Fire Mage-Chapter 657: Causality Manipulation

Chapter 657: Causality Manipulation

"I need to find shelter... then plan how to reach the next layer. The next disaster isn’t far off. I must reach the fourth layer before then. I also have a hunch—my next wisdom skill might help me achieve my goal."

Touching down on the burning sands, he began walking aimlessly, thoughts drifting to what he’d read in Eddie Nightwind’s book.

"Paalai... land of sand monsters and bloodthirsty creatures. Eddie warned of sudden sandstorms that could even kill a Legendary Magical Beast in seconds."

He paused, sensing the air around him.

Wind elemental essence swirled thickly in the atmosphere.

"I’ll have to stay cautious. I can’t afford to provoke anything here."

With a wary glance, he kept moving.

But after only thirty minutes, trouble found him.

In the middle of the desert, near several mutated prickly pear-like plants, four large magical beasts emerged. Scorpion-like in form, each stood two meters tall, their greenish exoskeletons glinting under the sun.

As they moved, a deadly rhythm began.

Each step released a potent purple gas—poisonous and thick, a silent warning.

The toxic aura coiled around them like a veil. But it didn’t end there.

Harnessing their bloodline spell, they summoned a storm. Winds screamed. Sands spun into violent whirlwinds. The entire desert bowed before their power.

"I can take down one... even a peak Legendary Beast. But four? Not worth the risk."

He quietly retreated.

Continuing through the scorching dunes, he noticed a pattern—scorpion-type beasts appeared repeatedly.

"A nest, maybe? I need to get out of this region."

Spotting a distant hill, he made his way toward it.

After more than ten hours of travel, he finally reached new ground.

He spent the following days exploring. Every turn revealed new magical beasts: Mirage Shifters, Sandfire Serpents, Sand Golems, Desert Veilweavers—each one more bizarre than the last.

But what truly unsettled him?

Every single creature was a Legend Rank being.

"No wonder Eddie’s team couldn’t get any further. But how did the Amber Church, Pentagon Family, and the rest reach the fifth layer?"

Ruins dotted the landscape—buried homes, crumbled temples, half-sunken fortresses. Scattered among them were pebble-sized tablets etched with carvings: birds, beasts, aquatic creatures.

Using Mythos Decoding, Charles examined each symbol, seeking answers.

After a full day of analysis, he finally understood their meaning.

"This Paalai land once belonged to a fallen goddess... a deity of wind and storms. But her name is never mentioned."

From the seals, he also discovered key locations—domains once ruled by twelve of her subordinates.

"They may be ruins now, but it’s worth investigating."

Two days passed. Still, no sign of a teleportation circle. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"For now, I need to focus on getting stronger."

He found a ruined, dome-shaped temple and stepped through its crumbling pillars. Surprisingly, the sanctum remained mostly intact.

Inside, there were no statues or altars. Just a lone square black stone.

"A symbol?"

He sat beside it, placed a crystal dimension stone from his space ring near the rock, then added a pocket watch beside it.

Shifting into his elemental form, he focused on the crystal—and vanished.

Moments later, he stood before the enormous Sun made of pure chaotic fire.

From his ring, he drew the Sage Gem and concentrated on its bluish glow.

This time, something had changed—his comprehension speed had soared.

While Mythos Decoding once took over two hours per wisdom essence, now he needed only an hour and forty-five minutes.

As he delved deeper into each wisdom rule, his grasp of wisdom power steadily grew.

Time blurred.

Hours turned to days. Days into weeks. Weeks, into months.

For an entire month, Charles remained in seclusion, comprehending 1,150 wisdom essence streaks.

"So... one month per Wisdom Essence, huh?"

He nodded, pressing onward.

Once again, he sank into deep meditation within the Crystal Dimension.

Each day, his progress quickened. Eventually, he slipped into a heightened state of awareness—a moment of true enlightenment.

It was then that he touched upon the essence of the next skill:

"Causality Manipulation..."

An ability to twist causality itself—altering events to produce a desired outcome.

Though the description sounded simple, Charles saw past its surface. He sensed the immense potential waiting beneath it and devoted himself wholly to understanding it.

Twelve years passed inside the Crystal Dimension.

Even so, he had only grasped around one hundred Wisdom Essences for the skill.

"If I want to unlock its full power, I need at least a thousand. But... I don’t have that kind of time."

He exhaled slowly and exited the dimension.

In an instant, he reappeared inside the ruined temple. The air was still. Nothing had changed.

He checked the pocket watch.

Sixteen days had passed in the real world.

"It’s time to leave this layer."

On a scorching day beneath the blazing sun, a young boy, around sixteen, trudged across the dry terrain, his face weary and sunburned.

He stood about 160 cm tall, with short blond hair, emerald eyes, and a hawk-like nose. A black robe draped over his casual clothes, and a long sword hung at his waist. In one hand, he carried a leather bag, occasionally glancing at it with cautious eyes.

The land around him wasn’t pure desert—its hard-packed soil supported clusters of cactus, trailing vines, and patches of grass. Sparse desert trees dotted the horizon, but he paid them no mind. He kept moving.

"It’s been more than two days since I resumed my journey," Charles muttered under his breath, frowning. "Still no sign of anyone from Edhen World. Are they all still stuck in the Second Layer?"

What troubled him more were the bloodsucking sandworms that occasionally burst from the ground.

They’re tracking my movements, he thought grimly, raising his gaze to the cloudless blue sky.

And those Falcon-type beasts... His eyes narrowed. One of them caught a Rank-6 six-legged insect not long ago—snatched it mid-air like it was nothing. Now there are more of them circling above me, watching every step.

Just then, a faint cracking sound came from his leather bag.

Charles’s eyes widened. She’s waking up?

His heart quickened as he scanned the surroundings. Spotting an acacia tree a few hundred meters away, he made his way toward it and sat beneath its shade. With a flick of his hand, he cast [Ignis Sancturm], forming a protective barrier around himself.

He reached into the bag and carefully pulled out a palm-sized snake egg. A small crack had formed at the top.

As the fracture widened, a faint bluish light glowed from within. A moment later, a tiny snake pushed its way out—its body slim, around 50 cm long, covered in shimmering bluish-black scales.

The hatchling stretched its neck, let out a soft chirp, and flicked the last bits of shell away. Its emerald-blue eyes blinked open, locking onto Charles with eerie intelligence.

He noticed a strange blue rune glowing faintly within the snake’s consciousness, a trace of something ancient and beautiful.

"Can you talk, Snake Princess?" Charles asked softly.

The snake tilted her head, opened her mouth—but only a hiss escaped. Then, without hesitation, she slithered up his arm and coiled around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder.

Charles gently tapped her forehead and examined her status.

[Status: Shadow Princess]

Health Status: NormalRace: Shadow Basilisk (Vessel of Naga)Rank: 1 (Common)Class: Nightmare Snake (????)Sub-Class: Shadow WeaverHealth Points: 10/10

Attributes:

Strength: 1Dexterity: 1.2Constitution: 1.1Wisdom: ????Charisma: 25

Class Skills:

Dream HissMemory StealNightmare PoisonDream WalkRecall of DreamsDream Control

Subclass Skills:

ShadowmeldIllusionary MirageEclipse Gaze

Unique Skill:

Life Steal

Even regressed, she’s formidable, Charles thought, impressed.

Just as he resumed walking, he spotted a group approaching from the north—eight figures, still distant but clearly visible to his eyes.

The group’s leader noticed him too, and instantly raised a shimmering forcefield, blocking Charles’s Wisdom Power scan.

A trace of divine power... He’s stronger than the Order Church’s Holy Son, Charles thought, frowning. This could be trouble.

After a few minutes, the group came into clearer view. Their leader looked to be in his forties, with a stern expression and a commanding presence. He was well-built, with short blue hair, hazel eyes, and a long sword on his back. A cotton robe covered him, and a white scarf shielded his face from the dust. The others wore black abaya-like gowns, their eyes sharp and wary.

They halted a short distance away, their eyes fixed on Charles.

The leader inclined his head, then spoke in an unfamiliar tongue:

"%($u% #*o$ #&$o$y# #y$u $&>>/."

That’s not Edhen World’s language... Did they mistake me for someone from another world? Charles mused, then responded in English, adding to the confusion.

"I don’t understand what you’re saying."

Silence fell.

Then, thinking quickly, Charles switched to broken Ancient Rune Language. "I mean no harm. Got lost while exploring the dungeon... ended up in a different layer."

A black-haired man from the group perked up and leaned toward the leader.

"True Lord Alistair," he said, "he’s speaking Ancient Rune Language. The accent’s odd, but I can catch the gist."

"Oh? What’s he saying, Rowan?" the man named Alistair asked in Blen Tongue.

"He said he’s lost—ended up in the wrong layer by accident."

Rowan gave a subtle smile. "He seems like an amateur, my Lord. Maybe we could capture him and-"

"Don’t be foolish," Alistair cut in sharply. "He may look like a kid, but his strength is on par with mine. Never provoke strangers without knowing their background."

Then, after a brief pause, he added, "Tell him we’ll help him reach the Fourth Layer."

"Isn’t that too much of a burden?" a blond-haired woman named Nyx interjected.

"You don’t understand," Alistair replied, shaking his head. "He could be from a major background—possibly the Elder Plane, or even a major Higher Plane. This is the time to forge bonds, not burn bridges."