Nick was momentarily shocked that this powerful-looking magic beast died in front of him with no explanation whatsoever. Amid his shock, he remembered a description of the dragon in the book that he had bought from the Algreen family storefront. He muttered:
"Rank 5 space torrent dragon."
Nick's shock lessened as he thought rationally:
(The rank 5 space torrent dragon is a documented magic beast, but it is a rare find, and was written to be highly dangerous. Greet Tree has many species of magic beasts in the regular ranks, but they are fairly adamant about keeping themselves within certain regions, and territories. Hmmm…I did read once that for some magic beasts, when they are close to death, they will leave their territory to die in ambiguity. That looks to be the case here, but what a lucky thing that it died in front of me where I can pick up benefits for nothing at all.)
Nick soon furrowed his brows as he muttered a word:
"Luck?"
Nick then remembered his new Species Luck talent, and had a realization:
(This event has to have something to do with the Species Luck talent. Otherwise, it is too ridiculous…)
Nick's thoughts spun extremely fast as he thought of how best he could take advantage of the situation:
(Powerful Magicians are bound to show up to divide the spoils here, soon. The commotion that this dragon created was too big. I need to act quickly to take what I can like a dutiful soldier ant looking to scavenge from a carcass…)
He thought about the best outcome for him, and then decided:
(I cannot take away its body because it is too powerful to fit in either one of my space bands, being of the regular rank. Meaning that its laws are still too concentrated on its body, and maybe within its mindscape if it has one. I cannot cut away its flesh because I am too weak. I cannot steal its residual magic energy because I do not have the materials to do that, and doing so would take too long, anyway. All that is left is its soul. I can possibly take its soul that might have use in my talent research.)
Once he decided, Nick acted quickly. He floated up to the gap in the dragon's large, protruding fangs before he reached out his right hand while casting Dragon Armor. Smooth, black scales formed to entirely cover Nick's right hand. Following that, Nick altered the laws that made up the spell to attract nearby souls. It was easy to do that because he was a soul path scholar.
The black scales on Nick's right fingers immediately, and continuously emanated black sparks. Following that, he waited for a change to occur, not willing to go inside the dragon's body, so that he could make a quick escape if a powerful Magician suddenly showed up.
Twenty minutes later, a floating, glowing, light-blue orb that was the size of a truck floated towards Nick. When it got close enough, he stored it into one of his space bands.
(The soul of an already dead magic beast is definitely weakened, plus magic beasts that are not of the soul path do not usually have that much laws carved into their souls compared to their bodies, anyway. That is why a rank 3 spell can manipulate the soul of a rank 5 magic beast, if barely.)
After getting what he wanted, Nick canceled Dragon Armor, and engulfed himself with his deep-blue miasma magic energy before activating his Cursed Vessel talent. Once the deep-blue miasma partially gained a red hue, it vanished along with Nick. Nick used Cursed Vessel five times to distance himself from the carcass of the space torrent dragon, moving over forty kilometers away from it before mobilizing the power of his Advanced Blade Works Formation to teleport him into its special space.
When Nick appeared within the special space, he immediately marked out the symbols for his modified Soul Examination Formation. After a few hours of setting up the magic formation, he then summoned the soul of the space torrent dragon from one of his space bands to float over it. Nick projected the laws of the soul within the surroundings, and did not delay in beginning his research of the dragon's soul.
(A dragon with such a high potential must have some interesting talents attached to its soul.)
Nick spent the next four months researching the space torrent dragon's soul without sleeping, and hardly eating. At the end of that time, having isolated two sets of laws that he was somewhat certain were related to talents, he cast Minor Split Soul on his own soul before using the power of the Soul Examination Formation to split the space torrent dragon's soul twice. To his surprise, the main soul of the space torrent dragon dissipated after that. Nick internally mourned the loss:
(Without a living body to sustain it, it became unstable over time, and my recent prodding finally pushed it over the edge. I should have taken such things into consideration, but at least its split souls have not dissipated yet. There is still time.)
Nick quickly pressed all three split souls together using the power of the magic formation, so that the merging process could begin. The residual will, and memories of he space torrent dragon were filtered out of its split souls before they both merged completely with Nick's split soul. This took about two weeks because the soul of the rank 5 dragon had a far stronger will, and more complex memories than the soul of the rank 3 royal bronze dragon.
When the split souls had fully merged, the resulting minor split soul was no longer charcoal-black in hue. Instead, it became a shade of dark-blue. Nick was concerned about this at first, but then concluded that the change was caused by a qualitative increase in the quality of the minor split soul.
(That qualitative increase in quality is probably a result of the newly transplanted laws. What kind of talents did the minor split soul acquire? There is only one way to know.)
Nick slowly cast Return Soul on the minor split soul, following which, it floated through Nick's chest to begin the merging process with his soul. Once the merging process began, Nick began to feel incredibly ill. He was forced to lie down on his back in the sand to ease his lightheaded state. His breathing quickened, he began to sweat like he was in a sauna, and his skin turned almost white in complexion.
Nick expected some temporary deleterious effects from his procedure, similar to how patients suffer from organ rejection after a transplant. He patiently managed his condition for one month until his vitals stabilized, and his complexion became dark-brown again. He felt much better at this time. He got up onto his feet as soon as he could, and proceeded to use the magic formation to examine his soul.
Nick quickly noticed that the hue of his soul was no longer charcoal-black, although the glowing ring that surrounded it was still present, indicating his Soul Cradle talent had not been affected by the merger. The hue of his soul was now a shade of sky-blue. There was also another change to his soul; it had grown wing-like extensions that moved animatedly. Nick was a bit mystified by the latter change:
(Hmmm…my soul must have taken on draconic characteristics either because of the laws related to the talents, or because of the source. I never did any relevant research, but it might be that there is a subtle difference between human, and magic beast souls that I had not accounted for in my calculations that has now influenced the form of my own soul.)
Ignoring that change for now because he did not understand it, Nick went on to attempt to decipher the new laws added to his soul, so he could make a judgement on the fruits of his labour. To complete the translations using the aid of his tablet computer, and his Eyes of the Fated talent, Nick took another three months. What he discovered during that time, he summarized on his tablet computer:
_________________________________________________________
Mysterious Void Entity -> the host's affinity with space magic energy becomes double its base affinity.
Vacuum Purity -> the host's magic energy has the same quality as an empty vacuum.
__________________________________________________________
Nick sat cross-legged, and thought about his recent development for a while:
(...Considering the description of these talents, I am almost certain that the change in my soul has to do with the source of the split souls that I merged it with. My soul has indeed become more draconic if that makes sense. I am not sure if that will have noticeable effects other than its appearance, but I will have to properly work on cultivating my soul again later.
As for my new talents, just their description has given me goosebumps. I cannot wait to see what effects they have on my combat ability…)
After contemplating his growth for a while, Nick began meditating to make sure that he digested his gains properly. His consciousness soon entered his mindscape. His mindscape was currently filled with deep-blue miasma which was being slowly breathed out by the sleeping, blue-scaled dragon.
Nick ignored the dragon, and began manipulating his miasma magic energy by having it vigorously swirl around the mindscape it an effort to nourish it. Slowly, but surely, his magic energy began to be exhausted through his efforts by a mysterious process. As the amount of magic energy dwindled, the dragon would increase its rate of breathing, quickly supplying Nick with more magic energy to manipulate.
This was the process of Nick's meditation, which he carried on for days without moving because he felt a strange pleasure from meditating at this time. After about ten days of meditation, he began to notice that his deep-blue miasma magic energy began to thin. Not being sure of what that meant, but feeling that it was not harmful, Nick continued meditating.
After twenty days of meditation, Nick's deep-blue miasma magic energy loss color, and physical form completely, although Nick could still feel its presence, and manipulate it. The space of his mindscape now also slightly vibrated wherever the formless magic energy flowed. He also noticed that the black void that his mindscape consisted of had began to gain a deep-blue hue. The change in color was minor at first, but had become an easily noticeable feature over time.
Nick intuited that these changes were a positive breakthrough in his cultivation, and continued to meditate. After forty days since his meditating had begun, no miasma could be seen within his mindscape, the former black void had completely gained a deep-blue hue, and the blue-scaled dragon no longer breathed out miasma, but instead breathed out Nick's new formless, colorless magic energy. The space that the formless magic energy occupied had a perpetual, but slight vibration.
(Is this what the description of the Vacuum Purity talent meant. Other than the usual features of my mindscape, it now does seem like more of a vacuum because my magic energy is hardly visible, but is still entirely perceptible to me.)
Nick was a little astonished by the complete changes, but he soon realized that they could all be explained away by the addition of his new, clearly space path talents, Mysterious Void Entity, and Vacuum Purity. Nick was about to end his meditation when the usually sleeping dragon opened its eyes that had a red-blue hue. It spoke to Nick using its gravely voice:
"We've achieved a qualitative change. It's time."
Following those words, the dragon emitted an ear-piercing roar that forcefully expelled Nick's consciousness from his own mindscape. When Nick opened his eyes, he realized that he could sense the space around him vibrate slightly. He could sense the space with such familiarity that he quickly realized what was going on.
"This is my magic energy."
Nick willed, and all the slight vibration halted because he had just drawn his magic energy back into his mindscape. At that point, what had happened became obvious to Nick.
"I have become a rank 3 late stage Magician."
He almost could not believe it. As far as he knew, before he started his meditation, he had a few more years of work to do before he could be promoted to the next stage, but his efforts throughout the last year and a half created a result that he did not expect.
"My mind is filled with experiences due to the influence of the dream states, my magic energy reserve is large, and because of my new talents, the quality of my magic energy experienced a qualitative change. These factors together forced my cultivation to progress to the next stage."
After incredulity came excitement. Nick knew that he was moving closer to becoming one of the strongest Magicians of his rank.
(My progress has been incredible. I am one step closer to becoming a rank 4 Magician. At that time, I will be able to move almost unhindered while exploring realms…)
Rank 4 was a big leap where Nick would probably not have to be so frightened about exploring realms that were home to extremely powerful magic beasts with strange abilities. He would truly have stepped on the path to becoming a powerful Magician, then.
"No, not Magician. I am a Warlock. I have the faint suspicion that my success with magic beast experimentation is related to my Warlock status, and my deep seeker dragon bloodline. Even my soul seems less like that of a human's, now."
Whatever the case, Nick was pleased that he had moved forward in a better direction. He quickly mobilized Advanced Blade Work's power to expel him from the magic formation's special space. When he blinked next, he found himself standing on the same grassy plain where he had previously traveled.
(I will return to Everest, for now.)
Nick had more cultivation to do, and he had no doubt that it could be more efficiently done using the resources of the City. He then exuded a few thousand magical units of his magic energy to envelop him. Although Nick could hardly see the magic energy that enclosed him, he sensed that it was present. Following that, he activated Cursed Vessel, and without any visible change, he instantly vanished from the grassy plain.
A few days later…
Nick suddenly appeared in front of Everest's open gate. He was filled with hopes for the future.
(My magic energy now flows faster outside of my mindscape, and barely gives any visual indication of its presence. Using Cursed Vessel's space path ability has become even more convenient, and smooth now. Not only that, I can actively direct Spatial Awareness in specific directions instead of randomly all around me. My talents are improving in proportion to the quality of my magic energy. A good foundation seems to lead to every improvement causing a chain reaction that leads to other improvements.)
Nick soon effortlessly walked through the city gate, making his way towards the Algreen family storefront without delay. After an hour of walking, Nick entered the Algreen family storefront where the same woman as before was reading a book at the service counter. She was wearing a white, green-striped magician's robe at this time.
As soon as Nick stepped into the store, Marjorie furrowed her brows, and put down her book to look at Nick. After some thinking, she seemed to recognize Nick, and so asked with a little doubt in her tone:
"You promoted to rank 3 late stage? Your magic energy feels…different, in a slightly noxious sort of way."
Nick awkwardly rubbed the back of his head using his right hand in response to his magic energy being called 'noxious'.
(I can't stop unintentionally leaking magic energy until rank 4. Another reason to progress…)
Nick soon lowered his right hand before plainly asking Marjorie:
"Do you by any chance sell magic beasts souls? I need as many souls of rank 3 dragon magic beasts as I can get, as soon as possible."
Marjorie contemplated for a few seconds before replying:
"We do not usually sell them, but I can easily source them for you. You could try to buy them from someone else directly, but it will take you days to find the right channels…"
Nick interrupted her:
"You don't have to convince me to use your storefront. Just name your price."
Marjorie smiled in response to Nick's good sense. She replied:
"I can get you ten thousand rank 3 dragon souls for 12 vatas. How much do you want"
Nick sighed openly when he heard the price. He, however, was willing to accept it because he did not want to go window shopping in Everest.
(I can either save money, or save time. I prefer to save time.)
Nick indifferently answered her:
"I want fifty thousand magic beast souls."
Marjorie's smile grew deeper as she responded:
"That will be 60 vatas, then."
Nick knew that he was moving towards being broke with his spending on magic items, but he preferred progress more than anything else.
(I can always make more money later, but I do not have an infinite amount of time to cultivate.)
Nick took out his smartphone from his right pants pocket, and proceeded to make the full bank transfer. After showing Marjorie the electronic receipt, she said:
"Come back tomorrow morning, and I will have your souls."
Nick contemplated for a few seconds:
(It is about noon right now, so that gives me a lot of time to prepare…)
Nick left the storefront before walking to the same small hotel that he had stayed at a year before. He booked the largest room that they could give him. When Nick got inside the room, he locked the door, and began using his spell Big Copy to lay his Soul Consuming and Refining Formation which he modified on the spot as he thought necessary.
The hotel room was spacious, consisting of a bedroom, bathroom, living room, and kitchen. It had sparse furniture as Nick had requested, had a white-tiled floor, and cream-colored walls, along with a white, paneled ceiling.
After assimilating soul path, and formation path magic materials into the magic formation, Nick did his final checks. The magic formation took up an area that had a three meter radius, and consisted of thousands of D-Soul symbols. Nick minimized the surface area of the magic formation to allow him to use it in his relatively small room without making too much changes to the room.
By the time Nick was finished laying the magic formation, it was midnight. Wanting to be mentally fresh for his cultivation tomorrow, Nick slept in the room's bed for a few hours. He had not slept in months, and so he fell asleep as soon as he lied down.
When dawn arrived, Nick woke up as if on instinct. He left the hotel, and went straight to the Algreen family storefront. When he entered, he immediately asked:
"Do you have the dragon souls?"
Marjorie, who was sitting at the counter, put down her book before summoning a disposable space band into her right palm, and then placed it on the counter. She replied:
"All fifty thousand of them. They are all from rank 3 dragons, and are guaranteed to be of good quality."
Nick stepped forward to retrieve the disposable space band. After he attached it to his right wrist, he quickly left the store under Marjorie's confused gaze. She thought:
(What is up with that man? Why does he need so many dragon souls specifically? Maybe he has a unique cultivation method…)
While Marjorie pondered about Nick, he made his way back to his hotel room. He did not wait to sit in the middle of the Soul Consuming and Refining Formation. After sitting cross-legged, he activated the magic formation using its simple trigger phrase:
"Begin."
The formation immediately began glowing with a faint, silver hue, and emitting a low buzzing sound. Nick summoned all fifty thousand dragon souls from the disposable space band, after which, the space band turned to ash.
Nick then proceeded to use his magic formation to consume the souls in groups of hundreds, which included purification, and absorption. After consuming the souls, he would then refine his own bloated soul by removing the impurities that still remained. Afterwards, he would heal his soul back to health using a few hundred Soul Healing Scrolls.
Carla had sent him thousands of Soul Healing Scrolls when he requested them, so he could use them up with wild abandon. Once Nick's soul was healed sufficiently, he started the process all over again. The process was tedious, painful, and at many times depressing, but he beared with the discomfort throughout.
Like this, five months passed. One morning, Nick shakily stood up from his sitting position. He soon willed for the Soul Consuming and Refining Formation to self-destruct, following which, he spent almost ten hours laying the Soul Examination Formation. When he was done, he sat cross-legged at the center to examine his soul.
In a few seconds, a projection of his soul appeared all around, and he was able to see the results of his months of cultivation:
(The hue of my soul has become a darker shade of blue. In addition to the pair of dragon wings that I noticed previously, it now also has a small dragon tail, and four small dragon legs. The glowing ring that surrounds it, and that represents my Soul Cradle Talent is still in place. My soul has increased in draconic characteristics while becoming higher in quality. Such characteristics should take my cultivation in unexpected directions later. After all, the mindscape is also affected by the soul…)
Nick dismissed the projection before slowly standing up. He then willed for the Soul Examination Formation to self-destruct. Although he was feeling a little physically drained, he was not sleepy. After spending a few minutes summarizing his gains in his head, he finally decided to leave Greet Tree after twenty one months of hard work.
Nick left the hotel, and walked to the Nefari Travel Company's storefront. This gave Nick some time to relax from the tensions that the last few months of cultivation had induced. One hour later, he entered the storefront, and when he did, many eyes focused on him, not in disdain like before, but in suspicion, and wariness.
Reeve Nefari quickly noticed the change in the atmosphere, and identified Nick as the source. He recognized Nick since they were instructed to provide him with a return trip to Grand Earth when he was ready. Reeve also grew suspicious after approaching Nick. He realized that the latter had risen in cultivation by an entire stage, and that his magic energy felt peculiar somehow.
Ignoring Nick's changes, Reeve asked him:
"How may I help you, Nick Capitol?"
Nick indifferently replied:
"I am going back to Grand Earth, now."
Reeve nodded his head once before he directed Nick towards the correct door in the lobby that acted as a passage back to Grand Earth. Nick proceeded to open the door, walk through the doorway, and close the door behind him.
When the door closed, the familiar hallway that Nick had walked through before to get to Greet Tree appeared. He immediately made his way towards the door at the end of the hallway that soon led him to the reception hall of the Nefari Travel Company. As soon as he entered the lobby, Cylus Nefari, who had been notified of Nick's return by Reeve Nefari, swiftly approached him, saying:
"It has been a while…"
Cylus' steps froze when he realized that Nick had the magic energy of a rank 3 late stage Magician. He was internally shocked:
(How did he do it, and so quickly? I have stalled at middle stage for years. Where is the justice?)
Noticing his bitter feelings quickly, Cylus placed them at the back of his mind to resolve an important matter. He spoke to Nick plainly:
"Now that you're back, there is a problem that I hope you will help us solve."
Nick raised his right eyebrow, not expecting to be asked for help. He asked:
"What problem?"
Cylus answered:
"Well…it's like this. After you defeated Parvone, his father, Elder Midwar of our family, took issue with the event. News of the loss also spread to other families. Now, Elder Midwar is requesting that another match be held between yourself, and a member of our family to restore his son's honour. Since Elder Uranus, and Elder Midwar are old friends, Elder Uranus is hoping that you could take part in another match. This time, it will take place in front of many young members of our family, and a few guests at one of the Nefari estates. Also, your opponent will be different."
Nick contemplated for about a minute before giving Cylus a response:
"What will I get if I take part? Your family basically wants to humiliate me to heal its bruised ego."
Cylus sighed when he heard such an accurate interpretation of the situation. He asked Nick:
"What do you want?"
Nick contemplated for five minutes this time before he gave an answer:
"I want 500 vatas, and the soul of a rank 4, blade path dragon magic beast."
Cylus replied as if on instinct:
"Are you crazy? Why don't you just go rob a bank?"
Nick adopted a more genial tone as he said:
"Look, I would be risking my life, Cylus. You Nefaris are not known for being merciful, so I need proper incentive to take part in such a spectacle."
Cylus openly sighed before saying:
"I will have to go seek approval for such requests."
Nick replied plainly:
"Cheerio, then, old boy."
**********************************************************
"Ha! Is that man crazy? A mere rank 3 middle stage Magician wants to extort me?"
The seemingly middle-aged man speaking on the phone was fuming. He had pale-white skin, short, well-styled, blonde hair, and dark eyes. He was wearing a black, and grey-striped magician's robe that had gold decorations at various places. He mused:
(The demand of 500 vatas is somewhat appropriate, but he wants the soul of a rank 4 dragon on top of that. Hmph! He is attempting to bite off more than he can chew at my expense. Does he even know how difficult it is to kill a rank 4 dragon using rank 4 Magicians?)
Cylus, who was on the phone with the man, replied:
"That is what I asked him, Elder Midwar. Actually…he is not a rank 3 middle stage Magician anymore. He has been promoted to the late stage since entering Greet Tree."
The man called Midwar furrowed his brows in response to Cylus' words before asking:
"Didn't you tell me before that he was promoted to middle stage while in Wide Crag? Now you are telling me that he was then promoted in Greet Tree. That span of time has a duration of months on Grand Earth. You are saying that he jumped two stages in mere months?"
"Yes, Elder Midwar. That is what I am saying."
"Hmmm…if he is indeed rank 3 late stage, then his demands now seem somewhat more reasonable, but they are still slightly excessive."
"I agree with you."
Elder Midwar contemplated for a minute before saying:
"Fine. Promise him the rewards, but they will only be due after the battle. He might not live until then, anyway. Everyone needs to learn the consequences for brutalizing a Nefari. Oh, tell him the match will be held three days from now at…"
After listening patiently to Elder Midwar's instructions, Cylus asked:
"Who is to be his opponent?"
Elder Midwar developed a slightly troubled expression when asked this question. He responded:
"The choice would have been easy to make if he were still rank 3 middle stage, but late stage makes things a bit more difficult since those Magicians can be prideful, and arrogant…"
Many Magicians felt that being at the late stage of a rank made them something akin to a king. This inflated ego usually would not cease until they were promoted to the next rank where they would be at the bottom of the dung heap again, so to speak.
"...I will have him battle Adam. Adam is very powerful at rank 3 late stage, and is usually composed, and diligent. He will not fail us."
"I will go ahead, and convey the details to Nick, Elder Midwar."
"Go ahead. I swear I will punish that man for his lion guts."
******************************************************
Cylus returned to Nick with the decision:
"We promise to give you the 500 vatas, and the rank 4 blade path dragon soul, but you will have to wait until after the battle…"
Nick internally condemned the Nefaris for being shameless:
(This battle of theirs could be an attempt by them to deal with me, but they have not even shown the sincerity of giving me the items before hand. They are a shrewd bunch, but I can cope with a little inconvenience if it is to gain resources.)
After Nick received all the necessary information, he walked out of the Nefari Travel Company. Cylus observed Nick as he left through the glass double doors, but then witnessed him disappear the moment that he did. Nick's surge in magic power had been brief, but it left a lasting impression on Cylus, who thought:
(How does he cultivate? His growth in strength is abnormal…)
Within moments, Nick returned to his fourth floor office, after which, he sat at his desk, and made a call to Riley. She promptly accepted the call:
"Hello, Nick."
"Hello, Riley. I've returned from my trip. Have Zane come to my office, now. I need to speak to him."
"Okay, right away. It is good that you are back."
Nick waited at his desk for five minutes until Zane walked through his office doorway, looking the same as he did nearly four months ago. Nick sensed that although the quality of his magic energy had increased, Zane was still some distance away from becoming rank 3. Zane asked Nick:
"It is good to see you, Nick. How can I help?"
Nick did not bother mincing word. He summoned the rank 3 heart worm magic tool from one of his space bands, and gently threw it at Zane while speaking:
"That is a rank 3 heart worm magic tool. You just need to place it over your left breast, and channel your magic energy into it to gain an incomplete, rank 5, time path inheritance. I do not know its contents, or much about time path, so you will have to study it on your own."
Zane caught the heart worm, and was shocked to hear about its contents:
(An incomplete, rank 5, time path inheritance? When I told my rank 3 instructors that Nick was planning to get me a rank 3, time path inheritance, they chuckled. Now, I have one. I am really on my way to becoming a respectable Magician…)
Zane thanked Nick in response:
"Thank you."
Nick nodded his head once, and said:
"Also, you, and the other rank 2 Magicians will be coming along with me to a Nefari estate to watch me battle one of their own. You can all treat it as a learning experience. The battle is in three days."
Zane did not expect to hear this news, but for him, it was good news. Getting to watch higher level Magicians battle was a good learning opportunity for him, and the other rank 2 Magicians.
(Getting sissy to get me a place here was not a mistake. She will be glad to know.)
Nick dismissed Zane, at which point, the latter left. Nick did not leave his office, or do any work other than meditate for three days. On the morning of the battle, Nick wore a dark-red silk polo shirt, a pair of dark-blue jeans pants, a pair of black leather gloves, and a pair of black leather combat boots.
He called Dewy, who then informed him that the rank 2 Magicians were waiting outside, at the front of the building.
"Should I organize some cars?"
Nick replied:
"No, I will take them to the venue of the battle myself."
Nick ended the call, and while still sitting in his office chair, he activated Cursed Vessel. He instantly vanished, and then reappeared in the same manner to stand in front of the group of nine rank 2 Magicians. They were all surprised in response to Nick's sudden appearance, and uncomfortable because his magic power felt pressuring to them, but they managed to stay composed.
Nick spoke to everyone at this time:
"Keep cool heads where we are going, and do not speak to anyone outside your group unnecessarily. Just watch the battle, learn what you can, and stay together. Do you understand?"
All nine male Magicians responded to Nick in unison:
"Yes, sir."
Nick then muttered:
"In that case…"
(Cursed Vessel.)
For a moment, the nine other Magicians felt an incredible presence wash over them, which completely prevented them from moving or controlling their magic energy. Within the next moment, the presence faded, and they realized that they were standing in front of a building with a signboard that read, 'Nefari Travel Company'.
Nick began walking towards the building's glass double doors while instructing:
"Follow me."
When Nick, and the others walked inside, Cylus intercepted them immediately, saying:
"I see that you brought companions. Although it is not a problem, make sure that they behave sensibly at the estate."
Nick replied:
"That won't be a problem."
Cylus nodded his head once in understanding before leading Nick, and the others past the side door, then down the hallway where they stopped in front of an ordinary-looking, brown door on the left side. Cylus opened the door, indicating that everyone should enter. Nick silently motion his head at his employees, and picking up on his cue, they all walked through the door, one by one, with Zane being the last to enter.
Nick then entered through the doorway, followed by Cylus, who locked the door behind him. When Nick caught sight of the venue, a small, but luxurious room clearly appeared in front of him. The relatively small room had a marble floor, white walls decorated using gold-like ornaments, and paintings, and a high ceiling with many shimmering lights.
Cylus, and Nick's rank 2 employees stood on either side of him while a middle-aged man wearing a black magician's robe that sported gold ornaments, and a hooded Magician wearing a dull-grey magician's robe stood a couple of meters away, in front of them. The middle-aged man introduced himself using an authoritative tone:
"I am Elder Midwar Nefari. I can tell that you are Nick Capitol based on the description of how you usually dress yourself."
Nick greeted Midwar in return:
"Yes, I am Nick Capitol. It is good to meet you, Elder. When will the festivities begin?"
Midwar maintained a proud expression as he replied:
"Right now, actually. People are in place, including your opponent. We Nefaris are very punctual. Your companions will have to stay with Cylus as we watch the battle, though. They will be in good hands.
Your battle will be taking place within a small, artificial realm produced by our family's magic formations while everyone else will sit inside a theatre to watch. I hope you don't mind."
Nick indifferently replied:
"Not at all."
Hearing that, Midwar spoke to the grey-robed Magician standing at his left side:
"Percy, send him away, and send the rest of us to the theatre."
The grey-robed Magician called Percy immediately clapped both his hands together in response to Midwar's command. Following that, Nick suddenly found himself standing on a flat, rocky plain with nothing as far as the eye could see except another man sitting cross-legged in the distance.
The sun above them was positioned at the center of the sky, there were no clouds, and the air smelt fresh. The ground was composed of solid, mostly uniform, ash-colored rock with only sparse, small protrusions visible on its surface.
The man that sat opposite to Nick did so from one hundred meters away. He radiated magic energy consistent with being rank 3 late stage. He seemed to be in his early thirties, had pale-white skin, blonde hair, dark eyes, two scars near his right eye, and bushy eyebrows. He wore a silver magician's robe that had gold designs strewn all over it, and a pair of white combat boots. He wore five silver rings on his right hand, one ring for each finger, and a silver lace bracelet around his left wrist.
The man observed Nick for a few seconds before speaking with a magically amplified voice:
"You must be Nick Capitol. My name is Adam Nefari. Sorry, but orders are that I make you squeal a bit. It's not personal."
Nick replied in kind using a magically amplified voice:
"What happens won't be personal for me either. You Nefaris are going to pay me a fortune to embarrass you again."
Adam slightly smiled before saying:
"You should tone down your arrogance, or I might decide to not take it easy on you."
Nick inwardly sneered at such talk. Instead of responding with words, he followed Parvone's past example, and exuded his magic energy in full force.
Within milliseconds, the space encompassing Nick, and Adam was saturated with his formless, almost visually imperceptible magic energy; the space, however, vibrated slightly. Adam felt like an indescribable weight had fallen on his shoulders when Nick's magic energy acted on him. His magic energy actually felt harder to control after Nick's magic energy saturated the area.
Adam soon slowly stood up, still sporting a slight smile. When he stood up straight, he said:
"This fight might actually be interesting."
Right after he said that, a deep voice resounded throughout the realm:
"Begin the match!"
Adam did not wait for Nick to reply to him. Instead, he cast his spell:
(Indomitable Freeze)
Starting from beneath his feet, a thick layer of clear ice formed in moments, then moved towards Nick's position at blinding speed. As soon as the ice touched Nick's feet, a surge in ice magic power occurred, forming a twenty-meter-high glacier that enveloped him.
Following that, dark clouds appeared throughout the sky from which white snow began to fall. The temperature of the realm dived almost immediately to below zero degrees Celsius. Adam's breath became visible as he breathed out deeply, muttering:
"It looks like the battle is over, already. My bad, Midwar, I didn't get the chance to make him squeal."
(Seeker Instinct.)
When Adam finished speaking those words, however, he furrowed his brows, and his smile weakened in response to sensing a surge in space magic power from Nick's position. Immediately after, Nick walked through the solid glacier as if it was wind to stand beyond it. His spiraling, blue eyes had partially gained a red hue by this time. He spoke to Adam right after:
"I think that this fight will be interesting too."