Chapter 171: Sorcerer Barriers

The Sorcerer Will!

To master Sorcerer Barriers, the crucial aspect for every Demon-Hunter Sorcerer was the Sorcerer Will. It was the key in the generation of Sorcerer Barriers.

Sorcerer Will was the reason why those Black Sorcerers who focused on studying the mystery of Life and Death could never cast a Sorcerer Barrier.

However, the Sorcerer Barriers’ rules contradicted the logic and knowledge possessed by an Elemental Sorcerer who pursued the knowledge of truth. Unlike the other Sorcerer’s Knowledge which could be quantified and equated, how Sorcerer Barriers were generated was full of mystery.

Indeed, Sorcerer Barriers were special.

First, the defense of Sorcerer Barriers was overarching and sturdy against the Foreign World creatures. It was the most reliable defense shield of Demon-Hunter Sorcerers! As long as the Void Fortress of the Sorcerer World existed, Sorcerer Barriers protected Demon-Hunter Sorcerers similar to an iron tortoiseshell. Its defense against a single attack was the nightmare of Foreign World creatures.

However…

The generation of Sorcerer Barriers relied heavily on the Original Will of the Sorcerer World, and its defense against the creatures from the same Sorcerer World was feeble.

This prevented the Demon-Hunter Sorcerers from becoming “God’s Apostles” in the epic novel. [1]

Most of all, Sorcerer Barriers could only be mastered by praying!

Demon-Hunter Sorcerers must first sacrifice a small portion of his soul to a material called Astrological Stone, which must be passed to the Guardian of the Sorcerer World to be placed into the World Core. Only then will the Demon-Hunter Sorcerer be protected by a layer of Sorcerer Barrier wherever the Original Will of the Sorcerer World existed. In the years of prayer, the sorcerer would picture himself as an organ or a cell of the Sorcerer World devoting himself to the Sorcerer World.

As the will of Demon-Hunter Sorcerer became more devoted each day, the strength of the Sorcerer Barrier grew stronger accordingly.

This devotion was merely a familiar feeling every World Guardian possessed.

Blessed by the World Core with extraordinary powers for its devotion, a World Guardian was still protected by the Sorcerer Barrier outside the Sorcerer World, even in places where there was no Original Will.

Due to the eccentric behavior of the Sorcerer Barrier, Black Sorcerers could never cast one despite the fact that they were sorcerers.

Although Sorcerer Barriers were extremely important for all Demon-Hunter Sorcerers, the organization of the Black Isotta’s Holy Tower stated that the mastery of Sorcerer Barriers was not mandatory since its logic was against the Law of Arcane Knowledge. There were a handful of elite Demon-Hunter Sorcerers who did not practice Sorcerer Barriers at all.

It was an ability limited by the surroundings. Every precious second spent on praying would be wasted for elite Demon-Hunter Sorcerers who had a precise goal to achieve.

Grimm’s view on the Sorcerer Barriers was that they were a new version of the Ashen Mask enhanced with a defensive shield.

Grimm did not spend a lot of time praying to consolidate the strength of the Sorcerer Barriers. Focusing on such practice would consume a massive amount of his time that was better spent on the study of Destructive Energy knowledge!

However, Grimm possessed World-Core fragments. Despite the limitations of the Sorcerer Barriers’ super defense, Grimm must master Sorcerer Barriers to a certain level to ensure his own safety in critical times like in the previous “War of Foreign Land”. He needed to participate in such wars to bring his Destructive Energy research to the next level.

Grimm had to decide how strong he needed his Sorcerer Barrier to be.

Holding the Astrological Stone, Grimm hesitated, unsure whether or not to put this Astrological Stone on the Four Seasons Altar.

If the Astrological Stone contained a soul piece of a Demon-Hunter Sorcerer, it would be a beacon that revealed the location of this Demon-Hunter Sorcerer. Therefore, all the Demon-Hunter Sorcerers’ Astrological Stones within the system of the Holy Tower were heavily guarded, preventing their positions from being known by others.

Once Grimm put the Astrological Stone containing a piece of his soul onto the Four Seasons Altar, it would be sent directly to the World Guardian, who would then place it into the World Core.

A soul fragment was the most vulnerable weakness of every sorcerer. If it were to be obtained by other sorcerers with ill-intentions, it could be used in the worst imaginable Curse Sorcery. It was similar to how Grimm gained his knowledge when he was just an apprentice sorcerer. Without soul fragments, such knowledge transfer could not take place.

After being in silent contemplation for a long time, Grimm finally made a decision.

After checking the security of the Dark Demon-Hunter Sorcerer Hall, Grimm stood in front of the Four Seasons Altar in the middle of the room, holding the Astrological Stone with his eyes closed.

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His body’s magical fluctuations seemed to be undulating as he breathed.

As time passed, the undulating fluctuations became more intense. Suddenly, Grimm let out a scream. He shut his eyes with great effort as his face turned pale. In the vision of his Sorcerer Eye, there was a gray spark in the air that was magically wrapped, then absorbed by the Astrological Stone.

After a few breaths, Grimm recovered from dizziness and regained his consciousness. Such an experience was similar to the process of gaining a soul slave.

From the very moment he invested into the Four Seasons Altar, the soul spark Grimm sliced from his soul was considered as gone forever. However, if he had given it to a Soul Slave, he could still recover his soul fragment after the death of the Soul Slave.

Click.

Grimm placed the Astrological Stone on top of the Four Seasons Altar.

Hmmm?

Just as Grimm placed the Astrological Stone on the Four Seasons Altar, Grimm faintly sensed two regular chains representing Spring and Winter protecting his Astrological Stone. It seemed to be having its own beautiful welcome ceremony.

Grimm could barely sense the Spring chain by using Nature Force. As for the Winter chain, it reminded him of the World Guardian in the crack at the edge of the World Core. The one who guarded the Destiny Lever with a snowflake beside him.

Was it possible to have two equally powerful Guardians in the Sorcerer World?

The small fluctuation of the Destiny Lever that absorbed the Astrological Stone on the Four Seasons Altar disappeared. Grimm felt newly gained senses, an inexplicable instinct.

He felt the flowers and plants on the ground, the insects between the branches and the leaves, the squids and shrimps in the creeks, the giant trees in the forest, the cheetahs leaping across the forest, the sea monsters in the deep ocean, and the human wizards passing through

These were the Sorcerer World’s Will of Life?

Huh!

A transparent defensive hood with no elemental properties surrounded Grimm’s body, generated by Grimm’s Sorcerer Will.

Grimm closed his eyes and touched the Sorcerer Barrier in excitement. However, his excitement turned into disappointment almost instantly.

“What? Only 1~3 degrees of defense? According to the conversion of Sorcerer Barriers in the Foreign Worlds, it is only 2~4 degrees. Any Demon-Hunter Sorcerer who did not work on his praying would have a Sorcerer Barrier that was nothing but a display of bubbles…”

Grimm shook his head in disappointment. Suddenly, he felt a disturbance within his soul.

Grimm experienced such volatility when he was promoted to an official sorcerer. Mysterious energy flew from the World Core and blended into Grimm’s soul. Grimm evoked the Original Will of the Sorcerer World and synced with it.

With a thunderous sound, Grimm’s Sorcerer Barrier was strengthened by a few hundred times.

Once again, Grimm closed his eyes and touched the Sorcerer Barrier with his hands. He even took out the crystal ball to confirm his findings.

After an hour, Grimm gradually opened his eyes.

“The strongest degree of defense is 633 degrees. It may reach 800 degrees in a Foreign Land, and it is possible to surpass 1000 degrees of defense when it is close to the Void Fortress. To sustain the Sorcerer Barrier at such strength, even if one were to possess 100 points of mental strength and have the corresponding magic power level, one could only channel it for two hours. If one were to willingly reduce the degree of defense, the sustaining period can be extended…”

Grimm realized the absolute benefits of the Apex Sorcerer-Apprentice of earning their World-Core Fragment reward when they were promoted to an Official Sorcerer. They had better protection compared to other newly officiated Demon-Hunter Sorcerers.

Though other Apex Sorcerer-Apprentices’ defense bonus by having the Sorcerer Barriers was not as indomitable as Grimm thought, it was still a considerable level of 200~400 degrees. In Foreign Worlds, the Sorcerer Barriers’ defensive power was further enhanced. As long as the Demon-Hunter Sorcerer still had magic power, no ordinary level one creature could harm the elite Demon-Hunter Sorcerer within a tortoiseshell.

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Translator Notes:

[1] God’s Apostles (神灵使徒) were spirits that guarded an ancient city in the novel “The Journey of the Time Travelling Orc” (穿越之兽世种田记). They cannot be harmed by ordinary attacks.