Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

The atmosphere at the "Furnace" camp remained oppressive the following morning.

The air still carried a faint smell of blood and burnt odor, and the charred marks on the broken walls and ground showed the horror of last night.

People were still cleaning up the scene; the body of his companion had been recovered last night.

Ian arrived at the alchemy room early and completed the task assigned by the wizard Sterling.

With the added benefit of several special effects that break limits, crafting these low-level potions has become almost an instinct, and his proficiency has steadily increased.

After completing his quota, he did not immediately begin cultivating, but instead left the alchemy room.

In the open space in the center of the camp, a female apprentice in a red robe was treating several apprentices who had been poisoned the previous night.

She appears to be a life-based or nature-based wizard, and these types of apprentices are among the most popular in the camp.

The female apprentice was pale, clearly having expended a great deal of energy.

"Last night's crimson curse and that poisonous fog almost drove us to the brink of collapse."

An intermediate apprentice with his arm wrapped in bandages still looked shaken.

"If it weren't for that new potion master who created some purifying mist, we might not have even had time to wait for Sterling Wizard to make a move."

"Yeah, I heard his name is Ian? He's quick-witted, but his strength... well, he's still just an intermediate apprentice and a potion master. He'd be lucky to even protect himself."

……

Ian did not stop and continued walking towards the western wall of the camp.

The old man, with a briar pipe dangling from his mouth, was directing several apprentices to repair the corroded rune array.

"Thanks to your skills last night, otherwise the poisonous fog would have spread and even more people would have died."

The old man with the pipe said in a hoarse voice, "But kid, just being able to concoct medicine isn't enough to stand here. Those lunatics in the Crimson Court don't care if you're a magician or not."

"I understand." Ian nodded. He knew that Hank and the others had been members of the "Furnace" camp before, and that they had only returned to the team after a period of rest.

"Old Pipe, you've been in the camp for a while, could you tell me about the approximate strength of the advanced apprentices in the Crimson Court?"

He paused, then continued, "And... among the advanced apprentices here at the camp, who is stronger compared to them?"

The old man exhaled a smoke ring from his pipe and squinted at the dark red light emanating from the distant canyon.

"Advanced apprentices...the difference is huge..."

As Ian listened, he silently compared the two scenarios in his mind.

Based on strength, those who have just broken through are ordinary advanced apprentices, like Venomous Fang and Lina in the camp.

Each has its own strengths, but overall they are still in the accumulation stage, and the power of their magic and the total amount of their spiritual energy are limited.

Above that are elite advanced apprentices.

People like Morez from the Crimson Royal Court who led the team last night, and Hank, the team leader at the camp, belong to this level.

They had spent decades honing their skills at the advanced apprentice level, possessing a well-balanced combination of witchcraft and rich combat experience.

Some also studied other systems, or had special bloodlines or witchcraft tools.

In a one-on-one situation, an ordinary advanced apprentice wouldn't last long against them.

Ian's heart skipped a beat. Could Nolan, and the crimson-faced man he had killed before, be considered as elite advanced apprentices?

He sensed that while the Shadow Man's sorcery was extremely powerful, its casting speed was slow, and Nolan might be even stronger.

After all, he managed to escape from Malena, Harvey, and two others, and even managed to injure them all.

"Then... are there even stronger ones?"

Seeing that the old piper had stopped talking, Ian continued to ask.

"Yes!" The old man's gaze became distant. "Those stronger than elite apprentices are naturally top-tier advanced apprentices..."

They were a group of true geniuses, each of whom had reached the threshold of becoming a formal wizard.

Their spiritual power is almost perfect, and their understanding of witchcraft far surpasses that of their peers.

These apprentices are rare; each one is a treasure of major organizations and they usually don't appear in frontline camps like this.

They were either in seclusion attempting to become official wizards, or carrying out more crucial and dangerous missions.

The old man paused, his voice becoming even more distant.

"And even... that which exists only in legends, known only to wizards... the 'monster'."

These geniuses, whose talents are terrifyingly high, are said to be able to pose a threat to formal wizards even at the advanced apprentice stage.

"evildoer!"

A thought struck Ian, and a name popped into his mind—Elena!

A girl who entered the tower at the same time as him, but possesses "special talent".

Within a year of enrolling, he broke through to the level of advanced apprentice, and was called "the most promising existence in the Tower in nearly a hundred years" by the familiar raven Umar.

Where is she now? Has she become what the old pipe smoker calls a "top-tier" or a "prodigy"?

He hadn't seen Elena since the entrance exam.

The two came from different social classes and had drastically different life trajectories.

While he was still struggling for survival and resources, the other party might already be in the core area of ​​the tower.

They receive personal instruction from formal wizards or beings above wizards, enjoy the best resources, and grow at a speed unimaginable to ordinary people.

The differences between people are truly vast!

Ian felt a surge of emotion, but not jealousy; instead, he felt an even stronger sense of urgency.

He has a control panel, which is his greatest asset.

As long as he survives and continues to acquire resources, he may be able to catch up with those geniuses.

"Thank you for letting me know." Ian thanked the old man with the pipe and turned to leave.

Passing through the workshop district, the leaders of several wizarding families looked ashen-faced; their losses last night had been even more devastating.

But the mission assigned by the Tower must still be completed.

As Ian left, he vaguely felt a gaze linger on him for a moment.

But when he turned around, he didn't find anything, and he kept an eye on it.

He arrived at the watchtower at the edge of the camp, where Lina was on duty.

She saw Ian and nodded slightly: "You did a good job last night."

Lina's voice was cold and clear, "But don't relax, the Crimson Court's attacks won't be just a one-off."

They're like hyenas, swarming at the smell of blood. Our 'Forge' is strategically located; the magic stones and potions inside are incredibly tempting to them.

"I understand." Ian raised his head and looked at Lina.

"Lina, based on your experience, how much time do we have to prepare?"

Lina paused for a moment, then looked into the depths of the canyon.

"It won't be long. Although Sterling Wizard repelled the 'Crimson Blade' last night, he himself was seriously injured and needs time to recover."

The Crimson Royal Court, having received the news, will certainly not let this opportunity slip by.

The next attack could be larger and more covert.

"In short, hurry up and improve your strength, Potions Master."

Ian nodded; what he needed most right now was time.

Back in the open space behind the alchemy room, he began his witchcraft practice for the day.

"Kryst'thal!"

As the familiar Tua language resounded, "Crystal Energy Barrier" unfolded time and again.

Ian was no longer satisfied with simply maintaining the shield and began to try to dodge ranged magic while moving quickly.

Try thickening the shield in certain areas to create a small shield that can block point attacks.

At the moment the shield is subjected to an energy impact, try to distribute the pressure and reduce energy consumption by fine-tuning the energy structure.

Each successful defense or structural optimization brings a slight increase in proficiency.

On the panel, [Crystal Energy Barrier: Control (619/800)]...[Control (620/800)]

……

Little by little, the progress was slow but determined.

He could sense that the potential of this witchcraft was far from being realized.

The special effects after breaking the limits could very well bring about a qualitative change in his survivability.