Wizard: Starting from the Skill Tree-Chapter 599: Shadow

The attendant checked the data, the blue light in his eyes flickering slightly: "Understood. Based on your recent performance, I suggest elevating to Level 1, Eight Stars. At this difficulty, the degree of extremity in the environment increases by fifty percent, and the aggressiveness, intelligence, and coordination of monsters are significantly enhanced, with the possible appearance of compound elite units."

"Fine." Duke agreed without hesitation.

This is exactly what he wanted, a battle that walks the edge of extremity to unleash his full potential.

After paying the fee and picking up a new token, he once again headed for the access pod.

The door closed, bringing a familiar, slight dizziness.

Darkness, darkness so thick it was like ink.

It wasn’t that there was no light, but rather the light seemed to be absorbed by some material, just barely outlining the contours of a massive, slick rock passage.

This is the Abyss Corridor, with an overwhelming scent of blood and a low-frequency hum that could erode Spiritual Power filling the air.

The enemies were no longer the clumsy elemental beings or hordes of low-level demons. A shadow fast as black lightning silently swooped down from the rock wall above, claws aimed straight at Duke’s throat.

This was an Abyssal Stalker, adept at lurking and executing a deadly blow.

Duke narrowly tilted his head to dodge, the wind pressure from the claws scraping painfully against his cheek.

Simultaneously, the ground beneath suddenly softened, trying to swallow him like quicksand — a trap by the Burrower Demon.

Corrosive mucus, viscous and acidic, seeped from the rock walls on both sides.

These attacks were perfectly coordinated, extremely lethal.

For an ordinary Level 1 Mage, this series of attacks would be quite troublesome; likely, they would be struck down almost immediately upon landing.

In fact, within the Seville Empire, there are many Level 1 Mages who die to such attacks, instantly meeting their end as soon as they see their enemy.

But for Duke, bearing the bloodline mark of the Dark Race, he had a high affinity for the Dark Attribute and extremely strong Perception Ability towards the Shadow Space.

The Abyssal Stalker and Burrower Demon were both demons skilled in lurking and assassination, but their stealth camouflage was as good as nonexistent in Duke’s eyes, allowing him to easily sense their presence.

So while it seemed like Duke was narrowly avoiding danger, in reality, he was effortlessly handling it.

This entire space appeared to be inhabited by such types of monsters, mostly shadow creatures.

For Duke, this place was likely hard to pose any threat, more like a home ground to him.

To others, the Abyssal Stalker silently swooping down from above was a deadly killer as fast as black lightning, but in Duke’s perception, the ripple of shadow energy stirred as it leaped was as clear as a stone thrown into a calm lake.

Tilt head, step aside.

The movement was minute, yet so precise that the claws, capable of tearing Magic Metal, swept just past his hair.

His cheek didn’t even feel a sting, just a slightly cool touch, like being brushed by a night breeze.

It seemed like eyes grew on Duke’s feet. At the instant he sensed the change in ground energy structure, he had already lightly leveraged it, retreating as if weightless, leaving only an afterimage for the quicksand trying to engulf him.

Corrosive mucus oozing from the rock walls twitched, the acidic energy contained within them as conspicuous in Duke’s Spiritual Perception as fireflies in the darkness. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

He didn’t even need to consciously avoid it. Just adjusting his movement rhythm and angle, those viscous liquids could only futilely converge behind him, corroding the empty rock.

He walked through the perilous corridor, his steps calm as if strolling in his own garden.

A Burrower Demon couldn’t hold back, suddenly emerging half-bodied from the shadows in front of him, opening its jagged mouth to bite.

Without even looking, Duke pointed casually, and a great Holy Light Sword descended from the heavens; the Burrower Demon couldn’t even react before being obliterated by the spell Judgment of the Holy Light Sword.

The Holy Light Sword’s massive Light Attribute Energy naturally suppressed these shadow demons, directly melting the Burrower Demon, leaving no trace behind.

[Judgment of the Holy Light Sword: LV3: (45/500)]

Two more Abyssal Stalkers attempted an attack from the front and back.

The Wind Wings behind Duke barely fluttered, not for high-speed movement but to execute a graceful spin violating physical laws.

Then two more Holy Light Swords descended, wiping out the two Abyssal Stalkers.

This abyss corridor, an absolute death trap for other beings, felt to Duke like his backyard.

He could even sense that the bloodline imprint in the Spiritual Power Crystal, dark red in color, was emitting a joyful glow in this environment rich with similar energy, subtly resonating with his own Dark Attribute affinity.

When the last Abyssal Lurker trying to merge with the shadows was forcibly pulled from the Shadow Space and its core crushed, the entire Abyss Corridor fell silent.

Only Duke’s steady breathing and the shadow aura blending with the darkness around him flowed gently.

Although the training time had not ended, he already felt bored and consciously triggered the exit command.

Back at the service desk, the attendant with mechanical eyes looked at the nearly perfect combat data on the screen, zero effective damage, one hundred percent evasion rate, and an energy consumption curve as smooth as a line, with perfect adaptation evaluation to the shadow environment.

And there was more data, with a wealth of detailed information on various aspects listed.

No matter the data, Duke’s performance was impeccable, as if the Level 1, Eight Stars difficulty was just Level 1, One Star for him.

The attendant couldn’t help but ask, "Mr. Duke, are you a Bloodline Mage with a Dark Attribute?"

She felt a bit puzzled because Duke’s information did not indicate a Bloodline Mage background; he was on the path of an Elemental Mage.

Normally, an Elemental Mage crystallized at Level 1 would struggle to achieve such perfect data at Level 1, Eight Stars difficulty.

Even the ancient members of Wizard Clans with a Dark Attribute bloodline would find it hard to perform so flawlessly.

"Not at all, I want to continue." Duke shook his head, not saying much more on the topic.

He wanted to keep challenging himself to see how far he could go.

The mechanized eye attendant didn’t ask further, processing the data quickly and making a suggestion: "Based on cross-difficulty adaptability assessment, you should directly start the Level 1, Nine Stars difficulty. This difficulty will introduce multiple environmental rule dynamic shifts and compound elite units. Please be prepared."

"Sure." Duke paid the higher fee, picked up a new token, and once again walked toward the access pod.

Without giving Duke any time to adjust, the moment he appeared, he found himself in a space so fantastically bizarre with rules that were in utter chaos.