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Bang!
The barn door burst open, and the Temple Knights scrambled out, rolling and stumbling in their haste. Their once pristine silver armor was now smeared with mud and blood, stripped of its former glory. They didn't dare glance back, let alone hurl any threats. The mere presence of the black-robed, silver-eyed man standing there sent tremors through their souls.
"Run! Run!" One knight croaked hoarsely, his voice thick with terror.
"Back to the Temple! Immediately!"
The priest was supported by several knights. His face was deathly pale and his lips were quivering, yet he couldn't utter a coherent word. His scepter had shattered, and his right hand was mangled beyond recognition. But what truly shattered him was this: Athena had not answered his call!
'Had God abandoned him?'
This thought nearly suffocated every temple member present.
God remained silent.
This was a crushing blow to the Temple Knights and priests alike. Like rats fleeing a burning barn, they scattered in terror, disappearing into the darkness without a backward glance.
These once arrogant clergy members, who strutted around with pride and bluster, now cowered before Ian, looking like ants, vulnerable and insignificant. They seemed like mere bullies who preyed on the weak and feared the strong. Ian hadn't defeated them with brute force but with a power utterly beyond mortal comprehension, completely crushing their faith and dignity.
"Continue, everyone," Ian said in a gentle tone, which he had immediately returned after driving away the group who had disturbed his studies. "I haven't heard enough of your discussions yet."
Inside the barn, the atmosphere remained frozen.
The wizards, who moments ago had been pinned to the ground and were on the verge of becoming prisoners, stared blankly at Ian as if unable to believe what had just transpired.
One of them rubbed his eyes, doubting whether he was still dreaming.
"They actually fled?" A female wizard wearing a crow mask murmured, her voice trembling. "The Temple people actually fled?"
"And he didn't even dare utter a harsh word." A wizened old wizard beside them swallowed hard. His gaze was complex as he turned to Ian. "This...this is simply..."
"Is this really true?" The young witch murmured to herself.
"Did he drive off the entire Temple force by himself?" For ordinary wizards of this era, defeating the Temple personnel was no simple feat.
They could draw upon divine power, something no wizard below Legendary rank could withstand. Their feeble magic stood no chance against the crushing force of divine magic.
"All right, now that the pests are gone, let's get back to the gathering," Ian said, casually brushing imaginary dust off his sleeve. His tone was light, as if he had merely swatted away a swarm of annoying flies.
"Do... do we still want to continue the gathering?" Someone finally ventured cautiously. The question ignited a fuse, plunging everyone back into silence.
After all, what they had just witnessed was beyond their comprehension. But what truly terrified them was this man's audacity in directly challenging the Temple of the God of War. What did that mean? It meant that he feared neither Olympus's wrath nor the prospect of even more terrifying retribution.
"Of course we'll continue," Ian said, his voice cutting through the tension calmly yet resolutely.
The crowd startled and turned to look at him.
"Are you afraid the Temple will retaliate?" Ian swept his gaze across the room, a faint smile playing on his lips. "I understand your concerns. But if you abandon your pursuit over a minor conflict, you don't deserve to call yourselves wizards."
His words were harsh, yet no one dared to object. They all knew that, without Ian's intervention, they would have been dragged to the Temple that night to face trial, exile, or even death.
"W-we..." The crow-masked witch hesitated, then took a deep breath and forced herself to say, "We continue."
The others exchanged glances.
Then, one by one, they nodded in agreement.
Ian had saved their lives.
And... who would dare defy a Legendary? The atmosphere inside the barn gradually relaxed. Unlike their earlier clandestine transactions, the wizards now communicated openly and freely.
They no longer spoke of trades or deals.
They sought to satisfy Ian's insatiable thirst for knowledge, suspecting that he might be a wizard who had slumbered for centuries and was now eager to understand the modern era. Little did they know, to Ian, they were the ancient wizards. He simply relished learning about their knowledge of ancient magic, much of which had been lost to later generations.
Thus, amidst an atmosphere of mingled apprehension and anticipation, the gathering resumed. This time, no one spoke of transactions or held back secrets.
They knew that Ian's power far surpassed their imagination and that his knowledge was unfathomable. Rather than attempting to curry his favor with petty magic, they decided to openly showcase their most authentic research findings.
Perhaps they might even gain his guidance.
"Your distinguished self..." A tall, slender wizard approached Ian respectfully and offered him a yellowed sheepskin tome with both hands. He hoped to gain Ian's favor by presenting the gift. "This is our school's prized copy of Ancient Elemental Manipulation Techniques, a record of Third Era Elemental Magical Theory. It may prove useful to you."
Ian accepted the tome and casually flipped through a few pages, his eyes flickering slightly.
"Hm, somewhat interesting," he nodded.
As he read about ancient magic, he also revealed some new research findings that had never been touched by later generations of wizards.
"However, your theory of 'elemental resonance' is outdated. The Warlocks of the Third Era relied too heavily on external elements and neglected the guidance of their own magical power." As he spoke, he lightly tapped the air with his fingertip. A wisp of silver-gray magical power conjured a complex rune in midair that instantly coalesced into a pure flame.
Yet within the flame, patterns of frost swirled like veins.
"See? Elements don't exist independently. They can transform into one another."
Ian's demonstration was strikingly direct.
The wizards' eyes widened, and some leaned closer, afraid to miss a detail.
"How is this possible?!" A young fire magic specialist exclaimed. "How can ice and fire coexist?!" These two elements are fundamentally opposed in nature!"
In this era, wizards sought to harmonize with nature.
Ian smiled.
"It's not coexistence, but 'reconfiguration.'" With a flick of his finger, the flame instantly transformed into flowing water, which then solidified into rock and finally dissipated into a gentle breeze.
"Magic power is the foundation; elements are merely its manifestations," Ian murmured. By later eras, wizards had begun to challenge nature itself; this marked a progressive shift in wizarding history.
"So that's how it is!"
It was as if everyone had glimpsed the path to becoming a legendary wizard.
"I wish to learn about the most controversial magic of your time, especially the forbidden techniques classified by the Temple," Ian said bluntly.
Of course, his dissemination of knowledge was also aimed at acquiring more magic lore from these ancient wizards. The group exchanged glances before the elder wizard stepped forward.
"We do possess some rather controversial magic," he said quietly. "These spells are said to originate from dark wizards and were once hunted by the gods."
Upon hearing this, Ian immediately perked up.
"For example?" His interest piqued, Ian asked.
"Take the 'Soul Resonance Technique,' for example," Another wizard added. "It's a method that allows two minds to temporarily connect. However, improper use can lead to mental fragmentation."
"There's also the Stellar Summoning Array," A young witch interjected. "Legend has it that it can harness the power of the stars to summon an unknown entity. But we've never fully understood its true principles."
As they spoke, the wizards retrieved their most treasured notebooks and ancient texts from their hidden stashes and handed them over to Ian. For these wizards, their most precious possessions were always kept close at hand.
The Undetectable Extension Charm hadn't been invented yet, so they concealed their belongings in the seams of their robes. More skilled wizards might even modify their own bodies to hide items within their organs.
"This knowledge is decent, but there are quite a few inaccuracies," Ian remarked. His learning ability was beyond question, after all, he was a true Ravenclaw.
With just a little study, he had already mastered several ancient magic techniques. His primary goal was to understand the framework of ancient magic, and he didn't hesitate to point out any errors he found.
He picked up a quill.
He drew an intricate magic array on the ground.
"The key to the Soul Resonance Technique lies in frequency synchronization," He explained as he drew. "Human consciousness operates like a wave. Only when two waves resonate at the same frequency can they truly connect. Otherwise, chaos ensues."
"As for the Stellar Summoning Array..." He paused, then continued, "It doesn't summon a specific entity; rather, it opens a door to another dimensional space. You haven't succeeded because you lack the correct coordinates. I recommend that you study astronomy more deeply."
"What is astronomy? I have some materials here." Ian shared the textbooks he had collected for Professor Morgan. The knowledge within seemed to open the door to a new world for these ancient wizards.
The wizards stared in astonishment.
They had never imagined that the mysteries that had plagued them for years could be explained in just a few sentences by someone who was already a published author and a renowned magic researcher.
"Of course."
"He's legendary."
"His research on magic must be incredibly comprehensive and profound."
"This is revolutionary! A completely new school of magic!" Stunned by the charms system's impact, the wizards gazed at Ian with growing awe and reverence.
It was clear:
They believed the charms system was Ian's visionary creation, a path he had blazed for future generations. These legendary wizards were powerful and wise, deeply invested in the future of wizardkind.
Thus, a beautiful misunderstanding took root. Of course, the charms system wasn't Ian's invention, but the ancient wizards had no way of knowing that. They had only received the concept from Ian. It was the culmination of generations of effort, making it exceptionally comprehensive and delivering a paradigm shift to these wizards, like a three-dimensional force crushing a two-dimensional plane.
In the following days, the wizards in the barn abandoned their initial caution and vied eagerly for Ian's tutelage.
"Your distinguished self! Our school has long struggled to solve the stability issues of the Space Folding Technique."
"Try stabilizing the nodes with reversed magic power flow," Ian said casually, sketching a three-dimensional rune in the air. "This way, magic power doesn't flow unidirectionally but rather forms a closed loop."
"Good heavens! So that's it!"
"Your distinguished self! We've never been able to replicate the 'Divine Runes' from the ancient magic arrays."
"Because you've been misled," Ian scoffed. "The so-called 'Divine Runes' were just tricks that ancient mages used to impress people. The true core lies in 'magic power resonance.'"
With a flick of his finger, a complex magic array materialized instantly, radiating a light far purer than the temple's divine magic.
The wizards were utterly stunned.
This wasn't mere "communication"; it was a veritable "feast of magic!" It was a deep night, and candlelight flickered within the barn. The air was thick with the scents of parchment, ink, and lingering magical residue. Ian sat at a rickety wooden table with an ancient scroll of sheepskin parchment spread before him. It was densely covered with the knowledge he had just acquired.
But it wasn't just about taking. As he studied ancient theories of magic, the soul, and astrology from this era, he generously shared his own knowledge—from fundamental energy flow principles to the logic behind consciousness construction techniques and methods for enhancing mental force through meditation.
"You must understand," Ian declared, standing firmly among them. His voice rang with conviction: "True power doesn't come from God's gifts, nor from the complexity of spells, but from the indomitable will within your hearts."
He swept his gaze across the crowd, his eyes burning like torches.
"You are wizards, not priests. You shouldn't kneel before God. You should master the rules. You must believe that as long as you are powerful enough, nothing can truly harm you."
He paused, his voice low yet filled with strength.
"Therefore, remember this: Wizards reign supreme, and the heart is the world."
His words struck these long-oppressed wizards, bound by their faith, like a thunderclap.
They exchanged glances. Some had eyes that gleamed with excitement, while others were lost in deep contemplation.
An elderly witch spoke slowly, her voice trembling. "If we could truly achieve what you describe, would we still need to fear Olympus?"
"No," Ian replied. "But first, you must unite, establish your own order, and create a haven that embodies the wizards' ideals."
"What about you?" a young witch asked. "Will you lead us? You are the strongest. You have the right to be our leader."
A hush fell over the room as everyone held their breath, awaiting his answer.
Ian smiled faintly and shook his head. "I will inevitably leave. I can help you, but I cannot protect you."
His words brought a wave of disappointment, but they understood. After all, from the start, this man had never belonged to the mortals of this era.
Just as the atmosphere grew heavy, suddenly…
"After you leave, I can protect the wizards."
A cold, authoritative female voice echoed from the doorway.
Everyone whirled around.
A woman stood calmly at the entrance of the barn, wearing silver-white battle robes and a golden crown. A long cloak was draped over her shoulders. She had a noble and composed bearing, and her eyes radiated unparalleled wisdom and power.
"Goddess Athena!" someone gasped, dropping to their knees immediately.
The others followed suit, bowing their heads; their faces were pale, as if they foresaw an impending disaster.
Yet, contrary to all expectations, the Goddess of Wisdom from Mount Olympus showed neither anger nor punishment. She simply gazed silently at Ian.
Her gaze was as deep as the sea.
"As long as you can keep me alive when the Twilight of the Gods arrives," she said in a soft yet clear voice that reached every ear in the room. There was a hint of pleading in her voice.
Deathly silence descended.
The wizards stared, their eyes wide with disbelief, scarcely daring to believe what they had heard.
(End Of This Chapter)