After finishing the diary of the high-level wizard apprentice Willem Lionheart, Ivan slowly closed the worn leather pages.
The soft candlelight flickered gently inside the quiet room.
Silence returned once more.
But Ivan's mind was anything but calm.
Questions surfaced one after another like ripples spreading across still water.
Who exactly was Willem Lionheart?
Why would a high-level wizard apprentice die in such a remote place?
And what secrets were hidden behind the spatial ring and those mysterious items?
Unfortunately, the diary offered no clear answers.
Ivan exhaled slowly, allowing the restless thoughts in his mind to settle.
His gaze gradually shifted toward the bed.
Five thick books lay quietly on the sheets.
If the diary recorded Willem's personal experiences…
Then these books might contain the true knowledge of the wizarding world.
Ivan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Nova."
"Yes, Master."
"Has the ancient language been decoded?"
"Yes. The Ancient Byron Language has been completely translated and organized."
A faint glimmer of excitement appeared in Ivan's eyes.
"Transfer it to my memory region."
"Understood."
The moment Nova's response ended—
A torrent of information suddenly surged into Ivan's consciousness.
Thousands of unfamiliar words.
Complex grammatical structures.
Strange symbols and pronunciations.
All of it flooded into his mind like a roaring tidal wave crashing against the shore.
"Ugh…"
A sharp pain exploded within his head.
Ivan's vision blurred for a moment.
He quickly reached out, grabbing the edge of the table beside him, and lowered himself into the chair to steady his body.
"Nova… what is happening?"
"Master is receiving direct neural data transfer for the first time. The brain requires time to adapt."
"The side effects will gradually diminish as your strength increases."
Ivan took a deep breath.
Cold sweat had already formed across his forehead.
"So… this is normal."
"Affirmative."
Hearing this, Ivan finally relaxed slightly.
If every transfer caused such intense pain, it would become unbearable.
Fortunately, the discomfort only lasted a few minutes.
Gradually, the chaotic stream of information began to settle.
Ivan started organizing the newly acquired knowledge inside his mind.
Ancient characters that once looked like meaningless symbols now carried clear meaning.
Their pronunciation, structure, and grammar became as familiar as his native language.
A moment later, Ivan slowly opened his eyes.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Good."
Then he reached toward the bed and picked up the first book.
A Brief History of the Wizarding World
The title was written in the ancient Byron language.
Ivan opened the book and began reading.
According to the historical records of modern wizards, no one truly knows when the first wizard appeared.
However, scholars speculate that the origins of wizardry could be traced back to the primitive tribal era.
At that time, human tribes worshiped mysterious figures known as shamans.
These shamans could summon rain.
Call lightning.
Communicate with spirits.
Modern wizard historians believe those ancient shamans were the earliest spellcasters.
They unknowingly discovered the existence of natural runes and magical forces within the world.
Using primitive rituals and symbols, they learned how to manipulate these forces.
This was the earliest form of wizardry.
After thousands of years of development, wizard civilization gradually formed.
It grew stronger.
More complex.
More powerful.
But nearly ten thousand years ago, disaster struck.
A massive conflict erupted among the wizards of that era.
The reason was simple.
Resources.
Every world had limits.
When the growth of wizard civilization reached the ceiling of available resources, conflict became inevitable.
Thus began the Great Wizard War.
The war lasted nearly four thousand years.
Countless wizards perished.
Entire regions were destroyed.
But in war, heroes were also born.
Finally—
Nearly six thousand years ago, a legendary wizard broke through the limit of the Sixth Circle and stepped into the Seventh Circle.
A realm never seen before.
He became known as a Great Wizard.
His title would later echo through the entire wizarding world.
The Truth Crown.
With overwhelming power and authority, the Truth Crown ended the endless war and established the first universal laws of wizard civilization.
To prevent future conflicts from destroying the world again, he created the Wizard Council.
The council consisted of the strongest wizards of that era.
Their duty was simple.
Maintain the order of the wizarding world.
Under his guidance, wizard civilization slowly recovered.
But the Truth Crown did something even more revolutionary.
He created the Wizard Academy System.
Before that, wizards trained apprentices within private wizard towers.
Each wizard would only accept a few students.
This method produced very few wizards.
It was insufficient for the future development of civilization.
The academy system changed everything.
With organized education and large-scale recruitment, the number of wizards began to increase rapidly.
A new era arrived.
The Golden Age of Wizard Civilization.
Several centuries later, a Fifth-Circle wizard developed a revolutionary spell.
A spell capable of opening gateways to other planes.
Planes.
Entire worlds beyond the wizarding world.
At first, most wizards were afraid to use it.
Unknown planes meant unknown dangers.
But some wizards had already reached the limits of their Potential.
Unable to break through further, they chose to gamble.
Hundreds attempted the journey.
Most never returned.
But those who survived came back with unimaginable resources and knowledge.
Many of them even broke through their limits.
From that moment—
The Era of Plane Colonization began.
For six thousand years, wizards explored the endless void.
They discovered countless planes.
Elven planes.
Orc planes.
Ocean planes.
Blood plane.
Dark abyssal planes.
Each new plane brought more resources.
With these resources, wizard civilization developed even faster.
Floating towers.
Golem legions.
Slave armies.
And the greatest war invention—
Floating Cities.
Massive ten-kilometer-wide structures capable of traveling between planes.
These floating cities carried armies and resources across worlds.
They became the backbone of plane conquest.
Today, wizard civilization stands stronger than ever.
According to current records—
There are six Eighth-Circle Truth Wizards.
More than fifty Seventh-Circle Great Wizards.
Hundreds of Sixth-Circle wizards.
Thousands of Fifth-Circle wizards.
And countless lower-rank wizards.
The book ended there.
Ivan slowly closed it.
His gaze was distant.
"So… this world is that vast…"
Compared to the wizard civilization that ruled countless planes—
The Thornheart Territory…
Even the entire kingdom…
Were insignificant.
Perhaps not even a grain of sand.
Ivan placed the book down and picked up the second one.
Fundamentals of Magic Particles
This book explained the foundation of wizard power.
According to wizard research, the entire universe was filled with magic particles.
They were invisible.
But everywhere.
The difference was only in concentration.
Wizards trained through meditation.
They sensed these free-floating particles.
Then slowly absorbed and controlled them.
The book described two fundamental concepts:
Free Magic Particles
These existed naturally in the environment.
And
Controlled Magic Particles
Particles that had been absorbed and refined by a wizard's mind.
The process of meditation gradually transformed free particles into controlled particles.
This accumulation increased the wizard's strength.
Ivan finally understood something.
So this was the foundation of wizard cultivation.
Wizard Rank Classification
The third book was thin but extremely important.
Wizard apprentices were divided into three stages:
Lower ApprenticeIntermediate ApprenticeHigh Apprentice
After reaching the peak of High Apprentice, one could attempt to break through to become a Formal Wizard.
Also called a First-Circle Wizard.
After that came the higher circles:
Second CircleThird CircleFourth Circle
But the book emphasized one critical point.
The boundary between the Third Circle and Fourth Circle was known as:
The Boundary of Man and God.
A Fourth-Circle wizard possessed power comparable to a deity in many worlds.
After that came:
Fifth CircleSixth CircleSeventh CircleEighth Circle
Beyond the Eighth Circle…
There were only theories.
The Ninth and Tenth Circle remained legends.
Introduction to Alchemy, Potion Craft, and Rune Mastery
This book introduced the main professions of wizard civilization.
Alchemists
The creators of magical tools.
Spatial rings.
Magic weapons.
War machines.
Even the terrifying floating cities.
All were created through alchemy.
Potion Masters
Masters of magical medicines.
They created countless potions capable of healing wounds, enhancing strength, and aiding breakthroughs.
One of their greatest inventions was the Void Water Potion.
A potion that greatly increased the success rate of apprentice wizards breaking through to become formal wizards.
Finally—
Rune Masters
Specialists who engraved magical runes into objects.
Runes could strengthen armor, increase weapon power, or enhance magical tools.
Without rune masters, most wizard equipment would be impossible to create.
The Endless Planes
The final book described the structure of the universe.
There were different levels of planes.
Miniature Planes
Weak worlds with very little magic.
They could only support high-level apprentices.
Low Planes
Worlds capable of supporting Third-level beings.
Medium Planes
Worlds that could support Sixth-level beings.
Large Planes
Extremely powerful worlds capable of supporting Ninth-level beings.
The wizarding world itself was a large plane.
Among all discovered worlds, two powerful planes rivaled the wizard civilization.
The Endless Abyss.
The Endless Abyss was a chaotic planes of demons.
And the God Plane.
The God Plane was ruled by deities empowered by faith.
Both civilizations had fought countless wars with the wizard world.
None had won.
Only a stalemate remained.
Ivan slowly closed the final book.
Silence returned to the room.
Only the faint crackle of the candle flame remained.
Now, he finally understood.
This world was far greater than he had ever imagined.
Countless planes.
Endless wars.
Infinite knowledge.
Compared to such a vast civilization—
He was nothing more than a speck of dust.
Ivan lowered his gaze and looked quietly at his hands.
But then—
His eyes shifted toward the spatial ring.
Toward Nova.
Toward the mysterious legacy hidden deep within him.
A faint smile slowly appeared on his face.
"In this world…"
"Perhaps I still have a chance."
The candle flame flickered softly.
And beyond the castle window—
The endless night sky stretched silently above him.