Surviving The Fourth Calamity

Hill’s fear wasn’t driven by his ambition or desire to revert the world’s Circle of Destiny to its original form.

He may seem gentle and kind, but he definitely does not love boundlessly.

However, if his actions inadvertently pull Teraxil’s destiny back into the original circle: the Abyssal Evil God’s claws, the Devil’s spies, along with an extremely foolish Elven God King, and a misguided Human Main God, the collective presence certainly isn’t something the newly born Goddess of the Earth in Teraxil could oppose.

Even Toril, with AO blocking attacks from higher dimensions, saw Shaer and Celene cooperating for hundreds of thousands of years to protect their universe from those endless assaults.

Toril, a semi-open world... Even though Tom later strengthened the Crystal Barrier Wall immensely, it continuously and randomly spawned Crystal Barrier Gates.

Moreover, considering how long it took Tom to emerge as the Guardian God, one can understand the hardships Toril faced before then.

The path AO ultimately selected for Toril was tied to his nature and the fact that the Toril he inherited was somewhat incomplete.

Though Toril grew incredibly strong... Unlike a new, self-ruling universe, Toril’s laws, due to its semi-open Wall of the World, practically manifested all the laws of the multiverse.

In essence, Toril was born as a high-level world, a greatly visible and radiant realm... Otherwise, Shaer and Celene wouldn’t need to expend so much effort.

Thus, the champions that appear in Toril can always grow stronger... with no limit, they can learn anything without constraints.

In most universes, the inherent properties and limits suppress the inhabitants within.

Even the abilities of Deities are locked within permissible boundaries by their worlds.

A world like Toril... Especially for Celene, to elevate from weak Divine Power to strong Divine Power, all it took was a mindless uprising... truly, only he was aware of it.

Teraxil is different; its open world resulted from an accident shattering its initial membrane, leaving the universe akin to a cracked eggshell... though the chick inside matured, it hadn’t opened its eyes yet.

In the face of real danger, the fragile, helpless chick remains unharmed not because external eyes aren’t surveying, but due to a sharp-eyed, vigilant mother hen guarding fiercely.

Nevertheless, no matter how battle-ready the mother hen is, there’s no guarantee she can remain eternally vigilant.

Thus, she adopted the best strategy, bringing in a perfect fragment from outside to patch the egg anew.

If the chick inside quietly continues to grow, even if claws intrude to tap the shell, the mother hen can timely defend... But what if the chick kicks open the patch itself?

Just the thought sends chills down Hill’s spine.

Though he hasn’t made a mistake, what if?

What if, back in Toril, his arrogance led him to recklessly meddle, believing he knew everything?

Toril truly was a world full of temptations... those Divine Artifacts, the power—they draw people in far too easily!

Sometimes, the saying ”ignorance is innocence” merely comforts those who erred.

But Hill could never accept such consolation.

As for why no one warned him of these dangers, Hill instantly understood without asking... The World Tree only protects Teraxil’s Earth Goddess and her descendants.

Teraxil itself wasn’t within his protection... If back when Teraxil faced tragedy, the Earth Goddess chose to abandon instead of integrating her companion Divine Artifact into the planet, he wouldn’t have intervened.

However, clearly, his maiden was fighting tooth and nail, so he had to find ways to assist her.

But the World Tree, in doing these things, evidently didn’t inform the Earth Goddess... Much like when the Earth Bear creates chaos, the Earth Goddess doesn’t intervene but only cleans up when things go awry... truly a pet-rearing method passed down through lineage.

Hill ventured out from Teraxil—a pursuit born of his desires... Thus, if he made a grave error during his expedition, neither the Earth Goddess of Teraxil nor the World Tree would warn him in advance to avoid mistakes; they’d choose to clean up after him.

Aurelio likely shares a mutual understanding with Hill in this regard... Parents indeed discipline him, but only after truly causing trouble.

Yet it is precisely this overly accommodating, overly gentle love that made Hill break out in cold sweat upon realizing the hidden danger in past events.

Nonetheless, he comprehends the parents’ reasoning: especially young, energetic children always realize they shouldn’t have acted certain ways after getting hurt.

Smart children ensure they never repeat those mistakes... if their recklessness causes unrest for their elders, the lesson becomes unforgettable for life.

Certainly, Hill fares a bit better; before becoming overconfident and erring amid a smooth life, he already understood the horrifying consequences if he forgot his true heart.

This is why Hill gradually lowered his sights, moving away from Rutt, Nicholson, and Kamente Tower’s dramas to focus on Russell, also considering Carpenter.

”Russell,” Hill spoke softly while gazing outside, ”The Hainarson Family, as long as they maintain the status quo, they will have no issues.

Stay out of Felis’s affairs going forward.

He’s already embarked on his path.

Carpenter, you too, avoid overconcern with Felis’s matters... As long as he doesn’t falter, his future may not be beneath yours.”

”Yes, Master.” Without grasping the full meaning yet, Russell and Carpenter quickly pledged.

What they can do for Felis is only so much, honoring the trust he placed in them.

”Master, how much time do we have left?” Russell couldn’t help but ask... Though they could depart anytime, he hoped to grow stronger a bit more.

Feeling possibly overconfident, Russell noticed his spiritual power growing noticeably faster since becoming an official mage.

Russell believes it may relate to his strong understanding and mastery of First Ring Spells.

Of course, this is partly thanks to the precision of his master’s spell theories... immersing himself within, his spell comprehension speed transcends his former self noticeably.

Now, he’s reached the Second Level already.

Very soon, he may touch upon Second Ring Spells.

”One week, um, no.” Hill estimated, ”Archmage Ruth plans to leave first.

Aislin will lead.

Oliva might be part of the final group.

We’ll be somewhere in the middle, likely ten days.”

”Ten days... Perhaps I could become a Third-Level mage,” Russell ventured timidly.

This master seems particularly demanding about foundations, making Russell slightly worried about advancing too quickly.

”There’s no need to hesitate before reaching the Eighth Level,” Hilbert glanced at him, ”Don’t worry about unstable foundations.

Three-Ring Mage is foundational, any level is essentially the same.”

Carpenter, still pondering Hill’s earlier words, lifted her head suddenly... What?

What did she just hear?

She thought a Three-Ring Mage was her end... Does her master believe that isn’t even a beginning?

Carpenter blinked furiously: she seemed to have misjudged her aptitude.

If in his mind, all pre-Three Ring levels are the same... then his talk of moderate aptitude suggests reaching the Fifth Ring, right?

Achieving Fifth Ring Mage, what’s left to ponder?

Hold on... was Master Gilbert hinting Felis might eventually surpass her?

How is that possible?

What kind of encounter did Felis have to suggest he’d at least become a Seventh-Ring Archmage?

Carpenter knows about mages: achieving Sixth Ring invariably leads to the Seventh Ring as basic knowledge.