Wizard: I'm leveling up by AFK in another world

A military camp has been built around the "Rage" volcano.

Inside the largest tent in the camp, the temperature was even hotter than inside the volcano.

boom!

A heavy iron goblet was smashed to the ground, the force of which cracked it into a warped disc.

"Is this your explanation to me?!"

A furious roar echoed inside the tent, making the metal roof vibrate.

The one who was enraged was an orc whose size was as large as half a small mountain.

He was over three meters tall, and his muscles had a dark gold color that looked like they had been refined countless times.

Duke Taro looked at the old priest kneeling on the ground, trembling, and made no attempt to hide the murderous intent in his eyes.

When did such a cowardly scoundrel emerge from the glorious Golden Beast Clan?

"Your Grace, please calm your anger! I... I truly had no other choice!" The old priest's voice became shrill with fear. "Several of those wizards possess power sufficient to rival that of a Saint. If I didn't do it, everyone would die!"

Duke Tarot strode up to the old priest and stomped on the back of his hand. The sound of bones cracking was clearly audible.

"You were once a Saint-level being, yet you've fallen to such a state. Shouldn't you reflect on your own actions?"

"Yes...yes..." The old priest gritted his teeth, not daring to let out a scream.

Seeing his appearance, Duke Taro felt very complicated.

Those wizards fought in ways they couldn't understand, and they were all incredibly powerful.

Despite not having reached the Saintly level in terms of life level, he was able to unleash powerful spells that were no weaker than those of Saints.

Many orcs, especially those at the Saint Realm, died mysteriously due to a lack of understanding in this regard.

However, while he understood, this did not quell his anger.

A powerful Saint-level expert from the Golden Beast Clan didn't fight to the very end and easily let those wizards into the Holy Mountain.

Duke Taro clenched his right hand, and crimson battle aura gathered on his fist.

For a fleeting moment, he really wanted to punch this scoundrel in the head and smash it.

But he ultimately held back.

At times like these, every Saint-level expert is a valuable resource.

He loosened his fist and slowly withdrew his foot from the old priest's hand.

"Your life will be spared for now," Duke Tarot said coldly. "I hope you know what to do next."

The old priest, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon, kowtowed repeatedly: "Thank you so much, Your Excellency, for sparing my life! I will certainly atone for my sins through good deeds!"

Duke Taro ignored his pleas and fell into deep thought.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, a hint of undisguised regret flashing in his eyes.

He also bears some responsibility for how things turned out this way.

"It was my carelessness, and I underestimated the wizard," Duke Tarot reflected to himself.

The Battle of the Bridge of Sighs depleted most of the Empire's strength, leaving him with a severe shortage of troops to defend the Holy Mountain.

Left with no other choice, he could only station heavy troops in a few places and leave the rest empty-city to avoid the wizard's advance.

I never expected these otherworldly demons to be so good at coordinating and organizing. The camp still looked like a disorganized mess, yet they were still able to send out an elite force to attack a "low-value" target.

This team has several wizards who can rival those of the Sanctuary...

Despite the old priest's claim that he had severely injured the powerful wizards and had sent elite troops into the holy mountain to hunt them down.

Due to the effects of the blood inflammation, these wounded wizards might indeed be no match for the valiant golden beastmen warriors.

But the Duke of Tarot always felt a sense of unease.

"Stand up!" he roared at the old priest on the ground.

"What are your orders, sir?" The old priest scrambled to his feet.

"Immediately issue the order: the entire army march into the mountains." Duke Taro slung the warhammer from the pillar over his shoulder. "You'll come with me. We must reach the sacred mountain altar before those wizards!"

"yes!"

……

……

After half an hour.

A force of three hundred elite orcs assembled at the entrance to the mine.

Duke Tarot took the lead, walking at the very front of the procession.

The old priest stayed close by his side, occasionally casting buff spells on the group.

Once inside the mine tunnels, the environment became increasingly complex, significantly slowing down the team's progress.

Although these were all elites carefully selected by Duke Taro, their numbers were ultimately insufficient to operate in the narrow mine tunnels.

Duke Tarot was both annoyed and somewhat helpless. After all, he couldn't guarantee that bringing too few people wouldn't leave gaps in the altar's defenses.

All he could do now was pray that the wizards who had been randomly teleported into the holy mountain by the old priest wouldn't find the altar so quickly.

Throughout the journey, the old priest carefully observed Duke Tarot's expression.

He actually had a question on his mind all along.

As the garrison commander of this camp, he received a death order to protect the sacred mountain at all costs.

But he didn't actually know what was hidden deep within the sacred mountain.

The imperial high command maintained the utmost secrecy regarding this altar; apart from the royal family, only a few powerful dukes and the high priests of the temple were qualified to know the full details.

Now, the plan has clearly reached its most critical moment, to the point that Duke Tarot even has to personally intervene to protect it.

The old priest finally mustered his courage and asked in a low voice, "Your Grace... there's something I don't understand. What secret does that altar hold? Why would the Empire abandon its attack on the wizard base and instead expend so much effort to protect it?"

Duke Tarot stopped and glanced back at the old priest.

He knew that although this guy was unreliable, he would soon be going with him to the altar to see everything.

There's no point in hiding it any longer.

Moreover, with the plan about to be executed, letting the subordinates understand what they are fighting for might inspire them to fight even harder.

"As a priest of the Holy Temple, you should know that Silver Tree Island and Ironblood Continent were once one entity, right?"

"Of course, according to the Silver Tree Spirits' canon, it was their father god and the World Tree who worked together to peel off a piece of land and raise it into the sky, thus creating Silver Tree Island."

"That's a lie," Duke Tarot sneered. "While the Elven Father God and the World Tree may possess boundless divine power, they are far from capable of tearing a continent apart!"

"Ever since the orcs broke free from the rule of the silver tree elves, successive high priests of the temple have entered the holy mountain to conduct research."

"They soon discovered the truth the elves had concealed: what separated the two worlds was not the elven father god or the World Tree, but the power of the land itself!"

"One day in ancient times, an unprecedented tremor occurred deep within the crust of this continent, unleashing the energy that had accumulated in the Earth's core for countless years."

"After this terrifying force blasted the world apart, it pushed the Ironblood Continent away, turning the continent that was blasted away into a completely different world."

"The Elf Father and the World Tree conquered that continent and transformed it into the Silver Tree Island we know today. But the explosion did not completely sever the connection between the two worlds, which is why the Bridge of Sighs came into being."

The old priest was stunned, his mind going completely blank.

"Push" open a world?

What incredible and terrifying power this is?

Compared to this power, the so-called miracles he had been fortunate enough to witness were nothing more than a baby's sneeze.

"Your Excellency means..." the old priest swallowed hard, "that the Empire has been researching this force that pushes the world apart?"

"That's right." A hint of pride appeared on Duke Tarot's face. "For hundreds of years, successive high priests of the temple and the royal family have worked closely together, conducting research deep within the sacred mountain."

"If the Empire can master this power, we will no longer need to fear any enemy. Whether it is the elves of Silvertree Island or invaders from other worlds, they are nothing but insignificant dust before this power that can tear the world apart."

"However, after hundreds of years of research, we have made almost no substantial progress," Duke Taro sighed. "That power seems to have fallen into slumber after that ancient eruption. Only ordinary magma remains deep within the volcano; we can't find any trace of it at all."

"Until a few days ago."

At this point, Duke Tarot's expression became quite complex.

"Did you see that deep blue pillar of light at the end of the Battle of the Bridge of Sighs?"

"Yes... Does the Empire already know its origin?"

Even today, the magnificence of that pillar of light still deeply moves the old priest.

Before it, not to mention empires, civilizations, or even the entire universe, all lose their meaning.

"I don't know, but the overlap between the Ironblood Continent and Silver Tree Island is very likely due to that pillar of light." Duke Taro took a deep breath. "More importantly, the power dormant deep within the volcano behind that pillar of light has actually stirred!"

"Although it may not seem to reach the power that tore the world apart in ancient times, it's enough!"

"The most powerful evil god worshipped by the wizards has vanished, and the remaining few subordinate gods can only perish before this power!"

"As long as we lure those wizards from the gods and holy realms to the Holy Mountain, and unleash that power to annihilate them, the tide of battle will be completely turned!"

The old priest's eyes lit up; he finally understood the whole plan.

"This is truly... a magnificent plan!" He finally managed to utter this after a long pause.

Duke Tarot couldn't help but smile, as if he could already see the day of victory.

"The wizards are indeed very strong, but they are too arrogant. Relying on their advanced level of civilization, they think they can trample this land at will. They have no idea what lies hidden beneath the volcano."

"The time for revenge has come!"