Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

Chapter 115 The Chase

"Ian Marcus!"

Sterling uttered the name silently.

The potion master apprentice who rose rapidly in the "Forge" camp with his improved version of the Rock Bear Potion, but disappeared alone when the camp collapsed instead of evacuating with the main force!

Sterling had long seen through Ian's self-protective tactic of using someone else's power to intimidate him; what he cared more about was the secret hidden within Ian.

How could a mid-level apprentice possibly improve advanced bloodline potions?

At first, he was wary of Alyvia and even offered her the recipe for "Quiet Water" in a deal.

He only discovered, after asking his friend who was still in the tower to investigate, that Alyvia had never taken Ian as a student.

He was furious at being fooled by a weak apprentice.

He also speculated that Ian might possess even more valuable knowledge or a legacy.

In Sterling's plan, Ian will be an important pawn for him to quickly build up his power and accumulate war capital.

But this chess piece actually escaped his control and even appeared on the front lines of the demon-hunting war!

"He's really tough—" Sterling sneered inwardly, his killing intent and greed intertwined.

He didn't act immediately, but took a deep look in Robert's direction, memorized the appearance of the silent apprentice, and then closed his eyes again.

The battle to hunt demons, the underground world—opportunities abound.

Once he finds the person, he has plenty of ways to make this disobedient apprentice spill all the secrets.

The square remained noisy.

Robert felt a cold sweat break out on his back. The feeling of being stared at by a terrifying presence was fleeting, but it left him feeling uneasy.

He dared not linger any longer and whispered to his teammates, "Let's go, let's go take a look over there."

He led his team away from the corner in a hurry, blending into the denser crowd.

Mira returned to the Silver Ring's group, her fingertips unconsciously stroking her staff as she gazed thoughtfully in the direction where the Shadowmoon Tower wizards had gathered.

Ian, who was inside the stone house's protective barrier and was focused on processing the medicinal herbs, was completely unaware of the subtle ripples in the square.

The next day, Ian's mission was assigned.

He was assigned to the "Cracked Tooth Canyon" area, located southeast of the "Mossy Cavern".

They are responsible for assisting first-level wizards in clearing out the scattered low- to mid-level monsters and guarding a narrow pass leading to the surface.

The task was a routine defensive sweep, located on the relatively edge of the area.

Ian packed his gear, calmly left the outpost, and headed towards the mission area.

During the journey, the secret mark on his chest became slightly warm.

"Mira's message, is it something urgent?"

As Ian probed with his mental energy, he stopped in his tracks, his face instantly turning extremely pale.

In the message, Mira revealed two things: First, Robert, an acquaintance of hers, was in the Seventh War Zone.

Second, Sterling seems to have developed an unusual interest in the name "Ian".

He didn't care how Mira got the information; the Eastern Seventh War Zone was led by the "Silver Ring," so she must have a source of information.

"Sterling!"

Ian lowered his eyes, his heart churning with murderous intent.

The old liquefaction wizard was chasing him, but Ian didn't feel much hatred. They were on different sides, so fighting was normal.

But Sterling is the commander of the "Forge" camp, he's one of their own!

The experience of being betrayed by superiors, forced to make a desperate escape, and nearly dying is unforgettable.

Ian's eyes darkened. "I'm not the same person I was when I was on the run."

Even if Sterling doesn't come looking for him, once he's promoted to a first-level wizard, he'll definitely return to Shadowmoon Tower to settle this score.

He continued on his way, then thought of Robert again.

"Good luck, and hope Sterling doesn't target you and kill you," Ian thought to himself.

That failed investment could only end like this.

In the Rifttooth Canyon, the mission is progressing steadily.

Ian performed poorly; like the other advanced apprentices, he continued to use conventional sorcery to clear out the scattered monsters that had escaped from the depths of the cave.

He deliberately controlled his strength, accompanying each spell with a brief "chanting" motion, and keeping the power of the rays he fired within the normal range for an advanced apprentice.

A day later, a muffled rumble came from the depths of the cave.

Even through the thick layers of rock, one could feel the heart-pounding energy fluctuations.

Scorching heat, freezing cold, corrosiveness, tearing—magical powers of various attributes clashed and annihilated each other.

The battle lasted from dawn to dusk, a full day.

Finally, a deafening roar echoed from the depths of the earth, and the core nest of the Mossy Cavern was completely destroyed.

The remaining low-level monsters surged out from all the exits like a tide, and were wiped out one by one by the advanced apprentices guarding the perimeter.

Mission over.

Ian's heart tightened.

He knew that the real crisis had only just begun.

He no longer wanted to run away, nor did he need to escape.

When the evacuation order was given, Ian did not follow the crowd.

He deliberately lagged behind a few steps, watching his teammates gradually walk away, until the last apprentice's figure disappeared around the corner of the rock wall.

He turned and walked in the exact opposite direction.

The rocks beneath my feet gradually turned from grayish-brown to pure black, the magic in the air became increasingly violent and chaotic, even the fluorescent moss became pitifully sparse, and the light was so dim that I could barely see anything.

Ian did not slow down.

His gray robes fluttered as he darted among the jagged black stone pillars, moving as fast as a shadow flying close to the ground.

The [Earth Vein Resonance] property made his every step steady and powerful, producing only a very slight muffled sound when he stepped on the rocky ground.

His physique, enhanced by breaking through limits twice, granted him astonishing endurance; running at this speed was merely a warm-up for him.

The deeper we went, the more we went.

No sound could be heard from the direction of the stronghold anymore; only the howling of the wind whistling through the stone forest remained.

He stopped in his tracks.

Ahead, a figure dressed in a dark blue wizard's robe with silver trim stood quietly on a huge black rock.

The hem of his robe fluttered even without wind, and a faint heat wave seemed to distort the air around him.

Sterling Vance.

He had his back to the direction Ian had come from, as if he had been waiting there for a long time.

He only turned around slowly when he heard the footsteps stop.

His face was even paler than it had been at the "Furnace" camp, but the gloom and greed deep in his eyes burned so intensely they were almost overflowing.

"Ian Marcus," Sterling said, his voice steady. "I didn't expect you to actually be alive."

Ian looked up, his face beneath the hood calm and expressionless: "Wizard Sterling, you've been waiting for me."

"Waiting for you?" Sterling smiled, but there was no warmth in his smile.

"I just happened to be passing by and bumped into an old acquaintance I had been missing for a long time."

He took a step forward and gracefully descended from the giant rock.

But the moment he landed, fine white steam rose with a hiss from the black rock surface within a ten-meter radius of his feet.

"Do you know?"

Sterling slowly walked toward Ian, and with each step he took, the rocks beneath his feet turned slightly red and softened.

"After returning to the tower, I checked your file. It's quite interesting—a low-level apprentice from Mu Town with no background, yet you were promoted to a high-level position in a short period of time and can even improve high-level bloodline potions."

He stopped a hundred meters in front of Ian.

This distance is already within the attack range for a formal wizard.

"I'm very curious." Sterling stared into Ian's eyes as if examining a precious experimental subject.

What secret are you hiding?

Ian did not answer.

He simply raised his right hand slowly and took off his hood.

His face, young yet devoid of childishness, was revealed, his eyes calm and revealing no trace of emotion.

"I'm curious too," Ian said, his voice equally steady.

Why would a camp commander want to slaughter all the apprentices under his command?

Sterling's smile vanished.

"To wipe them out completely?" He scoffed. "You think I just want to kill you? No, you're wrong."

He stretched out his pale finger and gently tapped his temple.

"Knowledge, Ian. In the wizarding world, knowledge is power, is life, is everything."

You possess knowledge of improved formulas—if used properly, how many resources could you acquire for me? How many detours could you save me on my path to level two?

His eyes became fiery and crazed, and he spread his five fingers on his right hand and pressed forward in a threatening gesture.

boom!

Thirteen blazing fireballs appeared out of thin air!

Each one was half the size of a house, radiating scorching heat, and the air began to distort.

The fireball was not stationary; instead, it began to circle and accelerate in some mysterious trajectory, generating scorching air currents that swept up and melted the rubble on the ground!

[Molten Spark Ring]!

Sterling's signature opening move!

"Hand over the formula and the secret, and I'll give you a quick death."

With no one around and the immense temptation of Ian's secret, his true nature as a dark wizard was finally revealed.