Fairy Tale Survival with Ability Copying

When Levi read the third piece of intelligence, his eyes narrowed—then lit up.

He had finally found a way to break the deadlock.

The corners of his mouth curled upward as he jumped down from the Cloud Spirit and walked toward the barrier.

Without Barbara's permission, getting inside would be no easy task.

Fortunately, everything here was under Barbara's control. The wind carried all manner of information to her.

Naturally, Barbara already knew that another guest had arrived at her doorstep.

Even though that guest had only just left.

She assumed Levi had changed his mind and come back to reclaim the Dragon Blood.

She had every reason to refuse. After all, Levi had clearly said earlier that it was a gift for her.

But Barbara was a woman of principle.

If Levi truly asked for it back, she would return it without hesitation.

However, if he ever wanted to trade with her again after that, it certainly wouldn't be so easy.

Even so, Barbara opened the barrier and let Levi inside.

"Good day, Lady Barbara," Levi greeted as she walked toward him.

The Goose Girl—tall, powerfully built, and with the fierce appearance of an ogress—stood at the doorway of the wooden cabin, curiously watching the conversation between Levi and her godmother.

Barbara got straight to the point.

"So, you've decided to take back your gift?"

"No, Lady Barbara. That's yours now. Yours alone," Levi replied, shaking his head.

"Then why are you here this time? Have you finally thought of something worthy enough to trade with me?" Barbara asked, amusement flickering in her eyes as she looked at the young wizard.

Levi nodded.

"I just learned something."

"No one spoke to you just now," Barbara said quietly.

So she's been watching me the whole time, Levi realized.

But that was something he could use to his advantage.

"Lady Barbara, just because you couldn't see it doesn't mean—"

He deliberately left the sentence unfinished, letting Barbara fill in the blanks herself.

"Heh..." Barbara merely smiled, clearly unconvinced.

Seeing her reaction, Levi smiled as well before revealing his trump card.

"The Mermaid Tomb, Lady Barbara."

The air around them instantly turned oppressive.

The overwhelming presence of a Fourth-Ring Wizard descended upon Levi.

The three golden discs on his body lit up one after another, radiating golden light that formed a thin protective barrier around him.

Clearly, all three discs had sensed that he was under threat.

Barbara glanced at the golden barrier, her expression turning colder for a brief moment before withdrawing her pressure.

The golden light surrounding Levi gradually faded away.

"It seems you're carrying quite a few fine treasures," Barbara said. "Why don't you trade those to me? In return, I can teach you some magical knowledge."

In other words, Barbara acknowledged that the three golden discs were valuable—but still not valuable enough to exchange for the method of advancing to the Fourth-Ring Wizard realm.

Naturally, Levi had no intention of trading them.

Not only did the three golden discs provide powerful protection, they were also connected to Sleeping Granny.

There was no way he would part with them.

So instead of responding to her offer, he said, "Lady Barbara, why don't we talk about the Mermaid Tomb? Isn't that the reason you've spent all these years working so tirelessly?"

"Who exactly are you?" Barbara stared fixedly at Levi, looking as though she would attack the moment he gave the wrong answer.

So this is what they call a White Wizard?

Levi couldn't help grumbling inwardly about Rapunzel's godmother.

That false intelligence had nearly gotten him killed.

Honestly...

Was this really how a White Wizard behaved?

Barbara was simply a wizard who believed absolutely in equivalent exchange.

Of course, compared to most of her peers, she was undeniably kind—an oddity among witches.

But that didn't mean she wouldn't kill.

Judging from her expression, she absolutely would.

Everything depended on how the rest of this conversation unfolded.

Hearing Barbara's question, Levi remained perfectly calm.

"I'm Levi, Lady Barbara. A Third-Ring Wizard who wishes to break through to the Fourth-Ring Wizard realm."

"That's not what I want to know!" Barbara snapped. "How do you know about the Mermaid Tomb? Is that why you came here?"

Her reaction was far more intense than Levi had expected.

Though puzzled inwardly, he showed nothing on his face, maintaining the same relaxed composure.

"Calm down, Lady Barbara. I already told you just now..."

"Impossible!" Barbara cut him off without hesitation.

"It's only because you never noticed," Levi said meaningfully. "Perhaps whoever it is lies beyond even your imagination, Lady Barbara."

Ever since discovering how Rapunzel's godmother and the Magic Mirror Queen had a habit of filling in the blanks with their own assumptions, Levi had realized that implying he had someone powerful backing him was surprisingly useful.

Before, other people had imagined it on their own.

Now, Levi was deliberately nudging Barbara toward that conclusion.

After all...

Who could possibly guess that he possessed such an absurdly overpowered Detection spell?

It gave him an enormous amount of room to maneuver.

Barbara's expression shifted repeatedly.

The confidence she had displayed earlier was gone.

In a cold voice, she said, "Go on."

"'Go on?' He told me you wanted to give Mykes a proper wedding as compensation," Levi said calmly. "You spent a long time choosing him. You seemed to believe he was someone capable of bringing happiness to others."

"Do I need to keep going?"

"That's enough."

Barbara cut him off.

She fell silent for a moment before gradually regaining her composure.

"Is that all?"

"That's still not enough," she said, shaking her head.

"Of course not."

The moment Levi saw her reaction, he knew he had a chance. Between his knowledge of the fairy tale and the intelligence provided by Detection, pretending to be an enigmatic messenger had become much easier.

Looking Barbara straight in the eye, he said each word slowly.

"You won't succeed."

"Do you even know what you're saying?" Barbara's gaze turned fierce. It was the instinctive reaction of someone whose deepest secret had just been exposed.

"Of course I do, Lady Barbara." Levi met her eyes with complete confidence. "Your bloodline mark can't open that tomb."

At those words, every last trace of doubt vanished from Barbara's mind.

Bloodline mark.

The tomb.

The moment Levi mentioned those two things, she knew he truly understood her plan.

Instead of growing angrier, she became eerily calm—the kind of calm that came before a storm.

"How do you know?"

"Lady Barbara, I've already made it perfectly clear. That person was the one who told me," Levi replied evenly.

"Oh? And what else did they tell you?" Barbara asked.

"I can help you—as long as you help me. Equivalent exchange. Fair and equal."

"And how exactly are you going to help me? Or rather... what do you expect me to do for you?" Barbara asked, her voice devoid of emotion.

"Lady Barbara, you still don't trust me. In that case, why not see it for yourself? Go to the tomb yourself. Try opening it."

"People only believe what they see with their own eyes, don't they?" Levi said.

Barbara remained silent.

Levi continued, "If I've deceived you, do you really think I'd be able to survive your wrath?"

Barbara glanced at him.

"What do you want me to do for you?"

"My goal has never changed. The mission He gave me is to reach the level of a Fourth-Ring Wizard through my own efforts. Lady Barbara, I need the key to breaking through to the Fourth-Ring Wizard realm. Only after I become one will I be able to help you refine a higher-purity bloodline mark capable of opening that tomb."

"What do you think is inside that tomb?" Barbara suddenly asked.

"I don't know, Lady Barbara." Levi answered confidently. "But I can tell you one thing with certainty—I have no interest in it."

If it contained some priceless treasure, his cheat ability could simply copy it. The copied version would begin at a lower level, but he could gradually improve it until it matched the original.

That was where his confidence came from.

"If you knew what was actually inside, you wouldn't be saying that. But..."

Barbara turned away from Levi and addressed the Goose Girl, who still had no idea what was happening.

"Daughter, look after the house. I'll be away for a few days."

Then she turned back to Levi.

"You should leave now, Mr. Levi. Unless you'd rather I knock you unconscious, tie you up, and lock you in the cellar."

"Of course not, Lady Barbara."

Levi stepped out of the barrier and summoned the Cloud Spirit.

"No matter what happens, I'll be waiting here."

With that, he climbed onto the Cloud Spirit and soared into the sky.

Watching the scene from behind, the Goose Girl's eyes suddenly lit up with amazement and envy.

"Hmph."

Barbara merely snorted.

After casting a spell, she sealed the barrier once more, preventing Levi from seeing anything inside.

A gust of wind swept through the area, and everything returned to silence.

High in the air, Levi closed his eyes and entered meditation to recover his Magic Power.

Casting Detection earlier had nearly drained him completely. He needed to replenish it as quickly as possible.

Two days later...

Mykes was still hopelessly lost in the Thorn Wasteland.

Barbara, however, had already returned.

A gust of black wind swept in, and Barbara stepped out from within it, her expression dark and unreadable.

She opened the barrier, where the Goose Girl and her flock of geese had already been waiting eagerly.

The Goose Girl, Serena, immediately called out, "Mother, you're back?"

Barbara looked at her with a complicated expression before slowly nodding.

Then, without even turning around, she shouted, "Levi! Come here. We need to talk."

Lying atop the Cloud Spirit, gazing lazily at the blue sky and drifting clouds, Levi's lips curved into a faint smile.

He admitted there had been an element of gambling in his plan.

But...

He had won.

A short while later...

Levi and Barbara were seated inside the wooden cabin.

Barbara got straight to the point.

"How are you going to help me?"

"I possess a spell that can extract and refine the power of a bloodline from blood itself. I can help you with that. But only after I break through to become a Fourth-Ring Wizard. Only then will I be capable of extracting what you need," Levi explained.

"You'd better not be lying to me," Barbara said in a chilling voice.

It was obvious she was in a terrible mood.

Levi, on the other hand, was in an excellent one.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"Lady Barbara, deceiving you wouldn't end well for me."

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I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> /TitoVillar

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