Evening.
There was no majestic sunset on the horizon, as dark clouds still shrouded the sky.
A faint flash of lightning streaked across the gloomy heavens—rain was coming.
The atmosphere of the entire world felt oppressive, but at this moment, the mood inside the small wooden cabin was even worse than the weather outside...
One after another, dazzling blue lights flickered across Tilis's face.
She gripped her ornate gem-encrusted staff tightly, her narrowed eyes fixed on Ophelia's translucent figure.
In the past while, she had unleashed countless offensive spells, each time successfully obliterating that annoying figure.
But every time, after the spell ended, Ophelia's figure would stubbornly reappear in the room, lingering near Luo Wei, no matter how hard Tilis tried to banish her.
Seeing this, Ophelia's smile grew increasingly smug.
"Why are you so stubborn?"
"I already told you it's useless. Why are you still wasting your energy like this?"
Tilis's expression shifted between dark and light, but she suddenly fell silent.
"What, cat got your tongue?"
"Completely out of ideas, huh?"
Noticing that Tilis had stopped attacking, Ophelia sneered and resumed her mocking tone.
But after a few words, Luo Wei stepped in to stop her.
Luo Wei glanced at her helplessly, muttering to himself.
If this keeps up, Tilis might just lose it completely.
Right now, Tilis's corruption level is maxed out, and her power is immense. Provoking her any further could lead to a truly terrifying outcome...
"Hmph, you always take her side..."
Ophelia grumbled in dissatisfaction.
But she knew the gravity of the situation and eventually stopped her "taunting assault."
In the heavy silence, Tilis looked at the two of them and suddenly flashed an enigmatic smile.
"Who said I can't find a way?"
She spoke softly, a faint smile on her lips.
Her earlier attacks hadn't been meaningless flailing. She had already figured out how the ring worked.
"It can bypass the magical barriers I set up and still allow long-distance communication. Truly remarkable. The understanding of magical rune structures is even slightly above mine..."
"I wonder which reclusive master crafted such a magical artifact..."
"But—"
She began to analyze seriously, "Though the structure is indeed intricate, such a magical item must rely on a powerful source of energy to function, right?"
Ophelia frowned. "What are you getting at?"
Tilis smiled faintly, already having a solution in mind.
No matter how vast the energy reserve, this was her territory, and Luo Wei was in her hands...
She had all the time in the world to drain the ring's energy completely.
With that, Tilis slowly raised her hand, and several radiant magical orbs floated to the top of the cabin.
As she chanted her incantation, a dazzling magical light enveloped the seaside cabin. Thin beams of light, like water from a showerhead, rained down incessantly on Ophelia.
Ophelia's apparition was quickly destroyed, only to reappear and be instantly obliterated again, in an endless cycle...
Luo Wei looked up at the magical orbs. They were inscribed with some kind of powerful spell, and they operated in a semi-automatic attack mode...
The witch didn't even need to lift a finger. She calmly tidied up the messy alchemy table, sipped her tea leisurely, and enjoyed the sight of Ophelia's repeated disappearances and reappearances, each time more furious than the last.
"You..."
"This..."
"Damn it—"
"Witch!!"
Faced with this situation, Ophelia seemed to grow just as stubborn. She refused to log off, trying desperately to knock down those magical orbs.
"Luo Wei...!"
"This is infuriating!"
She glared at Luo Wei, her eyes filled with resentment.
"Those magical orbs up there... don't they look familiar?"
Luo Wei chuckled awkwardly. "They do."
Ophelia snorted. "Aren't those the ones you gave her back then!"
"If you hadn't given her all those treasures, how could she have become so powerful? And now she's even using the things you gave her against us! How ungrateful!"
As soon as she finished speaking, another barrage of magical beams shot over, obliterating her apparition once more.
The next second, Ophelia reappeared beside Luo Wei, glaring hatefully at Tilis.
"Are you done yet?"
Tilis rested her chin on her hand, blinking innocently as if confused.
"But..."
"Didn't Luo Wei give me these treasures precisely because you were too weak?"
Ophelia was momentarily stunned.
With that, Tilis pulled out an old cloth bag and, like a magician, began pulling out one wondrous item after another.
"Hmm... this was the first gift he gave me. I heard it's quite rare—apparently, there isn't another like it in all of Saint Callen..."
"Oh? This staff is quite nice too, though I hardly used it. He gave me a better one later."
"Wow! I'd almost forgotten about this! This magic scroll contains a lost spell, something even the Magical Hermit Order doesn't have!"
"Hmm... this accessory is lovely too. Though it's not useful anymore, the design is beautiful. I really like it..."
Tilis displayed the dazzling array of items like trophies, each one floating beside her hand as she recounted their origins, all while smiling at Ophelia.
Ophelia was on the verge of exploding...
Every single item Tilis showed off was a priceless treasure, yet Luo Wei had given them all to this damned witch without a second thought!
"Luo! Wei!"
Ophelia finally turned her resentful gaze toward Luo Wei, who was awkwardly smiling.
"If you hadn't helped her back then, how could she have become so insufferable now?"
"This is so frustrating!!"
Luo Wei could only smile bitterly. He just wanted to clear the game...
Was being a power gamer a crime?
So, he tried to placate her. "I'll give you more treasures in the future, okay?"
But Ophelia wasn't listening anymore. After all, it wasn't the treasures she cared about...
Just as Ophelia's gaze grew increasingly despondent—
"Why blame him?" Tilis tilted her head, feigning confusion.
"Even if he gave these treasures to you, could you even use them?"
"You're so weak. What right do you have to enjoy such resources?"
"So, shouldn't you be blaming your own incompetence instead?"
Three pointed questions, each one hitting Ophelia right where it hurt.
Ophelia's previously agitated and resentful mood deflated instantly.
The room fell silent for a moment.
Then, Ophelia looked at Luo Wei with a melancholic gaze.
"She's right, isn't she..."
Her tone had inexplicably shifted to one of self-pity.
Luo Wei blinked, unsure what had brought this on.
"Back then, I was nowhere near as strong as I am now, and because of my status, there were so many ways I couldn't help you..."
"Back then?" Tilis blinked her wide, innocent eyes. "But you're still not that strong now, are you?"
"Shut up, witch!" Ophelia shot her an annoyed glance.
Then, she turned back to Luo Wei.
The self-pitying mood vanished, and Ophelia smiled softly.
"But, Tilis, even if you're the strongest, what does it matter?"
"I would never put Luo Wei in danger. I want him to live a good life."
"But you?" Ophelia looked at Tilis, her expression half-smiling, half-mocking.
"Trying to become a god?"
"Hahaha..."
"That's just impossible. If you're so desperate to become a god, why don't you do it yourself? Why drag Luo Wei into such danger?"
Seeing Tilis's expression darken again, Ophelia's smile deepened.
"Do you think that if you fail, you can die together with Luo Wei and have no regrets?"
"You're so selfish, Tilis."