The Wizard's Pursuit of Truth

No one expected that the Erosion Forest would be the first to decide its final victor.

Even Kaze Antuun had thought that the final showdown would not take place for at least another day or two.

He stared at the projected images. One Wizard Freshman after another was forced out of the Secret Realm by powerful Hunters. Others who insisted on staying were killed outright.

Even more suffered from dismemberment or radiation from foreign Particle Energy.

However, the Dark Land Headquarters had more than enough methods to heal the injuries these freshmen had sustained within the Secret Realm.

”It’s too fast—abnormally so. According to our projections, this Secret Realm competition should have lasted for at least another three days. At this rate, it could be over by the end of today.”

”Nothing like this is happening in the Heaven-Filling Fire Secret Realm next door. Everything there is proceeding as we predicted. Why is there such a huge disparity? The number of top-tier Wizard Freshmen is roughly the same for both.”

In the projection conference room, numerous figures conversed, their faces etched with confusion as they watched the screens.

This Secret Realm competition had brought them far too many surprises.

Puni Stark’s lips twitched. ”An unexpected variable has emerged. The developments in the Erosion Forest Secret Realm can no longer be judged by our original predictions.”

He sneered, ”Wang Ya Harak was never part of our calculations.”

Ocam Mad’s brow furrowed, and he couldn’t help but say, ”Are you saying that this change in the Erosion Forest, this premature convergence of numerous Wizard Freshmen for a final showdown, was caused by Wang Ya Harak?”

”That’s impossible. There are plenty of powerful Wizard Freshmen, and Wang Ya Harak is only a Level 2 Wizard Apprentice. Plus, the Secret Realm is vast. I refuse to believe that he single-handedly forced all the Wizard Freshmen to coincidentally converge like this. Just how powerful would he have to be to do that!”

The head of the Gobseck Clan, Hughesman Grangai, suddenly said, ”Among powerful Wizards, their Biological Force Fields are also immensely strong. The information they radiate, combined with feedback from the world around them, creates a unique kind of sense. This sense is indescribable, but it definitely exists.”

”The Secret Realm itself is a closed loop. They have likely all sensed each other’s presence. Choosing to shrink the battlefield and hunt the other freshmen is simply the current trend. If you don’t kill, someone else will. If you don’t act, someone else will. The number of Dark Badges, after all, is finite.”

Ocam Mad’s brow tightened. He couldn’t be sure if Guterres and Aitri would be able to secure spots in the top three.

The Erosion Forest was too chaotic now. Battles were breaking out everywhere. ’Intense’ was not enough to describe it; it was a brutal battlefield.

In the end, an unprecedented free-for-all might break out.

....

Diamond-shaped stone walls, riddled with ravines, squeezed the space between them. A narrow passage tapered as it led deeper inside, and ghastly skeletons were piled across the floor of this peculiar corridor.

The oppressive atmosphere was filled with an unnerving, deathly silence. This environment consisted only of these diamond-shaped stone walls and the ground, the mountain range a stark contrast to the external Swamp Zone and Dense Forest Zone, which were dense with Yin Wood.

This was the most dangerous place of all, the Chaos Zone, filled with turbulent frequencies of Particle Energy that radiated a constant, lethal influence. Even Extraordinary Creatures would have their physical bodies collapse if they lingered here. An ordinary person would die in excruciating pain from systemic cellular breakdown in three minutes at most.

Yet, a figure in a Wizard Robe emerged, walking slowly from the deepest part of the passage.

He was tall and burly. His brown Wizard Robe was in tatters, revealing skin with peculiar white markings. He looked ragged, but his gaze was intensely oppressive.

A smile touched Dante Qiuji’s face. This Secret Realm competition had brought an unexpected boon.

The environment of the Chaos Zone had significantly helped in tempering his Physique.

His progress with the Aquis Secret Record had also advanced a stage. He now possessed absolute confidence in becoming the final victor of the Erosion Forest Secret Realm.

His gaze fell upon the Dense Forest Zone, then shifted to the depths of the Swamp Zone, as if piercing through all distance and obstacles to see his powerful enemies.

Tiny arcs of electricity crackled over Dante’s body, stimulating his muscle cells, making them tighter and more elastic. He set off toward the Dense Forest Zone.

......

”Hand over your Dark Badges and leave the Secret Realm. You are no match for me.”

The figure in the Yellow Wizard Robe admonished the Wizard Freshman before him in the gentlest of tones. He was immaculate, his robe barely wrinkled. He had fair skin, and his eyes held a gentleness most Wizards lacked.

The young Wizard Freshman, his robes tattered and his body bleeding, stood amidst the rubble. He straightened his back, his resolute gaze serving as his response.

Jim Novy’s eyes filled with admiration. Compared to the freshmen from the Wizard Clans, he preferred the company of these commoner freshmen; at least they weren’t so malicious.

He admired such persistence, but sometimes, determination alone cannot bridge a chasm-like gap in power.

”Then, will you tell me your name?”

”Tazmi Mass Ke.”

”I see. I will spare your life.” Jim Novy’s expression turned serious. ”You may also remember my name: Jim Novy, a Wizard Freshman from the direct lineage of the Novy Clan.”

”This Secret Realm competition is extremely important. I cannot lose. So, I’m afraid I must ask you to leave.”

With him at the center, Particle Energy erupted, and his powerful Biological Force Field transformed into an invisible pressure that bore down on Mas.

In that moment, it was as if Mas saw the sky falling. No matter how straight his spine, he could not support the weight of the heavens.

The gap between them was simply too vast.

How could a Level 1 Wizard Apprentice possibly contend with a Level 2 Wizard Apprentice?

In fact, his ability to last this long had already surprised many of the Wizards watching.

Unfortunately, the Erosion Forest had entered its final reckoning. The battlefield that remained was only for Level 2 Wizard Apprentices, a battle among the top-tier freshmen.

Mas gritted his teeth and slammed his bloody hands heavily onto the ground.

His Biological Force Field strained to resist as he channeled all his Particle Energy into a single Low-tier Witchcraft.

[Thorny Entanglement]

SWISH! SWISH!

Green vines covered in long thorns burst from the earth, blanketing a ten-meter area. They writhed like a nest of vipers, engulfing Jim Novy and shredding everything in their path to pieces.

Enveloped by the thorny vines, Jim Novy extended his right hand, and the very earth beneath his feet began to tremble, as if he controlled it.

[Earth’s Pulse]

The internal resonance formed by his Particle Energy transferred through his feet to the surrounding soil. With the help of his Extraordinary Spiritual Power, the soil was transmuted into a fluid state, surging upward to crush everything.

All Mas could see was the ground surging like water. The intense pressure created by the undulations ripped all the thorns to shreds, and a shadow that blotted out the light pressed down on him.

Mas’s lips turned pale. With a bitter expression, he stared blankly at the sky, which was now obscured by earth.

’So strong!’

’Such a gap in power, such strength...’

’There’s simply no chance for a commoner freshman to make it into the top ten.’

....

BOOM!

A bolt of lightning split the gloomy night, a startling flash that momentarily illuminated the entire Erosion Forest Secret Realm.

A torrent of rain washed over the Yin Wood Forest. Soul-Devouring Snakes coiled deep within the roots, while Yin Souls clung to the thickets.

Roots strong enough held the soil in place, preventing erosion.

Inevitably, the Swamp Zone expanded.

The Extraordinary Creatures within the Secret Realm were thrown into ecological turmoil. Meanwhile, the number of Wizard Freshmen dwindled, with the Dark Badges accumulating in the hands of a select few.

Their badge counts ranged from the hundreds to over a thousand, but this was no guarantee of securing their desired rank.

When the Hunters could no longer find other prey, they began to prey on their own kind.

If a powerful Wizard were inside the Erosion Forest Secret Realm, they would have noticed something peculiar: the realm’s magnetic field was being influenced from different directions and to varying degrees.

This was caused by the auras of the remaining Wizard Freshmen entangling with the realm’s magnetic field, leading to all sorts of sympathetic resonances.

They all knew of each other’s existence and, as if by unspoken agreement, began culling the weak who were unqualified to join the final battle.

With their auras entangled, it was impossible for any Wizard Freshman to hide.

Not unless they could stop emitting any fluctuations of Particle Energy whatsoever.

....

When the first ray of morning light touched the earth, a Soul-Devouring Snake crawled out from the dirt and roots, stretching its body contentedly to greet the sun.

Although they preferred the dark, that didn’t mean they avoided sunlight entirely.

HISS!

The Soul-Devouring Snake grew wary. It flicked its tongue, warning another of its kind that was intruding on its territory.

The uninvited guest was a Soul-Devouring Snake with gray spots. It showed no fear, instead launching its powerful body forward and sinking its fangs into the other snake.

Gradually, gray spots appeared on the bitten snake. The two transmuted Soul-Devouring Snakes then moved off in unison to find more of their kind.

A figure in a black Wizard Robe emerged from the shadows. His brow furrowed slightly as he looked in a specific direction.

It was a junction between the Swamp Zone and the Dense Forest Zone.

Wang Ya opened his palm. The number of Dark Badges collected in his Dark Wizard Mark had already reached over 2,600.

He was likely one of the freshmen in the Erosion Forest Secret Realm with a higher count of Dark Badges.

’But it’s not enough,’ he thought. ’To secure a spot in the top three, I need more Dark Badges. I’m not just competing with the freshmen in the Erosion Forest Secret Realm, but also with those in the Heaven-Filling Fire Secret Realm next door.’

’No one knows how many Dark Badges the freshmen over there will obtain.’

’My plan is to take them all. I just need to be the last Wizard Freshman left standing.’

...

SPLASH!

This was a river, eight meters across. Yin Wood had become sparse here, and the soil at the water’s edge was constantly being washed away.

Jim Novy, in his Yellow Wizard Robe, stood on the bank with a smile. Suddenly, he spoke. ”Spying is such a bad habit. Since you’re all here, stop hiding.”

He extended his right hand and clenched it into a fist. The resulting burst of Particle Energy seemed to be a signal.

BOOM!

Beams of superheated red energy instantly shot out from the river, converging on Jim Novy in an attempt to submerge him.

At the same time, a violent explosion echoed from the Yin Wood Forest on the opposite bank.

Another intense battle had begun.

Wang Ya sensed these disturbances as well. The erupting Biological Force Fields and Particle Energy fluctuations were extremely powerful, not much weaker than those of Riley Shebel, whom he had defeated.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the Yin Wood leaves, landing on his cheek. He suddenly let out a cold smirk.

CRACKLE!

The vegetation around his feet began to wither and turn a scorched yellow, all moisture sucked dry.

The temperature rose sharply as a crimson glint appeared in his pupils. He gripped the Shadow Slayer Blade as Fire Element Particle Energy spread across its surface.

Sparks flew from the extended blade, instantly setting the surroundings ablaze.

The presences hidden in the shadows could no longer restrain themselves and were forced to emerge.

The final battle had already begun.

This was a free-for-all with no rules!!