Ancient Wizards: A Little Progress Every Day

"Hoo...cough cough!"

The terrifying water pressure that had been binding him instantly dissipated.

Dargo staggered back two steps uncontrollably, his back slamming hard against the crystal wall.

He clutched his chest with one hand, his chest heaving violently, panting heavily, while staring at Heliodo in front of him with an extremely cold, clenched-teeth gaze, as if he were eyeing prey.

Heliodo slowly withdrew his hawk-like hand.

He seemed to be deliberately avoiding Dago's murderous gaze, his withered lips pursed, and he let out a disdainful snort.

"Stop your ridiculous defensiveness, kid. You don't need to look at me like that."

Heliodo turned around and walked towards a messy experimental table, coldly saying, "Just now outside, many people were curious and greedy about your ten-star magical talent."

"If I don't thoroughly understand your background, do you think you can live peacefully? If I squeeze you a little, you might suffer less in secret, but I can just throw together a dry research report and get rid of those flies completely..."

At this point, Heliodo paused for a moment.

He turned his head and stared at Dago with his strange, artificial eye made of plant roots, as if trying to see through and dissect his flesh and blood.

"However... you are indeed strange in every way."

Heliodo spoke with a hint of fanaticism, as if he had seen some rare experimental material:

"Your soul is tainted and riddled with holes. To be honest, even giving you a three-star rating would be an insult to everyone else."

"However! The essence of your spiritual power is remarkably pure and condensed!"

"You are very smart. Your ability to comprehend the structure and laws of magic is absolutely top-notch. Coupled with this extraordinary purity of mental power, it is indeed theoretically possible for you to get a five-star rating or even higher in the magic level."

As he spoke, Heliodo walked over to a crucible and nervously tapped the edge with his fingers.

"But kid, as your temporary boss, I have to mercifully remind you of something."

"Stop with your shady schemes! Once a wizard crosses the Miracle rank, their physical body no longer holds decisive significance. Don't waste too much energy and precious resources forging this useless shell."

He suddenly let out a shrill laugh, "Oh, sorry, I forgot, with your lousy soul aptitude... you want to advance to the Miracle realm? Ha, the probability is about as slim as this fish that lives in the deep sea suddenly growing wings and flying into the sky."

Heliodo's thin fingers touched his sparse chin as he stared intently at Dago with a strange look, as if he were looking at a precious lab rat.

He clicked his tongue in amazement and said, "What I'm really curious about... is the structure of your brain, which is located on your neck?"

"Your soul is so flawed, yet your comprehension is ridiculously high. How is it that you can overpower all others and become the second most accomplished prodigy in the Tower of Knowledge since the founding of Spirit Mirror Lake?"

"Hey kid, interested in making a deal? Let me crack open your skull and dissect it for you?"

"Don't worry, as long as you're not completely dead, I can trade you a bunch of high-level magic potions and treasures that can directly improve your soul's aptitude. This deal is definitely a win-win for you."

"No need, I'm not interested in that kind of deal."

A flicker of disgust crossed Dago's eyes, and he refused outright in a stiff and cold tone.

He astutely caught a certain word in the old man's words, raising an eyebrow slightly: "Second? Then in this monstrous Tower of Knowledge... who is the one who got first place?"

Heliodo may have felt a slight pang of guilt for his domineering act of forcibly spying on them.

Therefore, he did not take Dago's extremely rude tone to heart.

As he fiddled with the glassware on the lab table, he casually uttered a name.

"Isidore."

"Isidore?!"

Dago's heart skipped a beat, and his fingers, hidden in his sleeve, tightened abruptly.

"This legendary figure... could he have been a core member of Spirit Mirror Lake?"

Dago suppressed the shock in his heart and asked tentatively.

"No."

Heliodo shook his head decisively, a complex emotion flashing in his plant-like fake eye. "That... was just a pure transaction of interests."

"Back then, in order to perfect his magical system, Isidore was obsessed with collecting all the remaining 'Ancient Spirit Scripts' on the entire Upper Ring Continent. Well, those ghostly things that resemble ancient runes that you saw in the Tower of Knowledge."

"In order to achieve his goal, he actually used the most core part of his magical inheritance as a bargaining chip to obtain the supreme right to stay in seclusion for a year in the 'Spiritual Script Hall' at the deepest part of Spiritual Mirror Lake."

At this point, Heliodo's voice involuntarily carried a hint of awe for the monster: "And then... that freak, in less than half a year! he memorized all the ancient spirit scripts in the vast Lingwen Hall, and then just left."

"Isidore... actually offered his own legacy as a bargaining chip?"

A subtle tremor flashed across Dago's eyes.

The moment Heliodo uttered those words, something he had kept hidden deep within his spatial ring—

The armlet, symbolizing the identity of the Archon, seemed to resonate with him in some mysterious way, vibrating very slightly within the ring.

"You mean... that the treasure vault of our Spirit Mirror Lake still preserves a portion of Isidore's magical heritage?!"

Heliodo stopped what he was doing and glanced at Dago sideways.

"Stop having those inappropriate desires, kid."

The old man casually poured cold water on the matter, saying, "Things are not as wonderful as you think. The part of the legacy that was left behind back then is completely outside the core of Isidore's 'Archive System'."

"Moreover, countless bloody failures later proved that... that transaction back then was an absolutely disastrous loss for Lingjing Lake."

"That incomplete, non-core magical inheritance, lacking the most fundamental runes of the 'Archive System' as its driving force, is essentially a pile of scrap metal. Over the past few hundred years, countless geniuses have tried to decipher it, but none have been able to cultivate it!"

however.

When Dago heard Heliodo's slightly complaining remark.

His heart, however, suddenly pounded faster, like a war drum!

Others are unable to learn it because they lack the core rune to drive it.

But he's different!

He possesses the very relics and clues left behind by Isidore!

This was a priceless treasure tailor-made for him!

"That……"

Dago forcibly suppressed his inner elation, making his voice sound as curious and casual as possible.

He noticed that Heliodo was looking at him with an increasingly strange, almost idiotic gaze.

Dargo immediately added calmly without changing his expression, "Mentor, no wizard who seeks the truth would not be interested in such things."

"Even knowing that it cannot be practiced by ordinary people... as a junior, I really want to find an opportunity to pay my respects. After all, it is the mark left by the most legendary and strongest wizard in the history of the Upper Ring Continent."

"Heh, it's currently sealed away in the library of the Deep Sea Palace... As long as you work hard for me, you'll have your chance in the future."

Heliodo grinned knowingly, as if he had heard a funny joke.

He smiled and reached out his withered, claw-like hand, wanting to pat Dago on the shoulder as a sign of encouragement.

But Dago's body instinctively resisted, like a wary wildcat, stiffly avoiding his touch.

Heliodo's hand hung in mid-air.

He didn't feel embarrassed at all, he just gave a cold sneer.

He then turned around and walked without looking back toward another dimly lit exit of the room.

"You wait here quietly for a moment while I apply for and prepare the contract and items you'll need to officially join..."

Before entering, Heliodo left without turning his head and said:

"If you get bored while waiting, you can act like an idiot and count the ticks of that broken wall clock..."

"Bang."

The crystal door slowly closed.