Ancient Wizards: A Little Progress Every Day

In Bernal's secret base, Dago and he sat facing each other on a leather sofa, while in the distance, Serena was diligently practicing her newly learned spells, sweating profusely with youthful energy.

"Chaplin is an old rival of mine who has lost to me several times in the rankings war."

Bernal held up a silver cup in one hand and spoke to Dago.

Dago looked at Bernal's elegant posture, a solemn expression on his face.

"So they've joined forces? Jareden and Chaplin, both with triple-rank ratings?!"

"No."

Bernal shook his head, calmly correcting Dago, "Chaprin should have already been promoted to the fourth level."

Dago's face immediately turned ugly.

"How many enemies do you actually have?"

"It's not as much as you think."

Bernal put down the silver cup in his hand and said with a serious expression.

"Besides Chaplin, there are a few others with a three-tier rating, but Chaplin is probably the most skilled and cunning among them."

Dago took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

"With those people who are ranked at the third or fourth level working together, I have no chance of completing a mission normally in the French Ring. They have the background and the means to make my mission fail."

"It doesn't matter, at worst we can just temporarily give up the French Ring Road as a resource channel."

Bernal said with a nonchalant expression, "I know a few monster hideouts that might contain the materials we need. I'll write them down for you later."

"It's not a matter of resources."

Dago frowned slightly, his eyes cold as he said in a low voice, "Their real purpose is not as simple as restricting my development."

Official members of the Legal Circle must complete at least one task each month. If they fail to complete it more than three times, they will be punished and their core status will be reduced to ordinary.

If things continue like this after the initial period, they may be completely stripped of their status as members of the French Circle.

Once Dargo is no longer a formal member of the Ring, the Ring's rule against its members killing each other will no longer apply to him, and he will be able to openly murder himself.

With the Law Ring as a shield, the worst that could happen to Dago is that they would secretly assassinate him.

He had calculated that in the worst-case scenario—as short as six months—he might face such an end.

"They will use other methods to break you, crush you, and tame you!"

Dago now truly understood the meaning of that sentence.

Several genius wizards with three or four ring ratings working together could, while not necessarily dominate the Thorn Ring, easily manipulate a mere first-ring wizard like him within the rules.

"Isn't anyone in the legal circle doing anything about these blatant underhanded tactics? Would it be useful to report this to the higher-ups in the legal circle?"

Dago felt a sense of frustration at being unable to use his strength, and he couldn't help but look at Bernal and ask.

"The higher-ups in the Law Circle won't care about such trivial matters. In their eyes, any wizard who doesn't reach the third circle is just a tool. Any fight within the rules is allowed."

"Then tell me, how do we break out of this situation?"

Dago frowned and continued to ask questions.

Bernal said to him calmly and naturally, "It's very simple. You also use the rules: lower-rated individuals challenge higher-rated individuals. They can't refuse. As long as you defeat them, all problems will naturally be solved."

Dago was stunned by Bernal's answer.

Challenging Jareden or Chaplin?! Dago fell into deep thought, his eyes flickering with uncertainty.

At this moment, Bernal spoke again.

"If you think it's too difficult to do this, there are still some tasks in the French Ring that they can't manipulate, so just wait patiently."

"I will also keep an eye on their movements for you."

Dago didn't ask Bernal how he could "keep an eye on them" while he was stuck in this secret space all day. His mind was full of the "solution" Bernal had just mentioned.

He felt as if something inside him had been suddenly awakened by Bernal, and wondered if he had been a little too civilized.

Yes, from beginning to end, he was being targeted by Jareden and his gang, and all he could think about was how to defend himself, never how to fight back.

Upon careful consideration, Bernal's suggestion was indeed the best approach.

Defeat them head-on by addressing the rules of the legal system! Solve the problem directly at its root.

A strange thought rose from the depths of his heart: "I never obey, I never fall, I will become the end of all despair!"

Yes, why should I choose to back down? I will drown them with an ocean of despair.

"Dago, control your emotions!"

Bernal saw that the light around Dago was distorting and dimming, and he shouted a warning.

"Don't forget you're only at the mid-stage of the first ring right now, while even the weakest among them are top-tier second-ring wizards, already renowned for a long time. Give you six months, is it possible for you to reach the level where you can directly confront them, or even defeat them?"

"Reclaim your reason; don't gamble with your life!"

Dago suddenly snapped back to his senses, shook his head, realizing he had almost been swept away by the power of despair again, and looked at Bernal gratefully.

However, he then said resentfully, "Hey, Old Bei, can you be a little more efficient? Just research a potion that can instantly raise your level by one, then everything will be fine."

"Go away, go somewhere cool and stay there. You're dreaming of me."

"Alright then, I'll go for a walk in the Great Rift Valley."

"Go, Dago, and remember, you are the master of power, not its slave."

"Um!"

Dago lowered his head and slowly walked out of the secret realm.

The ancient trees tower in the great rift valley, and Dago looks into the distance from the air.

Using his "Dimensional Detection Technique," he found a nest of Windstorm Horse Peak monsters in a valley. Amidst the howling winds, insect shadows and the buzzing sound of wings filled the air.

Dago stood suspended in the valley, with the Winter Star appearing above him, unleashing a despairing and icy domain!

An atmosphere of endless cold and despair instantly filled the entire valley.

All the wind stopped, including the buzzing of wings.

The enormous hurricane bees remained motionless, like ice sculptures suspended in mid-air, before crashing down with a "whoosh" and shattering sound at the bottom of the valley.

Dago was lifted up by countless snowflakes and ice, suspended in the air. He was the source of all this coldness and despair, like a prince who controlled the ice and snow, but his expression was somewhat lost in thought.

He was still pondering Bernal's words: "Can it be done in six months?"; "Become the master of power!"

Dago stared in one direction, his gaze distant, venting his anger with unrestrained violence. Although violence could not solve the problem, it did provide some relief.

He has now evolved to the point where his quality depends entirely on his mood.

After releasing his energy, he dispelled the hand seals, and the strong wind made Dago's blue robes flutter wildly.

"From the moment I entered the Thorn Ring until now, I've had all sorts of hesitations, worries, concerns, and anxieties. I've been looking before I've done everything, and I've been hesitant and timid!"

Dago squinted at the wind blowing directly at him, asking himself, word by word, "So what am I afraid of?!"

In an instant, his eyes shone with an unprecedented brilliance.

At this moment, Dago felt that the dust that had inadvertently settled on his soul had been washed away once again.

He took a deep breath and shouted loudly, "They're just a few stronger second-tier fighters!"

In his mind, he added, "But I'm a man with a cheat code, even if it's a crippled one!"

Dargo discovered that his rate of progress depended on his desire for success, which could be seen as a reason for his progress.

After calming down, he quickly began to clean up the corpses of the hurricane bees scattered all over the ground, and took out the sacs and put them into a cloth bag.