The Wizard's Pursuit of Truth

Kaze Antuun was in no mood to ponder why Wang Ya Harak had managed to master the Dream Mage System in just five short months.

He was screaming inwardly. ’Move! Get out of there, Hades! Don’t just stand there! It’s over if he touches you!’ Very few Wizards in the Dark Land truly walked the path of a Dream Wizard, as it required a certain Potential. Even within the Illusory Dream School, most Wizards lacked this Potential and could not become Dream Wizards.

Fewer still were those who had seen a Dream Wizard in action and understood their unique traits. Kaze Antuun himself only had a rudimentary understanding, based on information he had gathered from the Wizard Family Alliance.

The core of a Dream Wizard lay in their connection to the Dream World. Their extraordinary abilities manifested primarily through Dream Power, which required them to make a corner of the Dream Realm descend upon reality.

In other words, they had to open a Dream Gap.

The enveloped area would then exist in a state where reality and the Dream World were intermingled.

At that point, the only way to sever the Dream Gap and break the connection to the Dream World was to find the Dream Wizard’s true body and kill him, or to critically wound his Spiritual Power and knock him unconscious.

The simplest method was to use Extraordinary Spiritual Power to disrupt the opponent’s Extraordinary Spiritual Power.

But finding the true body was hardly that simple. Not even Kaze Antuun could discern where Wang Ya’s real body was.

This was likely because he was too far away; after all, the two were fighting in the center of the ten-thousand-meter-wide Battlefield.

So Kaze Antuun could only watch helplessly as Wang Ya Harak’s outstretched, pale hand touched Hades’s body.

Hades’s pupils constricted at the sight, his expression one of utter disbelief. ’Are you kidding me? My strongest Particle Energy Shield has no effect on Wang Ya Harak whatsoever!’

An extreme sense of dread compelled him to extend his left hand. A Witchcraft had already taken shape, manifesting as a large volume of liquid that surged forward, enveloping them both in a high-pressure, turbulent torrent.

From the outside, it looked as if both of them were trapped within a transparent, blue orb of rippling water.

Low-tier Witchcraft: Water Prison Bundle.

It operated on the principles of mechanics, kinematics, and even physiology, causing any Wizard trapped within to lose their balance and ability to breathe.

Of course, the water could also be converted into a corrosive and lethal fluid.

Considering his opponent’s identity and the fact that there was no irreconcilable hatred between them, Hades chose not to do so.

Hades swiftly backed away from the orb of water, gradually exiting the confines of the Water Prison. He left behind Wang Ya, who floated in the water with a calm expression, his hand still outstretched.

”I’ve finally caught you.”

’This must be his real body,’ Hades thought. ’After all, the touch of his palm felt completely real.’

A smile of relief slowly spread across his face. Encountering such a bizarre opponent was absolutely terrifying.

This was, without a doubt, the most grueling, difficult, and troublesome battle of his entire life as a Wizard.

’No wonder this guy took first place in the Secret Realm competition. He’s an absolute monster.’

’I almost lost.’

A wave of lingering fear and palpitations washed over Hades.

’I never want to fight Wang Ya again as long as I live.’

However, the black-robed figure within the Water Prison remained perfectly calm. He even offered Hades a smile—a brilliant one.

Wang Ya’s lips moved.

Hades’s eyes widened as he read his lips. The message was three words: ”I’ve got you.”

’What...?’

The black-robed figure in the Water Prison disappeared like a bubble.

”Are you kidding me—GURGLE... how... GURGLE GURGLE... COUGH COUGH...”

Massive amounts of water flooded his mouth and nose, pouring down his throat and into his lungs. The chilling shock sent Hades into a panic, and he struggled desperately to fight off the sensation of drowning.

But the water around him possessed extraordinary properties that made it impossible for him to find his balance. He could only flail about, thrashing pathetically inside the Water Prison like a drowning dog.

The spectating Wizards burst into an uproar, many of them moving closer to get a better look.

What were they seeing? Wang Ya Harak, the one who had clearly been trapped and controlled inside the Water Prison, had once again vanished into thin air.

But this time, his disappearance was completely different. As Wang Ya vanished, Hades Antuun—who had been outside the Water Prison—bizarrely appeared inside it, becoming the one trapped.

He had been trapped by his own Witchcraft.

The principle behind it, the final result—none of the Wizards present could comprehend it, their faces masks of pure horror.

Their gazes, filled with unprecedented shock, fixed on the figure in black Wizard Robes who was gradually materializing out of the void.

Too many of them simply couldn’t understand what had happened.

Even the Wind Wizard and Lando Wizard were speechless, their eyes wide with disbelief.

”That’s just insane! What kind of Witchcraft is that? Any enemy who runs into an opponent this impossible to figure out would probably have a complete mental breakdown,” Lando Wizard exclaimed, hugging himself with a look of theatrical fear.

The Wind Wizard licked his dry lips. ”I don’t know about the enemy, but I know someone who’s about to have a breakdown.”

”And a new record is about to be set in the history of the Dark Land.”

If the many Level 3 Wizard Apprentices couldn’t understand, the Wizards of the Lower House were even more clueless. From the genius Wizards of the great clans to commoner Wizards like Gray, everyone was simply stunned, frozen where they stood.

An unprecedented shock filled Gray’s eyes, along with another, stranger emotion that he quickly concealed.

Only Kelan Wizard and Kaze Antuun could grasp some of the principles behind it.

Kelan Wizard marveled inwardly. ’Master really found a formidable junior brother. To think it involves Illusion and Reality Transformation... Such astonishing Potential, and such incredible developmental Ability.’

Kaze Antuun’s face was expressionless, his gaze dark. He stopped watching the Battlefield.

’It’s over,’ he knew.

***

Hades stared at Wang Ya’s true body, which had finally appeared, his pupils filled with unprecedented panic.

With a soft snap of Wang Ya’s fingers, excruciating pain erupted all over Hades’s body. Blood gushed from gaping, fist-sized wounds, instantly staining the liquid in the Water Prison red.

The injuries appeared out of nowhere, as if an unseen Power had been at work, directly causing this result.

Teleportation Fluctuations instantly enveloped them both. When they reappeared, they were back in the Waiting Battle Space, standing on a platform filled with technological and mechanical structures.

Wang Ya was standing. His Wizard Robe was disheveled, wrinkled, and badly damaged, but he himself was uninjured.

Hades lay on the ground, his body covered in grievous injuries. His wounds were contaminated with the radiation of Water Element Particle Energy, and his aura was exceptionally faint.

A steady stream of white light from the mechanical platform under his feet poured into Hades’s body, maintaining his vital signs and promoting wound healing.

Hades’s State began to stabilize. Forcing his Spirit to remain conscious, he asked Wang Ya in a trembling voice, ”What... what was that? My injuries... they’re clearly from the Rain Falling Star Witchcraft. My own Witchcraft... And this Particle Energy radiation... it’s from me too... What did you do?”

”At the very least, I deserve to know how I lost.”

Wang Ya was not in the habit of revealing the secrets of his Witchcraft to others. He simply said coolly, ”Everything is but a Dream Bubble. You can try to understand it that way.”

With that, he turned and walked toward the Battlefield’s exit. It was time to collect his winnings.

Hades watched Wang Ya’s retreating figure, his face pale and dejected. He had failed. He had disappointed his father.

More importantly, the hopes of the Antuun Clan had been utterly shattered in his hands.

***

Exorcism. Dream-Entering Technique. Dream Body.

In truth, Wang Ya’s bizarre performance on the Battlefield was the result of Middle-tier Witchcraft he had developed in the Illusory Dream Garden.

Namely, Dream Bubble and Dream Shadow Replacement.

It was the coordinated use of these two Middle-tier Dream Witchcrafts that produced such a strange effect and ultimately secured his victory.

The process involved many different aspects, and numerous factors were indispensable.

First, he had to disperse his Dream Power, activate his Dream Sense, and form a Dream Gap to allow a corner of the Dream World to descend.

The Battlefield was located in the Dark Land, a place where many Wizards gathered, which meant the Dream World there was exceptionally powerful.

Wang Ya met this condition and was able to form the Dream Gap with incredible speed.

As for why Hades failed to notice the anomaly, it was due to the chosen environment. The Earth Fire and the dense, volatile Fire Elemental Energy served to partially mask the perceptions of Extraordinary Spiritual Power.

While releasing his Dream Power, Wang Ya had also unleashed a full-power barrage from the Flame Demon Witchcraft Stream to draw Hades’s attention.

The Dream Body Witchcraft required a Dream Seed to act as a substitute. Wang Ya had focused on this principle to develop his two subsequent Middle-tier Witchcrafts.

Once the Dream Gap was formed, Wang Ya created a large number of Dream Seeds and stored them in the void. These Dream Seeds also served as the anchor points that sustained the Dream Gap.

Wang Ya consumed nearly half of his Dream Power.

The Dream Bubble Witchcraft relied on the Dream Bodies manifested from these Dream Seeds to proactively intercept Hades’s Witchcraft. Although the Dream Bodies were destroyed, the source Dream Seed was able to store the corresponding Witchcraft Attack. This represented the ”cause.”

The Dream Shadow Replacement Witchcraft, in turn, required Wang Ya to plant a Dream Seed representing the ”effect” into Hades’s body.

He could then transfer the corresponding Witchcraft, swapping it onto Hades himself.

It was a narrow victory. Wang Ya had nearly exhausted his supply of Dream Seeds, and his Dream Power was completely drained.

His Particle Energy was also completely depleted. If Hades had chosen to continue attacking the Dream Bodies, Wang Ya would have ultimately lost.

A Dream Seed’s capacity to absorb an enemy’s Witchcraft was also limited. It was conditional on Wang Ya’s own Dream Power; the more powerful the Witchcraft, the more Dream Power was consumed.

Hades had cast many Witchcrafts, but Wang Ya had only managed to store Rain Falling Star and the final Water Prison Bundle.

In truth, Wang Ya had not yet fully developed these two Witchcrafts. They were merely prototypes with many flaws.

There was still much room for refinement and improvement.

As Wang Ya walked out of the Battlefield, the many Wizards standing outside turned their gazes toward him, their expressions a mixture of shock, awe, amazement, and joy. Gray, who was supporting both Mas and Mona, shouted in excitement.

He had won. In doing so, he had made history in the Dark Land.

A Level 2 Wizard Apprentice had defeated a Level 3 Wizard Apprentice.

He had won prestige and secured his status as the second disciple in the Illusory Dream Wizard’s line of succession.

From this day forward, no one would dare question his power or ability.

Wang Ya’s gaze turned to the familiar figure standing on the Wizard Clan’s side.

He had won the signed Wizard Contract. Everything would belong to him.

Kaze Antuun remained expressionless. He was one to honor a bet, and he wouldn’t do something as dishonorable as reneging on the deal.

The winner takes all; the loser is left with nothing.

Wang Ya received a message through his Wizard Mark. It was from Kaze Antuun.

’Go to the Resource Management Department tomorrow for the handover. We also need to sign the Wizard Contracts for the transfer of the shop and the Wizard’s Residence.’

Author’s Note: Today’s update is complete at 13,000 characters. I wasn’t feeling my best today, so I didn’t hit my goal of 16,000. (But I’m about to get on the power rankings! For that top-ten bonus, I’m going all in. Starting tomorrow, I’m aiming for 20,000 words a day, damn it!) Good night.