Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

Seven Degrees of Sunset Glow says: Read this book!

A desolate path on the continent of Aran.

Ian walked along a path strewn with gravel and weeds.

The road was narrow, with dry shrubs and twisted trees on both sides.

The tree trunks were an abnormal grayish-black color, covered with tumor-like protrusions, some of which were slowly wriggling.

"It's been contaminated..."

Ian gripped his iron sword tightly and moved very quietly.

[Starlight Perception] is enabled to the maximum.

The flow of energy in the surrounding environment was perceived by him as a vague "color".

Most of the area was gray and murky, like water mixed with ink.

But occasionally, one can sense faint, silvery-white specks of light, like fireflies flitting in the air.

"Starlight..."

Ian tried to use his mental power to guide the points of light.

The light trembled slightly, slowly drifted towards him, and merged into his body.

It's very slow, and the quantity is very small.

But it does replenish some energy and make the body feel a little better.

"The 'primal energy' of this world should be these starlight points, as well as the deeper 'stellar vein' energy."

Ian walked and thought.

According to the observation log, the "star vein node" is being contaminated.

Does that mean that pure stellar energy is becoming increasingly scarce?

He touched the Starfall Core on his chest.

This thing can provide pure stellar energy; in this world... it's an absolute treasure.

No wonder the Li Xing family has been targeted.

After walking for about an hour, the path began to widen, and the surrounding vegetation became increasingly sparse.

Ahead, a patch of scorched earth appeared.

The surface of the land was covered with cracks, from which a dark red substance, resembling congealed blood, seeped out.

The air was filled with a pungent smell of sulfur, mixed with a kind of rotten, sweet, and fishy odor.

"The area where the corrosion and cracks are spreading..."

Ian stopped in his tracks, his expression serious.

In this area, the starlight has almost completely disappeared.

Instead, a viscous, unsettling dark red energy flowed slowly through the air.

He tried to use [Starlight Perception] to investigate.

Upon first contact, I sensed a chaotic, violent, and devouring intent that surged back at me!

Ian immediately cut off his senses, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

"Such strong polluting power..."

He bypassed the area, choosing instead to go around it via a scree slope on the side.

The slope is steep and difficult to climb, but at least it's safe.

When he reached the top of the hill, Ian looked back at the scorched earth.

In the center of the land, there was a deep crack, as if it had been torn apart by a giant claw.

Deep within the crack, a faint, dark red light could be seen wriggling.

And... some blurry, distorted shadows crawled in the light.

"The nest of mutants..."

Ian turned and quickened his pace to leave.

We walked for another two hours.

Ahead, the outline of Maple Leaf City finally came into view.

But the sight before him made Ian's heart sink.

A large section of the city wall collapsed.

Thick black smoke rose from the city, resembling twisted pythons against the gray sky.

The city gate was piled high with ruins: broken planks, shattered weapons, and... corpses.

Many corpses.

There were guards wearing tattered leather armor and civilians wearing coarse cloth clothes.

There were also some nobles wearing magnificent robes, but which had been torn to shreds.

The blood had dried, forming dark red scabs on the ruins.

A gust of wind blew, raising a cloud of ashes and the stench of blood.

Ian gripped his sword and slowly approached.

The city gate was completely destroyed, with only half of a charred wooden frame hanging there.

He walked in through the ruins.

The city was deathly silent.

Most of the houses on both sides of the street had collapsed, and some were still emitting black smoke.

Various items were scattered on the ground: overturned stalls, broken pottery jars, blood-stained cloth...

There were even more bodies.

Ian walked lightly through the ruins.

[Starlight Perception] is fully activated, alert to any possible danger.

After walking for a while, a faint sound came from ahead.

It sounded like...crying.

Ian's eyes narrowed, and he quietly moved closer.

The sound was coming from behind a half-collapsed house.

He went around to the side and looked through the crack in the wall.

Inside the room, three people were huddled together.

A middle-aged woman, two children, a boy and a girl, both under ten years old.

The woman, holding her two children, huddled in a corner, her body trembling uncontrollably.

Her face was covered in ash, her clothes were tattered, and she had a deep, bone-revealing wound on her arm, hastily bandaged with rags, and still bleeding.

The two children clung tightly to her clothes, their little faces filled with terror, tears streaming silently down their faces.

"Mom...I'm scared..." the little boy whispered.

"Shh...don't make a sound..." The woman covered his mouth, her voice trembling.

"Those monsters... might still be nearby..."

Ian watched this scene and remained silent for a few seconds.

He sheathed his sword and stepped out from behind the wall.

"Don't be afraid, I'm not a monster."

The woman looked up abruptly and saw Ian. Her eyes widened in fear at first, but when she saw his face and clothes, she relaxed slightly, though she remained wary.

“Who…who are you?”

"A passerby."

The woman was taken aback. Judging from Ian's appearance, he was a capable adult.

A complex emotion flashed in his eyes—awe, fear, and… a hint of resentment.

A complex emotion flashed in his eyes—awe, fear, and… a hint of resentment.

She lowered her head, but the meaning was clear.

Last night, many civilians died. She couldn't tell which side it was from, only that it was all done by those "big shots".

Ian didn't reply, but walked up to her and squatted down.

"Your injury needs treatment."

The woman's arm wound was deep, with blackened edges, showing signs of mild infection.

Ian pulled out a small oil paper packet containing herbal powder, the only medicine he could find on Li Xing's body.

He tore off the dirty rag from the woman's arm and carefully sprinkled the powder onto the wound.

The woman gasped in pain, but gritted her teeth and didn't make a sound.

"Thank you..." she whispered.

"What's the situation in the city now?" Ian asked while bandaging the wound.

"Last night... the rebels suddenly rioted, opened the city gates, and let in the mutants..."

The woman's voice trembled, "The city lord's mansion was breached immediately, more than half of the guards were killed, and the rest escaped..."

The noble district was looted, and many families...didn't escape.

She glanced at Ian. "I heard the resistance was fierce, but there were too few people... In the end, the manor was breached, and many people died..."

Ian paused in his movements.

The fact that the aberrations managed to breach the city suggests that the traitor has been completely corrupted by the abyss and is no longer a true human being.

Unfortunately, humanity has lost another protective city, and there are probably no large settlements nearby.

"Did anyone escape?"

"I don't know..." the woman shook her head.

"It was chaos, people were killing and setting fires everywhere... We hid in the cellar and only dared to come out at dawn, and fled all the way here..."

The woman paused, looked at Ian, and hesitated for a moment.

Ian looked up abruptly: "Do you know something?"

"Last night, I saw a group of people rush out of the back gate of the city and head west..."

West of the city.

Ian noted down the direction.

"Thanks."

He finished bandaging the woman's wounds, then took out the last two pieces of dried meat from his pocket and handed them to her.

"Find a more secluded place to hide, and don't come out at night."

The woman took the dried meat, her eyes reddening.

"Thank you... thank you, sir. Please be careful... there seemed to be some Fallen Ones active in the west of the city yesterday..."

"The Fallen?"

"Those... who have sided with corrupt humans..." the woman's voice trailed off, "they are more dangerous than the mutants..."

Ian nodded and stood up.

"Take care of yourself."

He turned and left, heading towards the west of the city.

He must find supplies as soon as possible, otherwise his body will not be able to take it.

Those who escaped last night may know where human settlements are located.

The woman watched his retreating figure, hugged her two children tightly, and sobbed softly.

The streets are becoming increasingly dilapidated.

The further west you go in the city, the more ruins and corpses you find.

Some of the corpses were mutilated, as if they had been gnawed on by something.

The stench of blood in the air was so strong it was almost unbearable.

Ian gripped his sword tighter and moved even more lightly. He was still weak and needed to be extra careful.

Just as they were about to leave the city, Ian turned a street corner and heard a sound.

It wasn't the murky roar of the mutants, but a clearer, more human-like... low chuckle.

"Wow... so much fresh flesh and blood..."

Ian paused, then slowly backed away, hugging the wall.

Through the gaps in the collapsed wooden frame, he saw three humanoid figures standing in an open space not far away.

They wore tattered leather armor, though the original design was still discernible, and held scimitars and short spears in their hands.

His skin was bluish-gray, with bulging blood vessels that looked like black earthworms crawling under his skin, and his eyes were cloudy, dark red.

But their movements... were far more coordinated than those of the aberrations.

"The Fallen..."

Ian gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, his palms sweating.

The energy fluctuations emanating from these three people were far stronger than those from the four mutants last night.

The tall man in the middle was holding a bloodstained machete and was looking down at a corpse on the ground.

He pried open the corpse's hand and pulled out half a blackened flatbread from between its fingers.

He put it in his mouth, chewed it, and then spat it out.

"Damn it... this stuff tastes bland."

Suddenly, the shorter man on the left listened intently and twitched his nose.

"Boss, there seems to be some movement over there."

"Oh?" The tall man looked up, his dark red eyes scanning the surroundings.

Ian held his breath and shrank further into the shadows.

But it was too late.

The short man's nose was too sharp; he had already turned his head and was staring straight at the crack in the wall where Ian was hiding.

"There it is!"

"Go, grab him."

The tall man grinned, revealing jagged, sharp teeth, and charged forward, wielding a machete.

Ian's heart skipped a beat.

run!

He turned and darted backward, tapping his toes as he activated [Star Step], his body sweeping across the ruins like a gust of wind.

But the Fallen are faster.

Especially the tall one, whose leg muscles were bulging, each step he took shattered the bricks and stones on the ground, and his speed was so fast that he left a trail of afterimages.

"Hey kid... don't run away..."

A sinister laugh came from behind, growing ever closer.

Without turning his head, Ian swung his iron sword in the backhand, sweeping aside the half-timbered beam blocking his way, and rushed into a narrow alley.

The alley was narrow, with high stone walls on both sides and the ground piled with miscellaneous items.

The terrain here is complex, perhaps...

laugh!

A flash of cold light grazed past his ear and embedded itself in the wall in front of him—it was a short spear!

The spearhead was completely embedded in the stone brick, and the shaft vibrated with a buzzing sound.

"Kid...you're pretty good at dodging..."

The tall man had already chased them to the alley entrance, where he blocked their way with a machete.

Two other Fallen Ones also jumped in from both sides, one on the left and one on the right, sandwiching Ian in the middle.

There's no way out.

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