Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

Chapter 148 Corrosion and Personality Collapse

The day after the quarterly review meeting, Ron couldn't wait to head to the School Library.

As the fourteenth member of the sequence, he now has higher access privileges and can access more hidden knowledge.

This was precisely the purpose of his trip—to use his newly acquired privileges to explore forbidden areas that were previously inaccessible to ordinary apprentices.

"A hidden room on the third floor?"

The gray-robed elder guarding the library entrance raised an eyebrow, carefully examining the badge on Ron's chest, confirming that the blue light flashing on it did indeed reach the special frequency of the top fifteen:
"It seems you benefited from yesterday's sequence evaluation meeting."

Ron nodded modestly: "Yes, I hope to take this opportunity to learn more."

A profound look flashed in the old man's eyes: "Knowledge is a double-edged sword, young man. The further you go, the more careful you must be of the abyss beneath your feet."

“I will keep your advice in mind,” Ron replied politely.

The hidden room was even more concealed, with a semi-transparent energy barrier quietly suspended at the end of the stairs.

Ron pressed the badge against the barrier, feeling a faint mental fluctuation sweep across his body, as if confirming his identity and qualifications.

A moment later, the barrier rippled like water, revealing a passage.

The space inside was much smaller than Ron had imagined, but the atmosphere was several times more somber than before.

Ron walked straight to the reading room labeled "Mental Health and Pollution Research" and gently pushed open the door.

The indoor air was filled with an indescribable sense of oppression, as if it had not flowed for many years.

A pale blue magic crystal lamp provided dim lighting, and the walls were filled with various ancient books and manuscripts. Some books were chained to the bookshelves, indicating the sensitivity of their contents.

Ron walked to the central guiding stone, recalling Oliver's unusual symptoms that he had witnessed earlier, and gently placed his palm on it:
"Mental pollution, the path of the dark wizard."

A red light flashed across the surface of the guiding stone, seemingly warning of the dangers of these topics, but then it lit up with a blue light, guiding him to a specific bookshelf.

In front of a cabinet sealed with special energy, Ron showed the badge again.

The cabinet door slowly opened, revealing rows of ancient books that had been sealed away for a long time.

"The Complete Study of Mental Pollution," "The Theory of Consciousness Distortion," "Pollution Transformation and Symbiosis," "The Awakening Path of the Black Wizard"...

Ron's gaze finally settled on the last book, a thick, black-covered tome with a strange symbol of intertwined eyes and tentacles printed on the cover.

He carefully took out the book and immediately felt a cold energy seeping out of it, trying to penetrate his mental defenses.

Ron quickly mobilized his mental energy to isolate the intruding energy and eliminated it in no time. It seemed to be just a test of mental strength.

On the book's title page, there was a line of bright red warning text:
"This book is for the study and reference of prospective high-sequence wizards only. Do not attempt to practice any of the rituals or theories contained herein. Violators will face the 'maximum penalty'."

Ron took a deep breath and turned to the first chapter.

"Mental pollution is an inescapable fate for every wizard."

As wizards increase their mental strength and explore the knowledge of the abyss, the accumulation of mental pollution will inevitably reach a critical point.

Orthodox wizards choose purification and suppression, while dark wizards choose acceptance and transformation…

The following content describes in detail the three stages of mental pollution: mild, moderate, and severe.

Mild mental pollution mainly manifests as mild mood swings, sleep disturbances, and perceptual abnormalities, which can be controlled by conventional means for most wizards.

Moderate mental pollution can lead to personality changes.
"Those with moderate mental pollution will experience significant emotional instability, especially negative emotions will be amplified to an extreme degree."

Anger turns into rage, worry into fear, and jealousy into hatred.

Furthermore, hallucinations will become increasingly frequent, and the corrupted will begin to hear whispers from the 'Great Abyss,' gradually coming to believe these voices.

In the detailed symptoms section, Ron saw characteristics that almost perfectly matched those he had observed in Oliver:
Intense mood swings, excessive stress response, unusual skin texture, and an irrational gloom in the eyes.

"Typical moderate pollution, and the other party doesn't seem to be trying to suppress it..."

Ron was certain in his heart: "It seems that Oliver has indeed embarked on this path."

As Ron continued reading, he found records about "awakening":

"The path of the Black Wizard is essentially a distorted practice that coexists with pollution."

Ordinary wizards view pollution as an enemy, while dark wizards see it as a potential source of power, transforming polluted energy into their own through special rituals and mental training.

This transformation is called 'awakening,' a process of complete fusion of the spirit and pollution.

Awakening level is the standard for measuring the degree of corruption a dark wizard controls. Every 10% increase in awakening level will result in a qualitative leap in power and the degree of distortion.

Individuals with moderate mental pollution can achieve approximately 10% arousal through specific rituals.

During this stage, the dark wizard's body will begin to undergo benign mutations—the skin may become tougher, the senses will become exceptionally acute, and the most significant change will be an enhancement of magical effects.

Ron paused and carefully considered the description.

With just 10% awakening, such a significant change in strength can occur; no wonder some people are willing to risk trying this path.

He continued reading and discovered even more in-depth content:
"The power of the dark wizard comes from two main sources: the extreme emotions of living beings and the energy of the soul."

Extreme emotions, especially fear, despair, and pain, can generate a special energy fluctuation within a living organism, which black wizards can collect through special rituals.

This is why many dark wizards conduct cruel live experiments: not only for research, but also to collect this precious energy. Soul energy is even rarer and more powerful, and usually needs to be extracted from dying or recently deceased creatures through special rituals.

This energy has extremely high conversion efficiency and can significantly enhance alertness.

The book details how dark wizards use special rituals to combine the collected energy with their own spiritual pollution, forming a symbiotic relationship.

This symbiosis transforms pollution from a chaotic erosion into a controllable source of power.

"The spells of black wizards have a special 'corrosive property' that can penetrate the target's defenses and accelerate the process of mental corruption."

This allows dark wizards to often gain the upper hand when facing orthodox wizards of the same or even higher level.

Ron was particularly interested in this part: the erosion property sounded extremely powerful, capable of bypassing normal defenses and directly attacking the opponent's mental foundation.

However, the book also makes no secret of the terrifying price of the path of the dark wizard:
"As the level of awakening increases, the dark wizard's personality will gradually disintegrate."

All negative emotions are amplified many times over, and rational thinking is gradually replaced by instinct.

By the time they reach 30% awakening level, most dark wizards have completely lost their normal social abilities and become extremely violent and antisocial.

A dark wizard at 50% awakening level is almost no longer human; their way of thinking is completely different from that of a normal human.

They often become completely immersed in their own crazy world, driven only by the most primal desires and impulses.

A level of awakening exceeding 70% is extremely rare. According to records, there are only one in a hundred dark wizards who can reach this level without completely losing control.

These beings have partially transcended various physical and mental limitations, and are able to perceive and manipulate forces that exist outside of reality.

As for 100% awakening level—that's a realm that only exists in legends.

A fully awakened dark wizard will transform into an 'Apostle,' a terrifying being comparable to a grand wizard.

Ron put down the book and felt a pang of anxiety.

Are apostles on par with great wizards?

He recalled a book he had previously read about talent ladders:
The top-tier wizard "Clock King," possessing first-rate talent, sacrificed himself to completely banish a dozen or so "Apostles"...

It seems the power of the dark wizard is indeed tempting, but the price to pay is utter self-destruction:

It is not the destruction of the body, but the complete alienation of personality and soul.

He then took out another book, "Pollution Transformation and Symbiosis," hoping to find more specific descriptions of the awakening process.

This book is more technical, filled with complex descriptions of rituals and theoretical derivations.

"The core of the awakening ritual lies in guiding the accumulated spiritual pollution to merge with the energy collected from the outside, forming a special symbiotic circuit."

This process is extremely dangerous; the slightest mistake can lead to mental breakdown and irreversible distortion.

The ritual needs to be performed in a specific environment, usually a highly polluted area or a vulnerable spatial node.

Dark sorcerers need to prepare special mediums—usually objects or biological tissues containing large amounts of extreme emotions, and a container capable of holding the fused energy.

The book only provides a rough description of the entire ritual process, including some rune configurations, incantations, and mental manipulation techniques.

However, all the crucial parts were removed, which is understandable, perhaps to prevent anyone from taking the risk, since the allure of power is endless.

Ron noticed that the ritual mentioned a special material called "Sin Domain Black Crystal" several times, which seemed to be a key medium for guiding polluted energy.

"The Black Crystal of the Sin Domain is an extremely rare material. It is said that its technology originated from the inspiration that ancient black wizards gained in the deepest part of the abyss."

It possesses a powerful ability to attract and transform energy, making it an ideal medium for awakening rituals.

However, prolonged exposure to the Black Crystal of the Sin Domain can also accelerate the accumulation of mental pollution, creating a vicious cycle.

This description reminded Ron of Marcus's investigation report on Cynthia's disappearance: they found "strange experimental records and alchemical instruments" at her residence.

"So, both Cynthia and Oliver may be trying this awakening ritual. Cynthia seems to have completed it and chosen to defect, while Oliver may be in the preparation stage."

Ron pulled his thoughts back to the book and continued reading the detailed explanation of his awakened abilities:
"A black wizard with 10% awakening level usually has his spell power increased by 30% and comes with a basic corruption effect, which can cause mild mental pollution to the target."

At the same time, the black wizard's body will begin to undergo beneficial mutations, such as skin hardening and enhanced senses.

A black wizard with 30% awakening level can already rival a formal wizard in power, and may even have an advantage in battle due to the existence of the erosion property.

Their spells have a powerful corrosive effect, which can quickly weaken the target's mental defenses and may cause the target to hallucinate or experience temporary mental confusion.

A dark wizard at 50% awakening level has reached the realm of a Moon-level wizard; their spells are no longer confined to the rules of reality and can directly influence the target's soul and consciousness structure.

The book also records cases of some famous dark wizards and their special abilities.

Ron paid particular attention to a dark wizard known as the "Void Singer".

It is said that when he reached about 35% awakening level, he created a special spell called "Mind Devouring Curse", which can infinitely amplify the target's deepest fears, eventually causing their psychological defenses to completely collapse.

After several hours of reading, Ron finally put down the last book and rubbed his sore eyes.

He acquired a wealth of information about dark wizards and the path to awakening, but this also raised even more questions.

One thought in particular kept lingering in his mind: would the job panel consider the path of the Dark Wizard as an optional job route?
If the corrupting power of dark wizards could be incorporated into the professional system, could we avoid those terrible side effects and achieve a more controllable use of power?

(End of this chapter)