Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

Chapter 444 Who is the prey?

"Let me see what this interesting little thing is all about..."

The Dog King began to retrieve more detailed target information through the time network.

The Time Hounds possess a unique tracking ability, enabling them to trace the past trajectory of their targets by following the traces of time-space fluctuations.

In this way, they can obtain detailed information about their prey, including its strength level, behavioral patterns, and even psychological weaknesses.

The scene of time began to unfold before the Dog King, like a dynamic historical scroll.

It showed Ron's growth trajectory from his apprenticeship:

His naive appearance when he first entered the Black Mist School, his battle with mutated monsters in the dormitory corridor, and his thrilling experience of venturing into the Great Abyss as soon as he became a formal wizard...

As the scene progresses, the dog king gradually becomes serious.

This young man's growth rate is indeed extraordinary; he always manages to unleash power beyond reason in dire situations.

Moreover, the information starting from the Morning Star level is completely obscured by some kind of high-dimensional fog.

He seems to carry the marks of high positions from multiple different fields.

"The aura of chaos, the imprint of the stars, and..."

The dog king's attention was suddenly drawn to a detail.

On Ron's body was an object that emitted a faint silver light.

As the observation deepened, the outline of the object gradually became clearer.

It was an exquisite silver pocket watch.

The moment the Dog King's consciousness touched the pocket watch, a familiar yet terrifying smell rushed towards him.

It was an aura that sent shivers down its very soul.

With absolute control over time, and immense fear from the depths of ancient memories.

"No...impossible, this aura!!!"

The dog king's body began to tremble violently, and its huge tentacles unconsciously curled up, just like a real dog that had been frightened.

That aura awakened terrifying memories buried deep within its mind.

………………

It was an ordinary afternoon in the middle of the Second Age, when the Timehounds were at their peak.

At that time, the King Dog was just an elite hunting dog, whose status in the pack was second only to the old King Dog and a few leaders.

Having just completed a long hunt, it returned exhausted to its nest deep in the river of time and fell into a deep hibernation.

The Timehound's hibernation is different from that of ordinary creatures.

Deep within the river of time, they need to completely immerse their consciousness in the bottom of the flow of time, synchronizing with the surrounding temporal fluctuations, in order to obtain true rest.

Once this dormancy begins, it is very difficult to interrupt it from the outside.

It was this untimely deep hibernation that saved its life.

Because while it was asleep, something unprecedented happened in the tribe.

Sentinels from one of the tribes reported the discovery of a strange "wreckage" in a remote branch of time.

It appeared to be the nascent skeletal form of a Dark Sun-level wizard, quietly floating in the corner of the turbulent flow of time.

The ethereal body exuded a strong aura of time, but its vital signs were extremely weak, almost to the point of death.

Even more enticing is that this illusory body is surrounded by countless precious fragments of time, each containing pure essence of time.

For hounds that feed on time energy, this discovery is akin to finding an oasis in the desert.

In particular, the void itself exuded an aura of time so intense it was suffocating.

If they could devour such a powerful time-manipulation wizard, the strength of the entire race would be significantly enhanced.

The old dog king was at a crucial stage where he wanted to take things to the next level.

This level of "supplement" is fatally attractive to it.

It quickly gathered all the elite individuals in the tribe, preparing to carry out a collective hunt for this seemingly dying wizard.

A total of thirteen elite hounds answered the call, including several top predators second only to the King Dog.

They were eager to enjoy this hard-won feast.

Under normal circumstances, as one of the elite individuals, it should have received a summons at that time.

However, the unique environment deep within the river of time interfered with the transmission of signals.

In addition, its unusually deep dormancy completely shields it from all external fluctuations.

And so the "feast" began, while it remained completely unaware as it continued its deep slumber.

………………

When the Dog King awoke from his slumber, he learned of this and felt a pang of regret for missing this "feast."

But what followed was a deathly silence within the community network.

The silence was not the usual quiet, but an absolute, chilling emptiness.

It's like a beautiful symphony suddenly cut off, leaving only jarring noise.

It frantically tried to contact the old dog king, but received only an empty echo.

Contacting other elite individuals still resulted in a deathly silence.

Panic began to spread through its heart, and an unprecedented sense of foreboding made it tremble.

The Dog King began to trace the last movements of the clan members, following the traces of time.

It discovered that all the traces pointed in the same direction.

The remote tributary from which the "wreckage" was discovered.

When it arrived at the scene, the sight before it was almost unbelievable.

The entire area of ​​the timeline was completely "purified".

The temporal turbulence that should have existed has vanished without a trace.

In the center of this void, a witch stands with her back to it.

At her feet were fourteen "specimens" of Timehounds, arranged in neat rows.

All elite individuals, including the old dog king, were "preserved" in some unimaginable way.

They retain their original form, but their bodies have become translucent, and their internal energy and essence have been completely extracted.

The once-powerful predators now stand there quietly, like exhibits in a museum.

Their eyes remained open, and despair lingered in their pupils.

The witch seemed to sense its arrival and slowly turned around.

It was a young and beautiful face, but her eyes were as cold as ice.

"There's still one little fish that hasn't taken the bait yet."

Her voice was soft and pleasant, but to the Dog King it sounded like the whisper of death:

"It seems my 'performance' wasn't convincing enough, allowing you to escape unscathed."

Only then did the Dog King realize that the so-called "dying remains" in the clan's information was a trap set by this witch from the very beginning.

She exploited the gluttonous nature of the Timehounds, deliberately feigning weakness to lure the elite members of the pack into a hunt.

Then, at the most crucial moment, they revealed their true strength and wiped out all the hunters in one fell swoop.

The Time Hounds are used to ruling the river of time and never imagined that they would become prey themselves.

“I am Erica Lillard, the ‘Clock Witch,’ and perhaps in the future the wizarding world will call me the ‘Queen of Time’…”

The witch calmly introduced herself, while stroking the silver scepter in her hand:
"That group hunt just now was indeed somewhat dangerous."

Fortunately, the quality of your clan's time essence is quite good, especially that of the Dog King..."

She pointed to the largest specimen, her tone carrying the pleasure of savoring a gourmet meal:

"Its time core is like a fine vintage wine, perfect for making the special props I need."

Erica raised the scepter, and the power of time began to flow through it.

The light was as viscous as mercury, emanating an aura that instilled instinctive fear in the hounds of time.

"However, leaving one alive is not a bad idea."

She glanced at the trembling dog king, a playful glint in her eyes:
“You can go back and tell other ethnic groups that the River of Time is not your private territory.”

While you think you are the hunter, the real hunter has already set his sights on you.

After saying that, Erica began to pack up her "spoils of war".

Under her control, the old dog king's enormous body began to slowly shrink, eventually turning into a lump of silver metallic material.

The specimens of other elite individuals were also processed in turn, and their time essence was extracted and injected into the lump of metal.

Throughout the process, Erica's movements were elegant and skillful, as if she were creating an art piece.

But it could only watch helplessly from afar, without even the courage to run away.

It knew that in the face of such an absolute disparity in strength, any attempt to resist or escape would be futile.

Erica wouldn't need to exert any effort to kill it.

We spared its life only so that we could use it as a messenger.

When the last specimen was processed, Erica looked with satisfaction at the exquisite silver pocket watch in her hand.

The surface of the pocket watch is as smooth as a mirror, and the complex mechanical structure inside can be seen operating with precision.

"A perfect work."

She gently stroked the surface of the pocket watch and said with some satisfaction:

"This is my new partner; it can also serve as a vessel for future generations."

Erica then left without looking back.

………………

Even after the memory ended, the Dog King remained trapped in that profound terror.

From that day on, it understood a cruel truth:

In this universe, the Time Hound has never been at the top of the food chain.

Above them, there are even more terrifying beings, beings that use them as raw materials and tools.

Erica was the most terrifying one it encountered.

She knew the group's behavioral patterns, psychological weaknesses, and even its hibernation mechanism perfectly.

This understanding is what allows her plans to hit the nail on the head.

"I finally managed to climb to where I am now after a lot of hard work..."

The Dog King thought bitterly to himself.

In the aftermath of that catastrophe, the Timehound clan descended into unprecedented chaos. Having lost their old king and most of their elite members, the entire race faced near collapse.

It was this creature that regrouped the remaining forces amidst the ruins and led the surviving hounds through the most difficult period.

After nearly two eras of effort, it finally ascended to the throne of the Dog King and became the new ruler of the tribe.

This position was hard-won; it required countless hours of effort and sacrifice.

Moreover, as one of the important beings in the long river of time, it is now a semi-immortal being.

As long as it doesn't actively seek out danger, it can endure forever in the long river of time.

Strength, status, and a near-infinite lifespan... these are the precious assets it now possesses.

"Why take that risk for a few hunting dogs?"

The more the Dog King thought about it, the more foolish his hunting impulse had been.

If that young wizard is indeed connected to Erica, then approaching him is tantamount to suicide.

Given Erica's cunning, it's entirely possible that she left some kind of trap in her heirloom, specifically waiting for her arrival.

Considering her absolute dominance over the Timehounds back then.

Right now, I'm probably just a slightly larger ant in front of her.

Once it falls into that trap, it will face a fate even more terrible than that of the old dog king.

Erica's alchemy skills have certainly been further developed, and her methods have only become more ruthless and sophisticated.

"No, I absolutely cannot repeat the mistakes of the previous Dog King!"

The dog king curled up even tighter, with dozens of strong tentacles clinging to its body.

The majestic King of Time Hounds now looks more like a curled-up caterpillar.

"Never mind them. Even if that young wizard kills a few more, or even dozens more, hunting dogs, I can breed new ones."

Timehounds aren't particularly bad at reproducing; given enough time, their population will always recover.

"But if I die, then I'll really have nothing left."

This survival instinct provided a plausible excuse for the dog king's fear.

"I need to hide even deeper..."

The Dog King began to move deeper into the river of time.

There, time flows extremely slowly, almost to the point of stopping completely.

Although it is difficult to maintain normal thinking in that environment, it can provide the greatest degree of concealment.

Even Erica would find it difficult to perform accurate tracking at that depth.

As it descended deeper, its consciousness began to become blurred and sluggish.

This is the necessary price to pay for survival in deep time; one must sacrifice mental agility in exchange for the stability of existence.

Before sinking into complete hibernation, the Dog King took one last look at the signal from his subordinates.

Those flickering points of light appear so small and fragile in the flow of time, like candlelight flickering in the night.

"Go back to sleep. When you wake up, everything will be over, just like last time..."

It proactively severed all external connections.

………………

Consciousness slowly rises from a deep meditative state, like a diver swimming from the deep sea to the surface.

Ron opened his eyes and found himself still sitting on the meditation cushion in the meditation room, but his body was completely soaked in cold sweat.

Although that thrilling battle took place in the realm of consciousness, the exhaustion it left behind felt so real.

He slowly stood up, feeling the faint stinging pain emanating from the unhealed cracks deep within his consciousness.

"Seven cracks... It seems that I can no longer engage in high-intensity mental activities during the recovery period."

Ron walked to the washbasin in the meditation room and washed his face with cold water.

The reflection in the mirror looked unusually tired, with lingering tension in its eyes from the battle.

After dealing with his personal status, Ron took out the Paradox Dice.

The polyhedron lay quietly in his palm, the blood-red infinity symbols on its six faces still slowly wriggling.

"This thing is indeed dangerous... but it is also indeed useful."

He carefully observed the changes in the dice, recalling the various unusual events that had occurred that night.

The first instance was during a conversation with Cassandra, when the dice automatically popped out despite the seal, providing a powerful boost to divination.

The second time was during the battle with the Time Hound, where he activated the dice and used the power of paradox to turn the tide of the battle.

Between the two uses, Ron vaguely sensed a certain pattern.

"The accumulation of paradoxical power..."

He carefully analyzed this phenomenon in his mind:

"It's like a capacitor that's constantly being charged. When the energy accumulates to a critical point, it has to be released."

"If you don't use it actively, it will find an opportunity to trigger itself, causing unpredictable consequences."

When the King of Absurdity created this prop, he clearly included some kind of "safety mechanism".

Forcefully release the paradoxical power to prevent excessive energy accumulation from causing direct harm to the user.

"In that case..."

Ron took a deep breath and made a decision:

"Instead of passively waiting for it to trigger on its own, it's better to actively control the rhythm of its use."

He took out a star carpet from his storage bag, its surface embroidered with most of the common constellations that could be observed in the main world.

After the carpet was laid flat on the floor, the mysterious constellations began to appear on their own:
The “Eye of Truth” is located in the center of the carpet. It is a huge eye-shaped pattern with a silver light that glitters in the pupil, foreseeing the future.
Surrounding it is the "Wheel of Fortune," with twelve spokes representing different branches of possibility;
The outer perimeter is dotted with various symbolic constellations: "Leader and Iron Cluster," "Blood Constellation," "Wandering Companion," etc.

Each zodiac sign is a living entity that will react accordingly to the content of the divination.

Ron then took out several specially made candles and placed them at key points of the constellations according to a specific pattern.

The moment the candles were lit, the entire magic circle seemed to come alive.

The pupils of the "Eye of Truth" began to slowly rotate, scanning everything around it;
The Wheel of Fortune emitted a deep hum, and its twelve spokes rotated rhythmically like the hands of a clock.
The surrounding constellations also began to twinkle, like real stars blinking in the night sky.

"The divination question for tonight..."

Ron knelt at the edge of the magic circle, holding the paradoxical die in his hand:

"Regarding the continued threat from the Time Hounds, and whether the King of Dogs will personally intervene."

He closed his eyes and silently repeated the question in his mind, allowing his consciousness to establish a deeper connection with the paradoxical dice.

The dice trembled slightly in his palm, and the blood-red symbols on its surface began to spin faster.

"Go, tell me the truth."

Ron gently tossed the dice into the air.

The polyhedron drew a graceful arc in the air, its surface shimmering with blood-red symbols like shooting stars.

It slowly rotated above the magic circle, and time seemed to thicken at that moment.

When the die finally landed on the crystal base, the entire magic circle was instantly activated.

The pupil of the "Eye of Truth" suddenly dilated, shooting out a blinding beam of silvery-white light.

The Wheel of Fortune began to spin wildly, its twelve spokes blurring into a blur of light and shadow;
The outer constellations also awaken, revealing their own mysterious qualities.

The paradoxical dice continued to roll on the crystal base, triggering corresponding omens with each area it passed through.

Ultimately, the dice landed in the territory of the "Blood Constellation" and showed a "3".

But this "3" is completely different from ordinary points.

The three dots glowed with a dark silver light and were slowly changing size, like three eyes blinking rhythmically.

"The Blood Constellation...represents predation and hunting."

Ron began to interpret the meaning of the stars, while observing the reactions of the other constellations within the magic circle:

"But the number '3' usually represents 'incomplete power' or 'hindered action' in mysticism."

More details began to appear within the magic circle.

The constellation "Leader-Iron Cluster" emits a rather dangerous pale reddish hue, symbolizing a "powerful but restrained threat."

The "Wheel of Balance" begins to turn slowly, representing "weighing and compromise".

The "wandering companion star" also displayed a pure white light.

That is a symbol of "graceful avoidance" and "wise retreat".

"These combinations..."

Ron carefully analyzed the meaning of the astrological combinations:
"The thwarted hunt of the Blood Constellation, the limited threat of the Lead-Iron Cluster, the compromises and trade-offs of the Wheel of Balance, the elegant evasion of the wandering companion star..."

A clear picture began to form in his mind.

The Timehound pack still poses a threat to him, but the level of that threat has been greatly reduced.

Some force is preventing the highest-ranking hounds from taking action themselves; they have chosen to "gracefully avoid" the situation.

"The Dog King won't come... at least not in the short term."

This conclusion gave Ron a slight sense of relief, but he soon noticed another problem.

Although the high-level threat has been temporarily eliminated, the Blood Throne's "Incomplete Hunt" still exists.

This means that other levels of timehounds will continue to track his trail.

“Some younger individuals…are not affected by that kind of ‘graceful avoidance’.”

More information began to emerge from the surface of the paradoxical die.

The infinity symbol on the six faces gradually fades, replaced by a series of mysterious divination patterns:
A huge silver pocket watch, its hands pointing to midnight;

A female figure dressed in a star-studded robe stands with her back to the observer, surrounded by a vortex of time.
The pack of hunting dogs, bound by invisible chains, had flames of fear burning in their eyes;
And a pair of ancient and wise eyes, the pupils reflecting the rise and fall of countless eras.

"I see……"

After seeing these patterns, Ron finally understood the real reason why the threat had decreased:

"It's not because I'm strong enough, but because of the origin of the silver pocket watch."

That pocket watch, guarded by time, was a relic of the Clock King Erica.

Erica, it is clear, left an extremely deep psychological scar on the Timehound pack.

Especially for someone like the Dog King, who experienced that horrific massacre, the fear of Erica's aura is deeply ingrained.

Even her belongings were enough to make these high-level predators retreat.

But the divination did not end there.

(End of this chapter)