprentice that was feigning unconsciousness on the ground and chuckled to himself, feeling disinclined to bother with him.

There would inevitably be all kinds of trash. Those that used their power to bully others, taking everything out on the weak while fearing the strong, were numerous.

“Take me to Breton Village. I don’t feel like walking.”

Marvin dully added, “By the way, tell me the latest news. If I find out that you are deceiving me…” The icy dagger seemed to press a bit into his skin.

The 3rd rank Wizard was startled. How could he object?

He activated the flying carpet and the two flew through the fog.

…

On the way, Marvin saw some blurry figures. Most of them were Wizards proudly riding flying carpets.

All of them were Blackfire Lava’s internal staff and most were at the 2nd rank.

Seeing this, Marvin couldn’t help but sigh. The Wizard class was indeed enviable, being able to fly at 2nd rank, as long as one had enough Magic Power and money.

As for most other classes, especially the melee classes, even if they reached the Legend Realm, they would be unable to fly.

This was one of the reasons Wizards were able to rule this era. Flying gave a very formidable advantage. If they made proper use of it, even some Legend powerhouses would be at their wit’s end.

This 3rd rank Wizard for example. If he had made sure he was flying high enough, Marvin wouldn’t have been able to reach him.

Night Jump times two plus Shadow Escape might not necessarily be enough for him to reach the flying carpet.

This was the most annoying part for the other classes.

But it was a pity. The Wizard Era was about to end, something that group of proud Wizards wasn’t aware of.

The Universe Magic Pool shattering would be terrible for the Wizards. An overwhelming majority of Wizards would disappear from this world.

Only the real powerhouses would be left behind.

Marvin didn’t want to suffer from the Universe Magic Pool shattering, or else he might have thought about getting a Wizard subclass. That class was way too useful before the Calamity after all.

But in any case, he was a Sorcerer. In the later stages, they might not necessarily be worse than Wizards, depending on how he developed.

…

The two weren’t moving very quickly.

Under Marvin’s questioning, this Wizard Reggie had already told Marvin everything he knew.

As he listened, Marvin’s expression sank.

The Secret Garden had already opened.

One day earlier, Ivan and four Legend powerhouses were among those who had gathered.

But because Ivan and the other four Legends fought at the entrance of the Secret Garden, most others didn’t have a chance to get in.

These Legends included Blackfire Lava’s leader, a Legend Wizard.

Therefore, the most powerful members of Blackfire Lava in Breton Village were in fact two Half-Legend Wizards. The people stopped at Breton Village were at about that level or weaker.

The Blackfire Lava Wizards’ control over this area had been gradually diminishing. After all, without a Legend overseeing it, they could only scare away the weaker outsiders.

But not everyone was fine with that. Many powerhouses were like Marvin, forcibly breaking through the Blackfire Barrier.

The Blackfire Lava Wizards couldn’t do much about this, as they simply couldn’t handle so many people at the same time.

According to Reggie’s explanations, there were at least thirty Half-Legends staying in the ancient Breton Village, because the opening of the Secret Garden wasn’t always a one-time thing. Often, it would allow people in another once or twice after an initial opening!

The remaining people had another chance.

They were pacing back and forth in the village, waiting for the opportunity.

…

“The village is ahead, Sir Marvin. You can go in,” Reggie said respectfully. “As someone with the potential to become a Legend powerhouse, we have no reason to prevent you from entering the Secret Garden.”

Marvin inwardly sneered, ‘Isn’t it because you can’t block me?’

But he didn’t want to completely become hostile with Blackfire Lava this time. Having bad blood with a group of Wizards could be very troublesome.

He jumped down the flying carpet and walked into Breton Village.

As he entered the village, countless eyes sized him up.

The small village was quite lively.

Some of these gazes held enmity, while others had shock, but many more were just indifferent.

Marvin ignored them and silently walked toward the center of the village.

No one stopped him. Those able to break through Blackfire Lava’s Barrier and reach Breton Village were all powerhouses qualified to enter the Secret Garden. This was a common understanding among these people.

Marvin walked through the village paying attention to the number of people and found that there were more than Reggie had told him.

There were at least fifty Half-Legends in this ancient village!

Out of these, a bit less than half were Wizards. The other classes were pretty much evenly distributed. They were powerhouses who rushed from all over the Dead Area Continent, yearning for the Secret Garden. It was worth mentioning that Marvin did a full circle around the village and didn’t see any Monks.

This made him very pleased. Without any Monks here, his fighting strength should be at the peak of the group.

Godly Dexterity with Desperation Style would definitely put him a cut above these people, at least in the Secret Garden.

He casually found a place to sit down and waited for the second opening of the Secret Garden.

…

The greatest number of people gathered in the old village under a dead willow.

This was where the Secret Garden had just opened. At least two thirds of the people were gathered there waiting for the Secret Garden to open once again.

‘One would assume that the Secret Garden would open again at the same spot.’

‘But what happened this time would clearly be outside Eric’s expectations. Because of Ivan, the news leaked far and wide. The Elven Prince rushed to the Dead Area alone and waited for the opening of the Secret Garden… This attracted even more people.’

‘That gathering of powerhouses probably already exceeded what the Magic Medicine King had imagined.’

‘It certainly wouldn’t dare to eat all five Legends. And even if it did, it wouldn’t be full. Thus, it will open the entrance once again, but won’t let too many people in.’

Marvin calmly analyzed the situation.

Even if the Magic Medicine King Eric was very greedy, he was still very crafty. If these fifty or so Half-Legends all rushed in, its plot might be seen through, despite its skill with illusions. It couldn’t let too many enter, so the second opening should be the last one.

It definitely wouldn’t choose the same location as the first time, or else all those gathered would swarm in and its life might be in danger.

Thinking of this, Marvin closed his eyes and started feeling the aura of earth.

When he was learning under Kangen, during the breaks, the latter imparted a special skill to Marvin.

That skill, like Shadow Thief Owl’s Origami, would be classified as a special ability.

This ability was called [Earth Perception]. Kangen also learnt it from Xunshan’s powerful Monks.

Marvin guessed that it was taught by that Cloud Monk. Feeling heaven and earth was something the Cloud Monk would train in every day.

He closed his eyes and felt as if he could see all of Breton Village.

Time slowly passed.

The night gradually darkened and the crackling sound of the bonfire echoed, not letting people rest.

Most were still making preparations, but there were even more people under the willow tree.

Marvin was still motionless, calmly using Earth Perception.

Suddenly, a blue shadow appeared in his field of view.

‘Found you!’

Marvin smirked. ‘Mana Wraith – Eric!’

Chapter 377: Mutual Deception

p>Mana Wraith Eric was a very unique existence.

From what Marvin knew, he was the key to opening the Secret Garden’s entrance.

Back when the Wizard Apprentice named Eric was swallowed by the Magic Medicine King, a part of his soul formed into resentment.

It had a willpower that couldn’t be neglected. Even though it was swallowed by the Magic Medicine King, the latter wasn’t willing to digest that resentment. Otherwise it might be assimilated by the resentment.

Thus, it simply expelled the resentment from its body before pouring its own magic power in it to turn it into an independent resentful ghost with a body made of magic power.

That Mana Wraith involuntarily became the Magic Medicine King’s accomplice.

After all, the real Wizard Apprentice Eric had already died and the Mana Wraith was only left with some of Eric’s anger and resentment.

Because it was restricted to the Secret Garden due to its nature, the Magic Medicine King was unable to free itself from the prison the Mikenshi Wizards had created.

Thus, it needed someone to help it open the Secret Garden and then close it at a suitable time.

That was the Mana Wraith.

…

Marvin suddenly opened his eyes. Since he caught that guy’s existence, if he didn’t chase now, when would he go?

While using Earth Perception, Marvin grasped the Mana Wraith’s location and used Night Tracking.

His movements were graceful like the wind, melding into the darkness of the night. Even if he hadn’t meticulously used Stealth, few people would have been able to notice Marvin.

Ten seconds later, Marvin found him in a ruined courtyard.

This just happened to be convenient for Marvin.

The Mana Wraith grew alert, raising his head while angrily looking at Marvin, and let out a wretched laughter. “Fertilizer…”

“Fertilizer is coming…”

After saying this, he suddenly pounced at Marvin!

Pure Chaos Magic Power condensed into a pair of sharp claws, swiping fiercely at Marvin!

But before it reached him, Marvin took out an object and weighed it in his hand.

The Mana Wraith froze instantly.

The thing in Marvin’s hand was a dazzling ball. He laughingly asked, “So anxious to make a move? Could it be that you don’t want to chat with me?”

The Mana Wraith glanced at Marvin.

The power of the Sun Sphere gave him a feeling of danger. That thing had a restraining effect against ghosts, the undead, and beings of darkness.

Even the Hook Horror family that was able to move unhindered in the dangerous Underdark was burnt to death under the effect of these Sun Spheres.

Let alone a small Mana Wraith.

“There is nothing worth talking about with fertilizer…”

The Mana Wraith turned and fled!

The Magic Medicine King’s order was to find a deserted place to open the Secret Garden and then attract a wave of people in.

If he was found, he couldn’t carry out his plan.

His thoughts were already under the control of the Magic Medicine King and he simply couldn’t remember what had happened back then.

But Marvin could do something about it.

“Really?” A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. “You sure you don’t want to discuss with me, Eric?”

The Mana Wraith stopped.

“You… What did you say?” He turned around fiercely. “You dare to call out Master’s name?”

Marvin looked at him with pity, “Poor Eric, could it be that you still don’t remember who swallowed your soul and flesh, and even stole your name? Your so-called master is only a Magic Medicine bound to be eaten by people. You were his master once.”

The Mana Wraith had an odd expression and angrily pointed at Marvin as he yelled with false bravado, “You are talking nonsense!”

But his expression was betraying him.

He stood there, motionless. Some memories finally started awakening thanks to Marvin.

Marvin was pleased.

He wasn’t wrong.

The time when the Mana Wraith left the garden was when the Magic Medicine King’s control over him was at its weakest. At that time, with some key words, it should be very easy to make the Mana Wraith remember what had happened.

This was very helpful to Marvin’s plan.

The Mana Wraith seemed very unstable. He looked like he was at a loss, sometimes angry, sometimes peaceful, sometimes fierce.

After a while his expression became strange and his voice turned gloomy. “I… I am Eric.”

Marvin inwardly sighed. ‘Actually, you aren’t Eric. You are only Eric’s resentment, nothing more.’

But of course he wouldn’t say that now, since he had a use for the Mana Wraith.

“Indeed, you are Eric,” Marvin grimly said. “Not only did the Magic Medicine King swallow your body and soul, it stole your name and tricked you.”

“Who are you? Why would you know so much?” The Mana Wraith still had a hard time believing him.

“I’m only a passerby who has read many books.” Marvin shrugged. “I know your mission is to open the Secret Garden. You’ll open the entrance sooner or later, right?”

The Mana Wraith was silent for a moment, not understanding. “Since you know about the Magic Medicine King’s existence, why would you still want to go in to become fertilizer?”

Marvin calmly told him, “I have reasons. A friend of mine is inside, and I want to make sure he comes out unscathed. Moreover, how could you be certain whether I would become that Eric’s food?”

He especially stressed the word Eric.

Sure enough, the Mana Wraith irritably retorted, “I am Eric! It is only a Magic Medicine! Damn!”

Marvin smiled faintly. “Yeah? But you appear to have no means to act against it. It calls itself Eric, while you are just a nameless Mana Wraith.”

The Mana Wraith looked at Marvin somewhat fanatically. “I’ll kill it!”

“You? Impossible,” dismissed Marvin. “If you return to the Secret Garden, you’ll once again return under its control. Aren’t I right?”

The Mana Wraith was annoyed, but admitted, “You are very right.”

“I don’t have a way to fight that guy, it is too strong.”

“You can’t even imagine how powerful it is…”

“How powerful it is will be my matter. If you are willing to land me a hand, I’ll have a chance to get rid of the ‘Eric’ that is a Magic Medicine,” Marvin assured. “I also came here for the Magic Medicine King, but I need a bit of your help.”

The Mana Wraith examined Marvin, but ultimately shook his head. “You are very strong, but not his match.”

“Believe me, I’m much stronger than you can imagine,” Marvin said grimly. “Since I know of the Magic Medicine King and still dare to come, I definitely have a way to handle him.”

The Mana Wraith was silent for a moment before finally asking, “What do you need me to do?”

“First, open the Secret Garden’s entrance and let me in,” Marvin instructed. “As for the others, you can follow the Magic Medicine King’s arrangements.”

“Second, I need you to tell me where the Magic Medicine King’s main body is located, as well as how to see through his disguise and illusions.”

The Mana Wraith shook his head, “Opening the entrance is fine, but I don’t know how to see through his disguise and his illusions are too powerful…”

He then changed his attitude a bit, muttering irresolutely, “As for his location, I can actually tell you.”

“His main body is in a hidden area beyond the remains of the Astral Sea Monster, in the [First Garden of Eden].”

Marvin nodded.

This information wasn’t much different from what he could remember. He wanted to verify whether the information from his previous life was reliable or not.

After all, it was second-hand information.

But when it came to this, Marvin suddenly asked, “What level is the Magic Medicine King’s Illusion skill at? As strong as Hell Nightmares?”

The Mana Wraith hesitated for a moment before confirming, “More or less.”

A strange expression flashed in Marvin’s eyes.

Soon after, he pondered a bit and told the Mana Wraith, “Open the entrance. Let me experience how terrifying illusions that are comparable to those of Hell’s Dream Demons are.”

The Mana Wraith listened to him and opened a Teleportation Gate.

Marvin walked in.

At that time, a sneer appeared on the Mana Wraith’s face. “You overestimate yourself…”

…

After entering, Marvin arrived in a strange place.

A rich fragrance floated in the air, and coming here from the Dead Area felt like jumping from the cold of midwinter to the liveliness of spring.

Marvin stood on a wide open field, and could see a small flat hill in the distance.

There were many buildings there that had the style of the ancient Mikenshi school.

This was the Secret Garden’s first area, the [Lost Villa].

Marvin was about to go uphill, when he suddenly felt his wrists burning!

Ancestor’s Mystery had a reaction!

Chapter 378: Ahead of Time

p>It hadn’t even occurred to Marvin that Ancestor’s Mystery might activate here.

This thing was essentially a sealing item, used to restrain the Archdevil’s head. After he had put it on, the Archdevil’s head knew its place and the black-gowned old man didn’t appear near White River Valley anymore.

As for the Ancestor’s Mystery bracelets themselves, they hadn’t had any other changes.

But when he entered the Secret Garden, his wrists grew hot.

This surprised Marvin, but he didn’t check the unusual condition of Ancestor’s Mystery first. Instead, he calmly observed the situation in the surroundings.

The Secret Garden’s entrance was on a green field with all kinds of crops planted throughout. Even the paths were surrounded with pleasing vegetation, and the fragrance gathered in the air, making the place look very beautiful and relaxing.

But Marvin knew that this was only a facade created by the Magic Medicine King.

Since he entered the Secret Garden, each and every move was under the grasp of Magic Medicine King Eric.

The surrounding scenery might be real, or might be fake.

‘No good. The priority is to leave this place.’

‘If I check the issue with Ancestor’s Mystery here, I might run into trouble.’

Marvin began to move while using [Earth Perception] at the same time.

He tried to use his mind to connect with this place, but this space was essentially a Demi-Plane opened by the ancient Mikenshi school of magic. The plane laws were very different from those of Feinan Plane. Up to this point, Marvin still wasn’t able to perceive anything.

…

The [Lost Villa] was set up on a small flat hill. During their golden age, the Mikenshi Wizards used the Secret Garden as a public gathering ground for Wizards. Many Wizards would come here from across the Dead Area to communicate and trade. It could be seen how much the place was flourishing from the huge buildings.

But as an area of the Secret Garden, the Lost Villa had very few good things, only many dangers.

Marvin knew that after the Magic Medicine King swallowed the Wizard Apprentice Eric, it first went to the Lost Villa. It was there that it frantically learnt the ancient Mikenshi Wizards’ knowledge.

The way it gained knowledge was very simple, and that was… eating!

The Magic Medicine King occupied this place for a millennium and ate all the useful books, only leaving behind some Magic Items that it most likely couldn’t use. Besides a few specific places, the other areas were all in a mess.

Marvin kept moving forward in the Lost Villa’s building complex, maintaining a certain speed.

He wasn’t walking very quickly because that would arouse the suspicion of the Magic Medicine King, who was secretly observing.

But he wasn’t worried. After all, there were five Legends who had entered previously. The Magic Medicine King’s attention should mainly be focused on them.

After all, there were five Legends! The greedy Eric wanted to digest them, but it would be a long-term plan.

…

Marvin progressed along a shabby street. He stood at the hilltop and looked back. Over on the green field, some people could be seen rushing in.

However, the people that came in seemed to have a bad relationship. They had only just entered the Secret Garden and already began attacking each other.

This made Marvin shake his head and sigh.

He ignored these people and continued forward, quickly reaching a fairly spacious residential building.

He went in and found that it was free of dust.

‘Even a small room like this had an enduring [Dirtless] enchantment.’

Marvin instantly noticed the reason behind the room’s cleanliness.

He didn’t check further into the details though, instead looking at his own wrists while still maintaining a vigilant attitude.

The two simple bracelets had become even hotter.

They seemed very anxious, growing hotter and hotter at a certain rate.

After a while, the bracelets even began to flicker with a red glimmer.

Marvin pondered… It felt like déjà vu.

The Archdevil was sealed and shouldn’t have a chance to play a trick. Then what could it be?

Marvin remained bemused.

But suddenly, he realized that there was a familiar aura!

‘This is grandfather’s aura?’

‘Yes, it’s the same as the painting!’

Marvin was shocked and immediately began to feel the change of the Ancestor’s Mystery.

Just as expected, when his mind came in contact with the bracelets, the painting of a youth shot out, forming a figure in the air!

“Glad to see you once again, Lil’ Marvin.” The youth blinked.

Marvin forced a smile.

…

Under the silent night sky, a shooting star suddenly appeared at a corner of White River Valley.

The shooting star spiralled for a very long time before ultimately settling down on the castle’s tallest balcony.

The flying magic carpet audibly created some wind as it landed, and a young man alighted from it.

“I have to say, it’s completely unreasonable that you are so talented without even awakening our family bloodline.” A gentle voice could be heard, before continuing while feeling aggravated, “Even Marvin with his trash innate talent could awaken his bloodline, it’s way too strange.”

“Big Sis Daniela, you can’t speak that way about my older brother.” Wayne’s expression was gentle, but hearing Daniela’s disdain while talking about Marvin, he felt dissatisfied.

“Yeah, who knows which god forsaken place your older brother is at now! The last traces of him were in Rocky Mountain, fooling around with those three women… Now he is most likely already in the Dead Area. He’s even missing his younger brother’s tenth birthday. As his fiancée, could it be that I can’t say a word about it?” Daniela’s eyes looked fierce.

Very few people in White River Valley could speak rudely about Marvin, but Daniela was one of them.

The pitiful future Ice Empress, because of her oath, and because of Marvin coming to this world, was temporarily unable to return to the North.

She simply remained in White River Valley, acting like a mistress and helping with the construction in White River Valley.

She complained a bit more, and Wayne couldn’t say much about it.

At that time, Anna, who had been standing silently to the side, suddenly asked, “Young Master Wayne, did you find Lady Hathaway on your trip to the Three Ring Towers?”

Wayne shook his head, squeezing out a smile shortly after. “Although I didn’t find her, she left me a magic training manual and had another Wizard pass it on to me.”

“I trained in Ashes Tower for a long time and now finally had a bit of a breakthrough. Next time we meet trouble, I’ll be able to help Brother a bit.”

“Breakthrough?” Daniela asked with shock.

She looked closely at Wayne and questioned doubtfully, “You advanced to Legend?”

“No no no, I haven’t.” Wayne smiled, “It’s just that I walk on a different path from ordinary Wizards.”

“Ancient Wizards’ training method?” Daniela muttered softly. “So what level are you at now? It’s been a while since I saw your strength. You actually train so fast…”

Wayne smiled shyly. “3rd rank.”

Daniela remained speechless.

That freak in front of her became a 3rd rank Wizard at the age of ten.

It had to be known that months earlier, he had merely been a Wizard Apprentice! During that time, he gave up on his original path and chose an alternate path, an ancient training method that Hathaway suggested for him, no longer relying on the Universe Magic Pool.

This definitely increased the casting difficulty, but his progress was still outstanding.

His progress would make anyone jealous.

Daniela herself was a heaven-defying genius, but compared to Wayne, she still seemed inferior.

“Rest early. There are some matters to discuss tomorrow. And Sir Constantine said that in a few days, some big characters will come to the castle.” Anna reminded him in a gentle voice, “Lord Marvin isn’t present, so you are now in charge of the castle’s decisions.”

Wayne nodded. He used a simple spell and returned in his bedroom.

Suddenly, a ghostly shadow appeared beside him.

“Sir Owl,” Wayne greeted calmly.

“3rd rank, huge progress. It seems like you were greatly motivated by your elder brother.” Shadow Thief Owl smiled, but then his expression turned solemn. “Did you meet any issues on your trip to Ashes Tower?”

Wayne shook his head, softly replying, “Although Lady Hathaway is imprisoned, the people of Ashes Tower are still unaware. Lady Dark Phoenix apparently doesn’t want to get involved with the inner workings of the Ashes Tower.”

Owl nodded. “You did great. With Hathaway sealing herself in ice, Marvin should be going crazy. He is already under too much pressure.”

“Since he is now in the Dead Area, we should help him out with what matters we can.” Owl sighed. “Constantine already started contacting people. Even if Dark Phoenix is powerful, she shouldn’t be able to fight several Legends.”

Wayne hesitated, before clenching his teeth and saying, “Sir Owl, the matter of rescuing Lady Hathaway… I think it might not be that simple.”

“I had a dream. In the dream… She was very formidable.”

Owl froze. His expression then turned grave. “Tell me about your dream.”

…

It felt a bit strange for a vivid image of his supposedly dead grandfather to appear in front of him.

But it wasn’t the first time, so Marvin could accept it.

Both of them quickly began to discuss and Marvin asked why there was such a strange reaction from Ancestor’s Mystery.

He found out that it was because the Secret Garden Demi-Plane was very close to Hell!

The barrier of the Universe Magic Pool was very thin and the obstruction between planes was minimal.

This change was first noticed by his grandfather in Hell. He immediately decided to contact Marvin.

He brought Marvin both good news and bad news.

The good news was that he would soon escape from his trap.

And the bad news was…

[Wizard Calendar Year 819 Month 1 Day 16]

The Gods would attack the Universe Magic Pool.

Hearing this news, Marvin froze!

‘The Great Calamity is coming ahead of time!’

Chapter 379: Impending

p>The 16th of January!

That date was a month earlier than the 16th of February that Marvin remembered!

The Gods were impatient, but the shadow of the Wizard God had always been looming above them. They only dared to do this because they found evidence that the Wizard God couldn’t influence Feinan anymore.

Although Marvin did many things since he transmigrated, affecting the world’s development and creating some butterfly effects, it mostly shouldn’t have affected the Astral Sea.

‘Could it be Glynos’ matter?’ Marvin’s heart sank.

The Great Calamity being this far ahead of time meant that his plans were completely thrown into disorder.

Today was the 2nd of January, only 14 days away from the start of the Great Calamity!

Of course, the Gods teaming up to attack the Universe Magic Pool wouldn’t be able to succeed in just one move. They would need at least half a month!

In the game, the group formed by the New Gods included many powerful existences, yet they weren’t able to shatter the Universe Magic Pool completely until March!

And during that time, the magic of the Wizards lost its effectiveness and riots sprung up everywhere. It was the most chaotic of times.

Some powerhouses had already sensed a few things but they could only protect a very limited number of people.

The Wizards became anxious and Chaos Magic Power leaked from the Universe Magic Pool, attacking their wills.

Many went insane, turning into humanoid monstrosities.

The Feinan Continent of that time was filled with corpses and berserk arcane energy. Not only was the countryside unsafe, but the cities were too.

Especially in the South. Because of the South Wizard Alliance’s high-handed rule, the cities were filled with Wizards.

After the Calamity, areas with Wizards were like minefields.

In fact, the wilderness was a bit safer.

Although there were some magic lifeforms affected by the Chaos Magic Power that turned bloodthirsty and berserk, it wasn’t like a gathering of Wizards.

Scattered bombs were relatively less threatening than gathered bombs.

In short, once the Great Calamity started, Feinan would sink into constant chaos!

White River Valley wouldn’t escape from this either!

Marvin had stressed many times at the start of the development that they shouldn’t recruit Wizards under the Legend Realm to White River Valley.

But because he had a bit of a relationship with Hathaway and Madeline, White River Valley still had some Wizards from both River Shore City and Ashes Tower.

Who knew how many of these Wizards would be able to resist the willpower test from the Great Calamity?

At that time, if Marvin wasn’t present, panic would inevitably spread.

The territory might collapse from that point on!

‘Fuck! Why did it shift to such an early date!’

Marvin had thought of a lot of possibilities and scenarios, but hadn’t expected that the Great Calamity would happen this much ahead of time.

The time he had left was rather tight.

There were only 14 days left!

…

“I was also shocked the first time I found out about this.”

Although the youth shrugged, worry still showed in his eyes. “Thus, I checked to make sure. I grabbed a few small Overlords in Hell and confirmed what I just told you.”

“For this attack on the Universe Magic Pool, the Gods took out a secret weapon they had prepared for a long time. Even if Hell and the Abyss wouldn’t participate, they still had their ways to gain information. Many Overlords are getting ready for battle, preparing to march on Feinan.”

“Naturally, there is also the Negative Energy Plane. I heard you got rid of an Evil Spirit Overlord? That is quite an astonishing feat… But there are many Evil Spirit Overlords. Tidomas is the most active one now. You have to be careful of their retaliation.”

“Damn… Another space interference.”

His grandfather’s image blurred. “I’ll come back quickly, before that, make sure to protect you…”

His words were cut off as he disappeared.

Marvin’s heart was resolute.

To tell the truth, he didn’t feel anything towards this grandfather. Marvin thought he was very mysterious, since he disappeared such a long time ago. Even the body’s original owner didn’t remember anything about him.

But even so, that bloodline connection still made him seem very familiar.

His grandfather was sincerely concerned about him. It was clear that even if his grandfather could communicate through the Ancestor’s Mystery, it would use up a lot of Magic Power, or even resources, to transmit a signal across planes toward Feinan.

Him telling Marvin this information about the earlier date had great importance.

At least he wouldn’t be caught unprepared.

Thinking about it, if he wasn’t aware of the Great Calamity coming ahead of time, he might still be adventuring outside while White River Valley was done for!

It wasn’t that he didn’t believe in the abilities of Constantine, Daniela and the others, but the problem was that they wouldn’t be able to resist against the Chaos Magic Power!

They would likely have to abandon White River Valley and hide in the Shrieking Mountain Range, which was protected by Shackles of Order, but many refugees would lose their lives to the monsters living there.

He had to hurry to White River Valley. He mustn’t be late!

Thinking of this, he took out a green Thousand Paper Crane.

This crane was something Owl had prepared for Marvin. Regardless of the distance, it could send a message once.

He had to relay this information to White River Valley!

…

In a dark castle, a group of people were sitting at a round table, discussing enthusiastically.

In front of these people, even White River Valley’s Proxy Overlord, Wayne, and the Overlord’s fiancée, Daniela, had to be respectful.

Constantine, Inheim, O’Brien, Endless Ocean, Heavenly Deer Lorant, Shadow Thief Owl… And Legend Wizard Leymann!

These Legend powerhouses were gathered in White River Valley.

“Regarding Hathaway’s matter, everyone should be very clear.” Shadow Thief Owl calmly described the situation. “Lady Dark Phoenix is eccentric and hadn’t overstepped her boundaries before. She also knows of Lady Hathaway’s Seer identity.”

“I heard from another source that Lady Dark Phoenix’s power is very formidable, at least not inferior to that of Sir Nicholas.”

After these words, Wayne’s expression wavered. The other source Owl mentioned was naturally him.

Unlike Marvin, he was a true Seer… His dreams were real.

His dream this time was of a huge fight between Marvin and Dark Phoenix. Marvin suffered a crushing defeat to Dark Phoenix’s incredible might.

Her powerful aura left a deep impression on Wayne and was something the other Legends were unable to match up to.

“Regardless, the guys up there are certainly plotting something. We need Hathaway’s Seer ability.”

Inheim calmly said, “I don’t have any friendship with Dark Phoenix. I’ll personally step forward in this matter.”

Owl smiled bitterly and was about to say something when suddenly, a green light flashed.

“What’s that?”

All the Legends frowned.

Shadow Thief Owl grabbed that Thousand Paper Crane and absent-mindedly muttered, “Information about Marvin. Maybe he met a disaster while tempering himself in the Dead Area and is waiting for us to save him…”

But the next second, he jumped up from his seat while cursing, “Fuck! They are crazy!”

Chapter 380: Ambushed

p>They hadn’t expected Owl to react so vehemently.

This guy had no limits, as evident from his display of thievery on the Shadow Prince, but cursing like that in front of everyone was a first.

“What’s going on with Marvin?” asked Constantine in agitation.

Wayne and Daniela were even more nervous. The former was genuinely worried about Marvin’s safety, while the latter felt a bit complicated. Her feelings toward Marvin weren’t particularly deep in that way, but there was still her oath about Ancestor’s Mystery. If Marvin died, Ancestor’s Mystery would be lost in the Dead Area Continent and she would never be able to return to the North.

Shadow Thief Owl shook his head, handing over a green note.

They checked it one by one, their expressions changing.

…

After a few minutes, everyone had seen the contents of the note and the atmosphere became very depressing.

“Is the information reliable?” Breaking the silence, Inheim spoke out in a heavy voice.

Owl thought about it for a moment. “Even if that kid Marvin is irresponsible and likes to run all over the place, he certainly wouldn’t lie about this.”

“He said the information came from Hell, and it should be 100% true.”

“Hell?” Doubt and suspicion flashed in Inheim’s eyes. “It’s not easy to interact with those Devils. They are good at playing with people’s hearts.”

Clearly, he was worried Marvin had been deceived.

“Impossible.”

At that time, Wayne suddenly spoke up. “What my older brother said is true.”

They all looked at Wayne in surprise, as he calmly continued, “Before Lady Hathaway left, she left me a training manual.”

“On it, there is a prophecy saying that one day the Gods would go crazy and shatter the Universe Magic Pool.”

“She said it was a disaster that couldn’t be stopped.”

“I finally understand why my brother was worrying that much…”

His tone was filled with regret. If he had known earlier that something like this would happen, he would have worked harder and not let so many of the matters of White River Valley fall on Marvin’s shoulders.

He was carrying too many responsibilities.

…

“A Seer’s prophecy…”

This time, Inheim had no choice but to truly consider the matter. He wasn’t suspicious of Marvin, but his strength was too low after all and he might be deceived by others.

But Hathaway was different.

A Legend Wizard Seer. The things she saw would surely be very accurate.

They looked at each other in dismay. Though they might have felt that some frightening things were about to happen, and that those things might be related to those guys above…

They hadn’t thought that it would be a plan so insane!

Directly attacking the Universe Magic Pool!

“Aren’t they afraid of angering the Wizard God by doing this?” Daniela was puzzled.

“Who knows, maybe they think they can deceive the Wizard God,” Heavenly Deer Lorant sneered. “I have dealt with some of these New Gods and they don’t feel like Gods at all. They are filled with the greed and insanity of Feinan’s races.”

“I don’t think it’s strange for them to attack the Universe Magic Pool.”

Everyone turned silent after Lorant’s words.

Their first reaction had unconsciously been to hope that the information was fake.

Because if it was real, a great disaster was soon to happen.

In their minds, the destruction of the Universe Magic Pool would certainly change this world, but they hadn’t considered what exactly this world would look like in the aftermath.

The atmosphere became somewhat stifling after a while.

“What about Hathaway’s matter?” Endless Ocean asked softly.

Owl shook his head. “Marvin said to be careful of Dark Phoenix.”

He hesitated for a bit before looking at everyone and clenching his teeth. “He told me two additional pieces of information. One of them relates to Dark Phoenix… I don’t know whether I should tell everyone…”

“Say it,” Inheim encouraged calmly.

Owl was silent for a moment, looking across everyone. These people should all be on the same side.

At that time he finally revealed, “That kid said that after an exhausting investigation regarding Dark Phoenix, he came to a conclusion…”

“She is related to them,” he concluded, pointing up with a finger.

Everyone went silent.

Leymann objected in dissatisfaction. “How could Marvin say this, Lady Dark Phoenix is one of the founders of our South Wizard Alliance! She has lived for who knows how many years. And although she is a bit eccentric, she…”

Reaching this point, he suddenly realized something and hesitated.

“…The other four founders of the South Wizard Alliance already died of old age. She doesn’t have the aura of someone who broke through the Extreme Bottleneck, and also didn’t seem to have mastered any Longevity skill.”

Constantine finished his words, “But she is still alive. And she took advantage of this opportunity to take Hathaway away.”

Leymann was unwilling to believe it. “But she has always taken good care of us.”

“Sealing a very promising Legend Wizard Seer on Black Coral Island isn’t taking good care of someone.” O’Brien, who rarely spoke, interrupted them. “While I was passing by Bass Harbor, I wanted to check there but was pushed back by a formidable power. It was most likely Dark Phoenix.”

Their hearts sank.

As the leader of the Night Walkers, O’Brien’s words held a lot of weight.

Moreover, his strength was very frightening. He twisted the Molten Overlord’s head off. Seven of the the Azure Matriarch’s heads ended up exploding. His strength was extremely tyrannical and had reached the peak of the world.

To be able to make him retreat, there was no one else in the Bass Harbor’s surroundings.

“Let’s suppose this is true… What should we do about our plan?” Leymann asked with difficulty.

He wasn’t the particularly inflexible kind of Wizard and had a very good impression of Marvin. He knew that although that kid could cause lots of trouble, he would never lie about this.

There had to be a reason that Marvin could have so many Legends gather in White River Valley.

Marvin had a certain amount of charisma, for so many powerhouses to meet here while he wasn’t even present.

“There is another piece of information.”

Shadow Thief Owl frowned. “Marvin gave us some things to do.”

“We may have to leave White River Valley for a while until we get our stuff done.”

“As for Hathaway… He wants to save her himself.”

…

That’s right, Marvin wanted to save Hathaway himself.

No one knew of Dark Phoenix’s means except him. Even a Legend powerhouse would easily suffer a loss.

He didn’t want what happened last time in the Decaying Plateau to happen again.

The Great Elven King was seriously injured. This time, no one would be able to step forward and take over.

In fact, because Dark Phoenix waited patiently for so many years without creating a religion to gather faith, she had sacrificed a large part of her development potential.

She used a mortal shape to stay in the mortal world and was bound to have mortals’ weaknesses.

In Marvin’s eyes, if he wanted to get a Divine Vessel, Dark Phoenix was the best target.

As a last resort, he would even unleash the Scarlet Monastery’s power!

Whether it was the Heavenly Sword Saint taking care of his little brother, or the dormant Lich himself, they would be interested in Dark Phoenix’s Divine Vessel and Divine Source.

As for now, he had to clear the Secret Garden and quickly find Ivan before returning to White River Valley!

He had to get Hathaway back before the Great Calamity. Although she was a Legend, who knew what Dark Phoenix would do to her?

She was still holding back before the Great Calamity, but once the disaster’s changes were irreversible, Dark Phoenix would lose her restraints.

But if she could hide, she was still willing to do so.

After all, after hiding for so long already, she would be ready to keep enduring further in order to accomplish her plot.

This was the reason this woman was so terrifying.

Marvin knew that he had to find the most suitable timing to expose her.

…

‘Ivan!’

Marvin closed his eyes and took an item from his chest pocket, one that Ivan used in the past and held his aura. He obtained it from Thousand Leaves Forest.

The next second, he activated [Night Tracking].

A faint red line appeared before his eyes and seemed to extend far into the distance.

Marvin estimated that Ivan had already crossed the Lost Villa and the Desolate Tower Ruins, and was approaching the Secret Garden’s 4th area, the [Mills Garden].

Mills Garden was the most frightening area of the Secret Garden.

That place was where most of the Magic Medicines were planted, but the majority of them had already been swallowed by Eric, leaving only countless traps, fake shells and the Magic Medicine King’s plot.

“No good, I have to find him immediately!”

After finding out the Gods’ plan, Marvin became extremely anxious.

In the night, his fighting strength soared. He had to settle everything here tonight.

Thinking of this, he sped up, preparing to cross the Lost Villa!

In any case, there wasn’t anything valuable left here.

But as he hurried through the Lost Villa, he was attacked with an [Earth Swamp] spell!

The effect was very simple. The ground would transform into sludge, causing people to sink in.

Unfortunately for the caster, Marvin was very skillful and relied on his Godly Dexterity to leap away from this swamp that appeared out of nowhere.

Before he could even confront his opponent about why he had attacked, an Ice Bolt, a Lightning Ball, and an Acid Spray were cast one after the other.

The other party’s casting speed was very fast. He stood still, raining down spells like a machine gun, bursting with powerful arcane energy!

He used powerful low level spells, cast quickly and effectively.

He was a Half-Legend of Blackfire Lava!

Marvin noticed a faint green mist behind him.

‘These Wizards have such shitty willpower!’

He dodged while sneering at their ineptitude. ‘He was actually controlled by the Magic Medicine King so quickly.’

He showed no mercy, relying on his sharp movements to avoid the shower of spells.

“Woosh!”

Just as the spells flew past, Marvin dashed directly at the Wizard.

The latter seemed startled but quickly regained his fierce expression.

Marvin saw what was happening and hurriedly tried to use Shadow Escape to avoid him!

But he was too late to escape this time and heard an explosion as the Wizard detonated himself!

A great amount of Arcane Energy burst against Marvin’s body!

“Fuck… Came across a nutcase…” Marvin cursed.

But unexpectedly, he saw the Blackfire Lava Wizard appear from another alley still unharmed, watching Marvin coldly.

Chapter 381: Desolate Tower Ruins

p>What was that? Mirror Image Magic?

Marvin was slightly confounded. He had never heard of a Mirror Image that could explode!

‘This guy is very powerful. It seems that even in this world, the might of his explosion-type magic is still considerable…’

Marvin had been slightly injured, even with the protection of Magic’s Foe!

With that and Marvin’s powerful resistances, ordinary magical explosions shouldn’t be able to harm him.

Looking the Blackfire Lava Wizard’s cold smile, Marvin suddenly figured it out.

‘That guy… isn’t controlled by the Magic Medicine King!’

As Marvin had his realization, the ornament on his right arm glowed red!

The Spirit Armband had an abnormal reaction.

Marvin couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat.

Had he unconsciously entered the Magic Medicine King’s illusion?

‘When did it start?’

‘Hold on… Could it have started back when I entered the Secret Garden? Was I ambushed there already?’

Marvin was a little dazed.

The Blackfire Lava Wizard in the distance suddenly disappeared. This place once again seemed tranquil.

But Marvin felt that the fight had just begun.

…

‘Could it be that the Great Calamity happening earlier is fake?’

‘And that my grandfather never appeared to share the information? Was everything a trick of the Magic Medicine King?’

Marvin didn’t use Stealth.

When inside this area, Marvin’s movements would all be easily seen by Magic Medicine King Eric, even through his Stealth.

He remained vigilant of his surroundings while reflecting on what happened.

He had just entered the Secret Garden when his grandfather sent him some information. Was this a bit too coincidental?

Could it be a misconception?

Marvin couldn’t believe it.

He muttered for a bit and opened his status window.

There wasn’t any information about him being in an illusion.

It seemed that the system wasn’t omnipotent in this regard.

The green Thousand Paper Crane Owl prepared for him had already been used. He also could feel that Owl had received it.

Even if the Magic Medicine King was formidable, it shouldn’t be able to imitate the secret ability of Shadow Thief Owl, right?

There was no need to doubt this.

And the previous unusual condition of Ancestor’s Mystery should also be real. Even if the illusions reflected things from within people’s minds, Marvin almost never thought of his grandfather, so why would he appear out of nowhere?

‘Hold on…’

‘If everything was really an illusion, I shouldn’t be able to see the interface.’

‘But I can still think and react. That caster’s explosion really injured me… Although the highest realm of illusions can turn falsehood into reality, this shouldn’t all be an illusion.’

Marvin’s thoughts cleared up.

He must have triggered a trap from the Magic Medicine King while he was running as fast as he could.

That Blackfire Lava Wizard just then was probably someone who had entered the Secret Garden and gotten swallowed before being repurposed into an illusion trap.

After Marvin recognized this, the latter naturally disappeared.

In other words, he was still inside the real world and not in a total illusion, but had fallen for one of Eric’s tricks.

He gently caressed the Spirit Armband and Vanessa’s Gift. The two pieces of willpower-boosting equipment had regained their serenity.

‘Turns out it was a false alarm.’

Marvin smiled bitterly. Thinking about it, however powerful Magic Medicine King Eric was, it would have to devote more of its energy to handling those Legends, so how could it divert its attention to take care of Marvin?

Major illusions would consume a lot of energy and if it was distracted, it would increase the chance of being discovered by those Legends.

At that time, the one dying would be Eric.

Thus, Marvin should be safe for the time being, and as such, he hesitated no longer and left that path, continuing toward his destination.

He spent about ten minutes following the road to reach the bottom of the mountain, leaving the Lost Villa.

When he left, he saw a few more Half-Legends who arrived at the Lost Villa.

They might stay in this area for a long time. After all, they didn’t know much about the Secret Garden and would think there was some treasure to be found in the houses.

But this area was already empty.

Marvin sped up and soon arrived at the second area of the Secret Garden.

The Desolate Tower Ruins.

…

This was a taboo area that couldn’t be avoided.

It was filled with all kinds of berserk arcane energy, while also breeding some frightening Magic Beasts.

They hid in the shadows eating each other and were extremely ruthless.

If not for the Mikenshi school leaving behind some Shackles of Order, these monsters might have already come out and even the Magic Medicine King would be helpless to deal with them.

This was the only area of the Secret Garden that the Magic Medicine King was unable to control.

His eyes couldn’t reach this place and his illusions weren’t effective here.

Marvin stopped in front of a fallen stone tablet and looked over the Desolate Tower Ruins.

This area had been a group of buildings constructed in a valley.

Because it was a strategic location for defense, there was no way to circumvent it. Trying to go around it by climbing the peaks on either side would lead to even more dangers!

The Secret Garden was originally established as a Demi-Plane by the Mikenshi Wizards near Hell and the Astral Plane.

Although the probability of meeting a Devil or an Astral Beast on the mountainous path was very low, anyone with enough knowledge of planes would know that the edges of Demi-Planes were very unstable.

Since they might border other planes, if you kept walking, you might look up and discover that you were pulled into Hell by an unfathomable power, or ripped apart by Devil who had been wandering at the edge of the plane. The most likely misfortune to befall you at the edge would be falling out of the plane and being banished into the void by spatial interference.

In short, the Desolate Tower Ruins were dangerous, but couldn’t compare with the parts along the edges.

Marvin entered the ruins.

A tall black tower that perhaps had once stood mightily over the area, as if reaching for the clouds, had already fallen and become a ruined wall.

If the [Lost Villa] was the place where Mikenshi Wizards received guests, then this valley was the place where they researched magic.

Mikenshi Wizards were proficient at cultivating Magic Medicines and were famous for it.

But in fact, their studies of magic arrays were even better.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to create such a strange space that could even suppress Legends.

Marvin walked in and could feel the desolation of the atmosphere.

Many things were already worn down by time but were maintained somewhat by a mysterious force, thus still standing straight and not collapsing.

But once touched, they would disintegrate into fine powder.

The Desolate Tower Ruins was an area where danger lurked everywhere.

On the other hand, it was also a good area.

Because the Magic Medicine King couldn’t influence this area, there were still many treasures here that had been left behind by the Mikenshi Wizards.

Marvin even knew of one thing in particular.

Suddenly, a shadow in the distance roared.

Bloodthirsty fangs flickered with a light pink radiance in the cold night.

Marvin took a deep breath, his [Azure Leaf]s already in his hands.

Chapter 382: 7th Tower

p>In the Desolate Tower Ruins, all kinds of Berserk Magic Beasts were commonly seen.

If it didn’t have such strong suppressive forces, Marvin would have even considered using this place as his farming ground.

But his current strength had been substantially weakened. In fact, if not for the suppression left behind by the Mikenshi’s arrays, Marvin would have been able to avoid that exploding Blackfire Lava Wizard with his Shadow Escape.

With Major Tenacity and Endurance, Marvin didn’t even care about the slight injury, but the suppression here was stronger than before.

Previously in the Lost Villa, some of Marvin skills were still brightly lit.

Shadow Escape for example.

But once he entered the Desolate Tower Ruins, Marvin felt the sealing power strengthening.

All his skills were gray. This was the same as in the Ice Monster Cave.

Seeing the beast approaching, Marvin lifted his daggers, solemnly examining the enemy.

Fortunately, he still had Desperation Style!

…

That Magic Beast had a pretty small body. It originally was some kind of small animal, but under the radiation of Arcane Energies, it had undergone a frightening change. This was a common occurrence in ancient casters’ vestiges.

The small villages in the corners of Feinan Continent had some strange killing incidents, such as the [Magic Swordsman Killer], the [Blacksmith House Bloodbath], and others. These were beginner missions the newcomers would start off with. Often, it turned out that an item had been contaminated by Arcane Energy, giving birth to its own murderous consciousness and turning the owner into a monster.

Magic was powerful, but power came with a price. Magic Power by itself represented Chaos. Based on a theory of an ancient Scholar from the Pearl Tower, each time a Wizard cast a spell, it would make the universe more chaotic.

When the chaos in the universe reached its limit, the end of the universe would happen.

And the Universe Magic Pool was holding back this disaster. It made it easier for the Wizards to use their spells, but also made it much safer.

Whether this theory was correct or not, Marvin didn’t know.

But there was actually no need to doubt the [Magic is Chaos] theory.

After the Great Calamity, he crossed paths with too many Humanoid Monsters and all kinds of Magic Beasts. They were all contaminated by Chaos Magic Power because their wills were too weak.

As for this Magic Beast before his eyes, its ancestors mostly had been caught by the Wizards and used for magic experiments.

But unfortunately, after the Secret Garden fell, the Black Tower Valley also fell into ruins, eventually becoming the Desolate Tower Ruins of the game.

Wizards died one after the other, while these lifeforms persevered because of their tenacious vitality.

They already knew this territory like the back of their hands and were able to thrive.

Marvin didn’t dare to look down on it.

From a distance, it looked like a small boar, but its burst power was fiercer and stronger than a cheetah’s!

It actually rushed toward Marvin from the front!

“So fast!”

Marvin moved to the side, trying to dodge, but the little guy nimbly turned in midair, striking over with its tusk!

If Marvin was hit, he would get seriously hurt.

He held his breath, his Superior Reflexes helping to kick him into action, moving his body instinctively.

An Azure Leaf shot up.

“Clang!”

Both sides collided. Marvin’s wrist was shaking. This beast almost knocked the dagger out of his hand!

He retreated, rotating his dagger to deflect the beast’s attack.

The two once again stood face to face.

‘So fast…’

Marvin felt a bit impressed.

That exchange just now was tough despite only lasting two moves, but Marvin managed to stay in control with his Godly Dexterity.

But that Magic Beast’s speed, reactions, and nimbleness weren’t inferior to Marvin’s.

It also seemed a bit stronger than Marvin!

‘No wonder it could stay alive till today. Even among 4th rank monsters, it could be considered top-notch.’

Marvin shook his wrist, his expression becoming more serious.

The Magic Beast roared again and dashed at Marvin!

Marvin sneered. The first clash had been a probe, and he had yet to display his full abilities!

The pair of [Azure Leaf]s kept slashing and chopping, aiming at the Magic Beast’s vitals from crafty angles!

Desperation Style!

The monster also reacted quickly, trying to dodge Marvin’s murderous attacks.

But with the benefits of his Blade Technique Style, Marvin was sure to land a fatal hit.

Although this Magic Beast was nimble, it couldn’t keep up with Marvin’s sustained attacks.

His daggers were swinging continuously as if weaving a net of slashes, slowly trapping the Magic Beast inside.

The beast became passive, trying to survive as a few slashes landed on its body, slowly exhausting its life force.

As a last-ditch effort, it tried thrashing around.

But Marvin was extremely calm, pressing the attack and locking it in place!

This fight helped him appreciate the power of the Desperation Style.

In his previous fights, the outcome was usually decided in a very short time.

He would use a combo of killing techniques and his enemy would simply die.

But after the Legend Realm, things wouldn’t be that simple. Every Legend had their own life-saving skills. To kill them in a hit, besides using a sneak attack, one would also need to have a level advantage. The Shadow Prince assassinating Legends was a good example. Not only did he have a powerful sneak attacking ability, but he was also a God, a cut above most Legends.

In the future, Marvin’s long melee battles were bound to slowly increase.

Desperation Style completely covered Marvin’s flaw.

He was simply toying with vicious Magic Beast with his Blade Technique Style.

It roared angrily but it was no use.

From start to finish, Marvin didn’t go for a decisive blow, constantly weakening its vitality instead.

Eventually, after a few minutes, the Berserk Magic Beast was severely injured by Marvin!

“Woosh!”

A cold ray of light flashed, as a powerful slash came down!

The Berserk Magic Beast was cut in two by Marvin!

‘Hu… Almost four minutes. Although the efficiency was lower, it was a safe and reliable victory.’

Marvin was satisfied with this battle. The Magic Beast’s experience was also surprisingly good, giving him about 4000 exp.

Perhaps this had to do with the fact that it had absorbed Arcane Energy for a long time.

It was a pity that this thing’s materials were practically useless, so Marvin wouldn’t earn anything by killing it.

Marvin didn’t put away his curved daggers, glancing to the side instead.

“You have been watching for a while, shouldn’t you come out now?” Marvin asked indifferently.

Silence…

Marvin snorted and raised his daggers horizontally as if about to slash out.

Suddenly, the air ahead of him rippled and two strangely dressed men appeared in front of him out of nowhere.

They were holding a strange rag that was soaked in grease and seemed somewhat uncomfortable.

“Who are you?” Marvin frowned slightly.

The two gave a hollow laugh and one of them answered in stiff Common, “We have no evil intent…”

“No evil intent…” Marvin stared at the two men and noticed a smell. “The smell of transformation potion… A familiar feeling… You aren’t human!”

“What are you in the end?!” Marvin shouted sternly.

His expression was very vicious as if he would attack if he wasn’t satisfied with their answer.

In fact, Marvin was very curious.

The strength of these two guys would place them lower than the 2nd rank. Even if they were hiding some of their strength, they still surely wouldn’t surpass the 3rd rank at full power.

How did they get in?

And what was going on with that strange tablecloth? If he hadn’t had a familiar feeling, he wouldn’t even have bothered with them.

The two were trying to cover something. Suddenly, one of them took out a strange item, and with a flash of light, they disappeared!

Marvin was stunned.

It wasn’t like he had never seen that Alchemy Item before.

It was a Short Range Displacement Tool, an item produced by the Ancient Gnomes…

Hold on, Ancient Gnomes!

Marvin suddenly realized. These two felt familiar because they had the aura of Ancient Gnomes.

Although Marvin didn’t have an expert’s Perception, with the help of his system, after he went to Saruha, he was very sensitive to the artifacts of Ancient Gnomes.

In the end, why were these two guys here? And why did they have Ancient Gnomes’ things in their hands?

Marvin couldn’t understand at the moment. But these two guys were pretty weak and they didn’t seem to be targeting him. The fewer complications, the better.

He made a quick check and confirmed that no one else was hidden nearby before departing.

He walked through the Desolate Tower Ruins and after killing another fierce Magic Beast, he finally arrived at his destination.

It was a black tower that had yet to collapse.

There were more than ten black towers like that, some big, some small. They were arranged in some sort of order from the entrance of the valley to the exit.

Marvin was looking for the 7th Tower.

This tower had the wealth left behind by a Mikenshi Wizard, and something even more precious.

An Earth Crystal fragment!

Marvin already had two Earth Crystal fragments in his hands, and with three, he would be able to successfully form a genuine Earth Crystal!

And an Earth Crystal was used to build the foundations of an [Ancient Refuge]. Only with a complete Earth Crystal would he be able to combine the four Vayne Pillars and the Divine Blessing Scroll to open an Ancient Refuge, summoning an Earth Guardian.

Thus, this fragment of Earth Crystal was something Marvin had to get a hold of!

Thinking of this, he didn’t hesitate and directly rushed into the black tower!

The first floor was full of dust.

The Ancient Wizards were eccentric. They usually wouldn’t use Teleportation Doors to move between floors of a tower, instead using a spiral staircase.

These spiral staircases actually had countless traps that were set against intruders.

Only those who knew the secret incantation could move through freely and not be obstructed.

As for Marvin, he would have to fight his way up.
__

T/N: I’m not sure I’ll be able to finish another one tonight, so the rest is coming with tomorrow’s release (when I was originally planning to release them.)

Chapter 383: Caster Notes

p>Half an hour later, 3rd floor, spiral staircase.

Marvin was panting. Behind him lay a Magic Beast corpse as well as the traces of many activated traps.

He dodged the effects of most traps, but some of them such as lightning traps couldn’t be dodged because of their speed.

He could have created an endless amount of Origami Doppelgangers to trip the traps if he were better at it, but because his skill level wasn’t high enough, he couldn’t create an army of them like Shadow Thief Owl did.

He suffered a lot of injuries, but still managed to reach the 3rd floor.

Even though the Black Tower was very tall, it only had three floors.

The ancient casters’ tower had a relatively simple structure, with an underground area filled with holding cells and a hall at the bottom. The second floor had the apprentices’ dwellings and the laboratory while the highest floor was the caster’s own private residence.

It didn’t look as complicated as the modern Wizards’ towers.

Marvin’s climb up had depended somewhat on luck.

He didn’t understand the secret incantations and simply had to fight his way up. If there had been more energy left in the tower, he might have already been turned into a pile of ashes.

In this field, Thieves were definitely a lot better. They had all kinds of ways to detect and disable traps. Marvin had a lot of experience but he didn’t have the relevant skills.

Although he had all kinds of tools in his storage item and didn’t have to remove traps with his bare hands, he still got hit quite often.

The Desolate Tower Ruins being abandoned for a long time was another reason Marvin dared to ascend this tower.

…

The Black Tower Valley was the home of the Mikenshi Wizards.

And the taller towers belonged to the Secret Garden’s Protector, a relatively powerful Mikenshi Wizard.

From what Marvin knew, the 7th Black Tower was the most powerful structure among the Black Towers.

Only this tower still had any loot. The things in the others had already disappeared or turned to waste.

Marvin wasn’t totally sure why that was the case.

But when he stood on the woodwork of the 3rd floor, he felt a chill.

There was a sort of evil feeling floating on his heart.

He didn’t notice any monsters in the surroundings, but the six small lamps in front of him lit up automatically. The ancient caster wasn’t ostentatious. Some rooms were empty and only the master bedroom and the meditation room were relatively finely built.

‘What’s this feeling? Could it be an illusion?’

After the previous event, Marvin kept a wary attitude.

He looked at his interface and didn’t find any signs of a willpower check.

He calmly began to search every room.

Compared to the countless dangers of the staircase, these rooms were relatively safe.

After all, who would set up a pile of traps in the place where they slept?

Marvin made this trip only for the Earth Crystal fragment. If there hadn’t been the opportunity to make a genuine Earth Crystal here, he would have already rushed to the 3rd area to find Ivan.

After scouring the area, he found a box in the master bedroom.

The box was hidden under the bed and a faint magic fluctuation emanated from inside.

Marvin opened the box cautiously, which turned out not to have any trap mechanisms.

But within the box, there was nothing besides some straw.

Marvin sneered, “Think you can deceive me with this little trick?

He reached inside with his hand.

Marvin felt a fluctuation in the straw and grabbed one. The next second, a yellow fragment appeared in his hand.

‘Finally got it.’

Marvin impatiently took out the other two Earth Crystal fragments.

The first one came from the Hook Horror nest, the second one came from Saruha, and now he had this one from the Dead Area’s Secret Garden.

Of course, there were many fragments of Earth Crystals in every corner of Feinan plane, far more than just those three.

But it hadn’t been easy for Marvin to gather these three.

The Earth Crystal fragments attracted each other and didn’t need any particular ritual or process to combine them. Marvin put them together and they began to fuse automatically.

This would take roughly fifteen minutes. Marvin didn’t have to do anything else in the meantime, so he continued checking the bedroom.

When he was hastily rummaging through it before, he had only been focused on finding the Earth Crystal fragment and didn’t pay much attention to other things.

Most of the things here had already turned to dust after so many years.

Only a simple notebook was left on the table, looking relatively undamaged.

Marvin decided to take a look at the notebook.

‘Animal skin… Possibly some kind of snake-dragon…”

Marvin was a bit surprised.

Only a notebook with this kind of material would be able to still maintain its condition over so many years.

It seemed to be a diary.

‘Could it have been left behind by the Tower Master?’

Marvin was a bit curious.

He began flipping through the book.

Because it wasn’t a formal Magic Book, the owner of this notebook didn’t leave a seal or spell on the book.

And if there were any tricks, they must have faded away over the years.

Marvin flipped the pages one by one. The handwriting was blurry and faded.

This book might have become illegible in another several decades.

With the passage of time, besides the Gods, nothing was able to last forever.

Marvin was looking through it while also paying attention to the Earth Crystal’s fusion.

But the contents of the diary startled him, and not lightly!

He had guessed correctly. This was left behind by the Tower Master, who was known as Orica. He claimed to be the Black Tower Wizards’ leader and one of the seven highest representatives of the Mikenshi school.

That guy was very powerful and in those days without the Universe Magic Pool, he managed to become a Legend.

He was different from most other Mikenshi Wizards because besides his knowledge of Magic Medicine, Orica had also conducted research about the soul.

There were several places in the diary where he vaguely mentioned his interest in Soul Magic.

At first he was able to restrain himself, but eventually he began to sneakily make use of his authority to start live experiments.

Until the invasion of the Astral Beast.

As the leader of the Black Tower Valley, he had to help fight the beast.

Ultimately, he defeated the beast with others and sealed it.

But the diary mentioned that he was uneasy about what happened.

‘That guy actually survived by betraying his own colleagues.’

He made various justifications of his actions in the diary… Marvin felt contempt toward him.

After that fight, many people in the Mikenshi Wizards’ forces were greatly injured. This wasn’t unrelated to Orica’s betrayal of his teammates.

He himself survived unscathed without anyone knowing what he had done, but the entire Wizard school was seriously weakened.

Thus, his authority in the council increased and he began researching immortality.

By the end of the diary, Marvin could feel that Orica was reaching the end of his lifespan and was already becoming crazy.

At that time, the enemies came.

The plan to release the Astral Beast to fight off the attack was one that Orica himself brought up.

Many people objected to this, but by that time, Orica held immense authority and influence in the council.

As they lost the last battle, the Wizards finally agreed to release the Astral Beast’s main body.

This caught their enemies unprepared. The Astral Beast fell, and their opponent also suffered an immense blow.

In fact, the 3rd area was known as the [Astral Beast Remains], which Marvin was aware of.

But what made his blood run cold was the description on the last page of the diary.

[The plan has worked… They eventually agreed to release Duruna…]

[Hahahaha, tomorrow I’ll be making the most crucial step on the path to immortality! I’ll have more time, time, I need time! I am the most gifted genius since time immemorial! How could I lose to time?]

[The final battle, it might be like that to them, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s the dawn of glory.]

The diary came to an end there.

Every page after that was blank.

Marvin guessed that the last page was written by Orica on the day the Wizards agreed to release the Astral Beast.

What happened to his plan?

Did he succeed?

Marvin didn’t know.

He had a faint feeling that it wasn’t a simple matter. If that Orica survived the final battle, then there would have been two survivors left in the Secret Garden!

Wizard Apprentice Eric and Legend Wizard Orica!

Eric was swallowed by the Magic Medicine King and Orica apparently disappeared.

Was he also swallowed by the Magic Medicine King?

This seemed very unlikely.

The Magic Medicine King was very weak at the time and needed to use deception just to lure a small Wizard Apprentice.

It would have been completely unable to face a Legend Wizard.

‘Did this old guy’s longevity plan fail? What was his plan in the end? How could it be related to the release of the Astral Beast?’

Marvin frowned.

He was puzzled about this.

But he also didn’t know the matters of that year, and even if the old man’s plan succeeded, he still shouldn’t be able to obtain eternal life.

Without the Fate Tablet, he wouldn’t be able to ascend to Godhood. Apart from Gods, only a few classes like Cloud Monk and Liches could attain immortality.

Otherwise, the Magic Medicine King wouldn’t be the one in control of the entire Secret Garden, would it?

Marvin put the diary down and threw the matter to the back of his head for now.

The Earth Crystal had finished fusing, becoming a sharp crystal that emitted a powerful energy. In a Wizard’s hands, it could be used to alter the terrain.

Earth Crystal was very compatible with the spell [Transmutation], and using them together allowed one to permanently create great changes in the landscape!

You could turn a mountainous area into plains, or change a sea into a snowy mountain!

This was the power of the Earth Crystal!

…

After taking care of the matter of the Earth Crystal, Marvin didn’t linger any longer and left the 7th tower.

There was nothing worth staying for in the Desolate Tower Ruins anymore.

Marvin activated Stealth and took off at a sprint. He had the [Stealth Master] ability that would let him travel at full speed while maintaining Stealth.

When coming across a Magic Beast, he would rely on his extreme speed to avoid it.

He rushed the whole way and got out of the Desolate Tower Ruins.

He could see a field in the distance that had a huge skeleton spread across it for about a kilometer. One could faintly imagine what it looked like when it was alive.

This was the frightening Astral Beast. It was a relatively small Astral Beast but had almost been able to destroy the flourishing Wizard school.

But what made Marvin happy was that there was a person next to the corpse.

Ivan!

Marvin rushed over excitedly.

The Elven Prince’s expression was serious. When he saw Marvin appear he seemed to be greatly surprised, but he motioned at Marvin to not make a sound.

Marvin was a bit bemused as he drew near.

“Keep quiet, it is still alive!”

Ivan’s words were shocking.