As an associate member, Isaac easily joined the Tower of Flesh and received his newcomer benefits: the basic materials for breeding Demons—the Position Magic, Beast Breeding Arena.
Position Magic was a powerful type of magic with almost zero flexibility. Its effects were typically immense, far surpassing its Level, but it only worked within a fixed area and couldn't be moved once deployed.
The Beast Breeding Arena's effect was to continuously alter the environment, transforming it into one suitable for the Demons within. The direction of this transformation was determined by the first change and was irreversible. Additionally, inside the Beast Breeding Arena, the Demons' reproductive drive and growth rate would both increase.
This was especially true for the latter effect. The longer the Position Magic remained active, the more pronounced the effect became, capable of reducing growth time by up to one-third!
And this was just the newcomer benefit for an associate member!
"Tsk, tsk." Catching a glimpse of the tip of the iceberg that was the Wizarding World, Isaac shook his head in wonder and began to look over the Demons he could raise.
Isaac opened the pamphlet given to him by the Tower of Flesh's Servant Demon and began to study it intently. Beyond just making a careful choice, he also wanted to use this opportunity to get a general understanding of Demons.
He was short on everything right now.
After a while, having committed the Demons in the pamphlet to memory, Isaac locked onto his targets: Dragon Lizards and Demon Rats.
The latter was self-explanatory. Demon Rat—the name alone sounded powerful. It should work well with his Talent Witchcraft. Even if it required a lot of Magic Power to convert one, that was fine; he could just transplant its heart into a Demonized Rat.
Not only did they offer a significant boost to his combat strength, but the Tower of Flesh also paid a high price for them.
As for the Dragon Lizard…
The "Dragon" in its name said it all.
Moreover, Dragon Lizards were part of a breeding project supported by the Tower of Flesh. Though raising them was difficult, the rewards were substantial. A single Dragon Lizard that met the standard could be exchanged for any Witchcraft Manuscript from the First-Ring Sorcery Library!
In comparison, it would take a thousand Demon Rats to trade for just one manuscript.
But rewards this high were not so easy to claim. As the famous line goes—and what, little one, is the cost?
They were difficult to raise!
The acceptance standard for Dragon Lizards was that their incredibly faint Giant Dragon Bloodline had to be partially awakened, showing the potential to become a true Dragon Vein Demon!
To reach this standard, normal breeding methods were insufficient. In addition to the Beast Breeding Arena Position Magic, the lizards had to be fed the best food and plied with Magic Potions. According to accumulated data, it normally took three to five Blood Essence Potions to partially awaken the Giant Dragon Bloodline within one.
The cost was very high.
But Isaac could afford it!
Therefore, after a moment's thought, he made his decision between the Demon Rats and the Dragon Lizards.
He would take them all!
For one, he wanted to test if his Golden Finger could have an effect on awakening the Dragon Lizard's bloodline. For another, even if his Golden Finger was useless, he could just pump them full of Blood Essence Potions to force the awakening!
After all, his cost to brew a Magic Potion was only forty Gold Coins, which wasn't high at all.
This was the way to maximize his returns!
Having made his decision, Isaac began placing his order. First, two Dragon Lizard hatchlings at ten Gold Coins each, and ten Demon Rats at one Gold Coin each. Next was the feed. Both Dragon Lizards and Demon Rats were relatively easy to keep alive, as long as there was a sufficient supply of Demon Flesh. He spent ten Gold Coins on three Demonized Wild Boar carcasses, which would be enough food for three to five days.
After a moment's thought, however, Isaac added another three wild boars to his order. This way, he could gather the materials for his Witchcraft Ascension Ritual in advance, buying everything at once.
After handing fifty Gold Coins to the Tower of Flesh's Servant Demon, it gave Isaac a piece of parchment. This was his receipt; he would need it to collect the Dragon Lizards and Demon Rats upon their delivery. The ones in Lake Town were only samples and could not be taken out.
The boar carcasses, however, were less of a hassle. Six Demonized Wild Boars might sound like a lot, but once processed, the total volume wasn't that great. A single horse-drawn carriage was more than enough to hold it all.
Driving the carriage, Isaac went to buy the remaining materials needed to set up the Beast Breeding Arena. He then drove to the port, loaded the boar meat onto a small boat piece by piece, and departed from Lake Town.
Back in the Forest Land, Isaac finished unloading all the boar meat and rolled his shoulders. He gave a slight bow to the Old Witch, then picked up the Magic Materials and headed toward the castle alone.
As for the boar meat?
'What a joke. He, Isaac, was a young master of the Nobility, after all! A member of the vile landlord class!'
'Why would he need to do such manual labor himself?'
「Night. The basement.」
Isaac stood before a Magic Array piled high with Demon Flesh. Over his Wizard Robe, he wore a linen garment drenched in goblin blood. Within the Magic Array lay all sorts of limbs—some from goblins, some from rats, and even some from humans!
Of course, the last part was something Isaac had purchased in Lake Town.
The entire ritual site was an exceptionally gory scene!
This was a hallmark of rituals dedicated to the Master of Billions of Flesh: the grander the scale, the more sacrifices were required.
Calming himself, Isaac knelt before the Magic Array, cupped his hands to his chest, bowed his head, and closed his eyes. He began to chant a tongue-twisting Spell in a low voice. A foul wind suddenly swept through, and with a WHOOSH, the various limbs on the Magic Array burst into flame!
At the same time, the surrounding Demonized Flesh abruptly dissolved into wisps of green smoke that converged within the Magic Array, forming a phantom of green flame.
Although he kept his head bowed the entire time, the form of the Master of Billions of Flesh appeared in his mind. It was a great ball of flesh!
A ball of flesh teeming with all kinds of limbs and organs!
This made Isaac even more wary. He focused his attention on the probability displayed by his Golden Finger. 'This Demon God is far more terrifying than I imagined,' he thought. 'Looks like I need to alter the plan.'
'Watching' the number in his mind fluctuate according to his ritual's objective, Isaac lowered his demands, causing the probability to stabilize at five hundred percent. 'I'll get a little less out of this, but it doesn't matter. Safety is the priority. There will be other chances.'
In a flash, the chaotic thoughts in Isaac's mind coalesced, and his posture became even more reverent.
Legendary Mage? You are interesting indeed~ Human~ State your wish! Whatever it may be~ I can grant it for you!
"O, supreme Master of Billions of Flesh, I am honored to be in your presence. My wish is simple. I hope you will optimize this Witchcraft for me, completing the improvements recorded here."
Heh heh~ Is that all? Are you certain?
"I am certain, O supreme Master of Billions of Flesh."
You are lying. You Legendary Mages are all madmen. You surely have other designs. Speak them all.
Isaac was surprised that the Master of Billions of Flesh hadn't acted yet, but he suppressed his curiosity. He didn't dare raise his head to look at the Demon God. 'If It wants to stall, then let It. My real plan is proceeding smoothly anyway.'
'Watching' the margin for error slowly decrease in his mind, the corners of Isaac's mouth lifted into a slight smile.
The two remained at a stalemate for a moment. In the end, the Master of Billions of Flesh was the first to give in. A ray of light shot out from the phantom and into the notebook Isaac held out. A thick, evil aura began to envelop it.
If Isaac were to open the notebook now, he would surely find the script inside twisting and contorting!
Forming a brand-new Witchcraft!
"Hoo..."
Before long, the floating notebook completed its final transformation, changing from an ordinary notebook that recorded Witchcraft into a malevolent Magic Book.
The holder of this Magic Book could cast the Witchcraft recorded within it instantly, without any requirements.
The price, however, was that you needed to periodically feed it flesh and blood as a sacrifice to the Master of Billions of Flesh.
Of course, this was merely a pretense.
The true purpose was for the Master of Billions of Flesh to slowly establish a connection with this world through the sacrificial process, eventually allowing It to descend!
And then, It would devour everything!
Demon Gods, after all, were not benevolent beings.
As the Magic Book slowly drifted to the ground, the probability in Isaac's mind dropped from one thousand percent to five hundred percent. At this point, Isaac knew it was time to pull back.
Thus, he ended the ritual without hesitation, sending away a completely dumbfounded Master of Billions of Flesh.
Are Legendary Mages so generous these days? The ritual's power has barely been touched. All this fuss just to modify a single Witchcraft?
Is this what a new-age Legendary Mage is like?
If that's the case, then...
"BASTARD!!! DETESTABLE INSECT! I WILL KILL YOU!!!!"
BOOM!
In an unknown Dimension, countless scarlet eyes snapped open, filled with the fire of utter rage. Uncontrolled Magic Power vented wantonly into the unknown Void as innumerable, indescribable masses of grotesque flesh sprouted from the emptiness!
Upon recalling Its Incarnation, It finally understood the Legendary Mage's true target—Its own Flesh Dimension!
Though only a tiny piece had been sliced away—an insignificant amount It could recover from with a good nap—the loss of power was a minor issue!
The loss of dignity was a major one!
A mere Official Wizard dared to make a move against It?
And succeeded!
He dared to steal a piece of Its Flesh Dimension as a mere Official Wizard. It couldn't even imagine how arrogant that fellow would become once he grew stronger!
And yet...
For all Its towering rage, the Master of Billions of Flesh's fury was fleeting. After venting Its Magic Power, It shot a resentful glance in the direction of Isaac's world, then silently closed Its eyes.
That world...
...was not one to be trifled with.
Sending an Incarnation to stir up some trouble was one thing, but risking Its true body was out of the question...
It couldn't just throw its life away for the sake of dignity, could it?
...
Meanwhile, in the basement, the first thing Isaac did after ending the ceremony was to destroy the ritual arrangement. This was to prevent the Master of Billions of Flesh from tracking him through the ritual in a fit of humiliating rage.
He couldn't leave a single shred of risk!
After all that was done, Isaac gleefully picked up the Magic Book from the floor. He didn't open it right away. Instead, he closed his eyes and let his Spiritual Power follow a sensation deep within his soul, arriving in a void.
A void of roughly one hundred cubic meters, containing nothing at all.
This was the greatest prize from his ritual—a Flesh Dimension!
A Dimension—a special type of parallel world. These parallel worlds contained no life and were typically the domains of Demon Gods, serving as the very source of their power.
Different Dimensions possessed different laws.
It was precisely by relying on these Dimensions that Demon Gods possessed nearly infinite Magic Power and Life Force!
And this very void was the Dimension Isaac had snatched from the Master of Billions of Flesh!
Or rather, a Dimension Seed.