Impressionistic Villain: Achieving Wizarding Supremacy Through Experimentation

Chapter 72 An Irresistible Temptation and... "Treasure Map"

"That York is a selfish and cowardly bastard! He thinks he can compete with Senior Nia just because of his family background? He doesn't even deserve the position of Professor Ster's disciple!"

"Exactly! He's utterly disgraced Anse Academy! Senior Leo just saved his life, and he turns around and starts acting all sarcastic and condescending. Ugh! What a piece of trash!"

Nya did not participate in her companions' denunciation of York.

He silently bid farewell to everyone and dragged his weary body back to the cold guest room.

boom.

The door closed behind her, shutting out the noise from the outside world. Nia collapsed heavily onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling carved with intricate patterns.

Where is the road?

His family gave everything they had, even emptying their century-old savings, to obtain that crucial medal for him.

He is a genius that the Moreno family has only seen once in a century, and he carries the only hope for the revival of the entire family!

But...why?

Why is he still stuck in the mire despite his best efforts?

The immense burden of family responsibilities, York's ever-present and insidious targeting, and the ambiguous attitude of his mentor, Ster...

All of this felt like heavy chains, suffocating him and making it hard for him to breathe.

What are you confused about?

A cold, strangely textured voice suddenly rang out in Nia's deathly silent room, like a viper's hiss, close to his ear.

"Who?!" Nia's hair stood on end, and she felt like she was about to jump up!

However, an invisible, overwhelming, and terrifying pressure suddenly descended!

It felt as if an invisible mountain was pressing down on him, pinning him firmly and immobile against the cold bed!

"Who...who are you?! What do you want?!" Nia's voice was distorted with extreme horror.

The voice remained calm, yet carried a chilling insight: "What? I'll help you, Nia Moreno."

Nia's pupils contracted sharply, forcing down her surging fear: "Help me? I don't need it! This is Evans..."

"Don't you... want York to die?"

Nia's breath, along with the words he hadn't finished speaking, froze instantly!

Think about it.

The voice was like the whisper of a devil, carrying endless allure and a hint of mockery towards the Moreno family.

"What did the Moreno family sacrifice for you? Utter ruin! A century of accumulated wealth vanished! That medal drained the last drop of lifeblood from the entire family!"

"If you ultimately fail to become Ster's disciple... Nia, how will you face your people who placed all their hopes on you?"

Nia's body trembled slightly under the invisible pressure, her teeth clenched: "Professor S... said... as long as I participate in this exchange..."

"Do you believe it, Nia?"

The voice suddenly rose in pitch, carrying undisguised sarcasm and a hint of disappointment.

"Ask yourself honestly! Do you believe his nonsense?! A smart person shouldn't deceive themselves with lies they can't even convince themselves of!"

"Even if you give it your all at the conference and temporarily surpass York in the rankings, so what?"

His voice lowered again, seeping into Nia's soul like venom, "Do you really think that at the last minute, York's underhanded tactics won't render all your efforts futile? Unless... you can break into the top twenty! Nia, tell me, is that even possible?!"

Nia's lips moved, but no sound came out.

An overwhelming sense of despair, like an icy tide, completely engulfed him.

This is precisely the reason why he felt lost and helpless alone in the room!

Beneath the surface of the rules lies blatant injustice. Unless a miracle occurs, everything the family has poured into it will ultimately be in vain!

"That position should have been yours! You have a medal; it's a ticket your family earned with blood and tears!"

The allure of the mysterious voice reached its peak, like the most deadly poison.

"As long as York... disappears! All obstacles will vanish! You, Nia Moreno, will still be the family's proud genius, the only ray of hope carrying all their hopes!"

silence.

A deathly silence spread through the cold room.

Nia's eyes initially showed extreme panic and struggle, like a young animal caught in a trap.

But under the repeated allure of that voice, like a spell, and the cold, heavy pressure of reality, that panic... like snowflakes thrown into a furnace, quickly melted and evaporated.

Instead, there is a cold, almost insane determination, and... a chilling cruelty that grows from the abyss of despair!

------

After leaving Nia's room, Hick didn't linger. Instead, he vanished from Evans Manor in a flash.

"Nia, don't let me down!"

The voice that had just seduced Nya was none other than Hick. After all, he had personally taken all of the Moreno family's wealth, and he knew the ins and outs of the matter all too well.

"The last struggle of two old wizards nearing the end of their lives? How interesting."

The following morning, while most of the apprentices were still recovering from their exhaustion and injuries, Nia calmly pushed open the door.

His gaze was unusually calm, even carrying an almost hollow composure.

He casually glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then slipped out of the manor's side gate like a ghost.

"Sneaking around... That Nia guy is definitely up to something!"

York, who had been secretly watching, emerged from behind the pillar, a greedy smile curving his lips.

"I'd like to see what good stuff you're hiding!" He immediately concealed his aura and followed closely like a leech.

A few kilometers away from the manor, we entered a secluded woodland.

Nia stopped and cautiously looked around again. Only after confirming that it was safe did she carefully take out an old sheepskin scroll with worn edges and a dark color from her bosom.

He pretended to be engrossed in studying the patterns on the scroll, as if he were cracking some earth-shattering secret.

"A parchment scroll?! Could it be... a treasure map?!"

York, hiding behind the tree, felt his heart pounding and his eyes flashed with a burning, greedy light.

"Damn it! This piece of trash actually has this kind of luck? But..." A sinister smile appeared on his face, "Now, it's mine!"

Just as Nia seemed to have finished her study and was about to roll up the scroll—

Swish!

A figure pounced out with lightning speed! Nia felt her hand go empty as the precious parchment was snatched away by a powerful hand!

"Hahaha! Nia! I never thought you'd have such incredible luck, managing to snag a treasure map?"

York's triumphant laughter echoed through the woods as he waved the parchment in his hand, his face a mixture of mockery and ecstasy.

"What a pity, what a pity! Now it's mine! Thanks for the gift! Hahaha!"

"York!!"

Nia jerked her head up, her eyes flashing with unbelievable shock, rage, and frenzy. Her voice, hoarse with extreme anger, roared, "Give it back to me!!"

"Give it back to you? Dream on!"

York chuckled and clutched the reel tightly to his chest.

Nia suppressed her anger, her voice carrying a hint of reluctant compromise:

"Fine! Fine! You win! We'll split it...half for each of us! Otherwise, I'll go to Senior Leo and report you for hoarding treasure! You can forget about keeping it all for yourself!"

Divide it evenly? York's eyes darted around, greed and calculation clashing fiercely in his mind.

He hesitated for only a moment, then a more sinister smile spread across his face:

"Tell them out? Hahaha! Nia, you're too naive! I'll personally present this 'treasure map' to Senior Leo right now! I'll do a great service! So what if the treasure isn't mine? The credit is enough! Maybe Senior Leo will be happy..."

He smugly shook the reel. "You'll even get me some good stuff! As for you? Go cry with your 'secret'! Hahaha!"

"York! You're asking for death!!!" Nia's "rage" completely "exploded," and the elemental energy around her fluctuated violently, as if she was ready to fight to the death!

Seeing this, York dared not linger any longer.

He let out a strange cry and without hesitation instantly cast all the speed-enhancing and lightness spells on himself. Like a startled rabbit, he fled frantically towards Evans Manor at the fastest speed he had ever seen!

He held the scroll tightly to his chest, fearing that it would be caught up and taken back.

Nia stood still, pretending to chase after him for a few steps, letting out a "roar of resentment".

However, as York's figure disappeared completely at the end of the forest path, all his "anger" and "rage" receded instantly like a tide.

He slowly stopped, a cold, eerie smile, tinged with endless mockery and cruelty, slowly curving his lips.

The fish has taken the bait.