Chapter 339: The Hero’s Transformation

"Sevia… Miss Sevia…"

"Beautiful Miss Sevia…!"

The cold wind howled.

It whipped up a biting waterfall of snow.

The two monsters seemed unaccustomed to their bodies.

Staggering and mangled, they displayed a savagery their original owners never possessed, roaring as they lunged at Sevia.

Every shout.

Every heavy step.

Made the Hero's body tremble.

"Sevia, are you alright?"

"Yes. I apologize for making such a selfish request, but please trust me."

"…Then, I'll leave it to you."

"Thank you, Lord Wizard."

Her five fingers tightly gripped the long silver blade.

She gripped it so hard.

That the blade would not stop vibrating.

Sevia Claufeel stepped forward, longsword in hand, and proactively walked toward those two hideous figures.

"I'm sorry, Grandpa Hansen, Grandma Mena."

"Please forgive me…"

As the distance closed.

The monsters' raspy voices became clearer; those were words the two elders often said to Sevia during their lives.

And now.

Every time Sevia heard them.

Her pace grew faster, and her steps grew heavier.

It was unforgivable—unforgivable that such kind and amiable elders could not even find peace in death.

Grief mingled with the flames of anger.

It completely incinerated everything else.

"I will not… allow you… to continue desecrating the deceased!!"

The blade gleamed, flashing with a sharp edge.

The Undead Hero had once personally ended her parents' suffering; that kind of sorrow would never dissipate, no matter how much time passed.

Xu Xi had considered this.

Which was why he had wanted to intervene directly.

However, the Hero was unwilling; she refused to run away from the expectations of the deceased.

She could not bear to see the elders' remains desecrated while choosing to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear. Rage swelled in her heart, eventually converging entirely upon her blade.

Why? Why was this world so full of suffering? Why must even the smallest bit of happiness be crushed?

Just why?!

First-Ring Spell: Death Qi Reinforcement.

First-Ring Spell: Bone Lightening.

First-Ring Spell: Strength and Speed Augmentation.

First-Ring Spell: Sharpness Enhancement.

First-Ring Spell: Wizard's Hand.

First-Ring Spell: Soul Glimmer.

In this moment.

Sevia cast aside all thought, releasing her spells to their maximum limit to coat her blade.

She charged like a streak of light.

Striking and brilliant.

*Slash!* A lingering trail of light was carved into the gloomy world.

The wind and snow seemed to freeze.

Only the blade continued forward.

Amidst intense grief, she used a violent momentum to slash and destroy the two newborn undead monsters.

This was only natural.

Living Corpses born from the desecration of the deceased's remains were weaker than ordinary skeletons; they couldn't possibly be stronger than the First-Ring Sevia.

But as the sword-light faded.

Sevia likewise collapsed to the ground.

She could no longer hold the hilt, having lost all strength; her Soul Fire was in disarray from the emotional impact.

"Sevia," someone approached, supporting the Undead Hero with both hands.

The string of her reason finally snapped.

Her fragmented face twisted into a mask of broken sorrow.

The Hero sobbed until she choked, throwing herself into the only embrace she could rely on, wailing at the top of her lungs to release all the suppressed grief in her heart.

Xu Xi's eyes lowered as he gently patted Sevia's back.

He comforted the grieving Hero in this manner.

…

[As you were about to restart your journey, you encountered a special event.]

[Even though their Souls had flown to the Netherworld, the remains of The Hansens still turned undead, becoming Living Corpses that desecrated their own bodies.]

[You realize that the speed of the world's destruction has accelerated.]

[More deathly aura.]

[More distorted Laws of the world.]

[From now on, the Wizard World will become increasingly malformed until it is completely swallowed by the Netherworld.]

[Sevia, who personally slew the Living Corpses, cries sorrowfully in your arms; even without a normal body, that grief is still clearly visible.]

[Since Sevia has exhausted all her strength, you can only carry her and gently place her on the back of the Netherfire Crow.]

[As you leave the high mountain,]

[The sound of the wind wails in your ears.]

[Rising and falling, it sounds like the gentle whispers of the elders, bidding farewell and thanking the travelers who are about to depart for distant lands.]

…

[Three days after leaving, Sevia emerges from her weakened state. The previous battle seems to have been the final push for her Breakthrough.]

[She breaks through to Second-Ring Wizard in an instant.]

[Having ascended to the Second-Ring Realm, Sevia now possesses the possibility of becoming even stronger.]

[But she shows no joy, merely sitting beside you in silence for a very, very long time.]

"Sevia, are you not happy?"

"Lord Wizard, I…"

Facing Xu Xi's inquiry.

The undead girl shook her head dejectedly.

The Netherfire Crow flew at high speeds, racing across plains and mountains. Each flap of its wings stirred up even more turbulent wind and snow.

It scattered ghostly blue Netherfire along the way.

Like meteors, they flashed and vanished.

…

[You can see the girl's low spirits.]

[You inform Sevia that the monsters she slew were not the real Hansens, but merely undead that had forcibly occupied their remains and been reborn from them.]

[Although destroying the two elders' remains was necessary to eliminate the monsters,]

[Only by doing so could they be put to rest.]

[After hearing your guidance, the Hero is deeply moved and emerges from her depressed state.]

"Thank you, Lord Wizard."

"I… I will no longer be lost!" Sevia looked down at her hands, seemingly making a decision as she gradually clenched them into fists.

[Seeing the Hero rally her spirits, you nod with satisfaction, feeling that she is full of energy.]

[Your goal is clear.]

[You command the Netherfire Crow to fly toward the Plateau of the Gods.]

[That is the place where the gods gathered in ancient legends and the center of the Wizard World. You want to go there to observe and feel the invasion of the Netherworld up close.]

[At the same time, since you began your travels, you have explored many abandoned Wizard Towers.]

[You have gradually come to understand the construction structure of most Wizard Towers.]

[The Plateau of the Gods, located at the center of the world, gathers many more wizard factions. You feel you can obtain information there to perfect the final blueprint of your Wizard Tower.]

…

Flying.

Endless flying.

The vastness of the Wizard World far exceeded Xu Xi's estimates.

He was glad he had chosen to modify a Nether Raven, letting an untiring undead serve as his mount.

If not for that.

Long-distance travel would have been impossible.

"It is said that wizards of the Fourth-Ring and above possess the ability to interfere with space, using magic tools or special creatures to achieve effects similar to teleportation."

"Unfortunately, I have only just broken through to the Third-Ring."

"From being a Fourth-Ring Wizard…"

"There is still a long way to go."

Xu Xi calculated silently as he looked down at the earth from high above.

Dark, desolate, and silent.

Since the return of the Black Sun and Blood Moon.

The environment of the Wizard World had become even more eerie and terrifying. The peace people struggled to maintain shattered instantly before the surging waves of the undead.

Along the way, Xu Xi and Sevia had also intervened.

But it was futile.

In a world-scale disaster, no matter how much one helped, they could not save everyone.