A month later, Nina returned along with Yorkris, Yorkliana, Binhanson, and Robin.

In the love-filled small home of Nidhogg and Nina.

It is highly taboo to pry into other wizards' secrets, but as a couple, Nidhogg couldn't help but express concern when he saw a bandage exuding a life-like aura on Nina's back. "Since you have a mentor, why don't you focus on studying sorcery? Why take such dangerous adventures?"

Nina huffed, "Do you really think all wizards are like you, with wisdom, magic stones, and a good mentor? My mentor has twenty-two disciples. How much attention do you think she will pay to me? But fortunately, the ancient site my father mentioned, although risky, yielded considerable rewards this time."

Seeing Nina's face alight with excitement as she played with a golden key, Nidhogg could say no more and gently embraced Nina.

...

When Mentor Peran Ornos returned from the Seventh Ring Holy Tower, three humanoid creatures with vacant expressions appeared before Nidhogg.

Among these three humanoid creatures, two were clearly of the same race, each over 1.9 meters tall, with very slender and beautiful appearances. They wore no clothing, and Nidhogg could discern that one was male and the other female.

Circling these beautiful humanoid creatures twice, Nidhogg noticed their most significant difference from humans was their ears, which were rabbit-like. They had no navels and six fingers on each hand, with five knuckles per finger, appearing far more dexterous than human fingers.

"These experimental subjects have been marked by the Seventh Ring Holy Tower, so you can use them without fear of being accused as a black wizard. I've simply sealed their mental waves, which you can unseal if needed for your experiments," said Peran Ornos, sitting in a chair and communicating with others through his crystal ball.

"Oh, understood."

After a brief response, Nidhogg turned his attention to the third humanoid creature.

This was a female being, but no matter how hard Nidhogg looked, he couldn't see how she differed from humans, prompting him to ask Peran Ornos.

"Oh, she's a demihuman, a unique species from conquered worlds. You know, many low-level wizards can't restrain their primal desires, often resulting in new species with local beings. We collectively call these new hybrids of wizards and interworld creatures 'demihumans'," Peran Ornos explained calmly.

"Demihumans?" Nidhogg asked in shock, "Do these demihumans also have no right to survive in their worlds?"

"Hmph, did you think wizards conquer other worlds to spread knowledge and love? Naïve! The reason wizards conquer other worlds is simple: to plunder everything necessary, a hallmark of powerful civilizations. If one day wizard civilization declines, the fate of those weaker civilizations will be ours tomorrow," Peran Ornos spoke with a hint of ruthlessness, reflecting a harsh wizard reality.

Pausing, Peran Ornos gestured to the demihuman woman, "Dissect her organs, and you'll find significant physiological differences from humans despite her outward appearance."

Nidhogg, however, did not actually proceed to dissect the demihuman and instead abruptly asked, "Mentor, could you explain the powers within the wizarding world?"

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

Peran Ornos cast a surprised glance at Nidhogg, saying, "You have quite the ambition, hmph. I'll casually tell you. The infinite worlds are broadly divided into three levels of power: small worlds, great worlds, and civilized worlds. Small worlds typically lack powerful beings. A few level-four or five sorcerer-level creatures are their pinnacle. Such weak worlds must fully hide their world coordinates and rely on their world's strength to resist invasions. Most infinite worlds fall into this category."

Nidhogg nodded, "And the great worlds?"

"In great worlds, there is usually at least one being with the combat power of a level-seven sorcerer. These worlds have unique rules, making invasion difficult, and they are the initial forms of civilized worlds. Within the wizard civilization's domain, two such great worlds have a symbiotic pact with the wizard civilization, providing resources as long as we don't invade their worlds," Peran Ornos continued.

"And civilized worlds?" Nidhogg eagerly asked.

"Every civilized world has conquered at least one great world, extending its considerable influence. Surrounding worlds have gravitonic affinity toward them. Civilized worlds inherently follow a trajectory of aggressive expansion."

Peran Ornos seemed lost in thought, his tone heavy with reflection as he said, "Since the birth of ancient wizard civilization, we've only encountered two civilized worlds, each resulting in a monumental war lasting hundreds or thousands of years, driven by the invasive nature of these worlds."

"Two wars!" Nidhogg's breath quickened, "Did the wizard civilization win both?"

"Hmph, at least we didn't lose, or you'd be enslaved by alien civilizations. We won the first ancient war to such an extent that written records are unclear, only noting a small world nearby was shattered into spatial fragments and attached to our borders. The second war is better documented. The wizard world was at an absolute disadvantage, the enemy breached our defenses and expanded into the vast underworld below the wizard continent. The wizard world was down to just the continent, with conquered small and great worlds entirely fallen, marking the closest the wizard civilization ever came to extinction."

Nidhogg's eyes widened in horror, "How did the wizard world defeat the enemy?"

"Defeat?" Peran Ornos shook his head slowly, "No, it was impossible to defeat them. The wizard world, stronger than ever post-first war, still saw no hope because the enemy was overwhelmingly powerful."

Seeing Nidhogg's eyes flash with shock, Peran Ornos spoke with sorrow, "Desperately, a great true spirit wizard used a super sorcery beyond imagination, sacrificing life, using the wizard world's accumulated vast energy crystals to power the 'Fate Lever' magic array, relocating the wizard world to its current coordinates!"

"Re... Relocated the entire wizard world!"

Nidhogg was so overwhelmed that he stuttered, his eyes filled with disbelief akin to idiocy.

"Don't doubt it; it's true. The foreign civilization in the wizard continent’s underworld lost support and was eventually erased in prolonged warfare, giving rise to the new body refinement system. Our wizard world in the infinite worlds we conquered is, frankly, an outsider. The top wizards' agenda is singular: to continually strengthen the wizard world, reclaim all lost to it along the long-remembered legacy coordinates."

Finishing, Peran Ornos gazed beyond the Black Tower, wistfully saying, "The great true spirit wizard who sacrificed to save the wizard world left a final sentence immortalized beside every wizard tower today."

"Give me endless knowledge, and I will use myself as a fulcrum to move the infinite worlds..." Nidhogg murmured involuntarily.

"Oh? Surprised you noticed. I thought only those aware of the real story like us old fools would recognize it, haha..." Upon hearing Nidhogg recite the ancient wisdom syllogism, Peran Ornos's ugly ball-like face broke into a 'grinning' smile, appearing quite satisfied.

Nidhogg inhaled deeply, saying, "I never realized the weight behind those words."

Simultaneously, Nidhogg recalled his insight from that night.

Once, he thought it was a confident, bold declaration, but after that night, he realized it might be a hopeless lament. Considering the circumstances, that great wizard’s dying words to save the wizard world...

Nidhogg felt an inexplicable hatred stirring within.

Watching Nidhogg’s hateful expression, Peran Ornos felt a melancholic yet hopeful sigh escape.

So much like I once was.

Grow quickly, because... the wizard civilization may soon face a new "great war."

Although that civilization is known only through vague information learned from other world beings, and though distant, the mutual drive to conquer ensures this distance will collapse, turning a future confrontation into reality.