Chapter 183: A Sudden Attack

The dim room had a damp, musty smell, and several tall wooden chairs lay scattered around, one of which held a half-reclining elderly man with purple hair.

*Creak.*

The door swung open, and a young mage slipped in quickly from outside.

"Master!"

The purple-haired elder straightened up, eyes narrowing. "Colton, did you find out who's been crafting those alkaline earth potions?"

The young mage looked at his mentor and, in a lowered voice, replied, "Master, just as you suspected, those potions weren't made by Mage Fladi—they were created by someone else."

"Who?" the elder asked sharply.

"I've confirmed it. It's a newcomer to Floating City—a mage named Merlin who hasn't yet reached the rank of first-level mage."

A hint of a smile appeared on the elder's lips. "Not even a first-level mage, yet he's able to make alkaline earth potions—and at a rate faster than Fladi. Clearly, he's skilled in potion-making."

The elder's gaze grew cold and commanding. "Colton, take your 'pet' and bring Merlin here. I want him alive."

Colton stiffened at the command, then bowed respectfully and retreated, a hulking alchemical creature wearing a mask following in his wake.

"Hehe, mysterious potion-maker, let's hope you don't disappoint…" the elder murmured, a gleam of anticipation in his eyes.

---

In the Silver Tower, Merlin was being guided once again by the charming woman from before, led to the hall that held an array of potion ingredients. Merlin was already familiar with the materials for phantom and blueberry potions, which he knew were quite expensive here.

Purchasing enough ingredients for a single batch of phantom potion would require around 1,500 elemental stones, while a batch of blueberry potion ingredients was somewhat cheaper at 1,200 stones.

Merlin thought it over carefully. With just over 30,000 elemental stones, the number of batches he could buy was limited, especially since his success rate for phantom potions was still below 30%. In the end, he decided on twelve sets of phantom potion ingredients and nine sets of blueberry potion ingredients, costing him 28,800 stones in total.

With his purchase completed, the Silver Tower's hostess was beaming, practically radiant, as she bid Merlin a respectful farewell.

Despite the steep expenditure, Merlin felt a calm satisfaction. The ingredients he'd acquired could potentially lead to a significant increase in his mental strength, bringing him closer to constructing advanced spells like *Dark Light Domain* and *Frozen Solid.*

He tucked the materials into his ring, drew his cloak tighter, and retraced his steps back to Mage Brunton's quiet courtyard.

The streets of Floating City were bustling. There seemed to be a sudden influx of unfamiliar mages in the past few days, something Merlin hadn't noticed, having spent most of his time indoors, focused on potion-making.

Brunton's courtyard was in a quieter area, and as Merlin rounded a few corners, he spotted a young mage ahead, accompanied by a towering alchemical creature in a mask. Merlin's gaze lingered a bit on the unusual sight. It was rare to see any mages around this secluded part of the city, so he couldn't help but take a closer look at the figure.

Noticing Merlin's attention, the young mage's face remained expressionless, but his pace quickened.

Merlin's eyes narrowed as he observed them. Then, without warning, the mage raised his hand and pointed in Merlin's direction.

*Whoosh.*

The alchemical creature moved like a ferocious beast, its skin hardening with a bark-like texture as it charged at Merlin.

"Not good! *Stone Guardian!*"

Sensing the danger, Merlin quickly cast his protective spell. Stone monoliths appeared around him in a defensive formation.

*Boom.*

The alchemical creature collided with the *Stone Guardian*, causing the shield to shudder under the impact. The sheer force knocked Merlin backward, slamming him into a thick wall that crumbled around him.

*Crash.*

The wall fractured, leaving a gaping hole. Yet the hulking alchemical creature remained unfazed, its fist covered in a strange silver substance that rippled like water as it repeatedly struck Merlin's shield.

*Crack.*

Within ten punches, Merlin's shield began to fracture. He barely managed to summon another *Stone Guardian*, temporarily holding the creature at bay.

"What a powerful alchemical creature!" Merlin thought with alarm. This creature was far superior to anything Mage Brunton could create, suggesting that the young mage had used highly advanced alchemical techniques.

Merlin's mind raced. His shield had already cracked under the creature's relentless assault, and the silver coating on its fists hinted at an advanced alchemical property, making it even harder to deal with.

"Hmph, *Grand Freeze!*"

Angered at being pushed to this point, Merlin unleashed multiple *Freeze* spells, laced with a single *Grand Freeze*. A gust of cold enveloped the area, slowing down the creature's movements significantly.

*Thunder Web!*

Merlin cast *Thunder Web*, then quickly retreated. The combination of freezing and electrical spells finally managed to temporarily restrain the raging creature.

Taking down the creature wasn't feasible, even with *Furious Flames.* The quickest way to neutralize it would be to target its master.

*Furious Flames!*

Merlin launched a stream of fire that roared toward the young mage, then used *Wind Burst* to propel himself closer.

"A five-school mage?" The young mage's face paled as Merlin released a combination of spells—*Stone Guardian*, *Freeze*, *Thunder Web*, *Furious Flames*, and *Wind Burst*. Merlin's skill with five elemental schools allowed him to fend off the alchemical creature and still have energy to attack.

Shocked, the young mage hastily cast a defensive spell to withstand the flames and stumbled backward, trying to gain some distance. Yet, lacking any speed-enhancing spells, he was at a disadvantage. Merlin, meanwhile, cast *Enhanced Wind Burst*, further increasing his speed and closing the gap in an instant.

*Dark Mist!*

Merlin used *Dark Mist*, knowing that the young mage's mental resistance wasn't particularly strong. As an alchemist, most of his power lay in his creature, leaving him vulnerable to Merlin's spell.

"What? A six-school mage? Impossible!"

The young mage was visibly stunned as he fell into the *Dark Mist* spell, unable to comprehend what he was seeing. In all his time in Floating City, he'd never even heard of a six-school mage.

"Die!"

Merlin's eyes turned cold as he prepared to strike, flames gathering in his hand. But the young mage, seeing death closing in, channeled all his energy into his creature, driving it into a berserk rage.

*Crash.*

The creature broke free from the icy restraints, shattering the ice shards around it. Its muscles swelled, and it seemed to grow even larger, emitting an aura of violent frenzy. Though the young mage was trapped within the dark mist, his creature, now uncontrollably furious, lunged toward Merlin, fists covered in that strange silver substance that glinted in the sunlight.

"Desperate, are you?" Merlin murmured, recognizing the mage's tactic. The berserk creature would either kill him or force him to abandon his assault on the alchemist.

"Too bad for you, you're up against me."

Instead of retreating, Merlin activated his *Enhanced Stone Guardian* spell, this time channeled through his augmentation tool. Now, the shield had the strength of a third-level defensive spell.

*Crash.*

The berserk creature struck the augmented *Stone Guardian*. The force was immense, likely enough to shatter a standard second-level shield, but with Merlin's augmented defense, the shield held firm, barely shuddering under the creature's attack.

"Die!" Merlin's expression hardened as he unleashed his *Furious Flames*, engulfing the young alchemist's figure within the dark mist.

The alchemist's figure vanished, consumed by the flames.