"Yet resilient..." The grand voice continued.
Bairon turned towards the exquisite female sculpture seated on the steps before the Dark Tower and inquired, "Madam, are you the one speaking?"
He made this assumption primarily because he could discern no other entity in this realm bearing distinctly feminine traits.
Moreover, this was a tentative probe on his part.
"It is I," the sculpture replied.
Caught off guard by her straightforwardness, Bairon paused momentarily before asking, "Um, Lady of Stone, might I know your name?"
The statue remained silent for a good half minute.
Just when Bairon began to suspect that something was amiss, she responded, "Charlotte Isabella. My name is Charlotte Isabella."
The timbre of her voice was tinged with the melancholy of reminiscence.
She seemed amiable enough, yet her openness left Bairon somewhat at a loss for words.
"Greetings, Miss Isabella. I am Bairon," he introduced himself, deliberately withholding his surname.
Rumors persisted that Dark Magus possessed certain nefarious spells activated simply by one's full name.
"You are troubled," Charlotte observed.
Paired with her sculpted pose of a hand supporting her chin as she gazed upwards, she exuded the aura of a charlatan.
Bairon's fingers twitched subtly.
Through their brief interaction, a hint of his Mindergy had replenished.
Although the amount was meager, it was adequate to extract him from this space.
The fact that this sculpture could perceive both his abilities and emotions meant he needed to brace himself for the worst-case scenario.
"Yes, I have a duel in seven days, but my injuries persist, diminishing my combat capabilities," Bairon confessed, unveiling the weight on his mind.
His greatest concern, of course, was Evelyn's Greyscale, but he wasn't naive enough to discuss his family's medical issues with an enigmatic statue he had just met.
"Weak, and yet prone to duels," Charlotte remarked.
Bairon's gaze hardened with resolve. "I have reasons I cannot forsake for dueling."
"Do you wish to emerge victorious?" Charlotte inquired.
"Of course, I do!" Bairon responded passionately.
"Bestow upon yourself a mana core from the Dark Tower before you," Charlotte suggested.
Bairon's gaze drifted once again to the looming structure of the Dark Tower.
Its obsidian facade seemed to hold an indescribable "weight" and an insatiable "desire" to consume all.
"What use will that serve?" Bairon asked cautiously.
Charlotte elaborated, "It's infused with a magical artifact called 'Equity.' When you provide it with mana, it reciprocates by bestowing upon you an equivalent gift."
"Equivalent gift?" Bairon keenly latched onto this intriguing bit of information.
Charlotte elaborated, "Be it a Legacy Scroll, a Spell Scroll, or perhaps the parchment."
She was referring to the three items floating before the entrance of the Dark Tower.
"What do they represent?" Bairon inquired, familiar with the categories of Legacy Scroll and Spell Scroll.
"They symbolize a contract from a nightmare," Charlotte replied.
Bairon's gaze shifted from the statue seated on the steps to the immense humanoid shadow in the sky, and then to the golden knight ensnared by wild grasses in the swamp.
In a fleeting moment, he grasped the implications of the "Nightmare Contract."
"A two-thirds success rate?" Bairon questioned.
"If you desire the scrolls, for you, the first attempt should be a certainty," Charlotte intimated.
Bairon was slightly puzzled by her response.
After a brief moment of reflection, he posed another question, "Madam, is this tower before us the very Dark Tower that Freljord Montagne, the first Giant King from 'Epic of Heroes', shattered with his massive hammer?"
He observed the impeccable condition of the Dark Tower, devoid of any signs of fractures or damage, leading him to harbor some doubts.
According to the 'Epic of Heroes', the Dark Tower was emblematic of the "Millennium Darkness" era.
If this was indeed that Dark Tower, any advantage Bairon derived from it would be tantamount to betraying the magus world.
As for "betrayal," Bairon held no reservations, only concerns about involving Evelyn.
"All I can affirm is that he indeed struck down a tower," Charlotte answered cryptically, without specifying whether it was the Dark Tower, a white tower, or something else altogether.
Bairon was plunged into silence once more.
The statue, with its chin supported by one hand, continued to gaze upwards, serenely awaiting something.
Minutes passed before Bairon ascended the steps, bypassing Charlotte to stand in front of the Dark Tower.
He pulled out a Level 2 mana core from his pocket.
The mana core was the power source of a Spellbeast capable of casting spells.
Though Bairon had never hunted a Spellbeast, the core was one of his spoils from defeating twelve Dark Magi.
While the magus ring was to be presented to the Magus Tower, the other gains did not demand the same.
Bairon tossed the walnut-shaped Level 2 mana core towards the Dark Tower.
Not traveling far, the mana core was suspended mid-air, causing a transparent ripple to spread throughout the atmosphere.
The three objects hovering before the Dark Tower transformed into phantoms.
Soon after, the phantom images morphed, and a golden balance scale appeared among them.
Two black scrolls appeared on either side of the scale, acting as weights, with a delicate piece of parchment positioned directly at its center.
The black scroll on the left side of the scale wobbled and, with a soft "clink," fell to the ground.
The scale tilted to the right, causing the parchment to slide a tad to the left, bringing the scale back into equilibrium.
Bending down, Bairon picked up the scroll.
When he looked up, another scroll had appeared on the left side of the scale.
However, the parchment remained unmoved in its position.
It then dawned on Bairon why he was guaranteed a scroll.
Unfurling the scroll, a spell named "Novice Strength-based Spell: Flesh" materialized in his mind.
"Strength-based?" Bairon uttered with bemusement.
Were there spells outside the four major categories in this world?
"Strength-based? It's probably a new spell category crafted by a mischievous magus after observing a Spellbeast. Its uniqueness lies in morphing the magus's physique to resemble the brute strength of a Spellbeast," Charlotte reminisced.
It sounded like a spell tailor-made for Battle Magi.
Closing his eyes, Bairon began to delve into the knowledge of the "Flesh" spell within his mind.
It was an instant-cast spell, indeed suitable for Battle Magi.
As he delved deeper, Bairon's excitement grew.
Though it was a novice spell, it endowed a specific body part with increased resilience and accelerated wound healing — two distinct characteristics.
It's essentially a diminished fusion of the "Defense Spell" and "Healing Spell."
Moreover, this spell has an unexpected benefit: the more frequently it's used, the more robust the magus's muscles become, a permanent effect.
Of course, the spell also has a significant drawback.
After use, the blood vessels and muscles within the magus begin to resemble those of a Spellbeast, and over time, the outer body follows suit.
Truly... a wicked sense of humor.
Bairon mused internally.
"If you desire, you can continue," Charlotte offered.
Bairon shook his head, "Thank you, but I'll pass for now."
By the looks of the balance, even if he placed another Level 2 mana core on it, the parchment wouldn't slide to the outermost weight position.
Still, Bairon declined.
He no longer had any spare mana cores, and he always remained wary of this place, not wishing to get too involved.
Charlotte didn't press further but instead remarked, "Your Magic Circuit is quite chaotic."
Bairon paused, "Madam, what is a Magic Circuit?"
"You've had a terrible teacher," Charlotte judged.
"I had no teacher," Bairon replied with a wry smile.
According to the rules of the magus guild, the stewards within the Magus Tower must regularly instruct lower-tier magi, similar to the teacher-student relationships in the Provincial League Magus Academy.
But the Chief Steward of Sailport Magus Tower, the sole steward, the blue-robed magus Rueel, was astute. He only acknowledged Lawrence as his only student.
Charlotte was silent for a moment before suggesting, "Show me your magus ring."
"Magus ring?" Bairon, puzzled, raised his right hand, displaying an iron magus ring of the lowest quality on his index finger.
Though of minimal quality, intricate patterns adorned its surface.
"Are these the Magic Circuit?" Bairon inquired.
"More precisely, it's called the Magic Pattern," Charlotte clarified. "When your Mindergy flows through the Magic Pattern, the corresponding spell is activated. This process is termed the 'Magic Circuit.' The principle behind a magus releasing their internal spells is the same."
So, that's how it is!
Bairon's eyes sparkled, but his curiosity quickly turned to confusion. "Madam, how can I see the Magic Circuit within me?"
"Release a Soul spell and feel the flow of Mindergy within you," Charlotte advised.
A hint of embarrassment colored Bairon's face; he didn't know any Soul spells.
While any magus can learn basic spells regardless of their specialization, Soul spells were slower to cast and more expensive.
As a result, apart from Dark Magus, only Chanting Magi would invest the time and resources to learn them.
However, Bairon quickly remembered a spell he had subconsciously overlooked.
Tentatively, he asked, "Would 'Meditation' work, madam?"
"Meditation," a spell used for seated contemplation and rapid Mindergy recovery, was among the fundamental spells, a must-learn even for Battle Magi.
The statue looked up to the sky, not responding.
Closing his eyes, Bairon released the "Meditation" spell.
"Eyes are the windows to the soul."
Charlotte's voice echoed throughout the realm and within Bairon's mind.
Her voice, enchanting as an incantation, seemed to awaken something long dormant within Bairon.
Soon, he "saw" tiny white luminous points converging into a radiant stream.
This stream flowed within him, following the path of his blood vessels, eventually gathering in the palm of his right hand.
There, the light appeared tangled and chaotic, reminiscent of a ball of yarn played with by a child.
Gazing at this "ball of yarn," several inscriptions surfaced in Bairon's mind: "novice Elemental spell ·Ice Blast," "novice Elemental spell ·Flame Fist," "novice Elemental spell ·Lightness," "novice Soul spell ·Meditation," "novice Strength-based spell ·Flesh."
These seven novice spells were the entirety of Bairon's arsenal.
"Thank you, madam. I see it now," Bairon realized that a chant must have facilitated his newfound vision and nodded in gratitude.
Charlotte, with an assertive tone of challenge, declared, "Untangle it."