Wizard: Starting from the Skill Tree

Chapter 792 - 738: Entering the Tower (Part 2)

Duke silently assessed his own power in his heart.

Using earth element techniques like Giant Divine Soldier Summoning, Mountain Moving, and Earth Burst Celestial Star, he was confident he could reach the twenty-fifth floor.

But if he only relied on earth element, the twenty-seventh or twenty-eighth floor might be his limit.

He needed to decide on a target.

The rewards for the top ten were the same, confirmed from the announcement.

The top hundred all received rewards, but the rewards for the top ten were equal, without distinction by rank.

In other words, first and tenth received the same things.

Aiming for first would only draw too much attention, something that went against Duke’s usual style; he just wanted to keep a low profile.

Morris was currently under everyone’s scrutiny, and Audric was repeatedly compared to him.

Those eyes in the shadows, those tentative investigations, those attentions friendly or malicious all focused on them.

Duke didn’t need that.

What he needed were rewards, contribution points, and resources to continue growing stronger.

He calculated again.

Currently, ranked third was Vera, having cleared twenty-nine floors in nine hours and fifty-eight minutes.

Ranks four to eight spanned the twenty-eighth and twenty-seventh floors, with times ranging from just over nine hours to under eight hours.

He needed to choose a floor count that would safely land him in the top ten without being too high to draw attention.

Twenty-eight floors.

This floor count now sat at fourth place.

If he could clear twenty-eight floors in about eight hours, he would just squeeze into fourth or fifth place.

Not too conspicuous, but sufficient to receive top ten rewards.

Moreover, the twenty-eighth floor was well within the range he could comfortably clear using earth element techniques.

Since everyone’s focus was on Morris now, it was the perfect time to challenge the Illusion Tower.

...

The Teleportation Plaza was considerably less crowded than before.

Only a few dozen people stood sparsely in front of the rankings board, some raising their heads to gaze at the already fixed positions, while others whispered about the information they had gathered.

A figure walked past the edge of the crowd, unhurried and inconspicuous.

A dark magic robe, low-key gait, unnoticed by anyone.

Duke walked up to the Teleportation Gate and stopped.

He glanced up at the rankings board.

Up top, Morris’s name remained prominently displayed.

Duke withdrew his gaze and took a deep breath.

Then he stepped into the blue light screen.

The blue light flashed, and solid ground met his feet.

Duke opened his eyes to find himself standing in a desolate wasteland.

The sky was a murky gray, without sun or clouds, only a layer of uniform, oppressive gray light covered everything.

The ground was cracked, faint dark red light flowing within the crevices, as if something beneath the earth was breathing.

Distant barren hills stood, but what lay beyond was unclear.

The air was dry, tinged with a subtle metallic scent.

Duke did not move.

He merely stood in place, scanning his surroundings with calm eyes.

Then, he saw the wolf.

It emerged slowly from behind a massive rock, its size at least twice that of a regular wolf, its shoulders reaching Duke’s waist.

Its fur was dark gray, virtually blending into the wasteland, except for its eerie green eyes, striking in the dim light.

It stared at Duke, growling lowly from its throat, legs slightly bent, ready to pounce at any moment.

Level 1 Life.

Duke didn’t even raise his hand.

His left arm, the Yellow Sand Crystal heated up slightly.

In an instant, countless dark golden sands surged from his sleeve, like a river coming to life, instantly gathering into a rotating sand curtain around him.

The wolf leaped forward.

A terrifying speed, that if it were an ordinary Level 1 Crystalized Mage, they wouldn’t even have time to react.

Yet, the sands reacted faster.

The sand curtain abruptly contracted as the wolf jumped to mid-air, countless sands surged forward like living creatures, instantly enveloping it tightly.

The wolf let out a short, miserable howl, then—

"Crack."

A bone-crushing sound, light as a twig snapping.

The sands dispersed, returning to the ground, and merged back into the gently rotating sand curtain around Duke.

Nothing remained at the spot.

First floor, cleared.

The gray sky flickered slightly, the surrounding environment began to distort, collapse, and then reassemble.

When Duke next saw clearly, he was in a dense forest.

The second floor featured a giant python.

Duke still did not move.

The Sand Guardian autonomously divided into countless sand streams, forming numerous tiny sand blades, slicing the python into dozens of pieces before it could approach.

It took less than three seconds.

The third floor was a swarm of venomous bees.

Dense, all-encompassing.

The Sand Guardian transformed into an impenetrable sand wall, completely enclosing Duke within.

The venomous bees collided with the sand wall, ground into powder by the rapidly spinning sands, piling layer upon layer at Duke’s feet.

When the swarm dispersed, the powder was already half a foot deep at his feet.

Duke raised his foot, stepped over the heap of powder, awaiting the next environmental shift.

Fourth floor, fifth floor, sixth floor—

One floor after another, flowed past him like water.

He remained in his spot.

Never moved a single finger.

The Sand Guardian was like an extension of his body, like a projection of his will, automatically sensing threats at each layer, automatically selecting the most appropriate methods, automatically exterminating the opponents who were all Level 1 Life beings.

Sometimes they were beasts, sometimes elemental creatures, sometimes humanoid warriors from another plane. Some moved incredibly fast, some with tough skin, some could spew poison, some could stealthily ambush.

But in the face of the Sand Guardian, there was no difference.

They couldn’t even get within ten steps of Duke.

The tenth floor’s setting was a volcanic area.

Beneath his feet, the rocks were scalding, the air so hot it could scathe ordinary people’s lungs. In the distance, magma flowed, casting a red glow over the murky sky.

Duke still stood in place.

Before him stood a Molten Giant Lizard.

Level 1 Peak Life.

Its body was over ten times larger than the wolf on the first floor, covered head-to-toe in dark red scale armor, with magma slowly flowing through the armor’s gaps.

It laid there like a living hill, each breath spewing scorching air from its nostrils.

The Molten Giant Lizard stared at Duke, its amber vertical pupils full of ferocity and hunger.

Then, in an instant, it moved, astonishingly fast, defying its huge form.

It streaked like red lightning, spanning a hundred meters in an instant, its gigantic claws carrying a wave of scorching air as they descended upon Duke’s head.

Duke did not move.

The Sand Guardian spun slowly around him, as always.

The giant claw fell.

Boom—!!

Dust billowed, rocks flew.

When the smoke cleared, the Molten Giant Lizard’s claw hung above Duke’s head, three feet away.

In that three-foot space was a dark golden sand wall.

The sand wall was only an inch thick but held firm against a blow capable of crushing stone.

Confusion flashed in the Molten Giant Lizard’s vertical pupil.

It was still processing when the sand wall moved.

Countless sands climbed up its paw like living creatures, delving into its scale armor’s gaps. The Molten Giant Lizard roared, attempting to shake the sands off, but they clung tighter like a persistent disease.

It attempted to spew magma, but the fire in its throat was forced back by the sands flooding into its mouth.

It took but three seconds.

The Level 1 Peak Life was thoroughly enveloped by the Sand Guardian, like a dark golden cocoon, suspended silently in mid-air.

Duke glanced at the cocoon.

Then withdrew his eyes.

"Crack."

The sound of bones breaking, muffled by the sands’ rustle.

The cocoon dispersed, sands reverting to a rotating sand curtain, settling back around Duke.

Eleventh floor.

Twelfth floor.

...

Duke effortlessly disposed of these demons along the journey; these tests posed no real threat to him.

Only some demons were more troublesome, requiring a bit more effort.