There are these two badass magic towers chilling in the western mountains: the fire magic tower and the earth magic tower. The fire one's all nestled up in a volcanic hotspot, while the earthy dude's just hanging out in the barren part of the range. Of course, they both snagged their spots because of some epic magic veins or ley lines with their attributes running through the area.
In the stretch of land between the fire magic tower and the earth magic tower lies a newly found hidden gem - a small, secret magic realm. After some negotiation, both magic towers agreed to take turns ruling over this realm, switching things up every two years.
But here's the kicker - no matter who's in charge of the realm, both towers get to send their crew to keep watch. They've set some ground rules though. The reigning tower can send in one top-notch level 1 wizard and twenty level 3 apprentices. Meanwhile, the other tower can only send one mid-level 1 wizard and five apprentices.
The setup's a bit lopsided, giving the tower in charge of the realm the upper hand. Meanwhile, the other tower's crew keeps tabs, making sure the current owner doesn't go overboard with milking the magic realm.
Every bit of this info cost Zack a pretty penny from a sketchy black market informant. Since the earth magic tower is in charge of this hidden realm first, the fire magic tower's only sending a mid-level 1 wizard. So, Zack's game plan? Take down that mid-level wizard from the fire magic tower. Simple as that.
With the negotiation just wrapping up and both towers starting to send in their troops, Zack's banking on catching that fire wizard before he even reaches the realm. Otherwise, getting him out of there will be a real pain.
Good thing these hidden realms are known for their unstable interiors, liable to collapse at any moment. That's why the guarding wizards usually hang back outside. So, Zack rolls up to the entry portal in the mountains, scoping out the area nearby.
On one side of the portal, you've got these makeshift wooden shacks and rough earthy houses. Flip the script, and on the other side, you've got apprentice wizards hustling and bustling, putting together these massive houses and towers. And right smack in the middle? A glowing blue and purple portal floating above an altar, with these faint chains or anchors connected to it.
These magic realms aren't exactly tethered to one spot. They float between the threads of space, shifting from place to place. But once a magic tower stumbles upon one, they lock down the entrance to a specific location. Once it's anchored, though, that's it - can't really move it elsewhere.
So, Zack's scoping out the accommodations, right? Now, for your average wizard, sneaking up within a 2 km radius of those portals would be a one-way ticket to getting busted. There's layers of detection formations surrounding the place, getting fancier the closer you get. And forget about using trees or shrubs for cover once you're within 1 km - they're nonexistent.
But guess what? Zack's no ordinary wizard. He's got this thing called a "golden finger" - a transmigrator's privilege, if you will. His [Stealth] lets him vanish into thin air, masking his magic vibes and life signs, blending him right into his surroundings. And he's been brushing up on this optical spell called [Camouflage] he picked up from the library. Put all that together, and he's practically invisible. Plus, thanks to his Hidden Strength skill, any telltale signs from casting spells, like [Camouflage], are totally masked.
So, Zack sneaks in close enough to bypass the concealment and befuddlement formations blocking his magic senses, and bingo! No magic vibes from level 1 wizards or above, just a bunch of apprentice-level energy buzzing around. With a smirk, he heads in the direction of the fire magic tower.
He quickly heads towards the direction of the fire magic tower, determined to intercept that fire wizard. To ensure he catches him, Zack plants small detection formations along potential routes leading from the fire tower to the hidden realm. Basically, if the fire wizard crosses this line of formations, Zack gets a heads-up.
But here's the kicker - Zack couldn't cloak each formation with concealment magic due to time and resource constraints. He's drained most of his magic stone reserves just setting these up. Still, once the formations signal him, the fire wizard could sense it too, tipping him off that something's up.
With the formations in place, Zack settles down in the middle of the setup and waits, hoping his plan goes off without a hitch. Fingers crossed for a smooth hunt!
…
Fast forward two weeks, and bam! One of the formations pings him - a sure sign of a level 1 wizard nearby. Rushing to the spot, Zack spots a mid-level wizard and five apprentices sporting those trademark red robes of the fire magic tower.
As he arrives, Zack catches the level 1 wizard stashing away a mini magic airship into his storage ring. Talk about a spacious ring! With the airship stowed, the fire wizard stands tall in the forest clearing, oozing confidence, while the apprentices look a tad jittery.
Seriously, why aren't they making a run for it? Ah, I guess it kinda makes sense. The world's in this weirdly peaceful state right now. No big wars between magic towers or empires, just some minor skirmishes with wild magic beasts and between smaller factions.
Plus, these big organizations are all about pride. If someone messes with their crew, they're out for blood. Especially the magic towers - they think they're the cream of the crop, above regular folks. Attacking one of their own is like a personal insult to their elite status. Heck, they don't even consider loose wizards as equals.
Anyway, back to the wizard showdown. Gotta give props to this guy for not jetting off in his airship. 'Cause if he did, Zack would've had to burn through all his mana just to catch up, leaving him defenseless.
So here's Zack, chilling in stealth mode, watching this wizard and his apprentice crew. They have no clue he's there, thanks to his stealthy mojo.
Time to go all out and take down this wizard, ignoring the apprentice sidekicks. They'll be lucky to make it out alive once Zack's done with the main event. And after knocking out the wizard, it's time to bounce.
[Double Enhancement II] - MAX OUTPUT!!"
Everything freezes. Zack's right behind the wizard now.
[Lightning Palm] - 5 layers!
His palm crackles with layers of lightning, stacked on top of each other. With a decisive slap, Zack unleashes it on the wizard's back. The moment it connects, a bright red glow envelops the poor guy.
Heh, Zack remembered this trick from his encounter with a fire apprentice wizard long ago. However, even with Zack maxed out in Double Enhancement II mode, this fire wizard's devouring flames are quicker than what he faced before.
But lightning's speed beats fire any day. As Zack's palm hits the fire layer, the lightning layers clash, causing a massive explosion directed at the wizard. Before the flame managed to devour the lightning, the blast blew the devouring flames outward.
Zack specifically chose the spell [Lightning Palm] to counter wizards' magic barriers. But even though he planned for the explosion to go outward, some backlash still heads toward his palm.
Quick on his feet, Zack pulls back his right arm to avoid the backlash. Meanwhile, even when the fire layer only manages to move out a little bit to create a small hole, Zack's left palm is already primed with another [Lightning Palm] - 5 layers. He slams it into the opening he created earlier.
What!? - another fire layer tries to block his path. No worries, Zack blasts that one away too. Then, with his right palm ready for round two, he's met with yet another fire layer. Seriously, how many layers does this guy have?
Finally, Zack manages to get through, hitting the wizard's robe. Instantly, it hardens and glows red, creating a transparent barrier around the wizard. The explosion from Zack's fourth palm creates ripples around the barrier.
Not backing down, Zack slams another two palms, shattering the barrier. At this point, the wizard's barely able to move a fraction of his head and arm. Talk about a showdown!
In a split second, a spell pattern forms in the wizard's hand, shooting out a thick beam of flame toward Zack. With ease, he dodges the beam and reaches out to grab the wizard's head.
Checkmate!
Zack electrocutes the wizard's brain, knocking him out cold. As he releases his grip, he ends his [Double Enhancement II].
Boom! Massive explosions erupt from their location, reducing the closest apprentice to ashes and shattering the next one's body. The rest are blown away, likely with broken bones as they crash into trees.
"Hah hah heugh, not bad," Zack chuckles through gritted teeth.
But now, he's on his knees, struggling to catch his breath. His body screams in pain, every muscle aching from the strain. All of that happened in just one second - one freaking second! And it cost him 160 mp. If he couldn't take down the wizard in that time, he'd have to deactivate Double Enhancement II before his body gives out. And if the wizard was still standing after that... well, Zack's plan was to bounce.
Ignoring the pain, he hauls the unconscious wizard away, snatching the storage rings from the fallen apprentices as he goes. It's all in a day's work for Zack, the wizard extraordinaire.
Ciao!