Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

Chapter 333 The Age of Annihilation
"Welcome to the forbidden knowledge zone, Instructor Ralph."

The construct's tone became more respectful:
Hopefully you can find the answers you're looking for here. But please remember, some knowledge, once acquired, can never be forgotten.

The moment Ron stepped through that door, he felt as if he had passed through some kind of invisible barrier.

The space here is clearly not bound by normal physical laws; the ceiling is so high that you can't see the top, and the ground extends infinitely in four directions.

The bookshelves here are made of some kind of living skeleton that grows on its own.

These skeletons were slowly but noticeably writhing, their surfaces covered with filaments resembling neural networks, changing color in response to the visitor's thought processes.

Strangely, the bookshelf would automatically adjust the arrangement of the books according to his thought process.

When he thought of the concept of "triadic wizardry", related texts immediately came to mind in the most prominent position;
When he turned his attention to "ancient techniques," the contents of the bookshelf changed accordingly.

“This environment…” Ron activated “Hermit’s Sense”, attempting to perceive the essence of this space.

The bookshelves are the "ribs," the ground is the "muscle tissue," and the special energy permeating the air is the "blood."

This living library is constantly analyzing, organizing, and reorganizing the knowledge within it to ensure that the most relevant information always appears in the most easily accessible location.

The reading area is equipped with mental stabilization devices and emergency medical equipment.

Once a dangerous mental disturbance is detected, a sedative will be automatically released or an emergency isolation procedure will be initiated.

Ron chose a seat near the "Tripartite Wizarding Arts" bookshelf, and as soon as he sat down, the chair immediately began to adjust to the shape that best suited his body curves.

At the same time, a gentle voice sounded in his ear:

"User has been detected to have associate professor-level access. The corresponding content has been unlocked. It is recommended that reading time not exceed four hours. Exceeding this time may cause accumulated mental fatigue."

Ron nodded in acknowledgment and began to peruse the books that had caught his attention.

The first book is "The Evolution of Mainstream Wizarding Arts," a comprehensive research work of eight hundred pages.

The author is the late great wizard Isaac Mendelssohn, who is said to have mastered seven different wizarding arts simultaneously.

When Ron opened the cover, he immediately felt a subtle mental pressure.

Each page of this book contains a large amount of high-density information, requiring considerable mental effort to fully understand.

Mendelssohn's writing style is extremely rigorous, with each conclusion supported by numerous examples and data.

But beneath its rigor lies a deep sense of worry and warning:
"A leap in a wizard's skill level is by no means a simple accumulation of experience."

Every leap forward signifies a fundamental change in knowledge and brings us into contact with more dangerous forces.

Many wizards lost themselves in the pursuit of power, ultimately becoming slaves to it rather than its masters.

"I once witnessed a highly talented alchemist, on the third day after successfully becoming a master alchemist, transform his own family member into 'perfect alchemical material'."

When I questioned him, he replied in a purely rational tone: "Emotion is the enemy of efficiency; I'm simply optimizing resource allocation."

As he continued reading, he began to learn about the specific requirements for advancing in various professions.

Mendelssohn dedicated an entire chapter to analyzing the advancement path of potion masters:
"To become a potions professor, one needs to reach an extremely high level in theory, practice, and teaching."

A detailed explanation of the conditions had appeared before him, as if answering Ron's inner question:
Potions Professor (3-star) advancement requirements:
1. Required Job - Potion Master (Two Stars) √
2. Professional core skills reach expert level

3. Must create at least one original potion recipe.

4. At least five students at the professional potion master level need to be trained.

Next came the section on alchemists, where Mendelssohn's tone became even more somber:
"Alchemy is the discipline that comes closest to the 'realm of the gods' among all the extraordinary arts."

Alchemists sought to understand and control the nature of matter, and to create life forms that did not exist before.

This behavior itself is a challenge to the natural order.

Alchemy Master (3-star) advancement requirements:
1. Required Job - Alchemist (Two-Star) √

2. Professional core skills reach expert level

3. A semi-perpetual motion alchemical device (capable of operating independently for fifty years or more) needs to be successfully crafted.

4. A 'life reconstruction' experiment needs to be completed.

Mendelssohn inserts a disturbing passage here:

"I once witnessed the entire process of a 'life reconstruction' experiment."

The applicant fused seven different species into a new life form.

That creature was indeed alive, and even displayed intelligence beyond that of its original species, but the pain and confusion in its eyes are something I will never forget.

It doesn't know what it is or where it came from; it can only make a strange sound that is somewhere between various cries.

Ultimately, it committed suicide on the third day after the experiment was completed.

Finally, there's the advanced form of the Rune Expert—the Enchanter:
"The Rune Specialist is the most dangerous advanced choice among the three professions."

They pushed the power of runes to their limits, even attempting to combine runes with living creatures.

Those who master this skill often gradually lose their awareness of 'boundaries'.

[Rune Expert (3.5 stars) advancement requirements:]

1. Required Job - Enchanter (2.5 stars) √

2. Both Enchanting and Runecraft have reached the Mastery level.

3. You need to create your own special runes.

4. Master the 'Flesh and Blood Rune' technique

Mendelssohn offered no commentary on the rune specialist's failed example, simply writing:
"Enchanters capable of performing the 'Flesh Rune' technique are extremely rare throughout the entire history of wizarding..."

Upon seeing these detailed conditions and warnings, Ron felt a strange excitement.

Danger? Of course it exists, but any worthwhile pursuit comes with its own risks.

The key is how to maintain control over oneself while gaining power.

He quickly analyzed the three advancement paths in his mind:
"The requirements for becoming a Potions Professor are relatively easy to meet. My current Potions skills are close to expert level, and I have accumulated quite a few original recipes. As for training students..."

He thought of his elite group, especially Lisz's pure passion for potions:

"The members of the elite group all have a good foundation. Given time, they should be able to train qualified potion masters. In a few years, we should have the opportunity to train more than two."

"The requirements for alchemy masters are the most stringent, especially for the creation of 'semi-perpetual motion' devices."

This device requires the application of cutting-edge technologies in multiple fields, including time, space, and energy…

He recalled the mobile combat simulation device he was researching:

"Perhaps the simulation device could be upgraded to a semi-perpetual motion level?"

If special materials such as soul fragments and heart-devouring stones could achieve self-connection and self-sustaining, the requirements could theoretically be met.

"The rune specialist's 'flesh rune' technique is the most worrisome, but also the most attractive."

If I could safely master this technology, combined with my existing bloodline modulation abilities, and the bizarre fusion ability of the substitute puppet…”

He looked at his right hand, where he had once merged with the substitute puppet:

"Perhaps we can start with the 'ink'? As an alchemical creature that I created myself, it trusts me the most, and the characteristics of the autophagic slime make the experimental risks relatively controllable."

However, none of these three professions mentioned any attribute requirements...

Perhaps it's because those that can fulfill the above conditions are already considered to have met the attribute requirements?

After closing the first book, Ron walked to another bookshelf area.

These books appear significantly older and more dangerous.

Some even have eye-like organs growing on their spines that rotate as the visitor moves.

He chose a weighty book entitled "The Legacy of the Oblivion Era".

The author is a Moon-level wizard named Vasily Gould, who is also a seasoned historian.

It is said that he spent his life searching for various ancient secrets, and eventually disappeared during an exploration of the abyss.

The moment Ron turned the pages, he felt a chill emanating from the paper. This book recorded not only knowledge, but also the bloody history behind that knowledge.

Gould, with an almost obsessive style, vividly described the legends and tragedies of the ancient alchemists:
“Lance Hewitt, a name that shines brightly in the history of wizarding, but few know the dark truth behind his success.”

"He was indeed merciful, but only relatively. Compared to other alchemists of his time, Lance's experiments rarely involved unnecessary cruelty."

But between 'relative mercy' and 'true mercy' lies a chasm paved with blood.

"According to the records I found in the abandoned laboratory, Lance 'consumed' a total of 1,372 test subjects during his research before becoming an ancient alchemist."

This included two hundred volunteers, nine hundred prisoners of war, and one hundred and seventy-two 'purchased' slaves.

"He would apologize to the test subjects before each experiment, observe a moment of silence for the deceased after the experiment, and even record the name and family situation of each test subject."

But this 'kindness' cannot change the fact that 1,372 living lives were transformed into experimental data.

"However, what truly keeps me up at night is a sentence left by Lance:"

'If I have an afterlife, I hope to find a research method that does not require sacrificing others.'

But in this life, I must achieve a breakthrough within a limited time; for the sake of a greater good, I can only tolerate minor evils.

Gould's analysis made Ron think deeply:
"This is the true face of the ancient alchemists."

They are not simply madmen or demons, but researchers who make extreme choices under extreme circumstances.

When the value of life conflicted with the value of knowledge, they chose knowledge.

The book then introduces the deeds of several other ancient alchemists, each a combination of miracles and nightmares:

Alexander King, known as the "Merciful Alchemist," truly never intentionally harmed the innocent, just as his title suggests.

But his 'benevolence' was based on something else—he only used his own body for experiments.

"In the last hundred years of his life, Alexander had transformed himself into a living laboratory."

His blood was replaced with various magical potions, his organs were transformed into alchemical devices, and even his bone marrow was converted into energy storage units.

"Witnesses described Alexander as looking more like a transparent humanoid vessel in his final moments, with liquids of various colors flowing inside him."

He could synthesize any known potion directly from his body, but the price was the complete loss of all emotions and consciousness as a 'human being.'

"Elena Moonshine, a rare female alchemist in history. Her specialty is the alchemy of emotions—the art of transforming emotions into physical form."

"Elena created a vast 'treasury of emotions,' which stores the love, hate, fear, despair, and other emotions of tens of thousands of people."

She claimed these emotions were "voluntary donations," but according to survivors, her "donation rituals" were often accompanied by intense mental control.

Ultimately, Elena was consumed by her own creation.

The extracted negative emotions coalesced into a massive entity of hatred, trapping her deep within the treasure trove.

It is said that she is still alive, but has become one with the entity of hatred, becoming the embodiment of pure malice.

Upon reading this, Ron couldn't help but recall the scene when he created "ink".

Although it only involved modifying some abyssal organism tissues, the feeling of creating life was truly captivating.

Without sufficient self-control, it is indeed easy to go further and further down this path.

Gould's account also includes some even darker examples:

"Aegis Lakru, in his quest for the Philosopher's Stone, fell completely."

He claimed to have found a way to create the Philosopher's Stone, but all I've seen in the records is that Aegis stored the innocent souls of tens of thousands of children of different races at once.

"Damian Pucci, whose laboratory was discovered to contain more than five thousand corpses in various states."

Some were transformed into living organ culture dishes, some were fused into multi-headed monsters, and some were made into tools with partial consciousness.

The most horrifying thing is that many of the test subjects were found still alive and conscious.

These records gave Ron a profound understanding of why modern wizards both revered and feared ancient alchemists.

Their achievements are indeed great, but the means by which they achieved them are appalling.

However, Gould raises a thought-provoking point at the end of the book:

"What right do we have to condemn them? The progress of modern wizards is also built on the sacrifice of countless lives."

Every year, countless explorers 'disappear' into the Great Abyss; the underground laboratories of the Crystal Spire imprison a vast number of experimental subjects of various races; and the lives of alien races slaughtered during the wars of conquest are countless.

"The only difference between us and the ancient alchemists is that we are better at hiding our sins and better at finding moral excuses for our atrocities."

We say it's 'for the progress of civilization,' they say it's 'for the breakthrough of knowledge,' what's the essential difference?"

"Perhaps the real problem is not what they did, but whether we have the courage to admit that in the pursuit of power, there are no pure and innocent hands."

This viewpoint left Ron momentarily speechless.

As a researcher who pursues power, he certainly understands the impulse to use any means necessary to achieve a breakthrough.

On the other hand, reason tells him that completely abandoning his bottom line often leads to self-destruction.

"The key is to find a balance."

He concluded in his mind:

"It is not about completely rejecting special means, but about ensuring that these means serve a larger goal, rather than becoming the goal itself."

As Ron delved deeper into his reading, he began to feel increasing mental pressure.

These taboo facts, like living parasites, are trying to take root in his consciousness.

My headache started to worsen, and I felt a sharp pain in my temples.

Occasionally, my vision would blur, and I would see some non-existent images. These were the images of countless twisted creatures writhing in glass containers in an ancient alchemical laboratory.

I began to hear faint murmurs, the voices of ancient scholars who had long since died but whose souls remained trapped in knowledge.
My fingers began to tremble slightly, and I had to be extra careful when turning the pages, for fear of triggering the mental traps hidden within.

But to his surprise, the burden was much lighter than he had expected.

The pressure he endured during his conversation with the King of Illusions last night certainly provided valuable training for his mental structure.

This level of knowledge shock, while still uncomfortable, is within his tolerance.

"It seems that while the pressure from higher-dimensional beings is painful, it can indeed strengthen one's mental resilience,"

Ron mentally assessed his own condition:
"This 'vaccine-like' exercise method may be worth further study."

As the afternoon sun began to set, he closed the last book.

The long hours of reading left him feeling exhausted, and the pain in his temples reminded him that his mental workload was nearing its limit.

But the rewards were also enormous.

He now has a clear understanding of his future development path and knows which goals are realistic and which require long-term efforts.

On the other hand, he also gained a deeper understanding of the "cost of power".

Mastering any skill requires a price, but the key is to ensure that the price is within an acceptable range.

I originally wanted to find some information about the depths of the abyss, but the mental burden brought on by reading forbidden knowledge had reached a dangerous critical point.

Continuing to force yourself to read will only increase the risk of mental pollution, and the losses outweigh the gains.

Moreover, the abyssal observation station actually preserves a lot of more detailed and practical information than the library.

When I go back to work next week, I should be able to access more valuable information by using the permissions Cassandra granted me.

As he left the forbidden area, the crystal construct scanned him again.

"Moderate mental fatigue has been detected. It is recommended to rest for 72 hours before re-entering the prohibited area."

The construct's voice carried concern: "I hope you will make good use of the knowledge you have acquired."

“I will,” Ron replied briefly, but in his mind he was thinking about how to turn today’s gains into a practical development plan.

As the sun sets, the towers in the central area shimmer in the afterglow.

(End of this chapter)