In the vast permafrost resource zone, an expanse of silver-white wilderness stretched endlessly. The roar of massive machinery echoed through the air.
The deafening screech of metal grinding against metal, the sharp hiss of steam gushing forth, and the deep rumbling of giant drill bits crushing the frozen ground intertwined in a chaotic symphony.
Lynn stood silently atop a temporary observation platform, his gaze sweeping over the frozen terrain being excavated.
His eyes were deep and focused his objective clear. He needed military achievements!
This was the key to monopolizing the permafrost resources of World No. 13.
By leveraging his military merits, he could rightfully claim dominion over this land, turning the permafrost into his private mining field.
But before that, he had not forgotten to use his privileged position to "collect" some high-quality frozen resources in advance.
After all, as the Guardian Wizard of the fortress, he had the authority to allocate resources in this region so shifting a small portion for himself wasn't exactly out of line.
With a slight movement of his fingers, a faint spatial ripple flickered, and within his spatial ring, several pieces of permafrost with a peculiar sheen and exceptional quality were securely stored.
This was a little side project he had carried out before the arrival of Grand Wizard Yude. Once Yude was here, Lynn put an end to these minor exploits he had no desire to displease his superior.
Lynn cast his gaze toward the distance, where machines continued their relentless work. Then, lowering his head, he activated the Gray Hawk Armor to check his power statistics:
"[Mental Power: 115 points] [Constitution: 10 points]"
"My mental power has increased again..."
Lynn murmured to himself. However, his brows furrowed slightly, and there was little joy in his expression.
The potions of the apprentice stage had completely lost their effectiveness!
He had held onto a sliver of hope, believing that with Yfgríd's enhancement, he could push his mental power to at least 118 or even 120 points.
But reality struck him with a harsh blow his mental power had only risen to 115 points before hitting a bottleneck. No further gains could be extracted from apprentice-level potions.
This wasn't because his body had developed a complete resistance to potions.
Rather, as his mental power grew, the effects of the potions diminished at an alarming rate.
Just as second-level apprentice potions were nearly useless for full-fledged wizards, third-level apprentice potions had now become a mere drop in the ocean for him.
"The three phases of a First-Level Wizard..."
Lynn murmured, his eyes flickering with thought.
Over the past few days, he had engaged in multiple discussions with Gilru, gaining a wealth of knowledge about formal wizard cultivation.
Though remnants of Maple Tree's memories still lingered in his mind, Maple Tree had enjoyed an incredibly privileged upbringing.
Rare resources were readily available to him, and his path of cultivation was smooth and effortless completely impossible for Lynn to replicate.
In contrast, Gilru's growth model was much closer to Lynn's. He had built his strength from the ground up, gathering resources through his efforts.
The cultivation of a First-Level Wizard was typically divided into three phases: the early, mid, and late stages.
The early stage began when a third-level apprentice broke through to become a full-fledged wizard, stabilizing their sudden surge in mental power and commencing true cultivation.
At this phase, a wizard's mental power had to gradually increase from 100 points to 125 points.
Once their mental field was filled, they would encounter a bottleneck. To advance further, they had to break through to the mid-stage of First-Level Wizardry.
In the mid-stage, increasing mental power was no longer a simple matter of accumulation.
The mental field expanded during the breakthrough to full wizard status was now completely occupied.
At this point, wizards needed to compress their originally dispersed mental power condensing it within the limited space of their mental field, refining its quality, and pushing toward a higher level.
Through this process, their mental power would rise from 125 points to 150 points, marking their entry into the mid-stage.
Upon reaching 150 points, a wizard would be at the peak of the mid-stage.
However, at this juncture, simple compression was no longer enough to progress.
To advance further, wizards needed to employ meditation techniques and other advanced cultivation methods to reach a higher state.
This transition involved sublimating their mental power from an abstract form into a tangible gaseous state.
This process was known as Mental Gasification.
During this stage, wizards gradually transformed their mental power into a gaseous form, making it denser and more tangible elevating it to an entirely new level.
This marked the late stage of First-Level Wizardry.
As their mental power transitioned into gas, it would grow from 150 points to 175 points, completing the full transformation of their mental field.
Once their mental power reached 175 points, it signified that they had reached the pinnacle of First-Level Wizardry.
At this point, a peak First-Level Wizard would possess 175 points of mental power, and their entire mental field would have undergone complete gasification.
Lynn had previously used the Gray Hawk Armor to assess Gilru's mental power and discovered that he had already exceeded 170 points, leaving him only a step away from the pinnacle of First-Level Wizardry.
It was highly likely that Gilru would accumulate enough resources during this war to break through to Second-Level Wizardry and step into a higher realm.
A Second-Level Wizard was not only far superior in personal strength compared to a First-Level Wizard, but their status and influence in the wizarding world also changed dramatically.
Their lifespan would double typically reaching 400 to 500 years a massive leap compared to First-Level Wizards.
In terms of status, Second-Level Wizards enjoyed unparalleled privileges.
Whether in the citizenship assessment of Mechanized Cities or other neutral cities, Second-Level Wizards received immense respect and priority treatment.
First-Level Wizards had to undergo rigorous trials and assessments, whereas Second-Level Wizards were exempt from testing.
During wartime, if Gilru successfully advanced to Second-Level Wizardry, he would be immediately promoted, rising to a mid-tier managerial position his Level and authority significantly elevated.
All of this depended on whether he could gather enough resources and breakthrough in this battle.
"Gilru must be desperate for military achievements."
Lynn muttered, recalling the original reason he had summoned Gilru to enlist his help in capturing members of the Starhunter Society.
However, with Grand Wizard Yude's unexpected arrival, he, Gilru, and Marsha were now practically guaranteed to receive a considerable share of the war spoils without much effort.
A faint smile curved on Lynn's lips as he remembered how Gilru used to call him "lucky." Looking back now, perhaps Gilru was the one truly blessed with good fortune.
This mission alone would secure him a substantial amount of military merit and resources.
And by the time they met again, Gilru would likely have already broken through to Second-Level Wizardry…
Just as Lynn was deep in thought, his sharp instincts suddenly kicked in. A faint, almost imperceptible scent reached his nose.
His keen intuition told him that something was happening.
His eyes flashed with vigilance as he suddenly looked up.
"The Starhunter Society is here?"
Lynn sensed that his contingency plan had been triggered, guessing that the long-awaited members of the Star Hunters had finally arrived.
To him, these people were nothing more than walking battle merits.
At that moment, he suddenly received a message from Grand Wizard Yude:
"You guessed correctly. This time, there is indeed a Star Hunters member above the level of a Second-Level Wizard. However, this individual is very cunning and hasn't approached directly. You and the two young wizards should put on an act first. Once he gets close enough, I'll make my move."
Lynn's eyes narrowed slightly upon reading the message.
Grand Wizard Yude thought Lynn had merely guessed that a high-ranking member of the Star Hunters would arrive, but what he didn't know was that Lynn wasn't guessing he was certain.
Lynn understood the situation well. He had consumed too many Divine Blood Pills in the past. If he stayed away from the civilizations of the gods for a long time, it wouldn't be an issue.
However, the world he was currently in had been modified by the divine civilizations. It was filled with people who were deeply connected to those civilizations.
Moreover, since he was now an enemy of the Star Hunters, the Divine Blood Pills he had taken in the past had become a serious liability.
Right now, he was like a beacon in the dark ocean, standing out conspicuously a fact that was not in his favor.
To the people of the divine civilizations, Lynn was a "blasphemer" an anomaly who had assimilated the power of divine blood.
If discovered, any member of the divine civilizations would attack him without hesitation, treating him as an enemy that must be eliminated at all costs.
Lynn's gaze grew colder.
"A Second-Level Wizard-level Star Hunters member… If converted to a mage's ranking, that would be at least a Fifth-Circle Mage, possibly even Sixth or Seventh-Circle…"
He knew that a Star Hunters member of this level was a huge catch. If he captured them, the battle merits he'd gain would be astronomical.
With that in mind, he immediately contacted Gilru and Martha, instructing them to come closer.
He planned to use himself as bait, drawing in the Second-Level Wizard-level Star Hunters member with his "blasphemer" status, and then let Grand Wizard Yude strike to take them down.
The vast, snow-covered land stretched endlessly, an unbroken expanse of blue and white where the sky and the earth merged seamlessly, without a single visible boundary.
The entire landscape was buried under layers of ice and snow, concealing everything beneath an overwhelming stillness.
No trees, no plants even the wind seemed to have vanished, leaving only the frigid air drifting through the silent world.
At that moment, a lone figure stepped into this frozen wasteland.
Draped in a blue-and-white robe, their face was completely concealed beneath a mask, making it impossible to discern their identity.
The figure halted. Amid the deathly silence, they softly uttered a phrase an incantation in a unique, supernatural language exclusive to the divine civilizations, carrying an eerie rhythm and power:
"Dark clouds obscure the sun."
Using their secret techniques, the Star Hunters were able to transmit messages through this supernatural language, establishing communication.
By adjusting the frequency and cadence correctly, they could send and receive messages over long distances without any conventional means.
The expected response to this passphrase was:
"Seven stars illuminate the sky."
According to protocol, the response was mandatory.
If no reply came, it signaled that something was wrong prompting all Star Hunters in the area to immediately evacuate.
Yet, in this vast, frozen world, there was only silence.
The endless snow-covered plains remained motionless, the air so still that it created an oppressive atmosphere.
A faint sense of unease crept into the robed figure's heart.
Just then
A subtle ripple spread through the air, like the gentle disturbance of a still water surface.
A moment later, a faint but clear voice responded:
"Seven stars illuminate the sky."
Hearing the phrase, the figure finally relaxed reassured that everything was in order.
Taking a deep breath, their eyes gleamed sharply as they subtly adjusted their position.
Beneath the folds of their robe, they discreetly activated a miniature communication device, sending a coded message to their distant allies.
The transmission was seamless, leaving no trace behind.
But just as they finished
Suddenly, a brilliant white light flared in the distance, as if the polar auroras had torn through the sky.
More and more blue-and-white figures emerged like snowflakes, descending swiftly from all directions and weaving through the vast tundra.
The Star Hunters moved like shadows, quickly merging into the surroundings. Yet, despite their presence, there was no sound a ghostly silence.
As the figures gathered, the snow-covered landscape began to shift and stir.
Before long, a total of ten Star Hunters had appeared, standing motionless across the frozen plains.
"Where is he?"
One of the spies frowned, scanning the surroundings, his suspicions deepening.
He carefully observed the snow-covered terrain, sensing a strange, unsettling tension in the air.
Then, at that very moment
The air itself began to ripple with faint but distinct fluctuations.
The expressions of the Star Hunters changed instantly.
These were not the familiar divine energy signatures of their civilization!
These fluctuations
They belonged to wizards!
The unmistakable, powerful presence of wizardry surged across the entire area in an instant.
And then
A vast energy net unfolded, rapidly spreading out and enveloping the entire space.
Before the Star Hunters could react
Multiple wizard formations suddenly activated, lighting up like thunderbolts, trapping them all within a massive magical web.
At the same time
Three figures emerged from within the formations.
Behind them stood a Third-Level Apprentice Wizard, accompanied by an array of intricately designed mechanical constructs.
At that moment, the Star Hunters realized the truth.
They had walked straight into a trap!
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