Ancient Wizards: A Little Progress Every Day

Chapter 254 The Existence of Other Wizards

"Bang!"

With each step the giant magic box with golden legs took, the ground trembled violently, and the vast metal plaza collapsed even more rapidly.

It was as if the entire mechanical heart was vibrating and shaking.

This is not merely a physical collapse, but also the awakening of an ancient rule.

In Dago's data-driven eyes, the ever-collapsed geometric facets were reflected.

Each falling metal plate speaks volumes about the precision and cruelty of this relic's defense mechanism.

In the wizard's view, this was by no means a simple disaster.

This is the signal that the "hunting ground" has been opened.

After a brief moment of shock, Dago quickly retrieved the two collapsed stone tablets and retreated rapidly.

In this world where knowledge is power, any piece of information can be a matter of life and death.

He cannot be lost.

As he retreated, he witnessed countless jagged cracks appearing on the surface of the giant, legged magic box.

That is the embodiment of rune structure overload.

Dark red energy liquid seeped out of the cracks like grease.

Then, with a series of teeth-grinding metallic tearing sounds, a huge mouth appeared in the middle of the magic box.

That is not a feeding organ in the biological sense.

That is an industrial furnace that shreds all matter.

Its mouth is shaped like a shark's teeth, terrifying and unsettling. Inside, it is as deep as a black hole, where rows of fine, sharp teeth can be vaguely seen.

That is an absolute negation of the structure of matter.

Dago's scalp tingled slightly, mainly because this terrifying giant magic box seemed poised to charge straight at him.

It's locked.

This is a low-level marker based on soul fluctuations.

The hunting process will not end unless one of them dies.

Without a second thought, Dargo grabbed Brontë III by the neck, his body covered in living silver ice.

The cold metallic touch pierced his skin, but instead of causing discomfort, it gave him a sense of absolute rationality and security.

Using the effect of [Space Silver Ice], he flashed rapidly and rushed away from the giant magic box.

The folded feeling of the space made his stomach cramp.

But he remained expressionless, precisely calculating the coordinates of each landing point.

It was during his escape that he discovered this, and he didn't know if it was because the giant magic box inside the golden dwarf statue had awakened.

A certain "immune system" that had been dormant for thousands of years was activated.

It was as if some mysterious mechanism had been triggered.

The air was filled with the acrid smell of rust and engine oil.

Those are the hormones of mechanical life.

At this moment, the vast city-state where the Mechanical Heart was lost was no longer at peace.

Everywhere there were collapsed buildings, and ancient metal golems that were still functioning emerged from them.

They do not wander aimlessly.

They are gathering, building a net to strangle the invaders.

The remaining runes on his body emitted a red glow, giving off a dangerous feeling from afar.

This red light represents "annihilation mode".

In this mode, all non-metallic life forms will be considered viruses.

The wandering metallic elemental life forms also seemed to have collectively fallen into a state of frenzy.

They lost their original inertia and became extremely aggressive.

They began attacking indiscriminately in all directions, and some even charged towards Dago's direction, as if preparing to cooperate with the giant magic box to intercept them.

Is this a manifestation of collective wisdom?

Or is it being controlled by some grander will?

Dago's brain raced as he tried to unravel the underlying logic.

"Buzz—Buzz—"

Swarms of bees and flocks of birds suddenly appeared from nowhere.

It was a killing storm made up of countless tiny gears and blades.

Like clusters of dark, metallic clouds, they emitted unsettling energy fluctuations and sped across the sky at incredible speeds.

It's like a drop of water falling into a boiling oil pan.

The entire mechanical heart completely "exploded".

Order collapsed, and chaos ensued.

Dargo moved swiftly through this turbulent metal frenzy.

His eyes were as cold as knives.

They were not intimidated by the scene before them, but instead frantically calculated the optimal survival path.

With a swing of his arms, a handleless dagger resembling a shattered mirror and fine ice crystals appeared out of thin air.

It shot out rapidly in all directions, exploded, and created violent magical fluctuations.

Each icicle exploded precisely at the joint gears of the metal golem.

The metal summons created by the [Mirror Soul] spell also actively faced the metal elemental lifeforms and berserk puppets that were blocking or trying to block his way, under his command.

They are cannon fodder.

It is also a data probe for Dago's exploration.

But it was almost immediately overwhelmed by the raging tide.

The difference in strength is absolute.

Here, quantity is another manifestation of quality.

The giant magic box with legs was still chasing after them, its heavy footsteps echoing one after another.

That was the countdown to death.

Although it has never launched any effective attack on Dago.

But this in itself is a kind of arrogant cat-and-mouse game.

Or perhaps, it is accumulating some more terrifying "collapse" blow.

But the sheer size of the body alone created a sense of oppression that made Dago feel like he was being chased by a terrifying steel tsunami.

It made every cell in his body scream and want to escape.

"Their strength is definitely above that of a third-tier city."

Dago's eyes flashed quickly as he made a judgment.

Creatures of this level of energy are also dominant forces in the wizarding world.

Whether it reached the fourth-ring miracle level is unknown, because Dago has never experienced the pressure of a miracle-level being up close.

That level has already touched the edge of the "laws".

Brontë III's four little lamb legs were tightly wrapped around Dargo's thighs, his face still showing that innocent and bewildered expression.

It had no idea what kind of monster it had just unleashed.

It's probably still wondering why it found a "very big" box when it followed Dago's instructions.

But he didn't receive any reward or praise from Dago.

Dagger looked at the chaotic scene around him and felt a headache coming on.

Resource consumption is escalating.

Mental energy reserves are declining.

This kind of battle, where the gains don't cover the losses, violates the wizard's principle of "equivalent exchange."

He seemed to have just told himself that the Mechanical Heart Ruins weren't that dangerous, but reality slapped him hard in the face.

Truth often lies hidden beneath absurd appearances.

The more peaceful a place may seem, the deeper the abyss that may be swallowing everything may be hidden.

But Dargo did not blame Brontë III.

Tools are neither right nor wrong; it's all about the skill of the user.

Instead, a strange sense of anticipation arose in my heart.

That was greed for unknown knowledge and powerful artifacts.

The mural on the plaza depicts the Thunder and Flame Hammer, a weapon so treasured that even the Dwarf King of the Mechanical Heart sought the help of the legendary wizard Melville to preserve it properly.

That was more than just a weapon.

That was the pinnacle of the ancient dwarves' "steel craftsmanship" technology.

Could it be hidden inside that giant Pandora's Box monster behind him?

This possibility is quite high.

After all, the most precious treasures are often guarded by the most terrifying monsters.

However, this giant magic box monster is incredibly powerful, and figuring out how to open it is a major problem.

Perhaps a "key" is needed.

Alternatively, brute force sufficient to overturn the rules is required.

"Bang!"

A burst of magical flames, similar to the explosion of a [Flame Core Air Bomb], erupted not far away.

That was a plasma eruption under high temperature and pressure.

A broken metal fragment clattered to the ground, signaling the destruction of Dago's last [Mirror Soul] summon.

The line of sight was cut off.

The final image transmitted back was of countless sharp metal teeth closing together.

Dago didn't know how far he had run.

The sense of space becomes blurred in a chaotic magnetic field.

Anyway, they've already left the giant box monster far behind.

But that chilling feeling of being spied on still lingers like a leech.

But the crisis was not completely over; hordes of metal golems and metal elemental life forms were converging on him.

They were like sharks that had smelled blood.

The biomagnetic field on Dago's body shone like a lighthouse in this metallic dead zone.

Dago raised his body to avoid the attacks of some of the metal golems that couldn't take off.

This is dimensional suppression.

By leveraging their flight advantage, they can transform a two-dimensional encirclement into a three-dimensional battlefield.

He turned around and looked back at the location of the giant Pandora's Box.

The guy was still grinning with a gaping maw, huffing and puffing as he chased after Dago with his two thick, short, golden legs.

It's both comical and terrifying.

It is clear that Dago has not yet escaped its "scope of hatred".

This persistence may stem from a certain "trait" that Dago possesses.

Or it could be a "mark" left by Brontë III when he touched it.

Dago had designs on this guy and didn't want to give up so easily.

That could be legendary equipment.

A wizard is willing to take any risk for truth and power.

As long as the rate of return is high enough.

He stood there, pondering his next move.

Calculation, deduction, simulation.

Countless solutions were generated in my mind, only to be rejected one by one.

Utilize the terrain?

Lure other monsters into fighting each other?

Or is it setting up an alchemical trap?

However, at that moment...

"Boom!"

The earth trembled.

"Boom boom boom!"

A series of booming sounds came from a distant direction.

It was a dull sound, unlike the metallic clanging of metal.

That was a shock wave generated by the violent collision of elemental particles.

Dago looked up sharply, his perception far exceeding that of an ordinary wizard, and he caught a few unusual energy fluctuations accompanying the roaring sound.

He was very familiar with this fluctuation frequency.

"Fluctuations in non-metallic elemental magic"

"And there's more than one."

There was exploding fire, tearing wind, and heavy earth.

Composite spell strike.

Dago narrowed his eyes, his pupils gleaming beneath the silver mask.

That was the hunter's excitement at discovering a new variable.

"It seems there are other wizards fighting."

Are there other wizards within the ruins of the Mechanical Heart?!

That's not surprising.

After all, since the Mechanical Heart is an ancient secret realm that was discovered long ago, if he could find the entrance, others could too.

Moreover, battles inevitably involve losses.