Chapter 293 - 287: Moment of Promotion
Chapter 293: Chapter 287: Moment of Promotion
The Black Wizard stood upon the scorched earth, gazing into the distance.
Before him were dozens of massive craters, all emitting black smoke.
The Magical Beast army he had spent over half a year of painstaking effort to create had been completely annihilated by an unprecedented volcanic eruption.
Even his masterpiece, the Mechanical Tyrannosaurus Beast, had become part of the cinders and magma.
He stood there, stunned, for a long moment before finally processing the scene of utter devastation.
"Two First-level Wizards..." His voice was hoarse, laced with incredulous confusion. "How is that possible?"
It wasn’t that he hadn’t anticipated a counterattack. He had even expected the two Alchemy Wizards to put up some sort of struggle.
That half-finished Level 4 Golem from before had been a surprise.
But he had never dreamed they could pull something like this—taking his entire army down with them.
’Are all young people this crazy nowadays? How are they more destructive to the environment than a Black Wizard?’
He quickly figured out the whole process.
They used several self-destructing Magic Furnaces as detonators to leverage the immense energy deep underground.
’But how could they have done it with just Magic Furnaces?’
The black-robed man raised his withered right hand and pressed it to the spot between his eyebrows, completely baffled.
Magic Power fluctuated violently around him. Debris on the ground floated up, defying gravity, before being crushed to dust by an invisible pressure.
The anger lasted only for a brief moment before the rationality of a Second-level Wizard prevailed.
’An explosion of this magnitude, at such a close range... their workshop must have suffered heavy losses as well.’
The black-robed man walked to the side, his gaze cold. "Without their Magic Furnaces, without their production lines, I refuse to believe they can still turn the tables."
He admitted that he had underestimated these two White Wizards.
They were not only ruthless but also consistently unpredictable.
But once they’ve played all their cards, all that’s left is to be slaughtered. A First-level Wizard is, in the end, just a First-level Wizard.
He opened his mouth wide, emitting a sharp sonic wave inaudible to ordinary people.
A moment later, a dozen or so black shadows sped over from the distance. They were his surviving modified Magical Beasts, a few of which were "Shadow-Corroder Dragons" skilled at moving underground.
"Go. Investigate the situation at those two workshops."
His tone was frigid. "If you find any surviving life forms or Golems that are still moving, report back immediately."
He didn’t rush over recklessly. He needed intelligence. He needed to confirm whether the two First-level Wizards had paid for their madness with their lives.
The Black Wizard turned and returned to his temporary underground workshop.
There stood over a dozen huge glass vats, inside which soaked a hundred-plus unformed, mutated Synthetic Beasts.
He raised his hand, and black Magic Power flowed into the vats, causing the green nutrient fluid to churn like boiling water.
"One day."
The black-robed man calculated the time. "I only need one day to accelerate their growth, implant, and modify them. One hundred and twenty modified Magical Beasts will be enough to trample that ruin."
This batch of defective products had extremely short lifespans, but they were more than enough to tear apart two defenseless, crippled workshops.
He decided to enter the field himself.
He would consider it a final show of respect to the two First-level Alchemy Wizards who could orchestrate such a grand spectacle.
---
「Zone 18, Meditation Room.」
In Allen’s Sea of Spirit, the thirty-sixth Will Rune of the fifth Core Matrix was in the final stages of being drawn.
It was a composite circuit woven from countless runic nodes, its complexity far exceeding any before it.
With every minute detail he completed, his Spiritual Power would be completely drained, only to be forcefully restored by the frantic effects of the Astral Spring and the Deep Sea Echoing Conch.
Blood streamed from his seven orifices, his face was pale, and this body, modified by Magic Power, was now on the verge of its limit.
But he didn’t waver in the slightest; all pain had been severed by his Mechanical Mind.
The multi-threaded processing ability and precision control granted by the > were on full display at this moment, as several thought sub-threads all came to assist.
His main consciousness, meanwhile, was like a master sculptor, wielding an invisible chisel, single-mindedly carving a masterpiece deep within his soul.
’Stabilize... connect... close the loop!’
Following Allen’s low growl, the final stroke of Spiritual Power flowed like ink into a painting, flawlessly connecting the two endpoints of the Rune Matrix.
OMM—
The Sea of Spirit shuddered violently!
The fifth Core Matrix was finally complete!
It was like a newborn star, erupting in brilliant light at the center of his Sea of Consciousness, resonating with the previous four Core Matrices to form a grander, more rigorous Rune System.
Dseek, which had always been working silently in the background, finally made an appearance.
[Congratulations, the fifth Core Matrix has been fully inscribed.]
[> Cultivation Progress:]
[1. Core Matrices: 72/72 (All five Core Matrices have been fully inscribed)]
[2. Thought Sub-threads: 7/8]
[3. Core Witchcraft: 2/3 (Awaiting Inscription)]
"I finally made it through."
Allen slowly opened his eyes. The streams of data that once flickered within his deep blue irises were gone, replaced by two profound stars.
The dual growth in Spiritual Power and Magic Power from the completion of the final Core Matrix nourished his body, which had been pushed to its absolute limit.
[Spiritual Power peak has reached the limit for a Level 1.]
[Astral Spring potion has 12% potency remaining. The Deep Sea Echoing Conch has been damaged.]
Allen raised his hand and tossed aside the cracked remains of the conch. The insane strain of the past few days had completely destroyed this priceless wondrous object.
He didn’t get up, nor did he check on the battle damage outside.
The seventh sub-thread had already finished summarizing the dire external situation.
Shutdown. Power loss. Ruins.
It was the expected price to pay.
"Time to begin the final step."
Allen didn’t plan to rest.
The hard requirements for advancing to a Second-level Wizard had been met: the five Core Matrices were complete, and the inscription of the third Core Witchcraft could begin at any time.
The model for the Golem Teleportation Technique unfolded in his Sea of Spirit.
He had already simulated this technique countless times in Meditation. Its principles, structure, and Energy Circuits were all known to him by heart; it wouldn’t take much more effort.
Once successfully inscribed, it would naturally propel him directly to the next level.
Allen frowned slightly.
According to his original plan, he needed to split off an eighth thought sub-thread and use the immense processing power of his main consciousness plus the sub-threads to ensure a stable advancement.
But there wasn’t enough time now. The Black Wizard outside could lead his forces to attack at any moment.
Lacking one sub-thread meant a lower margin for error and a greater mental load. Fortunately, he had Dseek’s help, and each of his individual sub-threads was stronger than those of other Wizards.
’The success rate should be over 85%. It’s worth a try.’
Allen severed all pain perception and focused 100% of his processing power on his main consciousness.
His Spiritual Power transformed into a chisel and plunged fiercely into his Sea of Consciousness.
[Warning: Pressure on Sea of Spirit has exceeded the threshold.]
"Ignore it!"
As the technique’s model gradually took shape, the air inside the Meditation Room grew as thick as water.
The free-roaming Magic Power in the air was being forcibly drawn in, becoming fuel for the technique’s inscription.
Time passed, second by second.
Allen’s breathing became extremely faint, his heart rate dropping to ten beats per minute.
His consciousness was completely immersed in the vast model of the technique.
The connection of every node, the completion of every circuit, all proceeded with exceptional smoothness.
The instant the final Energy Circuit formed a perfect loop with the first node...
The Golem Teleportation Technique was fully solidified!
He had personally crossed the final threshold to becoming a Second-level Wizard!
An inaudible roar erupted within his Sea of Spirit.
All the Rune Matrices began to spin.
The advancement had begun spontaneously; not even Allen himself could stop it.
Surging Magic Power rushed through his body like a tsunami, washing over every inch of his muscles, bones, and flesh.
Allen’s body trembled violently.
The total amount of his Spiritual Power skyrocketed at a terrifying rate, and his brain’s activity directly broke past the critical point.
At this moment, he felt his thought speed reach an unprecedented peak.
All data, all information, flowed through his consciousness at the speed of light.
The Magic Power in his body quietly underwent a qualitative change.
A higher-dimensional power was reshaping his flesh, bones, and internal organs, even reaching deep into his very soul.
Mortals can defy the heavens; Wizards can create Gods.
Second-level Wizard, achieved!