Chapter 313:

[Your journey as a sorcerer begins once more.]

[You awakened in a mass grave, became an apprentice in a remote village, and advanced to a full-fledged sorcerer in an unnamed town.]

[While pursuing truth and exploring knowledge, you unexpectedly crossed paths with the hero, Sylvia.]

[You acknowledged and accepted Sylvia’s identity as a hero. Compared to her undead body, her spirit was pure and sacred—true and untainted kindness.]

[Meeting someone like her, you felt gratified, as if the cost of this fifth simulation had already been repaid.]

[Following your original plan, you left Crowfield’s territory and headed straight for the Kingdom of Aoka. Along the way, you encountered a massive horde of undead.]

[You cast First-Ring Sorcery: Slow.]

[You cast Zero-Ring Sorcery: Sticky Quagmire.]

[You restricted the undead’s movements and used your skeletal bird’s aerial advantage to continuously bombard them with offensive sorcery, harvesting a vast amount of soul fire.]

[You angered a high-tier undead within the horde.]

[You made a strategic retreat, avoiding direct conflict and leisurely continued on your way.]

…

[The Soul Collector continued to function, gathering vast amounts of souls. Watching the ascent of those souls, you gained a deeper understanding of life and death.]

[Life and death, an endless cycle. You live, they perish.]

[You are evolving step by step.]

[Yet, your heart remains calm and unshaken.]

[Power is merely a tool. Your true pursuit is the study of truth—the fundamental nature of life and death.]

[That was your conclusion.]

[During the exhausting battles, you occasionally thought of the undead girl, sighing at her tragic atonement. You silently wished her well in the days to come.]

…

[On your journey, you passed through several human settlements, witnessing both the fall of the undead and the birth of newborns.]

[The cries of life shattered the silence of death.]

[This left you with new insights. Your soul became more refined, and you learned a new First-Ring Sorcery.]

[The field of sorcery is vast—from physical transformations to mental manipulation, it encompasses all realms of existence.]

[You regretted not having the limitless wisdom of an ordinary human.]

[Even if you gave it your all, you could never master every field.]

[You kind of miss the easy life in the real world.]

…

Three months later.

Autumn in the sorcerer world.

The black sun hung high, the blood moon flickered. The two celestial bodies coexisted in the gloomy sky, dyeing the clouds in eerie shades of dark crimson.

“That must be White Crow Tower.”

“Seems like I didn’t take a wrong turn. This should be the Kingdom of Aoka.”

The skeletal bird glided through the sky, casting a massive shadow over the land.

Terrified pedestrians fled.

Flocks of birds scattered in alarm.

Seated cross-legged atop the skeletal bird, Xu Xi gazed at the towering structure in the distance. Though far away, the massive white tower stood out unmistakably.

Constructed from colossal stone slabs, the tower shimmered with flowing light.

Ancient runes were carved into its surface, forming dense arrays of sorcery that sealed even the void itself, reaching straight into the sky.

It was an all-in-one structure—offensive, defensive, and self-sustaining.

Its sheer scale provided ample space.

It generated its own resources, fueled its own energy.

Like an artificial world in the form of a tower.

This was the foundation of the sorcerer system—the cornerstone of their civilization.

The sorcerer tower.

A structure considered one of the most crucial aspects of their existence.

“A Four-Ring Sorcerer Tower… that means its creator was a Four-Ring Sorcerer.”

“However…”

“The Kingdom of Aoka and this tower both seem to have… problems.”

Xu Xi studied the timeworn tower, deep in thought.

It seemed that the catastrophic event from a thousand years ago had not only affected mortals but had also left its mark on even the high-ranking sorcerers.

“I should take a closer look.”

[You have arrived at a new region.]

[The Kingdom of Aoka—one of the last remaining human kingdoms in the sorcerer world. It serves as a sanctuary for the living. Here, besides humans, you also encounter other species.]

[Beautiful elves, with ears as pointed as you imagined.]

[Ingenious goblins, masters of alchemy, the perfect assistants for sorcerers.]

[Brutal orcs, whose intelligence is generally below average, but once subdued by force, they become the most loyal subordinates.]

[You marvel at the diversity of this world.]

[You officially enter the Four-Ring Sorcerer Tower—White Crow Tower.]

[Your suspicions are confirmed. The former master of White Crow Tower, a Four-Ring Sorcerer, has been missing for years.]

[Currently, the one managing the tower is the senior disciple of the missing master—a moderately well-known Three-Ring Sorcerer with partial administrative authority.]

[White Crow Tower remains a neutral sorcerer faction.]

[Its leadership change does not hinder your plans.]

[You pay a set amount of soul stones and establish residence in White Crow Tower. These soul stones, infused with pure soul energy, serve as currency among sorcerers.]

“I originally thought I could settle down in White Crow Tower and steadily increase my power.”

“But now…”

“It can only serve as a temporary foothold.”

Inside the lower level of White Crow Tower, in the Kingdom of Aoka, Xu Xi followed the lead of his familiar-bound servant and completed his residency procedures.

He glanced at the interior, then at the gloomy sky outside, shaking his head slightly.

In the sorcerer world, Six-Ring and Seven-Ring Sorcerers stood at the pinnacle.

Four-Ring and Five-Ring Sorcerers were the mid-tier.

One-Ring, Two-Ring, and Three-Ring Sorcerers formed the foundation.

A Four-Ring Sorcerer was by no means weak in this world.

Yet, the former master of White Crow Tower had been missing for years.

“Was he killed?”

“Or did he flee this world?”

Xu Xi pondered, realizing that either scenario suggested a great danger.

If he had been slain, it meant someone—or something—was actively hunting high-tier sorcerers.

If he had escaped, it meant the corruption of the sorcerer world was accelerating even faster than anticipated—so much so that even mid-to-high-level sorcerers could no longer survive.

Click—

Entering his rented room, Xu Xi scanned the layout, familiarizing himself with the space before placing his belongings in order.

Regardless of the former master’s fate, one thing was clear—this world had become incredibly dangerous.

But that wasn’t his concern.

“Right now, my priority is breaking through to become a Two-Ring Sorcerer and solidifying my soul energy.”

“For someone like me, with the Soul Collector, this shouldn’t be difficult. At that point, I can start researching Sylvia’s data sample.”

“Hmm… I should also start mapping out my path toward the Three-Ring level.”

[You rented a residence in White Crow Tower at a rate of five and a half soul stones per month.]

[Although you are only a tenant and not an official member of the tower, you still have access to its resources, provided you pay the necessary soul stones.]

[Thanks to the Soul Collector trait, you never worry about running out of soul stones.]

[To keep a low profile, you only revealed the typical financial status of a One-Ring Sorcerer and used it to acquire some knowledge.]

[You began reading historical records from a thousand years ago.]