That voice was unmistakably an omen of disaster!
'The words are a bit different from what the ritual described, but... it shouldn't be a big deal, right?'
With a hint of doubt, Isaac casually straightened his Wizard Robe and strode confidently into the thick white mist before him.
Following the direction of the ominous voice, Isaac walked with calm composure through the white mist. Before long, the thick fog dissipated, revealing a green lawn.
Not far ahead stood a large white umbrella. Beneath it were a pure-white table and two pure-white chairs. On the table sat the teapot and teacups from the ritual, filled with steaming black tea.
On the other side of the table sat a Witch in a purple robe, a wide Witch's Hat obscuring her face, revealing only her fair chin...
At least, that's how it was supposed to be, but...
HISS!!!
Staring at the hazy figures of the Witches not far away, Isaac sucked in a sharp breath!
'How are there so many?'
'There must be at least a hundred of them, right?'
"...Well~ then. It seems~ you don't know~ what you've done~ either." The only Witch seated on a chair sighed softly at Isaac's dumbfounded expression, her tone drawn out and halting.
"Ahem~ My apologies... I figured this would increase the success rate~." Isaac's mouth twitched as he looked at the hundred-plus Witches. He never expected this to be the result of using his Golden Finger...
In response, he could only bow to express his apology. After all, according to the ritual's description, the Witch Tea Party wasn't limited to summoning the power of only one Witch.
Of course, an apology was one thing, but if he had to choose again, he would still use his Golden Finger!
After all...
'I'm really broke...'
"To find~ a method like this~ you could be considered~ a genius. Come~." The Witch waved a delicate hand, beckoning Isaac forward.
Hanging his Wizard Hat back on his chair, Isaac slowly sat down. He glanced timidly at the hundred-plus Witches behind the "Big" Witch. 'I'm not going to be the first Official Wizard to die during a Tier One advancement ritual, am I?'
"Don't~ worry~. Though you are a Legendary~ Mage~ you are still our~ junior~. They are just~ a little dissatisfied~. You'll just have~ some bad luck~ for two days~. You won't be hurt~. Just be~ more careful~, that's all~."
The "Big" Witch saw Isaac's worry and soothed him with her slow, leisurely tone.
In truth, this was a result of Isaac's own making. Normally, no matter how dissatisfied they were with the Wizard performing the ritual, once it reached this stage, they could only bestow a Blessing. They couldn't do anything else—a Curse was completely out of the question.
But because of Isaac's... underhanded method, he had drawn in over a hundred Witches at once!
The Blessing, however, was restricted by the ritual, and they couldn't give more than the fixed amount. Thus, the power of the other Witches was conserved. Although the power each could wield was minuscule, it became quite considerable when pooled together.
Ultimately, this formed a two-day-long curse of bad luck.
Hearing this, Isaac's mouth twitched. His understanding of the ritual wasn't deep enough to grasp everything in a short time like the Witch opposite him, but he could faintly sense that the formation of this Curse was most likely related to his own clever trick...
"Thank you all for your magnanimity..." Isaac apologized again.
'Can't be helped. These are all powerhouses I can't afford to provoke.'
The "Big" Witch nodded her fair chin lightly, raised a jade-like hand, and elegantly poured Isaac a cup of black tea, placing it before him.
"Please, drink~."
"Thank you, Senior~." Isaac took the cup with both hands, took a deep breath, and drained the black tea in one gulp!
The moment he drank it, a mysterious Magic Power began to envelop Isaac. The Witch across from him smiled faintly and, along with the hundred-plus smirking Witches behind her, dissolved into white mist.
A moment later, all the white mist dissipated. Isaac stood motionless before the Magic Array, his eyes closed.
After a moment, he slowly opened his eyes. He could feel that his Magic Power had increased by a third, and the corners of his mouth curved upward. When he saw that the Witch's Saliva used in the ritual hadn't diminished in the slightest, his smile bloomed fully!
He had researched the Witch Tea Party before buying the materials, so he knew the Witch's Saliva was only needed for the Magic Power it contained and didn't actually need to be consumed.
But when he actually raised the teacup in that Illusory Realm, he couldn't help but let his thoughts wander in that direction...
After all, similar legends existed in both his previous life and this current world.
So, upon seeing that the amount of Witch's Saliva hadn't decreased at all, he was finally able to put his mind at ease.
The ritual had been exceptionally successful. As a Starry Sky - Mysterious Dual Attribute ritual, the buffs from the Witch Tea Party were excellent. He received a small, additional boost to his Magic Power and Spiritual Power, and his personal Mysterious Attribute was slightly enhanced.
It wasn't a huge boost to his actual combat power, but all his objectives had been met.
And that last enhancement, to his Mysterious Attribute, shouldn't be underestimated. Although it was only a slight increase, for Isaac, it meant breaking through the major hurdle of having zero!
Now that he possessed the Mysterious Attribute, he could perform some rather High Level modifications on his body, for example...
A Demon Eye!
Legendary Mages are different from Truth Mages, who follow a systematic path of Meditation and researching Truth.
The essence of a Legendary Mage's path of advancement is evolution!
An evolution from a mortal into a Magic Life form!
Therefore, at the Official Wizard stage, a Legendary Mage's primary task is to accumulate Magic Power and its corresponding attributes. As for rituals to trade with Demon Gods and the collection of Legends, those are just side quests. Perfectly completing them is ideal, but a half-hearted effort is also acceptable, as long as it doesn't impede one's advancement.
The stage that truly determines one's fate and potential is that of the Grand Wizard, which lies beyond the Official Wizard.
Compared to Official Wizards, Grand Wizards possess far greater reserves of Magic Power and Knowledge, allowing them to begin undertaking magical modifications to their own bodies.
Magical modification isn't as simple as transplanting the limbs of a Demon. It is the process of solidifying Magic Power within the body, making it an intrinsic part of oneself to achieve self-sublimation.
And among the many types of magical modification, the one with the highest difficulty and greatest potential is modification from the Mysterious Side!
So, possessing the Mysterious Attribute is actually quite important.
Even if it isn't much help at the moment...
After slowly savoring his new strength, Isaac stretched, turned, and left the basement. He then had the cook casually prepare some food, and after eating, he fell into a deep sleep.
'Sleep first. Tomorrow, I'll continue my research into Witchcraft!'
He was incredibly curious about the Witchcraft Manuscript and the Magic Book that his big brother and sister had sent him...
...
The next day, Isaac sat at the desk in his laboratory, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
It was—
Unboxing time!
Isaac first opened his sister's Magic Book—*Arcane Energy Overview, Volume 1*.
Hmm... No big surprise. It was about what he expected.
His older sister was a pure Arcanist with excellent talent. Though only in her thirties, she was already a Grand Wizard and was said to be researching Advanced Arcane Art. Once her research succeeded, she would advance to become a High-level Mage, a rank also known as Demigod!
Therefore, her gift was the least surprising; she would certainly give him whatever he was lacking.
Previously, due to his physical condition, and despite his profound interest, his family had never allowed him to indulge too deeply, as he lacked the talent to become an Arcanist.
His body was already in poor shape, and frequent mental exertion would only make things worse.
But now that he had become a Wizard, there was naturally no reason to keep these things from him any longer.
Like the Mysterious Attribute, *Arcane Energy Overview, Volume 1* wouldn't give him a significant boost right now, but it would lay a solid foundation, allowing him to go further and with more stability in the future!
Setting the Magic Book aside, he looked at the Witchcraft Manuscript from his older brother. He rubbed his hands together excitedly and blew on them. Now *this* was something to look forward to!
His older brother, Caesar, was a Knight Barbarian, not a noble Caster. The Witchcraft Manuscript he sent was most likely a spoil of war, which meant it had first-rate potential for surprises!
He slowly opened the Witchcraft Manuscript to the first page. Instantly, Isaac was so shocked his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets!
Written on the first page were the words—*Divine Research Manual: Anatomy Chapter*!