A Wizard’s Secret

Laurinka guided Merlin to the Wizard Tower.

Before this, Merlin only thought that these Wizard Towers were sky-scraping tall when he looked at them from afar. Right now, inspecting them from a close distance, he realized that not only these towers were tall but they were also grand and magnificent.

The exterior of this particular Wizard Tower was painted in grayish-white. It gave an impression that it had been established for a very long time. On the grayish-white wall, there were traces of faint white light, which could be easily missed if one did not look carefully.

The white light was emitted from the mysterious runes on the wall. These densely-packed runes shrouded the entire Wizard Tower. Furthermore, there was a distinct fluctuation that was radiating from the tower.

This must be the Runic Magic Circle that Laurinka mentioned. It was exactly because of this Runic Magic Circle that the Wizard Towers in the Dark Magic Region were all built with such majesty.

In fact, apart from Wizard Leo’s tower, there were several other Wizard Towers around. In comparison, those towers paled significantly, like a small sorcerer in the presence of a great one.

Wizard Leo’s tall tower pricked toward the sky. At first glance, it seemed to have strike into the clouds. The top of the tower was hidden from sight amongst the thick clouds.

This eye-catching tower outshined other towers that surrounded it.

“Wizard Laurinka, if Wizard Leo’s tower soars above the level of the sky, does it mean that his capability was also extraordinary?”

Merlin asked in confusion. He clearly remembered Laurinka mentioned that in the Dark Magic Region, the height of the Wizard Tower reflected the might of the Wizard who owned it.

Obviously, Merlin and Laurinka were not the people these gray-robed old men favored as they belonged to the less qualified Spell Casters. In Merlin’s view, the Spell Casters who were poorly qualified would not be assigned to powerful tutors. However, this magnificent tower of Wizard Leo stood in front of his eyes had given Merlin doubt.

Laurinka smiled mysteriously as if she could read Merlin’s mind. “Every Spell Caster assigned to Wizard Leo’s tower asked the same question. In fact, the strength of Wizard Leo is exceptional in the Dark Magic Region. Not only he’s a Sixth-level Spell Caster who reached its peak but he’s also a Four-Elemental Wizard. His capability comes under the handful of Spell Casters of Seventh-level or greater.”

“If Wizard Leo is so powerful, then why are we assigned to him?”

Merlin was surprised at Wizard Leo’s powerful strength that was beyond his initial expectation.

Laurinka did not answer directly but replied in a calm tone, “Let’s go, you’ll find out when you meet Wizard Leo.”

Then, Laurinka led Merlin into the tower.

Upon entering the Wizard Tower, a pungent smell attacked Merlin’s nostrils. He looked up at the first floor of the tower. There was only one black-robed man wearing a stubble of untrimmed beard and a haggard look hung on his face.

Laurinka came straight to the black-robed man and asked respectfully, “Wizard Howl, how’s the formulation of your Magic Ink Potion?”

The black-robed man glanced at Laurinka without much interest and finally replied faintly, “The Magic Ink Potion is not simple to formulate. I’ve wasted eighteen ingredients up until now. Laurinka, if you’re willing to give me some ingredients –”

Before the black-robed man could finish his sentence, Laurinka shook her head hurriedly and interrupted, “Wizard Howl, I don’t want to bother you any longer. I’m bringing Merlin to meet Tutor Leo!”

Quickly, Laurinka grabbed Merlin and fled as if they were on a run. Soon, they came to a corner that had runes densely engraved on the ground.

“Activate the runes on your Dark Magic ring using Mind Power. Remember, the Dark Magic ring is required to activate each Runic Magic Circle in the Dark Magic Region.”

Laurinka lifted her finger as soon as she finished speaking. The ring on her finger quickly released a radiance that later merged with the white light emitted from the magic runes on the ground.

Merlin did what he was told. Later, both of their figures were enveloped by the radiance given off from the mysterious runes on the ground, and they disappeared instantly.

“Swoosh!”

Merlin felt a slight tremble, and soon, he arrived at a strange, unfamiliar place. He glanced to his side and noticed outside was surrounded by clouds. He was already at the top of Wizard Tower.

Earlier, the thing that had transported Merlin and Laurinka to the top of the tower within seconds was the Runic Magic Circle. Otherwise, god knows how long it would take to reach the top of the tower on foot.

“This is amazing!”

Merlin developed a strong interest in this mysterious runology. Since his arrival at the Dark Magic Region, he discovered numerous mysterious runes everywhere, and each of these runes possessed strange and peculiar functions.

“Oh, who’s that Wizard Howl back at the first floor of the tower?” Merlin asked curiously.

“Wizard Howl lives on the first floor of the tower. He’s also a student under Tutor Leo but he has already turned into an official member of the Dark Magic Region a long time ago. Wizard Howl is the craziest apothecary in this entire Wizard Tower. He dedicated almost all his energy in formulating potions. This is naturally a good thing as some potions come in handy occasionally after all, and Wizard Howl’s potions are much cheaper than the ones they sell in the Dark Magic Region,” Laurinka replied helplessly.

She paused for a moment before continuing, “Wizard Howl formulates potions into distraction. He often ‘borrows’ some temporary members’ potion ingredients at the promise of returning their favor in potions once it’s successfully made. However, as you can imagine, most of his attempts failed miserably…” Laurinka said pitifully.

She had evidently made that this Wizard Howl was quite difficult to deal with. Most people were afraid to come into contact with him.

Merlin nodded thoughtfully as he obtained a lot of information from Laurinka’s replies. Potion ingredients were precious items that should not be arbitrarily given to Wizard Howl at the risk of his failed attempts.

However, Wizard Howl was proficient in potions. Perhaps Merlin could ask him about some potions that were able to stabilize Spell Models.

“Alright, go in now. Tutor Leo is right inside.”

Laurinka pointed to the front door as she said to Merlin.

Merlin nodded, took a deep breath, then pushed open the door and walked in slowly.

“Wizard Leo, I’m Wilson Merlin, and I’ve just arrived at the Dark Magic Region…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Merlin was too taken aback at what he saw so he took in a deep breath. His pupils fixated on the man in front as a chill ran down his spine.

In the room sat a tall built man with a ruddy complexion. His back was slightly stooped, and he looked somewhat aged. This would be Wizard Leo.

However, Wizard Leo’s eyes sockets were replaced with a daunting, grayish emptiness. Besides, there was a small bulge of flesh which swelled on his forehead. A blood-red eye like a viper grew right in the middle of this mass of flesh, which was currently staring deadly at Merlin. He felt a chill surged throughout his body, which had already trembling uncontrollably.