Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

The latest update is now available on Cola Novels; we await your interpretation.

Ten days later, outside the Shadow Moon Tower, in an unnamed valley.

The night sky was moonless, with thick clouds hanging low.

The wind whistled through the withered grass, making a low, mournful sound.

Ian stood at the valley entrance, his deep blue wizard robes almost blending into the night.

Its shoulders were tucked into its hood, and its small eyes scanned its surroundings warily.

"Are you sure it's here?"

Its voice was extremely low, transmitted to Ian's mind through the soul connection.

"Sure."

Ian's gaze fell into the depths of the valley.

There was an unassuming stone house, its walls covered in moss and its roof tiles broken.

It looks like the abandoned dwelling of some reclusive wizard.

But Ian's mental power, now at level two and with crystallized perception, was silently sweeping across that area.

The stone house was surrounded by three layers of concealment barriers.

One layer conceals the aura, one layer blocks detection, and another layer...

It's a trigger-based alarm.

The technique was very skillful, even bearing some resemblance to the defensive sorcery inside the Shadowmoon Tower.

pity.

These methods are as flimsy as paper in the face of a Level 2 Crystallization Wizard.

Ian could clearly "see" that there was a hidden secret room ten meters underground in the stone house.

In the center of the secret room, a gaunt old man sat cross-legged.

He wore a dark gray robe, had a head full of sparse white hair, and his face was etched with deep wrinkles.

It was the same librarian who had tried to harm him in the library's free section back then.

"Old man... I've found you."

Ian's eyes were cold.

That life-or-death crisis was the first time he had almost been framed since he transmigrated.

If the panel hadn't saved him, he would be a corpse by now.

He never forgot this incident.

It's just that I wasn't strong enough before, and after being promoted I was busy with other things, so I temporarily put it aside.

When he had some free time, he sent Gaga to investigate, only to find the place deserted.

Now we must leave the east coast and journey to an unknown continent.

Some grudges should be settled.

Ian did not approach the stone house.

He raised his right hand, his five fingers slowly spreading.

Above the palm of my hand, a black dot the size of a grain of rice silently appeared.

There was no light, no fluctuation, only the surrounding air began to subtly distort.

[Gravity-collapsed sphere].

Level 2 talent in witchcraft, maximum casting range... two thousand meters.

He is now only 300 meters away from the stone house.

Ian's mind stirred slightly.

The black dot floated up from the palm of the hand and flew towards the stone house.

It is extremely fast, yet incredibly stable.

Along the way, the withered grass on the ground lay slightly bent, as if it had been crushed by an invisible weight.

0.1 seconds later.

The black dot passed through the stone house wall, causing ripples on the surface, but without any damage.

This is one of the characteristics of the Gravitational Collapse Sphere.

It can penetrate most physical obstacles and accurately lock onto targets.

The black dot entered the underground chamber.

It hovered three feet above the old man's head.

The old man seemed to sense something and suddenly opened his eyes!

His cloudy pupils contracted sharply, and horror appeared on his gaunt face.

"Who?"

He had barely uttered a single word when the black dot suddenly collapsed!

hum!

No sound.

However, the space within a 30-meter radius centered on the black dot instantly collapsed inward!

Stone house, secret room, rock strata, withered grass...

All matter is crushed into the most basic particles by terrifying gravity in a fraction of a second!

A massive hemispherical crater, thirty meters deep, appeared on the ground.

The pit walls are as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the faint light of the night sky.

This was the effect of Ian deliberately suppressing it.

The old man didn't even have time to perform any witchcraft.

Even screams were stuck in his throat.

Body, soul, and personal belongings all vanish into nothingness.

Only a few wisps of ashes remained at the bottom of the pit, slowly drifting away in the night wind.

Ian lowered his hand, his eyes as calm as still water.

One blow kills.

This is the absolute crushing power of a level two wizard over a level one wizard.

There is no suspense.

"Gah...that's it?" Gah poked its head out from under the hood, its little eyes wide open.

"Um."

Ian walked to the edge of the giant pit and scanned the bottom of the pit with his mental energy.

Most things were annihilated.

But... a small, dark gray bone fragment survived the collapse.

Suspended in mid-air at the bottom of the pit, its surface rippled with faint soul fluctuations.

"interesting."

Ian raised his hand and made a grasping motion, and the bone fragment flew into his palm.

It feels cool to the touch, has a hard texture, and its edges are engraved with dense, tiny runes.

It is a kind of Horcrux that stores memories.

Moreover, the quality is extremely high, at least the work of a second-level wizard.

Ian did not read it immediately, but instead set up a soundproof and warning barrier.

Only after confirming that the surroundings were safe did he probe the bone fragments with his mental energy.

hum!

Numerous fragmented images surfaced in my mind.

Act I: A young wizard kneels before a gray-robed figure, his right hand resting on a black magic book as he swears an oath.

"I wish to join the Eye of Twilight... to offer my soul and serve the Lord of Twilight..."

Act Two: The young wizard infiltrates the Shadowmoon Tower, disguises himself as an ordinary apprentice, and gradually climbs the ranks to become the librarian.

He secretly gathered intelligence, screened potential "seeds," and waited for an opportunity to strike.

Act III, Act IV...

One by one, the apprentices disappeared without a trace.

Until... he met Ian in the free zone.

"Light attribute affinity, intermediate apprentice... good talent, and high vigilance. Unfortunately, you've met me."

"Once this mission is completed, I'll be able to exchange it for the opportunity to 'Reshape the Spirit Eye'... Advancing to Liquefaction will be just around the corner!"

Afterwards, Ian escaped, but was punished by the higher-ups and transferred away from the core area to infiltrate this valley.

"That kid... he's still alive?"

"But it doesn't matter, once I break through, the first person I'll kill is you..."

My memory ends here.

The following scenes depict his daily life over the years, including lying in wait, training, and occasionally passing on intelligence.

Until just now.

The old man's last thought was as the black dot appeared.

"No... how could I be a Level Two Crystallization Wizard... I haven't... advanced yet..."

The bone fragments shattered and turned into dust.

Ian withdrew his mental energy, his eyes darkening slightly.

"The Eye of Twilight..."

He recalled the black-robed figures he had encountered in the withered forest during the demon-hunting war.

Skilled in soul attacks and assassinations, he enjoys hunting down lone wolves with potential.

It turns out that the old man was their mole planted in Shadowmoon.

The last hidden card.

"So, I unintentionally helped the tower get rid of a termite."

A cold smile curled at the corner of Ian's lips.

Yeah.

Old grudges have been settled, and threats have been eliminated.

My state of mind... seems to have remained largely unchanged.

"This old dog... is too weak, it has no effect on eliminating the inner demons at all."

He turned and left the valley.

The night breeze ruffled the hem of his dark blue robe, making his silhouette appear especially lonely under the starlight.

Gaga perched on my shoulder, muttering softly.

"Ian, you seem... a little different?"

"Oh! What's different?" Ian thought with a hint of delight.

"I can't quite put my finger on it... it's just a feeling that something's missing, yet something's also added."

Ian paused.

He recalled the beginning of his transmigration, when he was cautiously walking in the library, constantly on the verge of losing his life.

Thinking back on all those life-or-death battles over the years, and the struggles to survive in dire straits time and time again.

Finally, we've arrived at this day.

"Probably..."

He looked up at the night sky; the stars were sparse and the clouds were thick.

"Let go of what you should let go of."

The sound was very soft, scattered in the wind.

Gaga nodded as if she understood, and didn't ask any more questions.

A man and a bird disappeared into the depths of the night.

Behind them, the giant crater lay quietly in the valley.

It also resembles the mark of the complete end of a certain era.

Three days later, at the Shadowmoon Tower, in the core area's teleportation hall.

Ian stood in front of the enormous teleportation array, holding a specially made silver token in his hand.

This is a cross-continental teleportation qualification that can only be applied for by core elders.

But he's not going to use it today.

Instead, it is used as a "key" to apply for... special permissions.

Elder Ian.

The deacon wizard of the teleportation hall strode over; he was a middle-aged male wizard at the first level of liquefaction.

He wore a respectful smile, but a scrutinizing glint lurked in his eyes.

"Your request for 'internal monitoring privileges within the Tower' has been approved by the Tower Master."

As he spoke, he handed over a palm-sized black crystal plate.

The surface of the crystal plate is engraved with dense runes, and a pale blue eye-shaped gemstone is set in the center.

[The Eye of Surveillance]

This is a top-tier magical artifact used by Shadowmoon Tower for internal investigations.

It can access all publicly available monitoring, recording, and energy fluctuation files within the tower's range.

Of course, authorization from the tower owner is required.

Thank you.

Ian took the crystal plate and turned to leave.

The deacon wizard watched his retreating figure, his brows furrowing slightly.

"The core elder... suddenly requested oversight authority... what does he want to investigate?"

He shook his head, not daring to think about it any further.

Although Elder Ian is young, he has only been promoted a few years ago.

But his strength is unfathomable, and he was personally recommended by Vice Dean Elivia.

More importantly, Tower Master Morton seems to be paying close attention to him.

It's best to avoid people like this.

Ian returned to his residence and went straight to the basement.

After setting up layers of barriers, he activated the [Eye of Surveillance].

The pale blue, eye-shaped gem lit up, emitting a curtain of light that unfolded in the void.

The top is filled with densely packed record entries.

Time, place, people, event...

From twenty years ago until today.

All records involving "old-timer librarian" were filtered out.

Ian quickly browsed through the information.

Most of it involves routine work handover, borrowing records, and material requests...

There appears to be nothing unusual.

but……

Let's rewind to eighteen years ago.

One record caught his attention.

[Seventh day of the eleventh month, 1732 (Shadow Moon Calendar)]

[Librarian Matthias (ID: L-074) requests a transfer from the core area to the "Ancient Book Restoration Room" in the outer tower area. Reason: Old age, declining health, and lack of energy.]

[Approved.]

[Note: This individual submitted an application for "Resources for Promotion to Level One Wizard" three years ago, which was not approved. Mental state assessment: Mild paranoia; observation is recommended.]

Ian's eyes narrowed.

Matthias.

That's the old man's real name.

"Requesting a transfer from...the Ancient Books Restoration Room..."

He continued scrolling down.

Five more years passed.

[The twelfth day of summer in the Shadow Moon Calendar, 1737.]

[A spontaneous combustion incident occurred in the ancient book restoration room of the outer tower area, resulting in minor injuries to three apprentices. The administrator, Matthias, was sentenced to three years of confinement and had his resources halved for negligence.]

[Incident Investigation Report: Suspected witchcraft gone awry, but no direct evidence found.]

[Note: Matthias remained calm and showed no unusual behavior during his confinement.]

Ian slid his finger across the light screen.

Time continued to pass.

After his confinement ended, Matthias was transferred to the more remote "Archives of Abandoned Books".

Almost no one goes there, and resources are scarce.

It seems he has been completely marginalized.

He noticed something was wrong.

On certain days each month, brief, faint, but extremely regular magical fluctuations occur in the archives.

The frequency and intensity of the fluctuations are completely different from the mainstream sorcery system of Shadowmoon Tower.

On the contrary... it's more like some kind of secret soul ritual.

"really."

Ian turned off the light screen, his eyes cold.

Even the most deeply hidden individuals with the Twilight Eyes will leave traces.

It's just that no one would have bothered to investigate a marginalized old administrator before.

No one else would use their core elder privileges to invoke the [Eye of Surveillance] like he did.

"It's time to end this."

He stood up and walked towards the door.

This time, it's just for... confirmation.

The archive of abandoned books is located in the westernmost corner of the Shadowmoon Tower.

A three-story stone building, its exterior walls covered with vines, and most of its windows were broken.

The stone path in front of the door was covered with moss, indicating that no one had been here for a long time.

Ian pushed open the door.

Squeak!

The door hinges emitted a harsh, screeching sound.

Dust rushed in, carrying the smell of rotting paper.

The hall was filled with broken bookshelves, crammed with various incomplete ancient books, scrolls, and parchment.

Some have been completely weathered and crumble at the slightest touch.

Ian didn't linger and went straight to the underground level.

The staircase was narrow and steep, and the edges of the stone steps were worn smooth.

A quack flew off his shoulder and scouted ahead.

"There's something down there... very faint, but it's definitely there."

"Um."

Ian kept walking.

The underground level is even more chaotic than the upper levels.

Besides the bookshelves, there were also a large number of broken alchemical artifacts, fragments of witchcraft models, and even several broken alchemical golems.

The air was filled with a musty smell and a faint trace of magic.

Ian walked to the innermost corner of the wall.

There was a pile of damaged books there, which looked no different from the surrounding area.

But he could sense it.

Beneath the pile of books, there was an extremely well-hidden secret compartment.

Ian raised his right hand and tapped lightly with his index finger.

laugh!

A thin beam of pale purple light shot out and accurately hit the pile of books.

That's not the full power of the Frost Ray.

It was just a tiny wisp, carrying the minute characteristics of the [entropy change domain].

The pile of books turned to ashes in an instant.

A small, palm-sized hidden compartment was revealed below.

In the hidden compartment, there was a book with a black cover.

The book is very thin, with only a dozen or so pages.

The cover features a dark red paint depicting... an eye without a pupil.

The symbol of the Twilight Eye.

Ian picked up the book and opened it.

It was filled with densely packed notes.

It records the intelligence Matthias has collected over the years, the list of "seeds" he has selected, and the methods he has used to pass information to his superiors.

On the last page, there was a sentence:

"Shadowmoon is no longer of value; we will withdraw after it is promoted to liquefaction."

The handwriting is very fresh; it seems to have been written recently.

Ian closed the book, and a wisp of pale golden flame ignited at his fingertips.

The pages turned to ashes in the flames, and even the imprint of the soul was completely burned away.

After doing all that, he turned and left.

Outside the lobby, the sunlight was blinding.

He stood in front of the stone building and glanced back at the dilapidated structure.

Then, he left without looking back.

On her shoulder, she asked in a low voice:

"Ian, is there anything else we need to investigate?"

"No."

Ian's steps were steady, and his voice was calm.

"Everything that needed to be investigated has been investigated, and those who deserved to be killed have been killed."

"From now on, Shadowmoon has no more attachments."

Gaga nodded as if she understood, and rubbed her head against his cheek.

"So where are we going?"

"Go back to your residence first."

Ian looked into the depths of the tower, towards the tallest spire.

"There are still some things... I need to discuss with the Tower Master."

As soon as the words were spoken, the figures of the man and the bird gradually disappeared at the end of the corridor.

The wind blew through the abandoned stone building, stirring up a few withered leaves.

It was like a silent farewell.

That night, in the basement of the residence.

Ian sat cross-legged in front of the Abyss Altar, but did not activate it.

He simply sat quietly, his eyes slightly closed, as if deep in thought.

Scenes from the past few years flashed rapidly through my mind.

From the initial fear upon transmigrating to the trembling after killing for the first time.

From a life-or-death crisis in the library to blood and fire on the demon-hunting battlefield.

From the arduous advancement to the second level of crystallization, it was a natural progression.

And... those who died.

Sterling, Murphy, Bazar, Silas...

And Matthias, whom he had just crushed into nothingness.

"It's all over," he muttered to himself, his voice fading.

It's like talking about something that has nothing to do with you.

Gaga curled up beside his legs, and as if sensing something, she raised her head and stared at him with her little eyes.

"Ian, are you... sad?"

"sad?"

Ian opened his eyes, the dim light of the altar reflected deep within his pupils.

"No."

He reached out and rubbed Gaga's head, feeling the soft touch of feathers on his fingertips.

"I'm just trying to make sure... I can really leave in peace."

"Then... are you relieved?"

"Um."

Ian stood up, walked to the wall, and pulled a notebook from the bookshelf.

Opening the book reveals a record of my insights into potions, witchcraft, and cultivation over the years.

Some pages have yellowed, and the handwriting is somewhat illegible.

He looked at it for a while, then closed the notebook and put it back on the bookshelf.

"It's time to prepare for the next step."

The voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable resolve.

Caw flew to his shoulder and whispered, "Are we leaving?"

"Soon."

Ian looked out the window; the night sky was sparsely lit by stars and the moonlight was dim.

"But before I leave... there are still some things I need to finish."