Collecting Spider Eyes

Perhaps during the rest of my apprenticeship, I could try making a witchcraft tool that belongs solely to me. But my current mastery of witchcraft runes is still somewhat lacking. I can record the basic concept here and continue deducing and analyzing it. In any case, I will definitely create a witchcraft tool of my own...

Perhaps a fleeting spark of inspiration really was powerful. Taylor suddenly had an entirely new idea: to create a witchcraft tool specifically for himself, one that would also complement the witchcraft he had learned and provide some enhancement to his spiritual power.

He thoroughly recorded every flash of inspiration that passed through his mind. After tucking the precious notebook close to his body, Taylor gathered up the other notebooks one by one and placed them in a large canvas bag hanging from his waist.

At present, there were already four or five notebooks in the canvas bag. There would inevitably be more in the future, perhaps even enough to fill a small bookshelf. Taylor felt that it was time he acquired some spatial storage equipment, but his points seemed somewhat insufficient at the moment. Still, he had another matter at hand, one he was about to carry out.

He needed to collect a large number of spider eyes from different species.

Once he had collected enough spider eyes from different species, he could synthesize them, fuse them with magic crystal solution, and use a crucible for blending and a solidifying agent to keep them in a state suitable for witchcraft rune enchantment. Only then could he enchant them with witchcraft runes and create a Spider's Eye Witchcraft Tool.

Taylor had already fully prepared the magic crystals, fusion agent, solidifying agent, experimental crucibles, and other equipment needed to create the Spider's Eye Witchcraft Tool. All he lacked were spider eyes of various kinds.

After putting away his notebook on the Spider's Eye Witchcraft Tool and placing it in his canvas bag, Taylor began stuffing in all the poisons, tranquilizers, hallucinogens, small explosive potions, and other concoctions he had prepared, cramming them in until the bag could hold no more. After spending the night making adjustments and replenishing his magic power and spiritual power, he set off.

After spending 100 points at the Miscellaneous Affairs Office to exchange for an entry badge to the Spider Cave, Taylor left the office. Alone, he departed the core region of the White Tower Alliance and arrived at the small monster breeding zone surrounding it, where monsters of all sizes roamed.

As long as one walked along the roads designated by the White Tower Alliance, the monsters wandering around those roads did not dare cross the line.

This area was also a place where the White Tower Alliance's Wizards deliberately bred various types of monsters to temper apprentices. Apprentices often patrolled here, checking whether the enchanted witchcraft runes on the roads had failed.

The most famous monster gathering places included the Spider Cave, Little Volcano, Black Mine Cave, Monster Forest, Stinking Mire, and others.

Different places gathered magical beasts and monsters with different habits.

The number of magical beasts and special monsters here was daunting: Broom Witches, Many-Eyed Spiders, Thorn-Spike Spiders, Earthmine Spiders, Flame Spiders, Fire Lizards, Saltwater Giant Crocodiles, Swamp Crocodiles, Stonearmored Bears, Flame Lions, Half-Body Knights, and more...

The vast majority were magical beasts or monsters at the apprentice level. The more powerful, ranked magical beasts capable of contending with Wizards lived in the deepest parts of these gathering places, awaiting the Wizards' summons.

The places inhabited by these ranked magical beasts were also beyond the reach of apprentices.

"Let me see... Spider Cave... Where exactly is the Spider Cave?"

Taylor lowered his head to examine the map in his hand, then looked up at the signpost at a fork in the road. He discovered that the direction of the Spider Cave recorded on the map was completely different from the direction indicated by the signpost. The two even pointed in opposite directions.

The map showed that he had to turn right at this fork, then turn left again, pass through three bends and seven forks, before reaching the Spider Cave.

Yet the signpost in front of him told him to turn left.

So which one should he trust?

As he stared at the signpost before him, Taylor suddenly felt that something was wrong. Its color seemed somewhat yellowed, and the writing on it was crooked and uneven. It did not look like a signpost installed by the perfection-seeking White Wizards, because Wizards and Wizard apprentices had strict requirements even for the lettering on their signs.

It was completely different from the signposts he had seen earlier.

Every signpost was enchanted with witchcraft runes, so magical beasts could neither destroy nor climb them. Combined with the Wizards' and Wizard apprentices' demands for neatness and appearance, there was even less chance that a signpost could turn this yellowed.

Then there was only one possibility: some foolhardy magical beast had disguised itself as a signpost to mislead others.

Thinking of the way this signpost had appeared, the discrepancy with the map, and the issue with the lettering, Taylor extended a finger. A condensed fireball the size of a fingernail appeared at his fingertip. With a flick of his finger, the tiny fireball shot toward the fake signpost like a bullet.

This was Taylor's clever application of his first witchcraft spell, Lesser Fireball. It not only compressed the flame's volume and increased its internal energy and temperature, but also made it more concealed and faster. This involved the use and compression of spiritual power.

Sensing the astonishing heat and elemental magic power attached to the fingernail-sized fireball, the disguised fake signpost immediately reverted to its original form, let out a cry, and fled.

Shapeshifter

This was a transparent, jelly-like creature. They often transformed into different shapes to deceive ordinary people or Wizard apprentices who lacked sufficient knowledge.

Once successful, a Shapeshifter would latch onto its target's head and feed on their spiritual power. After having their spiritual power drained, ordinary people would immediately become idiots. If the victim was a Wizard apprentice, they might become listless and weakened after losing their spiritual power; in severe cases, it could even damage their foundation.

For this reason, Shapeshifters were extremely rare. Once discovered, they would be exterminated. They were hunted not only because they corroded and destroyed the foundations of the Wizard system, but also because their bodies could be used to make masks capable of changing one's appearance, making them highly practical witchcraft tools.

It was worth mentioning that although Shapeshifters lived by feeding on spiritual power, they were not particularly intelligent and often remained in one location to hunt.

Watching the Shapeshifter flee in panic, hopping along like a transparent slime, Taylor memorized the location. Perhaps he could make use of this Shapeshifter in the future. After all, it was a rare thing.

He just did not know how this thing had evaded the patrolling apprentices.

After memorizing the location and marking it on his map, Taylor continued toward the Spider Cave according to the map's directions.