Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

The evening of the second day of the trip.

Outside the cabin window, the dark waters of the endless sea and leaden-gray clouds stretched out before me.

The airship passed through the edge of the storm corridor, its hull occasionally trembling slightly. Inside the metal bulkhead, protective runes flowed with a pale blue glow.

Ian sat cross-legged on the soft couch, his eyes slightly closed.

Within the sea of ​​consciousness, the pale golden crystallized core slowly rotated, absorbing the thin yet pure magic power in the air.

On its shoulder, it buried its head in its wing and made even, soft snores.

suddenly.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Three clear knocks, neither too loud nor too soft, with a certain deliberate rhythm.

Ian frowned and opened his eyes.

A glint of golden light flashed deep within his eyes, then vanished.

He didn't know anyone on the ship.

The spiritual energy, like invisible tentacles, quietly reached out towards the door.

An unfamiliar presence.

Secondary crystallization, solid and restrained, carrying a hint of weariness after a long journey, and... the faint bitter taste of some kind of medicinal herb.

There was no obvious malice.

But Ian did not let his guard down.

He stood up, the hem of his dark gray robe falling silently, and walked to the door.

With his right hand hanging naturally at his side, three floating crystal cones were quietly placed inside his sleeve.

With his left hand, he pulled the latch, and the hatch slid inward.

A witch's figure stood outside the door.

The dark blue standard robe was made of a rather luxurious material, but it was well-tailored, with fine silver rune embroidered on the cuffs and collar.

A badge was pinned to his collar.

A complex pattern formed by the interweaving of an hour hand and star trails.

The emblem has a simple and ancient design, carrying a certain restraint and pride unique to ancient families.

Ian's gaze shifted upwards.

Her shoulder-length black hair was casually tied back, revealing her smooth forehead.

The skin is a pale, bloodless color, a result of long-term malnutrition, like jade that has never seen the light.

But her eyebrows and eyes are very distinctive.

Her eyebrows were thin and straight, her eyes were dark brown with clear pupils, and her gaze lacked the usual charm or gentleness of a witch, instead possessing a calm sharpness.

Like polished obsidian fragments.

"Good evening."

The witch spoke, her voice low and slightly hoarse, but her tone was steady and polite.

"I am Adele Just, and I live in the cabin opposite yours."

She nodded slightly, her gaze calmly fixed on Ian's face.

There was no scrutiny, no probing, just the most basic, polite glance.

Ian stood inside the door, neither moving aside nor extending an invitation.

His gaze remained calm, but an invisible wariness, like a cold film, separated the two of them.

"What's up?"

His voice was flat, revealing no emotion.

Adele didn't seem surprised.

She took out a palm-sized crystal bottle from her wide sleeve.

The bottle is diamond-shaped and contains more than half a bottle of light silver-gray liquid.

Occasionally, a very faint black mist would rise to the surface of the liquid, only to quickly dissolve.

"The Leapfrog is about to enter the deep space folding zone, probably in the early hours of tomorrow."

She handed over the crystal bottle with a natural gesture, as if it were just a small gift casually exchanged between neighbors.

"This is 'Void Frozen Top Black Soup,' which I concocted myself. It can relieve the mental dizziness and perceptual confusion caused by spatial folding."

She paused, then added.

"I've noticed you rarely leave your cabin, so you must be in meditation. This decoction has a slight calming effect on the mind after deep meditation."

Ian did not answer.

His gaze fell on the crystal bottle, and his mental energy swept over it.

The medicine has stable energy and pure ingredients. As she said, it is indeed a calming and soothing tonic, without any other additives.

but……

No matter what.

Especially on this mixed-race airship, which was full of wizards heading to the Central Continent.

"Thanks."

Ian spoke, his voice still calm.

"However, I have prepared medicine, so there is no need for you to worry."

His refusal was direct and without any beating around the bush.

Adele's expression remained unchanged.

There was no annoyance, no embarrassment, not even a flicker of the eyebrow.

She simply nodded and put the crystal bottle away.

"I apologize for being presumptuous."

Her voice remained steady, without the slightest hint of emotional fluctuation.

"Sorry to bother you."

After saying that, she turned around and prepared to leave.

The dark blue robe hem drew a clean arc in the dim light of the corridor.

The steps were light, yet steady.

Just then.

"Huh?"

On Ian's shoulder, Gaa, who had been dozing with her head buried in her wing, suddenly raised her head.

Her little nose twitched, and a hint of doubt flashed in her heterochromatic eyes, followed by curiosity.

It flew off Ian’s shoulder, landed on the door frame, tilted its head, and stared at the crystal bottle in Adele’s hand.

To be precise, I was staring at the silvery-gray liquid in the bottle.

"Ugh... It smells so good..."

He muttered softly, making gurgling sounds in his throat.

Although it is greedy, anything it sets its sights on is no ordinary thing.

Adele stopped in her tracks.

She turned around and her gaze fell on Gaga.

His eyes, which had been as calm as a deep pool, suddenly narrowed!

Deep within his pupils, Ga Ga's image was reflected.

The black raven, about the size of a fist, had glossy black feathers with a faint, dark sheen at the edges.

Their heterochromatic eyes, one gray and one blue, shimmered with a lively light, befitting intelligent beings, under the corridor lights.

But more importantly, it has a natural aura that it exudes.

Obscure and deep, it seemed to devour light.

Even though he was standing in the light, a part of his figure seemed to be hidden in the shadows, and his outline was somewhat blurred.

Adele's breathing quickened almost imperceptibly for a moment.

She took a half step forward, her gaze fixed intently on Gaga.

The calm on her face was finally broken.

It was an expression that mixed shock, disbelief, and even a hint of... ecstasy.

"...Shadow Raven?"

She murmured to herself, her voice trembling slightly.

But the next second, she denied it herself.

"No, that's not right..."

Her gaze sharpened, as if she wanted to dissect Gaga from the inside out and see right through him.

"This aura... the shadow energy is so pure... it even carries a hint of 'nothingness'..."

She looked up abruptly at Ian.

The shock in his eyes was almost overflowing.

"You...you let it devour fragments of 'Eternal Shadow'?"

The question was asked quickly and urgently, completely losing the composure and calmness from before.

Ian's eyes instantly darkened.

The sense of vigilance, like tangible frost, spread throughout his body.

He reached out and scooped the curiously peering Gaga back onto his shoulder.

Gaga, not understanding what was going on, rubbed her little head against his fingers.

"You can tell?"

Ian's voice was cold, with an undisguised scrutiny.

Adele took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in her heart.

She realized her lapse in composure and slowly straightened up.

The shock on his face gradually subsided, replaced by a calm and sharp expression.

But deep in his eyes, the shock still lingered.

"There are similar records in my family's ancient books."

She spoke slowly, her voice regaining its composure, but with a hint of solemnity than before.

"If a pure shadow creature can devour cosmic dark matter such as 'Eternal Shadow' and survive, there is a very small chance that it can awaken the ancient memories deep within its bloodline."

Her gaze fell on Gaga again, this time with a scholarly curiosity and admiration.

"Atavistic Mutation - Shadow Nighthawk... Moreover, it is an individual that has awakened in the direction of 'Shadow Messenger'."

She looked at Ian with a complicated expression.

"You're so lucky to have such a familiar."

Ian did not respond.

He looked at Idyl.

This woman has a really sharp eye.

You can tell Gaga's background just by his scent.

It even mentions "Eternal Shadow Shards" and "Shadowbringers," artifacts that are mostly described vaguely in the materials.

This is not the kind of insight that an ordinary level two wizard would have.

"The Juster family?"

Ian repeated her self-introduction.

"A wizarding family from the Central Continent?"

Adele nodded.

"In the eastern part of the central continent, there are seventeen large city-states, three of which belong to the Just family."

Her tone was flat, as if she were stating something that had nothing to do with her.

But the weight of those words is self-evident.

A family that owns three city-states as its territory is by no means an unknown entity in the Central Continent.

Ian's mind raced.

The other party proactively revealed their identity and pointed out Gaga's special nature...

There must be something they want.

"Could you elaborate on what you just said about the 'Shadow Messenger' and the path to advancing to the second tier?"

Ian's tone softened somewhat, but his guard remained.

He stepped aside, clearing the doorway.

"Come in and have a seat."

A glint of light flashed in Adele's eyes.

Without hesitation, she stepped into the cabin.

The cabin was small and simply furnished.

A soft couch, a small table, two chairs, and a separate washroom in the corner.

Ian pointed to one of the chairs.

"sit."

He sat down in another chair, and Gaga perched on his shoulder.

A pair of small eyes curiously sized up the unfamiliar witch.

Adele sat down, her back straight, her posture still dignified.

She took the crystal bottle from her bosom and placed it on the small table.

"The Void Frozen Top Black Soup is a small gift for our first meeting."

She looked at Gaga, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly, as if she wanted to laugh.

However, her facial muscles, which are constantly tense, make her expression appear somewhat stiff.

"Your familiar has a keen sense of smell. A drop of the heart's blood of the 'Void Crow' has been added to this, which has a natural attraction to shadow creatures."

Upon hearing this, Gaga immediately puffed out its little chest, its feathers becoming slightly ruffled.

"Gah! Of course!"

Its little eyes were full of smugness, and it even gave Ian a special glance.

It's as if it's saying, "See? I could smell it a long time ago."

Ian ignored it and focused his gaze on Adele.

"Let's get down to business."

Adele suppressed her faint smile, her expression returning to solemnity.

"The Shadow Messenger is a primordial form that can only appear after the Shadow Nighthawk bloodline has awakened to an extremely high level."

Her voice was clear and steady, as if she were telling an ancient history.

"According to ancient records, true Shadow Messengers are not only proficient in shadow leaping, but can also briefly merge into the shadow plane, manipulate shadow energy to form domains, and even... give life to shadows."

"But the path to awakening is extremely difficult, requiring a massive amount of shadow attribute resources, as well as one crucial thing."

She paused, then her gaze fell on Gaga again.

"Eternal shadow, or the same level of cosmic dark matter."

"Only the rules of 'nothingness' and 'devouring' contained in this kind of substance can stimulate the shackles deepest in the bloodline and cause them to undergo a qualitative change."

Ian listened quietly, understanding dawning on him.

This largely matches his previous guess.

After Gaga devoured the fingernail-sized fragment of Eternal Shadow in the Protoss ruins, its strength and potential did indeed leap forward.

The label "Shadow Messenger (Prototype)" also confirms this.

"Does your family's ancient texts contain specific methods for promotion?"

Ian asked him the question he most wanted to know.

Adele nodded, then shook her head.

"The method is documented, but the required resources... are rare."

She looked at Ian with a meaningful look in her eyes.

"In the Just family's secret vault, there is a fist-sized 'Remnant of Eternal Shadow' sealed away."

Ian's pupils contracted slightly.

The size of a fist!

The piece that Gaga devoured was only the size of a fingernail, yet it propelled Gaga from the mid-stage of the first tier to the peak of the first tier.

They even reached the threshold of the second order.

Fist-sized...

If we let Gaga completely devour and digest it...

Advancing to the second-tier extraordinary creature is almost a certainty!

"condition?"