Wizard: Start with Biological Transformation to Grind Experience novel Chapter 17

Chapter 17: 017: Boundary and Determination

On the wasteland entwined with black soil and decayed leaves, ghostly blue flames flickered and swayed with the wind, resembling the will-o'-the-wisps drifting in a forsaken graveyard.

An ancient withered oak tree stood silently at the center of this desolate plain, its immense trunk requiring several people to encircle it. Its mottled bark bore the traces of countless passing years.

Right on the trunk of this old oak tree, a peculiar sight unfolded before his eyes—

A crystalline, translucent crystal emanating a faint, eerie glow was embedded in a hollow of the bark. Its surface pulsated with waves of blue light, blending with the surrounding ghostly blue flames, adding an otherworldly hue of wonder to the forest.

Standing on a nearby hill, Lynch's gaze was utterly captivated by the blue crystal, and his breath grew shallow and uneven.

Soul Crystal!

This was a soul material in the Wizard World, formed by the aggregation of the soul energy of the deceased. It tended to parasitize certain Magic Plants or Demons.

Though it appeared as a crystalline substance outwardly, its internal composition was actually fungal in nature. Much like most fungi, the formation and development of the Soul Crystal remained a mystery, shrouded in the arcane processes of absorbing trace elements. Even Wizards had yet to master techniques for its cultivation; it could only be harvested in the wild.

Soul Crystals contained an immense concentration of soul energy and were extensively used in the Wizards' profound discipline of Soul Study, categorized as a material beyond Apprentice Level, belonging instead to Wizard Level.

Its scarcity and strong utility naturally determined its high value, with market prices for Soul Crystals rarely dipping below ten thousand Magic Stones.

"Ten thousand Magic Stones..."

"How many batches of Magic Devouring Flowers would I have to refine to match that?"

Lynch almost instantly made up his mind to acquire this Soul Crystal. After all, in the two and a half years since he had come to the Tower, the total Magic Stones he'd amassed barely exceeded a few hundred. The vast sum of ten thousand was a fortune he simply couldn't resist.

He instinctively began stepping down the slope.

Yet, the moment he reached the edge of the hillside, before descending, the Magic Wand in his hand suddenly lit up with a crimson beam of light.

At the same time, a nearby tree trunk twisted and distorted, conjuring an illusory mouth from its bark.

The mouth opened and closed, issuing a sharp warning:

"Warning! Tower Apprentice, you have reached the boundary of the Tower Protection Zone. The area ahead is dangerous; do not proceed!"

"Warning! Tower Apprentice, you have reached the boundary of the Tower Protection Zone. The area ahead is dangerous; do not proceed!"

Lynch frowned and immediately retracted the foot he'd extended forward. The momentary greed clouding his mind was swiftly dispelled.

"The boundary already?"

In this Dark Forest, the area they moved within was under the direct surveillance of the Wizards. These monitored zones were of relatively low danger levels, heavily embedded with the Tower's watchful network. Should any unexpected situations arise, assistance from the Tower would arrive promptly. Collectively, these regions were referred to as protection zones.

Beyond these zones, no Wizard safeguards existed—a realm that was the very definition of the Dark Forest.

Standing on the hilltop, Lynch frowned as he stared ahead. Just one step, a hair's breadth of distance, yet he didn't take that step easily.