Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

Chapter 597 Why weren't you injured?
When his vision refocused, Ron found himself standing on a circular platform made of translucent crystal.

This is the teleportation hub, a buffer zone between the first and second levels.

He took a deep breath, feeling the nearly depleted spiritual energy within him.

The “dialogue” with the Shadowless Tower consumed a great deal of his energy.

It's like trying to drain an entire lake with a straw; the exhaustion goes straight to the depths of your soul.

But at least he survived, and was unharmed.

Just as he was about to sit down and meditate to recover, the teleportation array in the center of the platform suddenly burst out with dazzling light.

"boom……"

A figure was thrown out like a tattered sack, crashing heavily to the ground.

Ron looked closely and saw that it was a tall male wizard.

At that moment, his left arm was severed at the elbow.

The flesh at the wound was rotting and peeling away at a visible rate, as if it were being eroded by some extremely vicious curse.

The silver runic chains wrapped around his right arm were dull and lifeless, with several sections completely broken and the metal surface covered with cracks.

The male wizard's face was ashen, and the veins on his forehead were bulging, clearly indicating that he was enduring unimaginable pain.

But he gritted his teeth and didn't utter a sound.

He trembled as he pulled a bottle of purple potion from his storage bag and gulped it down.

The medicine worked immediately—the rotting flesh stopped spreading, but black pus and blood continued to ooze from the severed arm.

"Damn it... 'false double image'..."

The wizard, panting heavily, struggled to his feet and leaned against a crystal pillar at the edge of the platform.

He looked up and immediately saw Ron standing not far away, dressed neatly and breathing steadily.

Those bloodshot eyes, filled with pain, overflowed with disbelief.

"you……"

The wizard's voice was hoarse, like sandpaper rubbing against a stone.
How come you're so clean?

Ron didn't answer immediately.

As another light shone, a second survivor was teleported over.

This time it was the petite witch wielding a bone staff.

Her condition was slightly better than the male wizard's; at least her limbs were still intact.

But her right hand, which was holding the bone staff, was completely burned to a crisp.

The five fingers were curled into an eerie angle, like some kind of withered claw.

Two of the three eyeballs embedded in the bone staff were completely shattered.

The witch's face was covered with large burn marks. She staggered to her feet and was stunned to see Ron.

"This is impossible……"

Her voice was hoarse, like a broken bellows:

"You haven't experienced combat?"

A third survivor followed closely behind.

He was a middle-aged male wizard with a piercing wound in his chest, which ran diagonally from his left shoulder to his right waist and abdomen.

The male wizard was deathly pale and his lips were purple, clearly indicating that he had lost too much blood.

“'Eternal Knot'…”

He muttered to himself, his voice filled with despair:
"Damn it...that space...there's no exit..."

After saying that, he collapsed to the ground.

The last survivor was a woman whose figure was hidden in a cloak.

Her condition was the most bizarre; she had no visible external injuries, and her cloak was still intact.

With each step the witch took, she left a trail of tar-like footprints.

She was breathing very heavily, clearly having just gone through a long chase.

When she saw Ron, her body visibly stiffened.

Then, she slowly pulled down her hood, revealing a face so pale it was almost transparent.

"Your space bubble..."

Her voice was ethereal, as if it came from a distant place:
"What is the difficulty level?"

Ron glanced at her but didn't answer immediately.

He could understand these people's reactions.

When you exert all your strength and risk your life to complete a task, you find that someone else has achieved the same result with ease.

That sense of imbalance, that question of "why should I?", is only natural.

"The difficulty of the assessment I went through should be the same as yours."

"As for why I look 'clean,' it's because of the way I chose to deal with it—it doesn't require fighting."

"No need to fight?"

The tall male wizard sneered:
"Do you think we would believe such nonsense?"
The vortex zone on the seventh floor is teeming with mutants and spacetime traps. How could you survive without fighting?

"I didn't say it was the vortex region."

Ron responded calmly:
"The difficulty of the space bubble assigned to each person is different. My space bubble doesn't test combat ability, but... something else."

"something else?"

The Bone Staff Witch squinted her eyes:

"Then tell us what happened to you? Let us 'learn' from you."

Ron was silent for a moment, then finally shook his head:
"I'm sorry, I have no obligation to explain to you."

"and……"

His gaze swept over the three of them:

"Even if I explain, it won't help you at all."

Because each person's assessment is independent, my experience cannot be replicated for you.

He didn't explain in detail because there was no need.

The state of these people at this moment says it all.

Ron turned and walked to the lounge area in the lobby, found a corner to sit down, and closed his eyes to rest.

Now, he needs to rest, recover his energy, and prepare for the upcoming assessment.

As for the suspicion and hostility of the three survivors... he had already anticipated it.

"That's just human nature," he murmured to himself.
"When you can't understand the success of others, questioning and denying become the simplest way to deal with it."

"but……"

He opened his eyes and looked in the direction of the hall exit:

"This is just the first hurdle. The real test is yet to come."

Acelia's voice echoed deep within his consciousness:
"Be careful, they might not cooperate in the upcoming assessments."

"It doesn't matter," Ron replied casually.

"In such a challenging assessment, any infighting or scheming will only hasten one's failure."

"If they are smart, they should focus on passing the test."

"If one is not smart..."

Ron closed his eyes:

"Then let them pay the price for their stupidity."

A brief silence fell over the hall.

The four survivors, each with their own thoughts, await the start of the next challenge.

"Snapped……"

A crisp clap of applause broke the silence.

The gray-robed deputy examiner appeared at the edge of the platform at some point.

"Congratulations."

The assistant examiner's voice remained as cold as an icebox:
"Of the seventeen people in total, ten successfully passed the first stage."

The attrition rate is less than 50%.

With a flick of her finger, ten still-lit points of light appeared in the center of the platform.

Two dimmed, while the remaining five were completely extinguished.

"Those five that went out..."

The wizard, who had lost his left arm, asked with difficulty:
"them……"

"Of course they're all dead."

The assistant examiner's tone was as flat as if he were stating today's weather:

"Three of them suffered complete mental breakdowns when they encountered the 'time trap' because they repeatedly experienced the same second of death."

"One was devoured by the 'Void Predator,' and even its soul was transformed into a 'component' of that space."

"There was another one who tried to escape by forcibly destroying the spatial structure, but was torn to pieces by the abyssal turbulence."

"Finally, two more faded into obscurity..."

For the first time, her tone betrayed a change in emotion: "I chose to withdraw voluntarily."

These words struck the survivors like another heavy blow.

Five out of seven people died, and two others abstained. This is the true elimination rate of the Golden Ring assessment.

"Before starting the second level..."

The witch raised her hands, her ten fingers dancing in the air like butterflies flitting among flowers.

Countless fine, hair-like gray threads began to appear around it.

The next moment, those gray threads shot out as if they were alive!

The chained man tried to dodge, but found that his body had been frozen in place by some invisible force.

Not only him, but all the injured were unable to move.

Those gray threads were precisely wrapped around everyone's wounds.

When the thread touched the wound, the chain felt an indescribable alternation of cold and warmth.

At the site of his severed left arm, the rotting flesh began to peel away at a visible rate, revealing the newly formed, pinkish tissue beneath.

At the same time, he also felt a life force being forcibly "borrowed" away.

It's not borrowing from him, but from... a deeper "pool of life".

The charred remains on the bone staff woman's palm were gently brushed away, revealing the regrowth of skin beneath.

The two shattered eyeballs on her bone staff began to slowly repair themselves and regain their basic function.

The middle-aged wizard's penetrating chest wound was "stitched up" with gray silk threads, as if sewing.

The process was extremely painful, but also extremely efficient.

The distorted shadows beneath the Shadow Witch's feet were forcibly suppressed back to their normal form.

Although the parasites still exist, they will at least not continue to spread in the short term.

A dozen seconds later, the gray thread retracted.

Although the four wounded were still weak, they had at least recovered their basic combat abilities.

"This is the 'basic guarantee' that the academic alliance provides to examinees."

The assistant examiner said coldly:

"Your injuries have been healed to the point that they will not affect your performance in the second stage."

"But don't expect more."

“I am not a healer. The cost of this spell will be repaid as a ‘debt’ at some point in your future.”

Her words sent a chill down everyone's spine.

"Thanks……"

The Bone Staff Witch said in a low voice, her heart filled with trepidation but also with sincere gratitude.

The assistant examiner did not respond, but simply waved his hand.
"You have a 30-minute break."

"Used to restore magic power, adjust status, and..."

She looked at everyone: "Confirm each other's code names."

After speaking, the deputy examiner's figure vanished as if melting away.

Only five people remained, standing on the platform looking at each other.

After a moment of silence, the wizard who had lost his left arm was the first to speak.

He moved his newly regenerated left arm; although it was still a bit stiff, it was at least usable.

Call me 'Chains'.

The wizard patted the repaired silver rune chains with his right hand:
"This thing has been with me for thirty years. It can bind energy bodies and block regeneration circuits."

"It's the only thing I can be proud of."

The witch, whose hands had just been repaired, gripped the bone staff tightly, causing the three eyeballs to slowly rotate:

"My code name is 'Eyeball'."

She looked at her bone staff, clearly feeling a pang of regret:
“These eyeballs can unleash my family’s secret technique, ‘Crystalized Gaze,’ which can quickly freeze a target.”

"Although it was almost completely destroyed just now..."

The middle-aged wizard, whose chest wound had been stitched up, had barely regained consciousness.

He sat up, trembling, and the repaired shield spell began to reform:
"'Grid'".

His voice was weak, yet it still carried a certain rationality:
"I am good at calculations and positional warfare, and I am skilled at finding 'grids' in chaos."

"Give me time, and I can build the most stable defense system."

The witch, whose shadow was suppressed, finally spoke.

Her voice was ethereal and fleeting, as if it might vanish into thin air at any moment:
"'Shadow Man'."

"I excel at stealth, misdirection, and..."

Her tone turned indifferent: "A deadly shadow spell."

Four people, four codenames, four completely different fighting styles.

Then everyone's eyes fell on Ron.

That look in his eyes was full of doubt, wariness, and barely concealed hostility.

Because he was too clean, abnormally clean.

He was so clean that it made one wonder if he had truly undergone the same level of trials as them.

Ron could feel the weight of those gazes.

But he didn't explain; he simply said:
"'Diviner'"

"I am skilled in divination and potion-making, as well as some... supportive spells."

This self-introduction made the expressions of the other four people even more subtle.

Divination? Potions? Auxiliary spells?

Even at this point, are you still hiding things?
"Chains" snorted coldly, making no attempt to hide its dissatisfaction.

The "eyeball" frowned, seemingly pondering what secrets this "fortune teller" was hiding.

"Grid" silently observed Ron, a hint of approval appearing in its eyes.

The "shadow man" took a half step back, completely concealing himself in the shadow of his cloak, as if ready to flee at any moment.

In this eerie silence, the assistant examiner's voice echoed in the air once more:

"The second stage begins in thirty minutes. Get ready."

Ron walked alone to the edge of the platform and poured out a deck of divination cards from his storage bag.

He closed his eyes and began his meditation before the divination.

His spiritual power rippled outwards, resonating with the mysterious power sealed within the cards.

A moment later, he opened his eyes and began shuffling the cards.

"With the stars as witnesses and destiny as our guide..."

Ron chanted the incantation in a low voice:

"I wish to explore the dangers ahead and seek revelation in the secret rituals."

"How did the trip go?"

He placed the deck of cards in front of him and then drew one from the top with his left hand.

That is the "core divination tablet," representing the essence of the problem.

His pupils contracted slightly when he turned over the card.

On the card is a huge mirror.

The left half of the mirror reflects a kind face with a gentle smile on its lips.

The right half of the image shows a monster with its jaws wide open, baring fangs and eyes filled with bloodthirsty madness.

The person standing in front of the mirror has their back to the observer, so their face cannot be seen.

The name of this card is inscribed on the bottom in ancient wizarding script:
【Magic Mirror】

In divination systems, the magic mirror represents "inconsistency between appearance and reality," "false truth," and "the need to see through appearances."

When upright, it serves as a reminder to the diviner to be wary of pretense and deception;

When reversed, it suggests that the diviner may be deceiving themselves.

Ron drew the upright position.

He took a deep breath and continued divining.

The information from a single card is too vague; he needs more details.

He continued drawing cards, following the traditional "three-card spread":

The first one represents the "past"—historical factors that have influenced the current situation;

The second image represents "the present"—the core challenges we currently face.

The third card represents the "future"—the most likely outcome if things continue on the current trajectory.

The first card was slowly turned over.

In the image, an ancient dragon coils above the treasure vault, its eyes closed as if asleep. Yet its claws grip the vault's door tightly.

Anyone who tries to get close will be torn apart by those sharp claws that remain sharp even in their sleep.

[The Treasure Guardian is in its proper place]

When upright, this card represents "passive protection", "reliance on external forces", and "a safe trap".

"past……"

Ron interpreted it in his mind:
"In the first stage, although we fought individually, we were all protected by some kind of 'rule'."

“Those space bubbles, no matter how dangerous, are essentially ‘solvable’ puzzles.”

“We rely on that ‘designed sense of security’…”

The second card turned over was the same one we'd just seen, the Magic Mirror upright.

This means that "inconsistency between appearance and reality" is the core challenge we are currently facing.

The third card was slowly turned over.

In the picture, a traveler stands at a three-way intersection.

The road on the left was covered with flowers and bathed in sunshine;
The road to the right is overgrown with thorns and shrouded in dark clouds;

In the middle was a thick fog, and nothing could be seen.

The traveler held a torch, hesitant.

[Lost in the Way, Upright]

When upright, this card represents "no right answer", "the choice itself is a test", and "a test of faith".

Ron stared at the three cards, and the entire divination process gradually became clear in his mind:

“In the past, we relied on ‘pre-designed protection’.”

"Now, we are facing the trap of 'hypocrisy'."

"In the future, we will have to make choices when there is no right answer."

His fingers gently traced the [Magic Mirror] card, sensing the warning it contained.

"so……"

He concluded in his mind:

"The real test of the second stage is not 'teamwork' or 'escort mission'."

"The real test... is whether we dare to question a guide that seems 'absolutely correct'."

He put away the divination cards and returned them to his bag.

Although the divination results remained obscure, it at least gave him a clear warning:

Don't blindly trust anything that seems "perfect".

After resting for a while, the assistant examiner reappeared.

"Preparation time is over."

With a wave of her hand, the teleportation array in the center of the platform began to change.

"The second challenge is teamwork."

The assistant examiner's voice was as cold as a verdict:
"The five of you will escort this 'Core of Order' through the 'Chaos Corridor' to the final beacon."

She tapped her finger lightly in the air.

The first thing to appear was a pure, dazzling white light.

The light was so pure that it seemed to be a manifestation of the abstract concept of "order".

Then, the light began to converge, condense, and compress...

Finally, it transformed into a perfect sphere the size of a fist.

"This is the 'core of order'."

The assistant examiner slowly said:

"It was created by a master alchemist from the Alliance of Schools. As long as it exists, the chaos within a certain radius will be forcibly suppressed to the lowest level."

"Your mission is to escort it through the 'Chaos Corridor'—one of the areas with the highest concentration of chaos in the seventh layer of the abyss."

"Without the protection of this core, you wouldn't last ten minutes there before being completely assimilated by the chaos and becoming some kind of... indefinable existence."

Her words sent chills down everyone's spines.

"But……"

The square opened its mouth with difficulty:
“The ‘core of order’ is precisely the kind of thing that chaos most desires to devour.”

“If we carry it through the Chaos Corridor, wouldn’t that be like lighting a beacon in the abyss, telling all the monsters, ‘We are here’?”

"correct."

The assistant examiner nodded, his tone devoid of any warmth:

"So, this is what we call 'assessment'."

"If it were easy, it wouldn't be called the Golden Ring Explorer certification."

With another wave of her hand, a smooth obsidian disc suddenly appeared in mid-air.

Strangely, when the five people stood in front of it, no one's appearance was reflected on the mirror.

There was no Ron, no "chains," no "eyeballs," no "squares," and no "shadow men."

In the mirror, there is only one clear, stable path, as if cast from pure gold.

The path begins at the edge of the mirror, meanders and twists, and extends all the way to a point in the center.

“This is the ‘mirror of what ought to be’.”

The assistant examiner's words carried an almost pious tone:
"It is connected to the School Alliance's large-scale deduction array—'Spindle of Fate'."

"That simulation array was built by three top wizards working together. Its computing power is enough to simulate billions of possibilities in an instant and select the only optimal solution from them."

She pointed to the golden path on the mirror:

What you see is the 'optimal solution'.

"As long as you strictly follow this path, your success rate in passing through the Chaos Corridor will be as high as 97.3%."

"Any deviation will lead to a sharp drop in the success rate."

"If the deviation is one meter, the success rate drops to eighty percent."

"If the deviation is ten meters, the success rate drops to fifty percent."

"Deviated by one hundred meters..."

Her voice turned cold:

"You will die."

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over everyone's heads.

The "chains'" expression turned extremely ugly:

"So, we have to completely trust this mirror?"

"Is there absolutely no room for deviation?"

"Is there absolutely no room for independent judgment?"

"That's exactly right." The assistant examiner nodded.

"Your assessment will focus on learning to 'obey'."

"Submit to calculation, submit to deduction, submit to that 'unique optimal solution'."

"Because in the abyss, personal intuition and experience often become deadly traps."

"Only absolute rationality and absolute calculation can find a way out of chaos."

  She turned around, ready to leave:

"You have three minutes to prepare."

"The teleportation will begin in three minutes, and you will be transported to the starting point of the Chaos Corridor."

"remember……"

Her voice echoed in the air:
“Any behavior that deviates from the guidance of the ‘mirror of what ought to be’ will be considered a failure in the assessment.”

"And you should have already seen the cost of failure."

After she finished speaking, her figure slowly disappeared into the air.

Silence, dead silence.

After a long silence, the chains were the first to break it:
“This is a trap.” His voice was low.
"Should we completely relinquish our independent judgment and hand our fate over to a mirror?"

"This in itself violates the most basic principles of explorers."

“But if we don’t follow…” the “square” beside him began with difficulty:
"We couldn't even survive the Chaos Corridor."

"That 'Core of Order' is our only protection."

"And that mirror is the core 'instruction manual'."

The "eyeball" shook its head and sighed: "We have no other choice."

"At least... follow the rules first."

"If there really is a trap, we should wait until we encounter it before taking any action."

The "shadow man" remained silent, simply checking his equipment.

Just then, Ron walked to the center of the group and took out the divination deck from his storage bag again.

“Perfect timing, before I set off... I can do one more divination.”

"Divination?" "Chains" sneered.
"What kind of time is this to still be playing these tricks?"

"It's not a trick."

Ron spread out the tarot cards: "This is a... confirmation."

He reshuffled the deck, and this time the questions were more specific:
"This journey is fraught with danger; what should we believe in?"

Then, he drew a card from the top of the deck.

When that card was turned over, everyone saw the scene:

A tall tower was struck by lightning and is collapsing.

The faces of those who fell from the top of the tower were filled with despair.

Amidst the ruins of the tower, a small door can be faintly seen, leading to the free sky.

The Tower Reversed

"This card..."

"Fang Ge" frowned: "What does it represent?"

“This represents the collapse of the old order.” Ron put away the cards, his eyes deep.
"It also represents 'finding new life in the ruins'."

"So my suggestion is..." He looked at the crowd:

"Stay vigilant and don't blindly trust any 'absolute' guidance."

"Even if that guidance came from a divination array of three top-tier wizards."

These words immediately turned the atmosphere into something rather awkward.

"Are you questioning the alliance of schools of thought?"

The "shadow man's" voice was filled with disbelief:

"Do you know what you're talking about?"

“I have no doubts about the Alliance of Schools.” Ron shook his head.
"I am simply stating the results of the divination."

"Whether you believe it or not is up to you."

He turned and walked toward the teleportation array, leaving the other four looking at each other in bewilderment.

Three minutes passed quickly, and the teleportation array lit up again.

The sight before them made everyone hold their breath.

This place can no longer be described as a "corridor".

It was a space that was constantly changing, fluid, and full of contradictions and paradoxes.

In the distance, some huge, distorted outlines could be vaguely seen.

Some of these things resemble architecture, some resemble living organisms, and some are completely undefinable.

They float and sink in the chaos, sometimes clear, sometimes blurry, as if in a superposition state between "existence" and "non-existence".

"This is... the Corridor of Chaos..."

The sound of "squares" carried an undisguised fear.

About ten meters behind them, the "Mirror of Promise" was quietly suspended.

On the mirror surface, the golden path is clearly visible.

It points about 30 degrees to the right of the front, where there is a relatively "stable" area.

"Walk."

"Chain" gritted its teeth and took the first step.

Others followed.

Ron lagged behind the group, secretly observing his surroundings as he walked.

His various observational features were operating frantically, trying to find some patterns in this chaos.

But the essence of chaos is the absence of rules.

All the analyses can only lead to one conclusion:
This is the graveyard of reason.

A golden path guided them around a huge, writhing, fleshy thing.

The thing looked like the corpse of some kind of creature, yet it was slowly "breathing".

With each breath, a large amount of thick fog would be ejected from the cracks on the surface.

The thick fog, upon contact with the air, condenses into all sorts of bizarre shapes.

Some resemble crying babies, some resemble twisted hands, and some are completely indescribable.

Don't look at it.

The "shadow man" warned in a low voice:
"That is the 'Mountain of Memory'. Anyone who is looked upon by it will lose their most precious memories."

The group quickened their pace and swiftly bypassed the obstacle.

But just as they left that area...

"Om..."

A very low, deep buzzing sound, like a bee coming from the depths of hell, suddenly rang out.

Everyone's expression changed drastically in an instant.

Because behind them, in the shadow of that writhing mass of flesh... something was slowly sliding out.

It was a creature that could not be understood using conventional vision.

It has no fixed shape and is more like a "slow-moving mass".

Wherever it passed, the air flow became extremely slow, and even the speed of light was forcibly reduced.

The feeling is like watching a video that's been sped up to 0.1x.

Everything was in motion, yet it was moving at a maddeningly slow pace.

"'The Leech That Devours Time'!"

The sound of "squares" was filled with despair:

"Damn it... the path of the 'Mirror of Promise' has led us into its hunting range!"

"Never use targeted spells!" the Shadow Man screamed.

"It will trace back along the magic!"

"Chain" gritted its teeth and swung out a silver chain.

"Wow..."

The chains shot out like living snakes, attempting to entangle the "sluggish" mass.

But when the chains touched the "Time-Eating Leech"...

Time stood still.

No, it's not solidification, it's being forcibly stretched.

The "chain" could clearly feel that its chains were moving forward at an extremely slow speed, millimeter by millimeter.

But to his perception, the process seemed to last an entire century.

"withdraw!"

Fang Ge roared, unleashing his full shield spell.

However, that shield immediately became like sinking into a quagmire after coming into contact with the "slowing force field" emitted by the "Time-devouring Leech".

The speed of deployment was forcibly reduced to almost a standstill.

"Eyeballs" gripped the bone staff tightly, their three eyeballs fixed on the monster.

She wanted to unleash the "crystallized gaze" and freeze it in time.

But the problem is...

This thing itself represents "the stagnation of time".

Using "freeze-frame" to combat "slowness" is like pouring water on ice—it's pointless.

The "Time-Devouring Leech" slowly slid towards the "eyeball".

It moves very slowly, but under its "slowing force field," the "eyeballs" can dodge even slower.

The feeling was like being trapped in a nightmare, wanting to escape, but finding your legs as heavy as lead.

Just as the "Time-Devouring Leech" was about to engulf her...

A piercing, high-frequency sound wave that almost ripped out eardrums suddenly burst out from the side!
This is clearly a "magic resonance" that has been precisely calculated and is specifically designed to interfere with energy fluctuations!
The sound waves, like invisible sharp knives, pierced directly into the core of the "Time-Devouring Leech".

The "sluggishness" immediately fluctuated violently, as if the frequency of some kind of precision instrument had been forcibly disrupted.

Its "slow force field" lost its stability at this moment.

The flow of time around us began to fluctuate wildly.

In some places, time speeds up; in others, it slows down; and in still others, a brief "time reversal" occurs.

The "Time-Devouring Leech" writhed in pain before quickly retreating back into the shadows.

It seemed to realize that there was some kind of force here that made it uncomfortable.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at the spellcaster.

It was that "fortune teller".

(End of this chapter)