Chapter 228 - 11: Cover Paper Rewards, a Great Harvest, Underground Mine Trial (Part 2)

Chapter 228: Chapter 11: Cover Paper Rewards, a Great Harvest, Underground Mine Trial (Part 2)

[Two bottles of Life Potion (Excellent Quality), two bottles of Magic Potion (Excellent Quality), four bottles of Physical Potion (Excellent Quality).]

[One bottle of Blazing Sun Potion (Excellent Quality, increases the power of Fire Witchcraft), one bottle of Strong Soul Potion (Excellent Quality, increases resistance to Spiritual Witchcraft), and one bottle of Shadow Potion (Excellent Quality, increases shadow affinity, enhances the power of Shadow Magic, and allows for concealment in shadows).]

[Solid Breastplate: This item is enchanted with the Level Zero Constant Witchcraft, Solidification Technique, and can resist extremely strong physical impacts. Durability: 278 (Excellent Quality). Requirement: Spiritual Strength of 0.85.]

[Spiritual Protection Ring: This item is enchanted with the Level Zero Constant Witchcraft, Spiritual Protection Skill, and can resist strong spiritual attacks. Durability: 284 (Excellent Quality). Requirement: Spiritual Strength of 0.9.]

[The relevant Magic Potions and Witchcraft Items will be delivered to your residence’s secure locker within five minutes. Please be ready to receive them.]

Mo Ning was stunned.

A full eleven bottles of Magic Potions and two Witchcraft Items!

It was as if the various labs had reached some kind of tacit understanding, as every single Magic Potion and piece of equipment they sent was of excellent quality.

He could hardly contain his joy over the two defensive Witchcraft Items, the Solid Breastplate and the Spiritual Protection Ring.

Just like with Witchcraft, Wizards value defensive Witchcraft Items far more than offensive ones, making them much more expensive.

For example, take a ring that can cast Blast Flame Fireball and one that can cast Ice Rhombus Shield. If both items have the same number of uses, and the latter can perfectly counter the former, what would the price difference be?

The answer is—the latter is often more than twice the price of the former.

And protective equipment with a Constant Witchcraft enchantment is even more difficult to craft, making it a highly coveted masterpiece that everyone scrambles to acquire.

Mo Ning had previously browsed the defensive Witchcraft Items on Dawa’s Grocery List, and there were no finished products with Constant Witchcraft enchantments for sale at all.

Because the Witchcraft is constant, the requirements to use such equipment are extremely low.

One only needs to activate the Magic Pattern Core with Spiritual Power, switching the Constant Witchcraft from a "sleeping" to an "active" state, and the spell will remain continuously effective.

The Witchcraft will trigger automatically upon being attacked.

This "sleeping" design is specifically to conserve Durability—because as long as the Witchcraft is in an "active" state, it slowly consumes Spiritual Power even when not under attack.

These two pieces of Witchcraft equipment alone were worth no less than 1,500 Black Tower Points.

Filled with joy, Mo Ning returned to First Squad’s exclusive stone pavilion. He looked at the two young women and smiled. "You both did well this month. I’m giving each of you a bonus of fifty Black Tower Points."

This was his way of sharing his joy, and it wasn’t the first time he had given his teammates a bonus.

Anya seemed to guess the reason. A knowing light danced in her beautiful eyes as she hummed softly in acknowledgment.

Reina’s face instantly lit up, and she praised him from the bottom of her heart, "Mr. Mo Ning, your generosity is truly touching."

Miss Dazed had received a bonus twice before, but only for 20 points each time. This time she got 50 points flat out, and she couldn’t stop smiling.

After a moment’s thought, Mo Ning added, "Spread the word about the bonus, but don’t mention the specific amount."

The cumulative bonus each of them had received now totaled 90 Black Tower Points, which was more than the initial funding many newcomers received. If that number got out, it would be too shocking and could attract unnecessary trouble.

Anya immediately understood his meaning. "Is this for the assessment?"

Mo Ning grunted in affirmation. "That’s right!"

This was a signal to the outside world. ’Is a Strong Person, one willing to pay his teammates Black Tower Points out of his own pocket, worth approaching?’

He didn’t expect every newcomer from this session to flock to him; eighty percent would be enough.

Mo Ning then said with a nonchalant expression, "You can tell the others this—as long as you rally to my side, then in the next assessment, it will no longer be the monsters who are testing us. Instead, we will be the ones testing the monsters!"

His words were so overwhelmingly audacious that both young women were stunned into silence.

In all the years and all the batches of newcomers to enter the academy, who else would have dared to say such a thing?

Not a single one!!

*****

「Two days drifted by like smoke.」

「Cabin in the Woods.」

The "personal customization" of the Starlight Resonance Secret Technique had been successfully completed yesterday.

His "plug-in" provided a projection based on its analysis: [Using this Secret Technique, your Spiritual Strength is projected to increase by 0.52 in the first year, and a cumulative total of 2.46 within five years.]

A value of "0.52" already surpassed the "highest record of 0.46" mentioned in the book’s description, but Mo Ning wasn’t satisfied.

He temporarily set aside his other work and began to focus all his energy on fine-tuning parts of the Secret Technique, making a final push to form his first Spirit Ring.

A large-scale optimization wasn’t realistic. It would involve a complete overhaul of the theoretical framework, and with his current knowledge, he lacked the ability to make such a fundamental change to the work of a First Level Wizard.

Five holographic screens materialized in a row before Mo Ning, torrents of data streaming frantically across them.

He cast the Trick, Pen Control, maneuvering an Ink Tube Pen in each hand. The pens flew across the scale pattern paper, jotting down one Divination Formula after another.

This "dual-pen control" method was a technique he had figured out just yesterday.

The speed of a single pen could no longer keep up with his thoughts, so he had no choice but to add a second.

Just as Flower had marveled, he was progressing at an incredible rate, making tangible, visible improvements every single day.

The Artificial Soul’s intangible gaze hovered in mid-air, watching the Ink Tube Pens frantically churn out formulas. An emotion she could only identify as "shock" surged through her consciousness.

For the first time, she was profoundly shaken by the sheer processing speed her new master displayed.

An hour passed quietly.

After recording the results of a particularly complex set of formulas, the two Ink Tube Pens came to a stop for the first time.

Mo Ning gazed at the paper, a smile spreading across his face.

Flower seized the opportunity to ask, "From what I’ve observed, it seems you’ve made a breakthrough in optimizing the ’Deep Spiritual Mapping Network’?"

Having observed for so long, the Artificial Soul had indeed grasped the essentials, getting right to the heart of the matter with a single question.

Mo Ning nodded, his face alight with joy. "Yes. My optimizations should increase the utilization efficiency of a Low Level Magic Resonating Crystal by 1.6%, up to a maximum of 1.8%. The clearance effect on spiritual residue is also improved by about 1.5%."

These numbers might not sound high, but considering it was a newcomer optimizing a Secret Technique created by a First Level Wizard, even such minor tweaks were astonishing.

Flower’s tone was filled with unconcealed admiration. "You possess an insight that’s beyond imagination."

She paused for a moment before explaining her assessment. "I remember when you reached page 256, you noted in the manuscript, ’This part can be significantly optimized.’ The current results prove your judgment was extremely accurate."

Mo Ning smiled faintly. "With two more days of optimization, this Secret Technique’s effect on boosting Spiritual Strength should increase by another 11%, which would be equivalent to an increase of 0.58 in the first year."

Compared to the highest record of 0.46, this level of improvement was quite astonishing.

Flower’s tone was filled with utter conviction. "I have complete faith that you can do it. You might even surpass that goal."

At first, the Artificial Soul had been skeptical, but after witnessing a calculation speed that far surpassed the limits of any newcomer, she had drastically revised her assessment of Mo Ning’s potential.

’This young man... he’s even more of a genius than I imagined!’

Just then, as the hour hand pointed precisely to six in the morning, a sudden coolness emanated from his Guiding Ring.

A message from the academy quietly arrived:

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

[The sixth group assessment, "Shadows of the Underground Mine," will begin today at 7:00 AM. Please assemble on time at the Mysterious Secret Hall of the Quiet Forest.]

[Note 1: This assessment carries a high degree of risk. You may be injured, maimed, or even killed during the assessment. Please prepare accordingly.]

[Note 2: This is a mandatory assessment and will last for 12 hours. Failure to arrive on time will result in a deduction of 30 Black Tower Points and forced teleportation to a dangerous area.]

A smile appeared on Mo Ning’s face.

’It’s here, just as I expected!’

The underground mine environment perfectly matched Lord Budi’s warning—that imperceptible dangers always lurk in dark, gloomy tunnels.

He reached up, grasped the badge on his chest, and quickly stood. He called out to the Artificial Soul, "I’m heading back to the academy to prepare for the assessment!"

A trace of worry was in Flower’s voice. "I wish you a successful assessment!"

Mo Ning immediately activated the badge.

The outline of the Cabin in the Woods faded away, and the scene of his residence gradually materialized.

He had returned an hour early for the express purpose of rallying his troops, intending to make a big splash in the labyrinthine underground mine.