Char's eyes were fixed on the system panel, a feeling of disbelief washing over him. It took a long moment for the reality of it to sink in. The Serpent-Summoning Charm… Diamond level? His very first Diamond-level spell? Even if it was only a temporary promotion, blessed by the power of the many cursed jewels, this was a leap in power far beyond anything he had expected.
Then, even as the searing pain of the curses continued to spread through his body, turning his face a pale shade, Char couldn't help but laugh heartily. Each level in the system's rating represented a qualitative change, a fundamental shift in power. This was especially true starting from the Platinum level, where the difficulty of advancement increased sharply, but the subsequent change was a world of difference. The growth from Gold to Platinum was almost comparable to the sum of all previous promotions, and from Platinum to Diamond, the growth was naturally even greater.
Even his Platinum-level Divine Edge Shadowless Curse was likely not as powerful as his Serpent-Summoning Charm was now. Even his Ancient Weather Magic, before he completed the last few magic rune nodes and its basic structure, couldn't compare. This spell had just become his most powerful offensive weapon, second only to his own physical body.
The excitement in Char's eyes gradually subsided, replaced by a focused intensity. How powerful was the Diamond-level spell, really? He had to test it to know for sure. However, the spell had already caused quite a lot of noise before. A Diamond-level casting might be much more eye-catching. Just to be on the safe side, Char decided to go to another place to test it. As for where to go, his gaze fell on the Forbidden Forest in the distance.
In his mind, the scene of facing the Acromantulas for the first time emerged. His magical skills at that time were undoubtedly a world away from what they were now. The five-headed snake he had summoned then could only delay a single Acromantula for a moment; in a real fight, it would have been torn to pieces instantly. But now, it would be a good opportunity to use the giant spiders to test the spell's improvement.
He took a step forward, walking towards the oppressive gloom of the Forbidden Forest. Inside, it was pitch black as always, but under his Platinum-level night vision, it was still as bright as day. It was a pity that this night vision, which could also observe magic particles, had lost its effectiveness for him now. It was far inferior to his own magical perception. This made him feel a little regretful. Before this, his night vision ability had been of great help to him, even reflected in potions and Herbology. Now, this ability was gradually failing him. "If there's a chance, I should improve my night vision," he thought. "I wonder if this ability will bring greater benefits if it is upgraded to Diamond level."
Soon, Char came to the place where he had first encountered the eight-eyed giant spiders. Above, the surrounding trees were draped in thin, sticky white spider silk. Once a living creature was accidentally caught, the resulting vibration would be immediately sensed by the Acromantulas. These hordes of 5X-level magical creatures would immediately rush over, inject venom, and then slowly suck their prey into an empty shell. This spider silk was extremely tough; once entangled, even a giant would not be able to break free. Therefore, even in the dangerous Forbidden Forest, very few creatures would approach this area.
But now, Char waved his wand casually. His newly created spell, the Mage's Hand, immediately came into being. It was as if there was an invisible hand in the air, moving these spider silks, and almost all the silk in the nearby woods began to vibrate violently.
Deeper in the Forbidden Forest, in the darkness, one scarlet, bloodthirsty eye after another opened. The number of Acromantulas at this time seemed to be smaller than before, and the remaining ones had scars on their bodies. This was exactly what had happened during the previous transaction between Char and Two-Face. In order to obtain fresh blood of the Acromantulas to cultivate Blood Emeralds, he had asked Two-Face at that time to exchange it. The two of them had each gotten what they needed, but the spiders had suffered. Faced with the constantly recovering Two-Face, they had no power to resist at all. They could only be bled every day like livestock. Even when the Acromantula leader, Aragog, pointed out that the tribe was short of food, Two-Face didn't even blink, immediately killing several of the weakest spiders. "Now, isn't there food?" he had asked indifferently. "If you still can't give me enough blood, I can still make some more food for you."
Even now, recalling the days of being held captive, the Acromantulas would tremble with fear. Fortunately, Two-Face hadn't been to the Forbidden Forest for a long time, and they had finally escaped the days of being kept as livestock. At this time, they desperately craved flesh and blood to fill their hungry stomachs. And after feeling the violent vibration from the spider silk, intense greed and desire erupted in their creepy scarlet eyeballs. Click. Click. The Acromantulas, each larger than a carriage, walked through the forest, their giant claws opening and closing, unable to wait to tear apart some sweet flesh.
Soon, they rushed to the place where the vibration came from. But what surprised them was that there was no prey caught on the spider web. All that came into view was the figure of a little wizard. Then, they remembered. "Little wizard. It's you?!" There was anger in their eyes, because Char had killed their companions. But at the same time, they also felt a sense of fear. The terrifying dark wizard who had kept them in captivity seemed to be inseparable from him. When they thought of that figure, even with waves of hunger in their stomachs, the Acromantulas couldn't help but step back. They didn't dare to attack him rashly. Otherwise, what if they attracted that terrifying existence again?
When Char saw this scene, there was also a look of surprise in his eyes. It seemed that the shadow left by Two-Face on the Acromantulas was really deep. They were obviously hungry, but they didn't even dare to make a move. But he hadn't come here just for a stroll. He looked at the spiders, a hint of a taunt appearing on his face. He pricked his finger. Bright red blood beads slowly seeped out. Along with them came an indescribably rich vitality floating in the air.
The eyes of the Acromantulas froze immediately, all focused on the blood beads oozing from his fingertips. The desire and greed in their eyes began to surge. This blood… the temptation to them was just too great. It was definitely a beauty they had never tasted in the Forbidden Forest. Especially now, when they were so weak, a single drop of this blood could restore their strength. What if he was eaten? The retreating spiders now had fierce gleams in their eyes and were whispering to each other. "At worst, we eat him and then spread out for a while. That gang can't stay in the Forbidden Forest forever, right?" "Eat, eat—I'm so hungry!"
At the same time, the Acromantula who had witnessed Char's terrifying power reminded them, "This wizard-like being is incredibly strong. He might be some kind of half-giant. But his magic power is not good. Don't get close to him easily."
Char heard a whisper in his ear. A smile finally appeared at the corner of his mouth. "That's interesting. But, there is one thing you may have made a mistake about. My magic power is not enough? That was a long time ago." The next moment, he swung his wand and thrust forward. "Serpensortia!"
As the mantra was chanted, his magic power surged out from the tip of his wand, and along with it came the powerful cursed magic brought by dozens of cursed jewels. Although he didn't use all of it, just a small part was already far more powerful than the curse magic he had previously possessed. The results were clear. Even on the system's isolated board, the diamond light on the Serpent-Summoning Charm shone brightly. From the tip of his wand, a cold, lonely smoke rose towards the heavens. Then, the black smoke condensed into a huge black shadow. Seven ferocious snake heads twisted with malice. Every black scale was stained with cold and resentful curse magic. On the fangs that flashed with a cold light, what was more deadly than the venom was an extremely strong curse. This giant snake with seven heads seemed to be born from a curse itself. In fact, what made the Acromantulas so excited was that on the body of the seven-headed giant snake, among the countless black scales, it seemed as if human faces appeared, and countless eyes were staring at them.
In that instant, the Acromantulas, the overlords of the Forbidden Forest, all felt a chill down their spines. What on earth was this strange black snake in front of them? Especially the one that had once fought with Char. It was even more unbelievable. The Serpent-Summoning Charm, they had seen him use this magic before. But the five-headed snake summoned earlier was just a showpiece, shredded in seconds. But it hadn't been long since then. This spell—why was it completely different in his hands?
Before they could react, Char waved his wand. The seven-headed giant snake swam towards them without hesitation. In sharp contrast with its huge body was its speed. It was simply unnatural, as if it had no substance and was as fast as a ghost. Before the spiders could react, the giant snake was in front of them. Its tail swept across, knocking two of them away heavily. At the same time, the seven snake heads simultaneously grabbed the remaining one. This ferocious 5X-level magical beast suddenly felt an instinctive fear. A strong curse magic lingered in the air, making its body stiff and unable to move at all. The next second, it was torn into pieces by the seven snake heads. Then, the seven snake heads, having suffered no losses, rushed towards the remaining spiders again.
Seeing how the Diamond-level Serpent-Summoning Charm performed in actual combat, Char's eyes were filled with joy. This was already much more powerful than he had expected. The strength and speed had more than improved to a higher level. There were also the strange characteristics brought by the cursed magic. Each attack was accompanied by a strong curse. Even a behemoth like an Acromantula could not withstand its attack. What surprised him even more was that when the seven snake heads stared at one target at the same time, the curse could actually entangle the target from a distance. The spider was in a state of stiffness, almost at the mercy of others.
His eyes flickered slightly. "This is a bit like the gaze of a thousand-year-old Basilisk. It's just far less powerful than the one that kills if you look directly at it. But in terms of expression, they are very close. Could it be that the gaze of the Millennium Basilisk is actually an extremely powerful curse?" He really thought it was very likely. After all, even the Killing Curse was accompanied by melting light and a surge of magical power. But the Millennium Basilisk's gaze could be activated immediately just by looking at each other. Except for a curse, there was really no magic that could achieve such a feature. This made him even more shocked. "It seems so. The despicable Herpo who created the Basilisk, his attainments in curses are probably only at the level of imagination. It's actually possible to create a living creature with a curse. I wonder if my Serpent-Summoning Charm, if it reaches the Legendary level, can inflict this curse on the snakes I summon."
And just as he was doing so, the spiders were defeated by the seven-headed giant snake. They finally came to their senses. A fierce look fell on Char. "Kill this wizard-like person, and the snake will disappear." Even if they had been warned before, knowing that his power was extraordinary, when comparing the two, the danger level of Char was certainly much lower than that of the seven-headed giant snake. So what if he was strong? So many spiders swarmed forward. Not to mention a descendant of a mixed-blood giant, even a real giant would be torn into pieces. Not to mention the horrific venom of the Acromantulas. As long as they were injected with enough, even giants would be melted.
So the next moment, several spiders scattered and entangled the seven giant snakes. The rest bypassed them and pounced towards Char. Without any scruples, their hearts were immediately filled with only greed and anger. But Char saw a dark shadow rushing towards him, and there was no panic at all. Instead, he showed an expression of eagerness to try. The ability that had been accumulated for so long was now a good opportunity to test his own strength.
The wand waved repeatedly. Without any spell, the Mage's Hand came into being. The few lonely spiders in the front suddenly felt their bodies lighten, as if floating on the clouds. Then, a powerful force pulled their bodies, which had become much lighter, and suddenly lifted them upwards. Without waiting for a reaction, this invisible force smashed them down hard again. In this process, their bodies returned to their original weight. Just like a few cannonballs, they smashed into their companions, immediately blocking the advance of the Acromantulas.
At the same time, Char's wand was already waving quietly. Magic power surged at the tip of the staff, forming magic nodes one after another. After his magic perception was improved, it was much easier for him to construct the magic nodes of the runes than before. The three nodes that could initially display some power of ancient weather magic were completed at once. Then four. Five. The five nodes that had once made him sweat profusely were now completed with ease in the blink of an eye. There was a gleam in his eyes. The wand kept waving. And when doing so, the tip of the wand was already covered with dazzling lightning. The nearby Forbidden Forest was illuminated as brightly as day. The roars of the spiders were suppressed by the crackling sound of the electric arcs. The fishy smell was replaced by the scorching air. They stared blankly at the scene between Char's staffs, feeling an unprecedented fear. "This is—what?!"
When Char was doing it, it was as if they had forgotten that the battle was still going on. He smiled with surprise, his mind immersed in the construction of the runes. His natural will had already reached the standard to unleash the power of ancient weather magic. It was even far beyond the Black Iron level and had reached the Silver level. Only his magical perception had always prevented him from constructing the most basic structure of magic runes. As a result, he was unable to fully learn the magic. And this time, five nodes were crossed in an instant. Then came six. The flashing light of the electric arc was even brighter than before. In the clouds above, a dark cloud suddenly appeared. Waves of oppression emanated from it, as if a terrifying force was brewing.
A moment later, everything he understood about runes during this period flashed through his mind. What followed was the seventh magic node of the three runes, which took shape. Not only that, the seven magic nodes emitted unprecedented changes, outlining the outline of the magic rune. A great will rose within his body and poured into the wand. He couldn't help but recite these three magic words. "Fehu. Thurisaz. Dagaz."
The spiders trembled, crawling on the ground. They looked at him with horror. His voice seemed to come from ancient times. Ancient, powerful… The next second, there was also a sound of change between the three magic runes. At the same time, on the system board, the remaining glimmer of ancient weather magic was finally completely filled. Above the words, light flickered. The black iron light spread rapidly, then blurred. Then, the Black Iron light turned into Bronze, then a little bit of transformation said shimmering silver luster. Finally, the words on the solitary board were frozen.
[Ancient Weather Magic (Silver Level)]!
That's when it happened. Among the clouds, it was as if it was attracted by the arc of electricity surging at the tip of his staff. A tiny light appeared in the clouds. Then it got brighter and brighter. He felt that the tip of his wand was pulling an unprecedentedly powerful force, ready to go. He clenched his teeth tightly. The figure that he had seen in the ancient weather magic perception appeared in his mind. Then, the wand swung down.
Boom!
A deafening roar echoed throughout the Forbidden Forest. There was a flash of lightning in the clouds, falling from the sky, splitting into the woods.
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