After the activation of the runes sorcery array, curse power was continuously drawn out, especially from Toyennes himself, whose curse power’s density and thickness far exceeded the other two, presenting a scene that made one’s heart tremble with fear.
Ivan began to deeply comprehend the mysteries of the formation.
He was one of the individuals presiding over the operation of the formation, which was akin to being openly disclosed to him by Toyennes, encompassing decades of research into the Curse of Demon’s Resentment.
One might say Toyennes was sinister, but not foolish.
Discover exclusive content at empire
He certainly needed to ponder it thoroughly.
“Let me have a good look at what tricks you are playing.”
In fact, he was still suspicious of Toyennes’s intentions, or rather, like Pearney, he fundamentally did not trust Toyennes.
However, the Curse of Demon’s Resentment was always an issue, and thinking about the applications of Toyennes’s research was the reason he had agreed to step onto the array dais.
After becoming a sorcerer, his spiritual power underwent a transformation, enhancing his perception and insight enormously.
Ivan quickly noticed something unusual.
The breaths of the three were connected through mental energy, the curse marks also directly linked, and there was a very ominous presence coming from next door.
“No wonder he chose to construct the formation in this eerie place, it’s using the power from next door.”
“From the structure of the formation, what Toyennes said about sending curse power next door seems to be more than just talk.”
“Essentially speaking, spiritual power represents the soul, and curse marks, as a form of peculiar life energy, can be viewed as body energy.”
Ivan glanced at Toyennes, looking at his hideous form at the moment, and a thought crossed his mind—was the other not attempting to scheme against his or Pearney’s body?
It was indeed possible; doing so would likely leave some problems behind, but it was better than continuously maintaining a magic pet’s body, had he been in the same situation, he might have made the same choice.
“In that case, I need to be prepared.”
Having sensed the trickery, Ivan had a plan in mind.
Under his command, a rapid wood silkworm with ‘Simulated Breath’ skill, moving down his sleeve into his hand, underwent some manipulation, turning the remaining curse power into a secondary curse mark of the Summer Curse.
The curse mark securely lodged itself onto the rapid wood silkworm.
How to transform the Spring Curse of the Curse of Demon’s Resentment into the Summer Curse and then separate a secondary curse mark from it was something he had learned long ago, he hadn’t used it much before because he was worried that the body of the rapid wood silkworm couldn’t withstand it, and because of the presence of Ginger Summer Water.
Now was different, the rapid wood silkworm had undergone a revolutionary change, some even nearly matching his own physical strength, so bearing a secondary curse mark was naturally not an issue.
“Not bad at all, the breath is perfectly accurate.”
The rapid wood silkworm used ‘Simulated Breath Skill’ to mimic Ivan’s breath, so accurately that even he himself could barely differentiate it, and he secretly gave himself a mental compliment.
He then linked his own breath in the formation to that of the rapid wood silkworm, swapping the part of the curse mark on his own arm for the secondary curse on the body of the rapid wood silkworm.
All of this was done stealthily, without attracting the attention of others.
He glanced at Pearney not far away, who was also a concern.
After thinking it over, Ivan shouted to Toyennes, “Sorcerer Toyennes, I think it’s time we had a proper talk.”
Both were busy; hearing his words, one felt uneasy, thinking he had discovered something, while the other was annoyed, not knowing what he was intending to stir up.
Both of Toyennes’s heads turned towards him, four eyes only showing coldness, “Ivan, what do you want to talk about?”
As if oblivious, Ivan continued, “Let’s talk about what you’re prepared to offer, the methods to increase the sorcerer’s promotion success rate; I assume that was not just lip service.”
“How would you like to discuss it?”
“You need to give me a guarantee, I won’t make it tough for you, just swear by the Mother of Earth Core, make a simple oath, and I will believe that you will keep your promise.”
After entering the Sorcerer’s Academy, he found that many agreements were witnessed by the ‘Mother of Earth Core’, which, according to the sorcerers, was more effective than using other mythological figures.
Such uncommitted oaths, even for a sorcerer, held a certain power.
“Well done, well done,” Toyennes was annoyed by his words, no matter how fallen he was, he was still a sorcerer, and it was rare to see such an apprentice brazenly forcing him to swear, it was indeed rare in this world.
“Ivan, you have always been a clever person, tell me, what are you relying on, touch your own head and ask, what qualifications do you have to compel Sorcerer Toyennes?”
Ivan ignored the darkening face opposite him, a black and shiny Combat Energy appeared on the palm of his hand, the Combat Energy emitted a faint blue halo and laughed:
“Great Knight Combat Energy, specialty ‘Piercing’, the Combat Energy Slash excels at slicing through defenses. You might want to guess if it’s the same with formations.”
“Good job, Great Knight, good job on your ‘Piercing’ specialty, you truly are my most esteemed disciple.”
Toyennes’s eyes flashed briefly; last time Jeeson hadn’t shared the details with him, and he just found out about his own disciple becoming a Great Knight, a Great Knight’s body is indeed great.
“Wasn’t Billerie your most esteemed disciple? Almost forgot, last time he caused you a great loss, Sorcerer Toyennes, you better remember this lesson well,” Ivan retorted.
Toyennes’s face darkened a bit more at these words; however, since he was now in a magic pet’s body, it was not clearly visible to others, he paused for a few seconds, and still swallowed this huge disgrace.
“Mother of Earth Core, bear witness for us,” Leliqueda Toyennes swore, “once the runes sorcery array ceases operation, I shall find something or a means for Ivan Marichadon that can increase the sorcerer’s promotion success rate. Should I break this oath, I shall suffer great disasters and never become a Level 2 Sorcerer.”
Last, Toyennes asked through gritted teeth, “Ivan, is that acceptable?”
“Now I’m relieved.”
Ivan, with a slight smile playing on his lips, nodded slightly. Indeed, Toyennes hadn’t noticed the subtle change in the array.
Pearney witnessed this scene, her emotions in turmoil. She tried several times to catch his eye, but alas, received no response; she could only continue to cleanse the curse power in the curse mark.
Toyennes was also stripping away curse power, the chill in his eyes intensifying more and more.
In the following time, Ivan did nothing else but took the opportunity to explore the runes sorcery array before him.
“Toyennes’s words can’t be fully trusted, but surely not all are lies; that five-yearly massive transfer of curse power might be true. In the future, I may need to deal extensively with the Curse of Demon’s Resentment.
Well, I’ll use a Light of Great Wisdom after all.”
After much thought, he decided to take advantage of this rare opportunity to comprehend more useful things.
The next second, the Academic Prodigy panel appeared, and he activated a Light of Great Wisdom. A soundless, invisible rhythm enveloped him, rendering his mind exceptionally clear, and he delved deeper into a combination of the Spring Curse and the Summer Curse.
[Enchantment Skill experience point +300]
[Enchantment Skill: lv5(1211/1500)]
[Runes Skill experience point +200]
[Runes Skill: Lv5(544/1500)]
[Curse Skill experience point +150]
[Curse Skill: lv3(5/300)]
In just a few minutes, as his comprehension deepened, experience points on the Academic Prodigy panel for Enchantment Skill, Runes Skill, and Curse Skill increased to different extents.
Curse Skill was promoted to a Level 3 discipline.
Beyond the experience points, Ivan also realized a Secret Technique, which he named ‘Summer God Chain’. It primarily served to flexibly transfer curse power and could also transfer lifeforce like the Rose Chain, with further potential uses yet to be developed.
“Unfortunately, the array involves an unknown force from next door; delving further would require direct contact with that strange essence, which is certainly unwise.”
This time, his investigation wasn’t entirely successful, mainly because he chose to abandon it. He had already invoked a troublesome Curse of Demon’s Resentment and courting another strange force would be unwise.
Through this comprehension, Ivan gained a deeper understanding of the runes sorcery array before him, and his expression became even more composed.
Inside the cave, perhaps due to the operation of the array, the chanting that drifted from deeper within the passage grew clearer and brighter; if one listened carefully, they would find the song carried a joyful tune.
The three of them paid it no heed.
Time passed by slowly; soon, Pearney had cleansed all the curse power from her body, and under the array’s influence, she also expelled the power constituting the curse mark itself, sighing deeply.
Before long, Toyennes had also expelled most of the curse power from his body, his entire being feeling unusually relaxed, as if he had shed a heavy prison.
The power of the Curse of Demon’s Resentment wouldn’t vanish into thin air; all of it lingered under the bind of the runes sorcery array, floating above and forming a dark cyan cloud, putting immense pressure on those below.
“Ivan, Pearney, join me in transferring the curse power to the room next door. Do not hesitate or get distracted, for our success hinges upon this,” shouted Toyennes as he commanded the runes sorcery array to unleash even greater power.
With their combined efforts, the curse power flowed towards another node next door, guided by the runes sorcery array.
No sooner had the curse power been sent than a major upheaval occurred on Toyennes’s side.
His entire body suddenly showed dense cracks, and blood streamed out. Under the influence of an inexplicable force, his body did not shatter into pieces but transformed into a black and red energy of eerie appearance, as if composed of some dark elemental particles.
The black-red energy followed the runes lines, linking somewhere else, flowing towards another controlling node like venomous snakes.
This change certainly caught the attention of the other two.
Pearney felt a relentless tremor in both flesh and spirit, struggling to remain calm, her eyes wide with terror as she watched the events within the array unfold.
“As expected, still harboring treacherous intentions.”
Ivan snorted softly to himself, understanding the runes sorcery array and knowing that Toyennes was indeed targeting him. As Toyennes had expected, he had chosen Ivan himself.
You seek your own death; no one else is to blame.
Seeing this, he reached out an invisible hand, striking a nearby rune, forcibly directing the runes sorcery array towards an unknown direction, and instantly, the rune lines within the array began to twist erratically.
Destruction is much easier than construction; without much effort, he had levered Toyennes’s carefully arranged array.
“How dare you!”
Toyennes let out a mixed roar and shriek, no longer caring about anything else, he lunged towards Ivan as he realized his consciousness was blurring by the moments.