Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

“This… Is this…?”

Wizard Envia felt a huge pressure. He felt breathless from head to toe. There was obviously a vast difference from the first four floors.

The white light gradually dissipated. A three-headed gray grizzly bear appeared in mid-air. It was not how big the gray grizzly bear was and how terrifying its ferocity was, but the layer of encircling dense runes on the gray grizzly bear.

The runes flew out from the vermilion pillars. They served the function of enhancing the strength of the guardian spirit. Just from its ferocity alone, this gray grizzly bear was significantly more powerful than the guardian spirit of the fourth floor.

Besides, it had the protection of the layer of runes, which made it even trickier to deal with.

“Sure enough, starting from the fifth floor, the guardian spirit’s strength had changed overwhelmingly!”

Merlin’s eyes widened in disbelief. The guardian spirit of the fifth floor had actually made him feel a little threatened. This showed that it was highly likely that the gray grizzly bear could hurt Merlin.

Merlin’s current strength was comparable to a Spell Caster at the peak of the Sixth-level, but now, he actually felt threatened by the guardian spirit of the fifth floor. It was sufficient to prove that the guardian spirit of the fifth floor was extraordinary.

The fifth floor was truly a real test of the Runic Tower! It was not surprising that in the millennium-long history, there were very few who could get past the fifth floor.

Wizard Envia and the other two Wizards looked at each other and then whispered, “Don’t be afraid, everyone. If the Kleinman Runic Magic Circle is operated correctly, its powers could even rival that of a Sixth-level Spell Caster. The three of us have studied extensively on runology, so we can surely exert most power of the Kleinman Runic Magic Circle. We could at least attain the power of a peak Fifth-level spell. We’ll surely pass the fifth floor!”

As the voice fell, Wizard Envia took the lead and rushed toward the gray grizzly bear. The Kleinman Runic Magic Disc in his hand gave off a dazzling flash, and a large number of runes began to augment unto his body. His life force swiftly became stronger.

At the same time, Wizard Sarah and Wizard Ilman also looked at each other and acted together.

The Kleinman Runic Magic Circle originally needed at least three people to unleash its power. Since the three of them also had a profound study in runology, they could unleash most of the power of the Kleinman Runic Magic Circle and reach the stage where they could rival a Fifth-level Spell Caster.

“Boom!”

A series of lightning suddenly appeared. Just like a heavy downpour, they slammed onto the gray grizzly bear in the air. The Kleinman Runic Magic Circle was a purely offensive Runic Magic Circle. If its greatest power could be exerted, it could even kill a Sixth-level Spell Caster.

However, with the powers of Wizard Envia and the other two Wizards, they could only unleash a part of the power of the Kleinman Runic Magic Circle. Even so, they could still match the peak of a Fifth-level Spell Caster.

“Zap!”

Bolts of thunder and lightning struck the gray grizzly bear successively. However, the mysterious runes on the gray grizzly bear’s body acted like real armor robes, blocking the thunderbolts. The continuous lightning attack could not bring any harm to the gray grizzly bear.

“Again!”

Wizard Envia gritted his teeth. Initially, he was full of confidence as he had paid a huge price in exchange for the Kleinman Runic Magic Disc in order to pass the sixth floor and obtain the treasures left by Great Wizard Fidel.

Yet, he was actually stopped on the fifth floor now. How could Wizard Envia accept this?

“Hum hum hum.”

Both Wizard Ilman and Wizard Sarah whom Wizard Envia had sought were among the most proficient in runes who were below the Fourth-level in the entire Dark Magic Region. Only by joining forces with them could he barely manage to activate the Kleinman Runic Magic Circle and exert part of the power of the Runic Magic Circle.

As the three desperately tried to activate the Runic Magic Circle, several huge runes which glinted with white illumination finally emerged vaguely from the Kleinman Runic Magic Disc.

As soon as these runes appeared, the finger-thick lightning which filled the sky disappeared. Replaced with lightning bolts as thick as an arm which constantly spewed electric currents. It looked extremely daunting.

Seeing these huge lightning bolts, joy flashed across Wizard Envia’s face. He said deeply, “The strongest attack of the Kleinman Runic Magic Circle – Kleinman Thunder, kill!”

The Kleinman Runic Magic Circle was named after Kleinman, a great Spell Caster. Rumor had it that Kleinman Thunder could be activated by at most eighteen Thunder-type Great Wizards. Of course, these Great Wizards must be proficient in runes.

With eighteen Great Wizards operating the Kleinman Runic Magic Circle together, it could unleash the strongest power of the Kleinman Runic Magic Circle. That power would faintly be capable of competing against a Legendary Wizard.

Anyhow, this was only a myth. Legendary Wizards were great Spell Casters who condensed Maxims and mastered the Essence of Elements. Even the most powerful spells must also comply with Maxims and be suppressed by the power of Maxims.

Therefore, Spell Casters below the Legendary status would never trump Legendary Spell Casters no matter how powerful they were. Even in the most glorious era of Spell Casters, there were never stories of people who could kill Legendary Wizards without achieving the Legendary status!

Although there had been word about how it was only necessary to gather eighteen Thunder-type Wizards proficient in runes to counter a Legendary Wizard by relying on the power of the Runic Magic Circle, it was still only a myth.

The only thing that it proved was that the Kleinman Runic Magic Circle was indeed extraordinary.

The Kleinman Runic Magic Disc in the hands of Wizard Envia had shrunk significantly after continuous use. So of course, its power had also been reduced by countless times. Even so, when that huge Kleinman Thunder appeared, it still sent cold shivers down everyone’s spines.

“Boom!”

Kleinman Thunder, which was as thick as an arm, flashed ferociously like dazzling lightning. In an instant, it bombarded the gray grizzly bear in the air.

The deafening rumble, coupled with dazzling electric flashes had made it extremely difficult to see the situation inside.

Merlin also was somewhat astonished by the combined power of the three, which was unleashed along with the Runic Magic Circle.

These three were clearly only Third-level Spell Casters. Though they were high-achievers in the Dark Magic Region, it was highly likely that they would become Fourth-level Spell Casters and build towers by themselves.

However, these three did not have Pandora Demon Abilities, and they had no powerful casting tools either. By relying on a Runic Magic Disc alone, they were able to instantly exert power at the peak of a Fifth-level Spell Caster. It also made Merlin have a deeper fear toward runology.

In the most glorious era of Spell Casters, even a weak Spell Caster could annihilate high-leveled Spell Casters just by mastering powerful runes.

Runology and spell construction, as well as Pandora Demon Abilities, were at the same level. The only thing was that to this day, there were too few Spell Casters who understood runology.

After all, runology was not like Pandora Demon Ability, which only required some treasures for successful cultivation, thus unleashing unparalleled power. Runology required the sacrifice of a lot of time and energy to study profoundly so that one could grasp the surface of it. As for proficiency, there must be an excellent inheritance, coupled with an extraordinary talent toward runology. Then only could one become a great Rune Wizard.

It was just like Merlin. He had a Runic Magic Disc in his possession but he was not proficient in runes, so he was not able to activate the Runic Magic Disc. Even the Seventh-level Spell Caster, Wizard Bammou, who was already a high-leveled Spell Caster, could not operate the Runic Magic Disc due to his lack of proficiency in runology.

For someone not proficient in runes, even the possession of a powerful Runic Magic Disc would not do anything to help improve the person’s strength. Perhaps this was one of the reasons why runology kept on declining.

Of course, Runic Magic Circle was just one of the many types among the endlessly vast rune methodologies. It was merely one of the more widely used types as there were many other applications of runes.

Like the guardian spirits in the Runic Tower, they were clearly born from complex Runic Magic Circles, but they each had a life force. It was also similar to the spirit of Runic Magic Circle, the black cat Didimoss in the stone tablet. It had a life force and was very magical.

These were just a few aspects which runes were applied. Life could be created out of nothingness. It was something which even Legendary Wizards could not achieve. However, by being proficient in runology, and by attaining the same level as Great Wizard Fidel back then, life could be created from nothingness.

Great Wizard Fidel left this Runic Tower with the purpose of finding gifted Spell Casters, especially those who were skilled in runology. It was as such that he allowed at most three Spell Casters to combine forces and set up powerful Runic Magic Circles.

At present, Wizard Envia’s trio had used the Runic Magic Disc to trigger the power of the Kleinman Runic Magic Circle in the Runic Magic Disc. It was so that they could fight the gray grizzly bear, the guardian spirit of the fifth floor.

The thick Kleinman Thunder gave out flashes of silky yellow light, enveloping the huge body of the gray grizzly bear. Only the continuous sounds of “zap” could be heard. No one could see clearly what had happened inside.

“Roar!”

Suddenly, a loud roar rang out. The violent shockwave surprised Wizard Envia and the others and drained the color from their faces.

Along with the buzzing sound, the electric light which shrouded the gray grizzly bear also collapsed gradually, finally revealing the gray grizzly bear’s body.

At this time, the gray grizzly bear was still very energetic. Moreover, the mysterious rune armor on its body seemed to have diminished. Its illumination seemed to have dulled down a little, so obviously, it was the result of Kleinman Thunder which Wizard Envia had pulled off.

Nevertheless, it only smashed a part of the runes that protected the gray grizzly bear as it did not suffer any damage at all.

“How can it be unscathed? How could it have failed?”

“Failed, completely failed. Even Kleinman Thunder couldn’t kill the guardian spirit. We’re completely defeated…”

“We’ve really underestimated the Runic Tower…”

Wizard Envia and the others’ expressions turned pale. They had disappointment written all over their faces. They thought that with the help of the Kleinman Runic Magic Disc, and by activating the Runic Magic Circle with their joint forces, they would easily pass the fifth floor, and even stand a chance at passing the sixth floor.

However, the current situation had given them a deep understanding of why there were very few Spell Casters who had been able to pass the fifth floor throughout the thousand-year-long history of the Dark Magic Region.

If the guardian spirit of the fifth floor was comparable to an ordinary Fifth-level Spell Caster then the trio would have defeated it. However, it was far from being as simple as that!