DOTM: Chapter 544/546

Chapter 544: Beginner Mentor

Although they were once comrades who defeated the great demon king Diablo and his brothers together, it did not mean these heroes could become friends.

Differences in concepts and habits prevented them from truly becoming close. So, over the years, these heroes had not visited each other.

Ethan was the only person among those Xul met during that adventurous journey who came to visit him, and the first person who treated him as a friend.

So when Ethan activated his teleportation magic and left, Xul carefully put away the amulet Ethan had given him.

After leaving the smelly swamp, Ethan immediately locked onto Isendra's location.

Having learned from his mistake with Xul, Ethan did not rashly teleport directly next to Isendra this time.

Putting aside the fact that his target was a woman, if he happened to catch her changing or bathing, whether she minded or not was one thing, but Ethan himself would be very awkward.

Another important factor was that Isendra mostly stayed at the Holy Sanctuary, a sacred place for mages where most of the world's powerful mages gathered. If he just teleported there rashly, who knew what defensive spells he might trigger.

Even if he did not trigger defensive spells, being surrounded and attacked by a large group of mages would not be a good thing. So, after confirming Isendra's location, he first moved a significant distance in that direction, and then, like the mages of this world, teleported within visual range.

The only difference was that the mages here teleported on the ground, while he did so in mid-air.

Being in the air, he did not have to worry about terrain restrictions and could avoid accidentally teleporting into a ditch.

At the same time, being high up gave him a better view, ensuring he could see the Sanctuary at first glance, allowing him to teleport directly near it.

What surprised Ethan was that he had confirmed Isendra's location was within visual range, but there was no Sanctuary in the area before him, just a very ordinary town.

Ethan thought for a moment in mid-air, then activated a teleportation, arriving at a corner near the town. He then came out and walked onto the main road before entering the town on foot.

"Did I just happen to arrive at the time Isendra was assassinated?"

He thought about it and decided it was impossible. When he activated the teleportation, he had specifically emphasized that the time he was entering was a few years after he left.

Although there was no clear record of how many years after defeating Diablo Isendra was killed, it should not have happened within a few years.

Because there was one thing that could be used as a reference.

That was, after Isendra returned to the Holy Sanctuary, she took in a female disciple named Li Ming.

As the combat ace among the mages in this world, Li Ming quickly depleted Isendra's resources. Coupled with Isendra's indulgence, another mage in the Sanctuary, Volsec, took over the task of teaching Li Ming.

Several years later, when Li Ming had grown into a formidable mage, Isendra was assassinated. This incident greatly stimulated Li Ming, becoming the catalyst for her leaving the mage community and forming the Mystic community a few years later.

Assuming Li Ming, who was around ten years old when Isendra returned to the Sanctuary, immediately appeared in the Holy Sanctuary of Yishali, Li Ming should still be a young girl now. Time-wise, she might have just been taken over by Volsec for teaching, which meant Isendra should be quite alive and well at the moment.

"Besides, it does not look hot and dry here."

The climate was cool, the pedestrians on the street did not look distressed, and vendors had stalls selling various goods. This small town was full of vitality, so perhaps Isendra was just out on business and happened to be staying in this town.

Following the magical sensing, Ethan quickly found Isendra in this small city. The female mage was still wearing her green outfit, revealing large areas of healthy and beautiful dark skin.

At this moment, Isendra was standing in front of a fruit stall, selecting fruits she liked. She then smiled and paid the vendor, turned her head and glanced in Ethan's direction, then turned back and continued walking down the road.

Ethan gave a wry smile. Although Isendra had not said anything to him, that one look conveyed a clear message, follow me.

He guessed that Isendra had not recognized who he was. She had simply sensed his magical fluctuations and realized that this was not a suitable place for a conversation. There was also the possibility of a conflict. If they fought here, the full power of two mages could completely erase this city from the world.

So Isendra's first choice was to lead the person outside the city. After arriving outside, she did not stop but immediately activated her teleportation magic, continuously rushing into the distance. In just a few blinks, Isendra was reduced to a tiny figure in Ethan's eyes.

Sighing helplessly, Ethan also activated his teleportation. Compared to Isendra's activation, which was accompanied by electric sparks and strong magical fluctuations, Ethan's teleportation had almost no magical fluctuations or energy light. He simply took a gentle step forward, and when he reappeared, he was already standing in front of Isendra.

"..."

Isendra looked at the unfamiliar man before her, her expression more serious than ever. Perhaps she had the same expression when facing Diablo, Mephisto, and Baal, but Ethan had never seen it.

Holding her staff and striking a pose, Isendra's magic power was fluctuating violently. She could unleash a series of powerful magical attacks on the stranger before her at any moment if she wished.

However, she still asked about his intentions first to avoid accidental injury.

"No need to be nervous."

Ethan raised his hand and took out the Bracers Isendra had given him back then.

"I am Ethan."

"Ethan?"

Isendra did not relax her guard and showed a suspicious expression.

"You say you are Ethan? Then what spells did you use when you rescued Deckard Cain with me?"

"It is a shame, I was too weak back then and did not have enough strength to adventure with you. I withdrew after the battle with Blood Raven, and I did not have the ability to cast any spells at that time."

Hearing Ethan's answer, Isendra relaxed her guard slightly, then looked him over with a surprised expression.

"Are you really Ethan? You have changed so much."

Isendra could understand the changes in height and build, as Ethan had still been young when she met him.

As for his appearance, after so many years, a change in looks was somewhat acceptable, although he had become a bit too handsome.

What was with this powerful strength?

When facing Ethan, Isendra had the illusion of facing a demon lord from hell again, even though he had not released any magical fluctuations.

However, as a mage, Isendra also drew energy from the magic-filled plane to increase her strength or replenish her magic consumption. The moment Ethan appeared before her, she had a fleeting illusion of facing that vast and boundless alien plane filled with energy.

"Is it an illusion?"

She had indeed thought so, but in the end, she trusted her feelings. As an outstanding mage, she absolutely did not believe she had felt wrong.

"A lot has happened, and for me, it has not just been a few years."

Compared to Xul, Ethan had even more respect for Isendra.

In the initial stages of his path as a mage, the Ancient One, Merlin, Akara, and Isendra all played important roles. They successively helped him lay the foundation, allowing him to advance rapidly on his path as a mage.

If Ethan's training on the path of magic is compared to building a skyscraper, then the Ancient One taught him how to better use his spiritual power, giving him a good foundation, which was like helping him perfect the foundation.

Merlin gave him a sufficiently broad space for development and drew up a detailed construction blueprint.

How to start building was learned from Isendra, who taught him the basic knowledge.

As for Akara, the potion making she taught became an accelerator, helping Ethan speed up the construction from time to time.

Combining the things taught by these people, he finally became who he is today.

When facing these few people, Ethan basically would not hide anything. Besides, he had passed the stage of being cautious and struggling to survive. He often spoiled things for the locals, so there was even less need to hide anything from acquaintances.

Therefore, when Isendra marveled at why he could have such a dramatic change in strength in such a short time, Ethan directly told her about his situation.

In fact, he had also wanted to tell Akara and Xul, but these two did not want to interfere with Ethan's life, so they were not interested in his situation. They also did not think about learning anything from his experiences, because they had already determined the path they were on and would take in the future.

Isendra, on the other hand, was a mage. She had a strong curiosity about how Ethan had grown into such a powerful mage, so she not only asked questions but also asked them in detail.

Ethan's answer shocked her. Only then did she understand how he had teleported away back then. Afterwards, she had specifically studied the scattered energy, but she had not found anything.

She was incredibly curious about what kind of powerful mage Ethan's teacher was. Why had she never heard of him? Now she finally had the answer. His teachers were not from this world at all.

"After hearing about your experiences, I am truly honored to be one of your mentors."

(To be continued.)

Chapter 545: Give Everyone a Choice

Isendra looked around, wanting to find two flat stones to sit on and chat slowly.

Unexpectedly, Ethan lightly flicked his finger, and two flat stone stools suddenly appeared beside them.

Although not very aesthetically pleasing, they were indeed stone stools, and the sitting surfaces were very flat. Isendra gently ran her hand over one and found it very smooth, definitely an artifact rather than Ethan summoning two stones from somewhere.

"This spell is very interesting."

The mages in this world possess formidable combat power, and the spells they use have many miraculous abilities, yet they do not overly apply magic in ordinary daily life.

In fact, excessively applying magical energy to such matters would be judged by the Vizjerei Sanctuary as falling to the wicked path, and what would happen after that goes without saying.

Isendra was judged for misusing magical power because she wanted to use the power of magic to cool a desert city suffering from extreme heat. As a result, Viz-Jaq'taar sent assassins to murder Isendra. That was the old mage who took over Li-Ming.

This person held a high position in the Vizjerei Sanctuary, being the leader of the Sanctuary's magic faction. Furthermore, he was a high-ranking Vizjerei councilor. It was he who informed the Vizjerei assassins that Isendra would be in a weakened state after casting a powerful spell, and that they should seize this opportunity, which ultimately led to Isendra's death.

Ethan's primary goal in returning to this world this time was to prevent Isendra's death, and he believed he could definitely change this matter.

"Tell me about your adventures over the years."

Isendra was a powerful mage, but unlike most old mages, she was not rigid in character. On the contrary, her personality was a headache for the old-fashioned mages, which was why, despite her formidable strength, she was marginalized in the Sanctuary.

After defeating Diablo and gaining the reputation of a hero, the mages of the Vizjerei Sanctuary only maintained a superficial respect, so Isendra was not particularly happy there.

This was also why she would wander outside whenever she had nothing to do. Originally, she had a disciple to teach, but now she did not even have a disciple, and it was precisely for this reason that she came out to wander.

During their conversation, Ethan also learned the current point in time.

Li-Ming had been studying magic with Isendra for several years and had recently been taken over by Viz-Jaq'taar, meaning that without his interference, Isendra would be assassinated in a few years.

It could be said that Ethan's arrival time was perfect. With several years as a buffer, Isendra had more options to avoid that tragic end.

He briefly recounted his experiences, many of which Isendra could not fully comprehend, so Ethan used spells to create images, giving her a clearer impression.

"It sounds amazing."

Even so, many worlds were beyond Isendra's imagination. What exactly were those miraculous worlds like? Even though Ethan had explained a lot, she still had many questions she wanted to ask.

Although it was already late, for two powerful mages, there was no danger. While starting a campfire, Ethan also took out some food and drinks to share with Isendra as they talked.

Watching Ethan's endless array of wondrous techniques, Isendra was very curious about his current magical strength.

"What level of strength have you reached now?"

"This... I am not very sure either."

Mainly, Ethan was not clear about the strength ranking system of this world. Although he felt he could fight against Diablo, Baal, or Tyrael, he could not be certain of the actual situation.

Perhaps he was stronger than them. Perhaps they were stronger than him. Or perhaps his strength was comparable to these beings, making it difficult to distinguish victory.

But one thing was certain. Even if he could not defeat them, they could not kill him either.

"Also... you said you now possess a very long life. Just how long is it?"

"Based on the current situation, living for tens of thousands of years should not be a problem."

Isendra opened her mouth, unsure how to comment.

In reality, Ethan's lifespan was already far more than tens of thousands of years, but he was not used to boasting and could only give a conservative estimate of his lifespan as much as possible.

Afterward, Isendra asked in detail about Ethan's training path. In her opinion, the path Ethan had taken was simply the path all mages dreamed of, but this path was too difficult. Even if many mages knew the specific method, they might not have the resolve to do it.

Considering the personalities of many mages, perhaps they would continue to stick to their original path and then seek change after reaching a dead end.

This also included Isendra herself. Even if she had known about this path back then, she might not have been able to bring herself to do it ruthlessly. Perhaps at that time, she was confident that the path she was on could also reach a higher level. After all, Isendra was very confident in her talent.

However, the truth was that she was already nearing the end, with not much road left to travel, and could only slowly increase her magic reserve and hone her control over magic.

But correspondingly, as time passed, her body would gradually age, and the degeneration of her physical functions would eventually affect her mental state. At that time, her strength would be unable to continue improving, and might even decline.

Unless she could solve the problem that countless mages hoped to solve before death, gaining a longer life.

She originally thought she had no hope, but that child named Li-Ming showed astonishing talent. Perhaps she could go further than Isendra.

She never expected that she would so quickly see a young mage who had already reached a higher realm, and who was also the young man she had casually guided back then.

"This... you cannot be considered human anymore, can you?"

Isendra originally wanted to ask if Ethan had regained his Nephalem bloodline, but she suddenly remembered that the person in front of her was not from this world, which meant he could not be a Nephalem.

"Probably... not anymore."

Although his appearance was still that of an ordinary human, his essence had long been vastly different from humans. If he were to have a blood test in a certain technological world now, the conclusion would definitely be a mysterious and powerful humanoid life form.

As they chatted, the sun rose again. Ethan had traveled from the Rogue Encampment to the Monastery, and then from the Monastery to Xul's place, which had taken a day and a night.

He found Isendra during the day on the second day, then chatted from day to night, and until the sun rose again.

If it were according to the previous rhythm, he should have said goodbye and left.

But this time was different. He had come specifically for Isendra. Moreover, since Isendra had nothing particular to do, she accepted Ethan's invitation and prepared to go see Charsi with him.

"After defeating Baal, Charsi stayed at the Monastery for a while, helping Akara and the others rebuild it. Afterward, she left and later opened a blacksmith shop in a small city in the west."

Isendra often traveled around, so she knew about Charsi, but because of the distance, she could not visit often.

However, this was not a problem for Ethan at all. He had kept the light armor Charsi had given him back then, and with this equipment, he could easily pinpoint Charsi's location.

"It just so happens that I also really want to experience your teleportation spell."

This was also the reason Isendra agreed to travel with Ethan. She wanted to experience more of Ethan's spells and see what differences there were between the magic they used.

The result was the same as when she had studied the scattered energies back then. She got no results.

"If Li-Ming were here, perhaps she could easily detect the difference."

Li-Ming's talent was astonishing, especially her sensitivity to magical energy, far exceeding that of ordinary mages. She could easily detect various subtle differences in these energies, which was why she was able to completely absorb Isendra's knowledge in just a few years.

Ethan knew that Li-Ming's future achievements would be even more astonishing, but he had no interest in that proud and arrogant little girl, nor did he have any close relationship with her.

Upon meeting Charsi, Charsi also warmly welcomed Ethan's arrival, and like everyone else he had met before, she was very satisfied with her current situation and did not want any special changes.

Ethan had always felt that Charsi was perhaps the most likely person to accept his help.

Compared to Akara, Kashya, and Xul, who had faith, Charsi, although tall and strong, was essentially an ordinary person, living a busy and ordinary life, toiling tirelessly for a living every day.

Ethan had thought she might want some change, to live a slightly easier life. If Charsi had mentioned this, Ethan would have taken her with him. He believed he could definitely give Charsi a more relaxed life.

As it turned out, Charsi was also quite content with her current situation, happily running her blacksmith shop every day. Ethan could only leave her an amulet in the end, indicating that she could crush it if she needed anything.

Charsi also happily put away the amulet and watched as Ethan and Isendra teleported away.

When they returned to an empty, uninhabited place, Isendra suddenly asked.

"That amulet, it is probably not just a communication tool, is it?"

"No."

Ethan had never expected to be able to hide things from these people. Akara, Xul, and the others had considerable strength and insight. Even Charsi, an ordinary person, would definitely notice the peculiarity of the amulet because she often dealt with magical items.

These amulets, in addition to being able to communicate, could also provide an option when these individuals' lives came to an end.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 546: I’ll Save the World Too

Ethan merely offered a choice. Whether they accepted or rejected it in the future was entirely up to them.

After visiting their acquaintances, Ethan and Isendra looked at the empty plains, a little unsure of what to do next.

"Besides visiting old friends, do you have any other plans?"

Isendra wanted to discuss magic with Ethan, but she needed to first confirm if he had any additional arrangements, as she did not want to delay him.

If Ethan had nothing planned and happened to have enough free time, she would not stand on ceremony.

The magical knowledge from other worlds that Ethan possessed might give her some new ideas and perhaps allow her to go further on the path of magic.

"Yes."

"Oh? What kind of plan?" Isendra had not expected Ethan to actually have plans this time. At the same time, she was curious about what could bring this mage from another world back to this one.

"Ensuring you do not get killed."

"Huh?"

Isendra was stunned. She had been slowly walking forward with Ethan on the empty grassland, but when she heard that sentence, she stopped dead in her tracks.

"I will die?"

"If you keep going like this, what do you think the Vizjerei and their Sanctuary will do?"

"..."

Isendra remained silent. For years, she had been using her magic to help those in need, which was something strictly forbidden by the Vizjerei Sanctuary. Abusing the power of magic was considered the first step toward corruption.

As for fallen mages, the Viz-Jaq'taar would be dispatched to cleanse them. The assassins trained in that group were all elite killers specifically targeting mages, and they had countless ways to kill a mage.

Although Isendra did not feel there was anything wrong with her actions, should she completely ignore those in need when she had the ability to help?

"How did you know about this?"

"Because I know some things that might happen in this world's future."

Isendra looked Ethan over in surprise. She thought Ethan might have grasped some power over time.

This power was mysterious and formidable. Countless mages could not even find the threshold. However, given Ethan's current strength, touching upon this domain did not seem too strange.

"It seems my future is not very good."

Isendra's future was more than just not very good. She was assassinated by assassins, her soul was later captured and imprisoned, and she was finally rescued by her disciple Li-Ming.

However, he did not need to tell Isendra these details. They were things that would definitely be avoided. So, at this moment, Ethan simply smiled without answering.

"Your silence is actually more frustrating than saying something."

"Alright, your future is indeed not very good, so I hope to change it."

"Can fate be changed?"

"You already know what the future holds, so why do you think it cannot be changed?" Ethan sometimes did not quite understand this line of thought. "For example, if you know you will overeat tomorrow, and then you start not eating today, have you not changed the future?"

Although the example was not perfectly fitting, it was straightforward, and the principle was simple. Isendra's mood also improved a little.

"So what should I do? Ignore everyone who needs help from now on?"

"No, do whatever you want. You just need to be wary of some people targeting you behind your back, and you need to prepare in advance."

For Ethan, the crisis Isendra faced was easy to solve. Just kill anyone who dared to make a move.

He did not even need to help. A mage capable of facing Diablo head-on, when fully prepared, would not be easy prey even for assassins trained to fight mages. Otherwise, Volsek would not have specifically reminded the assassins to strike when Isendra was at her weakest.

"Or you could take the initiative and just destroy the Vizjerei."

Isendra rolled her eyes. She did not think she should destroy the Vizjerei. While many of the Vizjerei's actions annoyed her, such an organization was indeed necessary because some fallen mages truly caused disasters everywhere, and they were needed to target and eliminate these corrupted ones.

"Is there no other way?"

"There is."

"What way?"

"Just go somewhere they cannot reach."

This was the simplest solution. If Isendra left, he did not believe those Vizjerei assassins could break through the plane barrier and interfere with Isendra after she went to another world.

Isendra stood there quietly, holding her staff, contemplating Ethan's suggestion.

Ethan did not rush her. Instead, he pulled up a weed nearby, held it in his hand, and casually practiced applying natural energy.

Since his psychic universe had stabilized, Ethan was gradually gaining substantial mastery and improvement over energy properties he had only slightly understood but not mastered before.

Just like the natural power mastered by Druids, Ethan could now freely use small amounts of it. It did not conflict with his original magic at all. In fact, it was increasingly perfectly integrated into his magic.

Watching the weed in Ethan's hand grow rapidly, even transforming into various shapes, this method frequently used by Druids was now mastered by a mage, which made Isendra full of interest in Ethan's suggestion.

"If I do not leave here and also do not want to conflict with the Vizjerei, do you have any ideas?"

"Conflict is unavoidable. I can only try my best to ensure you do not die suddenly, or rather, leave you with other means of survival."

"Like the amulet you gave Charsi earlier?"

"Something like that."

That amulet could protect Isendra's soul upon her death and even break through the plane barrier to bring her soul before Ethan.

As for what happened next, whether it was resurrection or something else, that would depend on her own choice.

"Give it to me."

Isendra reached out her hand. This action indicated her choice.

She was not going to choose to escape but wanted to keep trying. Isendra wanted to see if she could make any changes. After all, she had a guaranteed fallback. If she truly could not change the outcome of being assassinated, it would not be too late to leave then. She had already dedicated everything to this world, including her life. At that point, even leaving would not hold any regrets.

"Truly... an unsurprising choice."

They were all like this. Was this the pride of heroes? Ethan casually pulled out the amulet he had prepared for Isendra and handed it over.

"You do not look surprised at all. Did you expect me to refuse?"

"More or less. I have pretty much figured out the personalities of you heroes now."

The two started walking again, continuing to slowly advance across the grassland. Since they had no particular destination, there was no need to rush.

"You do not have any plans now, do you?"

"Indeed."

So Isendra did not hesitate to start asking Ethan various questions about magic. Ethan was not stingy either, answering all the questions he could. The few he could not answer were not because he did not have the answers, but because his answers might not be suitable for Isendra. Those questions were better for her to explore herself and find the choice that best suited her.

Ethan was very straightforward about this and helped Isendra explore in multiple directions, only occasionally offering suggestions when she reached an impasse, giving her a path to try.

This caused Isendra's magical level to improve rapidly in a short time. Apart from the total amount of magic power not increasing significantly, Isendra's overall strength increased by another level.

For a mage of her strength, this rate of improvement was astonishing. Because of this, she was certain that Ethan's current strength could absolutely confront Diablo head-on, although she was not sure if he could contend with Diablo in his peak state in Hell, as Isendra did not know what Diablo's peak strength was like.

The increase in strength was secondary. The key was that Ethan's knowledge opened up new doors for Isendra. She often exclaimed in surprise. Magic could be used like this?

Especially many casting details and the uses of certain spells were explicitly forbidden by the Vizjerei Sanctuary. From this perspective, it was not unfair for Isendra to be later judged as a fallen mage. She and those mages were clearly not on the same path.

Isendra diligently absorbed new knowledge from Ethan. While learning, she also felt an urge. To simply follow Ethan to other worlds to explore, where she could learn more new knowledge, see more interesting and novel sights, and at the same time, climb to higher realms.

However, she ultimately held back. She was a little reluctant to leave this world directly, especially when thinking of the girl who bore some resemblance to herself.

Thinking of Li-Ming, Isendra suddenly asked Ethan, "If I want to pass this knowledge on to others..."

"This knowledge is yours now. You can teach it to anyone you want."

Ethan knew she definitely wanted to teach Li-Ming. And thinking of Li-Ming, Ethan suddenly thought of another girl.

"By the way, do you know where Deckard Cain is?"

"I do not remember you having any connection with that person. Why do you suddenly want to find him?"

When Ethan left, Deckard Cain, who was in trouble, had not been rescued back to the Rogue Encampment yet, so these two had no interaction.

"I just suddenly realized I could also be a hero who saves this world."

Originally, Ethan just wanted to ensure Isendra did not face the tragic end of being assassinated and having her soul imprisoned. Now that this goal was achieved, he could just wander around as if on vacation.

But he had the can't-be-happy-unless-the-plot-is-completely-messed-up sickness.

(To be continued.)