So I Became a Witch and Started Doing Daily Quests

Chapter 399 : Storm Valley

“Indeed, all these changes were crafted by the hand of Illusion.”Unlike Gawen-Tull’s astonishment, Lilith-Mage, as a full-fledged wizard, could clearly sense the 【Bonsai Secret Realm】 brimming with the power of the 【Law of Deception】.

Even the divine-like 【Elemental Tides】 just now had been nothing more than a mimicry of elemental laws, forged through the 【Law of Deception】.”

“Rumble—”

With the final thunderous roar, the 【Bonsai Secret Realm】, once a forest, completely transformed into a deep valley.

Janna, who had been hiding in her tree form within the forest, had no choice but to revert into her human shape in front of everyone the instant the Elemental Tides struck.

Of course, it was not just Janna. Kumbu-Thornspike, who had transformed into a spider and hidden among the trees, Hela-Helheim, who had taken the form of a shadow creature lurking in the darkness, and even the male apprentice who had turned his hands into pangolin-like claws and buried himself underground from the beginning — under the baptism of the 【Elemental Tides】, they, together with Janna, were all forced back into their human forms. In total, ten apprentices had their disguises stripped away and their positions exposed.

“So far, it seems that only six people have been eliminated.”

While Janna carefully observed the others, she and the remaining ten were simultaneously being scrutinized with wary eyes by the rest of the contestants.

After all, compared to threats out in the open, these fellows who preferred lurking in the shadows and swooping in like fishermen to seize the spoils were far more dangerous—

“Whoosh—”

Just as everyone remained tense and guarded, another sudden change erupted.

“It’s a storm!”

The wind howled; birds and beasts panicked. Within the valley, a hurricane visible to the naked eye rapidly formed. Its sheer force made even the contestants caught within its perimeter feel as if their bodies might be toppled by the raging winds.

“Caw—”

The first to act was none other than Marquell-Storm, gifted with an A-rank 【Hurricane Affinity】.

Facing the raging winds within the valley, Marquell-Storm showed no fear. Instead, he transformed into a massive azure eagle crowned with a crest, soaring straight into the storm.

“What is he trying to do?”

Watching Marquell-Storm charge headlong into the hurricane without the slightest regard for mana consumption, confusion clouded the faces of most contestants.

But Louisto-Tulan, who had crossed paths with Marquell-Storm several times, immediately recognized his malicious intent.

Without hesitation, Louisto-Tulan too disregarded his mana consumption, chanting the spell for 【Beginner Transfiguration】. His form shifted into a red-feathered owl, and he swiftly darted toward the relatively weaker section of the storm.

“Caw—”

Sensing the storm drawing nearer, several other contestants also invoked 【Beginner Transfiguration】, morphing into various bird-like magical beasts, tacitly flying in Louisto-Tulan’s direction.

Yet, as they attempted to flee further, they realized the storm had, at some point, expanded to enclose the entire valley. The hurricane, swirling with blue magical particles, now loomed before them like a natural barrier.

“Marquell!”

Trapped within the storm’s perimeter, Louisto-Tulan recognized the familiar aura of a 【Law】 within it, and his expression darkened.

Having competed against Marquell-Storm in several transfiguration contests, Louisto-Tulan knew well the direction of his rival’s strengths and his tricks.

One of Marquell-Storm’s vilest methods was relying on his 【Fragment of the Law of Hurricanes】 to conjure devastating storms that suppressed other contestants.

The 【Magic-Sealing Ring】 not only prohibited contestants from using witchcraft beyond transfiguration, but also restricted those who had comprehended 【Law Fragments】 from wielding their 【Law】 powers.

However, this seemingly strict rule contained a significant loophole — if the trial environment itself brimmed with phenomena born of a 【Law】’s influence, then such forces could serve as keys to unlock the corresponding 【Law】 power, allowing restricted contestants to once again wield 【Law】 strength.

Just like Marquell-Storm — in an environment where everyone else dreaded the hurricane, he behaved as though injected with a stimulant. Not only was his mana replenished rapidly, he could also command the storm to seal off the entire valley, preventing others from escaping.

This was precisely why Louisto-Tulan was furious.

Meanwhile, within the Meditation Array, many had not chosen to recklessly dash out like Louisto-Tulan, but instead stayed put, waiting to see how things unfolded.

“It seems the valley has been completely enclosed by the hurricane.”

Watching Louisto-Tulan and the others return fruitless from the skies, Janna’s gaze grew heavier.

“Crack—”

At that moment, the contestant adept at digging tunnels transformed into a pangolin covered in sturdy scales and darted underground.

Similarly, Hela-Helheim, skilled at transfiguring into various shadow creatures, took the form of a Shadow Direwolf and leapt into the nearest shadow to evade the storm.

“So this is what Professor Mage meant by adapting to the environment?”

Watching the approaching hurricane, and seeing contestants flying, burrowing, or disguising themselves as rocks to hide within the valley, Janna simply stood calmly on a relatively flat patch of land. Following her prior plan, she swiftly began chanting the spell for 【Beginner Transfiguration】.

“Everchanging Form—”

As the incantation ended, Janna’s fair skin swiftly turned into coarse brown bark. Her feet rooted into the earth, her body became a trunk, her arms branched out. Driven by surging mana, she rapidly grew taller, her leafy canopy flourishing in moments.

“What the hell is this!?”

Matthew-Grayrock, who had transfigured into a pangolin and dug a tunnel nearly ten meters deep, carefully concealed all the displaced soil above him to avoid the storm’s wrath.

Yet, just when he thought himself safe, countless brown roots spread underground like a web, extending deeper and deeper.

In mere seconds, the roots tore apart his tunnel. They kept burrowing until nearly thirty meters down before slowing their growth.

“Damn it! Where the hell did these roots come from!?”

Only after digging his way out of the root-infested zone did Matthew-Grayrock stop cursing, glaring upward toward the source of the roots.