Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

Ian stood in the shadows, watching silently as the other person left.

In his mind's eye, he could vaguely sense that the "bait" was being led to a certain location.

It is located to the northeast, overlapping with the previously marked area.

"Phase one complete," he muttered to himself.

Next, we just wait.

three days later.

The shadowy activity area, a secluded meditation room somewhere.

The shadow wizard in the gray robe, codenamed "Grey Falcon," was meditating cross-legged.

As one of Julian's most reliable intelligence agents, he spends at least two hours every day stabilizing his mind and clearing away any alien energy he picks up during reconnaissance missions.

Today, the meditation went smoothly at first, but after entering a deep state, some fragmented images suddenly appeared in his mind.

Twisted shadows writhe, and some ancient and insane language whispers…

There always seems to be something crawling at the edge of my field of vision...

"call!"

The gray falcon suddenly opened its eyes, cold sweat beading on its forehead.

Is it mental fatigue? Or is it because of too much work pressure lately?

He shook his head, took out the spare medicine, and swallowed it.

A cool sensation flooded my mind, and the hallucinations quickly vanished.

"Looks like I'll have to apply for a leave of absence," he thought with a wry smile.

The evening of the fourth day.

Grey Falcon was ordered to report to Julian on the results of his continued surveillance of Ian Marcus.

He stood outside the Dean of the Shadow Department's office, organizing the content he needed to report.

"The target has been frequently entering and leaving the Potions Department's core laboratory and the underground area of ​​the library over the past three days..."

It appears they are conducting research to improve a first-order drug, but the specific direction is unclear.

He had at least two private meetings with the wizard Herman…

The intelligence was clearly arranged in my mind.

Just then, a sense of disorientation suddenly arose.

He wanted to describe in detail the target residence and the details of the fragment outside the window, but he couldn't recall the details no matter how hard he tried.

Today I was going to suggest to Julian that we immediately conduct a full search of Ian.

But as soon as the idea popped into my head, something felt strangely off...

The Grey Falcon abruptly cut off the thought.

wrong.

As a professional intelligence officer, he felt that proposing such a rash action without sufficient evidence would only make him appear foolish and unprofessional.

More importantly, the fragment is still being analyzed, and the results are not yet available.

"What's wrong with me?" He frowned, a sense of unease rising within him.

But when the time came, he could only suppress the strange feeling in his heart and push the door open to enter.

The reporting process went smoothly.

Julian, a middle-aged level two shadow wizard with a sinister face and sharp eyes.

He sat behind the table, listening quietly, occasionally asking a question or two.

When Grey Falcon reported that "the target is suspected of successfully improving a certain meditation aid, but the yield and stability are unknown."

Julian's eyes visibly brightened.

"Are you sure it's a level one effect?"

Herman the wizard's reaction indirectly confirmed this.

"After leaving the office, the target gained core access to the Potions Department's internal systems," Grey Falcon replied respectfully.

"Very good." Julian's lips curled into a cold smile. "The potion... that could be a breakthrough."

He looked at Grey Falcon: "Increase surveillance, focusing on which material suppliers he's been in contact with, the possible flow of the drug, and..."

Julian paused, a glint of greed flashing in his eyes.

"Find an opportunity to get your hands on a sample."

"Yes," Grey Falcon replied, bowing his head.

However, in the instant he looked down, another image flashed through his mind.

The image shows Ian Marcus concocting potions in his lab, with Herman standing beside him; the two appear to be conversing in hushed tones…

No, that's not right, this scene isn't real.

He had never seen that scene with his own eyes.

Was that... his imagination? Or some kind of premonition?

Deep within his spiritual sea, some chaotic fragments of his will, not belonging to him, were quietly weaving illusions.

Early morning of the fifth day.

Outside the Potions Department, there is a secluded corridor.

Ian had just returned from the lab, carrying several newly copied volumes of notes.

He walked slowly, as if he was thinking about something.

In fact, his mental energy is extending in a certain direction.

There, the Grey Falcon was hidden in the shadows inside the ventilation duct, carrying out its shift of surveillance.

He had been lying in wait in this position for four hours, and his attention was inevitably starting to wander.

Just as Ian passed below, a sudden "buzz" sounded in Grey Falcon's mental sea, and a strong impulse surged up.

Let's get started, now!

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Take advantage of the other party's distraction, use [Shadow Binding] to control them, then search their body; you're sure to find a sample of the potion!

The impulse was so strong that his hand was already raised, and shadow energy began to gather...

"Grey Falcon! What are you doing?!"

Julian's low, sharp shout suddenly rang out from the communication crystal.

The gray falcon jolted violently, its back instantly soaked with cold sweat.

He almost attacked a formal wizard just now.

Within the core area of ​​the tower, without any orders being given?!

"I...I just..." His voice trembled slightly.

"Are you out of your mind? Get back here immediately!" Julian's voice was firm and left no room for argument.

Grey Falcon watched Ian, who was oblivious and drifting further and further away, and gritted his teeth, forcing himself to calm down.

However, when he withdrew from his hiding place, his movements were noticeably more flustered than usual.

Before leaving, he even subconsciously turned back to take another look at Ian's back.

His eyes held a mixture of confusion, doubt, and a hint of... indescribable fear.

He had a vague feeling that he was no longer completely himself.

On the evening of the seventh day.

Inside Julian's private office.

Grey Falcon stood there, pale-faced, facing Julian, whose expression was grim.

Several documents were spread out on the table, the top one being a "Preliminary Observation Report on the Recent Abnormal Behavior of the Grey Falcon".

"Within three days, I was severely distracted during two missions, and once I almost exposed my whereabouts."

One unauthorized attempt to take coercive action against a surveillance target, and...

Julian read the report coldly, "Yesterday, during sparring with colleagues at the Shadow Training Grounds, he suddenly and inexplicably used combat-level sorcery, nearly causing a serious injury."

"My lord, I... I don't know what happened either." Grey Falcon's voice was a little hoarse.

"I've been having hallucinations lately, and my thoughts sometimes suddenly become muddled. I've been taking purification potions, but the effects aren't very noticeable..."

Julian stared at him for a long time, then suddenly asked, "Have you been involved in anything? Have you encountered any unusual situations during your recent missions?"

Grey Falcon paused for a moment, the image of the shard by the window flashing through his mind, but then vanishing again.

A momentary struggle flashed in his eyes, but it quickly subsided.

"No, there's nothing special about it."

He was absolutely certain that there was nothing wrong with his condition.

A hint of suspicion flashed in Julian's eyes, but he didn't press the matter further.

"You should stop all tasks and go to the medical department for a full check-up. Your observation period will be extended, and you are not allowed to leave the designated area during this period."

"Yes..." Grey Falcon replied, bowing his head, thinking that Julian was being too cautious.

After leaving the office, he did not go to the medical department immediately.

Instead, as if possessed, he walked towards his private locker.

The fragment is still in the crystal bottle.

Looking through the bottle, it still appears ordinary and harmless.

But the gray falcon stared at it for a long time, and the more it looked, the more it felt that there seemed to be some precious secret deep within the transparent crystal...

"An illusion, all an illusion..."

He muttered to himself, gripping the bottle even tighter.

Within the sea of ​​consciousness, fragments of the abyss's rules are spreading and permeating at an extremely slow pace.

It doesn't bring about immediate madness, but rather subtly distorts the dimensions of thought.

It amplifies inner suspicions, fuels hidden ambitions, and confuses real memories with false illusions.

Ian stood by the second-floor window of his residence, holding a crystal fragment that was exactly the same as the one in the Grey Falcon Bottle.

He closed his eyes, and in his mental sea, he could clearly sense that the chaotic fluctuations of a mental entity were intensifying.

"The rules of the abyss..." he murmured to himself.

"Even if there is only a trace, even if it has been purified and ordered, its 'corrosive' nature still exists."

"It won't drive you crazy, but it will make you...slowly become someone you don't recognize."

As the night deepened outside the window, the lights of the Shadow Moon Tower lit up one by one, and everything seemed quiet and peaceful.

But beneath this silence, a silent erosion continues.

Grey Falcon, once a professional and cautious shadow wizard, is heading down a wrong path that even Ian cannot understand.

When he began to act uncontrollably, when he finally broke down, when he poured out those dubious "evidence" and "suspicions"...

Gaga peeked out from the shadows, its little eyes sparkling with excitement:

"Ian, should we keep handing out 'flyers'? Or wait for that 'bug' to explode on its own?"

Ian stroked its head, his eyes deep.

"No rush, let the erosion go deeper."

When the deepest fears of human nature begin to surface...

He looked out the window, a cold smile curving his lips.

That's the best stage.

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