"What's going on?" Lynch was utterly stunned.
Just a second ago, the brilliance of magic was exceptionally dazzling, yet it suddenly dimmed and completely dissipated, much like an electrical grid being unplugged.
Could the boundary witch array have malfunctioned?
Lynch had heard that the wizard boundary was established through point-to-point linkage between multiple witch arrays. If one or two arrays suddenly malfunctioned, causing certain areas of the boundary to disappear, such occurrences were not uncommon.
Could it be because of me?
Lynch was startled. If this were the case, he would be in big trouble.
But upon closer thought, it didn't make sense. He hadn't done anything; he had just walked in and out. If something as simple as that could destroy a witch array and cause the boundary to disappear, then this fragile boundary would have fallen apart a long time ago.
It must just be a coincidence.
Shaking his head, Lynch decided to stop overthinking. The urgent matter now was to leave this place quickly. Though the demons outside were temporarily restrained by the trapped beast effect and wouldn't invade for now, who knew what changes might occur if he stayed too long?
...
Several hours later, somewhere in the open space outside the Corrupted Forest.
"Crackle!" The sound of wood splitting echoed, and faint sparks disappeared into the night breeze.
At the center of the open space, a campfire sizzled as it burned, and a triangular tent was set up nearby. Around the edge of the clearing was a sprinkling of dark green powder, with the pungent smell of high-level magic beast dung serving as a warning to the forest's predators.
In front of the fire, Lynch sat cross-legged on the ground, his back to the tent. Using the firelight, he carefully examined the gains from this trip.
Although his primary purpose was the assessment, he had picked up various valuable magic plants and demons he encountered along the way.
Walking Mushrooms, Blue Moss with healing properties, Blue Zebra Plants, Corrupted Meat Tumors, and more.
Though the collection might not amount to much in terms of value, every little bit helped. These were common magic materials in the Wizard World and could be used for many experiments. With his current financial situation being tight, saving even a little was necessary.
More significant than these materials, however, was his self-improvement.
First, his spirit perception had broken through to Level 1. While this ability seemed simple, its versatility in experiments, analysis, and other fields made it incredibly useful. Excellent perception ability could smooth one's path in the Wizard's Road.
Next was Parker—definitely the unexpected surprise of this trip.
It's worth noting that nurturing a magic pet to awaken its talent wasn't easy. Without specific techniques, a magic pet would hardly change, and even talents it could have awakened might remain buried.
Even with proper cultivation techniques, some talents' awakening remained uncertain. Parker's breath ability was precisely such an example.
Though the Fire Dragon Lizard carried ancient Fire Dragon blood, the trait had become extremely diluted over generations, leaving it hardly different from a regular lizard. Its talent awakening direction also closely resembled that of normal lizards.
Whether the extraordinary talent of breath could awaken was no longer solely determined by cultivation techniques—it depended heavily on the Fire Dragon Lizard's individual traits. It was almost mystical; in layman's terms, luck played a significant role.
Although Parker had previously shown signs of breath awakening, signs were still just signs. Whether it could eventually awaken was anyone's guess, and those signs had lingered for quite a while without progress.
Fire Dragon Lizards only had the chance to awaken extraordinary talents during their juvenile phase. Once that period passed, the opportunity was gone.
Unexpectedly, in this critical moment, Parker broke through its final barrier, successfully awakening the extraordinary talent of breath—transitioning entirely from an ordinary lizard to an extraordinary creature.
"You're one determined little guy."
Looking at Parker, who was playing with a bug it had caught somewhere, much like a playful kitten, Lynch's fondness grew stronger. He couldn't resist lightly wiping its head with his finger, to which the small creature responded affectionately by rubbing against his hand.
Indeed, this little guy had brought him so much surprise. From initially fearing it would perish on the experiment table to later helping him pass the assessment with flying colors, and now achieving the rare awakening of its extraordinary talent breath...
Who knows? Perhaps one day this little one could reclaim the spirit of its ancestors and truly become a Fire Dragon under Lynch's care.
"If that day ever comes, it'll probably be the smallest Fire Dragon in the world, wouldn't it?" Lynch thought curiously.
Since Lynch purchased Parker and raised it over six months, a typical Fire Dragon Lizard should have already grown to the size of an adult guard dog. Yet, Parker hadn't grown at all, maintaining its palm-sized frame.
This was due to Lynch removing Parker's growth pancreas during its biological modification. Without that organ, Parker would never grow even a fraction larger for the rest of its life.
This decision was unavoidable. The growth pancreas of the Fire Dragon Lizard conflicted with the cells required for the wings Lynch intended to add. If not removed, rejection would occur, causing the experiment to fail. Thus, Lynch had no choice but to extract it.
"I'll figure something out later."
Initially, Lynch hadn't given this much thought, as the modifications were meant solely for passing the assessment. Now, with Parker's unexpected growth and development far exceeding expectations, it had become an indispensable battle companion, requiring more planning and consideration.
If he could help it regain some size, its combat power would certainly increase. Besides, Lynch was eager to experience the legendary thrill of riding a dragon.
After feeding Parker a frog leg, Lynch turned his attention to the next item of harvest—this trip's ultimate prize:
The Soul Crystal.
Grasping the corrupted tree demon's corpse in his hands, Lynch stared fixedly at the blue crystal lodged on it, inseparable from the body.
The crystalline surface of the crystal revealed flowing blue mist-like luminous material beneath, perpetually changing like elusive smoke—sometimes condensing, sometimes dispersing—radiating an unfathomable aura from inside out.
Pure soul energy.
Soul, much like spirit, was the most critical core in a wizard's essence—or rather, soul and spirit were two sides of the same coin.
Wizards cultivated their spirit, which simultaneously cultivated their soul.
"Soul Crystal... Is it truly as powerful as the legends claim?"
With curiosity brewing in his heart, Lynch extended threads of spiritual power toward the Soul Crystal in his hand. Delicate spiritual threads effortlessly penetrated its surface and delved within.
Like a conduit with infinite suction power, the soul energy within the crystal instantly gathered toward the threads, rapidly climbing upward along them. Under Lynch's guidance, the energy flowed into his Sea of Consciousness.
In that instant, Lynch felt an incredible rush of pure soul energy streaming into his Sea of Consciousness. The entire mental domain underwent a light tremor, while his mind felt as if a sweet, refreshing spring had poured in, bringing unprecedented clarity.
At the same time, a notification sound rang in his ears:
[Spirit +0.1.]