Chapter 236: 020: Mid-level Wizard

Spring passed and autumn came; in the blink of an eye, time had entered into a new cycle of summer.

To the north of the Dark Forest, near the ruins, there was an expanse of woodland.

“Roar!”

A deafening roar exploded as a massive Fire Dragon, entirely forged from blazing flames, soared into the sky.

It spread its wings, which spanned tens of meters, and glided above the forest, relentlessly spewing terrifying Dragon Breath below. Wherever the flames touched, everything was reduced to ashes.

In mere moments, a stretch of forest spanning several hundred meters was completely obliterated.

“Awoo!~”

A wretched scream echoed from within the forest. Something was trying to escape—it was a bizarre, humanoid tree that resembled a plant sprouting legs, or perhaps a treant.

An Evil Tree Demon.

It was considered a high-level variant of the Tree Demon species. Each one possessed power above the Wizard Level, capable of extending their root-like tendrils into the ground to quickly expand a considerable forest. This lured other creatures to inhabit the forest, only to devour them whole.

The Evil Tree Demon’s strength was immense; hapless apprentices who wandered into their territory would inevitably become its delicious meal. It was undoubtedly one of the most dangerous beings in the entire Dark Forest.

Yet, at this very moment, this ferocious Evil Tree Demon was like a lamb awaiting slaughter in Lynch’s hands. When the fiery inferno descended, all of its tendrils and roots were mercilessly consumed by the flames.

Realizing the dire situation, the Tree Demon immediately tried to escape.

It shed all its bodily trunks, and the once-massive tree collapsed with a thunderous crash. From within the debris emerged a palm-sized, inconspicuous little figure, swiftly digging a hole into the ground.

One of the most troublesome traits of the Evil Tree Demon was its ability to frequently shed its outer shell. When danger descended, it abandoned its physical body, leaving only its core to burrow underground in a bid for survival. Its rapid movements often made it impossible to intercept, allowing it to escape time and again.

The Tree Demon was on the verge of slipping away, but just then, a large clock face silently appeared behind Lynch.

“Tick-tock! Tick-tock! Tick—”

The sound of time turning rang out and then suddenly froze.

At the same time, an invisible force field spread across the woodland, swiftly engulfing the entire forest. Within this peculiar zone, time itself came to a halt.

The swaying flowers and trees, the animals and insects fleeing in terror from the inferno, and even the soaring Fire Dragon and the blazing flames—all of it came to a standstill.

Everything paused, as if the entire world had fallen into a state of suspension.

In that frozen world, Lynch was the only living being left in motion. With a flicker, his figure floated silently to the Tree Demon. Extending his hand downward, he effortlessly grabbed the demon, now halfway buried in the soil.

Lynch took out a prepared cage and stuffed the Tree Demon inside.

This creature had been an experimental material he had sought for a long time. However, its natural habitat did not lie within the Dark Forest; only occasionally did one or two wander over and take root here.

When he saw the task to exterminate the Evil Tree Demon posted in the Tower over the past two days, Lynch accepted it without a second thought.

“Zzzt zzzt!”

“Crack! Pop!”

Once the Evil Tree Demon was captured, time resumed its normal flow in the forest. The crackling of the flames and the popping of burning wood reverberated incessantly.

Standing amidst the fiery sea, Lynch glanced around at his masterpiece.

With an outstretched hand, he could destroy an entire forest. With the wave of another, he could freeze it solid. Such potent power came from Lynch’s mastery of Wizard-level spells.

[Angry Dragon Flame max]

[Time Suspension max]

Both of these Wizard-level spells had been mastered by Lynch to their max stage.

It had to be said—Wizard-level power was leagues beyond the apprentice level. During his apprentice period, the largest-scale spell he had mastered had only reached a diameter of around ten meters, with an energy output of roughly fifty degrees at best.

But now, this forest, spanning several hundred meters, lay in ruins from a mere wave of his hand. The energy output had to exceed at least three hundred degrees!

Of course, such immense energy output was not without its toll on spiritual power. Either of these spells, when unleashed, consumed dozens of points of spiritual power, requiring the spiritual coefficient of someone at the Wizard Level to cast successfully.

Spiritual Power: 216.

For an Elementary Wizard, the spiritual coefficient typically ranged from 100 to 150. With a spiritual power value of 200, Lynch had already surpassed the boundary of an Elementary Wizard, stepping into the next stage of Wizards—

Mid-level Wizard!

Yes, after years of dedicated cultivation, Lynch’s strength had unsurprisingly advanced to the Mid-level Wizard stage.

This was no trivial accomplishment.

In the entire land of the Ancient Ruins, thousands of Wizards existed, but fewer than a thousand had reached the Mid-level Wizard stage. Such individuals were considered major assets in any Wizard Organization, forming the backbone of mid- to high-tier combat power.

“Parker!”

With a command, Parker flew out of Lynch’s sleeve and quickly expanded in size under the open sky, transforming into a massive dragon over ten meters long in the blink of an eye.

Lynch climbed onto the dragon’s back. Parker immediately spread its enormous wings wide, giving a powerful downward flap. At the same time, its sturdy hind legs pushed off heavily, propelling it into the air. Carrying Lynch on its back, the dragon soared toward the distant horizon.

Long after Lynch had left, a few shadowy figures clad in cloaks finally dared to tread cautiously into the smoldering forest.

These were apprentices from a small local Wizard Tower near the forest ring of the Tower. The task to exterminate the Evil Tree Demon had been issued by them. The Tree Demon’s migration to this area had caused significant disruptions, but being unable to defeat such a formidable creature themselves, they had no choice but to seek aid from the Shadow Tower.

At the head of this group of apprentices were a young man and woman. If Lynch were present, he would have immediately recognized the two—they were none other than Kane and Jessica, who had once entered the Inner Ring alongside him.

After the training period in the Tower ended, both had been assigned to this Wizard Tower, responsible for managing the plantation around the area.

In the years since, both had grown considerably. Jessica had recently neared the threshold of becoming a High-level Apprentice, showing signs of advancing, while Kane had already broken through the barrier a year ago to become a High-level Apprentice.

Their exceptional performances had earned them the recognition of the Wizard Family, appointing them as key overseers of this Wizard Tower.

“Jessica Mentor, is… is this what a Wizard is?”

“Tsk tsk, it’s absolutely terrifying…”

Wizard Towers had a certain degree of recruitment autonomy. Apprentices with insufficient talent to enter the Shadow Tower would often be assigned here. Both Kane and Jessica had taken on apprentices themselves, donning the cloaks and Wizard Hats reserved for mentors.

Jessica adjusted the glasses on her nose. Though Wizards aged slowly, the passage of time had still left its marks over the years. Now appearing around twenty-five or twenty-six, Jessica wore glasses that gave her a refined and elegant demeanor, making her a frequent subject of daydreams for many male apprentices still in their adolescence within the Tower.

At this moment, even Jessica was shocked as she faced her apprentices’ amazement: “This level of energy… it must be beyond an ordinary Wizard, likely reaching at least the level of a Mid-level Wizard.”

A ripple of shocked gasps arose among the apprentices.

“Mid-level Wizard…”

“Oh my god, someone of that caliber actually came here?”

Wizards were a common sight in the Shadow Tower due to its reputation. But outside, the Wizard level was already comparable to a deity, especially in small Wizard Towers like this one. Many apprentices might spend their entire lives without ever encountering a true Wizard.

“Tch~ You’re making too much of a fuss,” Jessica said as she pursed her lips. “Work hard on your cultivation, and you’ll have the chance to become Wizards too!”

“Seriously? You’re just comforting us, right…”

“Without precious resources, what’s the point of cultivation? There’s no chance…”

Jessica chuckled, “Why is that strange? I know someone who advanced to Wizard purely through cultivation—and he entered the Wizard World as an apprentice in the same year as I did.”

“Huh? Really?!”

“Wait, so effort alone actually makes a difference?”

“Of course, I wouldn’t lie to you,” Jessica replied as she shooed them off. “Now, hurry back and get to your training.”

After dismissing the apprentices, she approached Kane, who was standing by the forest’s edge, staring at the ruins with a puzzled expression.

“What are you looking at?” Jessica asked as she stepped forward. “Why so lost in thought?”

“This scent… it feels familiar,” Kane muttered hesitantly.

Jessica blinked. “Scent?”

Kane nodded, twitching his nose slightly before murmuring, “I think I can smell the scent of Lynch’s modified Fire Dragon Lizard…”

“No way!” Jessica exclaimed in surprise. But then, she quickly shook her head and said firmly, “That’s impossible. While he may have advanced to Wizard, progressing beyond that level doesn’t happen so quickly. It’s been such a short time—how could he have already reached the Mid-level Wizard stage?”

Hearing her reasoning, Kane began to waver as well. “Maybe I was mistaken…”

Jessica teased, “How many times have I told you not to transplant cells from that silly dog’s nostrils? It’s completely unreliable…”

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