2024-04-28 17:19:22The Gilded Rose stood on Limelight main street, the most bustling area of Rebillion City. But with the decline of the Spectral Lime chamber of commerce, it was now deserted. The three peak alchemists had left, taking valuable materials because they hadn't been paid.
But in reality, what the clerks took was worth ten times their salary. They only left behind the cheapest reagents.
The Spectral Lime chamber of commerce couldn't pay their salaries at that point. Luigi's eight thousand gold couldn't even cover it, let alone the tens of thousands owed to the alchemists.
With the clerks leaving one by one, taking bits and pieces with them, the once prestigious Gilded Rose became a mere shadow of its former self. If not for the old butler's quick action to seal the warehouse, even the remaining cheap reagents might have been taken.
When Caster entered the Gilded Rose, it was empty and dusty, a far cry from its former splendor. Raymond sighed, pity evident on his face.
But inside, Raymond felt triumphant. 'Are you despairing, thinking of your past wealth? Well, joke's on you. The Spectral Lime chamber of commerce is gone, the Gilded Rose withered, and you, stuck as a 9th Rank Magic Apprentice, aren't worth much.'
Raymond was prepared to gloat at Caster's despair, but to his surprise, Caster remained unfazed. He didn't react to the emptiness around him and proceeded to the back of the Gilded Rose without a glance.
Raymond tried to provoke a reaction, but Caster was too quick, leaving Raymond trailing behind.
As they reached the warehouse, Caster stood amidst the cheap materials. Raymond wanted to complain, but seeing Caster's desolate expression, he held back. 'He's fallen on hard times. I shouldn't add to his misery.'
Seeing Caster's lifeless look, Raymond felt vindicated. Finally, Caster seemed shocked by the discovery of the cheap materials. But Raymond wasn't aware of Caster's true thoughts...
Caster was surprised by the abundance of resources in this era. The materials, including magic iron, were plentiful, unlike in his time. He marveled at the wealth around him but refrained from indulging.
After moving the materials to the alchemy laboratory, Raymond was confused. What had prompted Caster's sudden actions? He feared Caster had lost his mind, but deep down, he couldn't help but feel sorry for him. However, he worried about the consequences for himself if Caster's behavior was seen as madness.
As Raymond felt overwhelmed, Caster found some shiny gems behind a box, so he kept searching. After making sure he didn't miss anything, he called to Raymond, "Come help me."
Without waiting for Raymond's answer, Caster picked a few good gems and left.
Left behind, Raymond was surprised. 'You think I'll help just because you asked? Am I your friend? And do you really expect a great mage like me to work with such cheap stuff? Are you kidding? You can't just hire a mage like me for a few coins.'
As Raymond went into the Gilded Rose, he grumbled. "Let's get this straight! Don't give me troublesome tasks. I can't waste my magic like this. The magic we use isn't something you can understand. Hey! Are you listening?"
After complaining for a while, Raymond realized he hadn't heard back, so he looked over.
He was shocked. "Stop! What are you doing?"
Raymond saw Caster shaking a tube with red liquid—red coral solution. Raymond got scared. Red coral solution was dangerous. It could cause big problems if it got too hot or got shaken. It was a power that even mages couldn't control.
For centuries, people had tried to use it, but no one succeeded. Red coral solution was a no-go in alchemy. Raymond was terrified at the thought of what Caster was doing.
Raymond wanted to stop him but was afraid of making Caster drop the tube. He begged, "Stop! What are you doing?"
He couldn't finish because Caster lit a lamp and held the tube over the flame. Raymond panicked. 'If I don't stop him, something bad will happen!' Quickly, Raymond used a spell to freeze things, using up a lot of his magic which is very fatal for mages.
But that was better than losing everything. After using up so much mana, the Frost spell was faster and stronger than usual. Almost instantly, the empty lab was freezing cold, and the lamp went out.
And there was more. After the lamp went out, a blue light spread like reaching vines. It froze the test tube of red coral solution and Caster's right hand in place.
"Thank goodness nothing bad happened..." Raymond said, still shaking from the scare. That scene had been way too scary. If he had been a few seconds slower, the whole lab might have blown up. 'That guy is too reckless. I don't mind him playing with red coral, but he shouldn't drag me into it...'
After the shock wore off, Raymond was filled with shock and anger. With his magical skill, he could have controlled the Frost spell to just put out the lamp and freeze the test tube, without freezing Caster's hand.
Yes, Raymond had done it on purpose. 'This guy doesn't know what he's doing. It'll teach him a lesson.' Since he still thought Caster was just an Apprentice, he wouldn't treat him like a fellow mage. If it weren't for his relationship with Raymond's father, he wouldn't even bother with him. If it were anyone else, they would have been frozen solid by now!
'I've had enough of this nonsense!' Raymond thought as he cast the Frost spell. He planned to let Caster freeze for an hour before rescuing him and giving him a stern warning. If his father asked, he would say it was because of the dangerous red coral solution. It wasn't a lie. Red coral solution was dangerous. He did it all to keep "Young Master Spellbound" safe...
The more Raymond thought about it, the happier he felt. He didn't even notice that Caster wasn't bothered at all.
After surviving for over twenty years at the end of the magic era, Caster knew more than anyone else in this era. And his casting ability was top-notch, not just because of his rank, but because of his hard work. In this era, there wasn't anyone more skilled in using magic for battle than Caster. All his experiences had honed his instincts, making him instinctively know the most efficient way to use mana.
Just like his mana shield: it seemed rough, but it was enough to block Raymond's Frost spell.
As the icy mist cleared, the mana shield faded away. The thick layer of ice on Caster's right hand fell away with a "crash."
"No way..." Raymond's eyes widened. He couldn't believe it. 'How... How could this be? How could an Apprentice resist a Frost spell? Even a mage couldn't! Frost might not be the most powerful spell, but it's still a 2nd rank spell! Even a bold mage wouldn't dare to resist it with their flesh. And yet this guy not only dared, he succeeded!'
'No way, something's not right here!'
'Even if he's weird, he's still Flint Spellbound's son. The Thunder God Chamber of commerce was incredibly wealthy. Flint Spellbound's son would surely have some magic tools to protect him. There's no way he'd be unharmed after a Frost spell.'
'It must be a magic tool that bFlintd the spell!'
'Yeah, that's it!'
'Otherwise, how could he be fine after a Frost spell?'
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CHAPTER 314
Caster moved through Glassview’s old merchant alleys with steady, controlled breaths. The night was cold, and lanterns flickered weakly along the narrow passages, throwing long shadows on the moss-covered walls. He followed the trail left by the mysterious masked woman, replaying her whisper in his mind. “Not now, Spellbound.”She had known who he was. She had intervened at the perfect moment. She had predicted the Twin Moons agent’s move before it happened. That meant she had been watching him longer than he realized. Caster adjusted his hood and stepped around a corner where the air smelled of ink, metal, and old parchment. This part of the city was quiet, almost forgotten by the main districts. Here, relic dealers kept their doors half open, their lamps dim, and their voices low.He stopped when he saw a stall glowing with soft blue light. A trader stood behind the counter, wearing a simple gray robe and a bone-white mask with indigo markings.Caster recognized her instantly. S
Chapter 313
Cold air clung to the stone arches of the underground hall as the second auction of the night began. The room was darker now, the lamps dimmed as if to hide the sins about to be traded. Caster moved among the crowd like smoke, unseen when he chose, silent when he needed. He kept the Skell Dust fragment tucked safely under his cloak. Its pulse was faint but steady, like a small heartbeat following his every step.The auctioneer, a thin man with too-bright eyes, raised his voice above the murmurs. “Tonight’s special collection,” he announced, “is dedicated to relics recovered from what the Council has officially named the Rift Incident.”Everyone leaned forward. Caster felt a jolt run through his chest. Rift Incident. So they had already given Skell a polished name to bury the truth.The auctioneer snapped his fingers, and assistants pulled black cloths from the tables one by one, revealing objects that made Caster’s breath catch.A fractured temporal gauge, still humming in broken c
Chapter 312
Rain slid down the stone steps of Glassview’s lower academic district, turning the narrow streets into glistening rivers of reflected lantern light. Caster moved quietly among the shadows, hood pulled low, illusion sigil humming faintly against his collarbone. His steps were soft, almost soundless, as he blended into the crowd of scholars, students, and night wanderers. None of them noticed him, but he noticed all of them.He listened. He had spent three nights doing only that, listening to what the world believed about him.Tonight, the whispers were especially loud. “The Spellbound heir is gone,” a young researcher murmured to her companion as they passed. “The Council confirmed it. Skell ate him.”Caster fought the urge to look at them. He kept his face pointed toward the wet ground.Her friend replied in a low voice, “I heard he came back twisted. Something less than human. Something that crawled out of the rift.”Caster’s hand trembled beneath his cloak.Eidric’s faint echo sti
CHAPTER 311
The storm spat him out like a dying thing exhaling its final breath. Caster stumbled as his boots hit broken pavement. Air cracked around him in thin lightning arcs. Behind him, the swirling rift twisted with red and pale gold light, screaming as it sealed itself shut. The last beam of fractured color stretched across the sky, then vanished completely. Silence followed. A heavy, eerie silence.Caster lifted his head, breathing hard. His cloak clung to him, wet from the storm he had just crossed. Tiny threads of Skell essence flickered across his arms like faint veins of crystal. Each pulse glowed softly before fading back into his skin.He was back. Not in the Bleeding Aether, not in the Void Corridors, but somewhere real. Somewhere familiar. Earth. Rebillion City.His chest tightened. A wave of warm air drifted across the cracked street, carrying the smell of dust and city smoke. The immediate area was nearly empty. Lights flickered inside abandoned shops. A broken cart lay overt
Chapter 310
The storm eased at last. The swirling red clouds pulled apart like curtains drawn back by invisible hands. Light filtered through the gaps in soft sheets of gold and violet, no longer sharp enough to cut the air. The ground beneath Caster’s feet steadied. The strange currents of gravity calmed until every breath felt normal again. For a long moment, no one moved.Caster stood at the edge of a cracked ridge, his cloak fluttering in the faint wind. The sky still bled in thin trails, but the violent thunder had quieted. The plane seemed exhausted, as though it had spent centuries fighting itself and now begged for a moment of peace.Sethra leaned against a shattered crystal pillar, trying to catch her breath. Brann sat on the ground nearby, staring at his trembling hands. The silence pressed down on them, stretching long and thin.Caster finally spoke. “We survived,” he murmured.His voice sounded too soft for a battlefield, but it matched the strange stillness around them. It carried
Chapter 309
The moment Caster stepped through the unstable rift, the world spun sideways. He fell forward onto ground that did not feel like ground. It shifted like soft clay and rippled beneath his palms. The air smelled like metal and burning ink. Above him, the sky tore itself apart in long spirals of red, gold, and black, each color crashing into the other like storms locked in a fight.Sethra stumbled next to him, dropping to one knee as her satchel spilled glowing parchment. Brann crashed onto his back with a groan. Miren stood upright the instant she arrived, her staff pressed against the ground as if she were standing on calm earth rather than a living tempest.Caster pushed himself up and scanned the plane. The Bleeding Aether. It was worse than he expected.The sky was not single but a cracked dome of swirling storms. Razor-thin shards of light hung suspended like frozen lightning. The ground curved unevenly, rising in slopes that moved under his feet. Every breath he took echoed in
