Kobold Wizard's Journal

Chapter 339 Desires and True Intentions
As Luger walked in, the thorns further away began to stir, creating a spacious and beautiful corridor. The thorns overhead were incredibly sharp, tearing the light that shone through into bizarre shadows that fell onto the corridor's surface, making them look like shadowy monsters with countless sharp-pointed mouths.

Boom!

The temple gates in the distance suddenly opened with a roar, and the empty echoes inside spoke of the temple's grandeur.

“In my opinion, he could have tried to advance to a wizard a long time ago. A wizard apprentice in this situation can no longer be regarded as an ordinary fifth-level wizard apprentice…” The man said, secretly observing Ruger, as if he had been holding these words in all the way.

Luger smiled.

He naturally knew how troublesome these wizard apprentices were. For example, back then, Bayont had already broken through a certain limit with his own methods. Even the protective spells at the apprentice level could not withstand that attack that exceeded the limit, which made those arrogant apprentices leave with their tails between their legs.

Ruger also knew that apprentices on the path of faith wizards possessed a means that was said to be comparable to the power of the source: the ability to invoke the power of faith.

But he wasn't too worried.

What makes Baant so terrifying and astonishing is that he is the kind of person who is very rare to encounter. He can be so self-obsessed that he cannot distinguish between good and evil. He is also the kind of person who knows what he wants. He goes even further and adds a touch of obsession. From his body and mind to his brain, even his toenails, everything has that flavor. It is an extremely unified state. He doesn't need to think. Everything has become instinct.

Ruger always believed that if Bayont hadn't met him, his future would have been very bright, and perhaps many interesting things would have happened.

It was precisely because of his approval of Bayont that Ruger had no worries.

Because you won't easily encounter such a purely and terrifyingly stubborn madman.

Similarly, he wasn't worried about high-end goods that were comparable to the power of origin; they were merely comparable.

“They were a very strange pair, the older and younger brothers. When I still had contact with them, the two brothers would always appear in one person's presence, sometimes the older brother, sometimes the younger brother. They did the same things, but their tempers were very different… However, the last time I had direct contact with them was decades ago,” the man said, holding the mouse in his hand.

“They must have made progress over the years, and there have been some changes that I couldn’t observe from a distance. After all, I only released some mice near the temple to avoid being influenced by them… I suspect they are sharing a body,” he said, stroking the mice.

Ruger listened with great interest as he walked.

As the description of raising mice unfolded, the image of that person gradually came to mind.

“I will keep an eye on him and use the power of faith I have stored to interfere with his spells…” the man said softly. “Although I have accumulated very little power of faith, the power of faith I have collected is purer overall… Humans have too many thoughts, and the complexity of their desires cannot be described with just a few simple words. Wizard apprentices have fewer believers, otherwise their temperament and spiritual power would be affected, or even corrupted. My mice are much stronger in this respect.”

Ruger raised an eyebrow; it seemed that many wizarding paths eventually affected one's temperament.

"What happens after that?"

Ruge glanced at the temple gate and casually replied.

"There must be many methods, but I've only heard of one. It's said that powerful wizards can actually cultivate a god. That god is like a complex alchemical instrument used for filtering; the power of faith is purified by the god before flowing into the wizard's hands..."

As the man stroked the mouse, his movements slowed slightly, as if he longed for that experience.

The dimly lit temple was extremely quiet.

boom! boom!
As Luger stepped inside, the inner doors opened one by one.

The unique design allows those entering the temple to first see rows of open doors, instantly evoking a sense of mystery and solemnity.

Ruger believed that when ordinary people came here, their minds would be captivated by the tall gates, and they would unconsciously quiet down and feel a sense of awe.

pat!

Ruger stopped in his tracks.

Big Fool and Aiskin, carrying weapons, stood half a step behind him on either side. At Aiskin's prompting, Big Fool deliberately positioned himself between Luger and the guy who kept rats.

Ruger, however, had no interest in these matters.

A man dressed in a typical gray wizard's robe stood alone in the center of the temple.

Above the man's head are enormous twin statues fixed to the temple's dome.

The statue has one head and two faces, one fierce and one gentle. The fierce one has its eyes wide open in anger, while the gentle one has a smile on its face but its eyes are closed.

Logically, when the temple is closed, the faithful servants of the gods, each with their own duties, should all be here, bathing and praying together for the gods until the thorns burst open. But right now, there isn't a single ordinary person in sight.

The man who had been standing beneath the statue for a long time slowly pulled down his hood, revealing a gentle face.

"My lord, that dagger should already be in your hands. I have never dared to approach it, which is why I sealed off the temple... trapping myself, and also trapping my brother. My brother has been bewitched by it, by the mind-stealer connected to it. I have been fighting against my brother, and it was I who reported it to the demon hunter..."

As the man spoke, he knelt down on the ground, tears streaming down his face.

“Before you arrived, I had already killed him… killed my brother inside my body,” he said in a deep voice.

Luger raised an eyebrow.

Was his ultimate test solved by the test itself?
As Luger pondered this, he glanced around at his side.

The man who kept the mice seemed a little surprised, but quickly reverted to his usual smiling expression.

Ruger frowned as he looked at the person kneeling on the ground. The person's somewhat empty eyes were also looking at them, surveying their surroundings.

Is it really?

Perhaps that was true, but then again, it wasn't. Ruger recalled the rat's assessment of the two brothers, saying they were both men of great determination. He also thought about this demon hunter's assessment; perhaps he had overestimated these organizations, but he felt the assessment should have a deeper meaning. From the pile of tasks awaiting completion, those within the capabilities of people like them, he would select a few to use as the arena for the assessment.

Just like now.

Luger gradually understood the question.

Perhaps what the person kneeling and weeping beneath the statue said was true, but their motives were different. They knew about the so-called bewitchment and the so-called demons. They also knew what they wanted. The two brothers had agreed from the beginning to sacrifice one of them in order to overcome the long-awaited transformation and leap in life and become a true wizard.

So everything really happened. He wasn't lying. His brother did come into contact with the demon and gradually lost control, but he may have left his younger brother with a way to counter it, which is why he was able to fight it within his body. Over the years, he allowed his out-of-control brother to do all sorts of things that went against the rules, perhaps more than he knew, just so that he could fulfill his desires before being punished in the end. Then he could bear all the blame and sacrifice himself, even letting his younger brother report to the demon hunter so that the demon hunter could solve the problem of the dagger and take it away, so that the brothers would be safer.

So, in this situation, should we still take action?

Ruger even thought that the elder brother might not have truly died, or perhaps he was only infinitely close to death. After all, he dared not truly toy with the demon hunter wizards, as it would be troublesome if a formal wizard saw through the trick. Therefore, necessary sacrifices were still made. However, there are many ways for a believer wizard to do so. Perhaps he would remain in the spiritual space temple built by his younger brother, like a believer without a true soul, unconsciously staying there forever, until his younger brother becomes a high-level wizard one day, and then try to create a miracle.

Thinking this, Ruger curled the corner of his mouth.

These things don't count as tests for him.

The foul-smelling skin flashed by, and regardless of the complicated causes and consequences, anyone who harbored ill will towards him was eliminated.

He also knew what he wanted.

(End of this chapter)