Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

Chapter 589 Someone Has to Step Forward
Ron stood at the registration desk, watching the document disappear.

He was greeted by an extremely elderly-looking archivist.

"Applications for inheritance of virtual remains usually require a review period of three to seven days."

The old man's voice was hoarse and mechanical, like some kind of pre-programmed message:
"In special circumstances, it may be extended to one month."

"Professor Utter's condition..."

He raised his head, and his cloudy eyes suddenly became bright and lively.

"This is open to discussion."

Ron could hear a subtle hint in those words.

It was as if this old man knew something.

"I understand." He nodded and turned to leave.

But just as he stepped out of the gates of the Court of Truth...

An indescribable sense of unease suddenly washed over me.

It was not a specific sound, not a visible light, not even any phenomenon that could be perceived by the five senses.

It's more like... the "texture" of the entire world has undergone a subtle change at this moment.

The air was still flowing, people were still walking, and everything looked the same as usual.

Ron could sense that something... had descended from a dimension beyond his reach.

The feeling is like a creature on a two-dimensional plane suddenly realizing that there is a huge three-dimensional being "looking down" at the entire plane.

He cannot see, hear, or understand.

Yet, one can instinctively sense that "gaze" from a higher dimension.

The "crisis warning" was not triggered.

Because of that existence, he was not included in the category of "needs to care about".

Just like humans don't deliberately avoid ants when they walk.

It wasn't out of malice, it's just that... the difference in levels was too great, so great that the existence of an "ant" itself wasn't even worth "noticing".

Ron's breathing became difficult at that moment.

Even without activating his spiritual perception, he could sense that the "aura of death" within his perceptible range was becoming active in a strange way.

Those bones buried underground, those remains sealed in tombs, those wandering souls on the edge of the spirit world...

At this moment, all objects related to "death" turned in the same direction.

Just like a sunflower turning towards the sun, just like iron filings arranged in a magnetic field.

—They are "worshipping".

We offer our most primal reverence to that supreme being who represents "the end of all death."

Ron forced himself to endure the oppressive feeling that was almost suffocating his soul and quickly left the area where he was.

He didn't know what happened.

But instinctively, he knew he absolutely could not stay here.

Because next, some kind of "event" far beyond his comprehension will occur at a higher level of this world.

He didn't even have the right to be a "bystander".

………………

On the other hand, within the folds of reality, there exist dimensions that mortals can never reach.

There was no light there, but it was not dark either;

There is no time, but everything is passing by;
There is no space, yet everything is everywhere.

This is the "conceptual layer".

It is a battlefield where beings who transcend the constraints of matter communicate and compete.

At a certain "node" in this dimension, a pale white mist is slowly condensing.

The fog has no fixed shape; sometimes it expands like a nebula, and sometimes it contracts into a single point.

The only constant is the pervasive atmosphere of death.

That is the end of all life, the inevitable return of all things to nothingness.

The end of death, St. Gregory.

To be precise, it was a branch of His consciousness projected into this star field.

Even though it was just a branch, its very existence made the necromantic aura of the entire star field exceptionally active.

Countless dying stars are accelerating towards extinction, and the decaying cores of planets are beginning to disintegrate;
Even the meteorites drifting in deep space seemed to have aged tens of thousands of years at this moment.

"That's great..."

From within the pale mist, a voice that was both old and young, both gentle and cold, rang out:

"A shroud that is about to completely dissipate can still exude such a pure aura of 'order'."

“Utter Gustav…”

His "gaze" pierced through the barriers of countless dimensions, precisely locking onto the slowly disintegrating silver ethereal body within a sealed chamber of the "Court of Truth".

"Mystic, Time Observer, Builder of Spatial Stability..."

The end of death is like flipping through an invisible archive:

"Moreover, he has an almost pathological obsession with 'rules'."

"This persistence made his ethereal body continue to try to maintain a certain 'order' even during the process of disintegration."

The mist trembled slightly, emitting a sound like a sigh:

“What a useful ‘tool’…”

“If he is summoned back and given immortality, then he can continue his ‘mission’ forever.”

"To observe forever, to record forever, to maintain that fragile 'order' forever..."

"Isn't this the greatest 'mercy' one can show to a scholar?"

The pale mist began to extend downwards, like the tentacles of a giant beast, preparing to penetrate the dimensional barrier and reach the material world.

however.

Just as the tentacles were about to break through the last barrier...

A silver light suddenly condensed in front of the tentacle.

The light quickly unfolded, transforming into a huge "book" composed entirely of information.

The pages moved automatically without any wind, each page densely covered with countless words, symbols, and images.

Those records are constantly being updated, with hundreds of millions of new pieces of information being written every second.

"Please stop."

A completely emotionless voice came from the book:
“The illusory remains of Yutel Gustav should not be summoned by you.”

The pale fog stopped spreading.

After a moment of silence, a playful laugh broke out:
"Oh? Salcardo."

"How strange, you would actually interfere with my 'mercy'?"

"This isn't like you. You've always just been responsible for 'recording' and never 'interfering', haven't you?"

The pages of the silver book flipped rapidly, and text appeared densely like a torrential rain:

“The premise of ‘recording’ is the existence of something real that can be recorded.”

“And your ‘recruitment’ will distort the nature of those recruited, turning them from ‘their former selves’ into ‘tools you need’.”

"This distortion contaminates the authenticity of history."

But when Salcardo's silver book unfolded and blocked the tentacles of the End of Death...

His heart was also undergoing a fierce struggle at this moment.

"does it worth?"

This question echoed repeatedly in His mind.

To offend a demon for the sake of a friend who has already died;
To violate one's principle of "only recording, not interfering" for the sake of a soon-to-dissipate husk.

Is it really worth it?
Salcardo was fully aware of how dangerous what he was doing was.

The difference between the Demon God and the Witch King can no longer be measured by a simple "power level".

That is the fundamental chasm of existence.

If the distance from apprentice to wizard king is like climbing from the ground to the mountaintop;

So the distance between the Witch King and the Demon God is from a speck of dust to the entire universe that contains that speck of dust.

At this moment, He could clearly feel:
Every breath at the end of death causes the life force of the entire star field to drain away.
With each of His heartbeats, He accelerates the demise of countless dying beings.
It is itself an irresistible "end point" that is slowly approaching.

If the End of Death truly becomes enraged, and takes serious action...

Salcardo knew he didn't even have a chance to escape.

He will be like a book consumed by flames, completely erased from every level of existence.

But even so...

"I have to stand up."

Salcardo said to himself.

He knew that he could not change those enormous injustices;
The rewriting of history during the changing of eras cannot be stopped;

He cannot protect all the truths that are crushed by power;
They also cannot challenge the rules set by the demons...

But at least this time, in this specific and minor incident, he must stand up!
Sensing the unwavering resolve of the King of Records, the pale mist fell silent for a moment.

Then, even more intense mockery followed:

"Authenticity? History? Ha..."

"Salcardo, when did you become so naive?"

Do you really think the 'history' you've recorded is true?

The voice at the end of death grew sharper:
"Open your eyes and look!"

"Your so-called 'truth' is riddled with holes!"

"Now, you actually question my 'compassion' for the sake of the 'dignity' of a dead person?"

"Is this ridiculous, or hypocritical?"

The turning of the silver book suddenly stopped.

Salcardo's voice rang out again, but this time, it carried an extremely rare emotional fluctuation:
"Yes I know."

His voice became heavy as lead:

"Everything I did was just a futile struggle within a limited framework."

"But precisely because of this..."

The silver book began to turn again, and this time, the same words appeared on every page:
"Precisely because I am powerless to change those 'grand injustices,' I must at least do what I can to hold on to the last vestiges."

Knowing it might be crushed, knowing it might be futile, knowing the price might be unbearable...

"Because this time..."

He said to himself in his heart:

“I’m not just protecting Yutel.”

"I am proving that at least some things cannot be trampled on at will."

"Even if, at the cost of such proof..."

He felt the terrifying aura of death's end pressing down on every inch of his being:
"It is my complete demise."

So, the book was opened!

The pale white mist began to churn violently.

"Bottom line?"

His laughter was full of irony:

"Salcardo, you're getting more and more confused as you get older."

"Have you forgotten what price you paid to gain the authority to 'record'?"

"Now, you want to talk to me about 'bottom lines' because of a dying man?"

The tentacles of death's end extend once more, this time with a palpable sense of oppression:
"Get out of the way, Salcardo."

"otherwise……"

However, He had not finished speaking...

A piercing bell sound suddenly rang out in the conceptual layer.

The voice was full of mockery, sarcasm, and a kind of almost manic pleasure.

"Jingle Bell……"

"Jingle Bell……"

"Jingle Bell……"

As the bell rang, the conceptual "space" began to twist, reverse, and fold.

A figure dressed in half a fine robe and half a tattered shirt, with half a smiling face and half a crying face painted on it, "jumped" out of nothingness.

"Oh dear~~" the clown clapped his hands exaggeratedly:
"What is this? What is this?"

"The 'End of Death' is actually going to personally bully an old man who's already dead?"

“This is too much…” He deliberately dragged out the tone:
"So classy!"

"Bullying the dead, truly a 'great' act only a demon god could commit!"

"I, a mere witch king, am truly ashamed of my inferiority."

But faced with the "end of death" before him, the King of Absurdity was almost driven to a mental breakdown by fright.

"Are you insane, Hector?"

"Yeah, I'm crazy, so what?"

"Do you know what you're doing? That's a demon god!"

"Yes, I know perfectly well."

"He can annihilate you in an instant!"

"I know, I know, so what~~?"

This self-examination and self-answering proceeded rapidly in His mind.

Ultimately, all the voices converged on one conclusion:
"Because it's fucking hilarious."

Deep within his consciousness, He said to himself:
"I've seen too many absurd things in my life."

“I have seen countless innocent people sacrificed in the name of ‘order’.”

“I have seen the truth buried in the name of ‘stability’.”

"I have seen individual dignity trampled on for the sake of the 'big picture'..."

"I've tolerated all of this."

"Because I know that some things are too absurd, so absurd that I am powerless to change them."

"but……"

The image of Yutel flashed through Hector's mind:

The old man who, though nearing death, was still worrying about the future of the next generation…

"That guy, Yutel, although rigid, although boring, although he always looks at me with that 'you're blaspheming academics' look..."

"But he's a good man."

"He is the kind of 'good person' in the truest sense."

Hector's mood became somewhat gloomy:

There are already too few good people in this world.

"If such good people are even deprived of the most basic dignity of 'dying peacefully'..."

"That world..."

He wiped the paint off his face: "What meaning does he have left?"

The pale mist shuddered as it sensed the presence of this most detestable creature.

"Hector..."

The voice at the end of death became noticeably agitated:
"Are you here to cause trouble again?"

"Stirring things up? No, no, no~~"

Hector shook his head, the bells on his body jingling:
"I was just passing by, just passing by~~"

"We just happened to see our esteemed Demon God here tampering with a poor, innocent, and already dead old scholar."

"How could I, a 'clown' with a conscience, turn a blind eye?"

Yes, if the other party takes it even a little bit seriously, I'll be torn to pieces like a tattered rag doll.

but……

"This is the Joker's moment!"

Hector shouted to himself in his heart:

Even knowing it's a dead end, you still have to walk on with a smile.

"Even knowing it will fail, you still have to put on an exaggerated performance."

"Even though I know it's absurd, I still have to act out the play seriously."

"Because if even the 'Joker' doesn't dare to step forward..."

"Then who would dare to stand up?"

Then, the bell rang!
A pale mist and a distorted bell sound confronted each other, while a silver book slowly turned between them.

Three completely different "wills" are engaged in an invisible struggle in this dimension beyond the reach of mortals.

The End of Death is undoubtedly the strongest.

As one of the four cornerstones, His level far surpasses that of the Wizard King.

Even if the two witch kings joined forces, in terms of absolute power, it was like a firefly compared to the bright moon.

Even so…

"Are you two serious?"

The sound of death's end carried a sense of disbelief:
“Salcardo, Hector…”

"You two have disliked each other since you met, and now you've actually teamed up?"

"For a dead man?"

"Yes," Salcardo replied succinctly and firmly.

“That’s it~~” Hector tilted his head:
"Although I really dislike this stereotypical 'record maniac'..."

“But…” His tone suddenly became serious:
"On this matter, we are of one mind."

“Utter Gustav, he should…” Hector said, unusually in a normal tone:

"To die completely, as a 'person' and not a 'tool'."

However, although on the surface they are tough, firm, and unyielding.

Deep within his consciousness, Salcardo could feel his "book" trembling violently.

“Hold on…” He told himself: Hold on, do not show any sign of giving up…

"As long as He sees that we are serious..."

"As long as He realizes that forced conscription will cause trouble..."

"He might..."

"It's just a 'possibility'..."

"I will compromise."

Hector, on the other hand, was so nervous he almost wet himself.

"Don't shake, don't shake, please don't shake..."

He forced himself to maintain that mocking attitude:
“You are the ‘King of Absurdity,’ you cannot show fear…”

Even if you're terrified inside, you have to keep smiling on the outside...

"That's the Joker's professionalism..."

"Hold on, Hector..."

"hold onto……"

He could feel the bells on his body trembling uncontrollably.

Hector did his best to disguise this trembling as an "exaggerated theatrical movement."

"Great, that's it~~"

"Let Him think I'm deliberately shaking the bell to mock Him..." "Whatever you do, don't let Him know I'm actually about to pee my pants..."

This is what two mortal enemies are doing when they join forces: putting on a good show with their lives.

The end of death remained silent for a long time.

With His power, crushing the Witch King was a piece of cake.

But the problem is... He can't.

To be precise, it's "inconvenient".

As one of the four cornerstones, the entity at the end of death bears the fundamental responsibility of maintaining the "cycle of life and death" of the entire universe.

Every action He takes creates ripples at the level of rules.

If His avatar were to go all out here and forcibly summon Yutel's ethereal remains...

Then, the "death" rules of the entire star field will be temporarily disrupted.

This disorder may lead to:
Those who deserve to die will not die;
A person who shouldn't have died suddenly dies;
The deceased cannot be converted into spiritual energy;

Even the entire reincarnation system could come to a standstill...

"Damn 'rule restrictions'..." Death's End cursed in his heart.

This is the price of becoming a "cornerstone".

Power and constraint are always intertwined.

He possesses power far exceeding that of the Witch King, but he must also bear the corresponding responsibilities.

Salcardo and Hector grasped this point precisely.

"you……"

The sound of death's end already carried a chill:
"Are you really going to become my enemy for the sake of a dead man?"

“Not as enemies,” Salcardo corrected calmly.
"It is our right as the Wizard King to 'protect' the wizarding civilization."

"Well said! Well said!"

Hector clapped his hands:
"Although I hate to admit it, this rigid 'record maniac' is quite right this time."

"Lord St. Gregory~~"

He tilted his head, his tone becoming playful:

"You don't really think that 'recruiting' is a form of 'compassion,' do you?"

"You don't really think that making the deceased repeat their work in life forever is a 'gift'?"

"If that's really the case..."

Hector's smile became extremely eerie:
"Then I must congratulate you!"

"Because you have successfully disguised 'hell' as 'heaven'."

"They packaged a 'curse' as a 'blessing'."

"This is art that even I, the 'King of Absurdity,' am ashamed of myself for!"

These words were like daggers to the heart.

The pale white mist began to churn violently.

The End of Death has clearly been enraged.

His mist began to expand without limit.

The concentration of necromantic energy throughout the entire star field has reached a level sufficient to cause the souls of ordinary wizards to decay.

But... Salcardo and Hector remained standing.

The light from the silver book unfolds as a barrier within the conceptual layer;
The distorted sound of the bells transformed into invisible ripples, dissolving the necromancy's corrosive influence.

The two witch kings, in their own ways, held the last line of defense.

Time loses its meaning at the conceptual level.

This standoff may have lasted only a moment, or it may have lasted for thousands of years.

finally……

"……very good."

The voice at the end of death turned icy cold: "You have won."

"Only this one time."

The pale mist began to contract, and the tentacles that had extended into the material world slowly retracted.

"The illusory remains of Yutel Gustav..."

His tone carried a clear sense of reluctance: "I will postpone the conscription for the time being."

Seeing the other side compromise, Salcardo and Hector almost simultaneously felt that the power they had gathered was about to collapse on its own.

That was the backlash after the pressure was suddenly released, like a bowstring stretched to its limit being suddenly released.

"We... survived..."

Salcardo thought incredulously.

"Damn it... I almost died..."

Hector, on the other hand, cursed wildly.

But in the next moment...

"but……"

Before the fog dissipated, it left behind its final words:

"As a response to your 'offense'..."

“I have decided to release a few ‘residents’ from ‘Paradise’.”

These words caused Salcardo and Hector to freeze in their tracks.

"What……"

“I will select a few ‘outstanding’ patients and have them temporarily leave ‘paradise’.”

The sound of death's end, tinged with twisted pleasure:
“Each of them had an unfulfilled ‘last wish’ before they died.”

"Since I am so 'compassionate,' I should of course grant their wish."

“Let them return to the material world and fulfill those ‘beautiful’ dreams…”

"Isn't this the greatest 'gift' to prisoners?"

"and many more……"

Hector's voice finally sounded somewhat flustered:

"You know what that means!"

"Those people, their 'last wishes'..."

"Of course I know!"

Laughter at the end of death echoes in the conceptual realm:

"I know it perfectly well."

"Elena Moonshine desires to 'heal all pain'."

"Norman Davenport wanted to 'reveal the truth of history'."

"And that one..."

His voice became meaningful: "Someone who wants to 'break the threshold'."

“They will all have the opportunity to realize their ‘dreams’.”

“I will grant them the necessary ‘freedom’.”

"As for whether this process will cause some minor 'chaos' in the material world..."

The pleasure of the final moment of death can almost be felt through sound:
"That's beyond my control, isn't it?"

"after all……"

"Dreams must come true; wishes must be fulfilled!"

"This is my duty as a 'merciful' demon god."

"You guys won't object, will you?"

The pale mist completely dissipated after those words.

The conceptual level has returned to calm.

Only Salcardo and Hector remained, standing in the void, speechless for a long time.

"We...made a mistake."

Salcardo's voice carried an unusual weariness.

"Elena Moonshine..."

He summoned the books and retrieved the complete record of her:
Name: Elena Moonshine

[Era: Late Third Age]

[Strength: Grand Wizard (Top-Tier)]

[Cause of death: Consumed by the "hate entity" he created]

[Time of conscription: Late Third Era]

[Current Status: Undead, Prisoner of "Paradise"]

Danger Level: Extremely High

But this basic information is far from enough to describe her true danger.

Elena's "last wish" was to heal all suffering.

Salcardo analyzed in his mind:
"That sounds wonderful."

"But the problem is..."

"Her idea of ​​'healing' is achieved by forcibly extracting the negative emotions of others."

"She can take away all of everyone's pain, sadness, anger...

"Then, those people will become... 'empty shells'."

"They will no longer feel pain, because they will no longer feel anything."

"They would be like puppets, smiling, repeating mechanical actions..."

"This is Elena's understanding of 'happiness'."

The most terrifying thing is...

"She's not crazy."

Salcardo's records clearly indicate this:
"She possesses complete rationality, a clear mind, and extremely strong execution ability."

“She knew what she was doing; she just thought it was ‘right’.”

"She will use the most efficient methods, the gentlest approaches, and the most 'compassionate' principles..."

“Extract all the emotions of the resisters, one by one.”

"Moreover, she is a master of the alchemy of emotions."

"She can implant the seeds of 'emotional extraction' into the target's body through minimal emotional contact."

"This seed will lie dormant, grow, and eventually burst forth without warning..."

“Norman Davenport…”

Salcardo's records continue to be turned:
Name: Norman Davenport

[Era: Early Fourth Age]

[Strength: Dark Sun Level (Top-Tier)]

[Reason for imprisonment: Discovery and attempt to expose evidence of "history rewriting"]

[Duration of imprisonment: 823 years]

[Current Status: Prisoner of "Paradise", cursed with "Forced Cognitive Disorder"]

[Danger Level: High]

"Norman's danger lies not in his destructive power..."

Salcardo thought heavily to himself:

"But it lies in the 'truths' he possesses."

"If he regains consciousness, if he is able to fully articulate what he discovered..."

"Those carefully buried historical contradictions, those deliberately erased records, those..."

“Those ‘truths’ that are enough to bring down the existing order will be made public.”

Even more troublesome is...

“Norman is not the kind of person who would use ‘gentle methods’ to reveal the truth.”

"More than 800 years of imprisonment has distorted his personality."

“He used to be a mild-mannered scholar, but now… he may have become a paranoid avenger.”

"He will use the most intense methods and the most extreme means..."

"Forcibly stuffing those 'truths that should not be known' into everyone's understanding."

"He doesn't care how much chaos this will cause."

"He just wants to prove that he was right back then."

"He just wanted everyone to know..."

"How much darkness is buried beneath this seemingly peaceful world?"

Salcardo could foresee that if Norman were released...

He would go straight to the historical archives of various schools of thought and make public all the "taboo records" inside.

He will publicly expose those "erased histories" in the square of the central land.

He will use every means to let everyone know:

"The 'truth' you believe in has been distorted."

"The 'history' you are learning has been filtered."

"The 'heroes' you admire may have committed unforgivable crimes."

This kind of "truth bombardment" can destroy the foundation of trust in countless people in a very short time.

People will start to question everything, doubt everything, and deny everything.

As for the last one...

"That 'quasi-Witch King' whose name cannot even be recorded."

In Salcardo's records, most of the information about him has been marked as "deleted".

Only a few lines are still legible:
Name: [Deleted]

[Time: [Deleted]]

[Strength: Approaching that of the Witch King]

Reason for imprisonment: [Deleted]

[Duration of imprisonment: More than one era]

[Current Status: Fully conscious, voluntarily imprisoned]

Danger Level: [Data Error]

The final "data error" sent a sharp pain through Salcardo's consciousness.

“His dangerousness has exceeded the scope of my ‘record system’.”

Salcardo's train of thought was abruptly interrupted here.

Because if we think any further, we will touch upon a "taboo" that even He Himself dares not touch.

Hector was also considering the danger posed by these three men.

However, His way of thinking is more intuitive:

"Three time bombs."

"Elena is a 'slow bomb'."

By the time everyone realized what was happening, it was too late.

"Norman is a 'chain reaction bomb'; he detonates cognition."

Once it starts, it will trigger a chain reaction until the entire system collapses.

"And that 'nameless person'..."

A deep worry flashed through Hector's mind:
"He is the 'ultimate bomb'."

Hector's thoughts stopped here.

Even He dared not continue thinking about it.

"Damn it..." He cursed inwardly.
"That bastard Gregory is really cunning."

"On the surface, it's about 'fulfilling their last wishes,' but in reality, it's about poisoning us."

"And the best part is..."

"We cannot stop it yet."

"Because if we stop it, it's tantamount to admitting that 'dreams can't come true,' that the prisoners shouldn't be released, and that everything we said before was bullshit..."

"This means we've contradicted ourselves."

"Brilliant, absolutely brilliant..."

Hector smiled bitterly to himself:

"As expected of a demon god."

“A seemingly ‘compassionate’ decision has put us in a difficult position.”

"Now, we can only watch helplessly as those three 'bombs' are dropped into the main world..."

"Then pray..."

"Let's pray they don't actually detonate it."

"Pray that someone can stop them."

Even Hector himself found this kind of "prayer" laughable.

"Never mind." He finally sighed in his heart.

"At least, we held onto Yutel."

"At least……"

"At least we've tried."

"leftover……"

Hector looked into the depths of the void, where something seemed to be awakening:
"Let those 'young people' handle it."

"Ron, Eve, and those rising geniuses..."

"Hopefully they can do better than us 'old guys'."

"Hopefully, they can find the answers we haven't found."

"hope……"

His thoughts eventually returned to peace:
"This absurd world can still be saved."

Salcardo remained silent for a long time as well.

Finally, the silver book closed.

"I will document all of this."

His voice regained its usual indifference:

“Record our choices, record the ‘punishment’ of the ‘end of death’, and record everything that will happen next.”

"Regardless of how future generations evaluate it..."

"At least, the truth will be preserved."

"Even if this truth..."

"It will make future generations question our decisions today."

The two witch kings exchanged a glance in the conceptual realm.

At this moment, for the first time, two legendary wizards who had always disliked each other made a true reconciliation.

It's not agreement, and it's certainly not friendship.

It was a kind of helplessness and sorrow of being in the same predicament.

Then, the pages of the book and the sound of the bell disappeared at the same time.

(End of this chapter)