Wizard: Starting from the Skill Tree-Chapter 617: Observation

Most of the resources in this competition are like this; they are virtual when acquired, and the competition system records the relevant data.

After the competition ends, or if you die midway or quit early, you can settle and obtain these gains.

Unless you’re unlucky like some, dying right upon landing and gaining nothing, you can only accept your bad luck.

However, the Spring of Life and that small tree before us is different; they truly entered Duke’s Space Ring, existing as real, tangible resources.

Duke hesitated for a moment upon seeing this scene, unsure whether this place is a simulated competition venue or the real world.

Recalling the competition rules and terms carefully, it seemed none explicitly stated the resources here were virtual.

The notion of virtual resources is based on past participants’ experiences.

Thus, the competition officials never said the resources here are virtual; there might truly be real resources stored here.

This made Duke even more perplexed, uncertain about the form of existence of this competition venue.

It seems not entirely simulated; it feels very real.

Suddenly, he remembered his experiences in the Oracle Plane, seeing a strange similarity between them and those players.

Duke speculated that this place likely exists in some Plane, but the Seville Empire had extensively modified it, crafting it into a competition venue.

In reality, it’s where a real Plane and Witch Array simulation system are combined.

But this is just Duke’s guess, lacking more information to obtain further results. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Duke looked at the Spring of Life and the small tree in the Space Ring, resisting the urge to place them in the Light God Court.

Because he’s still in the competition venue, where every action is likely monitored; to be safe, best not to put them in Light God Court.

Having done all this, Duke didn’t leave immediately.

His gaze swept over the pit left by the excavated small tree and the surrounding black magical soil that lost its luster due to the dry-up of the Spring of Life.

Thinking about it, he felt the soil capable of nurturing such magical trees and springs must be extraordinary.

Though not as remarkable as the tree and spring, the rich Life Energy and special substances it contains might help in future cultivation of Magic Potion plants, research of Magic, or nurturing the World Tree Seed.

"Can’t waste it." Duke immediately got to work, taking out the silver shovel and several spare storage chests, quickly but carefully collecting the darkest, most vibrant life-imbued, undisturbed black magical soil around the pit, accumulating about several hundred pounds, neatly packing them into the Space Ring.

He stopped only when the remaining soil still had nutrients but was no more than the humus elsewhere in the grove.

Duke knew well that as a self-made Little Wizard, careful calculation is crucial; no resource should be wasted.

Already here, he might as well take the soil too; no waste allowed.

Now, the once-vibrant, silently radiant small clearing was entirely transformed.

All that remained was a bald pit, some scattered common dirt, and dried spring traces, devoid of any magical aspect.

Duke didn’t linger, carefully scanning one last time to confirm no new threats approached, then swiftly left towards a direction away from here.

Choosing a different path than the way he came, further into the towering ancient forest, intending to quickly distance from this likely marked place.

However, as he moved roughly a hundred meters and steadied his mind, using Spiritual Power habitually to sense backward for a final precautionary sweep.

His senses, along with instinctive gaze back, captured a scene starkly different from moments earlier.

The clearing he left, the pit he dug, and the area he personally witnessed becoming desolate were transforming in strange, rapid ways.

Like a painting soaked in water or a mirage under sunlight, the scene began to blur, distort, and fade.

The traces of the pit, scattered dirt, dried spring... all these manmade or transformative signs faded and vanished at a logic-defying pace.

In their place was a swiftly-growing scene merged seamlessly with the environment.

Common ferns covered the original clearing, a few seemingly naturally-formed rocks appeared perfectly, and the ground color was indistinguishable from the surrounding humus.

In mere breaths, the magical clearing once hosting Spring of Life and the emerald small tree was entirely erased from the forest, as if it had never been there.

Were it not for the substantial gains in the Space Ring or the still moist cold sweat on his back reminding of the recent danger, Duke would almost doubt he’d experienced an overly realistic illusion.

Stopping behind a giant tree, he looked into the now ordinary forest from afar, thoughts swirling.

"Space self-repair? Scene reset? Or was the treasure spot itself a temporary wonder dependent on certain space rules or energy nodes? Once the core is taken, the anchoring point disappears, the specially twisted or created space automatically collapses, reverted..."

Duke drew from his knowledge of space Plane and understanding of Witch Array simulation systems, making a hypothesis.

This further confirmed the Echoing Void isn’t a fixed, immutable dead world; it’s a highly dynamic, possibly intricate space rules-simulating living special Plane space.

Special resource points are likely not scattered everywhere; they require specific conditions to trigger, or once acquired, permanently vanish, unable to be mined by future explorers.

"In this world, not only must you be adept at discovery, but also quick to obtain; slow and you’ll lose. Furthermore, after leaving a resource point, the spot may not be safe; it might turn worthless, even disguised." Duke silently noted his crucial observation.

He also felt a hint of relief. Fortunately, he was decisive, not only taking the core treasures but also any beneficial soil, and performed a backward glance when leaving, catching this key change.

Otherwise, if trying to return by memory or marking later, he’d find himself empty-handed.