CXnovel Chapter 798 - 741: Reward (Part 2)
Chapter 798 - 741: Reward (Part 2)
Among these wizards, many have never experienced a life-and-death battle, nor have they faced a mortal threat directly, with little to no combat experience.
This results in these individuals being completely unable to exert their true strength.
Theoretically, as long as one possesses the strength of a Level 1 Crystalized Mage, they should be able to pass the tenth level of the Illusion Tower.
However, surprisingly, some Level 2 Mages even failed to reach the tenth level.
Duke, in his daily observations of these wizards around him, noticed that many wizards lack a sense of crisis, as if they had never been in a dangerous environment, with no sense of alertness.
As a wizard who has experienced multiple plane wars, even in the safety of the Central Islands, he maintains a basic level of vigilance.
But many wizards who grew up in safe environments lack this ability, and if any other wizard wished to harm them, they could easily take their lives.
Level 1 and Level 2 Mages are indeed extraordinary beings, possessing immense power.
However, precisely because of this, without enough vigilance, they could be killed instantly facing attacks from beings of the same level.
In this Illusion Tower examination, most wizards were eliminated due to panic and being caught off guard.
In battles between Level 1 and Level 2 beings, both sides move extremely fast; even a slightly slower reaction could mean the difference between life and death.
...
At noon, a council officer appeared on the plaza.
He was a stern-looking middle-aged warlock, dressed in a silver-gray council uniform, holding a thick parchment scroll.
He walked to the center of the plaza, scanning the people still standing on the plaza.
There were only over two hundred people, sparse and scattered everywhere.
"The examination is over." Although his voice was not loud, it was clearly heard by everyone present, "Those who passed, stay. Those who didn’t, have already been dismissed."
"Now, distributing examination rewards."
He unfolded the parchment scroll and began announcing the names.
The names of the top one hundred were read out one by one, and those whose names were called stepped to the center of the plaza to receive a crystal containing rewards from an assistant.
"The top ten, stay." The middle-aged warlock rolled up the scroll, "The rest may leave."
The crowd gradually dispersed, leaving only ten people standing in the center of the plaza.
Duke stood beside Vera and Leon, opposite him were Morris, Audric, Adrian, and others.
The ten people stood facing each other.
Some were smiling, some were expressionless, and others had flickering eyes.
The middle-aged warlock approached them, his assistant holding a tray with ten crystals of various colors.
"Rewards for the top ten." he said, "Each person receives one, with the same contents."
He picked up the first crystal and handed it to Morris.
Morris accepted it, glanced down, his hollow eyes revealing no emotion.
He tucked the crystal into his breast pocket and turned to leave without a word.
The middle-aged warlock seemed accustomed to his behavior and continued distributing.
When Audric received his crystal, the corners of his mouth rose slightly, looked at Morris’s back, and then turned and left.
Vera accepted the crystal, slightly bowed to the middle-aged warlock, then nodded at Duke and Leon, and also left.
When it was Duke’s turn, the middle-aged warlock looked at him a moment longer.
"Duke, Black Sail." His voice carried a barely perceptible undertone, "Fifth place."
Duke accepted the crystal without speaking.
The crystal felt cool in his hand, and he could feel that it contained several items: a contribution certificate, a magic potion, and a small key.
"A thousand contribution points have been credited to your badge," said the middle-aged warlock, "ten Level 2 Magic Potions Starlight Dew, can accelerate meditation and enhance spiritual power, highly valuable and rarely available on the market."
Duke nodded slightly.
"Moreover," the middle-aged warlock paused, "an admission voucher to the first layer of the Six-Ring Tower Treasury."
He pointed to the crystal in Duke’s hand.
"That key allows you to select any Level 3 Witchcraft Artifact from the first layer of the treasury. No restrictions on type."
Duke’s eyebrows moved slightly.
Level 3 Witchcraft Artifact.
This was a true heavy reward.
"The first layer of the treasury is open for seven days," the middle-aged warlock continued, "Within seven days, you may visit at any time, after which it will expire."
Duke nodded and stored the crystal in his space ring.
He glanced at the balance on his badge.
Current contribution points: 1200 points
Total contribution points: 1810 points
In other words, as long as he ranked in the top ten in the Illusion Tower, he had essentially met this year’s contribution points requirement.
An annual target of a thousand points had already been exceeded.
But what truly intrigued him was the small key in his space ring.
Level 3 Witchcraft Artifact.
No one knew the weight of this word better than him.
Compared to Level 1 and Level 2 witchcraft artifacts, Level 3 artifacts are on another level, often containing rule power.
Even a fragment of a rule, even a passive or incomplete manifestation, can transform equipment completely.
Having a Level 3 Witchcraft Artifact is like having an extra portable rule reinforcement, an extra assurance in battle, a lifeline in life-and-death situations.
Such an item is very difficult to buy with magic stones outside.
...
Three days later.
Duke stood before the gate of the Six-Ring Tower.
He had gazed at this tower from afar countless times, the upper part of which stood at the very center of Sky City, piercing through clouds toward the heavens, one of the most sacred buildings on the Wizard Plane.
But standing right at its base, the overwhelming sense of pressure still made his breath catch slightly.
The tower was not solid but composed of a semi-transparent silver-blue crystal that sometimes flowed and sometimes solidified, like a living entity.
The tower gate consisted of twelve towering crystal doors, only one of which was open, emitting a soft glow inside.
At the gate stood two guards, not ordinary wizards, but puppets clad in golden armor.
Duke could feel the terrifying energy within them, capable of instantly killing a Level 2 Mage.
He presented the key.
The left puppet lowered its head, red lights igniting in its eye sockets, scanning the key and Duke himself.
After a moment, it stepped aside, its mechanical voice emanating from beneath the armor:
"Admitted, follow me."
Duke followed the puppet into the tower gate.
Beyond the gate was a long corridor, with walls etched with dense runes slowly circulating.
Every ten steps, there was a floating eternal lamp, emanating a gentle white light.
At the end of the corridor was a rotating Light Gate, deep blue in color, somewhat similar to the one in the Teleportation Plaza.
The puppet stopped before the Light Gate.
"Pass through this gate, and someone will guide you to the treasury. I can only bring you this far."
Having said that, it turned and left, the sound of its footsteps gradually fading down the corridor.
Duke took a deep breath and stepped through the Light Gate.
The scene before him changed abruptly.
When his vision cleared again, Duke found himself standing in a dense forest.
Overhead was thick foliage, with sunlight streaming through leaves, casting dappled light and shadows on the ground.
The air was fresh, carrying the scent of earth and grass, and in the distance, birdsong could faintly be heard.
Underfoot was a small path paved with cobblestones, winding its way into the depths of the woods.
If he didn’t know he was within the Six-Ring Tower, he might have thought he was teleported to some primeval forest.
"This way."
A voice came from ahead.
Duke looked up and saw a figure in a gray robe standing at a bend in the path.
The person was facing away, their face obscured, only visible was long gray-white hair draped over their shoulders.
Without turning, they simply walked forward.
Duke quickly followed.
One in front, one behind, they traversed through the forest.
The path was winding and complex, with numerous forks.
Duke tried to memorize the route but soon realized that the positions of the forks and trees were constantly changing.
This forest itself was a gigantic maze-like witch array, without a guide, there was no way out.