The magic circle slowly began to emit an evil black-red glow. The three corpses piled in the center gradually melted like candles, turning into a boiling sphere of flesh and blood, which slowly floated above the magic circle. Then, as time passed, the sphere transformed into streams of red energy, countless energy bands rapidly connecting to the still-chanting Brian Carter, and then turning into countless dark red runes that continuously sank into Brian Carter's exposed skin. A hissing sound, as if made by countless venomous snakes gathering together, echoed through the living room, like a bizarre accompaniment to the chanting of the spell. Cold and evil.

The entire casting process lasted nearly an hour. When the blood-colored sphere completely disappeared above the magic circle, Brian Carter's chanting finally ended.

A wonderful sensation of power and energy filled every inch of Brian Carter's body.

"Attribute appraisal." Brian Carter already possessed the mental strength of a level-one mage, and a few zero-level spells that did not involve the laws of the world could be cast instantly. For example, this attribute appraisal: by setting a reference value, the caster compares it to their own attributes to display their current state. This is a minor spell created by high elves in a previous life, allowing one to clearly and specifically observe their own abilities.

A floating screen with a faint black border appeared before Brian Carter's eyes the instant the spell was cast. On it, in the high elven language, Brian Carter's current status was clearly displayed.

Brian Carter: 25-year-old male human (1 is the standard value for an adult male)

Strength 3

Speed 2

Endurance 2

Mental strength 5 (one zero-level spell consumes 1)

Cell vitality 2 (determines physical resistance and recovery)

This illusory screen existed only in Brian Carter's eyes; others could not see it. According to the values shown by the spell, after the sacrifice, Brian Carter's physical attributes were more than twice but less than three times those of an ordinary person.

"How could this be? Could it be that the combined flesh and blood energy of these three zombies is still less than that of three normal people? According to my improved magic circle conversion, my physical attributes should be at least three times those of an ordinary person. There shouldn't be so much loss." Brian Carter felt that this spell had not gone as smoothly as he had imagined.

When one's alignment shifts from neutral order to lawful evil, the first evil sacrifice always receives an extra bonus from the power of the laws. This is why, in ancient legends, some count could sacrifice thousands of people at once and become a notorious bloodthirsty demon god, or some king could, through a single frenzied sacrifice, transform himself into a supremely powerful blood demon.

Generally speaking, the bonus provided by alignment change represents the welcome of the natural power of the alignment the caster is about to join. This is also why so many dark wizards, after countless sacrifices, still cannot gain the unparalleled benefits that those legendary humans received from a single sacrifice.

"Whew..." As the spell ended, all the lines and runes of the magic circle instantly weathered away, turning to ash and vanishing into the air. This signified that all the energy and rules within the circle had been completely consumed.

"It seems I need to carefully revise the conversion formula of the sacrificial magic circle. Also, I must figure out the reason for this inexplicable breakthrough to level-one mage." Brian Carter clenched his fists, feeling the abundant power within his body, lost in thought.

Chapter Seven

May 5, 2012, 15:43 in the afternoon. Clear weather, strong wind.

"Crack!" A heavy armored vehicle rumbled as it crushed a black smartphone that someone had dropped in the middle of the street. The phone instantly shattered into countless tiny fragments that scattered everywhere.

In the azure sky, several agile, unknown birds swiftly flew by, like a few blemishes on a sapphire—conspicuous and real.

The street in front of Wanjiale Supermarket was a cross-shaped intersection, with all kinds of abandoned, bloodstained vehicles scattered everywhere, almost completely blocking the entire street. Black, red, and silver sedans, white and gray vans, and even large transport trucks—all these vehicles sat quietly in the scorching sunlight. Some had crashed into each other, some were parked steadily by the roadside, some had doors only half open, and some had windows completely shattered. The traffic light in the center of the intersection had also been violently struck by an out-of-control white sedan, its three-colored lamp housing smashed into many pieces scattered among the vehicles.

The armored convoy rumbled in from the direction of the city, the army green surface reflecting a faint sheen of paint in the sunlight. A strong smell of gasoline spread from the long line of vehicles.

Four armored vehicles, two in each row, followed by a long convoy of more than ten buses, stretching as far as the eye could see down the intersection. And as the convoy advanced, the number of buses continued to increase.

These buses, usually covered in all kinds of advertisements, were now fully fortified. Thick wooden boards were firmly nailed over all the windows except the driver's, most of them stained with blood. On several buses, people could be seen hammering boards onto the windows. Clearly, these vehicles had just been acquired.

A loudspeaker was mounted on the lead armored vehicle. As the convoy reached the blocked intersection, a middle-aged man's voice sounded from within.

"All vehicles stop. Third squad, get out and clear the blockage ahead. The rest, stay alert."