Wizard: Start with Biological Transformation to Grind Experience-Chapter 135 - 010: The Finals!

Recently, Lynch had been immersing himself in studying the magic notebook he had acquired from Barton’s space ring, the masterwork of the Black Wizard Morris.

The Witch Master of the Shadow Swamp had profound accomplishments in Necromancy, encompassing extensive knowledge in Body Refinement, Spirit, and Magic—all three major branches of the field.

He had meticulously organized his knowledge into these three categories and passed them down individually to his three Inheritance Apprentices.

Barton had inherited knowledge in the field of Body Refinement.

Lynch quickly finished a round of reading.

[Proficiency in "Morris’s Bloodline Refining Manual" +16]

Rubbing his temples, he closed his eyes to let his weary spiritual power settle briefly before opening the system panel to check.

[Morris’s Bloodline Refining Manual lv0: 128/3000].

Even at the entry-level, a staggering 3,000 proficiency points were required—it was the most challenging magic knowledge Lynch had encountered so far.

But it was all worth it.

Holding the notebook in his hands, Lynch couldn’t help but exclaim in awe, "What a masterpiece of genius!"

Even though he had just begun studying it, Lynch was already deeply captivated by the content of the book.

Many of the concepts related to Necromancy were entirely new to him—knowledge he had never encountered before.

And these concepts weren’t confined solely to the realm of Necromancy but delved into the foundational theories of the entire magic world, challenging and overturning many of Lynch’s previous understandings.

It could be said that this knowledge elevated Lynch’s intellectual scope to an entirely new dimension.

"So this is what Necromancy is really about?"

"So this is what magic truly is?"

After reading it, Lynch felt as if his mind had been unlocked in an entirely new way.

"And this is just the Body Refinement aspect—there are still the Spirit and Magic aspects. If only I could get my hands on those as well..." Lynch couldn’t help but greedily think.

But for now, it was nothing more than a passing thought. Realistically, obtaining those was currently out of reach.

According to Richard’s journal, the Spirit-related knowledge had been passed on to a female apprentice named Frey, while the Magic branch had been taught to a male apprentice named Diego.

Even someone as powerful as Barton was no match for those two, especially Diego, who had almost fully inherited Morris’s teachings in Magic. His strength was already close to that of an Official-level Wizard.

Barton only managed to be defeated because his weaknesses were incredibly obvious, and more importantly, Richard had thoroughly investigated him inside and out.

But as for those other two... Even after years of calculations, Richard only had a vague understanding of them. What cards did they hold? What are their weaknesses? None of this was clear yet.

"We’ll see in the future."

Lynch shook his head, putting aside his ambitious thoughts.

Instead of dwelling on uncertainties, it was better to dive deeply into the notebook at hand. If he could thoroughly master this, he could proceed with both repairing Barton and further modifying him.

...

About a thousand apprentices registered for the competition—a considerable number, though not all apprentices chose to participate.

Many were observing from the sidelines—

The Tower had announced its intent to hold such competitions annually going forward, so some apprentices decided to wait and see before participating in future rounds.

And of course, there were those like Lynch who simply couldn’t be bothered with the fuss.

Each apprentice competed in three matches daily, and after nearly a week, the competition finally reached the day of its finals.

This day was undoubtedly the most heated and thrilling moment since the opening of the competition.

Not only had all the Tower’s apprentices come to witness the event, but many Wizards had also been invited to attend.

What’s more,

Two surprising heavyweight guests had appeared at the finals venue—

The Judges!

Berserker Reo and Alchemy Puppet Codinos, these two acclaimed Judges, were seated right at the center of the viewing platform. Even though they were merely sitting there casually, their presence alone electrified the entire venue.

After all, these were none other than the Judges, the supreme rulers over the entire Dark Forest and Seven Kingdoms—the pinnacle of power in the Ancient Ruins.

To showcase one’s abilities before such figures was an unimaginably rare and precious opportunity!

In the grandstands, Lynch sat with his companions.

Their seats happened to be directly opposite the viewing platform, allowing Lynch to discreetly observe the two Judges seated there.

After several years in the Shadow Land, this was Lynch’s first time laying eyes on the true sovereigns of the land.

How to describe them...?

From their appearance alone, there was nothing particularly striking. Both Judges had concealed their auras, and Lynch couldn’t sense their Spiritual Fields at all. To him, they seemed like nothing more than two ordinary individuals.

Beneath his cloak, Berserker Reo appeared every bit a burly laborer, while Alchemy Puppet Codinos stood out only slightly with bolts and rivets adorning his body—he was merely a talking puppet.

It was hard to imagine that these beings commanded powers vast enough to effortlessly destroy an entire human kingdom...

Perhaps this was the true meaning of hidden strength.

"They’re entering the stage, Lynch, look! The contestants are entering!" Subaru excitedly shouted, pointing below.

The gates on both sides of the arena opened slowly, and two figures walked out from opposite ends.

The finalists were two male apprentices.

On the left was a young man appearing to be twenty-five or twenty-six, clad in the standard Inner Ring Apprentice cloak. The two Wisdom Leaves on his chest signified his status as a Mid-level Apprentice.

This was Louis, an apprentice of the Inner Ring specializing in Earth Element Magic. He had recently condensed his sixth rune.

Among all the contestants in the competition, Louis wasn’t the strongest, but his mastery of Earth Element Magic was exceptionally polished. He had command over several level-0 middle- and low-level Earth Element spells and was particularly adept with a Mid-level Apprentice Level Magic [Big Meteorite Skill].

It was with this spell that he defeated his opponents, emerging as a dark horse to reach the finals.

Next out of the right gate was his competitor—an even more surprising black horse of the tournament.

A seventeen- or eighteen-year-old youth, clearly several cohorts younger than Louis.

Unlike the typical apprentice attire, he wore a lightweight swordsman’s outfit, with a Cross Sword at his waist, exuding the air of a Knight rather than an apprentice.

A black cloak draped casually over his shoulders, and the lightning-encircled magic wand insignia symbolizing the judge of sins marked his identity: A Black Robe Enforcer.

The crowd erupted with chants of his name:

"Adam! Adam!"

Indeed, the apprentice who had climbed into the finals wasn’t a stranger—it was none other than Lynch’s companion, Adam Stark, who had visited him not long ago.

Having just recently condensed his fourth Basic Will Rune to advance to a Mid-level Apprentice, Adam had cut a fiery path through the competition, defeating numerous well-known Mid-level Apprentices of the Shadow Land, becoming the biggest dark horse of the tournament.

His exceptional performance had made him the brightest star of the tournament thus far. As soon as he stepped onto the stage, the crowd burst into a fervor.

"What kind of experiences did this guy have in the Abyss?"

In the stands, Lynch was equally astounded as he watched Adam below.

Over the past few days, Lynch had attended Adam’s matches. Originally, it was just to cheer for his friend, but during the matches, he unexpectedly discovered that Adam’s overall strength had inexplicably grown by an entire tier compared to before.

"What on earth happened?"

This baffling transformation left Lynch itching to uncover the truth. He had asked Adam about it countless times, but Adam stubbornly refused to tell, leaving Lynch utterly exasperated.

"Clang!"

A crisp chime rang out.

As Lynch was lost in thought, the sound of the gong reverberated through the arena.

The atmosphere in the arena reached its peak, with cheers and shouts echoing into the heavens.

The final battle of the competition officially began...