As Carter Bill ventured deeper into the corrupted woodland, he gradually became acutely aware of the lurking dangers that permeated every corner of this place.
First and foremost were the cunningly concealed swamps.
The area was riddled with treacherous marshes—not the ordinary mires one might encounter elsewhere, but transcendent swamps imbued with a semblance of sentience, nurtured by elemental energies.
They lay hidden silently beneath a thick layer of decaying leaves, indistinguishable from ordinary ground under normal circumstances. Yet the moment they detected the weight of a prey stepping atop them, they would instantly morph into viscous quagmires, dragging the unfortunate victim downward in a vice-like grip.
To make matters even more terrifying, these swamps exuded a potent corrosive force. Any creature pulled into their depths would be dissolved completely in the blink of an eye, leaving no window of opportunity for allies to mount a rescue.
But the swamps were merely the appetizer in this perilous woodland. The far greater threat lurked in the vegetation that blanketed every inch of the land.
None of the plants growing in this blighted forest were ordinary flora. Instead, they had evolved into fearsome, otherworldly monstrosities, their vitality heightened by prolonged exposure to elemental forces.
Gigantic vines coiled around the tree trunks, and at the slightest approach, they would writhe and twist through the air like living serpents, searching for something to ensnare. Their surfaces were covered in sharp, barbed spines; a single touch would not only tear through flesh and skin but also inject a powerful paralyzing venom—strong enough to render even an elephant immobile within seconds.
What appeared to be tranquil thickets were, in reality, death traps bristling with countless tiny mechanisms. The edges of their leaves were as sharp as blades; merely brushing past them would lacerate a traveler's body from head to toe, inflicting wounds akin to those from slow and agonizing lingchi.
There were also colossal, shell-shaped flowers standing as tall as a grown man, which emitted an enticing fragrance to lure unsuspecting passersby near—only to snap shut and devour them whole in one gulp.
Then there were the shriek-inducing fruit trees, capable of unleashing ear-piercing screams that could stun a person senseless, after which their thorns would pierce the victim's skin and drain their blood dry in the blink of an eye...
Dangers of this kind were simply endless.
This was no ordinary forest—it was a ravenous, man-eating beast in its own right. Any living creature foolish enough to step foot inside would inevitably become its next meal.
Creak... creak...
The sound of Carter Bill's boots pressing into the thick, soft bed of decaying leaves echoed through the silent woods in muffled thuds. He gripped his magic wand tightly, treading cautiously, one step at a time.
Before taking each forward step, he would gently tap the ground ahead with the tip of his wand.
A faint blue glow flickered at the end of the wand, and when that radiance made contact with the earth, tiny ripples would spread outward rapidly in all directions.
This was a fundamental application of a warlock's spiritual power—Spiritual Perception.
By projecting and dispersing his spiritual force, he could penetrate the thick layer of decaying leaves and peer directly into the condition of the ground beneath.
The terrifying quagmires that were invisible to the naked eye stood exposed under the scrutiny of his spiritual sense, allowing him to clearly distinguish between solid ground and lethal swamps with absolute precision.
Yet this seemingly effortless maneuver was not a skill every apprentice could master. To wield Spiritual Perception, one first had to forge at least one Will Rune through arduous meditation.
"This must be the first test of the assessment..."
Any apprentice who had not mastered Spiritual Perception would be trapped here, unable to advance further. Undoubtedly, this was the Tower's first hurdle—a test of an apprentice's raw power, requiring nothing less than the ability to manifest at least a single Will Rune.
It was essentially a qualifying exam. If an apprentice could not even conjure one Will Rune, they were simply unworthy of becoming an Inner Circle Apprentice.
Proficiency in Spiritual Perception +1
Carter Bill had only mastered the Spiritual Perception technique after forging his first Will Rune less than a month ago, and his skill was now teetering on the verge of leveling up.
Spiritual Perception Level 0: 482/500
Although his proficiency in this skill was still rudimentary, the assessment's demands for Spiritual Perception were not overly stringent. It was more than sufficient to help him sense the ground beneath his feet and pass this stage of the test with ease.
Rustle... rustle...
After walking for roughly half an hour, a faint rustling sound suddenly drifted over from not far away. Almost simultaneously, an alluring aroma wafted through the air. Peering into the distance, Carter Bill spotted a fruit tree bearing a single, golden fruit—the source of the enchanting scent seemed to emanate from that very fruit.
A normal person would have undoubtedly been overcome by greed, immediately following the fragrance to investigate the fruit's origins.
But Carter Bill's reaction was swift and decisive: he first pulled out a handful of cotton and stuffed it into his nostrils, then with a single thought, he transformed his magic wand into a longbow. From his spatial pouch, he retrieved a pre-prepared arrow, nocked it on the bowstring, drew the bow to its full extent, and took aim at the fruit.
Whoosh!
His first shot missed its mark, the arrow careening off course and embedding itself in the soil beside the tree. Undeterred, Carter Bill fired two more arrows in quick succession. It was not until the third shot that he finally struck true, sending the golden fruit plummeting from the tree.
The moment the fruit hit the ground, its once brilliant, treasure-like luster faded away in an instant. It quickly shriveled and withered, its skin swelling into a series of oozing pustules, transforming into a grotesque, pus-dripping lump that looked like a malignant tumor.
The mouth-watering aroma that had enticed him moments ago vanished without a trace, replaced by a stench so foul it made one's stomach churn.
This was the true form of the fruit.
It was called a Lure Rotfruit—a spiritual-type magical plant. It disguised itself as a celestial treasure to lure greedy travelers into picking and eating it.
The Lure Rotfruit possessed a formidable spiritual attack; any living being that consumed it would be immediately trapped in an illusion, their soul imprisoned for eternity. Their physical body would then slowly decompose over time, becoming nourishment for the Lure Rotfruit's parent tree.
Identifying the various dangerous plants scattered throughout the forest was the second component of the Tower's assessment—a test of a warlock apprentice's fundamental competency: Knowledge.
This seemingly straightforward task was far more challenging than it appeared. If another apprentice had stood in Carter Bill's place, they might not have acted with such resolve. After all, in the world of warlocks, celestial treasures and rare artifacts were countless in number. What if that fruit had actually been a genuine wonder of nature?
For an apprentice newly initiated into the world of warlocks, who dreamed of stumbling upon fortuitous encounters at every turn, the temptation would have been nearly irresistible. To resist such allure required not only unwavering willpower but also a profound reservoir of knowledge.
Carter Bill, however, had recognized the fruit's true identity at a single glance—hence his unhesitating response.
His knowledge of the Basic Magical Flora Compendium was already at the max level.
More than a year ago, Carter Bill had painstakingly mastered all accessible knowledge about magical plants and creatures, pushing his expertise in these subjects to the peak level. There was no magical plant below the warlock rank—whether in this corrupted woodland or the entire Dark Forest—that he could not identify instantly.
Paralysis Vines, Blade Thorns, Giant Man-Eating Flowers, Shriek Fruit Trees...
Drawing upon his extensive knowledge, Carter Bill identified and evaded each dangerous plant in his path time and time again, soon reaching the innermost depths of the corrupted woodland.
And it was here that Carter Bill laid eyes on his objective for the first time.
Soul Spark.
He found it beneath a massive oak tree. Its petals were a deep shade of blue, their edges curling gently inward. From its stamen, a strange blue energy radiated outward, enveloping the entire flower like a flickering blue flame.
Carter Bill stared at the peculiar flower with curiosity. It was a type of low-grade magical plant—according to the books, it was nurtured by the decaying souls of deceased creatures, making it a valuable soul material.
Rustle... rustle...
Just then, a faint rustling sound came from the oak tree above. Carter Bill looked up to see a bizarre and terrifying creature crawling down the trunk toward him.
It was roughly the size of a palm, humanoid in shape, and bore a vague resemblance to a fairy. Its form blended the features of humans and trees: its skin was a mottled grayish-green, covered in fine cracks and patches of moss, like the bark of a rotting tree.
Its eyes were deep and pitch-black, like bottomless abysses. Its limbs were slender yet surprisingly powerful; tiny twigs and leaves sprouted from its fingertips, while its legs were covered in gnarled roots.
As it crawled downward, it fixed Carter Bill with its soulless black gaze. Its mouth, which resembled a hollowed-out hole in a withered tree trunk, opened and closed repeatedly. It let out a hoarse, guttural voice, speaking in a strange and menacing tone:
"Treasure... you shall not steal our treasure..."
This was the final, and by far the most crucial, test of the Tower's apprentice assessment—
The Decay Dryad!