Chapter 111: A Calm Life (Part 1)

"Mage Leo's eye?"

Lorinka stopped in her tracks, hesitating slightly before saying, "Mage Leo's eye was already like that when I arrived in the Dark Spirit Domain. I heard that it's due to his practice of dark magic. Apparently, Mage Leo experimented on himself, destroying his own eyes and using a combination of dark magic and strange potions to create the 'Dark Eye' on his forehead. It's said to hold unique powers… but I don't know the specifics."

"Destroying his eyes for the sake of dark magic?"

Merlin's expression grew strange. Remembering Mage Leo's hollow, deathly-gray eyes, he felt a chill. No matter the benefits of this so-called Dark Eye, Merlin would never go to such self-destructive lengths, ending up in such a terrifying, inhuman state.

"Alright, your quarters are on the third floor of the tower."

Unknowingly, Lorinka had led Merlin to the third floor of the tower, gesturing toward several rooms as his designated living quarters.

Merlin looked around briefly. The rooms were spacious and well-appointed, more than enough space for one person.

"Thank you, Mage Lorinka, for helping me get settled. I must have taken up quite a bit of your time."

Merlin bowed slightly in gratitude, understanding that a spellcaster's time was precious. Lorinka had spent most of her day helping him find his way around.

Lorinka smiled gently. "I'm not helping you for free. This is a task I took on from the Hall of Tasks. I earn two contribution points for each new spellcaster I assist. Now, I should see if any other newcomers need guidance. If you have any questions in the future, you can find me on the sixth floor."

With that, Lorinka turned and left the tower.

Merlin entered his room and immediately took out the intermediate mental meditation technique that Mage Leo had given him.

The technique wasn't difficult to understand, so Merlin eagerly began practicing, gradually calming his mind as he followed its methods.

After a while, he opened his eyes with a look of joy. "It's effective—much more so. It's at least three to five times better than the low-level meditation techniques I had before."

In just under an hour, he could already feel his mental power increasing. Compared to the basic meditation techniques he'd learned from Old Man Aita's notes, the improvement was dramatic.

Settling in, Merlin devoted himself quietly to meditation within his room.

※※※

A month later, Merlin emerged from the tower and happened to run into Lorinka.

With the warming weather, the female spellcasters in the Dark Spirit Domain had taken to more revealing clothing. Lorinka wore a pair of fitted shorts that accentuated her long, fair legs, paired with a light, sheer silk top that offered glimpses of her figure beneath.

Merlin had once imagined that spellcasters would be serious, mysterious, and reserved, but since coming to the Dark Spirit Domain, he realized that only some fit that image. Spellcasting enthusiasts like Mage Leo were rare, and many female spellcasters were like regular young women, fond of beautiful clothing and even willing to spend precious contribution points on vitality potions.

These vitality potions only served to keep the skin youthful and vibrant, with no other magical effect, yet they were popular among young female spellcasters.

"Mage Merlin, you finally came out of the tower," Lorinka said with a faint smile, having noticed that he had remained inside for the entire month since his arrival.

"I've been focused on meditation, so I haven't been out much," Merlin replied casually. "I heard there's a free course on wind magic by Mage Nasha today, so I wanted to attend."

Lorinka frowned slightly and remarked, "Mage Nasha's free courses only cover Level-0 spells. You've already constructed three Level-0 spells—do you plan to build more?"

Merlin didn't respond, silently confirming her suspicion.

Lorinka kindly advised, "It's true that the more spell models you build, the stronger you'll be in the future. But creating more spell models requires greater mental power and consumes considerable time. When you eventually want to advance to First-Level Spellcaster, you'll need to invest even more effort to reconstruct First-Level spell models."

"A single misstep could undo all your progress. Besides, the models you built outside the Dark Spirit Domain may be unstable. I'd suggest focusing on advancing the three you already have to corresponding First-Level models. After all, you only have three years."

Merlin knew Lorinka was well-meaning. If he were an ordinary spellcaster, adding more models could indeed hinder his progression to the First-Level.

However, with the "Matrix" assisting him, Merlin had no reason to worry about stability issues. As long as he had enough mental power, he could build as many models as he desired.

After all, being a four-discipline or even five-discipline mage offered significant advantages over a typical three-discipline spellcaster. Meliron from Abyssal Fortress had become a four-discipline spellcaster in just five years, although the methods of Abyssal Fortress and the Dark Spirit Domain differed. Even after five years, Meliron hadn't advanced to the First-Level but was still allowed to remain at Abyssal Fortress.

The Dark Spirit Domain, however, was different. They only allowed three years before expelling those who failed to reach the First-Level.

"Thank you for your advice, Mage Lorinka. I'll keep it in mind," Merlin replied with a slight smile.

Lorinka nodded, knowing she'd offered her best guidance. Whether Merlin heeded it was beyond her concern.

After a brief exchange, she hurried off.

Merlin walked a little further and arrived at another tower—not very tall and relatively new. This was Mage Nasha's tower. Having recently advanced to Fourth-Level, Mage Nasha had only recently constructed her tower.

Due to the free class, a crowd of entry-level spellcasters had gathered in front of the tower.

Suddenly, the runes on the tower began to glow, and a young female spellcaster emerged, calling out coldly to the assembled crowd, "Mage Nasha is ready. Please enter the tower in an orderly manner. Anyone causing a disturbance will be expelled."

Everyone nodded, accepting this rule.

Merlin joined the group of spellcasters as they slowly made their way into the tower.