Kobold Wizard's Journal

Chapter 216 Favor and Disdain

Upon hearing that the summoned creature was transforming into a Nightmare, Raiden, who had been busy tending the campfire, stopped what he was doing.

Ruger observed every detail in the expressions of the two men and suddenly realized that things here were quite complicated. There were already quite a few wizard apprentices arriving, and now there was a demonic pet undergoing a nightmare transformation. He had never witnessed anything like this before, so he had been carefully observing the subtle changes in the expressions of the two men by the campfire from the very beginning of their conversation.

Leiden and Vito chatted leisurely.

Ruger listened quietly by the campfire, fiddling with the few tufts of fur and blinking.

"Lord Ruger, what is your goal?" Vito asked, his eyes sparkling, as he turned to Ruger, who hadn't spoken for a long time.

Ruger smiled, his hand pausing slightly as he played with the fur before resuming his actions.

“Of course, it’s to become a full-fledged wizard,” Ruger said.

"No, no, it's about everything else. Everyone dreams of becoming a wizard, but I think... becoming a wizard, a powerful wizard, is merely a means to an end, not the ultimate goal. Some might say they enjoy studying the mysteries of magic, but I would say your goal is to explore those mysteries. Becoming a wizard is simply a stepping stone to touching those mysteries. Others might think they genuinely want to become wizards, but they are actually pursuing power. If a bartender were incredibly powerful, they would surely abandon wizarding and become a bartender... And some become wizards simply to live longer, pursuing the path of wizardry and unknowingly escaping the fear of death..."

Vito chuckled as he sat by the campfire, sometimes leaning forward, the firelight illuminating his face, and occasionally gesturing with his fingers as he spoke.

Ruger found this talkative fellow rather agreeable.

"And you, Lord Ruger, what is your goal?" Vito brought the question back to the same point.

This time it was Luger's turn to think.

He thought for a while, scratched the hair on his head, and finally said, "Become strong, and take control of your destiny."

Vito nodded this time, seemingly pleased that Ruger was following along, or rather, agreeing with his line of thinking. You see, while wizards might generally be seen as intelligent, sometimes intelligent people aren't always so clever, and can even be more difficult to deal with, such as in terms of stubbornness. Wizards are often more stubborn than others, and as their level of power increases, the number of stubborn individuals also increases.

“However, if you can truly become powerful and take control of yourself, I think your goals will change,” Ruger continued. “For example, I would use my strength to see more things and explore those mysteries I have never seen before. So the ultimate goal you mentioned is actually no different from becoming a first-ring wizard right now; they are just phased goals.”

Vito was taken aback for a moment, then his eyes lit up and his smile widened.

“It’s truly fate that I was able to meet you two,” Vito said with a grin, looking very happy.

“And you,” Raiden said, staring at the campfire, glancing up at him, “Lord Vito, what is your goal?”

Ruger looked at Leiden, and the way he was playing with those few tufts of hair in his hand changed slightly.

He suddenly realized that Lord Leiden spent most of his time with his head down staring at the campfire, which was probably similar to his original intention of nourishing his hair. He used the Spirit Hair Nourishment Technique not to show off, but to first meet the condition for using the Shepherd's Ascension Ritual.

"As for me, as Lord Ruger said, it shouldn't be the ultimate goal. Life is long, and these are all phases of goals, but the premise is that they must be achieved," Vito said with a smile. "I want to hunt. After becoming a wizard, when I think it's time, I will hunt down a dark wizard. If I succeed and survive, then I can have my next goal." A dark wizard? Ruger noticed a change in Leiden's expression. This was the second time Ruger had heard this word. He had also seen it in the notes on writing before, which described how a wizard defeated a dark wizard using writing.

He had initially thought that only wicked wizards would be called dark wizards, but judging from Raiden's expression, it was clear that dark wizards had a different meaning.

“I pray every day, which is one of the motivations for me to keep praying during meals. While I am grateful for the world’s nurturing, I also pray for him, praying that he will not be caught by the Holy Inquisition Wizards,” Vito said with a smile. “Please wait until I am strong enough to hunt him down myself. Fortunately, he is a very cunning guy among the dark wizards and is not so easy to catch.”

“My family, my hometown, everything I had, were destroyed because of him, but fortunately I have the talent to become a wizard, which is the best gift the world has given me.” Vito smiled, as if he were talking about someone else’s story.

But the more serene his smile, the more Ruger could sense the determination in his heart.

However, the question in my mind was still not resolved.

Just as Ruger was about to ask Leiden, he saw Vito once again listening intently.

Leiden had already noticed Ruger's gaze.

"You want to ask the dark wizard?" Leiden said.

"Are they some powerful wizards who have committed numerous evils and are wanted by the authorities?" Ruger offered his interpretation.

Leiden nodded and glanced at Vito, who was now in a state of focused concentration with his eyes closed.

“Yes and no. Some wizards, driven by selfish desires, have destroyed dozens of cities, their conspiracies have succeeded, they have committed grave errors, violated many established rules, and have been hunted down by the Holy Judge wizards for a hundred years, but they are still not considered black wizards. On the other hand, some wizards have not done so many evil deeds, and their strength is only at a low level, yet they have already been identified as black wizards,” Raiden said slowly, fiddling with the campfire. “Because black wizards are not judged by the Holy Judge wizards, but rather they have done certain things that have earned the world’s recognition, just like the Children of the World, only it is a reverse recognition.”

Ruger blinked, partly because his eyes were a little dry from the campfire, and partly because the answer was somewhat unexpected.

What kind of actions would it take to elicit a reaction from the world?

Then he wondered if the underground world was a little too active.

"So, in other words, wrongdoing in the ordinary sense won't attract the world's attention?" Ruger asked.

“Normally not, unless the evil you want is… extremely great,” Leiden glanced at Ruger. “That’s an extreme case. At the other extreme, there are cases where someone is identified as a dark wizard just for doing a small experiment in a lab, but that’s also extremely rare. Dark wizards are very easy to identify; they embody the world’s aversion to them. If you encounter someone who makes you very uncomfortable and is hard to describe, just remember to stay away as soon as possible.”

Ruger nodded, recalling what the bald old wizard had said: in the Blood Fortress Black Prison, the old wizard said that he might be favored by the world, so the black wizard could be understood as someone rejected by the world.

(End of this chapter)