Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

Chapter 229 Containment of Sinners
"boom--"

Amidst the deafening explosion, the red crystal shattered completely, scattering countless fragments in all directions.

A surge of abyssal energy, so dense it was almost tangible, erupted from the shattered crystal.

Like a demon that had been imprisoned for a thousand years finally breaking free of its shackles, it spread in all directions with endless resentment and rage.

The Holy Disc staggered back several steps under the impact of this energy, and even with the protection of the "Apostle's Power," it felt dizzy.

But he quickly regained his composure, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

"Perfect. The power of the Abyss has finally been unleashed."

Space was torn apart, reality was distorted, and the boundary between the abyss and the surface world became blurred at this moment.

"The first step of the mission has been completed."

The Holy Disc turned and glanced at Sauron lying on the ground, a cruel smile playing on its lips.

"Farewell, Morning Star Wizard. May you find eternal peace in the embrace of the abyss."

After saying that, he spread his deformed wing membranes and rushed toward the exit of the altar.

He had to leave as soon as possible to find his next target—Ron Ralph, who had just become a full-fledged wizard.

Inside the Bloodline Altar, abyssal energy continued to surge wildly.

The once orderly space began to collapse, with the twelve crystal pillars falling one after another, plunging the entire area into unprecedented chaos.
………………

Sauron lay on the cold ground, his consciousness floating in the darkness.

The pain in my chest had gone numb, and blood continued to flow from the huge wound, soaking the ground beneath me.

A body without a heart should theoretically die immediately.

But as a Morning Star wizard who has completed his transformation, Sauron's vitality far exceeds that of ordinary life forms.

Even under such fatal damage, he managed to maintain his last shred of consciousness thanks to the remaining magic power within him.

"Failed"

His thoughts were fragmented, like a broken mirror, reflecting only shards of reality.

The pollution of the abyss is spreading through his blood, invading every cell of his body, and eroding his mental world.

It was an unprecedented depravity and corruption, as if countless ants were gnawing at his soul.

"I'm sorry, Hayekunie"

Soren knew he could no longer send a warning to the outside world.

The first attack of the Abyss's corruption is to sever the wizard's magical connections, rendering him unable to conduct any form of long-distance communication.

In the final moments of his life, a flood of memories came rushing back:

As a boy, he stood beneath the magnificent archway of the crystal spire, his eyes filled with a thirst for knowledge and power.

In his youth, he poured his heart and soul into countless experiments, all in an effort to stand out from his peers.

In his later years, he finally received a private invitation from his mentor, who told him that he "had potential" and was "worth cultivating".
"A contract. A damned soul contract."

Soren gritted his teeth, recalling that turning point in his fate.

He was so proud when his mentor from the Crystal Spire personally offered him an overseas assignment, thinking that he had finally been noticed by the higher-ups.

At that time, he happily signed his name on the contract.

Only when the crystal mark was branded onto his soul did he understand the truth—it was not a simple overseas assignment, but a disguised form of "exile."

Those exceptionally talented but not particularly special Morning Star wizards are the perfect pawns for the Crystal Spire.

Being assigned to various branches of the school of thought as mentors is ostensibly a great responsibility, but in reality, they are seen as tools to be sacrificed at will by those who are stronger.

The contents of the contract are very clear:

You must not betray the interests of the school, and you must not divulge the secrets of the Crystal Spire.

More importantly, the core facilities of the school must be protected at all costs, including but not limited to the bloodline altar.

Otherwise, even in death, the soul will be taken back by the crystal spire.

They were thrown into the "Sinners' Containment Vault," where they were continuously burned by hellfire and eventually refined into various alchemical tools.

He had personally witnessed the creation of those gargoyle flying machines—the once proud souls of wizards were refined into energy cores of eternal enslavement.

Consciousness is always in a semi-conscious state, feeling endless pain but unable to break free.

Whenever Sauron saw the pained glint in the eyes of the gargoyles that Valen rode in, he would involuntarily shudder.

"No, I can't give up yet."

Sauron struggled not out of any lofty sense of mission or loyalty to the school, but out of naked fear of the punishment of the contract.

He feared the fate of being tormented eternally more than death.

Just as consciousness was about to completely dissipate, a warm and pure energy was activated.

That energy is as pure as a clear spring, gradually clearing away pollution wherever it flows, and gently soothing the wounds on the soul.

“However, I still have hope.” Soren’s consciousness suddenly cleared a bit:
"Thankfully, the favor that Ron mentioned a few days ago has been preserved..."

This force gave him his last hope.

Taking advantage of a brief moment of mental clarity, he laboriously reached for the storage bag at his waist.

Take out a bright red crystal – “Tear of the Heart”, a precious alchemical item that can temporarily replace heart function.

He trembled as he stuffed the crystal into the large hole in his chest.

Feeling the cold crystals gradually warm up and merge with the surrounding flesh and blood to form a temporary "substitute heart".

"It actually worked!" Soren felt a faint life force returning to his body.

It was a strange feeling—to be alive without one's own heart.

He knew that this state could not last; the "tears of the heart" could only last for three days at most, and the effect would gradually weaken over time.

He struggled to take out several bottles of potions from his storage bag and poured them into his mouth one by one.

"Fountain of life", "Mental stabilizer", "Flesh and blood regeneration fluid".
These precious magical potions, which they usually treasure, all came in handy at this moment.

The medicine took effect in my body, the wound began to heal slowly, some of the lost blood was replenished, and my mental state became more stable.

"Hayek must be warned."

Even in this critical moment, Sauron did not forget the bond of the contract.

He trembled as he constructed his own unique identity runes.

A wisp of magic was released from his fingertips, forming an invisible communication line that pointed directly in the direction of Hayek.

"Bloodline Altar. Awakened One breaks the seal. Supreme Apostle leaks information."

Intermittent messages are being transmitted through the magic threads.

Soren only hoped that these fragmented pieces of information would be enough for Hayek to understand the seriousness of the situation.

After issuing the warning, Sauron had exhausted the little strength he had been able to recover.

He fell to the ground again, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

"From apprentice to wizard, how much I went through and how much I sacrificed."

Soren gave a bitter smile: "In the end, I'm still just a pawn in someone else's game."

He recalled the days when he was bound by contracts.

He had tried to rebel countless times before, but each attempt brought excruciating pain from the contract imprint on his soul.

The feeling of being forced to obey is more painful than death.

Even more tragically, he still has to thank the Crystal Spire for its "gift".

At least he survived to this day and became a respected Morning Star wizard.

Unlike most of their fellow apprentices, who died quietly in a mission or failed experiment, their names never even being remembered.

This is the cruel reality of the wizarding world—the strong set the rules, and the weak can only obey.

Even a Morningstar wizard as powerful as Sauron is still just a pawn that can be sacrificed at any time in the face of truly powerful forces.

"But now I must make one last effort."

Sorren, enduring excruciating pain, began to climb towards the nearest crystal pillar. The Bloodline Altar was on the verge of collapse; if action wasn't taken quickly, the leakage of abyssal energy would cause the entire school to crumble completely.

Even if he survives by chance, the punishment of the contract will still arrive as scheduled.

With each step he took, the wound on his chest would tear open a little more, and blood would gush out continuously.

"Just a few more steps"

After a long and painful crawl, he finally reached the bottom of the crystal pillar.

This crystal pillar is one of the key nodes in the entire sealing array. If it can be reinforced, it can at least slow down the rate at which the abyss energy leaks out.

With trembling hands, Sauron placed them on the base of the crystal pillar and began to channel his remaining magic power into it.

"With my blood, with my soul, I will temporarily halt your collapse."

Runes flowed from his fingertips, wrapping around the surface of the crystal pillar to form a temporary reinforcement network.

As magic was injected, the shaking of the crystal pillar gradually weakened, and the light became slightly brighter.

The rate of energy leakage from the abyss has slowed significantly, and the distortion of space has also stabilized.

"The Black Mist School... will likely find it difficult to survive for long after this catastrophe."

Once the energy of the abyss connects with the main world, it will trigger a series of irreversible changes.

Distortion of spatial rules, erosion of real-world structures, and pollution of ecosystems are all serious challenges facing the school of thought.

"The Bloodline Altar is completely destroyed."

This facility, once one of the school's most important assets, has now become a breeding ground for the power of the abyss.

Even if the seal can be re-established later, the bloodline energy within will have been corrupted by the abyss and will no longer be suitable for any form of bloodline enhancement ritual.

"Bound by the contract his entire life, and still bound to it until his death," Sauron coughed up blood and smiled bitterly.

"Damn it, the true shackles of the soul-contracting wizarding world."

That's why Hayek and Eunice gave Ron a subtle warning.

As members of the academic hierarchy, they certainly couldn't directly break the contract and issue a warning, but at least they tried to give the promising young man some hints.

"Ron, I hope you can go even further."

Soren muttered to himself, a hint of resentment flashing in his eyes: "Don't...don't repeat my mistakes. Don't become someone else's pawn."

His thoughts drifted back to the young wizard who had just been promoted.

If it weren't for Ron's pure grace, he might have already lost consciousness completely under the corruption of the abyss and become a walking corpse.

"Thank you, young man."

With this gratitude, Soren closed his eyes and began to concentrate on healing his injuries.

The "tears of the heart" can only last for a limited time; he must recover to the point where he can move independently as soon as possible.

He didn't know what the Holy Disc's next target would be, but one thing was certain—that mad apostle of the abyss wouldn't give up so easily.

"Hopefully Hayek, Yuni, and Allen can respond promptly."

Sauron's consciousness became blurred again, but this time it was not because of impending death, but because he had actively entered a special meditative state of self-healing.

In this state, his bodily functions were reduced to a minimum, and all his energy was focused on repairing his injuries.

Around him, the abyssal energy of the bloodline altar continued to slowly but irresistibly spread outwards, though its speed was slowed by his intervention.
………………

A thin mist hangs over the dark forest at dawn, shrouding everything in mystery.

Ron had already left the Central Tower and was on his way to Mrs. Allen's herbal medicine shop.

My first feeling after becoming a formal wizard was that the clarity of the world around me had undergone a qualitative leap.

He could clearly perceive every breeze, every tremor of every leaf, and even the dust particles in the air that were invisible to the naked eye.

Even more amazing is that he can now directly sense the flow of magic in the environment.

The energy lines that required special spells or tools to observe during his apprenticeship were now as clear as a spring in his eyes.

"The world of formal wizards is truly magnificent."

Ron murmured to himself, a sense of indescribable satisfaction rising within him.

Just then, an unusual energy fluctuation suddenly came from afar, interrupting his thoughts.

It was a chaotic and violent energy, bearing distinct characteristics of the abyss.

Like a silent shriek, it pierced his senses.

"This energy fluctuation."

Ron suddenly stopped in his tracks, his brow furrowed.

With the keen senses gained from being a Demon Hunter Knight and an advanced wizard.

He was almost certain that the energy came from the periphery of the school, most likely from the direction of the bloodline altar.

"Strange, the altar was recently reinforced by Valen."

Ron pondered to himself, his magic unconsciously circulating within him, preparing for potential danger.

Since becoming a full-fledged wizard, his perception of abyssal energy has become much clearer.

The fluctuation before us carries an unsettling aggressiveness; it doesn't seem like a natural leak, but rather like something deliberately released.

"There's something wrong with the bloodline altar."

He was now very close to Mrs. Allen's herbal shop, and Ron decided to meet her first; it would be better for the two wizards to be together.

The door of the herbal medicine shop was open, seemingly waiting for his arrival.

As soon as he stepped across the threshold, a familiar aroma of herbs wafted over him, dispelling some of his worries.

"Congratulations, Ron Ralph, you are now a certified wizard."

Mrs. Allen's voice came from the inner room, carrying a rare warmth.

She walked out slowly, her emerald green eyes fixed on Ron, her gaze revealing a rare sense of relief and satisfaction.

“Madam.” Ron bowed slightly, greeting her with the etiquette between wizards.

Even though he had already become a wizard, the other party was, after all, his mentor who had guided his growth, and he couldn't lose this basic courtesy.

Mrs. Allen looked him up and down, then nodded in satisfaction.

"The original method has a success rate of less than 50% even with the help of magic potions, but you've managed to pull it off. It seems my judgment was correct."

A faint smile graced her face, her tone carrying both admiration and an indescribable longing:
"I once came very close, just one step away. Now you have completed the path I could not complete."

Ron could sense the genuine joy in her words.

It wasn't just because he achieved success, but also because she saw that the path she had once pursued had proven to be feasible.

"I owe everything to your guidance."

He said sincerely:
"Without the key information you provided about 'Star Dew and Dawn' and the authentic path, I could not have succeeded, no, I would have even had a hard time knowing that this path existed."

“No, Ron, this is entirely your own achievement.”

Mrs. Allen gently shook her head:

"I only pointed out a path, but you are the one who walks it. Even with a lot of help, without your own talent and that crazy determination, the authentic path is still a dead end."

Her gaze deepened, as if recalling a distant past:

"Many geniuses have fallen on this path, but you succeeded. So, what are your plans next?"

Ron took a deep breath, his eyes gleaming with determination:
"I plan to settle the affairs of the kingdom first, and then head to the Central Lands to pursue a higher level of wizardry."

Mrs. Allen nodded in satisfaction:
"A wise choice. You possess extraordinary talent, and the Central Lands will provide you with a broader stage and richer resources. However..."

Her eyes sharpened:

"Remember, the rarer something is, the more coveted it will be. The purity of your favor will likely attract the attention of many truly powerful individuals."

Ron nodded thoughtfully: "I will proceed with caution."

Just then, he suddenly remembered the abyssal energy fluctuation he had sensed earlier:
"By the way, Madam, on my way here I sensed an unusual abyssal energy, seemingly coming from the direction of the Bloodline Altar. Did you notice anything?"

Mrs. Allen's expression suddenly turned serious:
“There is indeed something unusual. I was just about to activate a protective array that completely isolates the outside world, but I sensed your arrival and decided to wait for you for a while.”

(End of this chapter)