Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

Chapter 174 The Wasteland Where the Gods Died

Early in the morning, Ron arrived at the school's central library.

He held the special privilege badge in his hand.

This is one of the rewards he won in the Bloody Gladiator Tournament, allowing him to choose a rare ancient book from the Treasure Trove.

"Ron Ralph, champion of the Bloody Gladiator Tournament."

Ron calmly showed his badge to the guard: "I'm here to use special privileges."

The old guard took the badge, examined it carefully, and nodded.

"Confirmed. Please follow me, Ralph Apprentice."

He turned and led Ron through the main hall toward a narrow corridor that was not normally open to apprentices.

At the end of the corridor was a heavy door made of obsidian.

The door was carved with intricate runes and strange creature images, which writhed as if alive in the candlelight.

A vague, strange noise seeped from the crack in the door; it wasn't any language Ron was familiar with, but rather an unsettling whisper mixed with rustling.

The old guard inserted the badge into the groove on the door and whispered a secret incantation.

As the incantation was completed, the obsidian door emitted a muffled rumble.

It was as if a sigh came from a distant place, and then it slowly opened inward, revealing a deep darkness.

"The rules for the Treasures section are very simple."

The old guard spoke in a very low voice, as if afraid of disturbing something lurking in the darkness:

"You have one hour to choose from, and you may only take one book. You may not damage, copy, or alter any items. Once you enter, the guardian golem will monitor you throughout the entire process. Any violation will result in immediate expulsion and permanent loss of access."

When adding the last point, the old guard's expression became unusually serious:

"Also, pay no attention to any sounds or whispers; they are merely echoes of knowledge. Whatever you hear, do not respond."

Ron nodded in understanding: "I will follow the rules."

Good luck, young man.

The old guard stepped aside, gesturing for the guard to come in, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

Ron took a deep breath and stepped into this treasure trove of knowledge.

The door closed slowly behind him with a heavy thud, as if completely isolating him from the outside world.

Once inside, he found himself in an irregularly shaped hall.

The walls are made of a strange material that emits a faint glow, with patterns flowing on the surface like living blood vessels, giving the entire space a pulsating sense of life.

Even more unsettling was that whenever he shifted his gaze, the boundaries of the hall seemed to subtly shift, as if the space itself were breathing.

At the center of the hall is a multi-dimensional crystal structure that at first glance looks like a tower, but when the perspective changes, it presents a completely different geometric shape.

At its top floats a sphere shaped like a human eye, with a deep indigo iris and a pupil that resembles a black hole vortex, seemingly capable of swallowing all light.

"That's starting to get interesting, it has that eerie and profound feeling that's unique to wizards..."

As Ron thought this, he cautiously glanced around and noticed several guards standing at the edge of the hall.

These guards are not ordinary stone golems, but alien structures carved from a translucent blue-black crystal.

Their shapes are vaguely humanoid, but the proportions are completely out of place, with overly long arms, deformed heads, and extra bends at the joints that shouldn't be there.

What is most disturbing are their "eyes," with dozens of red crystals of varying sizes embedded in each guard.

Ron glanced at the books briefly before turning his attention back to the book selection task.

With limited time, he had to find the books he needed efficiently.

He cautiously approached the central structure, sensing the ancient energy fluctuations emanating from it.

Ron tried to understand how this indexing system worked.

Rather than a classification system, it's more accurate to describe it as a thought response mechanism:

It senses the needs and thoughts of visitors and proactively guides them to find knowledge that resonates with them.

Ron closed his eyes, concentrated, and clearly presented the key concepts of "extraordinary biology," "the abyss," and "bloodline" on the surface of his consciousness.

The eye-shaped sphere at the top immediately reacted to this information, the iris turned deep purple, and the pupil dilated, forming a dark vortex.

Ron followed the directions and came to a bookshelf made of a mixture of dark purple biological skeletons and some unknown metal.

The books on the shelves are of all kinds; some are shaped like ordinary books, while others wriggle like organic creatures.

Some of them even appear to be formed from some kind of semi-solid substance, with tiny bubbles constantly forming and bursting inside.

In the center of this bookshelf, a particular book immediately caught Ron's attention.

It was an exceptionally thick book, about the size of an adult's chest, with a cover wrapped in an unknown biological leather.

From the front, it appears as a "comprehensive guide to abyssal creatures" in the common language; from the side, it resembles some kind of ancient rune.

From a certain angle, you will see a series of incomprehensible geometric symbols, and looking directly at them will cause slight dizziness.

“This is exactly what I’ve been looking for…”

Ron's heart began to race uncontrollably.

He had learned about this "Illustrated Compendium of Abyssal Creatures" from Lilia beforehand and had specifically inquired about it.

It is said to have been written by a dark sun wizard named Selwyn Aldrich.

This wizard explored the abyss for nearly a century, traversing all areas from the first to the thirteenth level.

There are even rumors that he briefly stayed at the thirteenth level, the "Void Boundary," which is an extremely rare feat for someone below the level of a Grand Wizard.

He then spent some time browsing the other books on the shelf to make sure he hadn't missed any better options.

Despite seeing several compelling books, such as "Soul Disintegration and Reconstruction: The Price of Immortality" and "Under the Stars: Footprints of Ancient Gods,"...

However, considering his research direction, Ron ultimately decided that the "Abyssal Creatures Compendium" was the best choice.

He carefully reached out and touched the book, his fingertips immediately feeling a strange, cold sensation, accompanied by a faint, electric-like sting.

When mental energy comes into contact with a book, it seems as if some kind of consciousness is responding, scrutinizing the new reader.

"Incredible..."

He carefully took the book down, savoring the profound meaning it contained.

He turned to the first page and confirmed that this was the complete version he wanted.

Unlike conventional books, the opening of "The Abyss Creatures Illustrated" is not a preface or table of contents, but a warning.

Written in bright red ink, with wild strokes, the characters pulsate slightly on the paper, as if written directly with blood:

"Anyone who reads this book should always pay attention to their own soul."

Knowledge is both a guiding light and an abyss;
Those who know too much may turn into what they seek.

"When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you."

Below this warning is a peculiar stamp, shaped like an eye, but with a tiny vortex in the pupil that appears to be slowly rotating on the paper.

Having made his decision, Ron, carrying the heavy tome, walked toward the multidimensional structure in the center.

As he approached, the eye-shaped sphere at the top opened again.

A bluish-black light swept across the books, seemingly registering them at some level of spiritual significance.

"Selection confirmed: The Abyssal Creatures Compendium (13th Edition), recorded by Selvin Aldrich, a timeless work of high collectible value."

A multi-layered tone emanated from the sphere, seemingly coming from afar, yet also sounding directly into Ron's mind:
"Confirm to take out? Once confirmed, special permissions will be invalid."

Ron paused for a moment, but quickly replied, "Confirmed."

The moment he uttered the word, a barely perceptible energy fluctuation emanated from the book and flowed into his body, forming an invisible yet undeniably real connection.

"Recording complete."

The sphere returned to calm, but in its final moments, it added in an almost inaudible voice:
May knowledge light your path, wherever it leads.

Ron turned and headed for the exit, the alien guardian golems watching him leave.

Countless red crystal eyes watched his every move until he stepped out of the obsidian gate.

The old guard was waiting outside the door. When he saw the book in Ron's hand, his face turned pale instantly.
"The Abyssal Creatures Compendium? Truth be upon you... This, this is quite a bold choice, young man." Ron calmly replied, "Knowledge itself is neither good nor evil; the key lies in the user's initial intention."

The old guard looked at Ron with a solemn expression, his voice low and almost a whisper:

"Some say that Aldrich never truly left the Abyss; he merely brought his discoveries back to the surface world in the form of a book. Although this is not the original, I still hope you will be as careful as possible when you study it."

Ron paused for a moment, taking the warning to heart: "Using knowledge prudently is a lesson every wizard must learn."

May your wisdom prevail over your curiosity.

The old guard gave a final word of advice: "Remember, as you explore the mysteries of the abyss, countless eyes are also watching you through the cracks of knowledge."

Upon returning to the workshop, Ron immediately went into the most secret laboratory.

He activated multiple isolation arrays to ensure that the subsequent research would not be interfered with or leaked in any way.

Then, Ron carefully placed his long-awaited "Abyssal Creatures Compendium" on the reading table.

As the pages unfolded in his hands, Ron was surprised to find that this illustrated book was unlike any ordinary book.

The content seems to be alive, changing and unfolding as the reader pays attention.

The text flows and recombines continuously, and the illustrations present a stunning three-dimensional effect when viewed.

Some pages even emit specific smells and sounds, making reading a fully immersive sensory experience.

"The Abyss, that wondrous space that ancient poems call 'eternal depth,' myths describe as 'the wasteland where the gods died,' and wizards regard as 'the furnace of power.'"

As he read, a faint black halo appeared around the text:

"It is not a simple underground world or a den of demons as mortals in the surface world imagine. It is more like an independent cosmic bubble, a folded reality dominated by distorted rules, a multi-dimensional spiral composed of at least thirteen (perhaps extending to infinity) different levels."

As this description unfolds, a three-dimensional image appears on the page:
An inverted spiral structure, wide at the bottom, gradually widening downwards, and finally disappearing into an indescribable dark vortex.

This image is not static, but slowly rotating. With each rotation, the spiral shape subtly changes, revealing its multi-dimensional characteristics.

Ron turned the preface to the first chapter—"An Overview of Abyssal Geography".

The book describes the overall structure of the Abyss in detail, but these descriptions are far more complex and incredible than Ron had anticipated.

The first and second levels are known as the "Bloody Shoals," which on the surface appear to be nothing more than a wilderness covered by an eternally blood-red sky.

But the book reveals that beneath this seemingly ordinary surface lie thousands of "space vesicles," each with its own unique ecosystem.

The boundaries between these vesicles are blurred and unstable; if an explorer is not careful, he may enter a completely different environment after taking just one step.

The third layer, "Black Sand Wasteland," is the place where the lion scorpion originated. On the surface, it is described as a cursed desert.

But a deeper analysis reveals an even more startling truth: the "grains of sand" here are actually microscopic life forms, each with its own consciousness and purpose.

The entire desert is actually a massive swarm of intelligence that expands itself by constantly devouring and assimilating other organisms.

However, what truly horrified Ron was the description of the fourth level and below, which had begun to transcend the forms of existence that mortals could comprehend.

The fourth layer, the "Twisted Jungle," is an ecosystem that defies the laws of nature.

The boundaries between plants and animals are blurred, and life reproduces and evolves in incomprehensible ways.

The trees there might suddenly turn into animals, and the animals might take root and sprout into plants.

Some organisms possess characteristics of both plants and animals, and some even exist in forms that cannot be classified.

The fifth level, the "Sea of ​​Eternal Night," is a fluid region where space is distorted...

The sixth layer, the "Maze Realm," is a multi-dimensional spatial folding structure. It is not only a physical maze, but also a maze of cognition and logic.

Here, even the most basic causal relationships are broken; the result may precede the cause, and paradox is the norm rather than the exception.

The book states:

"The real danger that begins from the sixth level of the labyrinth lies not in its complex spatial structure, but in its erosion of the explorer's mind."

Prolonged exposure to this environment can cause a person's thinking patterns to begin to gravitate towards the logic of the abyss, gradually leading to a loss of understanding of the concept of 'normal'.

Once this shift begins, it is almost irreversible because those affected perceive the world around them as 'abnormal,' rather than a problem with their own thinking.

……

The ninth level, the "Abyss of Souls," is even more abstract and difficult to describe; it is defined as "the boundary between existence and non-existence."

Here, thoughts and emotions become visible entities, and fragments of memories and dreams float in the void.

The soul can be directly observed and manipulated, just like objects in the material world.

……

The deepest thirteenth layer, the "Void Boundary," is almost entirely beyond the scope of language.

This part of the book is filled with ink stains and blank spaces, as if the author himself had difficulty transforming what he saw and heard into words.

The few descriptions available are full of contradictory and incoherent expressions, such as paradoxical phrases like "infinitely small space," "burning ice," and "noisy silence."

The following chapters describe the effects of the Abyss's curse in greater detail and astonishment than any information Ron had previously gathered:
"The curse of the abyss is not just an effect on the body and mind, but a transformation of the form of existence. Every creature that stays in the abyss is unknowingly redefined, incorporated into the abyss's 'dictionary,' and becomes part of its grammatical system."

"The first to third layers of curses are mainly manifested as physical changes—hardening or softening of the skin, distortion or enhancement of the senses, and changes in the position or function of organs."

These changes can indeed be partially reversed after leaving the abyss, but there has never been a recorded case of complete recovery.

"The fourth to sixth layers begin to affect the mental structure—the way we perceive, our thinking patterns, and our emotional responses will all undergo fundamental changes."

Those affected may begin to understand time, space, and causality in entirely new ways, and may even develop new forms of thinking that cannot be expressed in ordinary language.

"At the seventh level and below, the curse will directly reconstruct the essence of the soul—no longer a simple 'infection' or 'influence,' but a complete 'rewrite.'"

Those explorers who linger here too long are no longer creatures altered by the abyss, but become conscious fragments of the abyss itself, active embodiments of the abyss.

The book particularly emphasizes a disturbing phenomenon—the irreversibility and contagiousness of the Abyss Curse:
Even explorers who have briefly come into contact with the deep abyss will unconsciously bring the 'logic' of the abyss into reality after returning to the surface world.

Their thoughts, words, and even their very existence become tentacles that extend from the abyss into the surface world.

An individual affected by the seventh layer of the curse can, through prolonged conversation, cause the other person's thinking to begin to gravitate towards the abyss mode.

This description reminded Ron of the various dark wizarding organizations and the Abyss Cult that were rejected by the mainstream wizarding world.

They may be the collective manifestation of this contagion process, a group of individuals reshaped by the abyss, secretly spreading the abyss's influence in the surface world.

The following chapters specifically describe the biomes of each level of the abyss.

The most common type of abyssal creature is the "mutant," which are creatures that originally came from the surface world but were later modified by abyssal energy.

He could still understand the idea that "mutants" were a further evolution of these aberrant organisms in the outside world.

What truly baffled him were the descriptions of the original abyssal creatures.

These beings, which belonged to the abyss from the very beginning, are completely outside the framework of understanding mortal biology.

The book details more than a dozen such native abyssal creatures, each possessing characteristics that defy the laws of nature:
"Void Wanderer" - an energy aggregate without a fixed form, capable of existing in multiple spatial locations simultaneously and unaffected by physical barriers;
"Thought Swarm" - a collective consciousness organism composed of thousands of tiny entities, each possessing a portion of collective thought, but only the collective can exhibit full intelligence;

"Time Eaters"—a peculiar creature that feeds on time, gnawing at the "timeline" of objects, causing their victims to experience accelerated aging or degeneration...

The most terrifying native abyssal creature is the "Soul Eater"—a being that exists only in the ninth layer, the "Soul Abyss."

The book describes them in great detail, almost taking up an entire chapter:
"The Soul Eaters do not exist on the material plane, but rather exist as 'conceptual beings' in the realm of soul and mind."

Their most terrifying characteristic is not their destructive power, but their contagiousness—any soul affected by a Soul Eater will gradually develop the Soul Eater's traits, eventually transforming into a new Soul Eater.

"This transformation process is gradual and imperceptible. Victims are usually unaware that they are changing until it is too late."

The initial symptoms are tiny gaps in memory, followed by a dulling of emotional responses, then an abnormal perception of the souls of others, and finally an uncontrollable 'appetite'—a craving for other souls.

"What's most frightening is that, even in the surface world, once this transformation begins, it is almost irreversible."

The only known 'cure' is a soul-splitting technique, which involves cutting off and sealing the infected portion, but this is an extremely dangerous and forbidden spell with a very low success rate.

However, just as the danger of the abyss increases exponentially with depth, so too do the treasures and opportunities it contains.

Ron turned to the chapter "Abyssal Matter and Rare Treasures" and found that this part was far more systematic and detailed than he had imagined.

“Abyssal matter should not be simply understood as ‘material,’ but rather as ‘solidified, distorted fragments.’”

The book explains:
“Each type of abyssal material can, to a limited extent, interfere with or overwrite the physical laws of the surface world.”

This is also what Ron is most interested in right now.

But just as he was about to continue reading, he suddenly felt dizzy and quickly reached out to hold onto the table...

(End of this chapter)