Mage Manual

"Strange painting, strange people."

The blond little boy stood confused in front of the whiteboard, looking at the board drawing he had just created.

In the drawing, there are three people walking through a dense and complex jungle, heading towards a shining Sky Tower in the distance. Vague monstrous beasts and unknown mysterious lands paint a picture of a fantasy adventure journey.

At the back, there is a dark-skinned, curly-haired young man wearing chains. He's dressed in a trench coat and boots, seemingly ordinary, but with a beautiful ghostly figure faintly embracing him from behind, combining an evil aura with a sense of life's beauty, likely the trump card of the team.

In the middle is a handsome blond youth, wearing a dress coat with many pockets, impeccably dressed, even while trekking in the jungle. In his hand is a treasure map, and he gazes towards the distant Sky Tower, clearly the soul of the team.

Leading at the front is an unremarkable black-haired youth. He points ahead and turns back to speak excitedly to the other two, only to trip over a tree root, staggering as if he is about to fall. Obviously, he's the comedic relief of the team.

What particularly caught the boy's attention was a Black Crow watching them from a tree. Was it a sign of death?

However...

The boy looked at the blond youth in the painting; although the latter seemed expressionless, the light in his eyes, relaxed shoulders, and the fact that he entrusted his back to others without hesitation all indicated an unburdened mind, thoroughly enjoying the journey.

Of course, the little boy knew that this blond youth was his older self.

That's why he found it strange how he could be so relaxed even with others around. Were the dark-skinned man and the comedic role perhaps mental slaves already under his control?

But even slaves should warrant some caution. In this world, is it really possible to find someone without doubt, or to trust oneself entirely?

"Still... an adventure?"

The boy looked at the Sky Tower in the jungle, desire shimmering in his eyes. To break away from ordinary society, to explore the unknown mystery while commanding two slave workers as cannon fodder... if this was the future, then growing up might not be so bad after all.

I thought life would always be so difficult—

At that moment, the whiteboard turned into a wisp of soul fog, merging into his soul.

A moment later, Igula opened his eyes, looking at the three prize light clusters that appeared beside him.

Yes, he had lied to Ash and the others; his exploration progress on the ghost's legacy had actually reached beyond the 30th layer. With Qikara and Gwen present, he couldn't fully disclose it, even if Qikara was a slave, a sense of caution had to be retained.

It wasn't about trust; a Swindler's instinct is to keep some reservations with everyone.

Igula didn't hesitate, directly choosing the "Return to Childhood opportunity" reward. He wasn't selecting it for the first time, so he knew that multiple Return to Childhood attempts carried risks.

This time, he returned to being eight years old, but previously it was eight and a half, and before that nine.

The more he returned to childhood, the more severe the regression, and once past an age where he could no longer care for himself, the mage would become the sacrifice in this Return to Childhood.

But Igula had no choice.

No one desired the ghost legacy more than he did because it was the only path he could take.

Both he and Harvey were defective products who forced their ascension to the Holy Domain using the 'Cursed Seven-colored Tail Feather.' As a consequence, their Magic Power channels with the fourth layer of the Void Realm were completely severed. In simple terms, even if they reached legendary levels in their Magic Realm, they couldn't summon a Four-winged Technique Spirit through the Resonance of the Void Realm, nor open the Gate of Truth to Ruby Mountain.

Their path ahead was cut off.

Igula also thought he would be stuck at the Holy Domain. In fact, for someone who was a death row inmate being reformed in Shattered Lake Prison until a few months ago, this was an unimaginable achievement. Even before his imprisonment, Igula never dared to hope to become a Holy Sanctuary Mage.

However, he is a Swindler, a greedy Swindler, a dissatisfied Swindler, never satisfied Swindler.

When the ghost legacy appeared, Igula knew it was his only chance. Even if he still couldn't break through to legendary status, with the ghost legacy, he could undoubtedly possess legendary combat power!

Igula was different from Harvey.

He merely had some talents in the Spirit Faction, whereas Harvey was a monster in the Necromancy Faction.

In Shattered Lake Prison, Harvey might have only been a slightly gifted Necromancer, but at some point, he might have dug out a 'treasure' that allowed him to completely transform, either from the deepest part of the Void Realm or the darkest part of his heart. Talent couldn't describe his potential; as he said, he completely became Hagen Dazs's lackey—he was no longer human.

If Harvey found a way to cross the curse and ascend to legend, Igula wouldn't be too surprised.

Even if Harvey was trapped in the Holy Domain, once he unlocked the 'Corpse King of Blood Moon' unit, he would naturally have legendary combat power, something a Swindler could never match.

Igula was different from Ash too.

Or rather, Ash was different from everyone.

Igula had long realized that the slightly foolish-looking idiot would sooner or later reach the peak of mages, and even then, Ruby Mountain might not be his end.