Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

Chapter 194 Revitalizing the Ruins
In an instant, a strong sense of distortion and tearing swept over his entire body.

The sensation was far more intense than he had imagined—as if countless fine needles were piercing every inch of his skin at the same time, and every nerve was being stretched to its limit.

Space folded, twisted, and reassembled before his eyes, and countless illusions and afterimages appeared in his field of vision.

In a daze, he seemed to see countless terrified faces wailing in the darkness, and he also seemed to hear whispers and snickers in some ancient language.

"focus!"

Ron forced himself to stay alert; his experience in the simulation device last time made him immediately realize that the curse was taking effect.

The curse of the abyss!
Unlike the simulated effects in the simulation device, the real curse is more complex and multi-layered.

He could feel his flesh writhing, as if countless tiny creatures were crawling under his skin.

At the same time, his thoughts began to become chaotic, and all sorts of bizarre ideas kept emerging, trying to erode his sanity.

It was as if they had suffered a double curse of physical mutation and mental distortion at the same time.

Ron immediately activated his bloodline power, and a strong heat surged within his body, the power of the Crimson Blood Dragon sweeping through his entire body like raging flames.

The powerful bloodline of the dragon acted as a barrier, temporarily blocking the strange changes that were trying to erode his body.

At the same time, he quickly entered a meditative state, his mental energy circulating within his body, forming a special mental defense.

"Zukrenag."

He then silently recited the syllables of the corrosive melody, using this mysterious power from the stars to fight against the curse from the abyss.

This method of fighting poison with poison was surprisingly effective—two completely different sources of twisted forces canceled each other out within his body, allowing him to remain conscious.

"The results are better than expected." Ron breathed a slight sigh of relief.

The last time I was in the simulation battle device, it was a simulation of the curses of the third and fourth layers of the abyss.

What we are actually facing now, although it combines the effects of both the body and mind, seems to be much weaker, probably only equivalent to the level of the first or second level.

While I was pondering, the teleportation process finally ended.

The distorted space around them gradually stabilized, and a strange world appeared before their eyes.

Ron stood on a strange plain.

The ground was a semi-solid, dark red substance that had a slight elasticity when stepped on, like walking on a thin, fleshy blanket.

The sky appeared an unnatural purplish-black.

There was no sun, no moon, only some strangely shaped dark clouds floating by, occasionally flashing with faint red lightning.

In the distance, the outlines of some distorted mountain ranges are faintly visible, and those "peaks" look more like the curled backs of some giant creature.

What's even more unsettling is that the entire environment seems to be "alive":

The ground undulated slightly with each breath, and the air was filled with a sweet, fishy smell, as if you were standing inside the body of some enormous creature.

"Is this the interior of the Bloodline Altar?"

Ron cautiously looked around, carefully using his mental energy to detect the energy fluctuations in the surroundings.

After confirming the area was safe, he quickly opened the space bag.

"Dair, come out."

After a slight spatial fluctuation, the silver-haired little siren emerged from the spatial bag.

She clearly felt uncomfortable as soon as she appeared.

Her large, purplish-blue eyes widened instantly, and her slender body trembled violently.

"Master," Dale's voice was hoarse and pained: "It hurts so much here."

Ron immediately helped the little siren who was about to kneel down.

"Hold on, Dale. This is the effect of the Abyss Curse. Don't resist it. Learn to adapt to it."

Dale nodded, but her skin had already begun to show unnatural changes:
Small pieces appeared grayish-white, as if they had been rapidly dehydrated.

Ron quickly took out a bottle of light blue potion that he had prepared beforehand from his storage bag.

"Drink this. It's an 'Abyss Adaptant' that will help you lessen the effects of the curse."

Dale took the medicine bottle with trembling hands and gulped down the medicine in one go.

The medicine worked almost immediately—her skin gradually returned to its normal color, and her breathing stabilized.

“Thank you, Master,” Dale said softly, her voice much calmer than before, but fear still lingered in her eyes.

"This place is more terrifying than I imagined."

“This is just the beginning,” Ron warned solemnly.
"The journey ahead will only be more difficult. But don't be afraid, remember everything I've taught you, and we will get through this trial."

The little siren nodded firmly and tried to stand up straight.

"Master, this place... feels like a battlefield?"

She looked around and asked, somewhat puzzled.

It does indeed resemble the ruins of an ancient battlefield, but its original appearance has been distorted by the power of the abyss.

Countless twisted and deformed metal fragments were scattered on the ground.

Those objects that may have once been shields, spears, or swords have now blended into the ground, becoming deformed protrusions.

Some enormous skeletons protruded from the ground, but they were clearly not human bones—too huge and twisted, their shapes too bizarre to be recognized.

Further away, the remains of some flags, half-buried in the blood-red soil, swayed gently in the wind.

The emblems on it are blurred, but you can still vaguely make out the symbols of several different countries or ethnic groups.

“You’re right, Dale. This should be an ancient battlefield corrupted by the power of the abyss.”

Ron crouched down and lightly touched the ground with the tip of his sword.

A crack appeared in the layer of material that looked like soil, revealing dark red, muscle-fiber-like tissue underneath.

"This soil... it should be described as a living organism. The entire space has been transformed by the power of the abyss, becoming a kind of semi-living entity."

Dale shivered and involuntarily moved closer to Ron, her voice extremely low:

So, we're now standing on the body of some gigantic creature?

"It's more like the entire battlefield has been given some kind of distorted 'life'."

Ron explained:
"A similar phenomenon is mentioned in the Abyss Creatures Atlas—the fourth layer of the abyss can transform death zones into 'activated ruins,' which condense death and decay into a special form of energy."

Just as they were talking, the ground in the distance suddenly began to ripple violently, and a huge object burst out of the blood-red soil.

It was a deformed corpse, at least two meters tall.

The entire body was covered in ancient, rusty armor, but the armor and flesh had become completely integrated and indistinguishable.

Its head presents a bizarre, hybrid form:
The basic outline of a human skull, yet it has four glowing eyes, and its lower jaw extends into a lizard-like shape, covered with sharp teeth.

Most terrifyingly, there was a huge opening in the chest of the corpse, inside which countless tentacle-like internal organs wriggled, occasionally sticking out from the opening as if sniffing out the surrounding scents.

"Master! What is that?" Dale stared at the enormous creature in horror.

“Forgotten Warriors,” Ron answered in a low voice, a hint of wariness flashing in his eyes.
"But unlike the original low-level undead, this guy is an abyssal mutant that combines undead characteristics with multiple alien bloodlines."

He quickly drew his sword, took a vial of medicine from his waist, and gulped it down to increase his resistance to abnormalities.

"Be careful of its tentacles, as they may contain corrosive toxins."

The Forgotten Warriors had clearly become aware of their presence.

The four glowing eyes turned towards the two of them simultaneously, emitting light of different colors.

It let out a deafening roar, a sound mixed with piercing noises and a deep echo, as if a million souls were wailing at the same time.

"Master, let me handle this!" Dale was ready for battle, and water element quickly condensed between her hands.

"Proceed according to plan," Ron said in a deep voice. "Your resistance isn't strong enough. I have a shield to get close to it first. You're in charge of ranged interference and support."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the Forgotten Warriors charged toward them with heavy steps.

Each step left a deep indentation in the blood-red earth, and the surrounding soil writhed as it moved, as if in response to its presence.

Ron did not back down; instead, he stepped forward to meet him.

"Ring of Glory!"

Golden-red flames erupted from his body, forming a dazzling armor that remained hidden around him.

The Forgotten Warrior suddenly swung out a huge arm.

The deformed limbs, now fused with the armor, were covered with sharp bone spurs, enough to pierce through an ordinary person with a single blow.

Ron nimbly dodged to the side, his longsword arcing through the air as it precisely pierced the opening in the Forgotten Warrior's chest.

The core of these monsters is often hidden in such special structures.

The moment the longsword pierced through, the Forgotten Warrior let out a painful howl.

The tentacle-like internal organs suddenly coiled around him, trying to drag the weapon and the swordsman into his chest cavity.

But upon touching the defensive net of the "Radiant Ring," it immediately emitted a sizzling sound like squid being fried on a hot plate...

"Dale, now's the time!"

The little siren immediately sprang into action, waving her hands rapidly.

Water molecules in the surrounding air quickly gathered, forming dozens of sharp ice blades.

"Crystal Arrow Rain!"

The ice blades shot towards the Forgotten Warrior like arrows, accurately hitting the tentacles that emerged from his chest and severing them one by one.

The Forgotten Warrior staggered backward, its broken tentacles spraying a foul-smelling black liquid that immediately corroded the ground, creating small, smoking pits.

Ron took the opportunity to quickly create distance between himself and the enemy.

He has noticed that the severed tentacles are regenerating at a rate visible to the naked eye.

"This is the regenerative ability of abyssal creatures. We must find its core."

He carefully observed the movement patterns of the Forgotten Warriors.

This abyssal mutant, which combines characteristics of various alien races, possesses strength and defense far exceeding that of ordinary creatures.

Coupled with its terrifying regenerative abilities, conventional attack methods are almost impossible to produce lasting effects.

"We still have to use this tactic... I hope my previous thinking was correct."

Ron took a deep breath, and his mental energy quickly constructed a complex spell model.

"Sonic oscillation erosion state!"

An invisible ripple spread from his palm, carrying eerie whispers from the depths of the starry sky, striking the Forgotten Warrior directly.

Almost instantly, the Forgotten Warriors' movements became sluggish.

Countless black spots appeared on the surface of the body, as if it had been corroded by some invisible force.

Its tentacles thrashed wildly in its chest cavity, as if trying to escape this abnormal state, but with little effect.

"It works!" Ron was overjoyed.

Just like when he encountered the hybrid serpent demon last time, the mysterious power of whispers from the depths of the starry sky does indeed have a peculiar restraining effect on abyssal creatures, like some kind of natural nemesis.

The Forgotten Warrior let out a painful howl as the armor on his body began to peel away, revealing the rotting flesh beneath.

Its four eyes gleamed with a struggling light, and then it did something unexpected:

He suddenly reached into his chest cavity and pulled out a crystal that emitted a purple light; that should be its core.

Then, to everyone's surprise, the Forgotten Warrior actually put the crystal in his mouth and chewed it vigorously!
"It's...committing suicide?" Dale was momentarily confused by what seemed like a foolish act.

"He's going to make the core explode!" Ron immediately understood the other party's intention.

The crystal was crushed in the mouth of the Forgotten Warrior, and the purple energy dissipated into the air like smoke.

The next moment, the Forgotten Warrior's body began to swell violently, countless cracks appeared on his skin, and purple light shone through the cracks. "Run!"

Ron grabbed Dale and quickly created distance, while simultaneously constructing the strongest possible fluid barrier.

boom!
The Forgotten Warrior's body exploded in an instant, turning into a cloud of purplish-black energy that spread in all directions.

The flowing barrier blocked most of the impact, but some energy still penetrated the defense, forming a strange blood mist in the air.

Just as Ron was about to check on the baby sea monster in his arms, a strange noise caught his attention.

The puppet at the waist seemed to have a mind of its own, and a faint suction force emanated from it.

The next moment, the purplish-black blood mist seemed to be sentient, and was quickly sucked into the puppet.

"What is this...?" Ron immediately noticed something was wrong.

The substitute puppet was quietly wrapped around the waist, but its surface had already undergone subtle changes.

A layer of light purple lines appeared on the originally smooth surface, like blood vessels distributed throughout the doll.

At the same time, the puppet seemed to be slowly absorbing the energy from the blood mist, and its dim energy indicator light brightened slightly.

Ron immediately checked the status of the substitute puppet:
[Automatically absorbed active abyssal substances, charging progress +1%]

Current Energy: 3%/100%

"It absorbed this abyssal energy and recharged itself?"

Although the puppet had previously reacted to and charged the living tissues of the lion scorpion and the snake demon in the experiment.

But this ability to autonomously draw energy and recharge during combat did indeed surprise him.

He gently probed in with a wisp of his spiritual energy, attempting to awaken the substitute puppet.

The puppet reacted instantly, but this time the transformation was faster and smoother than ever before.

Moreover, its form has become more diverse.

The characteristics of the fused snake demon and lion scorpion seem to have been enhanced in some way.

"The energy of the abyssal creature seems to enhance its ability to mutate and transform," Ron said thoughtfully.

If the substitute puppet can absorb and integrate the characteristics of abyssal creatures on its own, it might be able to reach the charging target more quickly.

He carefully put away the substitute puppet, feeling even more excited for the journey ahead.

"Master, are you alright?" Dale asked with concern.

“I’m fine,” Ron replied, recovering from his earlier surprise.
"But we need to be more careful. The monsters here are clearly different from ordinary abyssal creatures; their self-destruction behavior is very unusual."

The little siren nodded firmly: "Don't worry, Master, I will be even more careful."

Ron carefully observed his surroundings, looking for possible clues or targets.

In this distorted battlefield, there must be a core.

The purpose of this journey is to find it and complete the trial.

But now, what's more urgent is understanding the rules of this environment in order to better address the challenges ahead.

………………

At the same time, Trish was also teleported to another area of ​​the Bloodline Altar.

After a dizzying spin, the brown-haired girl found herself in a strange swamp.

Unlike Ron's battlefield, the ground here was covered with a viscous, dark green liquid that emitted a pungent, putrid stench.

The sky was a sickly yellowish-green, with strangely shaped flying creatures occasionally streaking across it, emitting piercing cries.

"Abyss Curse."

Trish immediately felt the suffocating pressure, as if her muscles and bones were being slowly twisted by some kind of force.

But as Corinna's student, she had already received special training to resist the influence of the abyss.

"Isolation Barrier!"

A pale green energy barrier spread out from her body, forming a semi-transparent protective shield that temporarily resisted the erosion of the abyss curse.

Trish looked around and noticed a faintly glowing stone tablet in the center of the swamp not far away, engraved with intricate rune patterns.

"That stone tablet might be related to whether or not I can reach the core area."

The key to the passage to the core altar may lie within it.

The problem is that there is a large, bottomless swamp between her location and the stone tablet, and stepping into it rashly would be tantamount to suicide.

She took a small bottle from her waist and drank the liquid inside.

This was an acclimatization treatment specially prepared for her by Corinna's mentor, allowing her to move freely in this environment for the time being.

The medicine takes effect almost immediately.

A faint green glow appeared on her skin, and the blood in her body flowed more rapidly and powerfully.

"Hopefully this will be enough to get me to the monument."

Trish carefully stepped onto the surface of the swamp, letting her toes gently touch the viscous green liquid.

Surprisingly, under the influence of the potion, her body became unusually light, almost able to float on the surface of the swamp instead of sinking into it.

"The master's potion is indeed worthy of the technology from the Crystal Spire."

She moved forward while remaining vigilant.

This "miracle" will not last long; we must reach our goal as soon as possible.

Just as she was about halfway to the stone tablet, the swamp suddenly began to churn violently.

A gigantic creature slowly rose from the mud, its body pieced together from countless small corpses, emitting a nauseating stench of decay.

Its "skin" is composed of countless tentacles and vines that constantly wriggle, extending or contracting as if it were alive.

The head is a huge flower-shaped structure with a large mouth full of sharp teeth at the center.

“The Swamp Patchwork.” Trish’s face paled as she recognized the terrifying abyssal creature.

Why would creatures from the second layer of the abyss appear here?

The Swamp Patchwork had clearly spotted her; the "flower" turned toward her, emitting a strange buzzing sound.

Then its entire body began to move toward her, and with each step forward, a small piece of the corpse would fall off its body and be immediately replaced by new tissue.

Trish knew she couldn't possibly confront this terrifying creature head-on.

The only option is to reach the stone tablet as soon as possible, complete the task, and leave the area.

Unlike Ron, she cannot bring her combat companions into the altar.

The rules of the Bloodline Altar strictly limit each participant to being alone, except for Ron, who is allowed to bring an assistant by virtue of his champion privileges.

Faced with the crisis, Trish can only rely on her own abilities.

She quickly awakened the dormant forest elf bloodline within her, and a surge of green energy flowed from her body, rapidly spreading to the surroundings.

That energy, as if it were alive, quickly seeped into the depths of the swamp, establishing a connection with the mutated plant life.

A moment later, dozens of huge vines suddenly shot out from the surrounding swamp, each as thick as a child's arm and covered with sharp thorns.

Guided by Trish's spirit, these vines lashed out at the Swamp Patchworker like nimble whips, temporarily entangled him.

"This should buy some time."

Trish didn't stop, but quickened her pace and rushed towards the stone tablet.

The Swamp Patchwork let out a furious roar, and its immense power caused the vines to snap one by one.

But for every vine that breaks, two new ones sprout from the swamp and continue to entwine its body.

Taking this opportunity, she drew a complex symbol in front of her chest with both hands and chanted a spell.

"O vines of the swamp, heed my call, become my shield and my spear!"

Countless vines sprouted from the swamp, coiling around her like long green snakes.

At the same time, Holt's situation is not optimistic either.

He was teleported to a canyon-like terrain with towering rock walls on both sides, but those "rocks" looked more like some kind of fossilized giant skeleton.

The sky was an unnatural orange-red, as if illuminated by the eternal sunset, yet the sun itself was nowhere to be seen.

A metallic smell permeated the air, and each breath felt like inhaling tiny iron filings.

"The power of the curse is stronger than I imagined."

Holt felt the effects of the abyss on him; the nausea and dizziness made him almost unable to stand.

But he quickly regained control of his condition.

As a member of the law enforcement team, he received specialized anti-interference training, enabling him to remain calm in extreme environments.

"Earth Elemental Colossus, appear!"

Holt quickly took out a crystal from his storage bag, and after injecting his mental energy, a five-meter-tall earth elemental colossus rose from the ground.

It is dark brown all over and covered with hard stone armor.

Holt's power almost entirely depends on this earth elemental colossus.

As an earth element specialist, he devoted all his research and resources to this field.

This makes his colossus far superior to other constructs of the same level in terms of strength, defense, and durability.

"Begin exploring."

He ordered the colossi to lead the way, while he cautiously followed behind, vigilantly observing the surrounding environment.

The canyon was deathly silent, except for the echoes of their footsteps between the stone walls.

Holt noticed some strange white crystals scattered on the ground.

Upon closer inspection, he was surprised to find that it appeared to be some kind of crystallized bone tissue.

"These should be crystallized bones. They are mentioned in the Abyss Creatures Compendium. They usually appear in certain areas of the third layer of the Abyss, known as the 'Fields of Dead Bones'."

After repeatedly confirming through testing that it was harmless, he carefully put the crystal into his storage bag, as it might be a valuable research material.

After continuing for about half an hour, the canyon gradually widened, eventually opening up into a circular basin.

In the center of the basin stands a stone structure resembling an altar.

It was surrounded by seven tall stone pillars, each topped with a red crystal that emitted a faint light.

"That's the control point."

Holt was about to approach the altar when he suddenly felt a slight tremor beneath his feet.

The tremors grew stronger and stronger, and soon the entire basin was shaking violently, just like an earthquake.

The earth elemental colossus immediately assumed a defensive stance, crossing its arms in front of its chest, ready to meet the onslaught.

Suddenly, the ground in the center of the basin cracked open, and a huge figure burst out from underground.

It was a huge worm-like creature, at least twenty meters long and more than three meters in diameter.

Its body surface is covered with a thick bony carapace, forming ring-shaped protective layers that make it appear indestructible.
Its head has no eyes, only a large, round mouth.

The inside is filled with ring-shaped serrations that rotate constantly, emitting a chilling grinding sound.

Holt's voice trembled as he spoke:

"One of the predators of the third layer of the abyss..."

The worm seemed to have sensed the presence of the intruder.

Its body swayed, and then it charged at Holt with astonishing speed.

(End of this chapter)