The Black Sun Falls Upon the World

The soul is burning.

The body is fading.

All sense of self converges into a single point.

Xu Xi enters a state of profound mystery, his mind and body growing weightless, gradually repelling all things around him.

It is a sight beyond words.

Though his body remains seated here,

there is an overwhelming sense of existing apart from the world.

Absorbing Xu Xi’s understanding of the world—those indescribable, transcendent fragments of knowledge—his soul finally undergoes a metamorphosis, birthing a new perspective.

In the world of wizards,

this is called "Spirit Vision."

Xu Xi, however, prefers to call it the "Observer’s Perspective."

The moment truth converges into his soul, a Third-Circle Wizard stands independent of the world, granted the privilege to perceive its essence.

Should he advance even further, achieving the rank of a Fourth-Circle Wizard,

he would no longer merely observe—but influence.

A Fourth-Circle Wizard is akin to a walking calamity, hailed as "the storm of the skies" or "the wrath of the earth."

"But in the current world of wizards, do Fourth-Circle Wizards—or those beyond—even exist anymore?"

Having spent long hours in secluded meditation,

the Wizard’s Eye that once served as his light source has long since dissipated.

In the darkness,

Xu Xi slowly rises to his feet, surrounded by a boiling, distorted spectacle—rocks shattering into dust, metals warping and bending.

Only when his soul regains its calm

do all things cease to be affected.

The erased runes of his spells return of their own accord, etching themselves as faint marks upon his blazing soul.

Third-Circle Wizard—officially ascended!

Huff—

Xu Xi strides toward the ruins’ entrance, a fierce wind spontaneously forming behind him, sweeping away all traces of dust and debris.

"As a Third-Circle Wizard, I now possess an observer’s perspective, independent of the world."

"This is the transformation brought by the soul’s ascension."

"And also the growth of self-awareness."

"Now, my comprehension of spells has deepened. With the strength of my soul, I could effortlessly annihilate an entire region."

"From this, one can deduce that wizards of higher circles must wield unimaginable power."

As he walks,

Xu Xi gazes once more at the black sun.

The world of wizards is vast—so vast that even now, he remains confined to its western reaches.

Indirectly,

this also means the world itself possesses the capacity to nurture many powerful wizards.

Yet in his years of wandering, the highest-ranking wizard Xu Xi has encountered is only Third-Circle.

Organizations once established by Fifth or Sixth-Circle Wizards

have inexplicably vanished.

Or perhaps perished outright, reduced to ruins and wreckage.

"Have they all left this world…?"

Xu Xi muses, his steps carrying him to the ruins’ entrance without pause.

There, a girl has been waiting for him.

"Wizard."

She stands tall, maintaining a vigilant swordsman’s stance until Xu Xi’s figure comes into view, at which point she sheathes her blade.

Her face is marred, making expressions unreadable,

but the gleam in her blinking eyes

reveals a beautiful soul smiling.

"Welcome back," Servia says softly, her voice warm.

"I’m back, Servia."

Xu Xi moves to stand beside the undead warrior, and together they depart.

With his ascension to Third-Circle Wizard complete,

there is no reason to linger.

"Thank you for waiting, Servia," Xu Xi expresses his gratitude along the way.

But the girl shakes her head slightly. "As your knight, this is my duty."

Then,

Servia poses a question to Xu Xi.

"Wizard, have you grown stronger after your breakthrough?"

"Yes, considerably so."

"I see… The gap between us has widened even further."

Servia’s voice carries a hint of dejection.

But she doesn’t need Xu Xi’s comfort—she quickly regains her resolve, vowing to train harder and one day surpass him.

That way, she can protect him,

repaying the kindness he once showed her.

"Servia, you don’t have to be so serious about it."

"No! Guarding you is my duty!"

Watching the elegant yet steadfast undead girl, Xu Xi can’t help but chuckle, leaving her to pursue her goal.

Back in the Clawphire Territory,

Xu Xi had pulled the girl from the mire of solitude,

bestowing upon her the value of a "research subject."

Now, Servia has assigned herself a new purpose—to be Xu Xi’s guardian knight, repaying his benevolence.

"Where will Servia’s path lead her…?"

The thought flickers through his mind.

Even Xu Xi doesn’t know the answer.

Perhaps, once this simulation ends, the solitary Servia may walk the path of a legendary hero.

Assuming, of course,

this world hasn’t already met its ruin.

"Servia, hold on."

Just as they prepare to reach open ground and summon a spectral raven for flight, Xu Xi abruptly halts, raising a hand to stop Servia beside him.

"Are there enemies nearby, Wizard?!"

Seeing Xu Xi’s grave expression,

the warrior instantly shifts into combat stance, unsheathing her sword once more as she scans their surroundings.

The blade gleams, sharp and ready,

poised to strike in any direction.

But Xu Xi’s gaze isn’t fixed on their immediate vicinity—instead, he looks up, toward the vast, brooding expanse of the darkened sky.

"Servia, get behind me!"

"That’s no enemy… It’s the world’s calamity."

Xu Xi raises his hand, his staff materializing once more, radiating an unprecedented surge of soul energy.

[You have successfully converged truth, obtaining the third perspective to observe the world, ascending as a formidable Third-Circle Wizard.]

[From your understanding of the wizards’ world,]

[Third-Circle Wizards now stand at the pinnacle of their kind.]

[The mid-tier Fourth and Fifth-Circle Wizards—even the higher Sixth-Circle—have long vanished, their whereabouts unknown.]

[During the White Raven Tower era, you speculated that they had either perished at the hands of foes or fled beyond this world.]

[Now, as a Third-Circle Wizard, you feel the immense power surging within you,]

[and you find it hard to believe that wizards stronger than you could have been slaughtered en masse.]

[Your judgment leans toward them having collectively abandoned this corrupted world.]

[You emerge outside, reuniting with Servia Clawphire, and proceed with your original plan—to fly toward the central Divine Plateau.]

[But along the way,]

[your soul warns you.]

[Instinctively, you look up—and witness the fall of the sun, a sight of apocalyptic horror that would shake any who beheld it.]

The sky is overturned.

The death-shrouded gloom of the heavens trembles as the black sun halts its motion, swaying like a human eye in the immeasurable heights above.

As if surveying all things in existence.

Then—

The stagnant black sun tilts,

and begins its descent,

rolling inexorably toward the world below.