Evolution:The Bloodthirsty Saga of the Magic Engineer

Chapter 82: Forest

I scanned my eyes over the scrolls spread across the mission board, analyzing each one carefully. This was my first mission outside the tower, so I needed to choose something simple to test my armor and adapt to the outside world.

Most missions involved hunting creatures, protecting explorer acolytes, or exploring ruins, all with high danger levels. That wasn’t what I was looking for right now.

That’s when a specific scroll caught my attention.

["Mission: Ingredient Collection for an Alchemist"]

["Level: Moderate Reward: 5 magic crystals."]

["Description: Collect specific ingredients listed on the scroll and return."]

["Rank: Common."]

I picked up the scroll and quickly compared it to the other missions around it. The difference was absurd. Even simple hunting missions offered at least 40 magic crystals.

Five crystals just to leave the tower and risk my life in the middle of the forest?

Definitely not worth it.

But… I wasn’t here to get rich.

I was here to gain experience.

With a sigh, I took the scroll and headed to the mission registration counter.

Behind the counter, there was an ethereal creature, a ghost-like being floating gently above the stone surface. Its eyes were glowing blue orbs, and its body wavered like a flame in the wind.

This creature reminded me of the spectral attendant in the miners’ cavern inside the tower.

I placed the scroll before it.

The specter didn’t hesitate for a second. It simply glided over the counter, took the scroll, and, without expression, spoke in a cold, echoing voice: "Mission registered."

A moment later, a new scroll appeared in its translucent hands, and it handed it to me.

"This contains detailed information on the required ingredients."

I took the scroll and quickly stored it. But before I could step away, the specter spoke again: "Return password: Argon Vermillion."

I nodded. That was important to remember.

The tower had defense statues at its entrance that would attack anyone trying to enter without the correct password. If I returned without it, I could be annihilated before even explaining the situation.

Taking a deep breath, I looked toward the tower’s exit and began walking.

Holding the mission scroll firmly, I strode forward.

As I walked through the corridors illuminated by the tower’s magical light, I lifted the yellowed scroll before my eyes. The letters engraved on its surface, along with images, were firm and precise, listing the ingredients I needed to find. But memorizing everything would be a waste of time.

I took a deep breath and issued a mental command: "Virtual Laboratory. Record the information and activate the scanning field. Notify me if anything with over 80% similarity is detected."

["Beep!"]

The familiar sound echoed in my mind, and immediately, an invisible wave expanded around me. The