Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

Chapter 362 Acquaintance
Captain Miller stepped forward; he and several team members had already changed into specially made abyss protective gear.

The protective device is engraved with protective runes, and the built-in filtration system in the mask can purify the toxic gases in the abyss.

"Wizard Ralph, equipment check complete."

Miller's voice came through the magic transmitter, carrying the calm and steady quality characteristic of a veteran:
"However, I must remind you again that the fourth level is far more dangerous than the previous levels. Even a seasoned team like ours cannot guarantee absolute safety."

“I understand the risks,” Ron replied succinctly, while checking his equipment.
"Moreover, I have prepared comprehensive contingency plans."

He gently stroked the storage pouch at his waist, which contained the summoning runes given to him by Yutel, as well as various emergency medicines and escape tools.

The Explorer One golem has also completed its final testing and is ready to replace him for more dangerous exploration work at any time.

They were standing in the core area of ​​the observation station, where the huge submersible platform resembled an inverted pyramid.

Ron stopped in his tracks when he saw this breathtaking architectural marvel for the first time.

The platform's surface is covered with a dense array of rune circuits, each line shimmering with a steady silver-blue light.

But these runes were not lifeless carvings; rather, they contracted and expanded like blood vessels, as if this massive structure were taking some kind of deep breath.

In addition, distorted faces occasionally appear within those runes.

Those were the rune artisans who participated in building this facility; their souls were permanently incorporated into these runes, becoming the "fuel" that kept the facility running.

"Even though I've seen this thing many times, it still gives me the creeps."

A rough voice came from behind Ron.

The speaker was a middle-aged man with a face covered in scars.

Its left eye had been gouged out by some kind of abyssal creature, and a rotating prosthetic eye was inserted into the empty eye socket.

“Blake, watch your words.”

Another older witch frowned and said, "There are other witches here."

Blake shrugged dismissively:

“Facts are facts, Camilla. Those lunatics 'burned' over three thousand craftsmen trying to build this thing. Look at those runes, they're still crying.”

Ron activated "Supernatural Recognition," and under this special vision, the entire platform appeared as a giant extension of a rune.

Countless tormented souls are bound within the rune network, their despair and fear becoming part of the facility's power.

This is the essence of wizarding civilization—any price is acceptable for power and knowledge.

"This level of soul fusion technology..."

Ron silently analyzed in his mind: "If I can grasp the principle behind it, it will be of great help to my stand-in puppet project."

Feeling angry or sympathetic about what has already happened is meaningless to a researcher.

The important thing is to learn the skills from it and use them for your own research.

"Can you feel it? That mournful wail from the dead?"

A somber voice rang out.

The speaker was a thin man dressed in a black robe.

His hands were covered by strange silver gloves, the surface of which was crawling with writhing runes.

“I am Mordred, a necromancer specializing in the application of soul energy.” He extended his hand to Ron:

"The design concept of this platform is simply a work of art in necromantic science."

Ron politely shook hands with the other person through a magical mesh, but remained wary.

Necromancers hold a delicate position in wizarding society.

Their skills are useful, but their personalities are often extremely distorted.

“Ron Ralph,” he introduced himself simply.

"Oh? You mean that genius who ranked second in the Rising Star Project?" A morbid interest gleamed in Mordred's eyes.

"I've heard you're quite accomplished in bloodline manipulation... Would you be interested in collaborating? My undead servants require more complex stitching, and your skills..."

“I don’t have any plans in that regard at the moment,” Ron interrupted him coldly.

Just then, Yutel's phantom appeared in the center of the platform.

But unlike his usual gentle demeanor during private meetings, the old professor exuded a chilling aura at this moment, and the silver light radiating from him made one feel as if they were carrying a giant mountain on their back.

"Fellow explorers, welcome to the Abyss Observatory."

Yutel's voice echoed across the entire platform:

"Before we begin the dive, I must explain a few key points to you."

His gaze swept over the more than twenty explorers present, and each of them felt the invisible magical pressure emanating from the great wizard.

"First of all, this submersible is maintained by my ethereal power. Your safety is entirely in my hands."

The old professor's words carried a chilling truth:
“Any violation during the descent will be dealt with immediately.”

The platform fell into a deathly silence.

The explorers who had been whispering immediately shut their mouths.

"Secondly, the intensity of the curse starting from the fourth level of the abyss is enough to cause even a Morning Star level wizard to hallucinate."

"My shield can provide protection, but if anyone attempts to interfere or probe in any way during the descent..."

Yutel's phantom suddenly became ferocious, and the silver light transformed into countless tentacle-like beams of light:
"I will personally feed it to the creatures of the deeper abyss."

This blatant threat made the atmosphere extremely oppressive.

Ron noticed that several of the weaker explorers had begun to tremble slightly.

"Very good, it seems everyone understands the rules."

Yutel's tone returned to calm: "Now, let's begin this pleasant journey."

As the old professor operated the device, the runes around the platform began to flash intensely.

The souls that merged into it let out a silent scream, their pain being transformed into energy to maintain the shield.

"Anchor current coordinates... Detect abyssal airflow... Adjust descent trajectory..."

Utter's voice became formulaic:
"During a rapid descent, you may see things you shouldn't see. Don't try to understand them, don't try to remember them, just let them flow naturally through your consciousness."

The platform began to descend slowly, and the surrounding reality began to distort.

………………

Upon entering the first level of the abyss, Ron once again felt that indescribable sense of oppression, a feeling he hadn't experienced in a long time.

Through the translucent shield, he saw a horrifying sight:
An endless pool of blood stretched out all around. The crimson liquid was not ordinary blood, but the materialized form of the fear and despair of countless creatures on the verge of death.

The "blood" was flowing slowly, and occasionally a distorted face would appear on its surface.

There are humans, alien races, and some completely unrecognizable alien creatures.

These faces all bore the expressions of despair in their final moments, their mouths opening and closing silently, as if trying to say something.

“You’re always amazed when you see something like this, aren’t you, Ralph?”

A somewhat familiar male voice rang out beside Ron.

He turned his head and saw that it was Maxim who was speaking.

This somewhat terrifying-looking wizard was the one who assessed his professional modifier qualification when he was with the Black Mist School.

"Master Maxim?"

Ron was indeed surprised, but quickly composed himself: "I didn't expect to meet you here."

Compared to his time with the Black Mist School, Maxim's abyssal corruption had intensified significantly. Silver scales spread from his hands to half of his cheek, the fine scales shimmering with an ominous metallic sheen under the shield's light.

The scales were still slowly wriggling, as if something was crawling under the skin.

"Haha, what a small world!"

Maxim laughed heartily, but there was a hint of bitterness in his laughter:
“I remember back in the Black Mist School, you were just an apprentice filled with curiosity about the Abyss, and now…”

He carefully sensed the magical fluctuations emanating from Ron, and a clear look of shock appeared in his eyes:

"My God, his magic power is almost surpassing mine? How long has it been... As expected of the second place in the Nova Project."

Maxim sensed a magical fluctuation that Ron had suppressed, which was less than a third of the actual total magical power.

“I was just lucky,” the young wizard replied modestly, while observing the mutated scales on Maxim’s face.

From the perspective of "supernatural perception," these scales are actually some kind of parasitic abyssal spores that are slowly altering the host's physiological structure.

Although the process is painful, it does indeed bring about an increase in strength.

"So, what brings you to the Abyss this time?"

Maxim asked curiously, "With your current status, you shouldn't need to take risks in a place like this, right?"

"To collect some special materials in preparation for breaking through to the Moon-level later." Ron wasn't entirely telling the truth:

"and you?"

Maxim sighed softly, and subconsciously touched the scales on his face:

"I came here to completely integrate this damn stuff."

He shook his head and smiled wryly:

"The pollution of the abyss is painful, but it is also the best catalyst. If I can't control it before it spreads completely, I can only wait to slowly turn into a monster."

His tone grew heavier:

"To be honest, I originally thought I would be stuck at the Dawn Star level for the rest of my life. But Lady Cassandra's conquest plan has brought new hope to us guys whose potential has been exhausted."

When Cassandra was mentioned, Maxim's eyes lit up with fervent enthusiasm:

“I have personally witnessed the active minerals brought back from the ‘Crystal Civilization.’ Those things can interconnect and iterate on their own, possessing analytical abilities far superior to those of ordinary wizards!”

Ron listened silently, gaining a clearer understanding of Cassandra's spreading influence.

The allure of conquest was indeed powerful, even drawing in semi-retired explorers like Maxim, who returned to his old ways.

Just as the two were talking, the platform entered the second level.

The blood-red shallows here have become even more twisted and dangerous.

Countless shattered spatial vesicles floated in the sea of ​​blood, each containing a different spacetime environment.

Some vesicles burn with eternal flames, while others are covered in absolute ice, and still others are filled with writhing, tentacle-like creatures.

The most frightening thing is that these vesicles can randomly merge and split, creating an even more chaotic environment.

Occasionally, a vesicle ruptures, and its contents spill into the bloodstream, immediately causing a violent reaction.

“The second layer…” Maxim’s voice became tense. “From here on, even with the protection of the Void Remains, we can feel the edge effect of the Abyss Curse.”

Sure enough, Ron began to feel a subtle mental pressure.

It wasn't a direct attack, but a subtle erosion, attempting to implant certain ideas that didn't belong to him deep into his consciousness.

He immediately activated "The Star Eater's Whispers" for protection, and the cold power of the stars formed a solid mental barrier.

But other explorers didn't have it so easy.

Ron noticed that the necromancer Mordred had begun to tremble slightly.

………………

When the platform reached the third level, the surrounding environment changed drastically once again.

The blood-red shallows disappeared, replaced by an endless black desert.

The remains of countless creatures are weathered into dust, endlessly circulating in this land of death.

The sky was a depressing deep purple, devoid of the sun, with only a few enormous, organ-like celestial bodies suspended high in the air, emitting a sickly fluorescence.

These "celestial bodies" are actually organs of some ancient existence, which became "lighting facilities" for this layer after being swallowed by the abyss.

"We have arrived at the third floor. Passengers whose destination is here, please prepare to disembark."

Yutel's voice became serious:

"From now on, you will be directly exposed to the abyss environment. Remember, caution is the only rule for survival."

This statement appears to be addressed to everyone, but it was actually a private instruction he gave to a specific person.

The platform slowly came to a stop, and the shield began to gradually dissipate.

Instantly, the oppressive aura unique to the abyss swept over us.

It was a complex smell, a mixture of death, despair, and madness.

Even experienced explorers need time to adapt.

These smells were mixed with a sweet, putrid stench, the "fragrance" produced by the fermentation of countless corpses in the abyss environment.

"Goodbye then, Ron." Maxim patted him on the shoulder:

"My goal is to go to the sixth level, the 'Labyrinth Domain,' again, where there is a special environment that can catalyze a breakthrough."

His expression became more serious:

“Remember my words: never trust anything that looks ‘friendly’ in the abyss. Every creature here, including those that look like humans, could be a deadly trap.”

“I will remember that.” Ron nodded solemnly. “I also wish you a successful breakthrough.”

Maxim's team consisted of three bloodline-modified combat slaves and two mercenaries.

Although these people are only of average strength, they all have rich survival experience in the abyss environment.

Ron's team, on the other hand, consisted of Miller's squad.

This seasoned team has unparalleled experience in exploring the abyss, and each member is a veteran who has survived countless life-or-death trials.

"Keep in formation and do not act alone."

Miller's command experience was extremely valuable in this environment:

"These black sands can sense fear; the more afraid someone is, the more vulnerable they are to attack."

Sure enough, as soon as the team set foot on the black desert, the seemingly ordinary bone sand immediately began to wriggle.

They gathered at the feet of the team members like living creatures, making a faint rubbing sound, as if they were savoring the life force of those who trampled them.

Ron activated his senses, and in his special vision, a relatively safe path gradually became clear.

It was a winding road that cleverly bypassed most of the dangerous areas.

"Thirty degrees to the left and slightly forward, avoid that darker area." He pointed into the distance.

“The density of bone sand there is higher, which may be hiding some kind of predator.”

Miller nodded trustingly and began to adjust the team's direction.

As a seasoned explorer, he knew that in the abyss, any slight anomaly could mean deadly danger.

After several hours of careful maneuvering, they successfully traversed the main danger zone of the third level.

(End of this chapter)