From Wizard Apprentice to Conqueror of Myriad Worlds

Chapter 215: Chapter 7: Assessment Rewards, the Pilot Sets Sail

[Reward Four: You will obtain the Witchcraft Item "Underwater Maze Conch." Activating this Conch with Magic Power will open a portal to the No. 9 Underwater Labyrinth Trial Ground. It is recommended that you enter the trial ground only after forming your first Spirit Ring. The Conch may only be used once.]

[Related Magic Potions and Witchcraft Items will be delivered to the secure locker in your residence within five minutes. Please check for their arrival.]

Mo Ning could no longer suppress the smile on his face.

The word "Conch" instantly triggered memories of information he had read in various notes and journals.

"The Black Tower Academy absolutely loves to build mazes. Over the last thousand years, they’ve constructed no fewer than 300 of them. No other academy in the vicinity is more obsessed with building them.

"Every maze the academy builds has exceptionally complex internal geography. They make extensive use of Space Magic to construct a multitude of maze loops, enough to leave anyone utterly disoriented.

"The Black Tower Academy captures monsters from all over and throws them into these mazes, turning them into prisons for monsters—or, in other words, monster mazes.

"First, the Wizards of the Black Tower Academy can observe and study the monsters within the mazes, treating them as experimental materials.

"Second, the Black Tower Academy uses the mazes as trial grounds, sending newcomers and Apprentices into them for assessments.

"Third, the monsters that are killed are completely skinned and deboned. Their Spiritual Materials are harvested, and the remaining parts are either used as food ingredients or turned into fertilizer. Every last drop of value is squeezed out of them.

"Beyond that, the Black Tower Academy also crafts numerous Maze Keys, places corresponding Treasure Chests inside the mazes, and then gives the keys to Apprentices as rewards.

"And the Apprentices actually relish this. They willingly risk death to enter the mazes for a bloody battle with monsters, only to struggle to open a Treasure Chest and leave with a prize that isn’t even particularly valuable.

"I have to admit, the Black Tower Academy’s understanding of human nature has reached a new height. Compared to just handing out prizes directly, the Apprentices seem to prefer the game of using Maze Keys."

When Mo Ning first read that passage, he had merely found it interesting.

But now, seeing the reward of the Underwater Maze Conch, he found himself quite looking forward to it.

At this moment, with the assessment complete, the vortex on the water wall rapidly dissipated, and the wall returned to its original state.

Mo Ning glanced at the previous batch of newcomers, let out a soft snort, and sat back down to resume his meal.

The academy prohibited private fights, with violators facing severe punishment. Revealing the Secret Gate to metaphorically slap them in the face was as far as he could push it.

He could tell some of them were still defiant, holding a grudge and planning to target him in the next assessment.

After all, this group had only been at the academy for just over a year. They hadn’t truly grasped the status a true Divination Strong Person held within the academy, still clinging to the traditional logic that might makes right.

But he didn’t care. Mo Ning had never expected to beat them into complete submission with just this one encounter.

He looked forward to the next assessment even more than they did. When the time came, he would be sure to teach them a harsh lesson.

He had dared to quietly kill Uma during the wilderness survival assessment, so he certainly wouldn’t mind being ruthless with this bunch.

Soon, order was restored in the cafeteria.

The previous batch of newcomers went back to lining up for their food, but most kept their heads down, not a trace of their earlier arrogance to be seen.

Meanwhile, this year’s newcomers were ecstatic, and a buzz of excited discussion hung in the air above the cafeteria.

The quiet and the excitement formed a stark contrast.

A short while later, Mo Ning stood up.

The movement was like a magnet, instantly drawing a vast number of eyes toward him.

Everyone, from both the previous batch and the current one, fixed their gazes on the Strong Person who had opened the water wall. They watched in unison as Mo Ning left the cafeteria with the two young women.

This was the kind of presence befitting a true boss.

The moment Mo Ning’s figure disappeared.

"WHOOSH—!"

The clamor erupted once more.

It was as if Mo Ning’s departure had taken a restraining order with it, finally allowing the previous batch of newcomers to begin discussing things in low voices.

Looking down from above the cafeteria, one could see this year’s newcomers occupying the area centered around Mo Ning’s seat.

The previous batch of newcomers all sat on the other side.

A long row of empty dining tables separated the two areas.

The division between the two sides was stark.

*****

「Seven P.M.」

The inky black of night had completely enveloped the No. 35 Biological Taming Center.

Mo Ning, a silver-white backpack on his shoulders, set foot on this familiar land.

On both sides of the wide, stone-paved road, the stone pillars—the silent Stone Soul Beasts—had all ignited in unison with faint, glowing flames.

Viewed from afar, the pillars seemed to transform into swaying columns of fire, dyeing the night with a layer of mysterious warmth.

Up close, however, each dancing flame was merely an illusion, and one could faintly hear ethereal roars of beasts echoing from some extremely distant place.

The strange phenomenon of the pillars looked astonishing, as if someone were conducting some kind of important experiment.

In reality, they were just... streetlights.

Mo Ning had been just as astonished the first time he witnessed it. After learning the truth, he could only think that the Wizards’ minds worked in wonderfully peculiar ways.

Now, the eyes of all the beast heads were lit up, staring intently at him.

Illusory flames swirled around each and every head, making them look like burning specters—a slightly unsettling sight.

But Mo Ning’s Spiritual Intuition sensed no threat. Instead, he could read the immense curiosity in the gazes of the Stone Soul Beasts.

Evidently, his earlier promise to the leopard-headed Balute—"I’ll show you a great performance"—had been remembered by all the Stone Soul Beasts.

They, too, were looking forward to the show.

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