Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

Ian raised his right hand, his five fingers spread.

Above the palm, three tiny black dots, each the size of a grain of rice, silently appeared, arranged in a triangular pattern.

The surface is covered with gravitational ripples that twist space.

【Gravity Collapse Sphere】·Miniature Penetration Mode.

"This is the first interest payment."

The words fell.

Three black dots shot out simultaneously!

They drew three almost invisible trails in the air.

There was no sound, no light, only the slight ripples of space being distorted.

The first bullet was aimed at Silas's forehead, the second at his chest, the third...

It shot towards the silver ground three meters below his feet!

"Little beast!"

Silas roared, raising his withered hands simultaneously, and gray-green energy surged out wildly!

The Barrier of the Dead is stacking like crazy!

Three gray-green walls instantly formed, layer upon layer, blocking the way in front of him.

At the same time, he pushed off with his feet and quickly retreated to the right.

But the third black dot has already touched the ground!

hum!

A gravitational singularity with a diameter of three meters suddenly erupted!

The silver ground collapsed inward from the black dot, forming a bowl-shaped depression. A terrifying gravitational turbulence, like an invisible hand, gripped Silas's legs tightly, instantly halting his backward movement!

It's that millisecond delay.

The first two black dots have arrived!

puff!……

The shield kept breaking.

Silas's face was ashen.

At least five layers of the Barrier of the Dead is the strongest defense he can currently employ.

It was defeated by just two black dots?!

Even more terrifying is that gravitational turbulence...

"This isn't Level One sorcery...this absolutely isn't!"

He gritted his teeth and slammed his withered left hand against his waist.

There hung a pale white domino, its surface covered with twisted curse runes.

【Substitute Domino】·Tier 2 Cursed Magic Tool.

Once activated, it can create a bone puppet with 30% of the original's strength, attracting all attacks.

At the same time, the main body is teleported to a random location 300 meters away.

This was one of his trump cards for survival, and now...

It's a must-use!

Silas channeled gray-green energy into the dominoes from his fingertips, causing the runes on the dominoes' surfaces to suddenly light up and emit a piercing shriek!

But at that moment...

"Gah!"

A piercing, soul-piercing scream exploded in the shadows of the platform.

Gaga had already crept to the edge of the platform without anyone noticing.

With its wingspan extended to its maximum of thirty meters, the jet-black feathers gleamed with a deep, mysterious luster.

It opened its beak, and the eerie light deep within its heterochromatic pupils surged to its limit!

Gaga knew that the [Eye of Calamity] was extremely ineffective against level two wizards.

and so……

[Shadow Storm] - Full Power Unleashed!

Centered on it, the shadow energy within a radius of fifty meters instantly boiled.

The shadows flowing beneath the silver ground, the dark shadows extending from the ruins of the buildings.

Even the shadow cast by Sylas's own feet... all came to life!

They surged, converged, and twisted like boiling water...

It transformed into countless sharp, shadowy fragments, raining down on Silas.

Each fragment trailed a dark shadow, its trajectory cunning and vicious, sealing off all his escape routes!

These fragments continued to split and recombine during their flight.

Like a swarm of living black bees!

"What the hell is that?!"

Silas's pupils constricted sharply, and the activation process of the dominoes in his left hand was forcibly interrupted.

The shadow fragments were already flying towards him, forcing him to focus on defense!

[Death Ripple] - Simplified Version!

A gray-green energy wave exploded outwards from him, colliding wildly with the shadow fragments!

Hiss hiss hiss hiss!

The dense, annihilating sounds were like rain pattering on banana leaves.

Gray-green and pitch black intertwined, dissolved, and exploded into countless fragments of energy!

Silas groaned, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth again.

The simplified version of Death Ripple is much less powerful, barely able to withstand the first wave of the Shadow Storm.

And the second wave, the third wave... have already followed one after another.

Even more fatal is...

A kilometer away, Ian raised his right hand again.

Spread your fingers, palm facing Silas, and then...

A gentle squeeze.

【Entropy Change Domain】·Full Power Deployment.

hum! ! !

A pale purple area with a radius of 100 meters suddenly erupted, centered on Silas.

Within the area, the temperature began to fluctuate wildly.

One second, Silas's gray-green energy condensed into thick ice crystals, and the next second it soared to a temperature of several thousand degrees.

The ice crystals shattered, and the gray-green energy was violently eroded by the scorching energy, causing the structure to spontaneously collapse!

"What...what kind of field is this?!"

Silas's pupils dilated; the death energy within him was becoming "chaotic."

It was not dispersed, nor was it negated.

Instead... it became "disorderly"!

Like a carefully constructed tower of blocks, it is gently pushed by an invisible hand, and all the structures begin to spontaneously disintegrate.

The energy model of the Barrier of the Dead is collapsing, and the frequency of the Death Ripple is becoming disordered.

Even the liquefied spiritual energy in his mental sea began to fluctuate irregularly!

"We can't delay any longer..."

A fierce glint flashed in Silas's eyes, and his withered left hand suddenly grabbed at his chest.

There hung a dark red pendant, with a constantly beating black heart inlaid on its surface.

【Corrupted Heart Pendant】·Tier 2 Self-Destructing Wizard Tool.

Upon detonation, it releases a "corrupting miasma" with a radius of three kilometers.

The souls of all those who inhale it will be forcibly corroded and decayed, eventually turning into unconscious, rotting corpses.

This was a suicidal tactic, but now...

He must create an opportunity to escape!

"Let's die together!!!"

Silas roared, frantically channeling gray-green energy from his fingertips into the pendant!

The black heart on the surface of the pendant throbbed violently, and countless cracks appeared on its surface.

Dark red poisonous mist began to seep from the cracks...

But Ian is faster.

The instant Silas reached out to grab the pendant.

[Mimicry] Effects - Full Power On!

The light around him distorted, and his body melted into the starry background, his aura vanishing instantly.

The next second, he appeared at the edge of the platform, less than fifty meters away from Silas!

This distance is practically hand-to-hand with Ian right now!

"you……"

Silas's pupils contracted sharply, and the pendant's activation process was interrupted once again.

Ian had already raised his right hand, his index finger pointing towards his forehead!

【Frost Ray】·Extreme Compression·Continuous Fire!

laugh!laugh!laugh!

Three pale purple beams of light, like venomous snakes emerging from their holes, tore through the air.

The arrow was precisely aimed at Silas's three vital points: his forehead, throat, and heart!

Sylas retreated frantically, layers of gray-green shields gathering in front of him.

However, the interference from the entropy change domain slowed down the speed at which his shield condensed!

puff!puff!

The first two beams pierced through the two layers of shields, exploding into a halo of ice and fire on the surface of the third layer of shield.

laugh! ! !

The beam pierced through Silas's left shoulder, leaving a hole about the size of a thumb.

The edges of the hole were as smooth as a mirror, and the energies of ice and fire clashed wildly inside the wound.

The flesh, bones, and meridians were stirred into a chaotic paste!

"Ughhhh!"

Silas let out a piercing scream, his left arm hanging limply at his sides.

The pendant slipped from her fingertip and fell onto the silver floor.

He staggered backward, the eerie flame beneath his hood flickering violently, almost going out.

The rule contamination on the right shoulder, the ice and fire annihilation wound on the left shoulder, the continuous interference from the entropy change domain...

Under the triple blow, his energy had waned to the extreme.

"No...it's impossible..."

Silas gritted his teeth, dark green blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, his eyes fixed on Ian.

"You're only Level 1... how is that possible..."

"Level 1?"

Ian approached slowly, his footsteps making a soft "rustling" sound on the silver ground.

His dark eyes held no emotion, only coldness.

"Who told you I'm already at level one?"

The words fell.

He spread his right hand out, and rice-grain-sized black dots reappeared on his palm.

But this time, the black dot didn't shoot out.

Instead... it was held in his palm.

[Furnace Tempering Technique] - Full Power Operation!

The jade-like luster emanated from beneath the skin, like flowing moonlight, enveloping the entire right arm.

Muscles, bones, and meridians emitted a subtle humming sound under the luminous tempering.

The power builds up layer by layer, eventually converging in the palm of the hand.

then.

Ian stepped forward and unleashed his right fist like a cannonball.

Before the fist even arrived, the wind from it tore through the air, carrying a faint purple aftertaste of ice and fire, and struck Silas squarely in the chest.

"roll!!"

Silas roared, raising his withered right hand. Gray-green energy frantically condensed, transforming into a three-meter-long [Spear of Death], which he thrust towards the force of the punch.

The spear tip clashed with the fist.

boom!!!

A storm of gray-green and pale purple energy exploded, causing spiderweb-like cracks to appear on the platform's surface, and the building's remains were shattered into countless fragments!

Silas's eyes widened.

His spear of death shattered inch by inch the moment it touched the fist!

It spontaneously collapsed at the energy structure level!

It's like a tower of blocks having its most crucial piece removed, causing the entire model to collapse!

"Entropy change...domain..."

He finally understood.

That eerie pale purple field can not only interfere with energy, but also... dismantle the magic model.

And Ian's fist, after shattering the Spear of Death, still had momentum and slammed into his chest!

Bang!

The dull thud sounded like the beating of a drum.

Silas' chest caved in.

With a "crack," his sternum shattered completely.

He flew backward like a rag doll, tracing an arc in the air before crashing heavily onto the pillar at the edge of the platform.

Fine cracks appeared on the surface of the pillar, and Silas slumped down, collapsing to the ground.

Dark green blood gushed from his mouth and nose, and the icy and fiery energies gradually froze, burned, and annihilated his internal organs.

He raised his head, his hood slipped down, revealing a gaunt, skeletal face, with two dim, flickering flames in his eyes like candles in the wind.

"What...are you...?"

Silas asked hoarsely, vomiting blood with each word he spoke.

Ian stopped three meters in front of him.

He calmly watched the dying level two wizard.

"I am Ian Marcus."

The sound was completely flat.

"Shadowmoon Tower, Level One Wizard and Potions Master."

"Level one... Ha... Haha..."

Silas gave a bitter laugh, dark green blood dripping continuously from the corner of his mouth.

"A first-level wizard... can kill a second-level wizard... can dismantle the rules... can..."

His voice grew softer and softer, and the eerie fire in his eyes gradually dimmed.

But just as it was about to go out...

Silas suddenly raised his withered right hand, and a last gray-green needle condensed at his fingertips, shooting it towards Ian's brow.

[Soul Piercing] - Near-Death Counterattack!

This is a life-saving technique that all high-ranking members of the Withering Council must learn: at the moment of death, they must concentrate their remaining soul into a single strike, aimed directly at the target's mental sea. If it hits, the result will be either severe soul damage or, in severe cases, immediate death!

But Ian... was prepared.

But Ian... was prepared.

At the instant the needle was fired, his eyes slightly opened.

Open your palms and block in front.

laugh!

After the fine needle struck the palm, it disintegrated inch by inch, turning into countless gray-green specks of light.

Ian then thrust his finger forward, plunging it into Silas's brow.

"Ugh!"

Silas let out a final, piercing scream, his body convulsing violently.

The eerie fire in his eyes was completely extinguished, his pupils dilated, and his face was frozen with extreme pain and resentment.

One second later.

The screams abruptly stopped.

Silas's body fell limply to the ground, and there was no more sound.

Level 2 Crystallized Wizard, Silas the Deathspeaker... dead.

Ian slowly exhaled a breath of stale air and withdrew his finger.

A slight feeling of fatigue washed over me.

The continuous use of entropy change field, gravitational collapse sphere, and frost ray does consume a considerable amount of resources.

But his eyes remained clear, even... sharper.

"The first one is solved."

He muttered to himself as he bent down to loot the spoils.

Silas's grey-black robes looked like decent curse-protecting sorcery equipment.

Although its effectiveness is greatly reduced after being eroded by the entropy change domain, the material itself is still quite valuable.

The dimensional pouch hanging from his waist contained twenty-three bottles of high-grade curse potions, forty-seven flawless magic stones, the remains of three second-tier cursed magical tools, and...

A dark silver metal token.

The token is palm-sized and bears the emblem of the Withered Council: a black tombstone.

The back is inscribed with a line of small characters in ancient shamanic script:

[Endless Sea, Dark Tide Fjord, Shipwreck Graveyard, Coordinates (████)]

"This is……"

Ian's eyes narrowed slightly.

Dark Tide Fjord, a notorious deadly area deep in the endless sea.

Legend has it that countless ancient ships sank there, forming a vast underwater graveyard.

But the coordinates that the Withering Council specifically marked...

"Resource point? Secret base? Or... something else?"