{Chapter: 231: Differences between Spellcasters}
There were so many bizarre and unsettling entries that Dex wondered whether this archive had once been a dumping ground for the mad, the exiled, or the utterly unhinged.
And yet, he had to admit—this place possessed knowledge he'd never seen, not even while stealing secrets from the arcane towers of the wizarding world. The sheer creativity, both horrifying and fascinating, made him reconsider what counted as 'intelligence.'
In contrast, the wizarding world he hailed from was less… indulgent. It was a world ruled entirely by wizards, where the environment was far more suffocating. Power dictated everything, and other social classes were rarely allowed a voice, let alone freedom of expression.
Despite that, Dex had to admit: the mages here seemed a little soft.
While both worlds relied heavily on spellcasters, the comparison wasn't flattering to the current realm.
In Dex's opinion, the mages of this world were physically weaker, mentally more restrained, and their ambitions far less intense than those of wizards in his own world. Most were fragile in both body and spirit. Their desire for truth, power, and transcendence was tepid at best. Unlike wizards—who willingly mutilated, experimented on, and transformed themselves in the name of progress—these magicians feared going too far.
Wizards, however, would endure any horror to achieve their goals. Blood experiments were a daily ritual. Many had become monsters in both body and soul, but their power was undeniable. These weren't people with simple weaknesses—defeating them required overwhelming force.
Magicians here, on the other hand, could often be undone with strategy, guile, or a clever ambush.
There was also a fundamental difference in who held the highest power in each world.
In the wizarding world, wizards ruled. They were the apex predators. Even gods of that world had been dragged down and strapped to operating tables, dissected and studied. The idea of worship was laughable—power belonged to those who took it.
But here in Mi Ling World, it was the opposite. The most powerful beings had abandoned the label of "magician" and instead chosen to walk the path of faith. Some began as mages, yes—but upon ascending, they preferred to be seen as gods. They assimilated into divine hierarchies, becoming part of an order they once studied.
The core philosophies of the two worlds were polar opposites:
One sought power through reckless, relentless pursuit of truth—no matter the cost.
The other sought to rule by faith, to unify through belief, and to be worshipped rather than feared.
Which one was stronger?
Dex couldn't say.
Not yet, anyway. His current strength sat somewhere in the middle tiers. Far from the summit. He didn't have the right to judge those who stood at the peak—at least not now. But he was watching, and learning.
Still, when it came to raw military power, to war potential and destructive efficiency… the wizarding world was far far superior. By more than just a single level.
Thanks to the wizarding world's constant state of conflict with other realms, their expertise in the development of war machines, magical armaments, and interdimensional warfare far surpassed anything the Mi Ling world had to offer. The difference was not slight—it was astronomical.
The number of enslaved war beasts alone was staggering. They weren't counted in thousands or even millions—the standard unit was in the hundreds of billions. These biological engines of destruction were cultivated, bred, and programmed for war across generations.
The wizards had long since prepared endless arrays of countermeasures against enemy incursions. Their defenses were layered, interlinked, and often functioned on both magical and metaphysical levels. Breaching the core of their native world was not only unlikely—it was a virtual impossibility unless the enemy's main forces had already been shattered.
In such a scenario, the wizarding world could drag any invader into a protracted war of attrition. And while abyssal demons had the advantage of near-limitless numbers—each one sprouting like a wild leek from the chaotic soil of the Abyss—transporting those forces into another realm was not a trivial matter. It required immense resources, rituals, and energy. It was costly.
So, after a prolonged campaign with few results, it was not uncommon for an Abyss Lord—no matter how cruel or ambitious—to eventually withdraw. Not out of mercy, but out of pure logistical frustration.
If the positions had been reversed—if the Mi Ling world had taken the place of the wizarding world—then the situation would have looked drastically different. There was no way the Abyss Lord Carto would have been allowed to advance so rapidly, gaining so much ground in just over a century.
In the wizarding world, even large invading forces could be stopped cold, pinned within the depths of the bottomless abyss, unable to breach the higher planes.
But now, in the current Mi Ling world, the local reality was being peeled back like fragile bark. Spatial rifts had opened, tearing gashes in the world's surface, and abyssal influence was spreading like rot beneath the skin of the land.
With the scent of blood and victory fresh on his tongue, the Abyss Lord had grown persistent. He had tasted conquest, and like any predator, he would not let go easily.
Unless something dramatic or unexpected occurred to halt his advance, the end seemed inevitable. Especially considering that just the vanguard under the Demon Lord's command was already enough to keep all of the world's top combatants occupied. Once the true body of Abyss Lord Carto succeeded in forcing its way into this realm—should that ever happen—the consequences would be catastrophic.
Thinking of all this, Dex couldn't help but smile faintly.
He didn't believe that the powerful beings of this world were blind to the growing danger. They must have seen it. It was impossible not to. Surely, plans were already being made behind closed doors.
And yet, their options were painfully limited. At most, they could attempt one or more of the following: fight their way out by force, call upon aid from external dimensions, resign themselves to extinction, or try to prolong the fight and exhaust the invader.
Maybe it was a single-choice question, maybe it allowed for multiple answers. But in truth, none of these plans offered real hope.
The Demon Lords had waged such conquests for millennia. They had already prepared contingencies for every possible response. Each strategy had been seen before. Each counter-move anticipated.
So in the end, whether this world chose to resist or submit, it made very little difference.
One side had wandered and fought across the vast tapestry of the multiverse, while the other had grown complacent, content to remain cloistered in one isolated corner of the cosmos. The disparity in vision, experience, and adaptability was undeniable.
Dex allowed these thoughts to fade as he stepped lightly up the stone steps to the second floor of the library.
This layer, like the first, had defensive enchantments and subtle wards. But with the knowledge he had gained from cracking the protections below, he quickly deciphered the layered magical traps and bypassed them with ease.
As before, he extended his consciousness outward—soft, threadlike mental tendrils weaving their way through invisible barriers, reaching toward the arcane tomes shelved all around him.
Unlike the chaotic and perverse clutter of the first level, the second floor was more structured—this section of the library catered to professionals and advanced researchers. The knowledge here was of a more serious nature… relatively speaking.
But even in this more refined setting, Dex still encountered all manner of bizarre curiosities and fringe theories, buried like hidden artifacts between the lines of serious magical research. It was like entering someone's private study and discovering the drawer they never meant to open.
He couldn't help but be amused as he scanned the titles:
[Can Dead Things Get Pregnant?], [Does the Magic Factor Have Gender?], [Is It Faster to Walk with the Left Foot or the Right Foot?], [Why Is the World Divided into Day and Night?],
[Is Rebirth Just a Fancy Word for Necrophilia?], [If a Head Is Cut Off, Can It Still Consent?], [Is Love Possible Without a Beating Heart?], [What Happens When a Vampire Gets Food Poisoning?], [Is It Possible to Breastfeed with Illusions?], [Can a Mirror Develop a Personality Disorder?], [Ways to Identify Invisible Friends]
[Is Ectoplasm an Aphrodisiac?], [Is It Cheating If It's a Shapeshifter?], [Do Witches Prefer Moaning or Chanting?], [Is Possession Just Another Form of Kink?], [Can a Mimic Be Trained as a Lover?], [The Lustful Tendencies of Sentient Plants], [Willing Hosts: When Parasites Learn to Cuddle], [The Ethical Dilemma of Enchanted Pleasure Dolls], [Can a Familiar Be More Than a Companion?], [Breast Size by Beaker: How Alchemy Defines Cup Sizes], [Built for Pleasure: Breeding Homunculi for Maximum Output], [Womb of Clay, Lust of Flesh: The Erotic Physiology of Artificial Girls]
It was hard not to admire the twisted brilliance of it all. These weren't just mad ramblings. No—many of these were deeply thought-out theories with citations, experiments, and logical frameworks, no matter how absurd their premises might seem.
Dex accepted it all with calm detachment. Though a great deal of the content was nothing short of madness, there were, in between the cracks, moments of startling insight. A half-mad idea today could be the root of a major discovery tomorrow.
After all, many great breakthroughs in history had their roots in ideas that had once been ridiculed or dismissed.
As Dex continued to explore, he felt his own thinking expand—new possibilities sprouting in unexpected directions. His mind shifted, even if only slightly, and from that shift… came inspiration. Strange, dark, dangerous inspiration.
And he welcomed it.