Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

"What the hell is this thing?!"

The fire wizard dodged a sweeping tentacle with a clumsy effort, roaring.

"Abyssal Contamination! It's Abyssal Contamination!"

The Shadow Wizard finally severed the tentacles wrapped around his waist and staggered backward.

A dark purple patch had already appeared on his arm. He quickly took the purifying potion that Herman threw to him and poured it all over the wound.

When the medicine came into contact with the skin, it hissed and emitted white smoke. The dark purple lines faded a little, but were still slowly spreading.

Sweat beaded on his forehead; he knew he had to return to the tower as soon as possible to receive deep purification treatment.

In just a short while, the lump of minced meat had broken through the initial barrier.

It crawled toward a denser area, leaving behind a trail of corrosion emitting black smoke.

The air was filled with a nauseating stench.

"It must not be allowed into the residential area!"

Hermann roared, "Activate the area isolation array!"

Several array-type wizards on duty quickly activated their magic seals.

Intersecting patterns of light lit up the ground, attempting to seal off the area where the minced meat was located.

But as soon as the light pattern rose, a large amount of dark purple liquid seeped out from under the flesh, and the light pattern immediately became dim and flickering, emitting a "sizzling" sound, clearly indicating that it would not last long.

The situation was on the verge of spiraling out of control.

hum!

A more solid and oppressive silver-white beam of light descended from the sky.

It landed perfectly, completely enveloping the frantically writhing mass of flesh.

This time, the energy level contained in the pillar of light is completely different.

If the previous purification beam was a high-pressure water gun, this beam is a 10,000-ton water press.

"Aaaaaah!"

For the first time, the minced meat emitted a clearly audible howl filled with twisted pain.

All the tentacles convulsed and melted wildly in the beam of light, the shadowy carapace on their surface vaporized directly, and the dark purple flesh rapidly dissolved and shrank.

It struggled, trying to wriggle out of the beam of light.

But the edge of the beam of light had become an impenetrable wall, and no matter how hard one tried to break through it, it could not penetrate it even slightly.

The light dimmed slightly, revealing the scene at the center of the beam.

The minced meat had shrunk to one-third of its original size, barely maintaining a human-shaped outline.

But his body was covered with melted holes and charred marks.

The dark purple color faded, and the wriggling speed slowed down.

It raised a lump of charred flesh and "looked" in a certain direction outside the beam of light with two rotating dark purple vortexes.

That's the direction of the Shadows office.

Julian stood there, his face ashen.

The gray falcon, or rather, the last remaining trace of consciousness of that thing.

In the instant before utter annihilation, I caught a glimpse of that familiar aura.

Lord Julian...

In the depths of a chaotic, frenzied, and riddled-with-holes mind, a deeply buried fragment of logic suddenly flashed.

Betrayal... Exploitation... Silencing...

His dark purple, swirling eyes were fixed intently on the direction Julian was in.

It opened its mouth with a slit that could barely be called a "mouth," as if trying to make a sound, trying to say that name.

I want to shout out all the secret collusion, the whispers in the dark, the orders from the past...

It mustered its last bit of strength: "Ho...ho...Zhu..."

Julian's eyes instantly turned icy cold.

He didn't give that thing any chance.

His loosely clenched right hand suddenly tightened!

puff!

Inside the mangled remains, seven or eight condensed, almost tangible, shadowy spikes suddenly exploded without warning.

It was torn to shreds from the inside out!

The shadowy spikes, coated with strong corrosive and decomposing properties, disintegrate the remaining flesh.

Where it stood, only a small pile of dark purple crystalline fragments remained.

It resembles the shell of some kind of insect or mineral, emanating a faint aura of the abyss.

The beam of light dissipated.

The battlefield suddenly fell silent.

Only the night wind blew by, stirring up the ashes on the ground and making a soft "rustling" sound.

All the wizards who participated in the battle, whether wounded or unharmed, stood still.

They stared at the pile of shards, then looked up at the window of Julian's office, their expressions varying.

The Shadow Liquefaction Wizard clutched his arm, his eyes filled with suspicion and uncertainty.

The fire wizard frowned, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

Hermann squinted, his gaze shifting back and forth between the fragments and Julian.

Kevin swallowed hard and instinctively took a half-step back.

Just now... before that thing died, was it trying to say something?

Lord Julian's reaction... wasn't it a bit too fast?

Behind the window, Julian slowly withdrew his hand, his face returning to its usual gloomy and calm expression.

He pushed open the window, his gaze sweeping across the chaotic battlefield below, finally settling on the pile of rubble. His voice, amplified by a sound-amplifying spell, resounded throughout the area.

"The abyssal contaminant has been cleared. All those who came into contact with it should immediately proceed to the medical department for a full examination and purification treatment."

Enforcement teams cordoned off the scene, collected residue, and thoroughly investigated the source of pollution.

His voice was steady, carrying the unquestionable authority of a crystallizing wizard.

"Today's incident is an isolated outbreak of contaminants from the deep sea. All departments should remain vigilant, and there is no need for excessive panic."

After saying that, he closed the window and disappeared inside.

The wizards present looked at each other, but no one spoke.

Enforcement team members quickly entered the scene and began using specially made containers to collect debris and contaminated soil from the ground.

The medical staff rushed over with a stretcher and took the injured wizard away immediately.

Herman walked to the pile of fragments, squatted down, carefully picked up a piece with tweezers, and examined it in the moonlight.

It is dark purple, semi-transparent, and has subtle patterns of abyssal energy flow inside.

It is indeed a material characteristic of abyssal monsters, but... something just doesn't feel right.

This fragment is too "clean," except for the aura of the abyss...

He stood up, dusted off his hands, said nothing, and turned to leave.

Kevin leaned closer and whispered, "Wizard Herman, this...?"

"Do as Dean Julian says."

Herman interrupted him, his tone flat, "Take care of the wound first, don't cause trouble."

……

the next day.

The circular hall at the top of the tower.

This place is rarely open to the public and is only used when it involves major events affecting the entire tower.

At this moment, the hall was full of people.

All the deans of each faction, high-ranking deacons and mentors of level two or above, and heads of important projects were present.

The air was so heavy you could wring water out of it.

On the high platform at the far end of the hall, there was only one stone chair.

The stone chairs were empty.

But everyone lowered their heads slightly, not daring to look directly in that direction, and even their breathing became soft.

despair!despair!despair!

Footsteps came from the side corridor, unhurried and clear, as if stepping on everyone's heartbeat.

An old man dressed in a simple gray robe came out.

His hair was gray and neatly combed, and his face was deeply wrinkled, but his eyes were bright, like two obsidian stones that had been settling for countless years.

He wasn't tall, but he stood very straight, and the hem of his robe didn't move at all when he walked.

Lord of Shadowmoon Tower, Level 3 Archmage, Morton, the Eye of the Stars.

He walked to the stone bench, but did not sit down. Instead, he turned around and calmly swept his gaze over everyone below.

There was no display of power, nor any use of mental force to exert pressure.

But the moment his gaze swept across the room, the air in the entire hall seemed to freeze.

All the second-level wizards felt a tightness in their chests, as if an invisible hand had gently pressed down on them.

The first-level wizard turned pale and broke out in a cold sweat instantly.

"I know about what happened last night."

Morton spoke, his voice low and hoarse, but every word struck like a chisel into the ear.

"The Abyss is corrupted, appearing inside the tower, or in the Shadow faction's area of ​​activity."

His gaze lingered for a moment on the faces of the several deans and deacons of the Shadow Faction.

Those men immediately lowered their heads, sweat pouring down their faces.

"Check," Morton said, uttering only one word.

"Each faction conducts its own investigation, the enforcement team conducts cross-examinations, and all personnel who have recently come into contact with Abyss-related materials, missions, or areas are registered and filed. The medical department will cooperate in conducting in-depth mental testing."

"I need results in three days."

There were no questions, no reprimands, only the simplest and most direct commands.

But everyone could hear the weight in his words.

The tower master personally ordered a thorough investigation, which means that a storm that will sweep through the entire interior of the tower is about to begin.

"Yes!" the crowd below responded in unison, their voices echoing through the hall.

Morton nodded, said nothing more, and turned to leave the hall.

The invisible pressure vanished as soon as he left.

Many people breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads.

For the next three days, the entire Shadowmoon Tower was in complete chaos.

Self-assessment forms were handed out like snowflakes, and long queues formed at the mental health testing room.

The wizards of the enforcement team, with cold faces, knocked on the doors of laboratories and residences one by one, asking questions, recording information, and verifying details.

The Shadow faction is the primary target of attention.

Julian's men, in particular, were screened out over and over again.

The Grey Falcon's residence was ransacked, and all items were sealed and inspected.

Julian himself was summoned to the Tower Master's office twice, and each time he came out with an even more gloomy expression.

Three days later, the preliminary results were compiled and sent to the tower owner's office.

The Abyss Corruptor, not a second one was found.

This seems like good news.

But another report made the atmosphere even more bizarre.

During the cross-examination, the law enforcement team traced the recent movements of the Grey Falcon and, following the clues, apprehended three wizards whose movements were elusive and who had recently had secret contact with the Grey Falcon.

A teaching assistant in the spellcasting department, and a deacon apprentice in charge of managing the materials warehouse.

There was another one, who turned out to be the squad leader of the outer tower patrol team.

Some items were found during a search of their residence.

Dominoes engraved with distorted, pupil-less eye patterns, and fragments of several letters written in cipher, containing content related to "spying," "infiltration," and "timing."

There are also some handwritten copies of taboo knowledge related to shadows from unknown sources.

【Twilight Eyes】!

You have received a new chapter update: Chapter 168, The Shadow Moon Tower Master. Read the chapter here.