Strength (Part One)

The Mission Hall in the City of Arcane was as busy as ever. Unlike his first visit, Merlin no longer needed Contribution Points.

"Huh? Is that Mage Merlin?"

"It really is Mage Merlin! He made a huge contribution in the War of Civilizations against the Rock Clan. I heard he's even stronger than a Civilization-Level Prodigy. How did he get so powerful?"

"Haha, Mage Merlin is one of us here in Santo City of Arcane. So even he needs Contribution Points."

The moment Merlin appeared, the Mission Hall grew even livelier. Spellcasters rushed to get a look at him. After all, he had made a name for himself in a single battle against the Rock Clan. In Santo City of Arcane, practically everyone knew him.

Merlin smiled and exchanged a few words with the Spellcasters before finally squeezing through to the Legendary Mages.

"Phew..."

He let out a breath and said to a Legendary Mage, "I'd like to consult a map showing the distribution of powers throughout the Spellcaster World."

"One Contribution Point."

That was cheap—practically free. Merlin paid the point and received access to a general map of the Spellcaster Civilization's territories.

The map was meticulously detailed and updated roughly every ten years, making it a fairly accurate picture of the current situation.

The Spellcaster Civilization's territory was vast. It encompassed hundreds of millions of Planes and spanned countless regions. Within its borders, it was almost impossible to find an unclaimed Plane.

Under the Legendary Pact, any Great Legendary who had signed it was forbidden from seizing an unclaimed Plane by force. Only Marauders, who ignored the pact, would do that. But there were few Marauders, and they easily incurred the hostility of Legendary Mages. Many had to operate in secret.

So Merlin stopped looking at Planes within the