Chapter Summaries

Merlin freed Bamu from the Flame Prison and received the spatial ring of a dead fifth-level Spellcaster who had possessed five Pandora Demon Energies. The ring contained no Demon Energies, but a book on them revealed that Dark Eye was a seven-form creation of the Dark Legendary Ofras, prompting Merlin to suspect that Leo had acquired the complete Dark Eye.

• Bamu told Merlin he had survived more than four hundred years in the Flame Prison by constructing a unique eighth-level fire Spell Model.
• Bamu revealed that the other two Spellcasters imprisoned there had died, and gave Merlin the spatial ring of the fifth-level Spellcaster who had possessed five Pandora Demon Energies.
• Merlin used the Flame Prison's rune pillars to let Bamu leave, and Bamu celebrated his escape.
• Merlin searched the ring but found no Pandora Demon Energies, so he began reading the detailed book about them that it contained.
• Merlin read that Dark Eye had seven forms and had been created by Ofras, leading him to suspect that Leo's Dark Eye was the complete version.

Merlin learned about Pandora Demon Energies and obtained Mage Bamu’s three-stage Instant Wind, a powerful wind-speed ability that Merlin began practicing aboard Nicola's Ship. The ship later struck something, interrupting his training.

• Merlin learned that Pandora Demon Energies varied in power and discovered that the prodigy spellcaster had left none behind.
• Mage Bamu gave Merlin the cultivation method for Instant Wind, which he had used to escape Flame Projection.
• After Merlin supplied wind-element Elemental Crystals, Mage Bamu demonstrated Instant Wind’s extraordinary speed.
• Merlin decided to cultivate Instant Wind and practiced fusing it with his wind-element spell aboard Nicola's Ship.
• Nicola's Ship collided with something, jolting the hull and waking Merlin from his practice.

Merlin left Nicola's Ship hidden among underwater reefs and returned toward Dark Spirit Domain with Mage Bamu after completing his goals in the Kordomansla Archipelago. He arranged for Mage Bamu to wait outside, then entered Dark Spirit Domain alone, wondering how Leo, Lorinka, and Emma were doing.

• Merlin merged the spiritual power avatar in Bell Space and decided to return to Dark Spirit Domain after obtaining Resilient Soil, cultivating Molten Earth Demon Energy, and gaining Flame Law.
• Merlin chose to leave Nicola's Ship among a tangled reef cluster and asked Mage Bamu to address him as Mage Merlin after they departed.
• Merlin and Mage Bamu teleported to a deserted island in the Kordomansla Archipelago and left without visiting its main island.
• Merlin and Mage Bamu traveled for more than a month toward Dark Spirit Domain while Merlin practiced merging Instant Wind with his wind-element spells.
• Merlin told Mage Bamu to hide in the town below the mountain, then used his Dark Spirit Ring to enter Dark Spirit Domain.

Merlin returned to the Dark Spirit Domain and was summoned by Wizard Leo, while Wizard Hall revealed the cost of his potion research and asked Merlin to kill Klais. The chapter ended with Merlin meeting Wizard Leo and facing the pressure of his opened Dark Eye.

• Merlin returned to the Dark Spirit Domain and went straight to Wizard Leo's tower after finding Didimos absent.
• Merlin discovered that Wizard Hall's Spell Models were failing and learned Hall had created the Mokola Potion, which gave him immense Mental Power.
• Wizard Hall gave Merlin his three remaining Mokola Potions and the formula in exchange for a promise to kill Klais, whom Hall blamed for his daughter's death.
• Merlin promised to kill Klais when strong enough, then went to meet Wizard Leo as Hall prepared to leave the tower.
• Wizard Leo opened his Dark Eye, pressed Merlin with its immense power, and asked whether he had encountered trouble in the Kordomansla Archipelago.

Merlin returned to the Dark Spirit Domain as a Second-Level Spellcaster and told Wizard Leo about Instant Wind, while keeping the Flame Law and Nicola's Ship secret. Wizard Leo explained the true Dark Eye and promised to consider teaching it to Merlin once he reached the Fourth Level, then revealed that Wizard Hall had left the Dark Spirit Domain.

• Merlin told Wizard Leo that the ring had helped him escape danger and that he had become a Second-Level Spellcaster.
• Merlin offered Wizard Leo the speed-type Pandora Demon Energy Instant Wind, but Wizard Leo returned it because he could not cultivate its decisive third stage.
• Wizard Leo explained that his Dark Eye was the true seven-form Demon Energy created by Ofras, unlike Abyssal Fortress's incomplete imitation, and said he might teach Merlin its method when Merlin reached the Fourth Level.
• Wizard Leo warned Merlin that constructing spells mattered more than acquiring powerful Demon Energies.
• Merlin asked about Wizard Hall, and Wizard Leo said Hall had already left the Dark Spirit Domain.

Merlin learned that Hall had come to the Dark Spirit Domain to avenge his daughter, whom Klais had tortured to death, and was warned to beware of Klais. Merlin then used Hall’s Mokola Potion, which greatly increased his Spiritual Power after putting him into a dangerous, prolonged sleep, and left to check whether Emma and Lorinka had returned.

• Wizard Leo explained that Hall’s daughter had been tortured to death by Klais and warned Merlin to kill Klais only if he could do so safely.
• Wizard Leo told Merlin that Emma and Lorinka had gone to Pujias City a month earlier and had not returned.
• Merlin drank a bottle of Hall’s Mokola Potion and fell into a five-day sleep, awakening with greatly increased Spiritual Power.
• Merlin drank the remaining two bottles of Mokola Potion and, after ten days, found that his Spiritual Power had nearly doubled.
• Merlin left his room and went to check whether Emma and Lorinka had returned.

Merlin exchanged nearly all his Contribution Points for one hundred sets of Mokola Potion ingredients, then left the Dark Spirit Domain to check on his family in Pujias City. He brought Wizard Bamu with him, hoping the city would provide a place for Bamu to restore his magic power.

• Merlin found Emma and Lorinka's rooms empty and worried because they had been away from Pujias City for a month and a half.
• Merlin exchanged nearly all his remaining Contribution Points for one hundred sets of Mokola Potion ingredients at the Tower of Myriad Phenomena.
• Merlin told Wizard Leo he was returning to his family, and Wizard Leo said Osum had made no recent moves.
• Merlin left the Dark Spirit Domain and met Wizard Bamu in the small town.
• Merlin told Wizard Bamu he would take him to Pujias City so he could recover his magic power there.

Merlin and Wizard Bamu returned to Pujias City and found Wilson Castle protected by a powerful Rune Formation. After two Spellcasters serving the Eighth Prince attacked them with the formation, Merlin destroyed their ice attack and faced their stronger fire spell.

• Merlin and Wizard Bamu arrived at Pujias City and found Wilson Castle expanded and protected by a vast Rune Formation.
• Two elderly Spellcasters guarding the castle discussed their task for the Eighth Prince and went to confront the intruders.
• Merlin and Wizard Bamu entered the castle, where the two Spellcasters attacked with an ice sphere powered by the Rune Formation.
• Merlin examined the ice sphere and destroyed it with Hellfire Sea and Annihilation Flame.
• The two Spellcasters summoned a more powerful Rune Formation fire attack, and Merlin prepared to meet it with Earth Curtain strengthened by Molten Earth Demon Energy.

Merlin returned to Wilson Castle, where he revealed that the two ugly mages’ fire attack could not harm him because of the Flame Law within him. He reunited with his family and learned that the Eighth Prince’s Snake Elder was protecting the castle, so he went to meet him.

• Merlin absorbed the flames of the two ugly mages’ attack and ordered them to take him to their leader.
• The ugly mages recognized Merlin as the master of Wilson Castle and explained that they served the Eighth Prince.
• Merlin entered the hall and reunited with Old Wilson, Avril, Shirley, and his children Consine and Celia.
• Merlin met Macy’s son Cole and sensed that the boy had a spellcaster’s constitution.
• Old Wilson told Merlin that Snake Elder had been sent by the Eighth Prince to protect Wilson Castle, and Merlin went to see him.

Merlin returned to Wilson Castle and reunited with Emma and Lorinka, who had been receiving instruction from the mysterious Snake Elder. After meeting Snake Elder, Merlin learned that the strange, powerful spellcaster was Mountain Snakefolk.

• Old Wilson brought Merlin and his companions to a rune-protected house, where Spellcaster Bamu sensed three spellcasters inside.
• Lorinka and Emma came out to greet Merlin and explained that Snake Elder had guided them in spells, Runology, Alchemy, and Spell Model construction.
• Merlin entered the house and examined Snake Elder’s unusually stable Spell Models, including models suited to Emma and Lorinka.
• Snake Elder tore bloody scales from his neck while speaking with Merlin, revealing that he was Mountain Snakefolk.

Merlin learned that the Eighth Prince had sent Snake Elder and two Spellcasters to protect Wilson Castle while seeking Merlin’s favor. After discovering that wandering Spellcasters from several city-states coveted his Pandora Demon Energy, Merlin set out to deal with them, unaware that the Eighth Prince’s agents planned to use the danger to win his gratitude and approach Wizard Leo.

• Snake Elder told Merlin that the Eighth Prince had sent him to protect Wilson Castle and intended to invite Merlin to the Royal Capital.
• Merlin realized Count Sailin had likely pledged allegiance to the Eighth Prince after annexing Lebis City-State.
• Snake Elder revealed that Spellcasters from Talan, Gnomi, and Pan-Asian City-States were stirring against Merlin because they wanted his Pandora Demon Energy.
• Merlin thanked Snake Elder and left to deal with the Spellcasters, while Snake Elder instructed his two subordinates to intervene only if Merlin faced great danger.
• An unseen Spiritual Power overheard Snake Elder’s plan and dismissed the agents’ confidence in Merlin’s weakness.

Merlin learned that the Eighth Prince had sent people to Wilson Castle to protect his family and hoped to meet Wizard Leo, so Merlin decided to strengthen his family’s defenses. Wizard Bamu warned Merlin that the Dark Eye was said to curse its cultivators, and Merlin promised not to attempt cultivating it rashly before retiring for the night.

• Wizard Bamu told Merlin that the Eighth Prince’s envoy had come to protect Wilson Castle and seek contact with Wizard Leo.
• Merlin decided to leave Wizard Bamu at Wilson Castle and considered turning the Wilson Family into a Spellcaster Family because Macy’s child, little Cole, showed aptitude.
• Wizard Bamu asked Merlin whether Wizard Leo had cultivated the Dark Eye, and Merlin confirmed that he had.
• Wizard Bamu explained that the Dark Eye had been created by Wizard Ofras and that other cultivators, including powerful Archmages, had died after attempting to master it.
• Merlin understood that Bamu feared the Slave Contract would kill him if Merlin died, and promised not to cultivate the Dark Eye rashly.
• Merlin dismissed Wizard Bamu and went upstairs to rest while Bamu secretly monitored Wilson Castle.

Merlin reunited with Shirley and Avril at Wilson Castle, where Shirley explained her hopes for another child and the family’s future as a Spellcaster Family. After learning of possible war between the Holy Light Empire and the Black Moon Kingdom, Merlin prepared to handle the family’s threats himself and set out to act.

• Merlin returned to Wilson Castle and spent time with Shirley and Avril, who said she wanted another child because the family needed descendants with spellcaster aptitude.
• Shirley told Merlin that the Wilson Family had to become a Spellcaster Family and shared rumors that the Holy Light Empire might launch another Crusade War.
• Merlin promised Shirley they could return to the Bright Kingdom, now called the Holy Light Empire, and said he would investigate the war rumors.
• Merlin invited Wizard Hill to join the Wilson Family, but Wizard Hill declined and chose to spend his remaining years quietly.
• Wizard Bamu told Merlin that Snake Elder had sent word to the Eighth Prince, and Merlin ordered Bamu to notify Snake Elder that they were preparing to depart.

Merlin and Mage Bamu reached Talan City and attacked despite its Rune Formation and defenders. As the city’s forces failed to stop their pale flames, Earl Talan asked Fenilo who the two attackers were.

• Snake Elder ordered two ugly mages to protect Merlin only if he faced danger, while they traveled with him and Mage Bamu toward Talan City.
• Merlin destroyed circling crows, then flew toward Talan City with Mage Bamu, leaving the two escorts to catch up.
• Merlin and Mage Bamu flew over Talan City, ignored a warning from its defenders, and blasted a huge hole in the city wall with Fireballs.
• Hundreds of Intermediate Elemental Swordsmen attacked the pair with flames, but Merlin’s pale fire overwhelmed their attack and burned through the city walls.
• Earl Talan noticed the chaos and asked Fenilo to identify the two attackers.

Merlin confronted Mage Fenilo and the Spellcasters protecting Talan City, using his fire-absorbing ability and Annihilation Flame to destroy them. Mage Fenilo recognized Merlin and began drawing power from the city’s Rune Formation to forge a Rune Spirit as Merlin’s attack approached.

• Mage Fenilo ordered Mage Bess and the other Spellcasters to capture Merlin and Mage Bamu alive.
• Mage Bess activated Mage Fenilo’s Rune Formation, which restricted Merlin’s flight while leaving Mage Bamu unaffected.
• Merlin landed on the city wall and absorbed the fire dragon summoned by five Spellcasters, then destroyed them with Hellfire Sea and Annihilation Flame.
• Mage Fenilo recognized Merlin as a member of the Wilson Family and grew excited at the sight of his Pandora Demon Energy.
• Mage Fenilo invoked Great Modoa and drew power from Talan City to forge a Rune Spirit.

Mage Fenilo used the Modoa Rune Formation to drain Talan City’s Spellcasters and empower himself against Merlin. After Fenilo’s attacks defeated Merlin’s flames and ice, Merlin announced he was finished playing as darkness descended over the city.

• The two ugly mages saw Fenilo activate the Modoa Rune Formation and sent a message asking Snake Elder for help.
• Snake Elder learned Fenilo had activated the formation and rushed toward Talan City in a green whirlwind.
• Fenilo absorbed the power of Talan City’s Spellcasters, rose to Fifth-level strength, and challenged Merlin.
• Merlin dismissed Fenilo’s runework and blocked his storm attacks with Earth Curtain.
• Fenilo’s golden flame giants overcame Merlin’s Annihilation Flame and Extreme Ice Finger, then surrounded him with five giants.
• Merlin said he had played enough, and an eerie darkness descended over Talan City.

Merlin defeated Mage Fenilo in Talan City, destroying the flame giants and killing more than a hundred Spellcasters before taking Fenilo’s possessions, including his Rune Disc. Fenilo offered to become Merlin’s servant, but the arrival of a giant azure serpent interrupted them.

• Merlin used Dark Tide to trap the Spellcasters in Talan City in an illusion while the five flame giants continued attacking.
• Merlin destroyed the five flame giants with Annihilation Flame and used their scattered flames to replenish his Spell Models.
• Merlin burned more than a hundred Spellcasters, weakening Mage Fenilo and rendering the Modoa Rune Formation nearly useless.
• Merlin took Fenilo’s spell robe, ring, and Rune Disc, causing the Rune Formation to shake and nearly collapse.
• Fenilo offered to sign a contract and become Merlin’s servant, but a giant azure serpent appeared above Talan City and roared that no one could save Fenilo if he harmed Merlin.

Merlin conquered Talan City, killed Spellcaster Fenilo, and set off to take the Gnomi City-State as another gift for the Eighth Prince. Snake Elder followed to assess Merlin’s strength, while Merlin considered how to build the Wilson Family’s power.

• Snake Elder arrived in Talan City as a gigantic python and shattered Fenilo’s Rune Formations with a single strike.
• Merlin declared Talan City a gift for the Eighth Prince, and Earl Talan and Fenilo offered to submit; Merlin burned Fenilo to ash before he could be spared.
• Merlin flew toward the Gnomi City-State with Spellcaster Bamu, while Snake Elder ordered two Spellcasters to take control of Talan City and followed Merlin himself.
• Merlin told Bamu he wanted his strength to establish the Wilson Family’s reputation, then asked about the Rune Disc and learned Bamu knew nothing about Runology.
• Merlin and Bamu reached the Gnomi City-State, marked by a crooked stone pillar rising into the clouds.

Merlin and Bamu entered Gnomi City-State and found Gnomi Count celebrating while Wizard Toblin protected him. Merlin killed Toblin and destroyed the castle with pale flames, but an urgent voice called for him to stop.

• Merlin and Bamu flew into Gnomi City-State, while Snake Elder deliberately followed at a distance.
• At Gnomi Count's birthday banquet, Philinda tried to assassinate the Count, but Wizard Toblin stopped her and Gnomi Count ordered her family arrested.
• Merlin arrived with Philinda, told her he could fulfill her wish, and confronted Wizard Toblin as Gnomi Count retreated.
• Merlin identified Toblin as one of the Spellcasters who had invaded Wilson Castle and killed him with pale flames.
• Merlin spread flames through the castle, reducing the nobles and Spellcasters to ashes, until an anxious voice told him to stop.

Merlin completed his campaign against the three city-states, securing them for the Eighth Prince and strengthening the Wilson Family’s standing. He returned toward Wilson Castle, intending to stay there for at least half a year to build the family into a Spellcaster Family.

• Snake Elder arrived at the ruined Gnomi City-State, and Merlin asked him to restore order before agreeing to take in Philinda as a future spellcaster for the Wilson Family.
• Snake Elder arranged to send Philinda to Wilson Castle, while Merlin and Wizard Bamu flew to the Pan-Asian City-State.
• Pan-Asian Count surrendered without resistance and handed Merlin the spellcasters who had attacked Wilson Castle, except for the escaped Wizard Stening.
• Merlin burned the captive spellcasters to ashes and secured Pan-Asian Count’s pledge that the city-state would obey the Eighth Prince.
• Merlin told Snake Elder he would remain at Wilson Castle for at least half a year, then returned there with Wizard Bamu.