Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

Deep inside the cave, Ian found a small grotto.

The entrance is hidden, the inside is dry, and the space is not large, but it is enough to accommodate people.

He used floating crystal guardians to set up a simple warning at the entrance, and sprinkled some powder to mask his aura before sitting down.

First, check the harvest.

Five void anchor stones, each the size of a fist, are heavy, with silver patterns slowly flowing on their surface. They feel cool to the touch and have a strange sense of "anchoring".

He picked up a piece and probed it with his spiritual power.

hum!

A clear sense of coordinates emerged in my mind, as if there was a point firmly fixed in the endless void.

There was more than one; the five anchor stones resonated faintly with each other, as if they could form some kind of array.

"It really is a good thing." Ian carefully put it away.

With these, we can go back and try to build the Abyss Altar and attempt to communicate with the other world.

But the prerequisite is that he can leave the underground palace alive.

Then, he took out the things he had taken from Blood Butcher.

The dark red metal token was warm to the touch, with a burning crown engraved on the front and a line of small characters on the back.

"Crimson Commander." This item indicates that Blood Butcher holds a high position in the Crimson Royal Court, at least as a steward.

Ian put the token aside and looked at the recording crystal.

Injecting spiritual power.

Images and words appeared before my eyes.

It wasn't a record of the Bloodbath, but rather a copy of an older, internal archive from the Crimson Court.

The image is somewhat blurry, but it's still legible.

It was a huge underground altar, circular in shape, with three layers, each layer covered with densely packed runes.

In the center stands a black stone pillar, and atop the pillar floats a... void anchor stone.

No, not one piece.

Dozens of anchor stones, arranged in a complex array, together stabilize a constantly twisting dark vortex at the center of the altar.

There is a text description next to the image:

[The Core of the Sleeping Palace - The Sleeping Altar]

[Builders: Ancient "Soulweaver" Civilization (Possibly)]

[Function: Stabilizes space with a Void Anchor array to maintain the seal of the "Sleeping Cocoon"]

[WARNING: The altar's energy has weakened, and the seal is loosening. If a large number of anchor stones are removed, the seal will completely collapse, releasing the ancient calamity sealed within the "Sleeping Cocoon."]

Ian's heart skipped a beat.

A slumbering cocoon? An ancient calamity?

He continued reading.

The following is the investigation record of the Crimson Royal Court.

[...According to the interpretation of the inscriptions on the ruins, the "Soul Weavers" civilization, in pursuit of immortality, conducted a "soul weaving" ritual, attempting to merge the will of all its members and elevate them to a higher existence.]

The ritual failed, and the collective will combined with the pollution of abyssal energy to give birth to an indescribable entity codenamed "Void Weaver".

The "Soulweaver" civilization exhausted all its resources to seal it within the "Cocoon of Slumber," maintaining the seal with an array of void anchor stones, in the process of destroying its own civilization.

The remaining areas of the underground palace are relics of the "Soul Weavers" civilization, including the Alchemy Garden, the Illusion Corridor, and the Will Corridor... all of which were auxiliary facilities for the rituals of that time.

[Action Recommendations: 1. Remove the anchor stone, causing the seal to collapse, releasing the calamity, and seizing the "Soul Weaver's" legacy amidst the chaos; 2. Maintain the seal and slowly excavate.]

[Note: If you obtain enough anchor stones, you can try to reverse-engineer the "Voidweaver" using the Crimson Arcane to transform it into a weapon of war...]

The recording ends here.

Ian put down the crystal and remained silent for a long time.

It turned out to be the case.

The underground palace is not an ordinary ancient site, but a tomb built by a civilization to seal away the monster it created.

Every hundred years, they come to the border of the wizarding world, absorb magic to stabilize themselves, and then drift back into the void.

The Void Anchor Stone is key to the seal; if too many are taken, monsters will escape.

They weren't unaware of the dangers of unleashing the "Voidweaver," but they wanted to take the gamble.

He gambled that he could control the monster and turn it into a weapon of war.

"Madman," Ian muttered under his breath.

But then he thought about it again and understood.

Among the three major factions, the Crimson Court has always been relatively radical, preferring to solve problems through bloodshed and violence.

If they could control an ancient calamity, their influence in the surrounding area would be greatly enhanced.

It might even... lead to the unification of the continent.

But then he thought of himself.

He took five anchor stones.

Although we don't know how many altar arrays there are, or how many blocks are needed in total to make it stable.

But five dollars... will definitely have an impact.

The thing that was chasing him just now was most likely part of the "Void Weaver," or a derivative thereof.

It reacted to the anchor stone and followed it all the way.

"This is troublesome." Ian frowned.

If the seal really collapses, the entire underground palace will be destroyed.

He's still inside; whether he can escape or not is still a question.

Moreover, the people of the Crimson Court are definitely acting in secret, and someone may have already sabotaged the altar.

He had to leave the underground palace as soon as possible.

But I'm not willing to just leave like this.

The legacy of the "Soul Weavers" civilization... He didn't know about anything else, but that small silver tree and its five fruits were definitely treasures.

And there's the "soul weaving" ritual mentioned in the previous record...

Ian suddenly remembered that when he absorbed the [Eye of the Gazer] on his panel, he gained a trace of crystallization.

The "Soul Weavers" civilization seems to pursue the "weaving" and "upgrading" of a certain collective will.

Is there any connection between these two things?

He now has two choices.

First, read "The Wizard: My Skills Can Break Infinitely" and enjoy the reading time. Immediately find an exit and leave the dungeon; this is the safest way, but you might miss other treasures deeper within.

Second, we can go deeper and explore the core area of ​​the underground palace. The risks are extremely high, but the rewards could be enormous.

Ian hesitated for a few seconds, then his eyes gradually hardened.

"Since we're already here..."

He recalled the subtle yet steady fluctuations of rules he had sensed earlier in the illusion corridor.

The fluctuations were similar to those of the Void Anchor, but more obscure and more "concentrated".

That is very likely the location of the core area of ​​the underground palace, the location of the slumbering altar.

Moreover, the people of the Crimson Court are also looking for there.

If they really intend to destroy the altar and unleash the "Void Weaver," the entire dungeon will be plunged into disaster.

Although Ian didn't want to be a savior, he also didn't want to die here for no reason.

"I have to go and take a look," he made up his mind.

However, we must not act rashly.

He took out a scroll from his dimensional ring, which he had found on the Scarlet Witch, and quickly flipped through it.

It contains a record of several commonly used communication signals and codes.

Ian noted down a few of the simple ones, then took out the crimson token and held it in his hand.

"Hehe, if you encounter anyone from the Crimson Royal Court later, just hide in the shadows and don't come out."

"I understand, Gaa." Gaa nodded, blinking her little eyes. "But what if they start fighting?"

"If there are too many people, run," Ian said decisively. "Survival comes first."

He packed his things, checked his equipment, and after confirming that everything was in order, he walked out of the cave.

The cave is very large and has many branching paths.

Following the map I had seen on the metal plate, Ian headed toward the red dot marked "suspected entrance to the core area".

The road was quiet, and occasionally you could encounter some monsters native to the dungeon.

For example, a glowing beetle the size of a fist, or a rock snake lurking in the shadows.

Ian should avoid it if possible, and if he can't avoid it, he should deal with it quickly and try not to make too much of a fuss.

After walking for about half an hour, a downward slope appeared ahead.

The slope was steep, the ground was slippery, and covered with dark green moss.

Ian tiptoed down the path carefully.

The lower you go, the lower the temperature in the air, and the fainter the cloying, rotten smell becomes.

Instead, there was an old, musty smell, as if the metal and stone had been sealed away for thousands of years.

At the end of the slope was a huge stone gate.

The door was made of dark gray metal with rust marks on the surface, but the overall structure was intact.

The gate was over ten meters high and five or six meters wide, covered with densely packed runes, which were now emitting a faint pale blue glow.

The door was tightly closed, and two people were standing in front of it.

They were both wearing deep red robes, a man and a woman, talking in hushed tones.

The man was tall and thin, holding a dark red staff in his hand.

The woman was petite, but had sharp eyes, and wore a string of skulls around her waist.

Unlike the male witch, the female witch had a stone slab at her feet engraved with ancient runes, the purpose of which was unknown.

Both of them possessed considerable strength, being experts in the liquefaction stage.

Ian hid at the corner of the slope, holding his breath and listening intently to their conversation.

"...How long have they been inside?" the wizard asked.

"It's been almost two hours."

The witch's voice was cold. "The situation inside is unclear. We'd better not make any sudden moves."

"I know," the wizard sighed, "but staying here and guarding things isn't a long-term solution. What if..."

"There's no 'what if'," the witch interrupted him.

"Phoenix has the 'Blood Sacrifice Order,' so even if they attack in groups, they can escape unscathed. We just need to guard the gate."

The wizard nodded and said nothing more.

Ian's heart sank.

There seemed to be a lot of people inside. Did Phoenix go in too? And what kind of "blood sacrifice order" did he bring?

It seems the Crimson Court is very well prepared for this operation.

Ian looked away and tapped his finger on the dimensional ring.

He had initially considered using the crimson token to try and get away with it, but then quickly abandoned the idea.

Too slow, too troublesome.

And... there's no need for that.

He felt the pale golden light in his spiritual sea and the surging power within his body.

The frost rays were already gathering at his fingertips, and the gravity-collapsed sphere could take shape at any moment. The claws in his sleeve tightened slightly in the shadows.

So what if Phoenix is ​​in there?

They fought their way through the dungeon; Blood Butcher was dead, Samael was dead, and the Cursed Undead Squad was wiped out.

Ian looked down at his palm; the lines on his palm were clearly visible in the dim light.

He seems to be truly unafraid of anyone now.

"Heh heh," he whispered, "Don't come out yet, I'm about to make my move."

"Understood." A cawing voice came from the shadows, filled with eagerness.

Ian took a deep breath, no longer concealing his breathing, and no longer slowing his pace.

He emerged from the shadows and walked steadily down the slope.

The footsteps on the rocks made a clear "tap, tap" sound.

The footsteps immediately alerted the two guards at the gate.

"Who?!"

The wizard whirled around, a dark red glow emanating from the tip of his staff, illuminating his wary face.

The witch instantly assumed a battle stance, the string of skulls around her waist spinning with a "click-clack" sound, and eerie green flames ignited in her empty eye sockets.

Ian did not stop and continued walking forward.

Getting closer and closer...