In the Desolate Tower Ruins, all kinds of Berserk Magic Beasts were commonly seen.

If it didn't have such strong suppressive forces, Marvin would have even considered using this place as his farming ground.

But his current strength had been substantially weakened. In fact, if not for the suppression left behind by the Mikenshi's arrays, Marvin would have been able to avoid that exploding Blackfire Lava Wizard with his Shadow Escape.

With Major Tenacity and Endurance, Marvin didn't even care about the slight injury, but the suppression here was stronger than before.

Previously in the Lost Villa, some of Marvin skills were still brightly lit.

Shadow Escape for example.

But once he entered the Desolate Tower Ruins, Marvin felt the sealing power strengthening.

All his skills were gray. This was the same as in the Ice Monster Cave.

Seeing the beast approaching, Marvin lifted his daggers, solemnly examining the enemy.

Fortunately, he still had Desperation Style!

...

That Magic Beast had a pretty small body. It originally was some kind of small animal, but under the radiation of Arcane Energies, it had undergone a frightening change. This was a common occurrence in ancient casters' vestiges.

The small villages in the corners of Feinan Continent had some strange killing incidents, such as the [Magic Swordsman Killer], the [Blacksmith House Bloodbath], and others. These were beginner missions the newcomers would start off with. Often, it turned out that an item had been contaminated by Arcane Energy, giving birth to its own murderous consciousness and turning the owner into a monster.

Magic was powerful, but power came with a price. Magic Power by itself represented Chaos. Based on a theory of an ancient Scholar from the Pearl Tower, each time a Wizard cast a spell, it would make the universe more chaotic.

When the chaos in the universe reached its limit, the end of the universe would happen.

And the Universe Magic Pool was holding back this disaster. It made it easier for the Wizards to use their spells, but also made it much safer.

Whether this theory was correct or not, Marvin didn't know.

But there was actually no need to doubt the [Magic is Chaos] theory.

After the Great Calamity, he crossed paths with too many Humanoid Monsters and all kinds of Magic Beasts. They were all contaminated by Chaos Magic Power because their wills were too weak.

As for this Magic Beast before his eyes, its ancestors mostly had been caught by the Wizards and used for magic experiments.

But unfortunately, after the Secret Garden fell, the Black Tower Valley also fell into ruins, eventually becoming the Desolate Tower Ruins of the game.

Wizards died one after the other, while these lifeforms persevered because of their tenacious vitality.

They already knew this territory like the back of their hands and were able to thrive.

Marvin didn't dare to look down on it.

From a distance, it looked like a small boar, but its burst power was fiercer and stronger than a cheetah's!

It actually rushed toward Marvin from the front!

"So fast!"

Marvin moved to the side, trying to dodge, but the little guy nimbly turned in midair, striking over with its tusk!

If Marvin was hit, he would get seriously hurt.

He held his breath, his Superior Reflexes helping to kick him into action, moving his body instinctively.

An Azure Leaf shot up.

"Clang!"

Both sides collided. Marvin's wrist was shaking. This beast almost knocked the dagger out of his hand!

He retreated, rotating his dagger to deflect the beast's attack.

The two once again stood face to face.

'So fast…'

Marvin felt a bit impressed.

That exchange just now was tough despite only lasting two moves, but Marvin managed to stay in control with his Godly Dexterity.

But that Magic Beast's speed, reactions, and nimbleness weren't inferior to Marvin's.

It also seemed a bit stronger than Marvin!

'No wonder it could stay alive till today. Even among 4th rank monsters, it could be considered top-notch.'

Marvin shook his wrist, his expression becoming more serious.

The Magic Beast roared again and dashed at Marvin!

Marvin sneered. The first clash had been a probe, and he had yet to display his full abilities!

The pair of [Azure Leaf]s kept slashing and chopping, aiming at the Magic Beast's vitals from crafty angles!

Desperation Style!

The monster also reacted quickly, trying to dodge Marvin's murderous attacks.

But with the benefits of his Blade Technique Style, Marvin was sure to land a fatal hit.

Although this Magic Beast was nimble, it couldn't keep up with Marvin's sustained attacks.

His daggers were swinging continuously as if weaving a net of slashes, slowly trapping the Magic Beast inside.

The beast became passive, trying to survive as a few slashes landed on its body, slowly exhausting its life force.

As a last-ditch effort, it tried thrashing around.

But Marvin was extremely calm, pressing the attack and locking it in place!

This fight helped him appreciate the power of the Desperation Style.

In his previous fights, the outcome was usually decided in a very short time.

He would use a combo of killing techniques and his enemy would simply die.

But after the Legend Realm, things wouldn't be that simple. Every Legend had their own life-saving skills. To kill them in a hit, besides using a sneak attack, one would also need to have a level advantage. The Shadow Prince assassinating Legends was a good example. Not only did he have a powerful sneak attacking ability, but he was also a God, a cut above most Legends.

In the future, Marvin's long melee battles were bound to slowly increase.

Desperation Style completely covered Marvin's flaw.

He was simply toying with vicious Magic Beast with his Blade Technique Style.

It roared angrily but it was no use.

From start to finish, Marvin didn't go for a decisive blow, constantly weakening its vitality instead.

Eventually, after a few minutes, the Berserk Magic Beast was severely injured by Marvin!

"Woosh!"

A cold ray of light flashed, as a powerful slash came down!

The Berserk Magic Beast was cut in two by Marvin!

'Hu… Almost four minutes. Although the efficiency was lower, it was a safe and reliable victory.'

Marvin was satisfied with this battle. The Magic Beast's experience was also surprisingly good, giving him about 4000 exp.

Perhaps this had to do with the fact that it had absorbed Arcane Energy for a long time.

It was a pity that this thing's materials were practically useless, so Marvin wouldn't earn anything by killing it.

Marvin didn't put away his curved daggers, glancing to the side instead.

"You have been watching for a while, shouldn't you come out now?" Marvin asked indifferently.

Silence...

Marvin snorted and raised his daggers horizontally as if about to slash out.

Suddenly, the air ahead of him rippled and two strangely dressed men appeared in front of him out of nowhere.

They were holding a strange rag that was soaked in grease and seemed somewhat uncomfortable.

"Who are you?" Marvin frowned slightly.

The two gave a hollow laugh and one of them answered in stiff Common, "We have no evil intent…"

"No evil intent…" Marvin stared at the two men and noticed a smell. "The smell of transformation potion… A familiar feeling… You aren't human!"

"What are you in the end?!" Marvin shouted sternly.

His expression was very vicious as if he would attack if he wasn't satisfied with their answer.

In fact, Marvin was very curious.

The strength of these two guys would place them lower than the 2nd rank. Even if they were hiding some of their strength, they still surely wouldn't surpass the 3rd rank at full power.

How did they get in?

And what was going on with that strange tablecloth? If he hadn't had a familiar feeling, he wouldn't even have bothered with them.

The two were trying to cover something. Suddenly, one of them took out a strange item, and with a flash of light, they disappeared!

Marvin was stunned.

It wasn't like he had never seen that Alchemy Item before.

It was a Short Range Displacement Tool, an item produced by the Ancient Gnomes...

Hold on, Ancient Gnomes!

Marvin suddenly realized. These two felt familiar because they had the aura of Ancient Gnomes.

Although Marvin didn't have an expert's Perception, with the help of his system, after he went to Saruha, he was very sensitive to the artifacts of Ancient Gnomes.

In the end, why were these two guys here? And why did they have Ancient Gnomes' things in their hands?

Marvin couldn't understand at the moment. But these two guys were pretty weak and they didn't seem to be targeting him. The fewer complications, the better.

He made a quick check and confirmed that no one else was hidden nearby before departing.

He walked through the Desolate Tower Ruins and after killing another fierce Magic Beast, he finally arrived at his destination.

It was a black tower that had yet to collapse.

There were more than ten black towers like that, some big, some small. They were arranged in some sort of order from the entrance of the valley to the exit.

Marvin was looking for the 7th Tower.

This tower had the wealth left behind by a Mikenshi Wizard, and something even more precious.

An Earth Crystal fragment!

Marvin already had two Earth Crystal fragments in his hands, and with three, he would be able to successfully form a genuine Earth Crystal!

And an Earth Crystal was used to build the foundations of an [Ancient Refuge]. Only with a complete Earth Crystal would he be able to combine the four Vayne Pillars and the Divine Blessing Scroll to open an Ancient Refuge, summoning an Earth Guardian.

Thus, this fragment of Earth Crystal was something Marvin had to get a hold of!

Thinking of this, he didn't hesitate and directly rushed into the black tower!

The first floor was full of dust.

The Ancient Wizards were eccentric. They usually wouldn't use Teleportation Doors to move between floors of a tower, instead using a spiral staircase.

These spiral staircases actually had countless traps that were set against intruders.

Only those who knew the secret incantation could move through freely and not be obstructed.

As for Marvin, he would have to fight his way up.

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T/N: I'm not sure I'll be able to finish another one tonight, so the rest is coming with tomorrow's release (when I was originally planning to release them.)