Merlin laid on the ground of the quiet ancient tower as his chest heaved with every breath. His injury was extremely serious. Although he did not die, he was struck very hard. He wanted to take some time to recover but did not know how much time he had.

"This is serious. I was originally wary of Wizard Riesen but I didn't expect him to attack so suddenly, let alone using a Fourth-level spell from his Spell Scroll."

Merlin felt helpless. He had been cautious of Wizard Riesen, especially with his Alchemy Creature.

In fact, Merlin had not been vigilant with Wizard Riesen himself, neither was he worried that he would cast a Third-level spell. However, this time, Wizard Riesen used a Spell Scroll containing a Fourth-level spell, and it had injured Merlin greatly. It was a good time that Merlin's physique was far beyond than that of an average Spell Caster. Otherwise, he would have been killed.

Fortunately, Merlin exhausted all his strength to cast Glacial Finger and scared off Wizard Riesen. He had also used the Matrix to record the cultivation methods of Fiery Collapse.

Merlin decided he would wait patiently for his wound to heal and eventually leave the ancient tower. Merlin felt that he had not run out of luck and instead, gained a great deal.

Merlin's chaotic thoughts were slowly calmed down.

"Crash!"

Just as Merlin's mood was calmed, a hole suddenly appeared on the ground of the stone gate and a huge patterned spider began to crawl out.

This patterned spider was about the height of a person and was the largest patterned spider that Merlin ever saw. The patterned spider gradually crawled toward Merlin as it began to hiss.

Merlin's face turned pale. He had originally planned to slowly recover and eventually break through the stone doors to escape the ancient monument.

However, he was still weak, and this enormous patterned spider was definitely stronger than any other patterned spider he had faced before.

Merlin could not cast Glacial Finger anymore but his Mind Power was not affected by the injury, so he quickly cast Guardian Monument.

Merlin cast Guardian Monument three more times. The gray slabs of walls formed around him and covered his body.

The huge patterned spider advanced toward Merlin but stopped in his tracks as it noticed Guardian Monument.

"Swoosh!"

Suddenly, the patterned spider moved swiftly. It appeared behind Merlin in the blink of an eye and struck Guardian Monument.

"Boom!"

The collision broke three Guardian Monuments and left only the last defense, which Merlin had cast using his Enhancing casting tool. Merlin knew that Guardian Monument sustained great damage from the patterned spider. This meant that it was much stronger than Wizard Riesen's Alchemy Creature.

The impact from the patterned spider did not seem to impact the strengthened form of Guardian Monument. The patterned spider retreated slightly and then exposed its abdomen. White silk flew out and wrapped around Merlin.

The white silk was tenacious and strong, and it began to grow longer and longer. The enhanced version of Guardian Monument that Merlin had cast started to give in to the strong binding of the white silk.

If it were only a few strands of the white silk or if Merlin could move freely, he would be able to break himself free. If he could not break himself free, he could cast Wind of Freedom and escape quickly.

However, Merlin had been struck by Wizard Riesen's Spell Scroll and could barely move a finger. He was almost a living target and his only option was to passively defend himself.

Occasionally, Merlin would cast Furious Flame but the white silk was resistant to flames and remained strong. Merlin's body was enveloped and tangled in it like a Zongzi1.

"Crack!"

Finally, the enhanced form of Guardian Monument which Merlin had cast could not withstand the entanglement of the white silk and gradually began to break.

Merlin felt helpless as he had no options left and just like the fragments of stone in front of him, the patterned spider spat its white silk and bound Merlin tightly.

Merlin was entangled in the white silk of the patterned spider. It slowly dragged him into the hole in the ground.

The hole was pitch-black and as Merlin was dragged into it, he could only feel the steep incline of the slope that seemed to stretch further into the ground.

Merlin even suspected that he would make a delicious meal for the patterned spider to enjoy in its nest.

Soon, there was finally a glimmer of light in the dark hole. The patterned spider had brought Merlin into a hidden hall where Merlin noticed a huge flame-shaped statue.

However, this flame-shaped statue was much larger than the one he had seen before.

The patterned spider returned to Merlin's side once more and cut through the bounds of its white silk.

Thereafter, the patterned spider crawled into a corner of the hall and laid down motionless.

Merlin furrowed his eyebrows. This place did not seem like the patterned spider's nest and it did not intend to "eat" Merlin.

The hall was surrounded by beautiful murals. They were each one of a kind as they depicted different forms of flames.

There were wild fiery-red flames and peculiar crimson flames. There was even an icy-white flame. They were all painted along the walls of the hall.

"What's this place?"

Merlin whispered. He still could not move, and even though the patterned spider had retreated into a corner, he could not escape.

After a moment, the huge flame-shaped statue began to vibrate aggressively as it became "alive". Merlin could feel the flames burn as the temperature in the air began to rise.

The flame-shaped statue gradually turned into a real flame. It burned fiercely as small clumps of flames began to form a small sprite about the size of a palm.

The sprite was created entirely from flames, so its features were blurred. However, although it was only about the size of a palm, it was terribly hot. Merlin stood quite far away but he could still feel the unbearable heat.

The flame sprite floated over Merlin's body and watched him condescendingly. "Congratulations, lucky Spell Caster, you've defeated Master's guardian puppet. It seems you also have the First-level spell, Furious Flame. You've passed Master's test."

"Test?"

Merlin watched the flame sprite with a doubtful look on his face. The flame sprite seemed intelligent, and it reminded him of the black cat he met in the Dark Magic Region, Didimoss, so he was not surprised that it could speak.

"Yes, Master had left these tests. If one has defeated the guardian puppet and can cast either Furious Flame or Sea of Flames, they've passed the test and are able to receive the treasures required to cultivate Fiery Collapse."

The flame sprite explained calmly.

Merlin was confused. He had many thoughts running through his mind and could not make sense of any of them. This ancient monument was left by a powerful Spell Caster over three thousand six hundred years ago.

However, even after all those years, the flame sprite and patterned spiders had still survived – this seemed impossible to Merlin.

"What the hell are you?"

Merlin was very curious about the flame sprite. It was a non-living thing but it possessed intelligence and was not as rigid as the guardian puppet.

"I'm a flame sprite that Master once caught. I've been trapped here and can't go any further than a hundred meter past this statue. However, Master said that as long as I help him find a suitable Spell Caster who can cultivate the second form of Fiery Collapse, then I'll have my freedom once more.

"Many people have discovered Master's ancient monument and entered the first floor. However, very few were able to defeat the guardian puppet but you two did and have therefore met the set requirements. It's just a shame that one of you have already left the ancient monument and will not be able to receive the Master's treasures to cultivate Fiery Collapse. Hence, it's only you here who has met all the necessary requirements. That's why I sent the patterned spider to drag you down here."

Merlin listened to the explanation of the flame sprite. The flame sprite had paid attention to all the Spell Caster who entered the ancient monument and looked for a suitable Spell Caster to cultivate Fiery Collapse. It had done its utmost duty to help its master so that it would one day be free again.

The flame sprite mentioned a Spell Caster who had left the ancient monument – it would be Wizard Riesen. His plan had failed when his attack against Merlin did not work, so, he decided to leave Merlin trapped in the ancient monument to die.

Wizard Riesen did not expect that someone or something had observed him this entire time, and although he met the requirements, he had left the ancient monument.

Without the treasures left by the master of the ancient monument, the cultivation methods he claimed for Fiery Collapse would be useless. He would never be able to cultivate the first form of Fiery Collapse.

Merlin saw this as a blessing in disguise. Wizard Riesen had trapped him in the ancient monument and left without the treasure, but he was able to retrieve it. This was extremely useful for cultivating Fiery Collapse!

It's a traditional Chinese rice dish made of glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo leaves and it's cooked by steaming or boiling https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zongzi