Chapter 976 - The Dark Archmage Legacy
It took Han Wu a good while to process the Dark Archmage’s words.
“Inherit your legacy? Does that mean your fines? Your greed? Or this tree-house library of yours?” Han Wu asked without a shred of courtesy.
Dark Archmage Cage felt a twinge of embarrassment. He had been overzealous in managing the Full Moon Library, which had led to high reading fees and aggressive fines. However, this was all to keep the library running.
Every White Soul Coin collected from reading fees and fines had gone directly into maintaining and expanding the Full Moon Library. He had never touched a single coin for personal use.
“Ahem. What I mean, of course, is inheriting my Form,” Dark Archmage Cage clarified.
Han Wu stared at the man, draped head to toe in black, and shook his head. “Not interested.”
Dark Archmage Cage was at a loss for words. He was the director of the Full Moon Library. How could Han Wu have so little regard for him?
“Ahem. Young man, don’t you want to know the Full Moon Library’s secret?” Dark Archmage Cage gently prompted, hoping to spark Han Wu’s curiosity.
“Not really,” Han Wu replied, his eyes on the Word-Eater skeletons he had summoned. He planned to Merge them into a single powerful flying skeleton to add aerial combat power to his army.
“Young man, I actually know why you’re here,” Dark Archmage Cage said, lowering his voice. “The moment I saw you, I knew you were looking for that Fire Great Dragon’s mother. Am I wrong? I have some leads on that.”
This got Han Wu’s attention. Taking on a more respectful tone, he said, “Then please share, Director Cage. Which faction took that dragon?”
“Accept my legacy, and I’ll tell you,” Dark Archmage Cage said.
Han Wu’s brow furrowed. Something was off. Nobody just went around pushing their legacy onto a stranger. There were only two explanations for why Cage was so eager to hand it over. Either he was near death and needed a successor, or the legacy had a severe drawback, and passing it on was equivalent to passing on a curse.
Cage looked healthy enough to live another thirty or forty years, so Han Wu ruled out the first possibility.
“I’ll pass. I can find the leads on my own,” Han Wu declined.
With that, he turned to Merge his Word-Eater skeletons, planning to leave for the Fire Worship Cult immediately after.
Meanwhile, Dark Archmage Cage’s expression darkened. This young man was far too cautious. It had taken him ages to find a suitable candidate. There was no telling how many more years he’d have to wait if he let Han Wu go.
“Young man, I’m offering you this legacy because I see your potential and your strong will. Don’t be ungrateful. We’re both cultured people with a love of books. Don’t make me use force,” Dark Archmage Cage warned, tone hardening.
Han Wu’s expression turned serious as well. “There are plenty of people here. I’m sure someone else is a better fit for your legacy. Try them. I’m not interested.”
“No. Only you can inherit it,” Dark Archmage Cage insisted, activating his power again to expel everyone else from the space, leaving only himself and Han Wu.
At that moment, Han Wu realized the space they were in resembled the Fine Rooms in the library. He stopped hiding his strength and summoned Esquiem, unleashing a barrage of fire in every direction.
Nothing happened. The space held firm.
Even the Desolation Manifestation could only sense the boundaries of the space, not locate an exit. It estimated that breaking free would require at least Microcosm-rank power, which Han Wu had yet to reach.
With no way out, Han Wu had no choice but to accept. Dark Archmage Cage was thrilled and insisted Han Wu wouldn’t regret it.
The legacy item was the black robe itself. When Han Wu touched it, the Desolation Manifestation scanned it and found that the legacy was indeed closer to a curse.
The Dark Archmage Form was the embodiment of darkness, and those carrying it were destined to walk alongside darkness forever. This Form also influenced and corrupted the bearer’s other Forms. Over time, it would taint the bearer’s heart, pushing them toward evil.
Only someone with an iron will or with a heart already steeped in darkness could inherit it. If the bearer reached the end of their life without passing the legacy on, the Dark Archmage Form would seize control of the bearer’s corpse and use it to wreak havoc on the world.
That was the real reason Dark Archmage Cage was so desperate to pass it on. After learning all of this, Han Wu’s resistance to the legacy actually faded. Walking alongside darkness? His most compatible attribute was darkness!
Besides his Third and Sixth Forms, Swordwind and Fire Dragon Knight, his other four Forms all had some connection to darkness. Han Wu actually felt a flicker of anticipation for the Dark Archmage Form.
Cage watched as Han Wu absorbed the Dark Archmage Form. It quickly fused with him and became his Seventh Form.
All six of Han Wu’s other Forms instantly reacted.
His First Form, Lone Wolf Warrior, and his Fifth Form, Jackal Deathsworn, were already linked. With the Seventh Form acting as a catalyst, the three triggered another extraordinary fusion, combining into a special Form called the Desert Reaper. The Desert Reaper united four powerful attributes, namely wolf, sand, darkness, and death. Once activated, every base stat would surge tenfold.
That wasn’t all. His Second Form, Swift Shadow, also underwent a special reaction with Dark Archmage and produced a new Form called Demon Shadow. While in Demon Shadow Form, Han Wu’s other stats would remain the same, but his speed would skyrocket by twenty times.
His Fourth Form, Crystal Lich, was pulled into the reaction as well, producing another new Form called Crystal Lich King. Skeletons summoned in this state would carry the darkness attribute, and Osteomancy would gain a dark corrosion property, massively boosting its attack power.
The two Forms with lower compatibility with darkness—his Third Form, Swordwind, and Sixth Form, Fire Dragon Knight—only received minor enhancements. No special Forms were produced from them.
Han Wu wasn’t satisfied with this. He had gone in with high expectations, but only three special Forms had come out of it. This was hardly enough to impress him.
The three special Forms each had their own strengths with little overlap, so Han Wu decided to go big and Merge the three new special Forms together.