Wizard: Starting from the Skill Tree

Chapter 865: Chapter 775: End of the Assessment

Duke was slightly surprised to see Morris, so he stood still and did not easily approach him.

He extended his spiritual power to sense Morris’s state, finding that it was no different from usual.

No suffocating aura of death, no threatening vibe that made one’s scalp tingle—he stood there like a normal, somewhat moody young wizard.

"Too late." Morris’s voice was hoarse, as if stating something trivial. "The door is closed, can’t get in."

Duke had been wondering why he hadn’t seen Morris. Now it seemed that when Morris was in such a state, he didn’t have strong control over himself, and by the time he arrived here, the opening time of the tomb had already passed.

If Morris was also here, Duke indeed wasn’t sure if he could survive until the end.

Morris glanced at the tomb behind Duke and said, "I initially planned to eliminate everyone and search all the resources alone."

Duke was slightly stunned as well, not expecting Morris’s idea to be so insane. Morris actually thought of eliminating everyone else and then monopolizing all the resources here.

No wonder Morris specifically advised everyone on the West Coast not to easily approach him.

Once he entered that berserk state, he indeed recognized no one and would only want to kill and devour all life within his perceptible range.

"Many names on the rankings have already left, and the remaining ones pose no threat to you and me. Let’s spend the remaining time searching for resources individually," Morris said.

He didn’t intend to attack Duke, otherwise he would have directly dealt with others.

Originally, Morris’s plan was to monopolize resources here, but Duke being a member of the West Coast and capable of walking out of this tomb surely possessed considerable strength.

Duke’s strength also earned Morris’s respect, prompting him to propose searching for resources separately.

"Okay."

Duke nodded, and the two said nothing more, turning to walk in different directions.

...

Over the next twenty days, the Broken Land gradually quieted down.

The wizards who persisted became fewer and fewer, and names on the rankings turned gray one after another.

Some were eliminated, some opted to withdraw, and others, like Duke and Morris, silently scoured the remaining resource points in their final moments.

Duke encountered no major upheaval again.

He traversed alone through gobi, dense forests, and swamps, sweeping through all the small resource points overlooked by others.

Occasionally, Duke caught glimpses of Morris’s situation from the rankings.

His points would jump every few days, with modest increases but very stable, clearly searching according to his own rhythm.

On the day the assessment ended, the sky above the Broken Land simultaneously lit up with dozens of golden beams.

This was not elimination, but teleportation.

All living candidates, regardless of location, were forcibly teleported out by the exam’s rules.

Duke stood on a vast wasteland, watching as the light screen before him slowly appeared.

His name conspicuously topped the rankings.

First place: Duke — Resource points: 16,200

Second place: Morris — 14,800 points

Third place: Vera Moon Shadow — 9,600 points

...

At the Teleportation Plaza, the crowd gradually gathered.

Those still alive looked haggard, some were injured, some were calm, some had red-rimmed eyes.

The three-month assessment had eliminated nearly 80% of the participants.

Of the over two hundred who had entered full of zeal, fewer than fifty now stood here.

At noon, a parliamentary secretary appeared at the plaza.

It was the same stern-faced middle-aged warlock, holding a thick scroll of parchment.

He walked to the center of the plaza, his gaze sweeping over those still standing, his voice low yet clearly audible to everyone:

"The year-end assessment is over."

"Those of you who have passed the Broken Land assessment have already proven one thing: you are qualified to go further down the wizard’s path."

He paused, his gaze growing deeper.

"The wizard’s path has never been a smooth one. We pursue truth, explore the unknown, dance with death, gamble with fate. Every advancement, every breakthrough, is walking on the edge of a cliff. But it is this path that allows us to surpass the limits of mortals and touch the essence of the world."

"You are still young, with a long journey ahead. Today’s achievements are just the beginning. In the future, you may become a power to reckon with, or perhaps perish in some unknown plane. But regardless of the ending, as long as you continue on the path of pursuing truth, you have not disgraced the name of wizard."

...

After the middle-aged warlock finished speaking, he unfurled the parchment scroll and began announcing the rewards.

"From fiftieth to twenty-first place, aside from contribution points and basic material rewards, there’s also a one-year reading privilege for the first floor of the Six-Ring Tower Library."

"From twentieth to eleventh place, aside from contribution points and basic material rewards, there’s a one-year reading privilege for the first and second floors of the Six-Ring Tower Library."

"For the top ten—" his gaze lingered on Duke, Morris, and others for a moment, "in addition to doubled contribution points and basic material rewards, there’s a permanent reading privilege for the first and second floors of the Six-Ring Tower Library.

He did not list the names of those materials and supplies. Though precious, they pale in comparison to permanent reading privileges.

The library of the Six-Ring Tower is the most elite knowledge treasure in the entire Wizard Plane.