"The difference between a Legendary Wizard and an Ordinary Wizard is indeed like heaven and earth."
At this moment, Ian truly understood the weight of being a Legendary Wizard. The reason legends transcend the mundane is precisely because they are no longer ordinary mortals in the true sense.
The same magic, in the hands of a legend and in the hands of an ordinary person, is vastly different.
The existence of legends has already surpassed the limitations of common sense. Their power is no longer restricted by ordinary rules, but approaches those exalted gods high above the clouds.
Although they don't possess divinity, their magic power also starts to approximate divine power. This makes a Legendary Wizard not just an enhancement of strength, but their magic is also an understanding and mastery of the rules.
"I see."
Ian finally understood why simply increasing magic power couldn't elevate him to legendary status.
The path of legends is not just about the accumulation of magic power; it is also a constant exploration and understanding of the world's essence, necessarily leaving indelible marks by merging oneself into this world.
This is what is called a "story."
This stage.
Take another step forward.
It would be the ascension to divinity that Helbo, a Wizard of such legendary status, dreams of—a choice perhaps not the only one.
The real world.
Ian slowly opened his eyes. The light on his body gradually converged, and his mood reached tranquility at that moment. He realized he had completed the transformation from mundane to legendary.
From today onward.
He has inscribed his own imprint in history.
"Oh! Awake!"
The Fierce Goddess immediately rushed to Ian's side, touches Ian's face indiscriminately, "The feeling hasn't changed. Are you really a Legendary Wizard now?"
"It's my first time witnessing the birth of a Legendary Wizard." Her tone carried a few sentiments, as a young god she still has many firsts to enjoy.
"Well, you are fortunate, for I will be the most defiant legend you have ever seen." Ian noticed the Sun God not far away, gazing at him with a complex look.
"What do you mean?"
The Fierce Goddess seemed a bit surprised.
"Mutation, I underwent mutation." Ian didn't speak the truth, but he wasn't lying either. He stepped towards the cliff with the last remaining green vegetation near the volcano.
The Sun God's divine power protected this place well, not letting anyone feel the terrifying heat; otherwise, everyone might just become well-done jerky from the volcanic eruption's heat.
"Honestly speaking, I'm not quite sure about this situation either."
Standing at the cliff's edge, the wind came rushing from all directions, carrying the pungent smell of sulfur and scorching ash, hitting his face, his Wizard's Robe flapping in the wind.
The city below has ceased to exist. Once bustling streets, towering buildings, were now swallowed by the scorching lava. Fiery rivers meandered through, turning everything to ashes. Dense smoke rose, covering half the sky, with occasional firelight flickering in the smoke, like Hell's eyes peering into the Human World.
"Need me to share my godhood with you, to take it a step further?" The Fierce Goddess, a warm-hearted individual, suggested. Of course, this had to do with her contractual relationship with Ian, bound to benefit or suffer together.
"I think not."
Ian decisively chose to refuse.
His response surprised the Fierce Goddess immensely.
Probably any wizard facing such an opportunity would find his decision hard to comprehend. However, Ian chose this path with his own reasons.
Facing the Fierce Goddess's puzzled gaze questioning his sanity, Ian smiled lightly, "Becoming legendary suddenly gave me a new vision of the future."
"I think a thousand years ago, no, even a thousand years from now, Merlin might have shared ambitions similar to those of Helbo. Who wouldn't want to become a god? Surely the most glamorous wizard among them feels the same."
"But… is this truly right?" Ian's tone carried some doubt, as if inquiring the goddess beside him, but more like pondering to himself.
"Why not? Certainly, Merlin was mad with the desire to become a god, though he never had your luck to encounter a generous divine spirit like me who loves to share."
The Fierce Goddess showed some disdain towards Ian's hesitation, fearing enormously that a Little Wizard like him could pass away, which inevitably means she too would prematurely die as a goddess.
This was her primary reason for willingly sharing her godhood.
"In my era, Merlin was an unapproachable mountain, someone all wizards could only look up to. Yet now, I stand in a position equal to his."
"If he truly, as you say, desired to become a god, then perhaps I've already seen possibilities he never could." Ian's gaze fixed on the scene of destruction.
The flames reflected in his eyes.
"Speak plainly, no, speak in a way even gods can understand."
The Fierce Goddess straightforwardly rolled her eyes.
"What I mean is I want to continue on the wizard's path, I firmly believe…"
Ian slowly raised his right hand, fingers spread open, palm facing the burning ruins.
His seemingly casual action carried an aura of mystery and oppression.
"The scenery no one has ever beheld lies ahead of me." Ian's tone and actions were calm and measured, and the magic wand that began to shine seemed to possess the majestic power to change the world.