Ethan didn't speak, listening quietly as Wright continued.
"Do you really think 'knowledge is power' is just some hollow saying? It's the knowledge of an entire world, kid. Not just a book or two, not just one or two wizardry models, but the entire supernatural system, energy rules, material properties, and biological structures of a complete world. Everything those natives spent tens or hundreds of thousands of years accumulating will be laid out right in front of you, free for you to learn and study."
He held up a withered finger and wagged it in front of Ethan.
"Even a tiny scrap of that would be enough for small fry like us to study for a lifetime."
Wright stopped there, but Ethan understood perfectly.
The apprentices who survived a World War didn't advance just because they were lucky.
It was because they had plundered enough knowledge on the battlefield.
A world not yet controlled by the Wizard Council meant that all the supernatural knowledge systems within it were brand new, unrecorded, and undigested by the existing Wizard systems.
Even learning just the surface level would be enough for a Third-Tier Apprentice stuck at a bottleneck for years to find a direction for a breakthrough.
Moreover, for those who truly shone on the battlefield, which of them hadn't seized a complete inheritance from the mountain of corpses and sea of blood?
Risk and reward always went hand in hand.
A survival rate where less than one in ten made it back was the price for a ticket to becoming an Official Wizard.
The danger of a World War was beyond doubt; any world that could catch the eye of a Star Wizard would certainly not have weak native forces.
Millions of Third-Tier Apprentices would be thrown in, and in the end, less than ten percent would survive. This casualty rate was catastrophic by any standard.
It was almost hopeless.
But then again, what was his current level?
With fifteen passives to his name, twenty mental runes, and ten cantrips maxed out in proficiency, he could face a Third-Tier Apprentice head-on without any pressure.
Combined with the five-fold power boost from Elemental Resonance, the consumption reduction from the Archmage passive, and the 91% Wood Affinity bonus, his actual combat power had long since surpassed that of an ordinary Third-Tier Apprentice. He could likely crush even the most seasoned veterans of that rank.
More importantly, he still had two years.
Two years was enough for him to push his mental runes past twenty-five, enough to master the five new cantrips he had just bought, and enough to translate all the magic stones in his hands into raw strength.
He was actually looking forward to seeing how powerful he would become by then.
As for the danger?
Was cultivating in Blood Bone Tower not dangerous?
He had nearly been ambushed by people from Lost Forest just for taking a mission, he had to guard against cognitive pollution while learning knowledge, and even performing an alchemy experiment carried the risk of the pot exploding.
From the first day one stepped onto the path of a Wizard, they were living with their life on the line.
The only difference was that you died slowly in the academy, while you died quickly in a World War.
However, the former would likely result in being stuck as a Third-Tier Apprentice for life, while the latter offered a ninety percent chance of crossing that threshold.
The choice wasn't a difficult one.
Ethan looked up. "Old man, you're not going to join the fun?"
Wright waved a hand. "I'm just a shopkeeper. Why would I go?"
"Fair point."
"Hah, you've only been in the academy for a few years. What use is all this talk to you? Based on your progress, you've probably just condensed ten runes. You're still a long way off from the Third-Tier."
"I like to be informed."
"Hmph, you brat..."
Ethan didn't stick around to hear the old man's rambling; he had already left as soon as he finished speaking.
As for the old man's grumbling?
That was just how old people were.
After returning to his villa, Ethan went straight to the cultivation room.
He picked up the first crystal and pressed it against his forehead.
【Cantrip Model: Seed Bomb】
【Attribute: Wood】
【Base Power: 4 degrees / seed】
【Casting Time: 3 seconds】
【Effect: Condenses wood-element energy to form seed-like bombs, which can be fired individually or in a burst. Each seed has a base power of 4 degrees and explodes upon contact with a target or when actively triggered by the caster. The explosion radius is 3 meters, and it releases a large number of fine wood thorns upon detonation to cause secondary damage. The maximum number of seeds in a burst depends on mental power.】
With a base power of four degrees, plus the five-fold boost from Elemental Resonance and the 91% Wood Affinity increase, the actual power could reach over forty degrees.
Furthermore, it dealt area-of-effect damage, and the secondary damage from the wood thorns after the explosion made it an absolute killing machine on the battlefield.
He brushed aside the fragments of the crystal that had turned to ash and picked up the second one.
【Cantrip Model: Wood Prison】
【Attribute: Wood】
【Base Defense: No direct power】
【Casting Time: 4 seconds】
【Effect: Summons a wooden cage at a designated location to trap a target. The cage is woven from extremely resilient wood vines and has a base defense of 4 degrees with a duration of 30 seconds. During this time, the cage will slowly contract, compressing the target's movement space.】
A control-type cantrip. A base defense of four degrees could be pushed to over forty degrees in his hands, which was more than enough to trap an ordinary Third-Tier Apprentice.
He continued.
【Cantrip Model: Withered Wood Revives】
【Attribute: Wood】
【Base Effect: No direct power】
【Casting Time: 15 seconds】
【Effect: Converts wood-element energy into high-concentration life force and injects it into a designated target's body to rapidly repair injuries. It can be used on oneself or others, and the healing effect depends on the total amount of energy injected. The effect is doubled for wood-element plant-based life forms.】
A healing-type cantrip. In a war, the value of this spell was no less than an offensive one. Being able to both deal damage and heal meant his sustain was maxed out.
【Cantrip Model: Nature's Mark】
【Attribute: Wood】
【Base Effect: No direct power】
【Casting Time: 8 seconds】
【Effect: Leaves a Nature's Mark on a designated target that lasts for 72 hours. During this period, the caster can sense the target's general direction and distance at any time. The mark cannot be detected or cleared by non-wood-element means.】
A tracking-type cantrip.
【Cantrip Model: Green Vine Guard】
【Attribute: Wood】
【Base Power: 3 degrees】
【Casting Time: 6 seconds】
【Effect: Summons a Green Vine Guard with basic combat awareness. The guard is approximately 2 meters tall, composed of four main vines and several secondary vines, and can persist for 30 minutes. The guard will automatically attack targets designated by the caster or protect a specified area. Base attack power is 3 degrees, and base defense is 3 degrees.】
A summoning-type cantrip. A base attack and defense of three degrees would be around thirty degrees in his hands. While not exceptionally high, its strength lay in its ability to fight continuously without consuming his own casting focus.
He could just release it and let it fight on its own while he did whatever else he needed to do; it was essentially an assistant that never got tired.
Moreover, as long as his mental power was sufficient, he could control more than one guard.
Ganging up on enemies with overwhelming numbers—now that sounded satisfying.
Having finished learning all five crystals, Ethan brushed the ash from his hands and closed his eyes. The twenty runes in his mental sea began to rotate slowly.
The drawing of the twenty-first rune began now.
Rate on N.U.
