From Wizard Apprentice to Conqueror of Myriad Worlds

Mo Ning suddenly smiled.

He had a sudden realization: the trial wasn’t over. The final challenge was right before his eyes.

So he stopped.

The flowing stream of light ahead, as if disturbed, burst into a handful of light motes with a soft POOF before gradually dimming and fading out.

Mo Ning showed no signs of panic. Instead, he spoke softly.

His voice wasn’t loud, but it was exceptionally clear. "On an intoxicating midsummer night, Wizard Lynch entered the Cabin in the Woods he had built in the Talaba Forest."

This was the opening sentence of the story collection, Lynch and the Woods.

The power of his hack allowed him to remember every word in the collection, down to every last punctuation mark.

The next moment.

Something wondrous happened.

In the gloom ahead, about a few dozen meters away, a strange silhouette suddenly emerged from behind the straight trunks of the birch trees.

A warm, orange light bloomed from within the silhouette, clearly outlining every line of the building.

It was unmistakably a wooden cabin.

The cabin’s exterior was simple, one might even call it crude.

It appeared to be built from rough, raw logs, the bark not even stripped away. Thick moss grew on it in many places.

But Mo Ning couldn’t stop smiling.

Because this was the Cabin in the Woods!

He also knew that this wooden cabin was definitely not as simple as it looked on the outside.

The changing seasons he had experienced on the way here were the best proof.

’It possesses the power to control the flow of time. How could it be just an ordinary wooden cabin?’

Mo Ning tightened his grip on the Lantern and strode toward the cabin.

He had only taken a single step when the cool sensation from his Guiding Ring came as expected.

[Reward Notification: Serial Number 7-118-256, Mo Ning.]

[You have completed "Cabin in the Woods," the follow-up trial to the hidden trial "The Divination Puzzle Hidden in the Scenery." Your performance was admirable. You will receive the following rewards.]

’The highest-tier "admirable" rating again!’

Mo Ning was already used to it. His expression remained unchanged.

Based on his experience, this rating tier came with at least three rewards.

[Reward One: You have received 200 Black Tower Points. Current Balance: 3,248 Black Tower Points.]

Mo Ning had the distinct feeling that the more money he spent, the more he made.

He had gone on a major shopping spree before entering the Great White Birch Forest, but now he turned around to find his balance was even higher than before he went in.

It was truly a vexing problem to have.

[Reward Two: You have obtained a higher level of control over "Walking into the Painting." You have been granted permanent residency in the Cabin in the Woods.]

[The Cabin in the Woods is protected by the Time Element Witchcraft, the "Four Seasons Reel Technique," and its security is absolutely guaranteed.]

[As long as you are within the Black Tower Wizard Academy or its surrounding area, you can enter the Cabin in the Woods at any time through Walking into the Painting.]

Mo Ning’s face was full of delighted surprise.

’Just as I thought!’

The previous version of "Walking into the Painting" had indeed been a "nerfed" one; he could only passively enter the corresponding scene when its spatial projection appeared.

Now that the restriction was lifted, the spatial item was finally the true "full-powered version."

As for the "Four Seasons Reel Technique" mentioned in the notification, it was clearly the source of the seasonal changes he had just witnessed.

Mo Ning was now certain. ’This Wizard must be an awe-inspiring Third Level Wizard.’

Because this was—Constant Witchcraft.

It was a well-known fact that making a form of Witchcraft constant was at least half a tier more difficult than simply casting it.

A Second Level Wizard would likely not have the power to imbue a cabin with such powerful and constant Time Element Witchcraft.

Mo Ning grinned happily. ’For the wilderness survival assessment in two days, I finally have a life-saving trump card.’

Even with a Black Iron Knight like Anya as a teammate, and even after mastering many relatively powerful Sub-zero Level Tricks, he still lacked a sense of security.

As it was a test for newcomers, the wilderness survival area would certainly be near the academy.

And the effective range of "Walking into the Painting" happened to cover the academy and its surrounding areas.

This meant that if he encountered a danger he couldn’t handle during the assessment, he could make an immediate escape.

But an even bigger surprise was yet to come.