"Fire?"

Wizard Bass was momentarily stunned. He was extremely proficient in Fire-type spells and had constructed his own spells until he became a Seventh-level Spell Casters. Fire-type spells, in particular, was one of his strongest element.

Yet, looking at the pale white flames released by the black-robed Wizard, he felt a sense of acute danger. It felt as if once he came into contact with the flames, there would be catastrophic damage.

It was a feeling which Wizard Bass had not felt in a very long time.

"Retreat!"

Wizard Bass did not hesitate and retreated backward. After all, he was a Seventh-level Spell Caster with lightning fast reflexes. The moment the thought formed in his mind, a spell had been released. His figure retreated backward in a flash and away from the burning flames.

Seventh-level Spell Casters derived spells that were best suited for them, so the level of compatibility was very high with some even achieving a hundred percent compatibility. Merlin, too, had been constructing Fourth-level spells with one hundred percent compatibility.

There were no essential differences between self-derived Fourth- and Seventh-level spells, but very few Spell Casters could derive new spells at the Fourth-level.

No matter how talented an elementary school student could be, it was impossible to understand calculus without slowly accumulating the knowledge that it comprised. Similarly, with the accumulation of profound knowledge and experience in constructing spells, it was much easier to derive a spell upon reaching the Seventh-level.

In terms of quality, however, as long as the spells were self-derived, there were no fundamental differences between them. The only difference would be their power levels.

Another benefit of self-derived spells was that the reaction time to cast a spell was nearly zero. On the other hand, previous spells, due to lack of perfect compatibility, would have a slight time lag. The time lag was usually very short that it was almost indiscernible.

Nevertheless, in a life-or-death moment, that tiny time lag was enough to determine the outcome of a battle. If Wizard Bass had not been a Seventh-level Spell Caster, there was no way he could have escaped the attack of Fiery Collapse earlier.

"Who the heck…?"

Wizard Bass was still a little nervous as he watched the black-robed figure gradually emerge from behind the pillar of flames.

"Hand over the Neverending Book!"

The mysterious black-robed Wizard was still covered in a layer of menacing flames, almost like an embodiment of fire. Of course, it was Merlin, who had entered the Thousand Miles Snow Cave earlier.

Merlin had followed the strong Fire Elements fluctuations and rushed here. Unexpectedly, he was the first to arrive and witnessed the exchange between Wizard Bass and the two other Seventh-level Spell Casters.

However, Merlin kept himself hidden in the dark. Since Wizard Bass and the others were fully focused on guarding against one another, they did not notice that there was someone else lurking in the dark. It was up till the point that Wizard Bass tried to leave that Merlin showed himself.

Since the Neverending Book was in Wizard Bass' hands, Merlin decided to act immediately. However, he did not expect that his sudden attack would be dodged by Wizard Bass.

On the other hand, Wizard Bass just had a close brush with death and was extremely wary of the mysterious black-robed Wizard. The flames earlier made him shudder in fear. It was definitely not the kind of force that he could handle by himself.

Nevertheless, obtaining the Neverending Book had not been easy for Wizard Bass either. He had to track down Nelson for many days and nights to obtain the Neverending Book, and even devised a plan to stop two Seventh-level Spell Casters from attacking.

Unpredictably, in the end, he was just one stroke short of success!

"Heh heh, you're not the only one who wants the Neverending Book!"

Wizard Bass was trying his best to delay time because the black-robed Wizard was far too intimidating. He did not have the confidence to challenge the black-robed Wizard alone, so the best he could do was to delay time and wait for the other Spell Casters to arrive.

He believed that the fluctuation earlier would have attracted a lot of attention from the Spell Casters inside Thousand Miles Snow Cave. At this point, Wizard Bass could only hope that he would benefit from the imminent chaos.

The catch, however, was that even he himself was not confident that he would be able to hold onto the Neverending Book amidst the chaos. Nevertheless, it was his only hope!

"Unwilling, I see?"

A cold look flashed across Merlin's eyes. He must get the Neverending Book, no matter what!

"Boom!"

It was only a single step from Merlin yet it felt like a huge stomp directly on Wizard Bass' heart. With a light flick of Merlin's finger, infinite darkness enveloped Wizard Bass, trapping him in complete darkness.

"Illusion?"

Wizard Bass was shocked as he recognized the illusion at once. The revelation made him even more shaken because he was a Seventh-level Spell Caster who had achieved the Mind Power of the peak of the Seventh-level. Most illusions were unable to affect him.

Yet with just a gentle flick of his finger, Merlin had cast an unknown Darkness Spell which managed to trap a Seventh-level Spell Caster like him in an illusion although the entrapment only lasted for a second before Wizard Bass managed to regain his consciousness.

Nevertheless, in a battle involving Seventh-level Spell Casters, one moment was all it took to determine the outcome!

"Incinerating Fire!"

The icy voice rang out again, and a faint gulp appeared on Wizard Bass' face. He had been entrapped by the illusion for just a second but when he regained consciousness, the opponent's Fire-type Spell had been activated.

This time, Wizard Bass was no longer able to escape. Pillars of fire had formed a circle around him and trapped him within. The scorching temperatures climbed, slowly draining his Defensive-type spell.

"Darkness Eye, disintegrate!"

Merlin extended his palm again and pressed downward. A crimson ray shot out and surrounded Wizard Bass. The Defensive-type spell on his body shattered immediately, allowing the white flames to engulf him and turned him into ashes within seconds.

Within a short time, Merlin had managed to kill a Seventh-level Spell Caster. It shook the other two Seventh-level Wizards to the core. Even if they joined forces, the most they had hoped to achieve was overpower Wizard Bass. It was downright impossible for them to kill him.

Contending and killing were two completely different concepts. Usually, the intention to kill required a person to be much more powerful than his opponent and had an absolute advantage over him in order to succeed.

Despite Merlin using only a short period of time to kill Wizard Bass, he had already used Fiery Collapse, Darkness Illusory Death, and Darkness Eye, all three of which were his strongest abilities.

It was with these three strongest abilities that he was able to kill Wizard Bass in such a short time as it was not easy to vanquish a Seventh-level Spell Caster.

Once he killed Wizard Bass, Merlin caught his opponent's ring in his hand and examined it with his Mind Power. Very quickly, he found a quaint book shrouded in a sacred aura. Lo and behold, it was the second volume of the Neverending Book. It was exactly the same aura that he sensed previously while obtaining the first volume, which proved that it was indeed the Neverending Book.

Merlin kept the ring securely, and turned around but narrowed his eyes again the next moment. Apparently, while he was examining the ring, the two remaining Seventh-level Spell Casters had blocked his way out.

"What? You want the Neverending Book in my hands as well?"

A chilling look flashed across Merlin's face. Two Seventh-level Spell Casters were indeed more troublesome to handle. Even so, it was just a minor inconvenience as he was confident that he would be able to eliminate these two Seventh-level Spell Casters within a short period of time.

It was for the sake of the Neverending Book, especially combined with the second and third volumes, to get the maxim left behind by the mysterious Wizard. That was Merlin's true purpose.

Therefore, Merlin would not easily give up on the Neverending Book, regardless of the obstacles.

Just as Merlin's murderous intent began to build up and was about to act, jovial laughter reverberated from inside the cave. "Haha, I'm not too late!"

"Swish."

When the sound faded, a burly middle-aged Wizard slowly emerged from the passage and gazed at Merlin and the other two Seventh-level Spell Casters.

Seeing the weakened Wizard leaning on the cave wall behind Merlin, a joyful look appeared on his face. "Nelson? I see, that means one of you have gotten the Neverending Book?"

The middle-aged Wizard did not emit a particularly dangerous vibe but the two Spell Casters' expression changed rapidly upon seeing him. In a low voice, they said, "Mad Wizard Mobundo!"

"Oh? There are people who still remember me? Not bad, not bad, it must be rare to find a such a loyal and kind Wizard who is willing to do good deeds like myself…"

The Spell Caster known as Mad Wizard said with a twinkling smile yet it sounded extremely sarcastic in the ears of those two Spell Casters. Both their faces showed a weird expression.

Mad Wizard Mobundo was a shameless, unscrupulous Wizard whom many Spell Casters were unwilling to go against. This was because Mobundo would do whatever it took in order to win. Normally, this was not frowned upon but Mobundo disregarded even the basic dignity of Wizards. He even used various despicable tactics such as poisoning and sneak attacks. In other words, there was nothing he would not do.

Once, he even dressed up as a woman… The fact that a Wizard like him dared to claim to be loyal and kind, literally made the two Spell Casters who knew him to feel ashamed to be called Spell Casters.

"Three!"

Merlin looked at Mad Wizard Mobundo calmly. He did not sense a particularly strong threat coming from him.

However, with the appearance of Mobundo, more Spell Casters began to appear. All of them were Seventh-level Spell Casters, and one after another, it came up to eight Seventh-level Spell Casters!

These eight Spell Casters all knew that the Neverending Book was in Merlin's hands, so their gazes were locked on Merlin. Nevertheless, no one dared to act because they could feel the extreme danger emanating from Merlin. No one wanted to be the first to strike.

"Eight?"

Merlin took a deep breath. At this moment, his heart was filled with adrenaline. So, what if there were eight Seventh-level Spell Casters? He would triumph over all of them!