Vlad's legs burned as he ran. The strange power within him was both exhilarating and terrifying.
He had just become a wizard, but the magic within him was still shrouded in layers of ash. It wasn't visible, yet he could see it, situated in a dark void that seemed to contain existences that couldn't wait to come in contact with the power shrouded by those ashen layers.
This must be the madness brought by the Defiled, he thought, his mind drifting for a moment before he collected himself. I can't continue like this.
Involuntarily, he thought of the wishing system. The ever-illustrious golden scroll appeared before him, with the following words displayed on it:
.
[Host]
[Name: Vlad Rabiut Herak]
[Lineage: Witchcraft Lineage]
[Magic Rank: Baron Rank]
[Age: 21 Years]
[Wish(%): 0%]
.
Gambling on a thought that sprouted in the midst of the chase, and after taking in the sight of the words on the golden scroll, Vlad knowingly tripped on a rock, hoping to fulfill the unspoken wish of one or more of his pursuers. As he headed toward the ground, he reflexively used his last bit of magic to stabilize himself with a gust of wind.
To his surprise, the golden scroll appeared before his eyes again.
[You have unlocked a hidden feature. Ninety percent of your wish bar has been filled.]
[You have received the title: The Wishing Star. Just like a wishing star that burns itself out in order to fulfill the wishes of others, you place yourself in danger to fulfill the wishes of others. Every wish you fulfill now generates twice the wish bars.]
YES!
Vlad grinned. The new title and its benefits could be a game-changer. But for now, he needed to survive. He could hear the sorcerers closing in, their spells disrupting the quietness of the wasteland.
To give up something even when one didn't expect to receive it isn't so easy.
Having to make a choice between leveling the wishing system or wishing for a chance to escape, he hesitated as the scene of his bedridden mother flashed through his mind.
Closing his eyes to fight back the pain, he muttered, "Wait a while longer, Mom. It won't be long now."
Calling out the wishing system by thinking about it, he made a wish. "I wish to escape from my pursuers!"
[The host's wish is too versatile for my level. The host should be a bit more specific, or grant me the authority to operate automatically.]
"That's also a problem?" First time encountering such a situation, Vlad was thrown off for a brief moment before comprehending the system's words. Keeping the limit of the system's level in mind, he made his wish. "I wish to have the escaping speed of a viscount-level magical wizard."
[Your wish is granted!]
Twenty percent of his wish bar faded away in response to the success of his wish. Vlad's legs were swept away by a heavy gust of wind, sending him streaking through the air and further away from his pursuers.
"How the hell?!" Seeing the sudden increase in their target's speed, the sorcerers chasing Vlad slowed down< shocked, confused, and at a loss as to the reason behind the change.
"Inform the commander that the trespasser is a viscount-level wizard and would require B-squad to hunt him down." Tasked with the leadership of C-squad, a young man with black hair tinged with a trace of purple looked behind him before giving out the order.
"Yes, sir!" Answering her team leader, one of the sorcerers of C-squad left the formation, retreating back to the camp to convey her leader's words.
Vlad struggled to breathe as his body ached, cuts appearing on his skin due to the friction created by his fast movement against the air.
I can't stop now, he fought against the pain thrashing around his body as he continued forward, the wind carrying him further and further from his pursuers.
The barren wasteland stretched out endlessly before him, a desolate landscape of rocks and twisted trees. Drawing on his knowledge of the historical shadow of the terrain, Vlad moved quickly and stealthily, using every trick he knew to falsify his tracks and create diversions.
After a while, he glanced over his shoulder. Relief washed over him as he saw the sorcerers diminishing in the distance.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Vlad slowed to a halt. He bent over, hands on his knees, struggling to catch his breath. Calling forth the system, he glanced at the sixty percent wish bars remaining before making a wish.
"I wish to recover to my peak state!"
[The host's wish is granted.]
The wishing system's tone was without emotion as it fulfilled Vlad's wish at the cost of ten percent of his wish bar.
"Woah!" Feeling the massive change happening in and out of his body, Vlad felt amazing. "I feel better than I've ever been."
Flexing his body, he enjoyed its fluidity as he looked around. "I think I'm lost."
"System, I wish for a map of the terrain." No longer reserved in spending his wish bars, he requested.
Restrained to the level of a viscount-level magical practitioner, the map brought into existence by the system only covered a range of two hundred square meters.
"I have no records of any of these terrains." Going through the map that cost him five percent of his wish bars, he strolled forward, hoping to reach the edge of the map before getting a new one.
Looking up after walking a significant distance, he noticed someone sitting on a rock a short distance away. The figure was wrapped in a dark cloak, the hood pulled low, and their face obscured by a cloth, revealing only eyes that seemed relaxed and enjoying the quietness of the terrain.
.
Hearing the sound of footsteps coming from their left, the hooded figure no longer looked relaxed. Raising their guard, their expression went from wariness to confusion, then back to wariness.
"Who are you?" a voice, muffled by the cloth, demanded. The tone was sharp and suspicious.
Vlad opened his mouth to respond, but before he could utter a word, the ground beneath him trembled. He stumbled backward, eyes widening as the earth cracked open.
From the fissure emerged a massive scorpion, its carapace glistening under the pale sunlight. The creature was enormous, its pincers snapping menacingly, and its tail arching over its back, poised to strike.
The scorpion let out a strange, reverberating sound, a mix between a hiss and a rumble. The noise seemed to have a peculiar effect on the cloaked individual. Their eyes widened, and without a moment's hesitation, they leaped onto the back of the scorpion, grasping the segmented body with practiced ease.
"Wait!" Vlad shouted, but his voice was lost in the chaos.
The scorpion, with the cloaked figure astride it, began to burrow back into the earth. The ground shifted and bucked, swallowing the creature and its rider as quickly as it had appeared. In moments, they were gone, leaving Vlad standing alone, bewildered and more determined than ever to know who the cloaked figure was.
Shaking off his confusion, Vlad knew he had no time to waste. He needed to make an immediate move in order to keep on the trail of the massive scorpion.
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