“The next Grand Mage meeting is in two weeks, and I want you to come with me.”
Alex blinked at the sudden announcement, “Huh?”
He knew that there was some other reward besides those inside the [Reward Box] since there was a “???” in the quest’s rewards.
But still, Arceus’ words caught him off guard.
He had heard of the [Grand Mage Order], mainly because Arceus was a member, but he had never paid much attention to it.
From what he knew, the group consisted of every Grand Mage in the world, without exception.
The reason for that was that any mage who refused to join didn’t live long enough to regret it.
The Order held regular meetings where its members discussed magic, traded knowledge, and flaunted their latest breakthroughs.
And apparently, the next one was scheduled in two weeks.
“Why?” Alex asked, narrowing his eyes, “I’m not a Grand Mage.”
“Your spells alone are enough to be considered one,” Arceus smirked, “And from what I’ve seen, you’re already planning ways to get even stronger, aren’t you?”
Alex didn’t respond.
The way Arceus spoke, like he could see right through him, was unsettling.
“It doesn’t really matter,” the Grand Mage continued, shaking his head, “This next Grand Mage Order meeting will be the most important one yet.”
“They’re preparing to reveal new information, something about ‘world-changing events.'”
“That’s what they claimed, anyway.”
Alex’s eyes twitched as he heard that.
But despite his words, Arceus sounded skeptical.
He didn’t seem to care much about what the Order was planning, but even so, he wouldn’t ignore it. Stay updated with My Virtual Library Empire
“As a special rule, each Grand Mage is allowed to bring one person.”
Arceus smirked.
“Of course, most won’t.”
“We’re not the type to bring guests, solitude is a way of life for us, I mean except for servants like Artemis.”
“But that’s exactly why they’ll be shocked to see me bring someone…”
Alex remained silent through all those explanations and talking.
Because deep down, even though Arceus didn’t, he already had a very good idea of what that meeting would be about.
In less than two months, it would mark one year since [Universal Descent] had begun.
And that meant… the real-world invasion was coming.
The descent of the Gods and appearance of monsters would mark humanity’s changing point.
From there on, people would dash to enter [Universal Descent] and never leave it as the outside world was too dangerous.
But even then, Universal Descent would become much more dangerous than before, killing billions.
Only the strongest would survive, or those protected by others.
It wasn’t confirmed, but if the Grand Mage Order needed to personally inform its members about something, then it had to be related.
“So, come back in two weeks if you want in,” Arceus said, gripping his [Staff of the Moon Jade], “Otherwise, I’m going alone.”
Before Alex could respond, Arceus raised his staff and…
BOOM!
A sudden force yanked Alex off his feet.
The world around him blurred as magic flung him out of the [Mage Tower].
CRASH!
A few seconds later, he landed hard on the grassy plains outside, right where he had fought Arceus earlier.
Lying there for a second, Alex exhaled sharply before pushing himself up.
“Grand Mage Order…” He muttered, “This could be worth it.”
Not all Grand Mages were aligned with the gods, but plenty of them were.
After all, they were some of the strongest in Universal Descent, so aligning themselves with stronger beings was logical.
Plus, the Gods didn’t put any restrictions on them since they simply wanted to keep them in check.
If Alex wanted to eliminate every single supporter of the gods, then he’d have to take them down too.
This meeting could be a perfect opportunity.
At the very least, he would learn more about who they were, and how much of a threat they posed compared to Arceus.
His “teacher” was strong, but definitely not the strongest [Grand Mage].
But for now, he had more important matters to deal with.
The Angel King had asked him to return tomorrow for the requests, meaning he had some free time.
Only one thing left to do now: Teleport to the [Garden of Destiny] to speak with Kaelios.
However…
“Before that,” Alex muttered, clenching his fists.
There was something else.
Something he had been thinking about for a while.
His skills.
It was time to finally begin his plan to get stronger.
A Plan for Power
Step one?
Check everything he had.
Alex pulled up his skill panel, his eyes scanning through his list of abilities.
[Skills:]
[Fire Meteor (Max-Tier), Crimson Cataclysm (Max-Tier), Mountain Shatter (Max-Tier), Impenetrable Fortress (Max-Tier), Rain of Fire (Max-Tier), Fury of Thunder (Max-Tier), Heaven’s Chains (Max-Tier), Poison Resistance (Passive), Aura of Death (Undead Skill), Aura (Passive), Arc of Divinity (Max-Tier), Demonic Spear (Max-Tier), Zeus’ Storm (Max-Tier), All Elements Fox Summons (Max-Tier), Bleeding Dragon Claws (Max-Tier), Abyss Flames (Basic), Hatred’s Fury, Soul Flames (Basic), Divine Orbs (Basic), Healing Whispers (Basic), Celestial Judgment (Max-Tier)]
These were his current skills.
And he had big plans for them.
“I already figured out the first step,” he muttered, eyes glinting.
The moment he had acquired [Abyss Flames] from defeating Morgathis in the Abyss, a new idea had formed.
A way to combine his skills and create something far stronger.
And now, it was time to put that plan into action.
Alex took a deep breath.
And then—
“Synthesis.”
[Merging Skills…]
[Fire Meteor + Rain of Fire + Abyss Flames + Soul Flames = ???]
It worked.
It actually worked.
A grin spread across Alex’s face.
“Holy shit.”
If he could combine these four fire-type skills into one, then he didn’t even need to waste Skill Points or Skill Evolution on them.
Those resources were reserved for his most powerful abilities.
With only two months left before the gods descended, every [Skill Evolution] had to be used wisely.
Ding!
[You have merged all your fire-type skills and created the Artifact++ Skill: [Flames of Oblivion]]
Damn.
Even the name sounded insane.
[Flames of Oblivion (Max-Tier)]
[Description: A cataclysmic fire that transcends reality, merging abyssal destruction, divine wrath, and soul-consuming flames into one apocalyptic force.]
[Effect: Summons a colossal storm of annihilating fire, scorching a 1-kilometer radius with unquenchable flames that bypass all resistances.]
[Damage: 3 billion + 5000% Spirit, with the flames consuming both body and soul, ensuring absolute erasure.]
[Mana Cost: 15,000,000; Cooldown: 20 minutes]
Alex exhaled sharply.
His equipment reduced the mana cost by half, lowering it to 7,500,000.
Even better?
Thanks to his upgraded [Grand Mage Hat], which was fused with the [Crown of Calamity], he could regenerate that amount in just 25 seconds.
Sure, 25 seconds was a lot in battle, but still, this skill was ridiculous.
Alex’s grin widened.
He was off to a great start.
And now… for the main event.
His gaze fell on the one item he had just acquired.
[Skill Creator Scroll (???)]
[Effect: Place between 5-10 skills inside this scroll to create a brand-new skill.]
[The more skills used, the stronger the result, potentially rivaling forbidden abilities.]
He already knew exactly what to do.
If he used 10 skills, then the resulting ability could easily be on the level of a [Forbidden Skill].
And that was exactly what he needed.
Taking a deep breath, Alex cracked his knuckles.
“Alright,” he muttered.
Time to create his third [Forbidden Skill].