Passerby Villain In A Wizard World

"Ember Wake! Burst!"

Boom.

Ian's voice rang out like a strike of flint as the fire that had flickered and faded before from the Inferno Burst suddenly reignited—brilliant and alive.

In a flash, the forest once again lit up, the ripple of flames forming a perfect ring that glowed like a burning halo stretched across the earth.

Crackle…

Then, like a chain of firecrackers set ablaze, the embers left behind began to stir.

First, one suddenly burst with a sharp pop. Then another.

It was continuous as the forest suddenly lit up as bright as day, while the trees and larvae around began to get destroyed.

Although each explosion seemed tiny, together they were huge, bursting in rhythmic succession.

The air filled with sparks and heat, and the continuous explosions left the larvae that had been attacking them earlier unable to escape.

They never stood a chance. Before they could even cry out, they were gone, reduced to ash mid-motion, swallowed by the flame.

But what was interesting about that fire was that their blood, which normally would remain intact and be siphoned into the ground, also didn't get spared.

Just like their carriers, it too disappeared in smoke, into nothingness.

Although it seemed long, from Ian firing the spell to the large annihilation of everything around, it didn't take more than a minute.

Everything was spontaneous.

"So beautiful!"

Morgana couldn't help but exclaim, seeing the circular barrier of fire shielding them inside while wreaking mayhem on the enemies.

She had never felt beauty in destruction—until today.

"Okay, let's go. Don't let them gather again."

Ian nodded in satisfaction at the devastation his spell had caused and then ordered.

After all, although his spell worked wonders, he didn't know what other cards they had.

"Yes, Sir Ian."

Arvhael hurriedly nodded to Ian, standing in front as if to guard. His eyes couldn't hide the admiration he held for Ian.

"Hey, didn't you just enter the First Ring Wizard? How is your range of spells so vast?"

Morgana, on the other hand, came near Ian and asked curiously while walking along the devastated path toward the center.

In fact, although Ian's chain spell was impressive, it wasn't something outstanding either. After all, he did use this combo after seeing Ethos use it before.

However, what set him apart from them was his range of spells and the control he had over those tiny explosions.

Morgana even saw the tiny embers chasing the shadows like gangrene, then exploding moments later.

It was, essentially, a long-range, dedicated AOE spell.

There was a reason why the destruction around her looked so beautiful yet so devastating that it literally emptied the path. It was organized.

Her surprise was reasonable.

"Huh? I just have more mental power, I guess?"

Ian shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly as if what he had just done was nothing.

"Tch... as if."

Morgana rolled her eyes.

High mental power was certainly helpful for a Wizard. However, it was nowhere near enough to control any spell like he did.

The implication of what he did had far more impact than you could see now.

"You are weird."

She said, her curious eyes scanning Ian up and down.

Honestly, she had begun to become a little curious about this guy who had a certain charisma and mystery around him all the time.

"Did your poison stop flaring up?"

To her curious look, Ian didn't seem to care. Instead, he suddenly asked something else, bringing her attention back.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. After I entered this forest, it seemed to have nerfed down a lot."

Morgana nodded to Ian. Now that she sensed her body, she didn't feel as affected by the poison as before.

Whether it was because of the effect of the petals of the Lustbane Lily or something else, she didn't know.

"Mmhh... then, be careful and don't leave my sight."

Ian suggested, his eyes shining a bit as if he noticed something.

"Oh? ....okay."

Morgana wanted to say why, but wisely shut up. Getting permission to follow along was already a big consensus she got.

She didn't want to ruin it with her curiosity. After all, she also needed him to make a potion of purity for her.

"This is weird!"

Just as Ian and Morgana wrapped up their discussion, Ignysyl, who had been silent all along, finally spoke.

However, his attention wasn't on them.

His eager eyes were always locked onto the center of the forest, which was now gradually coming into view.

It was precisely because they were nearing their destination that he finally voiced his surprise.

"What's so strange? Did you notice something?" Ian asked, narrowing his eyes as he turned toward the clearing ahead.

Now that he could see it clearly, Ian found himself… underwhelmed.

Because the core of the Blood Forest wasn't some nightmarish spectacle as he thought, but was oddly plain.

He saw at the center lay a circular, slightly elevated platform devoid of the forest's usual grotesque trees.

Moreover, the whole area was completely barren, empty, except for a single towering tree that rose toward the sky.

And strangely enough, the tree was actually normal.

How odd?

The tree had no leaves, no twisted roots or pulsing veins like the others. Its bark was pale and cracked, but natural. Almost disappointingly so.

The only anomaly or exception was the massive fruit hanging from its highest branch.

The fruit was fiery, glowing faintly, while a deep crimson hue flowed across its surface that shimmered like embers.

A ghastly presence clung to it—both beautiful and terrifying, while due to its faint rhythmic beating, it looked alive and creepy.

"Is this Bloodflare Bloom? But... where is the guy you mentioned?"

Ian also finally noticed that this place was eerily empty.

Although he did kill a lot of Nyxroot Larvae just now, it was nowhere near enough to completely annihilate them.

After all, this forest was covered with those things everywhere.

"Yeah, he isn't here, and that Blood Crystal too disappeared."

Ignysyl nodded to Ian and suddenly flew up from his shoulder, heading rapidly towards the sole tree bearing the only fruit.

The little dragon's entire purpose of this trip was this fruit. So, of course, he would try to secure it quickly before anything else.

"Eh... aren't you going to stop him?"

Morgana asked, seeing the Raven flying directly towards the large fruit as if intending to eat it.

Although she didn't know much about this forest, she still had a sense that the core of the forest must be dangerous, however safe it appeared to be.

"Leave him be. If he dies, he dies. I didn't ask for him to go anyway."

Ian smiled and answered as if he didn't care.

"How can you... You are so ruthless."

Morgana widened her eyes incredibly, seeing how little Ian cared for his pet. If not for the situation being unsuitable, she would have asked him to give it to her. She would keep it safe.

"Why am I ruthless? Isn't it the one that flew on its own stupidly?"

Ian asked, raising his eyebrows. In fact, he also thought there might be a trap at first.

Then, remembering who Ignysyl was, Ian just shrugged it aside. This guy was a juvenile dragon, yet he had so many methods that he was no match.

Why waste his time worrying about something worthless?

"You..."

"Haha... I finally got it. I don't know where that stupid fat worm disappeared. But it is good that he left the fruit for me. Haha..."

Before Morgana could argue with Ian, though, Ignysyl, who flew to the center, rapidly came back, landing right on Ian's shoulder.

Then, it began to laugh with its beak wide open as if in extreme joy.

Unlike what Morgana thought, Ignysyl didn't encounter any trap or such. Even, it was so smooth that even the little dragon was surprised.

However, he didn't care what kind of conspiracy that fatso was conjuring up. After all, he already grabbed the Bloodflare fruit from that tree, keeping it inside his dimension.

Now, no one could ask him to give it back, not even Ian. Well, Ian could, but he knew he probably wouldn't.

"Did you eat it? This fast?"

Morgana was stunned by the Raven's excited mood and quickly turned to look at the tree, only to see it bare. There was no large fruit hanging from its highest branch like before.

It hadn't even been a minute, and it just disappeared before she could talk properly with Ian. She couldn't believe it.

"Eat? Are you stupid?"

Ignysyl was stunned by her remark and unconsciously mocked, causing Morgana's face to turn black. Fortunately, Ian came to her rescue on time.

"He can use a mana ring just like us. No need to get surprised."

"Oh? Is this even possible?"

Morgana finally understood and looked at the fiery Raven, finding it weird.

The more she came into contact with Ian, the weirder she felt. After all, she never knew a pet, low-level one, could ever use a space artifact on its own.

"Anyway, now that you've got what you want, should we leave?"

Ian didn't bother to elaborate; instead asked Ignysyl. Since this was what they came for, he didn't mind leaving like this.

Although he did want to see that fat worm and the Blood Crystal, it didn't matter to him much.

"Hmm? Oh, let's go, let's go. Haha... I can't wait to return."

And Ignysyl, of course, agreed readily as he was more eager to return now than Ian. He was impatient to consume this fruit and get promoted already.

"Ok, th—"

"Sir, did you like my gift?"

Ian was about to order the return when suddenly an inopportune voice interrupted midway.