Li Wen stepped into the bell tower.
Inside was a vast, square-shaped chamber, utterly empty except for a single Duskstone embedded in the ceilingโidentical to the one in the Trion Temple.
“Malzara, Ikatul.”
She spoke once more the incantation that had mysteriously embedded itself in her mind.
With a low rumble, the floor began to move just as it had in the templeโexcept this time, instead of descending, it ascended.
While waiting to leave, Li Wen found herself recalling the words of the Giant Bell.
“Amber City is a world unto itself.”
Just like its nameโ”Amber”โthe city had been sealed away by layers upon layers of twilight energy, cut off from the world and transformed into its own pocket dimension.
The sepia-toned sky was the most visible evidence of this power.
That was part of why it was revered as a place of eternity.
The fire mage was dead.
Though he had used the potion, there was no helping that.
In any case, the commission from Mog and the Moon-Worshipping faction could be considered complete.
She had visited Amber City, acquired a “pass” that allowed her to return, and even received a task from an Immortal.
Her next priority was to strengthen herself as quickly as possible and obtain the Codex of the End.
That was the most crucial goal.
Only then could she consider exploring the outer districts of Amber City.
Li Wen opened her character panel.
ใMephist – Terran Human – Composite Level 1ใ
ใClass: Radiant Lineage – Path of the Lightseeker (Phase I) – Supplicant Lv1ใ
ใHealth: 37% – Wounded (Loses 1% HP every 2 hours, stamina reduced by 50%)ใ
ใMana: 0/10ใ
ใAbilities: Radiance – Liturgical Speech Lv1 (8%), Radiance – Refracted Sanctuary (11 hours remaining)ใ
ใKnowledge: Basic Rituals Lv1 (30%)โฆใ
ใTraits (6/6): Against the Shadows (Blue), Blood of the Flame (Blue), Nimble Hands (White), Professional Thief (White), Necessary Sacrifice (Red), Radiant Refraction (11 hours remaining)ใ
ใStatus: One-Eyedใ
ใExperience Pool: 260ใ
After this battle, her health had dropped sharply to 37%, putting her in the “wounded” category.
Her mana was completely depleted, effectively removing her from combat for the time being.
Still, the gains were more than worth itโbesides looting all the fire mageโs enchanted items, she had earned 260 experience points.
That was enough to either upgrade Liturgical Speech to the next level or unlock a new ability in the Supplicant class.
Because Liturgical Speech scaled by tier, moving it from level 1 to 2 would nearly double its effectiveness.
But the temptation of a brand-new skill was just as strong.
A Phase I Supplicant could learn four abilities in totalโLiturgical Speech was only the first.
The other three were each powerful in their own right.
After weighing her options, Li Wen decided to go with a new ability.
Her fight with the fire mage had shown how lacking her combat options truly were.
Dark Word Curse could deal damage, sureโbut the output was too slow, too minor, and ultimately not decisive in a true fight to the death.
Its strength lay more in the blindness effect for control, not raw damage.
With that, she decisively spent 200 experience to unlock a new ability.
ใArclight Without Incantation Lv1ใ
ใRadiance – Divine Magicใ
ใRequires: 2 Mana, one quick prayerใ
ใBallistic/Enchant Type – Quantity: 1ใ
ใThe templar of the sanctum would smear condensed light across their blades to drive back demons. In later generations, the faithful called this the Arclight Spell, for the light blade always formed an arc.ใ
ใWhen applied to a weapon, grants a Radiance/Shadow enchantment lasting (ability level x 15) seconds, increasing damage by 20%. Spend an extra 2 mana to launch the light blade as a one-time ranged attack, striking enemies up to 15 yards away for minor slashing damage (with a chance to inflict bleeding) and an additional (ability level x 10%) Radiance/Shadow damage. If the target is a demon, damage is increased by 50%.ใ
What made Arclight Without Incantation so powerful was its versatility.
It could be used as a temporary weapon enchantment to boost melee damage, or as a sudden ranged attack to catch enemies off guard.
Most importantlyโit required only a quick prayer.
A standard prayer took three seconds to cast.
A quick prayer?
Just one.
That could drastically improve her combat rhythm.
In a real fight, victory or defeat could be decided in a single second.
If she had had this skill in her fight against the fire mage, she couldโve used it to strike while he was veiled in white mist.
With a bit of luck, she mightโve ended him right then and there.
And with the new ability learned, her class level had increased to Lv2.
Her total mana had also risen to 20, effectively giving her enough fuel for ten spellsโalleviating her previous anxiety about running dry mid-fight.
By this time, the magical lift inside the bell towerโor more accurately, the teleportation array disguised as oneโhad finally delivered her to its destination.
But it wasnโt the Trion Temple she emerged into.
It was a narrow karst cave.
There were no signs of human construction.
The floor beneath her feet lacked even the faintest trace of a magic circle.
It was clear this path couldn’t be used to return to Amber City.
After a moment’s thought, Li Wen stepped out of the cave.
She was still somewhere within the Black Dragon Territory, but definitely no longer in the Cragstone Ravine.
Thinking of the Cragstone Ravine brought her mind back to the party led by Zhu.
They had played a significant role in the fight against the fire mageโforcing him to burn through his trump cards and mana, and even landing some real damage.
They were probably still waiting in the ravine. She hadnโt yet delivered the reward sheโd promised them.
Oh well. Sheโd deal with that when she saw them next.
Li Wen glanced up at the stars.
It was already past midnight in-gameโhardly the right time to be wandering the wilds.
After some consideration, she decided to return to the cave and log off.
She would head back to Ark Town in the morning.
At the same time, in an unnamed forest within the White Birch Territory of the Kingdom of Arthurian, a tall, prism-shaped tower stood quietly, hidden from outsiders and undisturbed for years.
But today, it was destined to receive an unexpected guest.
Moonlight spilled gently over the forest floor as the trees’ shadows began to twist and warp, forming a three-meter-tall, two-meter-wide portal.
From it emerged an old man in white robes, wearing a wizardโs hat.
“Good evening, Lord Siswell. What brings you to the Prism Tower at this hour?”
A patrolling mage atop the tower saluted him respectfully.
“I’m here to see Heron,” the old manโSiswell, professor of the Inner Academyโsaid urgently.
“The Tower Master is in the receiving hall, sir. He may need a moment. Youโre not the first guest today, Lord Siswell.”
โGuest?โ
Siswell didnโt have time to worry about that.
โI have urgent matters to discuss with Heron. Go inform him now! The sooner, the better!โ
Tftc!