Chapter 758: The War Begins
Sein could never have imagined that he, along with millions from the Magus World, would be stationed in Verdant Wilderness World for over four years.
The war in the northern icefield had ended two years ago.
The two foreign Gorilla Gods were no match for Feylis and her three apprentices.
Unlike the unfortunate one who had been captured alive earlier, those two Gorilla Gods, with their retreat blocked, faced their inevitable doom.
Refusing to become living specimens for Feylis and other mages, they chose to fight to the death, displaying an unexpected degree of defiance.
The Rank Five War Gorilla God even attempted to blow itself up above the northern icefield, aiming to take out millions from the Magus World on the outskirts along with it.
In the end, Feylis intervened, banishing the War Gorilla God into a temporary dimension mere moments before it self-destructed.
The terrifying force of the Rank Five creature’s self-detonation was ultimately unleashed somewhere in the stars beyond Verdant Wilderness World.
Although Sein did not witness the full intensity of the battle, he clearly felt the tremendous energy disturbance from the northern part of the plane.
With the fall of the two Gorilla Gods, Verdant Wilderness World fell firmly under the Magus Civilization’s control.
Over the years, the scattered Wild Gorilla Army that once roamed the Verdant Wilderness World had pretty much been wiped out by the Magus World Army.
A few survivors might still be hiding in the dense jungles, waging a futile guerrilla campaign against the Magus World Army—but they posed no real threat.
Although the war in the northern icefield had ended, something strange occurred—after the terrifying self-destruction of the Rank Five creature two years ago, the joint operations command center issued no further combat orders.
A period of temporary rest and recuperation followed, allowing all participating mages, including Sein, to take a much-needed break.
Given Sein’s higher standing within the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, he had not been assigned any mandatory missions by the command center during this period.
Hence, he had holed himself up in his magic tower for the past two years.
The last time he had gone outside was when he went to visit Lorianne after her return from the northern icefield battlefield.
Since then, Sein never left the confines of his magic tower.
In Magus World, only the mages could lead such a lifestyle.
Meanwhile, the two female knights, Reina and Natalya, had long grown restless.
Over the past two years, they had taken on various combat missions issued by the divine towers, trekking across the mountains, rivers, and forests of Verdant Wilderness World.
Thanks to Sein’s reputation, the two Rank Two female knights were often assigned easier missions.
Over the years, they managed to save a decent amount of money.
On the other hand, Leena, Selina, and the others shared his more reclusive tendencies.
They were content to stay in the laboratory with Sein for as long as needed.
During these quiet years, Sein organized his existing knowledge and the mysteries he had unraveled, and also embarked on new research into body tempering.
Aside from his ongoing exploration of pyro elemental magic, body tempering became a major focus for Sein.
Ever since discovering the Everburning Violet Flame and spending years integrating it into his existing pyro elemental spells, Sein’s progress in this area had stagnated, hitting a bottleneck.
Like any mage, Sein had his limits. He was not a god; he was simply a mage, and there were obstacles he could not yet overcome or fully grasp.
Breaking through this bottleneck would require either slow and steady progress, a sudden burst of inspiration, or certain opportunities.
Even with a Rank Four mage as his mentor, Sein was not fortunate enough to miraculously stumble upon a divine artifact by chance.
That kind of luck was not realistic.
Therefore, Sein wisely shifted his focus three years ago from pyro elemental magic to body tempering.
This decision proved to be fruitful, as Sein had made considerable breakthroughs in the last three years.
Thanks to Grimm’s suggestion, Sein successfully began his journey on the path of mixed poison and Radiation Body Tempering.
The so-called mixed poison body tempering involved both internal and external cultivation—using powerful toxins to stimulate the body’s cells externally, while simultaneously ingesting the poison to strengthen the internal organs and flesh.
Had Sein not been promoted to Rank Two and gained an elemental body, such a dangerous method would have been impossible for him to pursue.
One wrong move could have easily poisoned him to death.
In the history of Magus World, there had been no shortage of mages who died in accidents during their experiments.
In fact, the casualty rate from experimental mishaps had always been high, even among those dedicated to exploring the deeper truths of magic.
Some of the most horrifying stories involved powerful Rank Four or higher mages meeting untimely ends due to experimental failures.
With a Rank Four dendromancer as his mentor, it was unlikely for Sein to accidentally poison himself to death through his own experiments.
Besides, he had always been careful with the dosages.
Radiation Body Tempering, like many of his other experiments, was a highly risky endeavor, but one with significant potential rewards.
About a year and a half ago, Sein might have ended up as a mutant with three arms had it not been for Leena’s assistance during one of his Radiation Body Tempering experiments.
While cutting off the extra limb would not have been difficult for a Rank Two mage like him, dealing with genetic mutations was far more troublesome.
Sein certainly did not want to turn into a monster.
The power of radiation could induce mutations even in mages of his rank.
After that near-accident, Sein documented everything in his crystal ball and continued the subsequent body tempering experiments even more cautiously.
Despite the mishaps and accidents, Sein’s gains over the past few years far outweighed the setbacks.
His mana and focus levels had both increased significantly, but it was his constitution that saw the most dramatic improvement.
Without even activating her bloodline transformation, Natalya could no longer beat Sein at arm-wrestling.
With a constitution of over 6,500 points, Sein was more of a knight than a mage.
However, this increased physical strength came at a cost beyond the time, energy, money, and efforts he had invested...
“While the effects of Mixed Poison and Radiation Body Tempering are impressive, the damage they’re doing to your body is equally obvious. Even the Verdant Flame Body Tempering technique from your faction, which is more refined and well-developed, is still taking a toll on you,” Leena remarked in the laboratory one day, observing him with a frown.
She looked at Sein, rubbing her chin thoughtfully as she continued, “The theoretical lifespan of a Rank Two mage is around three thousand years. If you continue at this rate, you’ll be lucky to live until two thousand and five hundred years.”
“There’s a reason why it’s called theoretical lifespan. How many knights and mages in the Magus World actually live to die of old age?” Sein asked nonchalantly.
He shrugged and continued, “Besides, the mages of Magus World have developed ways to convert themselves into undead creatures since long ago. If we become undead, our original lifespan can extend by anywhere from a few hundred to a thousand years.”
Sein made a valid point, while also revealing the underlying madness and stubbornness that defined him as a mage.
He was willing to sacrifice even his life in the relentless pursuit of truth and research.
A mere five hundred years of life was hardly significant.
As the saying goes: “If I hear and grasp the truth in the morning, and die in the evening, I will have no regrets.”
This obsessive spirit of exploration was what had elevated the Magus Civilization to the pinnacle among the surrounding star domains and planes.
Not many could understand the Magus World, including their opponents.
Leena also qualified as a “lunatic”. As a black mage, she was even more extreme than Sein.
Hearing Sein’s response, she only sighed softly but did not press the issue further.
Her remarks were made out of genuine concern for Sein, and she seldom worried about anyone else in this way.
While the two Rank Two mages conversed in the laboratory, a sudden “rumbling” came from outside.
Though the magic tower was equipped with a shock-absorbing array, the tremors were strong enough to make even Sein curious.
He walked to the windowsill and peered outside.
The once-clear blue sky was now covered by a sea of pitch-black metal continents.
Even someone like Sein, who had witnessed countless grand sights, could not help but gape in astonishment.
Outside Verdant Wilderness World, more than fifty Magus Civilization space fortresses had appeared!
In addition to these colossal fortresses, the sky was filled with war airships, prism forts, and countless one-seater flying devices.
The arrival of this overwhelming force marked the official beginning of the Magus Civilization’s war against the Wild Gorilla World.