Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

The renowned author, Seven Degrees of Sunset Red, has joined Cola Novels with his new work, "Wizard: My Skills Can Break Through Infinitely!"

"Next..." Ian's gaze swept across the icy plain below.

After the recent territorial harvest and the onslaught of the insect swarm, the Icefield was completely unrecognizable.

Everywhere there were cracked ravines, molten and then solidified glassy ground, and gray-black powder left behind by the vaporized insectoids.

In this devastated area, Ian's senses detected an unusual fluctuation.

On the outermost edge of the ice field, in the areas not yet completely covered by the domain, several smaller, purplish-black nests are beginning to wriggle.

They are retreating, and the fleshy tissue on the surface of their nests is rapidly shrinking.

The swarm of insects surrounding the nest, especially the massive level four guardian insects, was carrying several bloated queen insects and moving away from the ice field.

The speed was slow, even somewhat clumsy, but the goal was clear: to escape this death zone.

"The mother insect is also retreating." A glint flashed in Ian's eyes.

The mother nest has retreated, but these mother insects scattered throughout the world have clearly retained their most basic survival instincts.

Or rather, the will of the mother nest issued an order for the child units to preserve their strength before withdrawing.

After all, the Queen is the foundation of the Zerg's expansion. As long as the Queen lives, she can continuously produce new Zerg.

Ian's gaze locked onto a particularly large female insect, which was tightly surrounded by three level-four guardian insects.

This female insect was over thirty meters long, with a dark purple carapace covered with countless egg cells, and a swollen abdomen that almost dragged on the ground.

Its movement relies entirely on the guard insects carrying it along with their razor-sharp forelimbs, like a sedan chair being carried.

In the mother insect's tiny compound eyes, a scarlet light flickered rapidly, revealing a human-like fear.

It seemed to be able to sense the gaze of that terrifying figure high in the sky.

"Little thing, you know how to be afraid." Ian's lips curled into a smile. "Looks like you're quite intelligent."

He suddenly recalled his previous deductions about enslaving the mother insect.

At the time, he deduced the possibility of a theory that "a false hive consciousness is constructed using dream rules as a medium to deceive the mother beetle."

But the risks were too high back then, the broodstock's will was very strict, and the success rate was slim.

But now the situation is completely different. The mother nest has suffered severe damage and retreated, and the connection of wills will inevitably be temporarily disrupted.

The female insects below are isolated and helpless, fleeing in panic.

Fear, confusion, and the instinct for survival—these emotions are the perfect entry point for invading the rules of dreams.

"Isn't now... the perfect opportunity?"

Ian’s eyes shone brightly, and in a flash, he transformed into a pale golden streak of light, instantly traversing thousands of kilometers and landing directly above the enormous mother worm!

hum!

The area was expanded again, but this time the scope was precisely controlled within a radius of one kilometer.

The three level-four guardian insects had just raised their blade-like forelimbs in an attempt to launch an attack when their movements suddenly froze.

Like being sealed in invisible amber, even the light in the compound eyes is frozen in place.

The other lower-level Zerg that were trying to rush in also fell into a state of absolute stillness.

Only the large female insect, thanks to Ian's special care, experienced relatively mild suppression.

But its movements became extremely slow, its bloated body trembled slightly, and its tiny compound eyes stared intently at Ian, who was falling from the sky.

A deep sense of fear emanated from its very soul.

Ian hovered in front of the mother insect, less than ten meters away.

He smelled a pungent odor, which was the acid and pheromones emanating from the surface of the mother insect's carapace.

"Be good, I won't kill you." Ian's voice was gentle, with a seductive quality.

He slowly closed his eyes, and the surrounding scenery began to distort and fade. The colors of the material world faded, turning into a hazy, misty space.

Upon entering the dream dimension, the enormous, bloated body of the mother insect below appeared in a completely different form in Ian's eyes.

It was a constantly writhing ball of consciousness, radiating cold, mechanical fluctuations.

At the core of the light cluster, a faint consciousness of the mother insect flickered like a candle in the wind.

Deep within the ball of light, Ian saw something.

It was a complex mark, so profound that it exceeded his comprehension.

The mark is dark gold in color, and its structure resembles a honeycomb with layers upon layers, each layer slowly rotating, exuding a cold and vast aura.

This feeling was both familiar and unfamiliar to Ian.

It's familiar because it shares the same origin as the previous level-five Mother Nest will.

It feels unfamiliar because the level of this mark... far exceeds level five!

His consciousness was solely focused on the mark, and a suffocating pressure arose deep within him.

It's as if ants are gazing up at the sky, and mortals are facing the gods.

"This is bad!" Alarm bells rang in Ian's mind. "This is not the will imprint of a level 5 insect hive."

"This is likely... the mark of the Void Queen!"

Azshara's words echoed in his mind: "The Void Queen, a being at least a seventh-level True Spirit."

Every act that invades the soul of the Mother Worm will touch this supreme mark.

Just as Ian realized the danger.

hum! ! !

Suddenly, the dark golden mark erupted with indescribable light, and a cold, ancient, and terrifying will awakened from the depths of the mark.

Ian's consciousness froze instantly.

Time, space, perception, thoughts... everything is frozen in this moment.

He saw his pale golden consciousness, frozen in mid-air with a horrified expression.

Even the dual cores of the sun and moon in the sea of ​​consciousness have stopped operating.

A voice exploded directly in the depths of his soul.

"I am Bervis, a mere wizard, how dare you enslave my people..."

The voice was faint, as if it came from the depths of the endless void, or as if it were whispering in one's ear.

Each syllable was like a rule itself, impacting Ian's soul structure.

The next moment, the awakened will transformed into an invisible giant hand, gently grasping at the core of his soul.

There was no murderous intent, no anger, only absolute indifference.

Death has never been so close.

Ian couldn't even feel fear, because his mind was completely frozen.

The moment that invisible giant hand was about to touch the core of the soul.

Buzz!

Deep within the sea of ​​consciousness, the mysterious panel suddenly trembled violently, far more violently than ever before.

At the edge of my field of vision, the pale gold lettering was no longer replaced by a blinding pure white light, cascading down like a waterfall.

[High-dimensional will intrusion detected. Initiating the highest purification process...]

The lettering on the panel remained mechanically steady.

An invisible and intangible ripple, containing the highest order and rules, spread out from the depths of the panel.

Ripples swept across Ian's solidified consciousness, across the dream space, and across the dark golden mark.

"ah!!!"

A short, agonizing scream echoed deep within Ian's soul.

The ripples forcefully severed this wisp of will from the depths of the mother insect's soul.

The hive imprint flickered and struggled frantically, trying to resist, but before the supreme order ripples, all resistance was as fragile as paper.

In just a moment.

The dark gold mark faded and disappeared completely, erasing it from the depths of the mother insect's soul.

In Ian's mental sea, a tiny diamond, the size of a grain of rice and made entirely of pure gold, appeared.

The vibrations on the panel gradually subsided, the pure white light faded, and a line of pale gold text appeared at the edge of the field of vision.

Purification complete.

[Obtained: Fragment of the True Spirit of Void Queen Bervis (Minor)]

[Warning: This fragment contains high-dimensional rule information, which your current soul strength cannot bear. Sealing it is recommended.]

The solidification has been resolved.

Ian's consciousness jolted, breaking free from the frozen state of his thoughts.

He looked at his hands, his eyes flashing with intense golden light, revealing the turmoil within him.

"Just now... just now that was..."

Even with his level four Morning Star mental strength, he felt a lingering fear at this moment.

He was so close, so very close, that he was easily wiped out by the will of the Void Queen named "Belvis" across countless worlds.

They couldn't even muster the thought of resistance.

"Is this the power of a seventh-level True Spirit or higher?"

Ian murmured to himself, his voice still carrying lingering fear, echoing through the dream world.

Even the faintest imprint of will possesses such terrifying power.

What kind of being is the true Void Mother Queen?

Before them, a level four Morning Star Wizard was like an ant facing a god, with no room for resistance whatsoever.

Ian took a deep breath, suppressing the pounding in his heart.

He looked at the pure golden diamond fragment in his mental sea, a burning glint in his eyes.

"Fragments of the True Spirit forcibly ripped off by the panel."

He knew that the Void Queen named Bervis was definitely not feeling well right now.

The true spirit is a higher-dimensional existence after the soul has been sublimated. Once damaged, it is permanent and extremely difficult to recover.

The loss of this insignificant fragment is probably just a drop in the ocean for His main body.

But this pain and humiliation of being forcibly stripped away is probably something that this supreme being has rarely experienced in his long life.

"Although it was a bit reckless, we still made a huge profit!" A hint of relief flashed in Ian's eyes.

He didn't immediately examine the shard of diamond; the warning on the panel was clear: his current soul strength couldn't withstand it.

Forcibly touching it might backfire.

With a thought, a golden light surged from the Sun and Moon Cores in his spiritual sea, transforming into a layer of golden-red light that enveloped and sealed the pure gold diamond fragment, sinking it into the deepest part of his spiritual sea.

Having done all this, Ian's gaze returned to the mother insect's consciousness orb.

At this moment, deep within the mother insect's consciousness, the dark golden mark had disappeared, leaving a blank space.

The absolute control inherent in the Hive Mindset has been forcibly stripped away.

The mother insect's faint sense of self, like a wild horse unleashed, began to expand instinctively, filling that void.

Fear, confusion, helplessness... all sorts of emotions emanate from it.

"Now."

He recited an obscure and ancient incantation that directly affects the soul.

This is a slave contract from the wizarding world, which also incorporates the techniques of soul resonance based on dream rules, resulting in the "Soul Imprinting Technique".

Using dreams as a bridge and one's own soul essence as a mark, one leaves a unique imprint on the depths of the other's soul.

"With my dream... I will be your boundary..."

"With my soul... I will be your anchor..."

"Branded!"

At Ian's fingertip, a wisp of golden light, condensed from the essence of his soul, gently entered the mother worm's consciousness orb.

The light threads, like swimming fish, pierced through layers of consciousness structure, finally reaching that blank space, and then took deep root.

The moment he took root, Ian felt a clear, stable, and one-way soul channel being established between himself and the mother insect.

He can sense all of the mother insect's emotions, thoughts, and memories, while the mother insect can only passively accept his commands, unable to resist or disobey.

It really worked!

The mother insect's consciousness orb trembled violently, conveying a complex mix of emotions: submission, closeness, and dependence.

Immediately afterwards, a clear and tender female voice entered Ian's mind through the soul channel.

"Father... Father..."

Ian's expression froze. That voice... that form of address...

He quickly regained his composure, and his thoughts traveled along the connection.

"From now on, call me Master."

"Yes, Master," came the obedient response from the mother insect's consciousness.

"Since you are the mother insect, I will give you a name. How about... Kerrigan?"

Ian thought for a moment and then picked a name at random.

"From today onwards, your name will be Kerrigan."

"Kerrigan! I like this name, thank you, Master." Kerrigan's voice radiated joy.

Ian felt a slight sense of relief; the enslavement had been successful, and even more smoothly than he had anticipated.

Without the obstruction of the Void Queen's mark, the whole process proceeded smoothly.

"Now, test your abilities," Ian commanded telepathically.

"Control and gather all surrounding Zerg, and make them converge on me."

"Yes, Master."

Kerrigan's consciousness began to fluctuate violently, and an invisible pheromone with a specific frequency spread out in all directions from her center.

This was not the previous Hive Command, but a new command that belonged to her personally and was also mixed with Ian's soul energy.

With a thought, Ian's dream space vanished, and the scene of the real world reappeared.

He hovered in mid-air, and the domain surrounding him within a kilometer radius had been retracted.

Below, the enormous female insect, Kerrigan, slowly raised her head.

In its tiny compound eyes, the scarlet light had faded, turning into a gentle dark gold that reflected Ian's figure.

"hiss!"

Kerrigan let out a soft hiss, a stark contrast to the sharp, piercing sounds the Zerg had made before.

With her cry, the invisible spiritual signal erupted completely.

hum! ! !

Centered on Kerrigan, all the Zerg within a radius of a thousand miles, which had been at rest, moved at the same time!

The three level-four guardian insects slowly lowered their bladed forelimbs, the cold killing intent in their compound eyes dissipating and turning into a dazed loyalty.

They turned to face Kerrigan, standing silently like the most loyal guards.

Further away, those lower-tier Zerg creatures immobilized by the domain—drones, raptors, shadowwings, and bone-eating worms…

At this moment, they all broke free from solidification, flapped their wings and wiggled their limbs, and began to converge on Kerrigan's location.

Ten, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand...

The sky was obscured by swarms of Shadowwing insects, and the ground rumbled as they were trampled by their legs.

These Zerg had no intention of attacking; they simply formed layers upon layers of Zerg walls around Kerrigan in a quiet and orderly manner.

They surrounded Kerrigan like subjects worshipping a queen.

Ian hovered high in the sky, looking at the spectacular scene below, and couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

He truly enslaved a queen insect and, through her, controlled all the insectoids within a thousand miles!

These monsters, which were once ferocious and terrifying, and whom he fought to the death with, now seemed... quite familiar to him.

Especially those dozen or so massive level four guardian insects, like the most loyal giant guards, quietly protected Kerrigan.

With them around, Kerrigan's safety is no longer a concern.

"With this Zerg army, things will be much easier in any world," Ian thought to himself.

He began to consider having Kerrigan continue to gather more Zerg and build a Zerg army that would be completely obedient to him.

However, just as Ian was envisioning the future, an unexpected change occurred.

"hiss!!!"

A mournful, painful cry came from the distant horizon.

It wasn't just one Zergling, but... tens of thousands, even billions of Zerglings, all uttering death screams at the same moment!

Ian turned his head sharply, looking in the direction from which the hiss was coming.

At the edge of the ice field, beyond that, mountains, plains, and the sky...

All the Zerg players in areas not covered by Kerrigan's psychic signal, whether still active or lurking, were now frozen in place.

next second.

Puff! Puff! Puff! ...

As if millions of balloons were popped at the same time, the swarms of Shadowwing insects in the sky fell like dumplings being dropped into a pot.

The swarms of insects on the ground collapsed in swathes.

The carapace lost its luster, the compound eyes went out, and the life force vanished instantly.

There were no explosions, no battles, no enemies, just simple death.

As if an invisible hand had pressed a switch to destroy everything, all the Zerg not under Kerrigan's control within the entire Exocet world died in the same second!

The neighing stopped abruptly.

The whole world fell into a deathly silence.

Only the howling wind and the low groans of fear and unease emanating from the Zerg within a thousand-mile radius around Kerrigan could be heard.

Ian hovered in the air, his pupils suddenly contracting, a chill running down his spine and straight to the back of his head.

"This is... a self-destruct command..."

He understood instantly.

The Void Mother Nest—no, it was most likely created by the Void Mother Queen, Bervis.

Upon sensing that a queen insect had been enslaved and broken free of control, it issued a final purge order to all remaining insectoids in the Exoc world.

We'd rather destroy everything than leave anything for the enemy!

"What a terrifying race."

Ian gasped, his voice slightly hoarse.

This decisiveness, this efficiency, this zero tolerance for loss of control—no wonder the Void Zerg were able to fight against the Wizard civilization for so long.

If he hadn't managed to gather the Zerg within a thousand miles in time and imprint his mental mark on them, the rest of the Zerg, except for Kerrigan, would probably be corpses by now.

His newly acquired Zerg army will be completely wiped out, leaving only Kerrigan as a lone Zerg.

"Luckily I made it in time." Ian suppressed his lingering fear and scanned the area below with his mind.

The Zerg still surrounded Kerrigan, but their fear and unease were palpable.

Clearly, they also sensed the collective death of their compatriots far away.

Ian took a deep breath and began to tally the harvest, his mind instantly covering the entire swarm.

"Fifteen level-four guardian insects, very good."

"Among the Tier 3 combat units, there are approximately 12,000 Shadowwing Bugs, Bone-Eating Bugs, Raptors, Corruptors, and more."

"There are over 1.5 million secondary drones."

"In addition, there are a small number of crystal core bugs, engineer bugs, scout bugs and other auxiliary units."

Even if the Zerg army, numbering over 1.5 million, returned to the Central Continent, it would still be a formidable force.

Although it cannot compare with those secondary forces, it is enough for Ian to firmly establish himself in the Central Continent.

He suddenly realized something: those crystal core insects that remained underground were probably all dead.

He opened his personal space and, sure enough, all the crystal core insects he had deliberately kept had lost their aura.

"Sigh, we should have let Kerrigan receive them sooner."

Ian's face immediately darkened; this was a type of Zerg that he cared about very much.

"Kerrigan, can you still create Crystal Core Bugs?"

"Father, I can do it, but cultivating each crystal core insect requires consuming a small amount of the world's essence."

Ian breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this. The source wasn't a problem; the Crystal Core Worms had already collected and transformed quite a few, and they were still underground.

"Now send them to the underground to reclaim all the essence."

Kerrigan emitted another pheromone, relaying Ian's instructions, and the Zerg began to move.

Ian was extremely satisfied; finally, he didn't have to do it himself.

Now, only one last thing remains unresolved.

The World Will of Essoc.