"Hmm, the power is not bad, but that's all it can do?" Aur asked, his gaze fixed on the Rat King, now tightly restrained in Stella's grip.
"There's a close combat feature as well, Master," Stella replied, a sly grin playing across her lips.
Without hesitation, she shoved the cramped body of the Rat King forward and gave its rear a sharp pat.
Boom!
A grotesque transformation began. The Rat King's veins bulge, swelling to the point of nearly bursting through its skin. Its body trembled, and its size began to shrink, compressing unnaturally. Inch by inch, the towering figure diminished, its height collapsing until it was no larger than a dium sword.
Then ca the sickening transformation.
A wave of purplish liquid erupted from its body, a vile, viscous substance that gushed and splattered to the ground in thick streams, forming putrid purple-green puddles. The sound was wet, revolting, like flesh being torn and reford.
Aur's brows furrowed. "Hmm."
In front of him, the Rat King was no longer there; in its place lay a purple chainsaw. Its sleek, tallic surface shimred with hues of violet, the jagged teeth of the blade crackling with faint purple sparks.
A soft hum emanated from it, low and nacing, as though the weapon itself were alive. Faint runic engravings glowed along its edges, pulsing rhythmically, as if breathing.
"A fucking chainsaw!?" Aur blurted, his voice a mix of disbelief and intrigue.
"Yes, Master. This chainsaw can go as high as Tier Seven," Stella replied matter-of-factly. "Unfortunately, it couldn't quite reach Tier Seven, so it's stuck at the brink of Tier Six."
"The cost is Tier Seven material?" Aur asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Yes, Master. The longer the Rat King stays in this form, the faster the resources I've provided will be drained," Stella explained, her tone even as if discussing an everyday occurrence.
"Why can't it reach Tier Seven then?"
"Tier Seven or higher spells are things that can only be crafted by a Tier Seven or higher wizard," Stella explained. "This is the rule of the world, and no one has been able to defy it—except for one person."
Aur's lips curled into a soft chuckle. "I already know who that person is."
"But how was he able to do it?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Even we don't know that, Master," Stella. "It's always been a mystery. In a world where countless paths flourished, a single parentless boy climbed the stairs of power, one step at a ti. With sheer talent and unyielding strength, he forged a path that led him to directly beco a Tier Nine Wizard. Accomplishing such a feat should have been completely impossible."
Aur mumbled under his breath, a faint smirk tugging at his lips, "Sounds like a protagonist."
It really did sound like one.
Even a bigger protagonist than William, Nina, and that other woman...
"Hmm, what was her na?" Aur muttered, touching his chin thoughtfully.
He rembered her vaguely, a fleeting mory from when he'd been in that wretched slave cave—where people toiled endlessly, mining without rest or hope. That place, grim and suffocating, had been the site of one of his greatest gains. It was there that he obtained his Tier Six spell, the very spell he used to defeat Greater Lord Sky.
Aur had to admit, the slave girl had played a role back then—one deserving of credit. But at the ti, he hadn't spared her more than a passing thought.
With a shake of his head, Aur dismissed the recollection and returned his focus to the present.
"Can it only turn into a chainsaw?" he asked, eyeing the weapon curiously.
"It can turn into anything you want, Master," Stella replied smoothly, "but the Rat King would require so training to adapt."
"Will the power remain the sa?" Aur pressed, his brow arching.
"The form may change, but the power will depend on how efficiently the Rat King adapts to its new shape," Stella explained. "With practice, the strength can remain consistent, perhaps even improve—but for now, it excels in this form."
"Yes, master. The power would be the sa, but it will co with technicality—like a chainsaw always beats swords. No matter how sophisticated the sword is, in front of the rotating force, it's like a hot knife through butter."
"Hmm." Aur casually nodded his head. All the fancy tricks were re child's play in the end if you were brutally crushed. Wizards usually didn't have close combat spells, but it wasn't as though they shied away from them.
There were many spells that focused on close combat; Nina's was even more close combat-oriented, which was why he had crushed her so brutally.
"Stop the Rat King. I am going into seclusion again. If anything happens, inform imdiately."
The space in front of him tore, and Aur returned to his seclusion once more.
Falling onto the comfortable bed, he gradually closed his eyes.
Aur didn't imdiately seek visions of his future; instead, a single sentence echoed repeatedly in his mind.
**"The Law of Muscles is Supre."**
This was what the future Dragonian Aur had said, and the present Aur felt a faint idea begin to stir within him.
"Muscle Magic… I didn't know such a thing could exist."
Just as he had comprehended Space and Ti Magic to attain the status of a Fourth-Dinsional Being, he had so understanding of Laws. But this was the first ti he had heard of the Law of Muscles.
"Hmm."
Aur thought long and hard, but no answer ca to him. Even in the libraries of this place—a vault belonging to an ancient sect that held so of the secrets of even the Human Emperor—there was no ntion of Muscle Magic or the Law of Muscles.
The body path during that golden age primarily followed the Martial Arts route, with practitioners imitating beasts. Even the images they ford upon reaching Tier Four were those of beasts. In contrast, Aur's image was a pure reflection of himself.
"Is this the right path or the wrong path?"
He tightened his fist as his thoughts drifted back to the fight he had endured during the trial.
At that ti, the Tier Four man had been undeniably stronger than him in his base form, relying solely on the sheer power of the giant bull image he had summoned.
"Its power was at least comparable to a Tier Five Wizard." Compared to such destructive capability, Aur's own power was lacking.
The image of the Dragonian Aur resurfaced in his mind once more.
"It didn't feel like , even though it was in the future. Sothing was a little off," Aur muttered, standing abruptly with squinted eyes.
"I need to go into seclusion to learn more about the future, to be certain—"
Before he could finish, Stella appeared instantly, her expression grim.
"Has soone invaded?" Aur turned toward her calmly.
"Yes, master," she replied with a nod.
"Let's go then. Tell , how much mana is left?"
"The mana stock isn't much, master. Tier Eight is barely at two, and Tier Seven has only twenty-seven left."
"So fast!?" Aur frowned. The last ti he checked, Tier Eight mana had been at least five, while Tier Seven had stood at thirty.
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