The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 329: Volume 5: Lord’s Path - 14: Insights

Chapter 329: Volume 5: Lord’s Path Chapter 14: Insights

Entering the Caucasus Territory, the climate gradually warmed up, which made Komer even more nostalgic for life in the Caucasus. Although he hadn’t spent a long time in the Caucasus, Komer found that deep in his heart, he had unconsciously come to regard the remote and desolate town of Ugru as his home, a place where his roots lay. Whether in Jazair or Versailles, whether on the road or waking from a dream, Komer often found himself subconsciously imagining what the Caucasus might look like now, what Puber, Ilot, Hesse, and Baoling were doing, and whether there had been any new changes in the Caucasus Territory during his absence. He found this change in his mentality peculiar.

As a shooting star streaked across the darkened sky, Komer lay on his back next to the campfire, gazing blankly at the heavens. The flickering light of the fire cast a faint rosy hue upon Komer’s pale face. Although Darman Pass now had a dozen or so households, Komer preferred not to stay with any of the farmers; he liked to linger in the wilderness like this, savoring the essence of his territory, which allowed him to calm his mind and reminisce about many things.

Ilot, following the army’s marching traditions, assigned guard duty to groups of three soldiers each, forming small squads. From a distance, the vague silhouettes of Half-beast soldiers could be seen lurking in the bushes. The triangular defensive system, designed by Ilot and Baoling, was perfectly suited for a small troop’s marching rest. In fact, Half-beasts were not suited for guard duty; although their night vision was even better than that of Mortals, their thick nerves made it easy for them to overlook signs of an enemy attack. However, among the new batch of more than a hundred soldiers, the ranks were almost entirely comprised of Half-beasts, and training them to become scouts and archers was proving to be a highly challenging task.

To make up for the shortage of archers, Baoling and Ilot also came up with an alternative plan, which was to select a group of Half-beast warriors with good arm strength to act as throwers, taking the place of archers. This was an inspiration that struck Baoling after noticing the exceptional physical qualities of the Half-beasts and recalling the spontaneous bursts of strength exhibited by Beastman armies he had directly engaged with before. Equipped with ten short javelins of only one and a half meters in length and five small throwing axes, the newly-formed Half-beast throwers could launch an attack before the enemy infantry attacked their own sword-and-shield men and long spear wielders. While not having the range of archers, the sheer attack power of these throwers even surpassed that of archers. Both heavily armored infantry and cavalry would find it difficult to avoid casualties under their assault, but of course, this required the throwers to undergo extensive training to reach that level of proficiency.

Komer was fully informed about the various changes in the territory through Ilot. The enthusiastic work of Puber and Neptune, as well as the training efforts of Hesse’s Old Chen, deeply impressed Komer. It appeared that as long as you chose the right people and understood their thoughts and temperaments, many seemingly unremarkable individuals could often exhibit unexpected capabilities.

The large-scale formation of the Guard also eased Komer’s mind, as this had always been one of his concerns. The influx of more than a hundred thousand people would inevitably lead to many unforeseen conflicts. Some of these conflicts, if they escalated to a point where they could not be resolved by other means, would necessitate a display of martial power. Especially in such a border wilderness, where one cannot rely on others, establishing an absolutely loyal armed force was naturally a top priority.

It seemed that Puber had also recognized this need, but a hundred or more people were far from enough. According to Komer’s thinking, the Guard should be expanded to around five hundred people before the arrival of the immigrants. Although the current group of Half-beast warriors might not yet be noteworthy in terms of actual combat ability, to the incoming immigrants, the formidable physique and fearsome appearance of the Half-beasts would be enough to instill fear. Fear, after all, is often one of the best psychological foundations for establishing authority. Komer had already made up his mind that upon his return, he would immediately recruit another batch of Half-beast soldiers, so the immigrants would witness the impressive martial power of the Caucasus upon their arrival, leaving an intimidating and shocking impression, which would greatly benefit the implementation of his policies in the future.

After experiencing that nightmare, Komer found that his Dark Magic Force had greatly improved, particularly with the mysterious Kennifer III from the nightmare, who had instructed him how to digest and absorb the Magic power contained within the Dark Magic Crystal he had left behind. Komer found it much easier to absorb the Magic power from the crystal after this. He could clearly notice that every time he carried the Magic Crystal close to his body and engaged in meditation, the color of the crystal would change slightly. The originally dark crystal surface gradually became lighter, significantly paler than the color it had when he first obtained it.

And Komer himself could clearly feel the ripple of Dark Magic within his body, a surge of power that sometimes even frightened him, for he feared that after gaining this magic not acquired through his own Cultivation, coupled with inheriting the memories of numerous spells from the Dark Empire Emperor, he would often involuntarily cast high-level spells when facing danger or adversity. If the spells he cast exceeded the Magic power he could control, the fierce Magic power rebound could instantly consume his sanity.

To fully utilize the Magic that was not originally his own, there were no shortcuts; it required constant meditation to enhance his mental control, enabling him to truly harness and master this heavenly gift. Just like a penniless beggar who suddenly comes into vast wealth, he wouldn’t know how to use this fortune, while the outside world’s chaotic temptations constantly lure him, possibly plunging him into hell at any moment. Only through unending learning and adaptation could he gradually fit into this world and finally integrate utterly. Komer could only truly make this Magic his own by enhancing his mental control through learning and Cultivation to a level that matched the Dark Magic he possessed, integrating it into his being.

However, the strong dark aura of the overly rich Dark Magic also caused Komer much distress; hiding such a powerful magical aura was somewhat difficult at present, despite his best efforts to convert some of the Dark Magic into Elemental Magic or even sacred mana, hoping to strengthen it to cover the excessively obvious dark aura. This approach did yield some results. Using the sacred attributes of some Magic items, Komer even managed to deceive Mage Mundell at Duke Zellin’s Banquet, but it seemed that the guy called Rebry sensed something amiss. Since the man didn’t point it out at the time, it meant there was still room for negotiation. Komer didn’t make any promises to him other than implying that everything could be discussed after he came to the Caucasus Territory.

The abundant surge of Magic power in his body allowed Komer to truly experience the potent strength of being a Mage. An ultimate Fire Magic— "Flame Dragon Burning City," Komer could cast it within a few breaths simply by chanting the spell silently, turning the ground within a thirty-foot radius into a sea of flames instantaneously. Fire Magic was the Elemental Magic Komer mastered most proficiently, probably because Kennifer III was also an expert in Fire Elemental Magic. Komer’s interest in Dark Magic grew stronger, and though Kennifer III seemed to disdain Undead Magic, Komer, who understood things in a broader context, was even more intrigued by this seemingly gloomy and filthy offshoot of Magic than Dark Magic itself. In Komer’s eyes, only Magic that could fully serve his purposes was of any use. The showiest or grandest spells weren’t worth much if they didn’t bring tangible benefits, not even as much as a small, useful Fireball technique.

Seeing Komer in a trance, lying on the grass gazing at the sky, Ilot, who had been tending the fire, finally found a topic to broach, "Boss, the aura of Magic power on you seems to be growing stronger. I have a feeling that you’ve undergone some change this past month. Could it be that you’re a Magic genius, improving every moment?"

"Ilot, there are no such things as geniuses in this world. Maybe some people are more talented in certain areas, and if they can make the most of their strengths and work hard, they can achieve something significant, turning into what people consider a genius," Komer replied with a faint smile after being pulled from his contemplation. He could tell his friend was a bit frustrated, probably because he wasn’t satisfied with his progress in Martial arts, hence the remark.

"But no matter how hard I try, my Fighting Qi can only stay at this lowest level and won’t improve. Despite practicing day and night these past few months, I haven’t made a bit of progress. Why don’t my efforts pay off? When I look at those Thunderhorse Knights and those mysterious Fallen Knights, every one of them is several levels stronger than me. If I were to face them, I fear I would stand no chance. They’re not much older than me, so why can they reach such a level?" Ilot gently drew his heavy sword from its sheath and ran his fingertips along the blade, his face full of dejection.

"Ilot, although I’m not particularly interested in Martial arts, I know that besides diligent practice, what matters in advancing is realizing the essence of Martial Dao. Once you grasp the essence of Martial Dao at a higher level, you can break through the plateau you encounter during training and reach a new plateau. To truly understand the essence of each level of Martial Dao, you need to find inspiration through constant training and actual combat. That is the real secret of pursuing the ultimate Martial Dao," spilled out of Komer intuitively as his thoughts flowed, leaving even Komer uncertain how he came to say such words—it was as if they were hidden in his mind for a long time. Komer knew it was another fragment of Kennifer III’s memories leaving its mark in his mind. From Ilot’s shocked yet enlightened expression, Komer could tell the impact his words had made.