Warlock Apprentice

The outside world surged with an unprecedentedly powerful gust of air.

If there were mortals present, just this gust alone would be enough to shatter their internal organs. However, for Greya, while the gust was strong, it could not harm her.

But though the gust itself could not harm her, the meaning it carried unsettled her deeply.

”Somber, jealous, resentful, malevolent...” Greya murmured softly. These were the emotions embedded within the gust, each steeped in profound despair.

In such utter hopelessness where no light could be seen, could Toby truly find hope?

”Half an hour has passed.” Angel’s voice drew Greya’s attention.

”If Toby hadn’t undergone that Dream Trial, do you think it could have lasted half an hour?” Without waiting for Greya’s reply, Angel answered his own question: ”Obviously not. Now that Toby has persisted for half an hour, it proves that the Dream Trial was indeed beneficial.”

Angel’s intent was clear—if Toby could defeat the Extreme Resentment Thoughts in the Dream Trial, why not now?

”I’ve lived for centuries, yet here I am needing you to reassure me.” Greya chuckled bitterly, casting her eyes downward. ”It’s me—I care too much about the outcome.”

Angel smiled faintly but did not respond. Greya’s current demeanor was indeed somewhat different from when they first met. However, her way of thinking hadn’t changed; only her emotions had grown more sentimental.

Perhaps it was truly due to her physical vessel.

After all, she now inhabited the burgeoning body of a young girl. The hormonal influences coursing through her could not help but affect her consciousness.

”Of course, the outcome is important. Judging by the usual timeline, Toby should be nearing the end. The fact that it has endured this long greatly increases its chances of succeeding in the tribulation. I believe Toby can...” Angel had not finished speaking when an earth-shattering roar erupted from the depths of the Void.

It came from the area shrouded in black mist!

With the roar’s arrival, the black mist churned even more violently, and the negative emotions emanating from it peaked.

It was like a song reaching its climactic crescendo.

Only awaiting... its conclusion.

...

In the vacuum of thought, Toby spread its gryphon wings and soared, blazing with fire as it streaked to the other side.

Its eyes were devoid of emotion, a stark contrast to the earlier disdain it had shown. Behind it raged a ferocious inferno, with ghostly shadows writhing and howling within the flames.

However, unlike the arrogant howls of before, the current cries were laden with unmistakable despair.

”I’ve won.” As Toby thought this, the flames behind it flared even fiercer, consuming the screams within. All that remained were faint particles of glowing dust, slowly drifting out of the flames like fireflies in the dark void—ethereal and dreamlike.

This glittering dust marked the requiem’s final notes.

The one being eulogized by the requiem was none other than the snake bird, now immolated in the fire.

Guided by the experience from the House of the Heart, Toby had expertly provoked the snake bird, planting the seeds of wildfire within its core.

During the trials of the House of the Heart, Toby’s gryphon manifestation had been frail yet managed to slay the snake bird. Now, empowered by countless forces and in its complete form, defeating the snake bird was effortless.

The moment the flame seed coalesced, the outcome was already decided.

In the end, the snake bird became nothing but an empty thought and faded away.

When the snake bird fully disappeared, Toby felt a familiar sensation—akin to the surge of power the gryphon had experienced after slaying magical creatures before.

Yet this time, the energy infused into Toby’s consciousness was not an enhancement of the gryphon’s strength but a strange new force altogether.

It was akin to a rule, rather than a mere power. With this rule’s mastery, Toby faintly sensed a subtle connection forming between itself and the surrounding void.

This void turned out to be a space of thought that permitted only the projection of consciousness. Though it was connected to Toby’s Mind Space, it did not entirely belong to Toby. Instead, it belonged to another being—the snake bird.

More precisely, it was the thought space of the ”Jealous Snake Bird” that Toby had transformed into.

In the external world, Toby’s body had already taken the form of a snake bird. However, due to the influence of the Extreme Resentment Tribulation, the snake bird was yet to fall under its control. It was for this reason that Toby found itself in the snake bird’s thought space, seeking to subdue the Extreme Resentment Thoughts and seize the high ground.

Successfully overcoming the tribulation would mean Toby could claim dominion over the snake bird’s physical form. Since the snake bird’s body obeyed the control of its mind, Toby’s connection to this thought space proved that it had gained a significant upper hand in the Extreme Resentment Tribulation!

Only one final step remained—defeat the Extreme Resentment Thoughts, and it would emerge victorious!

Toby raised its gaze toward the luminous shore in the near distance. That was the core of the Extreme Resentment Thoughts. Once Toby reached it and subdued the core, it would all come to an end!

Moreover, the Extreme Resentment Thoughts had already played their strongest card: the projection of the snake bird’s power.

Without the snake bird, relying on traps or magical creatures—none of which could even stand a single blow—would not stop Toby!

With conviction, Toby believed that its victory was already certain by this point!

Fueled by this belief, Toby transformed into a blazing fireball and dashed toward the final peak!

Meanwhile, at the core of the Final Land, the Extreme Resentment Thoughts, if measured by human standards, would now have eyes burning with jealous flames: ”Why, why did even the snake bird lose to it? Why should my body be ceded to this lowly seabird?”

The Extreme Resentment Thoughts still could not comprehend what unforeseen change had caused Toby to suddenly transform—overcoming the tribulation ahead of schedule and breaking free from any disaster as if blessed by divine aid.

Toby’s speculations were correct: after using the snake bird’s strength, the Extreme Resentment Thoughts had no greater measure left to deploy.

What now? Was surrender the only option? Impossible. That was something the Extreme Resentment Thoughts absolutely could not allow!

But if not surrender, then what? What method could possibly halt Toby’s advance?

As its emotions of unwillingness, jealousy, and hatred swelled to new heights, they came to no avail. Toby continued drawing closer at an alarming pace; it could already see the excitement etched on Toby’s face.

Once Toby reached the high ground, the Extreme Resentment Thoughts would be powerless to resist—it had to be stopped!

But how?

After a prolonged silence, the Extreme Resentment Thoughts finally made a decision.

It began radiating its emotions continuously, converting them into a kind of ”Domain,” searching within this Domain Field for something...

Suddenly, the Extreme Resentment Thoughts seemed to discover something.

It began desperately manifesting it.

With this activation, astonishing transformations erupted across the entire void—