Glen was somewhat taken aback by the old man''s response. After a fleeting moment of hesitation, he proceeded to lift the gravely - wounded female dark mage from the deer - drawn carriage.


    The old man, upon seeing her, couldn''t refrain from emitting a series of clicking sounds. "I''ve long readied an array of vengeful measures, intending to impose them all on my foes once I apprehended them. This dark mage presents an opportune subject for experimentation to gauge their efficacy."


    "You still haven''t caught your enemies yet? You''re rather inept," Glen quipped with a smile.


    Neither of them bore the demeanor befitting those on the verge of inflicting torture upon an individual.


    The female dark mage, though on the side, remained conscious. Having heard their discussion regarding her fate, she was consumed by a profound sense of humiliation and wrath.


    In the past, it was she who had dispensed pain and despair to others, yet now, she found herself in the role of the victim. This was an emotion hitherto unexperienced by her. It was abysmal!


    "You... you..."


    En route, she had exhausted all her magical prowess. First, she mended her tongue, then managed to utter a solitary word with great difficulty.


    She was well - aware that even if she were to regain her full strength, escape from Glen, a being far surpassing her in power, was an impossibility. Her only recourse was to persuade them through words.


    Glen, in the process of entering the old man''s abode, heard her. He lowered his head with a smile and said, "You must have heard what we said moments ago. What are your thoughts? Rest assured, I shall ensure you rue your very existence in this world. I shan''t desist until then."


    The old man added, "I ought to express my gratitude to you for this complimentary trial of my meticulously - crafted revenge package."


    Summoning all her willpower, the female dark mage said laboriously, "I am a... fourth - level... mage! I possess a plethora of... precious and rare artifacts... and have amassed countless treasures... Moreover, my mind holds a wealth of... cough! cough!... lost knowledge..."


    "Are you attempting to barter these for your freedom?" Glen, attentively following the old man into a basement, voiced the female dark mage''s intention.


    "Yes... I believe what I can offer is more than sufficient to spare my life. Are you going to arrogate to yourself the mantle of justice and forgo these in order to punish me? That would be rather foolhardy..."


    As soon as she regained some measure of strength, the female dark mage promptly cast a curative spell upon herself to gradually heal the injuries afflicting her entire body. Now, she could speak with relative normalcy.


    Glen refrained from intervening. After she had finished speaking, he cast her into a corner, directed his gaze towards the old man, who was occupied with some task, and, without looking at the female dark mage, stated,


    "Dark mage, you have doubtless lived for an extended period. I wonder if you''ve ever encountered someone like me, who harbors an unwavering, and perhaps somewhat obsessive, dedication to justice. The deeds you''ve committed are utterly intolerable to me. Thus, you''d best brace yourself to experience despair. I shall be most discomforted if I do not witness you in a state of abject misery."


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    "You''re a madman! I''ve merely done what all dark mages do! Why should I be subjected to such punishment!?"


    Upon hearing Glen''s frigid words, the female dark mage erupted into a tirade, behaving like a fishwife.


    Finding her overly vociferous, Glen once again tore out her tongue.


    The female dark mage, clutching her mouth, collapsed to the ground and convulsed.


    The old man pieced together and assembled numerous peculiarly - shaped devices, meticulously calibrating them.


    Only when he was drenched in sweat did he wipe his brow and heave a sigh of relief.


    "Is it ready?" Glen stepped forward, regarding the imposing contraption before him with curiosity.


    From the outset, he had been endeavoring to fathom the operational principles and functions of the device, yet to no avail.


    "Ready. Bring that dark mage hither and place her within the container filled with green liquid in the midst," the old man indicated an oversized glass jar encased by the apparatus at the center.


    Glen complied. Disregarding the struggles of the woman in his grasp, he opened an aperture atop the jar and deposited her within.


    After sealing the opening, Glen leaped to the old man''s side and inquired, "What comes next?"


    "Just wait and observe," the old man replied, wearing an exceedingly malevolent expression, as he manipulated a console - like structure in front of the device.


    Presently, the device emitted a peculiar, resounding din. At a location resembling an exhaust vent, numerous conduits disgorged copious amounts of green gas.


    Countless components commenced functioning in concert, activating the entire contraption.


    At this juncture, the female dark mage, immersed in the green solution, was desperately seeking means of self - preservation.


    Upon being inserted, she immediately recognized the green liquid as the brain fluid of an underground beast known as the Brain - Eater, which could serve as a medium for conducting magical energy in numerous arcane experiments.


    However, the green solution within this container was surely not merely for such a mundane purpose.


    She sensed that the strength and magical energy within her body, which should have been gradually regenerating, had come to a complete halt, existing in a delicate state of equilibrium.


    Escaping with the meager amount of magical energy she had regained was an unattainable feat. It was a hopeless situation.


    An overwhelming wave of fear and rage engulfed her mind, compelling this once - haughty fourth - level dark mage to pound frantically upon the glass jar like a caged beast.


    Suddenly, she felt as though her spirit was being forcibly wrenched from her body. A violent bout of dizziness assailed her, rendering her on the verge of vomiting.


    Yet, with her body in an uncontrollable state, she was powerless to do so, and the discomfort was overwhelming.


    Subsequently, a searing pain, akin to being sliced by a thousand blades, coursed through the female dark mage''s entire being.


    Ordinarily, she would have succumbed to the pain and lost consciousness, but due to her semi - disembodied spirit, she was compelled to endure the full brunt of this excruciating agony.


    Glen, with his acute eyesight, discerned the state of the female dark mage and queried the old man, who was still operating with enthusiasm, "What have you done to her?"


    "This device can subject the subject to continuous stimulation of the pain - sensing nerves throughout the body. That represents the zenith of human pain! Incidentally, pain - sensing nerves are the origin of our pain perception. I discovered this during my anatomical studies of the human body. I intended to pen a treatise on it, yet have perpetually lacked the time," the old man turned his head several times to explain, wearing a malevolent smile.


    Glen was silent for a moment, then said, "Is that all?"


    The old man, who had anticipated words of wonder and praise from Glen, was taken aback by this response. He spun around, irate, and demanded, "What do you imply?"


    "You''ve been preparing for revenge for so long. Is it merely about torturing the foe''s corporeal form in the end?"


    Glen inquired earnestly.


    The old man ceased his manipulations. He seemed to anticipate gleaning an extraordinary inspiration from Glen.


    He lowered his voice and retorted, "So, what insights do you have?"


    Glen''s eyes were profound. He advanced slowly towards the device. "True torment is not merely the simplistic act of physically torturing the body. That is the most elementary level. Some may not fear such. Only by incorporating mental blows can it truly become a veritable inferno! But how does one administer mental blows? For instance, by destroying the person or object the target holds most dear, or by compelling the target to witness or endure the events they most dread in their life... experiencing them time and time again."