Chapter 19: "Silver Domain"! Felix's Choice!

Felix gently caressed the "Redemption of Mammon", sitting on a cushion stuffed with soft down. With this secondary artifact's ability to gather elemental energy, Felix's magical progress was astounding, advancing rapidly by the day.

The essence of deep meditation wasn't as complicated as he'd thought. The process involved bathing, changing clothes, and stimulating specific parts of the brain with magic on top of his original meditation practices. The goal was to induce the magical elements within the body to surge and meld with elemental magic.

Lady Ireland had taught him the "Black Cross Meditation", which focuses on the mind and spirit. During practice, one uses magic to stimulate points three centimeters within the brow and five centimeters within the back of the head. Once the magical guidance is complete, one focuses on the brow's point until a void-like mental space appears.

Traditional deep meditation generally stimulates a point twelve centimeters below the abdomen, known as the Heart Sea, which mages consider the largest magic storage area in the human body.

After perusing numerous volumes in Lady Ireland's library, Felix noticed a curious pattern: meditation methods across various professions were largely similar, focusing on the brain, heart, and abdomen. Beginners usually start with the abdomen. Unless one is extraordinarily gifted, beginning with the brain can lead to issues like mental fragmentation or even madness.

"Spiritual power is stored in the soul, derived from willpower. Magical power is stored in the body, derived from meditation."

This was the conclusion Felix reached. When he shared this with Lady Ireland, he was rewarded with a long, breathtaking French kiss.

After entering the "Golden Domain", over 80% of Gamma mages eventually change their bodies due to the ravages of time.

If a mage fails to reach the "Silver Domain" before the age of 40, which marks the onset of their second phase of aging, their achievements typically plateau. An aging body lacks vitality to store or absorb magical power. Even with strong willpower, it weakens with the body's deterioration. Without advancing into the "Silver Domain" before aging starts, the mage's remaining years become a period of declining power.

This explained why the world wasn't brimming with master mages. Cultivation is always against the current; if you don't advance, you regress. Close combat professionals face even stricter age constraints. If they don't enter the "Silver Domain" by 35, their progress stagnates.

Over 95% of mages unable to reach the "Silver Domain" due to innate reasons turn to darkness, forsaking their former beliefs and embracing dark magic or necromancy to extend their lifespans and gain greater power. This is why, no matter how hard the Church tries to "purify", darkness persists.

...

Most Gamma mages, upon entering the "Silver Domain", offer sacrifices to the Shadow Queen Christie, hoping to gain the right to use "Soul Transference". They usually prepare a robust "Silver Species" body as their new vessel. The power of Gamma mages often stems from this!

While this method, akin to possessing another body, means abandoning the magic accumulated in their original body, it provides a higher starting point.

Gamma mages, who draw on the blood of others, are even more loathed by the Church than the openly evil necromancers. The latter are openly wicked, while the former exploit the gods' loopholes. It's worth noting that even "Hell" doesn't welcome the souls of Gamma mages.

An off-topic tidbit: over 80% of mages lead celibate lives before entering the "Silver Domain" since virgins have a natural advantage in accumulating magic.

...

Felix wasn't at all worried about the appearance of the "Bloody Strangler" Harald. Creatures of the "Golden Subspecies" level possessed exceptional intelligence. Unless they were brain-dead or simply grew tired of living, they wouldn't actively attack human cities, let alone the expansive capital of an empire!

If the "Bloody Strangler" Harald decided to strike Titanian city, the church would be compelled to take action against it, whether they liked it or not. The central tenet of the "Lord's" teachings was to shepherd and protect the "Lambs."

The "Lord's Lambs," naturally, referred to humans.

Ironically, what Felix was most concerned about at the moment was his magical advancement. Under Lady Ireland's guidance, he progressed rapidly. With a vast spiritual power and unwavering faith as leverage, he could now effortlessly cast two mid-level dark spells above level 40 or one mid-high elemental spell above level 50.

Now he faced a decision.

The most prominent feature for all professions upon entering the "Silver Realm" was undergoing an "Elemental Transformation," which significantly boosted their physical strength and lifespan. Close-combat professionals could live up to 120 years, while spellcasters could live over 150 years!

It's essential to mention the signature skill of a Gamma mage: "Soul Transference." This means separating one's soul from their body and moving it into another.

Original Gamma mages, unwilling to accept human's inherent limitations, sought power to challenge the gods. They stole ancient spells from the god of the underworld, granting them the ability to transfer souls and evade Death's grasp.

Take, for instance, the Shadow Queen Christie, the highest achiever in Gamma Magic to date. First, she hunted a powerful female succubus, then peak-transformed this succubus's body, and finally merged her soul with the succubus's memories and physique.

With the succubus's perfect body as a foundation, Shadow Queen Christie managed to defeat one of the devils, 'Asmontis', shattering his scepter and ultimately capturing "The Lady of Plague" - Pandora.

The key to Christie's rapid ascent to divinity was her perfect fusion with Pandora's soul and body.

This is the growth process of a Gamma mage! It's brutal and blood-soaked!

Of course, the price Gamma mages pay is exorbitant! For "Soul Transference," the backlash's risk is on par with a near-forbidden spell above level 110. Success means a new life; failure results in a complete loss of even the soul...

All Gamma mages are mad!

...

Felix was at a crossroads. His magical prowess was brushing against the threshold of the "Silver Realm." With the aid of "Mammon's Redemption," he could potentially surpass the "Silver Realm."

He had two choices. The first was to undergo an "Elemental Transformation" to improve his current body to accommodate more magical power. The second was to find an exemplary "Silver Species" and use "Soul Transference" to give himself a higher starting point.

Holding onto "Mammon's Redemption," Felix hesitated for a long time. It wasn't until Lady Ireland appeared before him that he decided to entrust her with the decision.

Upon hearing his dilemma, Lady Ireland's deep red eyes sparkled brightly. She hugged Felix tightly, gave him a fervent kiss, and excitedly pulled a silver coin from her pocket. "It's simple!" she exclaimed, "Heads for the first choice, tails for the second."

Felix couldn't help but moan. He realized that entrusting this madwoman with the decision was a supremely foolish move!