Ancient Wizards: A Little Progress Every Day

Claire stood in front of the mushroom house, her lips pressed tightly together, a communication stone that kept flashing in her hand, her eyes fixed on a light barrier that was gradually shrinking in the distance.

That light curtain was not a gentle stream, but a millstone that shredded all rules. Wherever it passed, ancient rocks and twisted vegetation were reduced to nothingness particles.

This is a cruel squeeze on living space, and it is the first test for the Fairy Ancient City to select the strong.

"Whoosh—"

The light curtain, which was moving slowly, suddenly contracted and accelerated, rapidly approaching Claire at a speed visible to the naked eye.

A sickening squeaking sound filled the air, as if the world's outer shell was cracking.

Claire's expression changed slightly, her knuckles turned white from the force, and she subconsciously looked towards the mushroom house behind her.

"call--"

Almost simultaneously, a strong wind swept in, and a dazzling golden light burst forth before my eyes.

The golden light was not warm; instead, it carried a cold, hard metallic feel, like a burst of high-purity energy radiation.

Claire squinted instinctively and took two steps back, feeling a slight stinging sensation on her skin.

When he came to his senses, he was shocked to find that Dago's figure had already appeared in front of him.

Dago stood there quietly, the golden light around him slowly receding into his body, like a peerless blade returning to its sheath.

Compared to a few days ago, Dago's appearance hadn't changed much, but his aura had undergone a complete transformation.

His eyes were no longer as sharp and piercing as before, but rather as still and lifeless as an abyss, with the occasional glint of light reflecting his indifference to all things in the world.

His gaze grew increasingly deep and reserved, radiating a hint of coldness. Although both were three-ring members, Claire felt an invisible, suffocating pressure as soon as she got a little closer to Dargo.

This suppression does not come from the total amount of magic power, but from the difference in the level of life, like a herbivore encountering a top predator.

This feeling shocked him, considering that he had been a third-ring wizard for quite some time and was about to condense his sixth soul crystal.

In terms of combat strength, Claire knew he was no match for Dago, but the fact that his actual mental strength was being suppressed was something he found hard to accept.

"On the path to truth, even a single step of understanding is an insurmountable chasm," Claire thought bitterly.

"Let's get out of here first."

Dargo, who had just emerged from the cabin, glanced at the rapidly shrinking light screen and beckoned to Claire.

His tone was so calm, as if he were talking about something trivial; the impending catastrophe behind him was nothing more than a natural phenomenon in his eyes.

Claire nodded, and the two of them left the area quickly before the light screen shrank.

The light curtain closed behind his heels, emitting a chilling swallowing sound.

"Thank you so much for the past few days."

Above the fairy city, Dago sincerely thanked Claire. During his seclusion, he had noticed wizards lingering nearby more than once, but Claire had always driven them away.

In this wizarding world filled with betrayal and slaughter, a steadfast commitment to a contract is especially precious.

Without Claire's protection, his advancement would not have failed, but the process would undoubtedly have been much more fraught with difficulties, and might even have left hidden dangers at the soul level.

Claire simply shook her head at Dargo's thanks, a complex look flashing in her eyes, before turning the conversation back to the competition they both cared about.

"There are now only seven vacant seats left."

He pointed to the several towering white pillars of light in the core area of ​​the ancient city, which were the staircases leading to higher levels and the coveted prizes in the eyes of all wizards.

"Our Progressive Society isn't the only organization involved in this battle. Harvid and his group have encountered considerable resistance in their joint efforts to secure a seat, and..."

Claire paused, her tone becoming serious: "Barker has gathered a group of wizards in an attempt to fight against Kolcrow."

"Um?!"

Dago was surprised, raising an eyebrow slightly. This was not because of Barker's courage, but because he was astonished by the chaos of the situation.

Dagger turned his gaze, which had been fixed on the white beams of light in the center of the Fairy City, to Claire. Just as he was about to ask her more questions, a sharp whooshing sound drew their attention.

That was a shrill scream as magic burned violently, tearing through the air, carrying a heavy stench of blood.

The two looked in the direction of the sound and saw several figures flying toward them one after the other.

They were moving very fast. The pursuers were three third-ring wizards who surrounded them in a triangular formation. Their bodies were filled with magical energy, and they were clearly serious.

The object they were pursuing was, unusually, only exuding the aura of a second-circle wizard.

That was the limit of the second ring, an explosive force obtained by burning the soul's potential in a desperate situation.

Dago glanced at the person he was chasing. His long hair was disheveled, his robes were torn and stained with blood, but his handsome face had a resolute gaze.

It turned out to be the young wizard named Feregalon who had snatched other people's "tickets" to enter the Fairy City with him.

No one knew what the latter had done, but the three third-ring wizards chasing him were filled with murderous intent and relentlessly pursued him, casting warning glances at Dago and his companion from afar.

His gaze was filled with arrogance and threat, as if to say: Get out of here if you don't want to die.

Dago's eyes flickered slightly, and a faint, cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

Half a breath later, his figure suddenly disappeared from the spot.

There was no chanting of incantations, no warm-up of spiritual energy; it was as if the world had simply erased its coordinates.

He appeared almost instantly between Ferencgalon and the three third-ring wizards who were chasing him.

Ferregalon stared in horror at the figure that had suddenly appeared in front of him, feeling a terrifying aura that sent shivers down his spine.

A radiant light shone from his forehead, and a pale golden spiritual energy field emanated from his body. It was no longer scattered energy, but a precisely woven grid of rules.

Titanium flowed down his right hand, quickly condensing into a silvery-white spear.

The gun's surface shimmered with a cold metallic light, and a dense frost power gathered within it, transforming into a chilling, icy blue flame. As the flame flickered, tiny ice crystal cracks appeared in the surrounding space.

"Get out of here!"

The leader of the three third-ring wizards had a cold expression, a hint of violence flashing in his eyes. With a wave of his hand, a powerful magical domain emanated from his body.

That was the pride of a third-ring wizard; he didn't believe anyone could instantly block the combined attack of the three of them.

But before his spell could be completed, Dago's spear suddenly thrust out.

This thrust was simple and direct, yet it was so fast it pushed the limits of thought.

With mental energy locked on, frost flames dissolved the defense, elemental resonance strengthened its hardness, and the cutting power of the Fine Snow Sword Domain intertwined with several forces on the spear, unleashing a momentary burst of brilliant light.

The radiance illuminated the gloomy ancient city and also the terrified pupils of the chief wizard.

The spear that flew from his hand was like lightning—no, more destructive than lightning. It ignored the concept of distance, and in a few flashes and leaps, it suddenly appeared in front of the third-ring wizard.

It easily tore through the opponent's mental field and extraordinary domain with unstoppable force. Those proud shields were as thin as paper in front of the spear, and the layers of defense collapsed instantly.

"Bang!"

A muffled bang—the sound of flesh and energy exploding simultaneously.

The spear pierced the wizard's chest, the immense kinetic energy propelling his body backward, the momentum undiminished, as he plummeted like a meteor.

Finally, they nailed it firmly to the outer wall of an ancient building below!

Cracks spread across the wall like a spider web, and the icy blue flames instantly engulfed the corpse, preventing it from even uttering a scream.

At this moment, both the pursuers and the fleeing parties stopped moving.

Everyone on the field, including Claire, stared at D'Ago with utter shock.