Chapter 250: 001: Time Spell

Shadow Land, Fairy Forest.

Sunlight filtered through the sparse canopy, casting mottled shadows that were warm and gentle.

A small stream trickled by, the surface glinting with specks of gold, as if flowing with broken silver. The leaves had become vibrant in hues—deep crimson, amber yellow, golden gold, and deep green—all interwoven like a resplendent painting.

A gentle breeze whispered through, rustling the leaves, with the occasional one drifting softly to the ground like a butterfly in graceful dance. The entire forest brimmed with serenity and harmony.

“Ow-ow!”

“Roar-roar!”

Parker and Avery’s plump pet bear cub frolicked nearby, tumbling into piles of fallen leaves, sending the foliage scattering in every direction.

Lynch stood at the forest’s center, assessing the results of his recent advancement.

Spirit: 302.8.

Compared to when he had newly stepped into the ranks of mid-level wizards, his spirit had increased by over eighty points, breaking past the 300 barrier.

During his apprentice period, Lynch had rarely used magic, mostly to conserve spiritual power. With only a few dozen points of spiritual power, any negligence could result in its swift depletion. However, after advancing to wizard, such concerns had gradually faded. With over 300 points of spiritual power… casting apprentice-level spells endlessly would now barely cause fatigue…

Within his Spiritual Sea, the former Spirit Vortex had completely vanished. The once mist-like and liquid spiritual power that floated there was no longer to be seen. In their place now resided a thumb-sized rhombus-shaped crystalline structure.

This was the culmination of Lynch’s many years on the Wizard’s Road, the tangible result of his spiritual journey, and also the most prominent hallmark of a high-level wizard:

Spirit Crystal, also known as a Spiritual Gem.

“This sensation…”

In his Spiritual Sea, Lynch observed the Spiritual Gem. The feeling it brought was strikingly different from before. Previously, no matter how much spiritual power accumulated in the Spirit Vortex, once it was consumed, it required rest or specific materials for recovery.

However, the newly formed Spiritual Gem seemed to release spiritual power continuously, replenishing consumed power slowly but steadily.

“This feels somewhat reminiscent of the Wise Man’s Stone…” Lynch touched his chin thoughtfully.

Over the years, Lynch had been studying the replica of the Wise Man’s Stone he had brought back from the Magic Energy Research Institute. At this moment, the ceaselessly regenerating Spiritual Gem evoked a sense of déjà vu—it was remarkably similar to the properties of the Wise Man’s Stone.

That Wise Man’s Stone also had the capability to automatically regenerate spiritual power…

“I’ll study it thoroughly later.”

Shaking his head, Lynch reeled in his wandering thoughts. After examining his spiritual power, his attention turned to his progress in spells.

Within the first stone gate of the Time Hut, he had finished reading all the books. With the accumulation of knowledge, the Time Wheel spell significantly improved, now reaching the peak of the First Ring—just one step away from advancing to the next ring.

[Time Wheel (First Ring) max]

As Time Wheel improved, Lynch experienced immense progress in spell capabilities.

First came Time Suspension.

When he had first advanced to wizard, the force field from this spell only encompassed a few dozen meters, with an energy conversion ratio barely reaching 1.

Now, however, Lynch could extend the force field over a 300-meter diameter, freezing time within this range. The total energy output had reached 512 degrees, with a spiritual power ratio surpassing 3.

This was the inherent superiority of Lifebound Magic.

For conventional spells, no matter how refined or sophisticated the model was, its power output was fixed. Once the skill level was maxed out, the energy output remained constant, unaffected by the caster’s strength.

The spells Lynch had learned during his apprentice period retained their original power—they were no more potent now than they were back then. To enhance them, they would have to be integrated with wizard-level knowledge to elevate them into ring-level spells.

Lifebound Magic, however, was different. It evolved alongside the caster’s strength, tied intrinsically to their growth, brimming with infinite potential and possibilities.

Returning to the topic of spells—

Besides Time Suspension, the peak-level First Ring Time Wheel had also unlocked two new Time Magic spells: Time Acceleration and Time Deceleration, both belonging to the school of opposing rules.

The former, an advanced version of what was learned during the apprentice period, endowed a target with a state in which their time gained a boost.

What does such a time boost entail?

Simply put, a book that would typically take two hours to read could be finished in one hour under this effect. All activities—walking, eating, sleeping—would require less time.

In combat scenarios, this would accelerate spell-casting speed, especially for spellcasting-focused magic, significantly reducing the time needed to chant incantations.

Conversely, Time Deceleration was the exact opposite of Time Acceleration. It placed a state on the target, causing their movements and actions to slow.

Like now—

Lynch cast Time Acceleration on a forest fairy gathering nectar. A phantom image of a twisted clock with rapidly spinning hands flickered above the fairy’s head. Immediately, her movements became a blur of speed: she flew from her nest with a basket, bypassed her peers, and arrived at a flower bud in an instant.

Gathering nectar, opening petals, and filling her basket with scoop after scoop—her actions were so swift they left afterimages. By the time she returned to her nest with a full basket, her companions hadn’t even reached the flower bud…

But just as the forest fairy was about to reach the nest, Lynch cast Time Deceleration on her. An identical clock phantom appeared above her, but this time the hands moved sluggishly.

With the clock slowing down, the fairy’s movements became tortoise-like. Each flap of her wings, each gesture of her hand, all turned stiff and lethargic. What should have been just a few steps to her nest felt endless, as her nectar-gathering peers leisurely caught up while she was still crawling toward her destination…

“Fascinating.”

Lynch smirked. While he had experimented with similar apprentice-level spells in the past, their energy output was limited to mere dozens of degrees, and they could only affect himself, making the experience underwhelming.

Now, things were different.

These spells had the same Spiritual Field coverage as Time Suspension—everything within a 300-meter radius was subject to time manipulation. All living beings’ time was within his grasp.

He could accelerate their time, slow it down, or even bring it to a complete halt.

Just like this moment.

“Snap!”

Lynch snapped his fingers, expanding the Time Force Field outward. In an instant, this piece of the forest froze.

Falling leaves lingered midair; Parker and the bear cub halted in their play; the flitting forest fairy froze in place, wings suspended mid-flap; spilled nectar droplets hung stationary in mid-flight; even the sunlight piercing through the canopy seemed to solidify.

“This sensation…”

Lynch clenched his fist, gazing at the world he had stilled. A peculiar feeling surged within him, as though all things were under his dominion, akin to the legendary…

“God…”

“Like a god.”

…

By the time Lynch returned from the Fairy Forest, it was already evening. Walking along the pathway home, he was daydreaming about discussing the newly mastered spells with Avery once she returned.

Back on Earth, Lynch had been fascinated by certain time-stopping films. After settling down with Avery, he had even cast the spell himself to experience a real-life version of those films.

The effect was… fantastic, to the point where Avery had once angrily called him a pervert…

A pervert he might be, but it did add a touch of fun to their relationship. Now that he had Time Acceleration and Deceleration, incorporating them promised to yield even more interesting results. Just imagining the possibilities made him chuckle…

“Flap-flap!” Just as Lynch’s thoughts wandered, the sound of wings flapping echoed from ahead.

A raven flew in from the distance, circling before landing gracefully in front of Lynch.

“Mr. Lynch Valen, you have a registered letter.”

“Thank you.”

“No need to thank me; serving you is my honor.” The raven bowed elegantly, then flapped its wings and departed.

Lynch picked up the letter.

The letter was sent from the Human World, bearing the seal of the Bayn family. Evidently, it was from his hometown, Frost Cold Town.

He opened the letter and began to read.

Immediately,

his brows furrowed, and the cheerfulness faded from his face.

“Whoosh!”

A gust of autumn wind swept past, lifting fallen leaves into the air.

Lynch tilted his head back, staring at the swirling dead leaves in the sky. Despite his status as a Great Knight, he inexplicably felt a chill that made him tighten his cloak.

The letter was from Baron Bayne, and its contents were succinct. It informed him:

Knight Gerald Valen…

was nearing the end.

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