Ancient Wizards: A Little Progress Every Day

"You don't look as depressed as Steele described."

Dargo stepped aside slightly to let Violet walk to the table next to him.

Violet shook her head with a somewhat helpless expression and said, "Even if I were at the same level as him, I still wouldn't be his match. Losing to someone like him is frustrating, but not as much as you might imagine."

He continued, "Do you know why the Thorn Ring is holding this internal competition?"

Dago shook his head.

"In order to further select suitable candidates to go to the front line of the secret realm battlefield."

Violet looked at Dago, "Lady Undineta sent you elsewhere, deliberately making you miss this competition. It seems she never intended for you to go to the front lines of the secret realm battlefield. But then again..."

Violet paused, then said with a touch of emotion, "You possess powerful ancient blood, and your wizarding talent far surpasses mine. Given time, you could probably grow to a level comparable to Barker. What you lack now is not opportunities to hone your skills, but time. There's really no need for you to participate in the front lines; that would actually be bad for you."

What is the front line of the Secret Realm Battlefield?

Dago frowned and asked.

He learned from Violet that Undine had sent him to the Ice Castle not so much to seek "bloodline modification," but to get rid of him, and seemingly as another form of protection.

She repeatedly emphasized that she wouldn't let herself become a "flower in a greenhouse," yet she's a hypocrite.

Violet nodded and said, "The front line is what we privately call the inner core area of ​​the Mirror Forest: the Dark Crystal Cult, the Thunder Tower, the Black Swamp, the Water Palace, the Lava Brotherhood, and our Thorn Ring."

The six major wizarding factions in the southern part of the Emerald Forest joined forces to activate the runic restrictions on the core area of ​​the Ancient Mirror Forest Secret Realm. However, after preliminary exploration, this core area was roughly divided into three layers.

To ensure a reasonable allocation of manpower, these three areas will be explored by young wizards of different levels and strengths.

These are the so-called front line, second line, and third line. The front line is the most dangerous and difficult to explore, so those qualified to enter are the strongest and most outstanding geniuses of the six major wizarding forces.

I originally wanted to try to get into the front line, but unfortunately I ran into Barker in the first round of the internal competition, so I guess I can only go to the second line.

The Tower Master's arrangement for you is likely to be second-line. While third-line missions are less dangerous, they offer virtually no training value for you.

As a veteran genius of the Silver Tower, Violet had spent much more time there than Dagger, and knew and had access to far more than Dagger.

The two decided to sit down at the long table, and Steele brought over tea and snacks with a smile, seemingly very pleased to see the harmonious scene of their warm conversation.

Four magnificent and strange energy fluctuations slowly emanated from the light spheres above the four towers, spreading throughout the entire city of Cletam.

As the energy fluctuations were released, three enormous magical airships entered the central square of Cletam City, resembling three giant metal whales, their bodies radiating a bright blue light, and silently hovering in the air.

At the top of the Silver Tower, two figures rode the gentle breeze and flew out side by side.

One of the figures was probably in his early twenties, with a thin face and average looks, but his lapis lazuli-like eyes were quite dazzling, adding a lot of charm to him.

The other person was much younger than him, and more outstanding in appearance, with a slender and well-proportioned figure, black hair and blue eyes, and a mysterious and elegant temperament like a wizarding nobleman.

Violet and Dago emerged together after receiving the signal that the Mirror Forest Secret Realm was about to open.

"You should have memorized all the information I gave you, right?"

As Violet led Dago toward the three giant magical airships, she instructed him, "Those are rare and precious items that were previously unearthed from the Mirror Forest Secret Realm. If you know enough about them, you'll know which items are valuable and worth fighting for when we explore."

Dago nodded.

He and Violet spent two days chatting in Undine's study, and they could already be considered friends.

Violet has a good personality; she not only taught him a lot of knowledge but also specially compiled a "treasure list" of the Mirror Forest for him.

While it's impossible to include all the information about everything we'll encounter in our next exploration, it does summarize a significant portion.

Exploring with a purpose is far more efficient than wandering aimlessly like a headless fly.

The two gradually approached and stopped at the huge central square, a landmark building in Cletham.

Like them, a large number of fellow wizards from the four towers were also inspired, almost all of whom were at least at the late first ring level, and there were quite a few wizards at the second ring level or above.

Dago roughly counted around and found that there were about three hundred people in total.

"So many people!"

Dago spoke softly, but Violet shook her head upon hearing his sigh: "A lot? Once you meet the people from the other five major powers, you'll know what a lot really means. In this exploration, the Thorn Ring received relatively few slots, especially for the first and second-tier personnel. Compared to the other wizarding powers, the Thorn Ring is still somewhat lacking in overall strength and foundation. We'll probably only rank fourth or fifth among the six major powers."

Dago didn't speak, his gaze drawn to a group of people in one direction, a small group of wizards totaling about ten people.

Each of them possessed strength at the late second-ring stage or above, and each exuded a powerful aura. Their appearance and temperament were exceptionally outstanding, in no way inferior to Violet standing beside him.

When so many young and outstanding genius wizards gathered together, the spiritual aura that naturally emanated from them suddenly became more eye-catching, attracting the attention of almost all the wizards who came, and directly becoming the center and focus of this crowd.

Directly in front of these dozen or so true "chosen ones" stood a tall, dazzling young man.

The brilliance he exuded alone overshadowed all the halos of the dozen or so second-ring "prodigies" behind him.

He was handsome, with short, golden hair that shimmered in the sunlight like flowing gold threads, and silvery-white eyes that resembled deep, tranquil lakes, radiating a mysterious light at all times.

His body emanated an unparalleled and immense spiritual energy fluctuation belonging to a formal third-ring wizard, like the radiant power of a dazzling "sun".

Dago squinted, staring intently at the figure of the young third-ring wizard, appreciating his charisma.

Then he heard Violet whisper in his ear, "See that? That's Barker. It's said that his soul age hasn't even exceeded fifty. A genius of this caliber wouldn't even bother participating in the selection process; he'd be given a pre-selected spot directly."

Not even fifty years old, a third-ring wizard. In the long lifespan of a third-ring wizard, measured in centuries, this amount of time is less than one-tenth of the total.

In a small wizarding school like Enark, becoming a full wizard before the age of fifty is already considered a sign of excellent wizarding aptitude, diligence, and considerable talent.

If one can become a full-fledged second-ring wizard before the age of fifty, then one is undoubtedly a genius in the wizarding world. Even in the Thorn Ring, there are not many wizards who can achieve such a feat.

According to Violet herself, her soul age is forty-two, making her the first person in the history of the "Silver Tower" to achieve this, even surpassing Bernal.

He had been at the late second-ring stage for some time, but he still lacked the confidence to complete the remaining journey and advance to the third-ring wizard within the next eight years.

Barker became a third-ring wizard even earlier than he entered the late second ring. Barker has the title of "Four-Colored Metal" wizard, which has been renowned for many years in the Thorn Ring and the circle of genius wizarding forces of equal rank.

Moreover, according to Violet, Barker's talent in magic is also exceptional. He should have also comprehended the spiritual realm, and may even have achieved resonance of multiple first-level realms, which is far stronger than the ordinary spiritual realm.

As Dago pondered all this in silence, he suddenly saw one of the three giant magical airships in the central square light up brightly. Immediately afterward, a group of top-tier magical genius wizards, led by Barker and preparing to head to the forefront of the Mirror Forest Secret Realm, flew towards that airship and boarded it one after another.

Two figures flew through the sky, their bodies radiating a dazzling spiritual energy field that obscured their features, but their identities could be guessed; they were likely two Tower Master-level figures.

The two landed together on the airship, as powerful figures leading the team to the front lines.

From the silhouettes of the two people, Dago recognized one of them as Undine. He felt that Undine seemed to have glanced in their direction when she boarded the airship.

Violet also clearly sensed this and suddenly spoke up: "I now suspect that my encounter with the invincible Barker in the first round of the internal exchange competition was probably a deliberate arrangement by the Venerable Undine Tower."

"She wants to protect you too?"

"It's more like I'm protecting you, Dago."

Violet shook her head, correcting Dargo's statement in an emphatic tone.

Then, looking at Dago with a mixture of helplessness and speechlessness, she sighed softly, "Undine was even a little worried about letting you go to the second line of training alone, and she deliberately arranged for me to accompany you. For this reason, she even went so far as to ensure that there was not a single Silver Tower wizard among the first echelon qualified to go to the front line. She simply doesn't care about losing face."

Dago fell silent, finally managing to utter only one sentence: "You're overthinking it, Violet."

Violet pursed her lips, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and turned her face away from him.