Wizard: Start with Biological Transformation to Grind Experience
Chapter 206 - 020: The Collapse of Civilization

Chapter 206: 020: The Collapse of Civilization

The ethereal mist spread outward, rapidly filling the entire hall. Within the mist, one painting after another unfurled before Lynch’s eyes.

It was an expansive laboratory. An apprentice sat on a chair, their limbs restrained, a metal device clamped onto their head, with the crown of their skull peeled back to reveal raw, white brain matter directly exposed.

A Wizard wearing a cloak stood before the apprentice, closely studying their exposed brain.

The apprentice’s face was deathly pale as they stammered in fear, "M-Master... h-have you...finished?"

A flicker of displeasure crossed the Wizard’s brow. "To have the privilege of accessing precious knowledge is a monumental honor for a wretch like you. Aren’t you satisfied? And yet, you tremble in fear?"

...

In a spacious classroom, a group of apprentices sat at their desks, tirelessly transcribing scrolls. They appeared anxious and on edge.

"Bang!" A sudden loud noise.

The classroom door was kicked open.

A young man strode in, shouting toward those inside, "Mr. Blair of the Duncan family demands several female slaves—not for experiments, but purely for X-slavery. Those chosen will be granted Second-class Apprentice status."

These words were not merely insolent—they were utterly degrading, trampling human dignity, worth, and identity into the dirt.

The classroom fell silent for a moment. Then suddenly—

"Crash!"

A large number of female apprentices scrambled to stand up, frantically rushing out the door.

"I—I’m still a virgin!"

"Sign me up too!"

"Is it true we get Second-class Apprentice status?"

"Can men apply?"

...

Scenes like this were countless. A Wizard obsessed with mannequins remodeled an entire class of apprentices into mannequins.

A young heir of a Wizard Family, dissatisfied with the novelty of his carriage’s Magic Beasts, desired to compete with other heirs. He abducted several apprentices and transformed them into Centaurs.

Apprentices subjected to dissections, used as X-slaves—it was endlessly pervasive.

In stark contrast to these brutal scenes were fleeting images of the background—a towering structure that stretched hundreds or even thousands of meters, vast clusters of buildings, Flying Aircraft crisscrossing the skies, and Floating Ports scattered above...

"This is the greatest era!"

"Acadia! Look at the magnificent world we’ve built!"

"It shall endure forever!"

Garishly dressed people stood atop a resplendent Tower, enthusiastically singing praises loud and proud. Their voices brimmed with arrogance and pride.

Beneath the Tower sprawled a swarm of people toiling like ants.

The vision ended here.

As the mist dissipated, Lynch finally saw the figures in the crowd below. Shedding their human skins, their bodies revealed pale skeletons, stacked together to construct the resplendent Tower above.

His view came back to the hall. The mist reconverged into a single mass.

The mist spoke, "We created a civilization of unparalleled brilliance, but precisely because of this, we became arrogant and complacent. We forgot how this civilization was built, viewing it solely as our possession."

"We hoarded the fruits of civilization for ourselves, forbidding any outsiders to partake. New apprentices could only serve as slaves and experimental subjects; only those born of the Bloodline were entitled to inherit its legacy."

"Those perched high above remained high above, while the laboring masses endlessly labored below."

"Thus, we divided civilization into two halves—one half, exalted for its greatness and shining as a beacon of the era, and the other, the invisible worker ants ceaselessly adding bricks and mortar to this civilization."

The mist sighed, "And at the time, none of us found anything wrong with this. We believed it to be our natural right..."

Lynch hesitated for a moment.

He asked oddly, "So... are you saying the apprentices and lower classes you oppressed rebelled later? Was civilization destroyed by them?"

Where there is oppression, there is resistance—a universal truth on Earth. But in this Magic World, although the Wizards’ actions were undeniably cruel, Lynch didn’t think ordinary apprentices possessed the power to rebel.

"I know what you’re asking."

The mist replied, "Yes. We safeguarded every piece of true knowledge, preventing access to anyone outside our ’inner circle.’ Without knowledge, there’s no power. No matter how wildly we acted, we faced no backlash. Indeed, that’s exactly what we believed back then."

"But there were always leaks, especially when complacency set in."

"Out of experiments, out of research, driven by the desire for more valuable slave power, we inevitably had to pass down some fragments of knowledge. At first, we controlled it well, but over time, with no problems arising, our vigilance slackened..."

After a pause, the mist uttered a name: "Nicholas, Nicholas Avalon."

"If you’re interested in what I’ve said, you can investigate this name. If your historical records haven’t erased him, you might discover much."

Nicholas Avalon?

Lynch nodded, "Alright, I’ll remember."

After a moment, he continued, "Earlier, you said our civilization is heading toward destruction and the collapse of order. What do you mean? Are you saying that in this bloody war, the side of order is doomed to fail?"

"Order? Chaos?"

The mist sneered, "It’s nothing but a game, an illusion to deceive. The millennial competition is merely a ploy to make you believe you control the destiny of this land. In reality, this land has never belonged to you, nor has its true order ever changed."

"But soon, perhaps."

"I sense that your civilization faces the same issues we did once and cannot resolve them. Surely, before long, someone will emerge—just like Nicholas once did—to sing a new anthem."

Its voice carried a mocking coldness, as if reveling in the impending doom.

After a moment, it turned to Lynch and said, "You’ve made it this far, which proves you’ve successfully inherited knowledge. Here’s my advice: no matter what happens in the future, guard this knowledge well."

"All things in the world perish eventually. Only knowledge is eternal and immortal. And only through knowledge will the day come when truth is discovered. Every conflict, every dilemma, will find its resolution there."

"On that day, civilization will attain true eternity!"

With this, the mist gradually dissipated.

Gone already?

Lynch still had so many questions and quickly stepped forward. "Who are you? Will we meet again?"

"Perhaps...when you return to this fragment of time."

"As for my identity..."

A faint voice echoed within the hall, almost as though sighing: "Merely a lonely soul trapped here, unable to transcend."

...

Continuing to scour the Knowledge Ruins for several days, Lynch had swept every Blood Crystal in the area into his bag.

His Blood Crystal count had now reached an astonishing total of over 60,000!

After a few days, all the challenges in the Knowledge Ruins had been completed. The Blood Crystal marker on the map for this area had turned gray, signifying that the Blood Crystals of this region had been fully harvested. Lynch decided to leave.

"Hmm?"

Just as he reached the gate of the Knowledge Ruins, Lynch’s steps paused, his brows rising as he gazed ahead.

In the shrubs nearby, he distinctly sensed several Spiritual Fields of varying intensities, which immediately became active upon noticing him.

Waiting for me?

As Lynch pondered, figures began to emerge from the foliage—dozens, perhaps even a hundred men and women, all wearing white cloaks associated with the side of order.

"Friend, you’ve finally come out!"

A young male apprentice in his twenties approached with a faint, insincere smile, greeting Lynch.

Lynch ignored him.

His gaze shifted to the crowd and quickly settled on the frontmost figure—a beautiful young woman who widened her eyes in shock, staring at him with disbelief.

Avery.

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