A Wizard’s Secret

The Flame Being divided into two figures, each standing in front of Merlin and Wizard Bayton respectively.

“Actually, Master is still very benevolent. For each obstacle, you’re given three chances to attempt. If you feel that you’re beaten or you admit defeat, then you’ll not be in danger.”

The Flame Being said slowly.

“There’s such a rule?”

Merlin thought of it carefully. Indeed, if there were three chances and one was allowed to admit defeat at any time, the Flame Being’s master was indeed considered “benevolent”. Back when Merlin entered the ancient tower monument, if he was defeated when facing the guard, he would die. There were no three chances at all.

“If we fail to clear the obstacle after three tries, what’ll happen?”

“After failing thrice, if you survive the gate guardian’s attack, you’ll be thrown into the Flame Prison… Maybe there’s still a chance to live in the Flame Prison, but I advise you not to have such a thought. The torture in the Flame Prison, hehe, is not something you can imagine. Every Spell Caster who held the good-fortune mentality upon entering the Flame Prison ended remorseful eventually. They would rather die in the hands of the gate guardian.”

This was already the second time Merlin had heard the Flame Being mention “Flame Prison”. It was certainly not a good place. Since it was a prison, there would only be inhumane torture.

After clarifying his doubts, Merlin took a deep breath and said to Wizard Bayton, “Wizard Bayton, which one of us is going first?”

Wizard Bayton smiled and said, “My powers are not as strong as yours, so let me go first. You should take a good look at this first obstacle, see what’s so powerful about it.”

After his statement, Wizard Bayton took a step forward and said to the Flame Being, “Come on, I’ll go first!”

The Flame Being nodded and said, “There’s one more thing I want to remind you. If you’ve not constructed Fire-type spells even if you’ve cleared all three obstacles, you will not be able to choose the most prized treasure left by the Master. You’d only be able to choose from some lower grade treasures.”

Merlin nodded thoughtfully. In fact, he had already guessed the reason. The Flame Being’s master must be a Spell Caster with very prestigious achievements in Fire-type spells. The most precious treasure left by him will naturally only be obtained by Fire-type Wizards.

However, both Merlin and Wizard Bayton had constructed Fire-type spells. If they were lucky enough to clear all three obstacles, they would obtain the most precious treasures in the ancient monument.

After the Flame Being finished speaking, he waved his hand slightly. Suddenly, the figure of the Flame Being in front of Wizard Bayton began to twist and change gradually.

In the end, the Flame Being had surprisingly transformed into a mirror image of Wizard Bayton, but his expression was a little cold.

“This…”

Both Merlin and Wizard Bayton were astonished. The “Wizard Bayton” opposite of them, who had transformed from the Flame Being, even had the same body scent as the original.

The other Flame Being said quietly, “This is your first obstacle – mirror image opponents! This is to simulate your own real strength, but in terms of spell control, it has almost reached the peak. No matter what methods you use, you must defeat your mirror image! May I remind you that it’s best not to use casting tools because whatever casting tool you have, your mirror image will also have the same. Ok, let’s get started!”

As the voice of the Flame Being fell, suddenly, the mirror image opposite to him made its first move, casting a flying spell. Its speed was upped significantly and it hastily dashed toward Wizard Bayton.

At the same time, a sky full of flames descended from above. This was a Fourth-level spell, which directly swarmed on Wizard Bayton while the real Wizard Bayton was merely casting a defensive spell.

“Such stunning speed. The control of the spells has almost reached the peak, and the coordination between each spell and even the position is well calculated. This… This can’t be beaten. Wizard Bayton is in danger!”

Merlin saw the mirror image opponent of Wizard Bayton – its ever-changing figure, and almost oppressing Wizard Bayton all the time, thus Merlin knew that Wizard Bayton could not clear the first obstacle.

“Ka-chak!”

In the face of the mirror image opponent’s violent attack, there was almost no gap for a respite. Like a violent storm, Wizard Bayton defense spells finally could not hold its attack off, and instantly shattered.

At this time, Wizard Bayton could no longer resist, and he had to shout frantically, “Surrender, I admit defeat!”

Following Wizard Bayton’s voluntary surrender, his mirror image opponent instantly turned into a blaze of flame and re-entered the Flame Being’s body.

“Too weak, too damn weak. Although you still have two chances, it’s basically impossible to get through the first obstacle.”

The Flame Being saw Wizard Bayton’s performance and shook his head in disappointment.

Wizard Bayton was indeed very powerful. However, in the face of a Wizard who was almost exactly like him, and who possessed much higher skill than him in terms of spell manipulation and various combat methods, Wizard Bayton’s defeat was reasonable.

Even Merlin who had been watching the entire battle unfold felt his heart shudder. If his image was also like that, then he would surely not clear the first obstacle too.

“Alright, it’s your turn!”

The Flame Being’s gaze shifted to Merlin.

Merlin took a deep breath, there was no escape to this kind of battle. Success or failure would only be known after the battle.

Thus, Merlin walked a few steps forward and said, “Let’s get started!”

The Flame Being nodded. A flame quickly flew out from his body. Then, Merlin felt an irresistible invisible force as if his entire body was probed all over.

Thereafter, the flame that had floated from the Flame Being’s body began to take on a form gradually, faintly changing into Merlin’s appearance. Having seen the mirror image of Wizard Bayton earlier, Merlin was no longer surprised, but to look at a person who was exactly the same as him – it was still a strange feeling.

“Oh? Not right, hold on!”

Suddenly, there was a gasp from the Flame Being’s voice. It turned out that the flame was actually changing dramatically, but it could never change into the appearance of Merlin.

The Flame Being’s eyes stared at Merlin for a moment, then he smiled and said, “Turns out that you’re powerful though you’re merely a First-level Spell Caster. At best, you’ve only constructed two Second-level spells, yet you have two Pandora Demon Abilities, and even a Six-Elemental Spell Caster! Not only that, your body seems to be far stronger than any average Spell Caster, almost comparable to some powerful elemental swordsmen. It’s no surprise that your mirror image expends so much Magic Power…”

After the Flame Being had finished, he then separated another part of the flame from the body and incorporated it into the mirror image of Merlin. With the integration of this flame, Merlin’s mirror image quickly took shape, and it became exactly the same as Merlin, even with the same breath…

Merlin’s eyes narrowed slightly, and deep down, he was secretly surprised. With only one glance at him, the Flame Being could understand his situation so thoroughly.

The two kinds of Pandora Demon Abilities naturally referred to Fiery Collapse and Glacial Finger, and a strong physique, which was one of Merlin’s most well-hidden secrets was thoroughly exposed by the Flame Being.

However, there were still several aspects that the flame being did not see through. In addition to Fiery Collapse and Glacial Finger, Merlin had another Pandora Demon Ability – Darkness Heart, which had been integrated into his spells.

Darkness Heart was dissimilar to Fiery Collapse and Glacial Finger. It had been completely integrated into the spells, so it seemed hidden. Earlier, the Flame Being only mentioned Fiery Collapse and Glacial Finger, which meant it was very likely he had not realized Merlin’s Darkness Heart.

As for the mirror image opposite him, it may have also copied Fiery Collapse and Glacial Finger, but whether or not Darkness Heart had been mirrored, Merlin would need to find out.

“Let’s begin!”

The Flame Being waved, and Merlin’s mirror image immediately cast Wind of Freedom, and his figure immediately became erratic.

“Ka-chak!”

Meanwhile, Merlin’s first move was to cast Glacial Finger, but it missed because it could not capture the figure of the mirror image. Then, when Merlin was just about to cast Fiery Collapse, he sensed an imminent danger…

“Wind of Freedom!”

Merlin did not hesitate for a second and immediately dodged to the side.

“Swoosh!”

A chill, like a sharp arrow, flew straight at Merlin, which made him break into a cold sweat. His mirror image’s control of spells and Pandora Demon Abilities in addition to the coordination between both was far superior to Merlin.

“No way, if it keeps on like this, I’ll lose sooner or later!”

Merlin finally realized how Wizard Bayton felt earlier. Fighting with one’s own image was very arduous, with even a feeling of grievance as if one could never defeat the mirror image.

In fact, without overwhelming talent or some other slick means, it was near impossible to beat the mirror image. This first obstacle alone had impeded who knew how many Spell Casters before them.

“Going head-on with the mirror image won’t work! However, if you want to defeat the mirror image, it’s not that there’s no chance at all. The opponent has Fiery Collapse and Glacial Finger with Mind Power equivalent to mine, a Third-level Mind Power. One thing is within my expectation, the opponent indeed doesn’t have Darkness Heart!”

Merlin had now confirmed that the mirror image did not have Darkness Heart. Nobody knew why but this was the only chance for Merlin.

If he desired to fight head-on with the mirror image, Merlin had not yet reached the point of seamless manipulation of spells without any mistakes. However, his mirror image seemed capable of not producing any mistakes, so Merlin simply had no chance of winning if he went head-on.

Only by luck or by “seizing opportunities” could he defeat the mirror image!

“Darkness Tide!”

Merlin stopped evading the mirror image’s attack, and then cast the Second-level spell, Darkness Tide.

Suddenly, darkness descended and enveloped the entire room – the bright room immediately became pitch-dark. After being enhanced by Darkness Heart, it was easy for Merlin’s Darkness Tide to drag any Fourth-level Spell Caster into a realm of illusion.

Merlin’s mirror image only had Third-level Mind Power. The opponent had not duplicated Darkness Heart, hence it did not have any resistance to Darkness-type spells.

Therefore, when a space of Darkness-type elements enveloped the room, Merlin’s mirror image naturally fell into the illusion.

“Pandora Demon Ability, Glacial Finger!”

In the darkness, Merlin’s voice was heard, and in an instant, Merlin’s mirror image was immediately frozen. Layers of ice crystals wrapped Merlin’s mirror image.

“Ka-chak!”

The ice crystals began to shatter, and Merlin’s mirror image was reduced to countless pieces, falling onto the ground. Then glints of star-shaped flames appeared on the ground, which gathered together and floated back into the Flame Being’s body.

“Congratulations, you’ve cleared the first obstacle!”

The Flame Being’s voice was calm, but his eyes were ablaze and focused intently on Merlin.