Chapter 1346 A So-Called Test <TOC> Chapter 1348 Matters Before Departure
Translator: SumTLMan
Before him lay a gateway of peculiarity; it appeared hazy and nebulous, as if created from the very essence of mist and illusions. But could it have truly transported Angel beyond?
Was this spatial magic? Or merely an illusion?
Sanders, his gaze infused with a blend of astonishment and puzzlement, felt a sudden presence behind him — several white tendrils emerging.
Whipping around, he saw, not far from where he stood, another nebulous gateway. From it, Angel’s silhouette extended, accompanied by those very same white tendrils.
In moments, the tendrils began intertwining and bifurcating, reminiscent of a spider diligently spinning its web. Before one could catch a breath, Sanders was ensnared within the intricate cage they wove.
Angel stepped forward, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth as he observed Sanders trapped within the lattice, “This time, victory is mine.”
Sanders, still contemplating the trick Angel might have pulled, slowly lifted his gaze to meet Angel’s. His form began to shift…
What materialized was a magnificent steed, cloaked in flames of the blackest night, letting out a defiant neigh towards the heavens.
It was the Black Flame Abyss Nightmare.
Angel stood, flabbergasted, looking at the Nightmare confined within the cage, disbelief evident in his voice, “A Nightmare Double? How… Could it be that the assault was not on his real self, but a Double borne from a Nightmare?”
“Indeed.” A voice, calm and unhurried, echoed from above.
Lifting his eyes, Angel was met with the sight of Sanders floating in the air. Beneath the ebony wand in his grasp, an eerie pattern of a ritualistic formation was visibly manifesting.
Sanders delicately tapped the void with his staff. Instantly, the magic formation retracted, and the Nightmare imprisoned by Angel vanished into thin air.
A Nightmare Double indeed!
Angel, gritting his teeth, glared at the smug Sanders. “This is sheer trickery! Didn’t you say you’d test my power? Using a Nightmare Double?”
Descending from the sky, Sanders met his young disciple’s accusation with a straight face. “This isn’t trickery. The Nightmare Double is my Original Spell. Didn’t you use yours? It’s only fair.”
Angel was left speechless. Could the two be compared? One was Sanders’ renowned magic spell, while the other was a minor spell barely making waves. They weren’t even on the same playing field!
“However,” Sanders mused, “I am curious. Is your Original Spell that white tendril with illusionary properties or the mysterious gateway that appeared out of the blue?” His eyes were fixed on Angel with genuine intrigue.
Having been forced to reveal it, Angel saw no point in evasion. After all, as long as he didn’t mention the special energy, the gateway was merely a teleportation effect.
“The gateway,” he replied, his mind racing on how to explain his sudden foray into creating such a trick.
Sanders nodded thoughtfully, “I suspected as much. The nature of that gateway is quite peculiar. It has hints of illusion, but it seems primarily… spatial in essence?”
The illusionary nuances were due to the magic Angel initially employed when constructing the Gateway Model, which inherently had some illusionary qualities. Hence, the gateway seemed to shimmer with a dreamlike sheen. However, in truth, Angel didn’t observe any illusionary effects in the gateway’s function.
Its sole property was spatial.
Certainly, it cannot be ruled out that the unique energy at play has properties similar to an illusion. However, as of now, Angel remains in the dark about its true nature.
“…Hmm.” Angel hesitated for a moment. He was clueless as to how he could create a model with spatial attributes. A significant possibility pointed to the influence of the Heavenly Eye. But since the secret of the Heavenly Eye was something he couldn’t share with anyone, his response was intentionally vague.
What did surprise Angel, however, was that Sanders didn’t press him further on how he managed to construct a model bearing spatial characteristics.
In Sanders’ heart, a conjecture was gradually taking shape.
Back when Angel had ventured into the Savage Grottoes, Tree Spirit had assessed his talents. At that time, Tree Spirit had mentioned that deep within Angel’s sea of consciousness lay a concealed gift. But Tree Spirit struggled to pinpoint what exactly this gift was, and insisted that trying to uncover it might harm Angel.
Nevertheless, Tree Spirit had hinted that this hidden talent leaned towards the mysterious side.
Sanders, at that time, chose not to disclose this to Angel. Possessing dual talents can be a double-edged sword: it’s easy to lose focus on one while pursuing the other, and the time required for mastery might multiply.
Spatial talents are a genuine test of one’s innate abilities. If Angel managed to create something with spatial attributes in such a short span of time, it could very well suggest that his secondary talent pertained to spatial abilities.
But what puzzled Sanders was that Angel seemed unaware of his spatial talent… Judging by Angel’s current troubled expression, it wasn’t hard to deduce that he was probably grappling with how he managed to sketch a model with spatial characteristics.
Sanders couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly. Opting not to shed light on Angel’s other talent, he smoothly steered the conversation elsewhere.
Although that Gateway made but a brief appearance, Sanders was fairly certain about its effect——spatial displacement.
For Angel, this was indeed an exceptional spell.
A fusion of escape, mobility, and strategy into one Spell Position.
In essence, it bore the same significance as the “Nightmare Double” that Sanders created upon advancing to the realm of a true knowledge wizard. When Sanders was shaping the Nightmare Double, he had also drawn upon the characteristics of spatial magic.
Now, it seems, Angel and he were thinking along the same lines.
As for how Angel was inspired to construct this spatial displacement trick model, Sanders did not probe deeply. Perhaps it was Angel’s fortuitous opportunity, or his accumulation of knowledge. Delving into such intimate matters related to sources of knowledge was like unearthing buried treasures — sometimes, it was best left untouched.
Angel hadn’t expected that Sanders would only marvel at the effect of this “gateway” and commend his choice of Spell Position without inquiring further.
It was a weight off Angel’s chest. He hadn’t formulated a proper explanation, and if he were to fabricate one, Sanders would likely see through the deception with ease. Thus, evasion was the best recourse.
Fortunately, Sanders did not dig deeper.
“Your choice is impeccable. Spatial displacement skills are beneficial, both now and in the future, even if you ascend to the legendary realm. Even if you hadn’t chosen this specific spatial displacement trick now, I would have advised you to construct a similar spell for your next Spell Position,” Sanders expressed his satisfaction with Angel’s decision. It wasn’t just because the trick was practical, but it was also a novel creation.
You see, other spatial wizards wishing to learn similar displacement spells would have to wait until they reached the formal wizard realm.
Because Angel pioneered the model, he dragged the spatial displacement skill down from the “spell rank” to the “trick rank” accessible even to apprentices. This was undoubtedly a formidable achievement.
Inside, Sanders felt a tinge of envy. For, in his early days as a formal wizard, he often found himself cornered by foes. It was amidst such dire straits that he had created the “Nightmare Double.”
Angel’s early acquisition of an instant displacement spell can certainly be described as seizing the early advantage.
In the future, when considering Spell Positions, there will be a broader array of choices.
Sanders could foresee that once Angel reaches the level of a true knowledge wizard, his strength would undoubtedly surpass Sanders himself.
This left Sanders feeling both comforted and a touch wistful.
“It seems, the reason why the Original Spell vision of the Whale Whisker Sea was so frail was probably due to your spell. The effect of spatial displacement is actually very similar to the spatial ‘Teleportation Spell’; capable of transporting others through space, its effects also lean towards ‘Transfer Magic’,” Sanders paused, “Because these two known spells exist in reality, even if you downgrade this displacement ability from spell level to trick level, it doesn’t enhance the Original Spell vision.”
Angel agreed with Sanders’ explanation, as he had previously thought the same way.
“Even if the Original Spell vision is weak, it’s still an Original Spell. I presume you’ve seen that path?” Sanders inquired.
Angel nodded in agreement.
“Then follow that path. I look forward to seeing you embark on it soon,” Sanders held boundless expectations for Angel’s future.
As for the matter of Original Spells, Sanders still had doubts, but there was plenty of time in the future, so he wasn’t in a hurry to inquire now. Instead, he brought up another topic.
“The white tendril earlier was quite intriguing. Was that your idea too?” Sanders questioned.
Instead of answering immediately, Angel signaled for Popoca to bring the Insect Nest Pouch over.
“Would Mentor like to see it for himself?”
Sanders glanced at the slightly awkward Popoca standing beside him and, without much ado, extended his mental tendrils into the Insect Nest Pouch.
At first, Sanders was unclear about what Angel wanted him to observe, until he saw Popoca toss a powerful attacking ant into a compartment. Only then did Sanders notice the two Softworms that he had previously overlooked.
These two Softworms seemed ordinary, but upon encountering the ant, they suddenly sprouted countless peculiar white tendrils.
From being frail creatures, the Softworms became fiercely powerful in an instant, so much so that even the ant was consumed in a flash.
Sanders observed that these white tendrils, in shape and nature, were identical to the ones Angel employed.
“Was it here you drew your inspiration?”
Angel nodded, “This is the Phantasmal Limb Softworm, which I cultivated unintentionally. When I first saw their phantasmal limbs, I felt a spark of insight. I didn’t expect to decipher it so soon, but the ‘Reward of World Will’ brought on by the spell vision helped me grasp the essence, leading to the development of the phantasmal limbs.”
Then, Angel briefly described some of the applications and effects of the phantasmal limbs.
After listening, Sanders couldn’t help but chuckle, “This has completely deviated from the domain of illusion spells. Using one’s own blood essence to power the phantasmal limbs is basically a bloodline trick. The path you’re treading seems increasingly unorthodox.”
Although Sanders spoke thus, deep down he was genuinely pleased. For a wizard, possessing a myriad of spells isn’t necessarily a bad thing. For instance, if Sanders chose to fight using his physical body without employing illusions, it wouldn’t be wrong to label him a bloodline wizard.
Moreover, the Phantasmal Limb Spell created by Angel grows more terrifying as the practitioner’s physical strength increases. With Angel’s current power, he could definitely reach the level of a formal wizard with minimal exhaustion.
“If this gets out, those from the bloodline side will probably lose their minds,” Sanders couldn’t help but inwardly admire.
Chapter 1346 A So-Called Test <TOC> Chapter 1348 Matters Before Departure