Chapter 279: The Lich in the Manor’s Basement
“Traces left by a single drop of blood contain 377 points of Source Essence. Even if it’s not the Moon Goddess, it must be another deity.”
Karl’s eyes gleamed as he examined the spearhead in his hand:
“Although it’s incomplete, its shape is identical to what I saw in the murals on Tortuga Island. It must be it.”
“The God-Slaying Spear!”
The God-Slaying Spear is a product of mortals.
It’s a weapon created by the human race of another world in desperation to resist the oppression of the gods.
Unfortunately.
The human race’s resistance was ruthlessly suppressed by the gods, and even that history was submerged in the river of time, with only some records remaining in the Tortuga ruins.
But this weapon became a symbol of the gods’ civil war, which can be considered indirectly fulfilling its mission.
Rather than a weapon, the God-Slaying Spear is more like a strange poison, a strange poison born from faith.
To ordinary people, it’s just an ordinary weapon, even rusted.
But for the gods who survive by devouring the faith of their followers, it’s a strange poison that’s difficult to get rid of.
Even the Moon Goddess, who has reached the level of a main deity, was pinned in the void by it.
Shaking his head, Karl put the spearhead fragment aside and looked at his status panel.
Name: Karl
Constitution: 45.3
Mental Power: 42.2
Source Essence: 445
With this amount of Source Essence, even at a ratio of ten to one, he could increase a stat by dozens.
If only he had gotten it sooner…
“Hey!”
“There’s no point in thinking about it.”
After a brief thought, the value in the Mental Power column jumped slightly, instantly reaching the fifty mark.
Fifty points of Mental Power means a Third-Circle Wizard.
For advancement, the Third-Circle is the easiest, after all, Karl had already constructed Third-Circle spells back in the Second-Order.
“Boom!”
Like a fuel tank being ignited, a torrent of Mental Power roared out from between his eyebrows, sweeping towards his limbs and bones.
In an instant.
The world seemed to fall into chaos, all things blending into one, like a chicken egg or a fetus, within which a bright light was gestating. Suddenly, the chaos shattered, the light burst forth, and from this, earth, fire, wind, and water were born, and all things emerged.
Third-Circle!
This breakthrough was unprecedentedly smooth, with almost no obstruction, crossing the boundary as easily as a boat following the current.
Karl’s body floated in the air, surrounded by flames, his eyes flashing with lightning, like a divine being descending from the heavens.
“This is a Third-Circle Wizard?”
He raised his hand, looking at his palm, a feeling of controlling everything naturally surfaced in his mind.
With a wave of his hand.
A fire dragon roared out.
With a thought.
A fireball several meters in diameter appeared above his head, quickly compressing into the size of a ping pong ball.
Although the size changed, the power did not weaken at all, in fact, it was even stronger due to the compression.
“The Power of the Fire Laws!”
Karl’s expression was contemplative:
“The secret society’s inheritance is indeed extraordinary. Having just advanced to a Third-Circle Wizard, I can already skillfully control the Power of Laws. If I were cultivating other inheritances, I should only be able to do this by the middle stage of the Third-Circle.”
“Now, I don’t need to construct spell circuits. Natural School Fire-type First-Circle spells can be cast with a thought, and Second-Circle spells aren’t much trouble either.”
Step by step, his understanding of wizards grew deeper and deeper.
“Wizard apprentices construct spell circuits, master casting techniques, and increase their Mental Power; Formal Wizards undergo a transformation of their spirit, perceive the Astral Plane, and explore the principles of magic; Second-Circle Wizards move further closer to the Astral Plane…”
“And Third-Circle Wizards, they have completely finished their transformation, their Mental Power reshapes their physical body, and they can walk in the Astral Plane to a certain extent, becoming ‘Astral Beings’.”
No wonder wizards look down on knights.
No matter how strong a knight is, they cannot use Astral Energy to travel between worlds and grasp the truths of the universe.
“Even deities are not as convenient as wizards in this regard.”
Although deities can go to other worlds, they lose a lot of their strength when they leave their own divine kingdom and distance themselves from their followers. Therefore, if the gods want to go to another world, they often send their followers to pave the way and expand their faith.
Coming back to his senses, Karl sighed again.
“What a pity!”
“The Eastern Kingdom Continent in the main world has gods, and wizards can’t use the Astral Energy at all. The other world also has the Moon Goddess’s barrier, so my strength is also limited. I still need to go to the Wizard Continent in the future…”
“I didn’t expect that the increase in Mental Power would also cause some changes in the physical body.”
The Constitution value didn’t increase, but his body was more agile, and he could easily complete some complex movements.
In addition.
It’s the increased affinity for fire.
If he has a fire-attribute martial technique, Karl can master it quickly, and its power will be stronger than others.
With a flip of his hand, a divine technique called ‘Fire God Halberd’ appeared in his palm.
◈◈◈
“A divine technique cultivated with the Fire God Bloodline…”
“Even if I can’t cultivate it, I can try to integrate it into the Ten Thousand Buddha Hands, making my palm techniques even more powerful.”
“Now!”
“Let’s resolve some historical issues.”
*
*
*
The manor.
Wearing a white robe, Karl slowly walked down the stairs, arriving at the entrance to the basement engraved with runes.
After a moment of thought, he reached out and gently stroked the door.
“Whoosh…”
With his movement, the runes on the door disappeared like spring snow melting, revealing a dark red door.
Gently knocking on the door, Karl smiled and pushed it open.
The basement had not been entered for who knows how many years, it was full of cobwebs and permeated with a damp, heavy atmosphere.
“Tap… Tap…”
Footsteps sounded rhythmically.
Karl flicked his fingers, and several soft halos of light appeared around him, illuminating the space.
The dark basement didn’t have many things, only a row of wardrobes against the wall and a desk.
On the wall behind the desk hung a painting.
The person in the painting was very familiar to Karl, it was Addison, the master of the Black Swamp, the Grey-Robed Wizard.
“We meet again.”
Looking at the person in the painting, Karl sighed softly:
“The saying ‘a cunning rabbit has three burrows’ is indeed true. After faking his death in the Black Swamp and possessing someone in the Magic Forest, he actually left a wisp of his soul here.”
“Whoosh…”
Before he finished speaking, a gust of cold wind suddenly swept through the room, and the face in the painting blinked as if it had come to life.
Huh?
Karl frowned, and the next moment, he found himself standing in front of an ancient-looking manor gate.
“An illusion?”
“How realistic!”
“I remember you.” An old voice came from within the manor:
“A wizard apprentice from decades ago. I didn’t expect you to become a Third-Circle Wizard in such a short time?”
“Yes.” Karl flicked his sleeves, a staff appearing in his palm, as he looked toward the figure within the manor:
“No wonder I always felt something was off, and never came down here. You’re actually a remnant soul of a Third-Order!”
If he had come down earlier, in the illusion prepared by the other party, he might not even have been able to escape.
Of course.
That was before.
Now, he was already a Third-Circle Wizard, while the other party was just a wisp of a Third-Order lich’s remnant soul.
That’s right!
The Grey-Robed Wizard Addison was ostensibly a Second-Circle Wizard, but in reality, he was a Third-Order lich.
“I come from the Kalim Continent, a wandering wizard.”
Addison looked at Karl and said slowly:
“Due to a special experience, I was transported to this wizard’s forbidden zone and trapped here. To break free from the shackles, I had to think of other ways. The Addison you encountered was a consciousness I split off to possess and cultivate.”
“Karl!”
“You must have had your own opportunities to become a Third-Circle Wizard. However, I have lived for nearly eight hundred years, and I have knowledge and experience that you don’t have. Why don’t we join forces? As long as you help me escape my current predicament, I’m willing to give you everything I know.”
“No need.” Karl raised the staff in his hand:
“I have a way to see your memories.”
“…” Addison’s face darkened:
“It seems you think you have me cornered.”
Huh?
Karl narrowed his eyes, his heart suddenly sinking.
Crap!
He was a bit careless this time.
The aura emanating from the other party was more powerful than he expected, far from the initial stage of the Third-Circle.
When Addison was at his full strength, he might have been a Third-Circle Late Stage or even a Fourth-Circle Grand Wizard.
Fortunately…
The other party only had a wisp of a remnant soul left.
Even if he had some tricks, Karl wasn’t afraid. At most, he would just pay a price, but the result proved that the price was much higher than he imagined.
