Chapter 115: Task Hall

After half a year of training with the intermediate meditation technique, Merlin's spiritual power had grown significantly, enough to support constructing a first-level spell model.

However, as he simulated the Dark Mist spell model in his sea of consciousness, he felt an unexpected heaviness. This indicated that the Dark Mist model was consuming a vast portion of his spiritual energy, far more than the combined demands of his other spells: Gale Technique, Earth Guard, Ice Freeze, and Fireball.

"Thankfully, my spiritual power has increased several times over, even to the level that could sustain a first-level spell model. Otherwise, with insufficient spiritual power, I might have failed in constructing this spell."

Merlin murmured to himself with a serious expression. This was an unforeseen challenge; he hadn't expected the Dark Mist spell model to consume so much spiritual energy.

Not daring to be careless, he summoned all of his spiritual power and focused entirely on simulating the Dark Mist model.

This simulation took a long time, almost five or six hours, and by the time he felt a tremor in his sea of consciousness, night had fallen.

"Whew…"

In Merlin's perception, it felt as though a fierce wind was whistling around him, and countless tiny black dots appeared, joining together to form a dark shroud that surged towards him.

These black dots were dark elements, which flew into Merlin's sea of consciousness, absorbed by the Dark Mist model and converted into mana. Merlin began to sense a newfound affinity with the night, feeling entirely at ease within its embrace.

Dark spells were naturally most potent when cast at night. Though Dark Mist could be used during the day or night, it would achieve optimal results in darkness, where dark elements were most concentrated—a unique trait of dark spells.

Merlin briefly tested his spiritual power. Although the Dark Mist model required more than he had anticipated, he could still summon some spiritual energy to cast spells without issue.

"Gale Technique."

Using his spiritual power, he activated the Gale Technique model. Instantly, waves of wind elements formed around him, making him feel light as a feather.

With a swift movement, Merlin appeared on the opposite side of the room in an instant, moving so fast that he was only a faint blur to the naked eye.

"Dark Mist!"

Merlin then activated the Dark Mist model, the spell he was most excited to test.

A cloud of dark fog silently emerged, enveloping the entire room in an instant, covering a remarkably wide area.

After briefly testing these two spells, Merlin felt satisfied. He now had Fireball, Ice Freeze, Earth Guard, Gale Technique, and Dark Mist—five different spells, making him a genuine five-element mage.

Moreover, he still had "Thunder Net" left to acquire. Once he had enough contribution points to exchange for it, he would become a six-element mage!

A six-element mage was a rare sight, even in powerful spellcaster organizations. Merlin wondered if there were any six-element spellcasters within the Dark Spirit Domain.

Having just constructed two new spell models, Merlin needed some time to stabilize them, at least until he had enough mana to cast each spell three times. This would allow him to activate the "enhanced version" of the spells, greatly increasing his combat power.

---

Half a month later, Merlin emerged from the tower.

After fifteen days of accumulation, the Gale Technique and Dark Mist models now held enough mana for at least ten casts each, marking them as battle-ready.

"If only I had elemental crystals of wind and dark attributes. The mana accumulation rate for Gale Technique and Dark Mist would increase dramatically."

During his six months in the Dark Spirit Domain, Merlin was no longer the novice spellcaster he once was. Back when Didymus had demanded elemental crystals, Merlin had had no idea what they were.

Curious, Merlin had researched them at the Tower of Myriad Wonders. Now, he understood the rarity of elemental crystals.

Elemental crystals, as the name suggests, were natural stones formed from concentrated elements. They were immensely helpful for spellcasters in terms of mana accumulation and recovery.

If Merlin had wind and dark elemental crystals, he could quickly replenish the mana of his newly constructed Gale Technique and Dark Mist models.

However, elemental crystals were precious. Even a crystal the size of a thumb required at least one contribution point. With only three contribution points left, Merlin couldn't afford many.

In addition to needing contribution points for elemental crystals, Merlin was also beginning to consider constructing a first-level spell model once his spiritual power reached a sufficient level.

The first-level spells in the Tower of Myriad Wonders cost at least twenty contribution points—an amount he couldn't cover with his remaining three points.

"I'm low on contribution points. It's time to take on some tasks."

The main reason Merlin left the tower was his lack of contribution points. In the past six months, he had been focused on training and hadn't thought much about contribution points, but now, as he needed various crystals and spells, he realized how crucial they were within the Dark Spirit Domain.

To become a first-level spellcaster within three years, Merlin would have to earn enough contribution points to exchange for various spell models.

Merlin soon arrived at the task hall, entering it for the first time since joining the Dark Spirit Domain.

The hall was bustling with spellcasters, from novices to strong first-, second-, and even third-level casters, constantly coming and going.

This scene underscored that even official members of the Dark Spirit Domain needed plenty of contribution points.

Merlin looked around the hall. The walls, painted a bright white, were adorned with large, smooth mirrors covered in mysterious runes. Occasionally, these runes would light up, and tasks would appear within the mirrors.

Some tasks were issued by the Dark Spirit Domain itself, while others came from spellcasters within the domain. Spellcasters occasionally needed rare materials or other services and could post tasks in the hall, as long as they could pay enough contribution points.

As Merlin squinted, studying the sea of tasks displayed in the mirrors, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure from the corner of his eye.

He hesitated for a moment before heading toward the familiar figure.