Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

Velen led them to a stone fortress in the center of the fortress.

"You can rest here tonight."

The old man pointed to the stone fortress:
"Rooms are charged per person, and each person receives ten magic stone fragments per night."

For wealthy wizards like you from the main world, this shouldn't be considered expensive.

"Not expensive."

Ron paid the money, then asked:
"Mr. Viren, if we want to hire a guide, do you have any recommendations?"

"Guide."

The old man pondered for a moment: "There are a few, but I need to ask first—where are you planning to go?"

"Twilight City".

"Twilight City?"

Velen's gaze suddenly turned scrutinizing:
"That's not a good place. Although it superficially welcomes outsiders, in reality..."

He shook his head: "Forget it, this is not my business."

"As for a guide, I recommend Old Tom."

He'd been in this area for over twenty years and knew the wilderness like the back of his hand.

"His strength is that of a high-level warrior, which is equivalent to a 'high-level apprentice' in the wizard's ranking system."

While not as powerful as a formal wizard or vampire noble, at least being with teammates ensures their survival.

"and"

Viren's tone was suggestive:
"He knows when to speak and when to keep quiet, which is very important."

Ron understood what the old man meant.

In such a complex environment, a guide who "knows the rules" is far more useful than a strong but reckless brute.

"Then I'll trouble you to make the arrangements."

"No trouble."

Viren turned and left, leaving behind a single sentence:
"Old Tom will be waiting for you at the hotel entrance early tomorrow morning."

The price is fifty magic stones, and eighty for a round trip.

"After all, this is a business where we risk our lives, so the price might be a bit high. If you think it's expensive..."

He turned around, revealing a weary smile:
"Then don't go. It's not worth risking your life for a place like the wilderness."

After saying that, the old man disappeared around the street corner.

Ron stood at the hotel entrance, staring blankly in the direction Velen had left.

"tutor."

Herman walked up to him and lowered his voice:
"That old wizard is not in a good state."

"Ah."

Ron nodded:
"A late-stage Moon-level expert, yet he was relegated to a place like this as an 'administrator'."

"Either they made a mistake, or they offended someone, or..."

"Either they've been abandoned."

Miller chimed in, his tone tinged with sympathy:
"Many veterans of the Abyss exploration end up like this."

When you lose the possibility of becoming stronger, the alliance will throw you into some marginal area, ostensibly to 'guard' it, but in reality…

"It was essentially exile."

Ron said softly:
"To leave you in a remote corner, slowly waiting for your life to end."

They were silent for a moment.

"Let's go."

Ron turned and walked toward the hotel: "Rest first, we have a tough battle to fight tomorrow."

The next morning—if the word "morning" could still be used in this world of eternal twilight.

At the hotel entrance, a middle-aged man who looked to be in his fifties was leaning against the wall smoking.

He was wearing leather armor covered in patches, and a longsword that looked quite old hung at his waist.

His face was etched with the marks of time, but his eyes were unusually alert, constantly scanning his surroundings.

As Ron walked out of the hotel, the man immediately threw away his cigarette butt and stood up straight.

"Lord Ralph?"

His attitude was respectful, but not servile, maintaining a proper distance.
"I'm Old Tom. Master Velen says you need a guide?"

"Yes."

Ron sized up the guide.

The strength of a high-level warrior is roughly equivalent to that of a senior apprentice.

Such strength is nothing in the main world, but in the Chaotic Blood World, being able to survive in the wilderness for twenty years speaks volumes about this person's ability.

"I heard you're going to Twilight City."

Old Tom cut straight to the point:
"I've walked this entire route no less than fifty times; I could walk it with my eyes closed."

"But I have to make it clear first—Twilight City is not a good place."

Although the place is friendly to outsiders, its leader…

He lowered his voice:
"I heard that besides being a vampire, he is also a half-blood wizard and has been obsessed with some kind of research."

“We ordinary people both revere and fear her.”

As he spoke, old Tom's eyes swept over Ron and the other wizards, his expression a mixture of respect and instinctive wariness.

This attitude is quite interesting.

Respect for wizards is essential, as they represent power and knowledge.
Be wary of wizards, because their rational indifference means they will treat everything as research material.

"You're very honest."

Ron said, "I like honest people."

"That's natural."

Old Tom gave a professional smile:
"In the wilderness, the most important thing is honesty."

"If I lie once, I might never get another job—if I come back alive."

Just then, the roar of an engine was heard in the distance.

A strangely shaped armored vehicle drove in from the other end of the street.

It was a vehicle powered by a mixture of steam and blood energy.

The vehicle body is welded from thick steel plates and coated with a dark red protective paint. The four huge wheels are wrapped with barbed iron chains.

Two heavy crossbows that looked quite menacing were mounted on the roof of the vehicle, the arrowheads gleaming with a silvery-white sheen.

The most eye-catching feature is the front of the car, which is decorated with a huge demon head sculpture, with its open mouth serving as the engine's air intake.

Whenever the engine starts, it spews out blood-red steam from its mouth, accompanied by a deep roar, like a giant beast howling.

“This is the ‘Wilderness Wanderer’.”

Old Tom explained, "It's my own car, I guarantee it's sturdy."

He patted the vehicle: "Double armor plates, lined with runic protection."

The tires are woven from the silk of Abyssal Spiders—materials discarded by a certain wizard ten years ago, which I bought at a high price.

"Even if attacked by a viscount-level vampire, it can withstand the attack for quite a while!"

Ron walked around the vehicle once.

The welding points are very strong, the runes are in the right place, and the engine's sound, though rough, is very stable.

This is indeed a reliable vehicle that has been proven in real combat.

"good."

He nodded in agreement.

Old Tom smiled smugly: "So when shall we set off?"

"Wait a moment."

Ron looked into the distance: "Two more people are coming."

Before he finished speaking, two beams of light suddenly flashed in the direction of the teleportation point.

A moment later, two figures emerged from the light.

The first one is Silas Draven.

The rune expert still looked haggard, but his eyes were much more determined than before.

He wore a new runic glove on his right hand, engraved with intricate protective patterns—clearly prepared specifically for this mission.

The second is Edwin Upton.

The moment the lava giant appeared, the surrounding temperature rose by several degrees.

His bronze face wore an excited smile, and the skin of his body faintly revealed flowing, lava-like patterns.

"Associate Professor Ralph!"

Edwin strode over, his voice booming: "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting!"

“The procedures with my mentor Salamander were completed faster than expected; I received the teleportation permit two days ahead of schedule.”

Silas also came over:
"It's the same for Professor Vinard."

He said if he was going to do it, he should do it thoroughly—so he extended my 'secondment period' directly to fifty years.

At this point, he smiled wryly: "Although I don't think it will take that long, I still appreciate the professor's kindness."

Ron looked at his two companions, whom he had met at different times, and nodded.

"welcome."

He said succinctly, then turned to old Tom: "Everyone's here, we can set off."

"okay!"

Old Tom responded, but when he saw Edwin's body covered in lava, a troubled expression appeared on his face:
"Um, sir, could you please control your body temperature a little? The seats in my car are made of leather, and I'm worried they'll get scorched by the heat."

"Hahaha!"

Edwin laughed: "Don't worry, I'll be careful!"

His body temperature immediately dropped, and the magma patterns dimmed.

Everyone boarded the bus one after another.

Although the interior space of the carriage is not small, it still feels a bit crowded when everyone squeezes in.

Two rows of benches faced each other, with an iron rack in the middle to secure the goods.

Several blood-energy lamps hung from the roof of the vehicle, emitting a dark red glow.

Various weapons—longswords, warhammers, crossbows, and even several ammunition boxes filled with silver bullets—hang on the walls.

"These are for emergencies."

Old Tom jumped into the driver's seat: "Hopefully we won't need it, but it's better to be safe than sorry!"

"Rumble..."

The engine roared, the entire vehicle began to tremble, and crimson steam continuously spewed from the demon's mouth at the front of the vehicle.

"Let's go!"

Old Tom pulled the lever, and the Wilderness Ranger slowly drove out of the fortress gate.

Behind me, the heavy iron gate slowly closed with a dull rumble.

The sound was like the echo of a coffin lid being closed, making people involuntarily tense.

After leaving the fortress's protection, the surrounding landscape became even more desolate.

The dried-up riverbed grew wider and wider, and the ground was covered with cracks.

The crack was bottomless, and a foul odor would occasionally seep out from it.

Occasionally, one can see abandoned villages, where the buildings have long since collapsed, leaving only dilapidated frames that cast long shadows under the blood moon.

"This area was originally an agricultural area."

Old Tom explained as he drove:
"Vampires need humans to provide food—although they don't eat it themselves, their human slaves do."

"But about a hundred years ago, the land gradually lost its vitality."

"Some say it's the curse of the Blood Moon that seeped into the depths of the earth, while others say it's the Blood King's madness that affected the world itself."

He shrugged: "Anyway, there are no living creatures to be seen here now except for monsters and mad blood clans."

Inside the carriage, everyone listened in silence.

Liz leaned against the window, observing the outside environment through special alchemical glasses.

Those glasses could display the intensity of a plant's vitality; at this moment, the lenses were almost entirely gray and black—representing death and decay.

"tutor."

She turned around, her expression serious.
"The ecosystem here has completely collapsed."

The magic in the soil wasn't just depleted; more specifically, it had been forcibly 'locked up' by some higher will.

"It's like someone cast a massive confinement spell over the entire area."

"This couldn't have formed naturally."

Ron nodded.

He had this feeling for a long time.

The anomalies in this world are not simply due to environmental degradation; they are the outward spread of a "symptom" from some vast entity.

And that existence is self-evident.

"There are signs of activity ahead."

Silas suddenly spoke, the runes on his gloves shimmering faintly:
"It's about three kilometers away and is rapidly approaching."

"It's very fast, and it has obvious blood energy fluctuations—it's a vampire."

Old Tom's expression immediately changed:
"Damn it! There shouldn't be any vampire activity at this time!"

He slammed on the gas pedal, and the engine roared louder.

The Wilderness Ranger accelerated rapidly, its vehicle shaking violently on the bumpy ground.

But the "sign of activity" was moving even faster.

Silas's expression grew increasingly serious.
"Not an ordinary vampire. Judging from the energy fluctuations, it is at least a viscount."

"Moreover, his condition is very unstable, and his magic is severely disordered—he has probably gone berserk."

"Viscount?!"

Old Tom's voice changed: "That's a monster equivalent to a Morning Star level wizard! We..."

"Don't panic."

Ron said calmly, "Keep driving, you're just a viscount."

Old Tom was stunned.

His instinct was to say, "That's a viscount-level vampire."

Seeing the calm expressions on the faces of the wizards inside the car, he swallowed back the words he was about to say.

These wizards seem to completely disregard the Viscount.
In the chaotic world of blood, viscount-level vampires are already considered mid-level nobles.

A viscount could rule over thousands of human slaves and possess his own territory and castle.

Their speed, strength, and regenerative abilities far surpass those of humans.

Ordinary high-level warriors would basically have no choice but to run for their lives if they encountered a viscount.

But these wizards...
He secretly glanced at it in the rearview mirror.

The young students were a little nervous, but more than that, they were eager to try.

Especially the one named Herman, whose silver gloves were already glowing, clearly preparing some kind of spell.

As for Lord Edwin, he was so excited that his body temperature rose several degrees, making the carriage feel like a steamer.

Can I make a move?

Edwin looked at Ron, his eyes full of expectation:
"It's been so long since I've stretched my muscles!"

"I'd also like to try out the newly improved rune array."

Silas also said, adjusting his glasses:
"No matter how good the theoretical data is, it still needs to be tested in actual combat."

Other students also raised their hands:

"Mentor, let me do it!"

"My plant traps will come in handy!"

"My detection spell can pinpoint a location!"

Seeing the students scrambling to get to the front, Ron couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle.

But he quickly stopped smiling and his tone became serious: "Sit down, everyone."

"No one is allowed to make a move this time."

"what?"

Herman and the others were stunned: "Why?"

"The curse contamination on berserk vampires has the potential to spread through contact."

Ron explained:
“Your resistance to the curse is not strong enough right now, and you may get infected if you come into contact with it rashly.”

“I’ll have to spend time treating you then, which will only delay the important business.”

"So this time, I'll handle it."

Just then, a loud bang was heard!
A figure crashed into the vehicle from the side.

The immense impact caused the car to swerve several meters to the side, its wheels screeching. Old Tom gripped the steering wheel tightly, barely managing to keep the vehicle stable.

"coming!"

Cold sweat beaded on his forehead: "It really is a vampire!"

A sharp scratching sound came from the roof of the car.

Some kind of sharp claws were leaving deep scratches on the armor plate, and the sound of metal being torn apart was sickening.

Ron closed his eyes, and the observational abilities of the [Threshold of Darkness] were fully activated.

The world became transparent in his perception.

Outside the vehicle, a figure dressed in a tattered suit was lying on the roof.

That was a vampire, and judging from his aura, he should be a viscount-level being—equivalent to the strength of a Dawn Star.

But his current state is extremely strange.

The vampire's movements were elegant and restrained, each scratch precisely avoiding the vehicle's core structure, as if they were merely "testing" the armor's strength.

He had a smile on his face and was talking to himself:
"What an ingenious design! Human industrial technology is indeed progressing."

"I should praise them, yes, I should praise them."

"As a civilized nobleman, I must maintain my composure and respect the creation of every life."

That sounds very rational and well-mannered.

Ron could clearly "see" that the vampire's mental state had completely collapsed.

His soul was like a painting torn into pieces, with countless "selves" arguing, tearing at each other, and devouring one another inside.

One of the "selves" is speaking in a gentle and refined manner;
Another "self" is screaming to tear all living things apart;
There is another "self" crying, pleading, "Let me die, let me be free."
All these "selves" exist simultaneously and simultaneously dominate different parts of this body.

Thus, the bizarre scene before us came to be:

The vampire uttered words of praise as he tore at the armor with his claws;
He drooled as he stared at the living person inside the carriage, while trying his best to maintain a noble smile;
On one hand, they wanted to rush in and wreak havoc, but on the other hand, they forced themselves to maintain "etiquette" and "restraint."
"A mixture of reason and madness."

Ron opened his eyes, his tone terrifyingly indifferent:
"He no longer knows who he is; he is merely using the shell of 'reason' to barely conceal the chaos within."

"Then what do we do?"

Old Tom asked nervously, his hands trembling:
"Want to fight? I'm just a guide, old Tom. If it really comes down to fighting, we'll have to rely on you wizards..."

"No need for fighting."

Ron stood up: "Don't move, I'll handle it."

"and many more!"

Old Tom kept reminding me:
"Although you are a wizard, in this open terrain, the viscount's speed and regenerative abilities will have a significant advantage."

Ron nodded his thanks for the reminder and then opened the car door.

A bloody, desolate wind swept over us, carrying an inexplicable sense of oppression.

The vampire on the roof immediately noticed him.

A pale face peeked out from the edge, its blood-red eyes fixed on Ron.

"Ah, another customer."

The vampire's voice was as gentle as if he were hosting a tea party: "Welcome, welcome!"

He suddenly froze, his face contorting in pain: "Where am I? Where am I? Where am I?"

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

"This is the wilderness, yes, the wilderness. I'm patrolling my territory."

"But where is my territory? Why don't I remember it?"

He clutched his head, groaning in pain.
"Why...why are there so many voices in my head?"

"They were all talking, all screaming, all telling me what to do."

"Kill them!"

"No, maintain your elegance!"

"Tear them apart!"

"No, we must display the demeanor of nobility!"

"I'm hungry, I'm so hungry, I want to drink blood!"

"No, no, no, you can't do that, it's not polite."

The vampire's voice became increasingly chaotic, and his speech became faster and faster.

In the end, all the words mixed together, turning into meaningless howling.

Old Tom slumped in his seat, his lips trembling, unable to speak.

He had seen too many scenes like this—a life teetering between sanity and madness, ultimately leading to utter collapse.

This is more terrifying than any monster.

Because he could clearly see that the vampire was once a sentient being with thoughts and dignity.

But now.
"enough."

Ron spoke, his voice not loud, but it clearly reached the vampire's ears.

The vampire slowly turned his head, looking at Ron with his chaotic eyes.

"Who are you?"

"I think I should get to know you."

No, I don't know him.

"But your aura, that aura..."

He suddenly screamed, "You're crazy too! You smell like a madman!"

"Yes."

Ron calmly admitted, "I've seen a lot of madmen, and I understand madmen."

"So I know"

He raised his right hand, deliberately concealing the [Threshold of Darkness] and only revealing a portion of its ethereal power: "What you need most right now is liberation."

The vampire was stunned, and for the first time, a clear look appeared in his eyes.

"relief."

He murmured the word repeatedly, his voice filled with endless longing:
"Yes. I need relief."

"Then come on."

Ron's [Threshold of Darkness] began to operate.

"Observation".

The starlight formed an "eye" that focused on the vampire.

Countless lines unfolded in Ron's vision, twisting, intertwining, and knotting to form a chaotic dead knot.

This is the soul state of a berserk vampire.

His "self-awareness" has been completely fractured, with each fragment vying for control of his body and each voice claiming to be the "true master."

These fragments fight, devour, and merge with each other, then split again, forming an endless cycle of suffering.

"To cover up".

The black veil began to undulate, and countless chaotic threads extended out like tentacles.

They didn't attack the vampire's body; they directly invaded his mental realm.

In that chaotic battlefield, Ron found the most powerful, the most insane, and the most instinctive of those "selves."

—"Bloodlust".

This "self" was originally suppressed by other "selves" such as "aristocratic dignity," "rational thinking," and "moral principles."

But now, Ron has used the power of [Concealment] to sever all connections between this "self" and all other "selves".

The vampire's body suddenly convulsed violently.

His mouth opened to an incredible angle, and a beastly roar came from deep within his throat:
"Hungry--!!!!!"

The blood vessels under the skin, unable to withstand the sudden increase in internal pressure, began to rupture one after another.

"Clap! Clap! Clap!"

The sound of blood vessels bursting rang out continuously, like firecrackers.

But this is not enough.

The "bloodlust" doesn't just crave the flow of blood; it craves more! More! More!

As a result, the blood began to "go wild".

The heart was pounding wildly under extreme stress, and with each beat, blood rushed to the limbs at a speed dozens of times faster than normal.

"Aaaaaaah--!!"

The screams of the vampires echoed across the wilderness.

But mixed in with that scream was a kind of twisted pleasure?

Yes, that's exactly it.

"I finally don't have to endure it anymore."

"No need to pretend to be elegant anymore"

"No need to worry about etiquette anymore"

"I can, I can."

Before he could finish speaking, his head suddenly exploded.

Brain matter, blood, and bone fragments splattered in all directions like fireworks.

His chest cavity was torn to pieces by the rampaging blood, his ribs piercing out of his body one by one, and his heart, after one last frantic beat, completely exploded into a bloody mist.

The whole process lasted less than ten seconds.

Ten seconds later, the vampire viscount had turned into a shapeless mass of flesh and blood.

Deathly silence.

The students inside the bus stared blankly at the scene, their faces filled with shock and fear.

Old Tom was trembling all over.

A viscount-level vampire died so easily?

And it wasn't killed, it just tore itself apart like that?

He had never seen such a way of dying, nor had he ever imagined that "death" could be so terrifying.

Miller gave Ron a deep look.

This feeling is like a doctor precisely locating the tube that "shouldn't be removed" from a patient's body, and then gently pulling it out.
The patient died during his "recovery reaction".

Silas adjusted his glasses, his eyes filled with thought:
“Mental intervention consumes almost no magic power and leaves no trace.”

Edwin scratched his head, somewhat disappointed.
"That's it? I thought I was going to see a great fight."

Ron gave the order: "Silas, record the data."

"A berserk vampire, viscount level, with a mental breakdown rate of approximately 87% and an internal 'self' conflict index of 9.3."

"Using the combination of [Concealment] and [Mental Induction], the target was successfully forced to self-destruct. Approximately 0.2% of mana was consumed."

Silas immediately began writing in his notebook:
"Received. Is this tactic applicable to berserk targets of the same level?"

"Theoretically it's possible."

Ron looked at the pool of blood and flesh:
"The premise is that the target's mind is already in a state of chaos, and there is a clear 'struggle for dominance' within them."

"This move will be much less effective against a completely rational or completely insane opponent."

As he spoke, he prepared to go and collect materials.

But Silas suddenly spoke up: "Wait, Associate Professor Ralph."

Ron turned his head, somewhat puzzled: "What's wrong?"

"Let me go."

Silas stood up and stretched his wrists: "Collecting samples is something you shouldn't do yourself."

"Ok?"

"With your current status and position, you would be a big shot anywhere."

Silas adjusted his glasses, a rare teasing smile appearing on his face:
"A Dark Sun-level wizard, the founder of Narrative Potions, and a 'rising star' favored by the three Witch Kings."

"If someone in this position still does everything personally, then what value do we subordinates have?"

He walked to the car door:
"Moreover, my rune gloves happen to have the function of isolating contamination. I am more suitable than you to collect samples from berserk vampires."

Ron paused for a moment, then chuckled, "When did you learn to joke around?"

"You'll always learn something from spending time with Professor Vinard."

Silas shrugged: "That professor may seem serious, but he actually has quite a sense of humor in private."

He said that people who are too serious often don't live long.

After saying that, he pushed open the car door and jumped out.

“In that case, Edwin, you should go and help too.”

Ron turned to the lava giant: "Be careful to control the temperature, don't burn the sample."

"no problem!"

Edwin jumped out of the car excitedly and followed Silas.

The two began to skillfully handle the vampire corpses.

Silas was in charge of cutting and separating, the runes on his gloves shimmering as he precisely located valuable parts within the flesh;
Edwin was in charge of moving and storing the samples; his hands, capable of easily melting steel, were now carefully holding containers filled with samples.
Inside the vehicle, the students, under Ron's guidance, began recording data.

Liss was responsible for recording the magical fluctuations in the blood;
Hermann calculated the specific numerical values ​​of mental breakdown;
Lucia maintained the purification array to ensure the surrounding environment was not contaminated.
Everything proceeded smoothly.

It was as if they were just doing a normal laboratory job, rather than dealing with a vampire corpse that had just self-destructed.

Old Tom watched all this with mixed feelings.

巫师
Just as rumored.

Rational and indifferent, treating everything as research material.

Even the tragic death of that vampire viscount just now seemed to them to be nothing more than a "successful experiment."
This attitude inspires both awe and fear.

The top of an abandoned clock tower about five kilometers away.

Three figures dressed in black cloaks were observing everything through binoculars.

"Did you see it?"

One of the women, with a hoarse voice, whispered, "That wizard, he didn't even use any offensive spells."

"He just stood there and released his power."

"Then the berserk viscount exploded on his own."

Another young man's voice was filled with disbelief:
"This is not scientific! Berserk vampires have an extremely strong survival instinct; they will instinctively resist any mental attack..."

"But what if the attacker is also an expert in 'madness'?"

A third voice interrupted him; it was an old man, his tone filled with deep worry:
"This kind of opponent."

He shook his head: "That's terrible."

The woman lowered her voice:
"Should we still make contact? The church wants us to 'assess' the threat level of this foreign team."

"tell them."

The old man interrupted her: "Threat level: highest."

"Everyone on this team has demonstrated a high level of professionalism."

"That young wizard who is leading the group is even more unfathomable."

"Withdraw."

The old man turned and left the bell tower: "Go back and tell His Holiness the Bishop that we must not provoke this group."

"Their goal is Twilight City, so let them go."

"As long as they don't interfere in church affairs, we'll pretend we didn't see it."

The three figures disappeared into the shadow of the clock tower.

Only the wind blowing through the broken pendulum, making a low "click" sound.

The sound echoed through the desolate ruins, like a silent warning.
………………

"knock off."

Silas sealed the last sample container and patted the blood off his hands.

Although protected by the rune gloves, it didn't actually get dirty.

"Well done."

Ron nodded in satisfaction: "The sample quality is very good. We can conduct a detailed analysis when we get back."

He turned to old Tom, who was still in a daze: "We can continue now."

"Ah? Oh! Oh oh!"

The driver then came to his senses and frantically started the engine.
"Okay, okay! Coming right away!"

After everyone got back on the bus, old Tom couldn't help but look back at Ron.

The emotions in his eyes were extremely complex—awe, fear, and a hint of relief.

I'm glad I was just a guide for this team, not their enemy.

"Rumble..."

The Wilderness Ranger restarted and continued its journey to the other side of the wilderness. (End of Chapter)