Born Controller of Magic, Helamus's Talent Seat

The black hall, with its colorful runes and flowing light like countless stars adorning the deep blue dome, presented a sense of vastness and boundlessness.

Beneath the dome, seven figures sat on huge metal chairs engraved with different runes. This was a meeting of the seven ring masters of the Silver Magic Ring.

"This time, the Ancient Wizard Revival Society caused chaos, severely damaging the Black Nightmare Swamp and the Molten Crystal Lake. The Thorn Palace may be completely wiped out in the south. Our Silver Magic Ring has not been established in the south for long and its foundation is still shallow. Now it seems that this has become a good thing."

A handsome, middle-aged man with a constantly ticking Brass Pocket Watch embedded in his right eye socket spoke with a slight sigh.

"I first heard of the Ancient Wizard Revival Society back in the Central Region. It's said that this organization orchestrated the downfall of a certain Central Wizard Empire. That battle affected several Wizard Empire, involved dozens of large wizard organizations, and even Level Six Wizard perish. I read about this battle in an ancient book, and at the time I just regarded it as an old anecdote. I never imagined that one day I would actually have to cross paths with this evil organization."

Among the seven, a man in the head seat, dressed in a magnificent golden robe and shrouded in a faint crystal glow, whose face was obscured, spoke softly, "How is the investigation of the Ancient Wizard Revival Society progressing within the Arcane Circle?"

"The first round of investigation has concluded. All members have renewed their Soul Contract. Excluding those whose identities have been confirmed, those who have defected from the Arcane Circle, and the 156 official members who have disappeared for unknown reasons, no other suspicious individuals have been found so far."

Someone responded; the respondent, with a deep voice and a heroic appearance, was none other than Caloni, the ringmaster of the Third Magic Ring Road.

The man in the golden robe said calmly, "Issue a mission to all members of the Arcane Circle: hunt down the deserters."

The investigations of the other five major factions are also underway, and they should send over their lists of defectors soon, at which point they will be added to the manhunt list as well.

Caloni and the others nodded.

At this moment, a Ring Lord-level figure couldn't help but speak up, "The Ancient Wizard Revival Society lead to their resurgence, and it also involves the lost World Stone. Shouldn't we inform headquarters about this?"

"It only involves a few medium-sized wizarding forces. Even if a few Level Four Wizard report it to headquarters, it won't attract much attention."

As for the lost World Stone, it was already broken. Even if a large power were to use all its resources to repair it, it would take at least a hundred years.

The man in the golden robe paused as he spoke, then turned his crystal-clear, gentle gaze to a figure in the far corner of the group of seven, his eyes becoming even more tender.

"Kosti".

He called the other person's name softly.

With her long, flowing hair, the stunningly beautiful Kosti slowly raised her head, and the dimly lit hall seemed to brighten instantly because of her radiance.

"Haven't you found the member of your team who has the coordinates yet?"

Kosti shook her head and didn't say anything.

"They may have been turned by the [Resurrection Society], or they may have been arrested."

Someone spoke in a deep voice, "This is a seed full of unease. I suggested destroying the coordinates from the beginning. Let's add this person's name to the list of people to be hunted down first."

Kosti looked at the person who was speaking, her brows furrowing slightly.

The expressions of Caloni and Aqi Duo, who were sitting in the hall, also changed.

The man in the golden robe pondered for a moment, about to speak, when suddenly, Kosti's voice rang out in the hall first.

"No."

Everyone looked up at Kosti.

Previously expressionless, Kosti's beautiful face now gleamed with a strange light as she looked at a Communication Stone in her hand and said softly, "He has returned on his own."

A giant white albatross broke through layers of clouds, flapped its wings, and gently landed on the top of the silvery-white tower.

Kosti stepped off the albatross's back, casually waved her hand, and the huge albatross scattered with a "bang," turning into countless bright points of light that dissipated into the air.

Kosti gently waved her staff, and a faint energy fluctuation emanated from it. The metal dome at the top of the Silver White High Tower melted away like water, revealing a square entrance.

Following the entrance down, Kosti landed in a huge room filled with countless books, and Porby, with its colorful feathers, flapped its wings and flew toward her.

Kosti casually pushed Porby and walked step by step toward the door.

She quickly stopped near the exit of the spiral staircase, her gaze falling on a tall, slender figure standing in front of a huge floor-to-ceiling crystal window not far away.

"Ronan."

Kosti's eyes flickered, and she called out a name.

The figure with its back to her slowly turned around after hearing this.

Beneath the wide, magnificent silver-gray robe, a handsome young man's face was revealed, almost eerily so.

The boy seemed weak, his face was extremely pale, and the usual high spirits and heroic air between his brows were nowhere to be seen, replaced by a deep sense of exhaustion that was almost impossible to dispel.

"Ring Master..."

The boy smiled and nodded to Kosti.

In a complex tone, which was hard to tell whether it was relief or worry, Kosti whispered, "You're finally back."

"@#￥%!/./..."

Ronan softly recited a complex incantation. After the incantation ended, he raised his hand, his fingertips drawing a complex and mysterious pattern in the air.

The pattern froze in the void, quickly turning crimson as if scorched by fire, and then disappeared.

After Ronan finished doing all that, the last trace of worry in Kosti's beautiful blue-violet eyes vanished, and she seemed to completely relax as she exhaled softly. Then she took the initiative to explain to Ronan, "It's not that I don't trust you... After the Ancient Wizard Revival Society incident, everyone needs to sign a new contract, including me."

"Clear."

Ronan nodded, then habitually reached out to rub his temples, as if the simple process of signing the contract had consumed most of his energy.

Kosti noticed Ronan's unusual behavior and reached out to touch Ronan forehead.

Ronan did not resist, letting Kosti's hand gently press on his brow. A faint fragrance accompanied by the light of spiritual energy emanated from Kosti's fingertips.

After a moment, Kosti withdrew her hand, her delicate eyebrows furrowed tightly.

"Ronan, you're in a bad situation."

What exactly did you experience in the past month?

Ronan didn't speak; he remained silent.

Kosti looked at him with a complicated expression, sighed softly, and shook her head, choosing to let the topic drop.

"Never mind, you have your own secrets, and I have no right to ask."

"Can you tell me what happened in the past month?"

After a moment of silence, Ronan looked at Kosti and asked.

Kosti nodded, then began to tell Ronan about the aftermath of the battle on the Goblin Plain.

Kosti spoke quickly and in great detail, taking quite a while to cover all the points that Ronan might be interested in.

"... Debby has been in the Seventh Magic Ring for many years. I have personally taught him more than once, but I did not know that he had secretly joined the Ancient Wizard Revival Society."

Kosti's narrative concludes with the wizard Debby, who "betrays" the Arcane Circle.

Ronan saw a look of shame and self-reproach in Kosti's eyes. Kosti was a woman with an innate "maternal instinct." Although she was much older Ronan, her heart was as pure as that of an innocent girl, and she even blamed herself for Debby's betrayal.

Ronan was unsure how to respond, still pondering what Kosti had just said.

Compared to the other five major wizarding factions, the Silver Magic Ring is probably least affected by the Ancient Wizard Revival Society. At least none of its seven ring masters are "traitors." Look at the neighboring Molten Crystal Lake and Thorn Palace; even Dawn -level wizards have rebelled.

However, the infiltration of members of the Arcane Circle below the top level is quite serious. There are as many as a hundred Arcane Circle wizards suspected of being members of the Ancient Wizard Revival Society, including Nono Perin, who had interacted with Ronan. This guy left the Arcane Circle the day after the Goblin Plain competition began and has not returned since. He has been included in the six major "hunt-up" rebel lists.

In her account, Kosti bluntly stated that if she hadn't returned in time, she probably would have been labeled a "traitor to the Arcane Circle."

Even though he has now re-signed the Soul Contract and proven his "loyalty," the suspicion surrounding him has not been completely cleared because he possesses the World Stone coordinates, [Resurrection Society] are highly valued by the Resurrection Society.

Ronan had considered mentioning to Kosti the powerful Level 3 peak leader of the [Resurrection Society] who had died at his hands, "To prove his Dark Head."

After thinking about it, I decided against it.

Those who believe in him, like Kosti, will choose to believe him no matter what he does; conversely, those who doubt him will remain skeptical of him no matter how he tries to prove himself.

Put yourself in his shoes. If he were a high-ranking member of the Arcane Circle, given the current situation where even the Dawn Wizard, a leader of a faction, could be a "traitor within the [Resurrection Society]," it would be perfectly normal for him to question an ordinary member who possesses coordinates and has inexplicably disappeared for a month before returning.

On the contrary, Kosti's almost "emotional" approach to the situation seemed rather "naive".

"The decision made by the ring masters after discussion is to extract and destroy the coordinates in your possession."

Kosti asked Ronan in a consultative tone, to which Ronan did not seem to object.

"Can."

He nodded in agreement after only a brief consideration.

Kosti let out a soft breath and said to him, "The process of extracting the coordinates may be a little painful, so try to bear with it."

After saying that, Kosti took out a bottle of unknown black potion from her Space Ring, asked Ronan to hold out his hand, and then evenly applied the black potion to the back of his hand.

Ronan stared at the black liquid on the back of his hand, feeling it was very slippery, like a pool of melting asphalt.

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the black liquid was actually composed of countless extremely tiny insects, which frantically burrowed into Ronan's flesh after touching his skin.

As the black liquid seeped in, Ronan quickly felt a searing pain on the back of his hand, like a red-hot iron. The pain seemed to reach his very soul, causing him to furrow his brow slightly.

The burning sensation intensified, followed by a mark that slowly appeared on the back of Ronan's hand, resembling an arrow.

Kosti, standing to the side, began to chant a low incantation. The black liquid that had seeped into her flesh earlier began to seep out again, flowing as if it were alive towards the empty crystal bottle that Kosti had prepared beforehand.

Along with the black liquid, the arrow mark on the back of Ronan's hand also flowed away; this was the so-called extraction process.

"That's fine."

When the last drop of black liquid flowed into the crystal bottle, Kosti sealed the bottle tightly.

Ronan stared thoughtfully at the back of his smooth right hand.

He could sense that although the Coordinate Mark appeared to have been removed, a thin layer still remained in his body, as if it had not been completely removed.

"These coordinates will be destroyed in a short time, witnessed by all the Dawn Wizard of the six major factions."

Kosti gently shook the crystal bottle in her hand and said to Ronan, "Once the news gets out, it should be able to divert most of the attention that the Ancient Wizard Revival Society focusing on you."

However, two Dawn Wizard perished in this Ancient Wizard Revival Society, and they probably won't have the strength to jump out and cause trouble again anytime soon.

Ronan nodded and stood side by side with Kosti in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling crystal window. Porby, in the form of Colorful Conch Parrot, flapped its wings and flew over, gently landing on Ronan's shoulder.

After extracting the coordinates, Kosti visibly relaxed. Neither of them spoke, but they gazed at the distant clouds and tower.

Time flows by quietly like water.

At one point, Ronan suddenly looked away and turned to look at Kosti's perfect profile.

"Does Lady Kosti know about the Southern Wizard Genius Gathering and the chief genius of Helamus?"

Kosti's eyes flickered slightly, but before she could speak, Porby on Ronan's shoulder opened his mouth and began to chant loudly.

"Helamus... Helamus was born to Law Control."

His legend cannot be fully told even by a hundred sunsets.

Porby flew off Ronan's shoulder, circling and singing as he did so, even mimicking the sound of a harp with his tongue, like a true bard.

"You're too noisy, Porby..."

Kosti scolded him softly, Porby obediently shut his mouth.

Kosti looked at Ronan with a slightly strange expression and asked, "Who brought this up with you?"

"An opponent."

Ronan thought for a moment and chose to use the word "rival" to describe Anglie.

Anglie possessed the formidable strength to severely injure Jupiter, yet he refrained from attacking him on several occasions.

Ronan felt that he might not really be considered his "enemy".

Although he joined the Ancient Wizard Revival Society, given his two "defections," Ronan wouldn't find it strange at all if he were to appear on the opposite side of the Ancient Wizard Revival Society again next time.

Anglie seemed to value nothing, treating many things merely as a "game." He was like smoke, gathering and dispersing without form, elusive and unpredictable.

"Helamus..."

Kosti murmured the name to herself, then thought for a moment before speaking, "Do you remember the tickets and seats I mentioned to you before?"

Ronan nodded. "Is this what you mean?"

"Um."

Kosti squinted at the distant, hazy sunset and said slowly, "You should know the difference between the Upper Ring, Middle Ring, and Lower Ring Continent."

We are now in the southernmost region of the Upper Ring Continent.

Helamus is universally acknowledged by all wizards as the most powerful and talented legendary wizard in the history of the Upper Ring Continent.

There is none other than this.

"Even Schubert isn't as good as him?"

Ronan was surprised and couldn't help but ask.

Kosti shook her head, but said, "Schubert is not like Helamus."

The legendary wizard Schubert's footprints covered the upper, middle, and lower Third Ring, but there is no information to prove which ring of the continent Schubert was born in.

However, there are patterns to be found in Helamus's life.

It is said that he was born into a minor noble family in a Secular Kingdom in the central part of the Upper Ring Continent. During a kingdom turmoil, he was forced to migrate with his family. Along the way, he used his knightly strength to kill a formal wizard, thus obtaining the ticket to enter the Wizard World.

"To kill a full-fledged wizard using the skills of a knight?"

Ronan was stunned, his face full of disbelief.

He could understand a knight killing Wizard Apprentice, but a true first-level wizard had completely transcended the mortal realm. With just a flick of his little finger, he could easily crush those powerful knights who stood at the pinnacle of the mortal world.

How did he overcome such a huge gap in understanding?

Could it be that this Helamus practiced a transcendent body-forging technique similar to [Ascetic Body Forging] in the mortal realm?

"Yes."

In response to Ronan's shock, Kosti said with certainty, "Helamus has already reached a level of transcendence in his practice of chivalry."

His true talent and abilities were revealed after he became a wizard.

Helamus reached the end of his Dawn in less than a hundred years, a record that remains unbroken to this day.

"Level Six Wizard for One Hundred Years"

Ronan couldn't help but murmur.

A soul age of less than one hundred years who can reach level two is considered a genius even within a top-tier wizarding power in the South, like the Silver Magic Ring.

But what is he compared to Helamus? Mediocre, trash?

"... Just as Porby just sang, Helamus is known as a born Magic Controller."

He once commanded meteorites and single-handedly destroyed a vast empire composed entirely of wizards. There are countless legends about him; he was a true powerhouse standing at the pinnacle of the Upper Ring Continent.

Later, he chased the Twilight into the Middle Ring Continent, where he clashed with those ancient and noble bloodlines, and is said to have left behind many legends.

"And then what?"

Ronan suppressed his inner turmoil and pressed Kosti for answers.

Kosti simply replied calmly, "Dead."

"Well"

"Helamus perished on a lower continent, but the exact cause of his death is unclear."

"But before his soul completely perished, he returned once and left his legacy in various corners of the Upper Ring Continent — the Helamus's Talent Seat!" Kosti said.

Each inheritance represents one of thirty-two seats, which are opened once every hundred years. Only genius wizards whose soul age is under one hundred years old can be invited to obtain the ticket to enter the competition for seats.

If one can win the top spot, they may receive a more crucial inheritance from Helamus.

And once all the key inheritances are gathered, it is said that one can inherit Helamus's incredibly powerful Controller of Magic Bloodline!

"This can be considered a publicly revealed treasure trove of opportunities."

The battle for the Helamus Genius Seat has raged on the Upper Ring Continent for nearly a thousand years, but no one has ever truly assembled the entire legacy.

Kosti turned to Ronan, paused for a moment, and said, "The official start of the Talent Seat race in the South will be in three years."

"Call--"

Ronan exhaled a long breath, his eyes gleaming with a strange light.

At that moment, the weariness that had been lingering between his brows seemed to vanish.

"I see."

Ronan spoke softly.

Kosti said in a low voice with a slightly complicated look in her eyes, "I mentioned this to you before in order to encourage you."

But in reality, this battle for the Helamus Genius Seat is still very difficult for you.

Prior to this, no invitation to the battle for seats had ever been given to a level two wizard. To receive an invitation, one had to advance to level three within the next three years. Even if one did that, the top wizarding geniuses from the three major wizarding powers and dozens of medium-sized wizarding powers in the entire south would gather, making the competition for tickets fierce enough.

"Three major wizarding factions?"

This was the first time Ronan had heard this claim, and he blinked involuntarily.

"Um."

Kosti explained:

The Wizard World has a specific standard for classifying wizarding forces, using categories such as micro, small, medium, large, and Super Large.

Our Silver Magic Ring can only be considered an ordinary medium-sized wizarding force.

Among the six major wizarding factions, only the Thunder Council and the Crimson Tower can be considered top-tier mid-sized forces, but they don't even meet the standard of large-scale forces.

Kosti tried to make Ronan feel the intensity of the competition beforehand, even going so far as to use Orian as an example.

"Orian is arguably the most outstanding genius of our Silver Magic Ring generation, but in the actual competition, his strength might only be considered average. The number of geniuses who are just as outstanding, or even more monstrous, will exceed your expectations."

Ronan listened quietly, his blood gradually heating up, and his heart pounding faster than ever.

Different domains of magic, different schools of magic, and different magical philosophies are displayed in the most talented and gifted individuals of each major power, clashing and competing with one another.

Even setting aside the allure of the Helamus Inheritance, the event itself held immense appeal for him.

"What a magnificent sight that would be!"

Ronan murmured softly, reaching out in the direction before him, his fingers gently clenching, his eyes narrowing as if he saw something, as if he wanted to grasp something.

"Ronan."

At this moment, Kosti suddenly spoke, pulling him back from his inexplicable reverie.

Ronan turned his head, his expression now calm.

He noticed that Kosti had a Communication Stone in her hand. During their conversation, she seemed to have been waiting for a response, and now it seemed she had received it.

"Several major ringleaders expressed..."

Kosti looked at him and carefully chose her words before speaking slowly, "In view of your outstanding performance in the Goblin Plain competition, the danger you suffered because of the World Stone Coordinates, and the risks you may bear in the future, I will give you some rewards and compensation."

Compensate?

Ronan's eyes flickered slightly, and he subconsciously asked, "What compensation?"