Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

Ian took a walk around and found that although the atmosphere of war could be felt here, it was still a relatively safe rear area in essence.

His assigned quota of medicines was precisely to supply the needs of wounded soldiers and combat personnel on the front lines.

He eventually circled back to Shadowmoon Base, intending to see what missions were available in the mission hall.

The hall was much quieter than the outside, with only one window where seven or eight people were queuing up to hand over their tasks.

Ian walked to the information board, his eyes scanning the transaction information and tasks.

Suddenly, an inconspicuous transaction message caught his attention.

[Seeking to purchase: Fresh essence blood of a Rock Armored Demon Bear, at least 200 ml. Can be traded for equivalent value in Firescale Ore or Magic Stones. Contact: Harold, Alchemy Workshop No. 7, East District.]

Rock Armored Demon Bear!

Ian's eyes narrowed; these were the materials he needed. The Rock Bear Potion was still in the introductory stage because it lacked blood essence.

His powerful physique is an important piece of the puzzle in shaping his future strength.

It is not intended for direct combat, but rather to enhance survival methods beyond the witchcraft system.

Ian noted down the location but didn't head there immediately; being new to the area, he needed more information.

Leaving the information board, he walked towards the task window. While waiting in line, he overheard the conversation between the two apprentices ahead of him.

"What did you exchange this time?"

"I have a piece of 'Flame Steel' that I'm planning to have someone forge into my staff... unfortunately, the waiting list is until next month."

"Who are they looking for? Someone from the Crawford family?"

"No, they're charging a high price. They've hired the new batch of alchemists from the workshop district. I heard they came with the Shadowmoon supply team, and their skills are quite good."

"That family?"

"I don't know. The cuffs are embroidered with mountain and rock emblems, so they must be a family skilled in earth-based magic."

……

Ian listened silently, his expression calm.

When it was his turn, the middle-aged wizard apprentice at the window checked his quest scroll and nodded, "Quota completed, contribution points recorded."

"Excuse me," Ian asked casually, "what are the procedures and taboos for posting missions here?"

"You are the potion master of the tower, so there are no taboos, but you have to charge a certain amount of magic stones every time you issue a mission."

"Hmm... one more thing, some of the family wizards have eccentric personalities, so I don't usually have much contact with them."

Ian was taken aback. Did those family wizards dare to offend the Tower Apprentices? Even…

But thinking about it, this is a war zone, and anything strange can happen.

"Several families have sent people to the camp. Oh, what's the name of that new family?"

"I didn't notice. Anyway, they were all invited by the tower to provide support." The middle-aged apprentice looked a little impatient.

After thanking him, Ian left the mission site, but he remained unsettled.

Finally, he turned to the workshop area, which was busier than the rest of the camp.

Various noises emanated from the dozen or so stone houses and sheds, and the air was filled with a mixture of metallic, sulfurous, and magical potion smells.

He found number seven in the South District and saw a stone house with a metal plaque that read "Harold Alchemy".

The doors were half-closed, and the sound of grinding could be heard from inside.

Ian knocked on the door.

"Go in," a rough, hoarse voice replied.

Ian pushed open the door and entered. The room was filled with ores, animal bones, and glassware.

An old man with disheveled hair, wearing a leather apron, was crushing red crystals with a pestle and mortar.

When Ian came in, he looked up, revealing a pair of sharp, tan eyes.

"What is it?"

"I saw your post; you're looking to buy the essence blood of the Rock Armor Demon Bear."

Ian remained polite, saying, "I'd also like to know the source of this kind of material."

Harold stopped what he was doing, looked Ian up and down a few times, and asked, "Are you looking to buy or sell?"

"I'm just inquiring right now; I'm willing to make a deal if needed."

"Essence blood is hard to come by." Harold wiped his hands. "The Rock Armor Demon Bear has thick hide and goes berserk when injured, so it's not worth much."

Last time, a senior apprentice hunted one, but the newcomers to the workshop area snatched it up first.

Ian's heart skipped a beat. "You mean...?"

"It's them." Harold curled his lip. "They've only been here a few days, but they've already taken over several prime locations in the workshop and monopolized a lot of magical beast materials. They're acting rather domineeringly, and your Tower doesn't seem to care!"

Ian pressed on, "What do they need the essence of the Rock Armored Demon Bear for?"

"Who knows? Aren't they bloodline wizards? Maybe they need these things."

"If you have any information about essence blood, or if any hunting teams are willing to take on such a commission, please let me know, and I will pay a reasonable reward."

"Okay," Harold nodded, "but don't get your hopes up too high."

On his way back to his residence after leaving the workshop, Ian saw several knights from the Crawford family instructing commoners in training.

Several servants resting nearby were chatting idly.

"The family got into another fight at the fire vein mine, and I heard several people were injured."

"They're really acting like tyrants. Didn't the tower clearly stipulate that mining sites should be jointly operated?"

"Rules are rules, but what can you do when someone has connections?"

……

Ian listened silently. It seemed that even in the front-line war zone, internal strife still occurred from time to time.

Back at his residence, he reviewed his cultivation plan.

After completing the daily quota tasks, prioritize the cultivation of "Crystal Energy Barrier".

We also need to continue searching for the essence of the Rock Armored Demon Bear. This requires a two-pronged approach: in addition to focusing on the hunting missions, we also need to gather information through intermediaries like Harold.

"Perhaps we could ask Captain Hank?"

However, he wasn't familiar with Captain Hank, and they barely spoke a few words along the way. Moreover, since Hank took over as team leader, he hadn't been seen at all.

From that day on, Ian strictly followed his plan.

After completing the potion-making task in the early morning, I went to the witchcraft training area in my backyard to practice shield magic.

With the help of "focus" and "insight", our understanding of energy structure continues to deepen.

In the afternoon, he would spend some time checking the mission area, keeping an eye on the hunting party's information, and seeing if there was any Rock Bear Blood Essence.

In the afternoon, as usual, I practiced two types of ray magic, and my proficiency was steadily increasing.

Three days later, Ian took a dose of the overpowered "Awakening Potion" and fell into deep meditation.

……

Five kilometers from the camp, a group of people dressed in dark red robes were advancing silently.

Without using any lighting magic, they relied on their familiarity with the canyon terrain and their extraordinary night vision to traverse the treacherous terrain.

The group consisted of nine people, led by a man with a gloomy face and sunken eyes.

His name was Morez Bloodthorn, and his dark red robes were embroidered with intricate silver bat patterns along the edges.

This is the emblem of the Crimson Court's "Blood Bat" squad!

Morez held a short staff in his hand, the top of which was inlaid with a dark red gem the size of an egg. The staff was wrapped with the sinews of some kind of magical beast, which pulsated slightly with his breathing.

"Is the intelligence confirmed?" Morez's voice was sharp and piercing.

Behind him, a short apprentice with bloodshot eyes responded in a low voice.

"Confirmed, Captain, there is currently only one official wizard stationed at the 'Forge' camp."

Formal wizards don't need to consider this.

When the time comes, someone will come out to deal with it!