Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

Ian disappeared into the woods, feeling a powerful aura rapidly approaching from behind, and his heart tightened.

The pursuer was extremely fast, and his aura was even stronger than that of Nolan, whom he had killed.

This time, however, the opponent wasn't crippled like Nolan.

He dared not run in a straight line, and kept changing direction in the woods, trying to use the terrain to shake off his opponent.

But their experienced opponents remained close behind.

The two chased and fled, quickly penetrating several miles into the dense forest and far from the main road.

A small clearing appeared ahead, and Ian suddenly stopped and turned around.

The senior apprentice who had been chasing after him also stopped, standing thirty meters away, tilting his head to look at Ian.

This was a middle-aged man with a gloomy face, wearing a dark red robe and several rings on his hands.

His aura was distinctly different from that of the Shadowmoon apprentices, and a faint bloody scent lingered around him.

"Why did you stop running?"

The gloomy man sneered, "Hand over your magic stones, potions, and other valuables, and I might make your death a little easier."

Ian did not answer, his eyes narrowed slightly.

With a watchful eye overhead, he monitored the surroundings, checking for any other lurking enemies.

"You're asking for death!" The gloomy man saw Ian's shifty gaze and his disregard for him, and a fierce glint flashed in his eyes.

He raised his hand and pointed: "Corrosion and puncture!"

A thin, black line shot out, carrying a pungent, fishy stench, aimed straight at Ian's face.

While advanced apprentices cannot cast spells instantly, their spellcasting time is extremely short.

This is a dark, corrosive sorcery with strong penetrating power and is highly poisonous.

"Kryst'thal!"

Ian gave a low shout, and the Crystal Energy Barrier formed almost instantly, protecting him.

puff!

The jet-black lines struck the shield, almost completely penetrating it before being neutralized by layers of crystalline barriers.

"Oh? You cast the spell pretty quickly." The gloomy man was somewhat surprised, but then he sneered.

"Let's see how many times you can hold out!"

He flicked his fingers repeatedly while chanting incantations.

A series of corrosive rays shot out.

Ian held up his shield, stomped his foot, and retreated rapidly, moving out of the spell's attack range.

Just as the man paused his attack to prepare for more powerful witchcraft.

Ian suddenly stopped, then rushed forward again.

"I've experienced your witchcraft; now, taste mine!"

Before he finished speaking, two deep blue frost rays shot out.

The rays suddenly split apart during flight, drawing two arcs to attack from the left and right, blocking the opponent's escape space.

"Huh?!" The gloomy man was taken aback, and even blinked.

He didn't see Ian chant any spells at all.

"Instant-cast sorcery!"

He realized what was happening and immediately felt a chill run down his spine, knowing he had met his match.

A ring on his hand flashed, and a dark red blood shield enveloped him.

puff puff!

Two beams struck the shield simultaneously, unleashing the power of extreme cold.

A thick layer of ice quickly formed on the surface of the blood shield, and it continued to spread and erode inward, constantly producing tiny ice crystals.

The man in the shadows, his vision obstructed, became increasingly wary and hurriedly extended his spiritual energy outwards.

He watched as the blood shield thinned, and his own magic flow was affected by the cold, becoming sluggish.

"Instant-cast ice magic, what a nuisance!"

His magical power began to surge rapidly.

With a loud "bang!", all the ice around it shattered.

"Kid, you've successfully angered..."

Before he could finish speaking, a large swath of deep blue light flew rapidly toward him in his line of sight.

Extreme cold air spread wildly, and the temperature in the open area plummeted.

"Ah..." The gloomy man roared, no longer daring to hold back.

After activating several more blood shields, he formed hand seals and chanted a lengthy incantation.

A chilling dark energy began to gather.

Ian's pupils contracted, and the hairs on his body stood on end.

A tremendous threat of imminent death is looming!

It's far more terrifying than Nolan's "Deathstroke"!

"We must not let him finish!"

He quickly swallowed the recovery potion, no longer conserving his mental energy, and frantically activated the Frost Runes once again.

In mid-air, beams of frigid light appeared out of thin air...

Whoosh...

Loud banging sounds rang out, and the ice layer on the gloomy man's body continued to tremble and thicken.

The gloomy man's face darkened, and his incantation was interrupted.

The blood shield on his body rose and shattered, and the magic ring gradually ran out of energy.

The ice layer accumulated and thickened, completely enveloping him and forming a small iceberg.

"I won't die here!"

The gloomy man hardened his heart and muttered to himself for a moment.

He coughed up a mouthful of blood, which splattered onto the ice in front of him.

"Sizzle..."

The blood temperature seemed extremely high, quickly melting away the ice layer on his upper body.

"Now!"

A fierce glint flashed in Ian's eyes.

He mobilized his mental energy to the maximum extent, and a blazing light shone from his fingertips.

"lgnis! Maximum output!"

A scorching ray, nearly twice the size of the usual one, burst forth.

Like a crimson meteor, it shot straight at the gloomy man who was about to break through the ice.

The gloomy man sensed a deadly threat and frantically channeled his magic to try and shatter the ice to escape.

But there are too many layers of ice!

He had barely managed to free half his body when the radiation arrived!

"No……"

The gloomy man let out a short scream before being torn apart by the flames of the explosion and the shattered ice blades!

The flames dissipated, leaving only scattered fragments and a chaotic mess of fire and ice.

Ian rubbed his temples and let out a long breath.

What he just used was a little trick he had recently figured out.

By leveraging their formidable mental focus, they can maximize the power of their spells.

"It seems to be working quite well."

Ian strode forward, searched the other man's hand for the ring and other valuables, and sped away towards Nightfall Town.

As he ran, he used his Vigilant Eyes to monitor his surroundings.

Thinking back to the unfinished witchcraft performed by the gloomy man, she felt lingering fear.

And... an indescribable excitement and exhilaration!

"At least an elite-level advanced apprentice was killed by me in a head-on battle! Haha..."

He knew the gloomy man died from underestimating his opponent, but it wasn't due to the opponent's carelessness.

In any one-on-one battle against an instant-cast wizard, without special defensive measures, you will be continuously worn down and remain in a passive state.

The power of instant-cast sorcery was fully demonstrated in both battles!

"My strength is sufficient to survive in brutal warfare, and I can even actively hunt down prey!"

Outside Nightfall, Ian found a secluded spot and treated the marks of battle on his body.

He walked through the gate, acting as if nothing had happened, and returned to the Star Leaf Potion Shop.

After closing the door, he immediately began inspecting his spoils.

On the gloomy man's body were more than three hundred magic stones, some intermediate-level magic potion materials, and several commonly used healing, detoxifying, and restorative potions.

Unfortunately, most of the witchcraft rings were overloaded and damaged, with only one still usable.

Besides these, there was also a thin booklet—"The Art of Blood Erosion".

"Not bad." Ian smiled and put the things away.

Although he doesn't intend to learn dark magic, he can sell it or trade it with someone.

He sat cross-legged and began to meditate to recover.

Every detail of the battle just now kept replaying in his mind.

Summarize our experiences and reflect on our shortcomings.