Chapter 260: World Laboratory

“Grimm, you…”

Pausing for a moment, she asked quietly, “Where’s my sister? Is she already…” Over the past two hundred or more years, that calm, steadfast look in her eyes had long drowned out other impulsive emotions.

Grimm stared at the devout Mina that stood in front of him, as if she stood out from the rest of the other devotees. Those other devotees wore self-sacrificial expressions on their faces, looking sober and solemn.

Nobody knew if the youthful years during their sorcery apprenticeship were as insane as Mina’s. The long matured Mina of now, did she remember those heydays of hers?

Two hundred or more years have gone by so quickly. The once flaming crazy girl during her sorcerer apprenticeship had now already become a true sorcerer.

As for himself, the same two hundred or more years had passed. In the eyes of his former peers, was he no longer the Grimm from their memories? Had he become so much of a stranger?

Grimm had no idea.

At the moment, Grimm could only try to recall the blurry memories of his youth stored in his soul. He felt it faintly, the eternal struggle, the petty squabbles, the euphoric feeling of anticipation, and the most precious of all, the memories of his little comrades, forever carved into his heart.

Was this one’s maturation when walking the path of a sorcerer apprentice to becoming an official sorcerer?

Grimm smiled.

The smile was covered by the Mask of Truth, so Mina wasn’t aware of Grimm’s expression. The wisdom and steadiness of an official sorcerer was expressed through Grimm’s body. In comparison to the eternally fighting, brilliant true genius of her memories, the mysterious Grimm in front of her right now was so unrecognizable.

“Millie’s doing very fine. This demon-hunting expedition had been very successful so far. She’ll return after an estimated twenty years.”

The words of a sorcerer brought relief to peoples’ hearts.

This was because Grimm would never lie to Mina about such matters. Even if Millie had indeed died, he would not make up pointless fabrications to bolster Mina’s feelings.

Sorcerers had already come to accept life and death with open arms. Dark Sorcerers in particular did not easily sympathize with the weakness of others.

Mina’s red lips curved into a peaceful smile broke across her beautiful, fiery face. Unconsciously, her fire-red hair fluttered in the air, revealing her ability to manipulate the Fire Element completely. As if trying to hide from Grimm’s gaze, her eyes looked away at her fellow devotees.

“This is an old acquaintance of mine, allow me to host him myself.”

With nothing much to say about it, the other devotees proceeded to do the sorcerer’s greeting ritual before excusing themselves.

Before becoming a guardian, the only objective of these devotees was to selflessly dedicate themselves for the Sorcerer World. Even if they were to slave away, they were not unlike the Demon-Hunter Sorcerers that kept dreaming about the sorcerer barriers. They were instead, seeking as much approval from the Principal Will as possible.

Until one day, these approved devotees are chosen as the World Guardian after an arduous selection process. They would then jump straight to heaven in one huge leap, earning the admiration from other sorcerers in the Sorcerer World, the day they become the true guardians of this world.

Click, clack, click, clack, click…

Grimm noticed that Mina was wearing high-heeled wooden Geta. Her small, delicate feet were bare.

Within this vast, hollow tree hole, the sound those Geta made echoed nonstop through its walls Licks of flames from the Body of Flame floated out mystically from her red robes from time to time but both of them were silently trying to control their own peculiarities.

“Kyrie from Black Isotta Sorcerer Academy never walked out from the Holy Tower of the Seven Rings. He is yet to be recognized as an official sorcerer,” Mina said without turning around, as if talking to herself.

Grimm nodded his head and replied, “Oh.”

As a sorcerer apprentice who naturally received the ability to perceive the Relative Space Boundary, Solumn had already notified Grimm of Kyrie’s situation, so the news came as no surprise to Grimm.

Another thought floated into Grimm’s consciousness, and he suddenly said, “Right, Victor had fallen in the current demon-hunting expedition.”

“That Machine Heart Victor? He had fallen?”

Shaking her head slightly, Mina continued, “I find it hard to believe that the strongest fella during the rookie try-out period had indeed died in his first demon-hunting expedition.”

‘Strongest?’

Grimm suddenly jolted, he asked in disbelief, “So it wasn’t you that was the strongest sorcerer apprentice during the rookie try-out period?”

Mina flashed a look at Grimm as she turned around. She looked at the pair of doubt-filled eyes underneath Grimm’s Mask of Truth, as if to reassure herself that Grimm really was oblivious to the truth. Making an echoing series of ‘click, clack, click’, she continued her stride forwards.

“Of course I was the strongest after the Phantom Thief destroyed his Machine Heart.”

‘Machine Heart!’

Now that Grimm thought of it, back when he was assigned to Lefay’s group to seize the Flame Fusion Bead, when he faced obstruction from the Void Worm, he indeed always saw Victor busy studying the Machine Heart, something he didn’t know what it was back then.

‘It turns out Victor was attempting to reconstruct the Machine Heart huh?’

At that moment, Grimm had realized that the truth of the world and the truth that one knew was two very different worlds.

“What about that Phantom Thief?” Grimm followed up with another question.

“That guy is indeed very perplexing. You’re interested in his abilities? I’d advise you to rethink your decision.” After a cold laughter, Mina continued, “Fifty-five years ago, the Holy Tower of the Seven Rings had officially listed that guy as a Black Sorcerer on the run in the Sorcerer Continent.”

‘Black Sorcerer?!’

As a Demon-Hunter Sorcerer, Grimm couldn’t help but acknowledge the fearsome Black Sorcerers.

These evil sorcerers were the ones who collected ‘Despair of Humanity’ and used it against other human sorcerers!

They were like a tumor to a living creature. They resiliently infested the Sorcerer World and the Sorcerer World could do nothing to get rid of them completely.

This was because to the average sorcerer, Black Sorcerers were too strong to handle. Only battle-hardened elite Demon-Hunter Sorcerers who obtained an array of resources through continuous demon-hunting expedition battles were able to try to hunt down these Black Sorcerers. It was either this, or high-level sorcerers were called upon to annihilate these Black Sorcerers.

“It’s been fifty-five years and the Holy Tower of the Seven Rings still hasn’t seen any other sorcerers take up the offer? Grimm asked.

Mina shook her head. “Don’t look down on him. In the past few years, it wasn’t that no sorcerer took up the offer of reward. He had already had six official sorcerers killed when they tried to get him, and a Demon-Hunter Sorcerer was even among his list of victims!”

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Grimm grew surprised in his interaction with Mina. As they gradually walked deeper into the tree hole, the refreshing Life Essence of a type of flowering plant grew thicker in the air.

Drip, drop, drip, drop…

An emerald-green pool of water appeared. It was like the accumulation of water droplets from the stone stalactites from the cavern walls.

The pool was not big, it only had a span of a dozen meters or so. Mist rolled across its surface that was scattered with golden twigs. An invisible but strong Life Aura continuously strengthened Grimm’s body. He even felt like he was in a Law Void in the World-Core.

“We have arrived at the Core of Life. The Principal Will of the Sorcerer World here is enough for you to gather a Rank 3 Honor Badge by yourself. From here on out, you can make instantaneous communication with the Battle Command in whichever Demon-Hunting Expedition you participate in. You will also earn the rights to request the use of a Mechanical Bee as well as to command low-level Demon-Hunter Sorcerers, and issue their missions.”

No longer making an attempt to conceal it, a look of joy sparked in Grimm’s eyes.

From this point onwards in his demon-hunting expeditions, it no longer mattered if he was just a Level-3 sorcerer. The Rank-3 Demon Hunter badge would finally mean special treatment from others.

Stepping into the pool, Grimm couldn’t help but gasp slightly as a strong wave of Life Aura swept across him. The strength of his sorcerer’s barrier started growing slowly and the Six-star Insignia of a Rank-3 Honor Badge had started to appear on it.

***

A few hourglass later, Grimm had sold the Golden Amonro he had personally captured to the Purple Tulip family at the slave market, in exchange for a large pile of love-vial fragrance Magic Stones.

A day later, Grimm came out from the Dark Sorcerer headquarters. He had now acquired the Sorcerer Essence reward from his participation in the demon-hunting expedition, as well as the Honor Badge. Grimm manipulated the rich Life Force under the Tree of Life, and formed a bubble that surrounded his body. With that, he flew towards the direction of his Demon-Hunting Castle.

“Hmm?”

Grimm noticed that his neighbor Angelis was nowhere to be found. The Demon-Hunter Castle emanated the aura of another new Demon-Hunter Sorcerer. He could not feel Myna’s presence nearby too.

It was obvious that this Demon-Hunter Sorcerer had very likely become a Level-2 sorcerer after all these years and had moved to a much better Demon-Hunter Castle higher up in the Tree of Life’s branches.

In his silent admiration, Grimm returned to the yard of his own Demon-Hunter Castle.

Grimm stopped in his tracks before a dirt mound in his yard. That old Gnaw that dedicated hundreds of years to his castle had buried himself here?

With a sigh, Grimm walked towards his castle. And with a squeak, the castle door was shut.

Manipulating the Force of Nature, Grimm floated through the castle interiors. The fallen dust on the floor were swept away, cleaning up the place. Grimm thought, ‘After finishing my business over there, I’ll go look for a new slave to take care of things here when I return again.”

While engaged in his thoughts, Grimm had arrived at the altar at the top of his castle. Transferring magical energy, he marched into a pitch-black crack.

“Ah! It’s an evil sorcerer! Sorcerer’s here! Sorcerer’s here! Sorcerer’s here! Sorcerer’s here…”

Hundreds of tiny Raindew Flower spirits yelled out hysterically as they looked at the sky in horror. From a pitch-black crack, Grimm, who wore a gray-white swirling mask had appeared in this World Fragment.

“Hmm?”

Grimm looked at the green energy layer that obstructed his complete entry into this World Fragment with furrowed brows.

Initially thinking that this was some barricade made by the Demon-Hunter altar, he now observed the group of tiny Raindew Flower spirits that held up Golden Ginseng leaves, generating a strange layer of green energy that fortified this World Fragment. Grimm could not stop himself from grinning at these little creatures.

‘Silly little beings…’

A big wave of Eternal Flame spouted from Grimm’s palms. He then pushed his palms downwards gently.

To these little guys’ horror, the Eternal Flame disintegrated one layer after the other of their defense layer. At least ten “World Enchantments” were broken down by then. In their fear and despair, these Raindew Flower spirits looked up at the unstoppable demonic sorcerer that descended upon their beautiful “Raindew Flower World”.

“No…”

Waves of these Raindew Flower spirits started a suicide charge towards Grimm, seemingly unafraid of death itself.

Grimm was in the middle of being caught by surprise as a sudden ‘clap’ sounded when the wave of Raindew Flower spirits collapsed into unconsciousness. Only two Raindew Flower spirits were left standing as they raised their fists at Grimm, looking at Grimm in despair while they covered their heads.

“Why, evil sorcerer? Why?! How can you hold such great powers? Why must you invade our beautiful Raindew Flower World? Do you want to enslave us again? No! This is impossible!

We, the great Raindew Flower spirits will not yield to such threats! This world belongs to us forever and we will continue the fight until the last standing warrior!”

The strongest Raindew Flower spirit had used the Sorcerer’s Language to yell at Grimm in defiance.

From Grimm’s perspective, these Raindew Flower spirits were merely mosquitoes with a trace of intellect. It didn’t require so much as a sorcerer but a mere hand was more than enough to squash these little creatures.

‘Huh?’

‘Invade the Raindew Flower world? Enslave them again? What are they talking about?’

Grimm lifted his head to look at the Spatial Crack that had yet to completely disappear. He then looked down again at these defenseless Raindew Flower spirits to find himself in shock from realization!

Was this how high-level lifeforms viewed low-level lifeforms? Those eyes that peered into the test tube in the Broken Tower back at the Black Isotta Sorcerer Academy?

A chill ran down Grimm’s spine. It was hard to admit but the way he looked at this group of Raindew Flower spirits was the same as how the Stigmata Sorcerers looked at him.

Suddenly, Grimm felt an incomparable sense of joy after deeper introspection.

He had come to the conclusion that World Fragments had other uses all along. It could be used as a World Laboratory?!

Seeing Grimm’s wide smile, these two Raindew Flower spirits that remain standing seemed to have completely opposite expressions. They were almost drowned in despair as they looked at what seemed like the start of their world’s apocalypse.

‘This demonic sorcerer is too strong. The great Raindew Flower spirit tribe…huh?’

Surprise was painted across the faces of these two still conscious Raindew Flower spirits.

They saw this sorcerer walk around the “World Tree” once and glance at the budding fruits on the tree, ignoring these Raindew Flower spirits before vanishing into thin air from this world.

Their surprise was cut short by their fellow Raindew Flower spirits waking up consecutively. Realizing that there were no traces of the evil sorcerer left, they cheered euphorically, “Yay! The evil sorcerer has been defeated by the Prophet. He has retreated from the Raindew Flower spirit world…”

The other Raindew Flower spirits followed suit in celebration, hoisting up the two Raindew Flower spirits that did not faint from Grimm’s spell.