My Muscle System in the Mage World

It was a scene of destruction and death. The soil was upheaved, a massive crater scarring the land as if a meteor had struck. Yet, the most eye-catching detail was the giant fist mark stretching a total of ten kilometers.

Aur retracted his fist, a slight sense of pity in his heart.

Bits and pieces of Orson's remains littered the ground.

"Thank you, Aur," Moonlight said with a smile—then promptly vomited a mouthful of blood.

Aur didn't reply. Instead, he grabbed the items that had remained intact despite the boy's explosive demise.

First, he retrieved Orson's storage ring and searched through it. Unfortunately, he found nothing, leaving him a little disappointed.

"Wait, you idiot." Moonlight shook his head in disappointment.

"This person had a high status. How could he have nothing in his storage ring?"

Aur looked at him. "Do you know how to unlock it?"

"Eh, no!" Moonlight rubbed his head awkwardly. "If he was from a top force, even a single Tier Six Wizard would have unique ways of locking their belongings. Even if it fell into an enemy's hands, unlocking it would be nearly impossible."

"Can't anyone unlock it?" Aur asked, his face expressionless.

"The lock uses a special magic pattern tied to the soul. If you could break it, you'd uncover the secret to completely taking over someone's body."

"That's interesting." Aur fiddled with the ring, his crimson pupils flickering.

"So, what are we going to do now? You've already caused trouble before we could even catch our breath."

Moonlight flushed ever so slightly.

"My bad," he replied, his tone colder than before.

Aur sneered in his head. This type of guy is the most interesting to study. At first glance, Moonlight seemed to care for nothing but the tribe, but that wasn't the case. He simply had a big ego—unwilling to deal with trouble caused by others yet expecting others to handle the messes he created.

A strange silence lingered for a long moment until Aur finally broke it.

"What about the girl?"

"She ran away, but don't worry." Moonlight sighed and waved his hand.

A chessboard materialized in the sky, its surface shimmering with power. One of the pawns glowed with a divine white light before descending near them.

As the light faded, a panting woman appeared. The moment her eyes landed on the two men, her face turned pale, and she fainted on the spot.

"Is that...?"

"Hmph, I'm also a Tier Six Wizard," Moonlight scoffed. "This is a special Rule Magic spell. Only those who have reached at least the Master level in it can cast it using a Tier Six spell."

"I see." Aur nodded, curiosity flickering in his eyes. "What does it do?"

Aur had encountered a similar spell before—during his battle with Greater Lord Sky. The memory of the sky transforming into a massive chessboard resurfaced. This spell felt remarkably similar, though noticeably weaker.

"It can change the position of those who have been marked and even suppress them," Moonlight explained. "However, its true benefit lies in its ability to reverse yin and yang, effectively turning an enemy's attack into your own."

"Hmm." Aur touched his chin in contemplation. "So it has a reversal effect?"

"Yes." Moonlight answered casually, without hesitation, as he fiddled with the ring given to him by the Dragon Emperor.

A question surfaced in Aur's mind. If Greater Lord Sky had access to this ability during their battle…

Why didn't he just reverse my attack?

A chill swept down his spine. With his current strength, how had he even stood a chance against a monster from the previous golden era?

Was my victory also part of some greater conspiracy…?

Aur felt like he was sinking into quicksand—the more he struggled, the deeper he fell into this pit of endless doom.

Sigh… What am I supposed to do now?

He found himself lost in an endless, aimless void, where he had to question everything—every possibility, every detail. Otherwise, he wouldn't even realize when he had stepped into a trap. The thought of those beings who treated the world as their personal chessboard, only to die miserable deaths, haunted him.

"Aur."

The voice snapped him from his thoughts. He turned to his side, where Moonlight was calling him.

Aur blinked and replied:

"What's wrong?"

"The Dragon Emperor has given us our next instruction," Moonlight said. "You will take on the body of the young man and infiltrate their force."

Aur's left eye twitched violently at the words. Taking a deep breath, he asked, "How am I even supposed to do that?"

"Here."

Moonlight pointed the ring toward Aur. Immediately, a soft blue light floated from it, drifting toward him before sinking into his body.

In the blink of an eye, his form began to change. His skin tone shifted, his muscles retracted, and his bulky frame gradually shrank. Before long, the imposing young man had transformed into a smaller, slimmer figure.

His long white hair shortened, turning a deep azure, while his pupils shifted to a brilliant gold.

Even his facial structure transformed, but what unsettled him the most was the terrifying sensation of his power diminishing by the second. His body's energy pathways were being sealed, and a false presence of a Tier Four aura radiated outward.

In mere moments, Aur had completely taken on the form of the young man—almost identical. His once-bulky clothes now hung loosely on his slimmer frame, forcing him to take several steps back.

"How is this possible?!"

Shock coursed through him. Even his soul felt as if it had subtly shifted to match his new appearance.

"This is the mystery of the Dragon Emperor," Moonlight said calmly. "If you knew how much he could enhance your strength, you wouldn't be so surprised by his ability to weaken it."

"I see. Thank you." Aur nodded, pressing his hands together.

"But how am I supposed to imitate his behavior? And what about his force, Won't they already know he's dead?"

"I trust you'll come up with something reasonable," Moonlight said, then pointed the ring toward the mangled corpse.

Bzt!

A strange sound echoed through the surroundings as a semi-transparent blue figure slowly rose from the remains. It was an exact replica of Orson, just as he had been before his death.

The moment it emerged, the soul tried to flee. But with a simple motion, Moonlight pointed at the ring.

Orson's spectral form let out a tortured cry before collapsing into a mass of pure energy, which drifted toward Moonlight's hand.

"This guy still hasn't truly died," Moonlight remarked. "A Tier Seven wizard placed a special seal on him, allowing his soul to persist even after his body was destroyed. We can use the Dragon Emperor's power to soul-search him—you can copy his memories."

Aur's crimson pupils flickered.

Just from seeing Orson's resilience, he had already suspected that the man came from an immensely powerful force, likely one with Tier Seven experts.

Otherwise, there was no explanation for the number of treasures he possessed—items that had allowed him to stand against someone as powerful as Moonlight, a Tier Six.

"We'll extract his memories," Moonlight continued, "and I'll give you a wisp of his soul. That will allow you to imitate his essence and conceal your true identity." He smirked.

"Good luck, Aur. You'll be entering the underground desert kingdom: Anglia Kingdom, as the Sixth Prince."