Chapter 305: Mural, Heaven-sent Talent, Multiple Choices

Wang Ya had speculated about what the inside of the Black Sun Ruins might be like.

‘Perhaps a Small Secret Realm, like the Erosion Forest or Heaven-Filling Fire?’

After passing through the spatial ripples, a wave of Teleportation Fluctuations enveloped Wang Ya, feeling extremely similar to a teleportation from the Illusory Dream Tower’s Tower Spirit.

The scorched earth held no Vitality, meaning it could not sustain any life. As far as the eye could see, there was only desolate, charred blackness. In the sky hung a shining black sun, though it wasn’t dazzling; on the contrary, its light was extremely dim.

A colossal Wizard Tower stood beneath the black sun. From a great distance, it looked as if it was holding up the black sun, propping it against the dome of the sky.

The tower was so tall that even from an unknown distance away, one could only gaze up at its spire.

Wang Ya took a deep breath. The air felt no different from the outside world, but in this dead world, there was no possibility of oxygen existing.

A deep blue luster flashed in his pupils as he processed some basic information.

Deep within the scorched earth, there were terrifyingly powerful Extraordinary Fluctuations. A continuous stream of Energy was supplied to the Black Tower, and a slender conduit of Energy from the spire flowed into the black sun suspended in the sky.

‘This must be why the Black Sun Ruins fell from the void into reality. The Witch Array Core is absorbing external Energy.’

‘Once it’s finished, entering the Black Sun Ruins again will be much more difficult. It would require the Ability to tear open space and stabilize the resulting currents.’

‘That’s something only an Official Wizard could even attempt.’

‘Of course, that’s just relying on raw Power.’

‘If one followed a specific Wizard Path or had related Witchcraft Artifacts or methods, it would be a different story.’

“How desolate,” Wang Ya remarked.

It was just as he had guessed: a form similar to a Small Secret Realm.

Other than the Black Tower at its center, there was nothing else—just an endless expanse of scorched earth. He could even smell a faint burnt scent in the air.

‘Who knows how many years have passed. Any residual matter has been burned to cinders.’

Wang Ya could even imagine what must have happened.

‘In the beginning, the Black Sun Secret Realm might have had a lush environment, with resource sites, a Wizard’s Garden, and places for the Cultivation of Magical Plants… The Black Sun Witch Array would have sustained the entire Secret Realm’s operation, including its seasons and ecosystem. The Black Sun Wizard would have researched his own Wizard Path within this Small Secret Realm.’

‘But when the Black Sun Wizard fell, without a Wizard to manage it, the Witch Array could only follow its basic cycle, supplying only the central Black Sun Tower.’

‘After a long period of time, the Witch Array developed some problems, causing the ecosystem to completely collapse.’

‘Or perhaps some other issue led to the collapse of the entire ecosystem.’

Looking at the state of the scorched earth, Wang Ya figured it must be the result of some kind of Extraordinary Flame.

The entire Secret Realm was like this. That Extraordinary Flame had extinguished all Vitality.

‘As for the specifics, it’s impossible to be certain without having witnessed it firsthand.’

‘Besides, whether the Black Sun Wizard died by accident or of old age is another question that can only be answered by investigating inside the Black Sun Tower.’

Wang Ya took out the Black Sun Badge. A faint, dark luster appeared on its surface.

He now possessed Level 1 Authority in the Black Sun Secret Realm. That was what the voice that had echoed in his mind had told him.

‘After so many years, there’s still a Tower Spirit? It seems the Black Sun Wizard made thorough preparations for what would happen after his death.’

Wang Ya’s eyes flickered.

‘This is not good news.’

‘Judging from the locations on the Black Sun Badges and the fact that it took five of them to open the ruins… the Black Sun Wizard’s personality was definitely the suspicious, calculating type. There’s no telling what else he might have waiting for us.’

The only thing they could be sure of was that the Black Sun Wizard was truly dead.

‘The fear is that he didn’t die cleanly.’

And that possibility was very high.

Teleportation Fluctuations enveloped Wang Ya, and the next moment, he appeared inside the Black Sun Tower.

He was on the first floor.

When Wang Ya appeared, the other three who possessed Black Sun Badges were also teleported over.

Kelan Wizard and Wang Ya exchanged a glance and nodded to each other before observing their surroundings.

Kaze Antuun wore a solemn expression as he also scanned the area.

Big Ben Antuun, however, looked very excited. After all, this was something the Antuun Clan had been pursuing for a very long time.

The Black Sun Ruins. After countless hardships, their Antuun Clan had finally obtained it.

‘What could a Level 2 Wizard like the Black Sun Wizard have left behind in these ruins…?’ Big Ben Antuun’s pupils burned with heat, his mind filled with instinctual greed. However, Kaze Antuun’s gaze was like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing the flames of desire ignited by that greed.

“You must remain calm at all times.” Kaze Antuun’s brow furrowed. “Big Ben, you’re a veteran Extreme Wizard Apprentice. How can you still be so unable to control your emotions?”

He glanced at Wang Ya Harak and saw that he was already walking deeper into the first floor. He couldn’t help but sigh. ‘The Antuun Clan has had it easy for too long. Even an Extreme Wizard Apprentice from the clan can make such a Low-tier mistake.’

‘He was even less composed than a Level 3 Wizard Apprentice whose Wizard’s Heart had seen little tempering.’

‘No, I shouldn’t think that way.’

Kaze Antuun gave Wang Ya a deep look. ‘Some people are just born with that kind of Potential. Once they set their sights on something, they will pursue it relentlessly.’

‘Their Wizard’s Heart is the most outstanding, even surpassing that of a seasoned Wizard.’

They were in a spacious corridor. There was no path behind them, only a light ahead, which seemed to lead to the main hall of the first floor.

The era of the Wizard Civilization in which the Black Sun Wizard existed could no longer be verified.

From the initial Dark Age to the later Age of Exploration, the Legendary Era, the Ancient Era, the High Era, the Middle Era, and the Modern Era… Wizard Civilization developed step by step, eventually making a name for itself in the Endless Void Sea and the Chaotic Cosmos.

Of course, this name was an infamous one.

No one likes an invader.

Nearly every legendary civilization was an invader, plundering the Endless Void Sea.

‘It’s somewhat similar to the superpowers of my previous life.’

‘The end of the Legendary Era was probably because the plundering became too severe, and other civilizations and worlds needed time to recuperate.’

Wang Ya’s imagination ran wild as he speculated.

Candles in the corridor lit up automatically. The oil seemed to be Merfolk Oil, which could be preserved for a very long time.

There were murals on both walls, the colors and pigments so vibrant they looked as if they had just been painted and hung.

The four of them carefully observed the murals. Their content depicted the life of the Black Sun Wizard, starting from his beginnings as a Wizard in a Wizard Clan and chronicling his journey of increasing his Power until he became a Level 3 Great Wizard.

When they discovered this, all four, except for Wang Ya, were shaken. He wasn’t a Level 2 Wizard, but a Level 3 Great Wizard—a level of existence found only among the Wizard Influences of the Inner Zone.

This was actually the ruin of a Level 3 Great Wizard.

And they were exploring it. If they could obtain the inheritance of a Level 3 Great Wizard… Greed surfaced on the faces of the other three; Kelan Wizard was no exception.

Even in the Dark Land, only its founder, the Netherworld Wizard, was a Level 3 Great Wizard.

Wang Ya understood their feelings perfectly. How could he not feel a sense of greed stirring in his own heart?

‘Greed is normal; it’s an expression of desire.’

‘The Wizard’s Heart is the foundation for reasonably controlling and realizing those desires.’

Kaze Antuun and Kelan Wizard quickly regained their composure.

Big Ben Antuun swallowed hard and slapped his cheeks before finally calming down.

The murals recorded the Black Sun Wizard’s travels to different places, including the infamous forbidden zone for the living: the Land of Snakes, where anyone who entered would turn into a snake.

Of course, he had merely conducted experiments, throwing mortals inside and personally witnessing them transform into serpents.

When he fished them out for dissection, they were no different from ordinary snakes, having lost all human characteristics.

He then threw Wizards in, but the result was still the same. Extraordinary Power seemed to be nullified inside.

The Black Sun Wizard in the mural seemed to be experimenting, and then to have discovered something related to the strange phenomena created by the Deep Blue Great Wizard.

The Black Sun Wizard entered the Black Sun Tower, dancing with joy, and threw himself into his laboratory research.

The content of his research could not be confirmed, but as he progressed, the Black Sun Wizard grew more and more joyful.

In the end, the Black Sun Wizard died.

Of old age!

He had spent too much time researching a certain subject and ended up neglecting his own Wizard Path.

With his talent and genius, he could have gone much further.

He delved into many Wizard Paths.

Elemental Wizard, Potion Wizard, Alchemy Wizard, Black Wizard, White Wizard… He even achieved success in all of them, reaching the level of an Official Wizard in every field.

The Elemental Wizard path was the one he had taken the furthest, reaching the level of a Level 3 Wizard.

The outside world’s mistaken belief that he was a Level 2 Wizard was merely based on the proficiency he displayed in his other Wizard Paths.

The expressions on the four’s faces were of utter shock. If the records on the murals were true, then this Black Sun Great Wizard was truly a peerless talent.

If he had focused on a single path, the level of a Level 3 Wizard would definitely not have been his limit.

He could have reached even higher.

However, the fact that he followed so many Wizard Paths meant that the potential rewards for them could also be much greater.

Everyone could find something they wanted.

Wang Ya gradually composed his expression, a faint smile touching his lips, but his mind was on something else entirely.

‘Would someone with such peerless talent really die of old age?’

‘What a joke.’

‘If he wanted to live, there were too many ways to do it.’

‘Once you become an Official Wizard, the limits of a natural lifespan become meaningless.’

‘If it was just about survival, there are plenty of ways to replace a decaying body.’

‘Of course, the decay of the Spirit and the weakening of Extraordinary Spiritual Power are much more troublesome.’

‘But methods still exist.’

‘Especially for a Level 3 Great Wizard, and one with such talent at that.’

The group walked out of the corridor and into the main hall.

The place still looked as if it were brand new, giving the four of them the faint illusion that they had stepped into the Wizard Tower of some Official Wizard back in the Dark Land.

Of course, the hall’s ancient decor confirmed that it was a relic of a bygone era.

“Welcome, latecomers who have obtained the Black Sun Authority.”

The voice came from a relief carving high up in the hall. It depicted a Celestial Horse, a creature from the High Era, with white wings and exquisitely carved, lifelike white feathers.

Its pupils were emanating Extraordinary Fluctuations, something between Spiritual Power and soul.

“I am ‘Hei,’ the Tower Spirit of the Black Sun Tower. As you possess the Black Sun Badges, you may receive the Black Sun Wizard’s inheritance. Elemental Wizard, Potion Wizard, Alchemy Wizard, Black Wizard, White Wizard… you may only choose one.”

“After you have chosen, the Witch Array will teleport you to the corresponding Inheritance Space.”