Chapter 28: Meditation Method— Sweet Corridor
Levi sat cross-legged, his breathing gradually blending into the stillness around him.
His consciousness, like a wisp of smoke, entered a mysterious mental space.
Before his eyes, a long corridor stretched into the void. Along both walls were embedded soft-glowing orbs, each one radiating a gentle sweetness, as if melted honey were quietly flowing within them.
The pillars of the corridor were stacked from gingerbread, the vaulted ceiling hung with constellations made of frosting, and the floor was paved with luminous sugar tiles. Each tile reflected a real memory, and within every memory, there was a different Levi.
As Levi's thoughts subtly fluctuated, ripples spread through his mind, and the orbs flickered in response, pouring warmth and tranquility into his perception.
With each orb that sank into the floor tiles, Levi felt a stream of pure sweetness flow into his mind. Stray thoughts were washed away like dust. His spirit unfolded within that sweetness, like vines climbing a sunlit wall, rising higher and higher.
Under these conditions, the corridor itself slowly extended deeper into the void.
Levi's Spiritual Power also increased steadily along with it.
This was the effect of the Candy House meditation method — "Sweet Corridor."
As expected of a high-tier meditation method.
After practicing it, Levi quickly received feedback.
[You have completed one meditation session. Meditation Method EXP +1. Current EXP: 1/100.]
[You have completed one meditation session. Your Spiritual Power has increased by 0.3.] [Current Spiritual Power: 18.8.]
When Levi opened his eyes again, several hours had already passed.
It was his first time practicing this meditation method, and the results were quite impressive—his Spiritual Power had increased by 0.3 in one go.
However, such an effect would only occur the first time.
From now on, the rate of Spiritual Power growth would clearly decrease and stabilize.
Even so, compared to most other wizards, this speed of improvement was already astonishing.
That was because Levi's Spiritual Power foundation was already strong enough—his advancement process would encounter no bottlenecks and would remain exceptionally smooth.
Even so, Levi was not satisfied. He felt it was still too slow.
He wanted to reach the level of a Second-Ring Wizard as soon as possible.
That way, he would have a greater sense of security in the face of the Magic Mirror Queen's pursuit.
However, to become a Second-Ring Wizard, meeting the Spiritual Power requirement alone was not enough. The spell crystals within his Sea of Soul also had to reach the level of Second-Ring spells. Otherwise, he would never be able to break through to that realm.
Thus, Levi began once again the process of grinding his spell levels.
As his Magic Power was consumed, the spells he had mastered were cast again and again, turning into experience progress.
[You have cast Wizard's Hand once. EXP +1...]
…
[You have cast Gathering Technique once. EXP +1...]
…
[You have cast Detection once. EXP +1...]
...
As evening approached, the setting sun resembled the blood of a wounded soldier.
A green-eyed owl flew to the edge of Moonshadow Forest.
This was once the place where the Great Knight Corey and his team had perished.
Yet in just a few days, the forest had buried everything.
Only faint traces of dark blood remained.
The green-eyed owl's eyes emitted a green glow, sweeping across the area. The battle scene from that night reappeared within its vision.
As the green light faded, the images disappeared along with it.
The owl then spread its wings and flew toward the capital of the Kingdom of Francis at high speed.
Late at night.
Inside the chambers of the Magic Mirror Queen.
Her trusted lady-in-waiting, Triss, frowned slightly as she hurried over, interrupting Queen Cecilia de Medici, who was standing before the magic mirror.
"What is it?" The Queen's expression showed displeasure.
"A report just came in. Great Knight Corey and the team he led have all been wiped out after entering the Kingdom of Amtyr," Triss said with a grim expression.
"And Levi? Is Levi dead?" The Queen did not care about the life of a Great Knight and his twenty-some subordinates. She only cared about Levi—this little rat who knew her secret.
"No. Levi's whereabouts are currently unknown. There has also been no message from Margaret, the witch of the Candy House in Moonshadow Forest," Triss replied.
The Magic Mirror Queen fell silent for a moment. It seemed as though black flames flickered within her eyes.
She asked, "Who killed them?"
"It was a bird-type magical beast capable of casting shadow-based spells. Reynard Corey and his men had no ability to resist, and none were able to escape. They were completely annihilated," Triss reported truthfully.
The Magic Mirror Queen fell silent for an even longer time this time. She wanted to know whether that magical beast had a master or was ownerless.
For her, this was not difficult. As long as she was willing to pay a certain price—so long as she was willing to use today's Magic Mirror allowance on this question.
But in the end, the Magic Mirror Queen gave up.
Her gaze shifted to the mirror. Consuming a vast amount of Magic Power, she activated it.
"Mirror, mirror, tell me—who is the most beautiful woman in the world?"
"Queen, Queen, you are the most beautiful woman in the world." An invisible ripple swept across the entire world as the mirror replied.
Hearing this, a breathtaking smile appeared on the Queen's face.
If those knights were to see it, they would not hesitate to offer their lives for the Queen.
But soon, the smile faded.
She looked at the Magic Mirror once more.
Each activation of the Magic Mirror consumed an enormous amount of Magic Power.
Even with her abilities, she could not sustain its constant use.
(Note: There was a reason for this, tied to a certain secret that would be revealed later. The Detection Levi had copied was still different from the Magic Mirror.)
At present, two questions lay before the Magic Mirror Queen.
One was to investigate the origin of the bird-type magical beast that had killed Great Knight Reynard Corey and his team—whether another force had intervened, whether it was related to the Kingdom of Amtyr, or something else entirely…
The other was Levi's whereabouts.
If she asked both questions of the mirror, her Magic Power would be heavily drained today. Should an unexpected crisis arise, she would be in danger.
So after a moment of hesitation, she decided to ask about Levi's location.
With that thought, the Queen once again channeled her Magic Power.
"Mirror, mirror, tell me—what is Levi doing right now?"
Compared to the Detection Levi had copied—easy to use and providing comprehensive information—the Queen's use of the Magic Mirror was rigid and came at a heavy cost.
However, at this moment, neither Levi nor the Queen was aware of this difference.
An invisible ripple spread outward from the Magic Mirror, sweeping across the entire world in an instant.
"Queen, Queen, Levi is currently inside the Candy House in Moonshadow Forest, cultivating the Candy House meditation method."
The Queen's expression immediately turned as cold as an eternal glacier. Grinding her teeth, she spat out a name: "Margaret!"
"You dare defy my orders—and even teach Levi meditation."
"Levi… very well!"
After a long while, the Magic Mirror Queen finally managed to calm herself.
Only then did her lady-in-waiting, Triss—who had remained silent the entire time—speak.
"Margaret suffered backlash while cultivating a Second-Ring spell and has fallen into a 'sugarization' crisis. She does not have long to live."
"So what you're saying is that Levi is the successor she has chosen?" The Magic Mirror Queen suddenly raised her head, her face slightly pale—the side effect of repeatedly using the mirror.
Triss paused for a moment, then said, "That is a possibility, Your Highness."
"For many years, the Candy House has always been passed down among witches. This time, Margaret has broken that tradition."
"Your Highness, Levi is becoming a wizard. Should we stop the pursuit against him…?"
"After all, every wizard's power is extremely valuable. He might…"
Triss bowed her head.
The Magic Mirror Queen fell silent again, her eyes flickering slightly. Then she said, "I recall—Viola Nightwhisper should be within the Kingdom of Amtyr, correct?"
"Yes, Your Highness. Lady Viola's daughter, Miss Corien, fell in love with a prince of the Kingdom of Amtyr. However, that prince did not understand love. He betrayed Miss Corien's feelings and looked down on her for lacking noble status. He even tried to force her to attend a so-called masquerade ball."
"Unable to bear the humiliation, Miss Corien took her own life."
"Lady Viola was enraged. She cursed the prince, turning him into an ugly frog and trapping him in a deserted well, forcing him to spend his entire life in misery, accompanied only by insects."
"Heh… these so-called 'nobles'—this is what they're really like!" The Magic Mirror Queen grew angry as well. She paused, then continued, "Tell Lady Viola that death is not the end. Let her kill Levi—or capture him and bring him back. Once our plan succeeds, Corien will have a chance to return."
"Yes." Triss nodded, then slowly stepped back.
The Magic Mirror Queen once again turned her attention to her reflection in the mirror.
...
Levi had been training for a week. His Spiritual Power had indeed improved noticeably compared to before, but he still felt it was somewhat slow.
At this rate, when would he ever reach the level of a Second-Ring Wizard?
A sense of urgency rose in Levi's heart. After all, he had killed all the subordinates sent by the Magic Mirror Queen. Sooner or later, a Queen who possessed the Magic Mirror would learn of this.
This time, she had already sent a Great Knight. As for what kind of existence would come next—there was no telling how powerful it might be.
Therefore, strengthening his own power had become his top priority.
After some thought, Levi took out the Moonshadow Crab Shell that the old witch Margaret had given him.
He used Detection to examine it. It was non-toxic, unaltered, and if consumed together with certain other materials and processed through Conversion, its effectiveness could be increased to more than double its original potency.
Levi was tempted.
So he took the initiative to find the old witch Margaret and told her what he needed.
"How do you know about these things?" the old witch Margaret asked, her red eyes fixed on Levi—even though she could not see.
Levi remained calm. "Because I need them."
"Very well. In the herb room, you should find most of what you want. However, a few items are not magical ingredients but common materials found in the forest. Those are not stored here," Margaret said after a moment's thought.
"I'll handle those myself," Levi replied. With Gathering Technique and Detection, collecting such items was trivial for him.
"Very well, then… Gretel… you wretched brat! Where have you gone off to slack? If you don't come out this instant, I'll eat your brother!" the old witch Margaret suddenly shouted.
Levi fell silent for a moment before saying, "If you act like this, what you'll gain is not a successor, but an enemy."
Margaret laughed upon hearing this.
"Isn't that a good thing?"
"Hatred!"
"That's what drives her forward!"
"Then I hope you get what you want." Levi shrugged.
This was her way of teaching her apprentice. He had already given his warning—if she didn't care, then so be it.
After a pause, Levi changed the subject.
"How should I pay you for these items?"
"Gold coins, perhaps?"
"Do you really think gold has any meaning to me?" the old witch Margaret let out a cackling laugh and countered.
Fair enough.
Levi nodded and asked, "Then what do you want? If it's within my ability, I don't like owing people."
Now Margaret grew interested. She asked a different question: "If one person lends something to another—something that cannot be repaid—what should be done?"
Levi fell silent for a moment before answering, "Some people would willingly give their life for it. Others would be forced to give their life for it."
Margaret laughed.
At that moment, Gretel finally arrived, her eyes filled with resentment.
It had been over a week since he last saw her, and she was still only a First-Tier Wizard Apprentice.
Back then, how many days had it taken Levi to directly become a First-Ring Wizard?
Truly, each generation is worse than the last, Levi sighed inwardly.
Oh.
You're saying Levi has a cheat.
Well… that's a different matter.
Margaret, without any politeness, said to Gretel, "Gretel, take him to the herb room and let him pick whatever he wants."
"Mm." Gretel responded unwillingly. She shot Levi a look, signaling him to follow.
They twisted through corridors, turned left and right, climbed a staircase made of candy canes, and finally arrived at a room that looked like it had been hollowed out from black bread.
"This is the herb room. Help yourself, sir. She said you could take whatever you want," Gretel said in a flat tone, as if someone owed her a million gold coins—no, more like she owed Levi a million, since the debtor is always the one acting superior.
Levi remained completely unmoved.
After all, Gretel wasn't his disciple.
If Yalina dared to speak to him like this, he would have kicked her off the carriage long ago.
That's off-topic.
Back to the point.
Levi glanced around the Candy House herb room. It had to be said—this was a wizard lineage that had once produced a Third-Ring Wizard. Even though it had now declined, the variety of herbs stored here was still abundant, densely packed.
Without familiarity, finding the items Levi needed would take quite some effort.
But with Detection and Gathering Technique, it didn't take him long to gather everything he needed.
Soon, he left with an armful of materials, leaving behind Gretel, whose expression had grown dark and unreadable.
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> /TitoVillar
---