Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

The night sky was starless, except for an ominous blood-red glow emanating from the depths of the canyon.

Ian got up and went out of the house to the open space behind the alchemy room.

【Crystal Energy Barrier: Mastery (795/800)】

Only 5 o'clock left! Even if I don't sleep tonight, I'm going to work hard to finish it!

He took a deep breath of the scorching air, banishing all distracting thoughts.

"Kryst'thal!"

A translucent crystal shield unfolded in front of him, its hexagonal energy structure shimmering faintly in the darkness.

Following his previous approach, Ian did not settle for merely maintaining the status quo, but began practicing at the highest intensity.

Maintain shield stability during rapid movement, simulating the absorption of energy impacts from different angles and intensities.

In the instant the shield is hit in a localized area, the energy of nearby units is finely adjusted using mental power to distribute and share the pressure...

Each optimization and adaptation of the structure brings a slight tremor to the level of proficiency.

Although numbers don't always appear, Ian is captivated by the feeling of progressing step by step.

[Crystal Energy Barrier Proficiency +1]

……

Ian's eyes were sharp as he kept recalling the various battle scenes from before, simulating new models in his mind.

When a crystal unit is damaged, can it be decomposed actively instead of being shared as a whole?

Then, the energy is quickly transferred to other units, while energy is drawn from other units to instantly regenerate a new crystal unit at the damaged site.

This idea is extremely bold, requiring an almost instinctive and profound understanding of the shield's structure, as well as extremely refined mental control.

"I have both of those!"

Ian's eyes gleamed as he reaffirmed the feasibility of the plan. He then focused all his attention on the shield in front of him and simulated a "point-penetrating attack".

Under his deliberate guidance, the light of the attacked hexagonal unit suddenly dimmed.

Just before it shattered completely, the energy of several surrounding units resonated at a peculiar frequency.

Strands of energy were drawn from the gaps in the unit, rapidly intertwining...

A brand new, slightly smaller but structurally complete hexagonal crystal re-condensed in less than a fraction of a second!

The strength of this reorganized unit was initially only about 80% of its original strength, and the loss of mental energy was also negligible.

"I...did it!"

[Crystal Energy Barrier Proficiency +1]

【Crystal Energy Barrier: Breakthrough once (0/1600) (Breakthrough Effect: 1. Reorganization)】

boom!

The familiar, violent shock exploded in my mind, far more intense than any previous breakthrough!

Countless insights about energy structure, crystal growth, damage and regeneration flooded into my mind like a torrent.

Ian "saw" the essential model of this witchcraft.

It is not a simple planar assembly, but a dynamic, three-dimensional, nested honeycomb energy network!

Each hexagonal unit is a tiny energy node.

They are interconnected and share an energy pool. When attacked, the entire network can quickly allocate energy and restructure!

Meanwhile, next to the Will Rune, in addition to the blue Frost Rune and the gray Palm Rune, there was another small neighbor.

A brand new, intricately structured, translucent, crystalline rune is shimmering slightly, as if it is breathing joyfully.

The crystalline runes are composed of countless tiny hexagonal crystals, constantly being created, destroyed, and recombined...

It resembles a miniature, never-ending defense system.

However, it is not yet fully formed, and some details are still slightly blurry.

Perhaps Ian needs to break through his limits again to complete it.

The moment the sorcery runes took shape, he had a thought but did not utter the incantation.

A brand-new energy shield enveloped his entire body, connected to his will, and functioned as easily as his own arm.

Instant shield!

Ian suppressed his overwhelming joy and carefully examined the differences in the new shield.

The shield's absolute strength is twice as strong as before!

But that's not the most important thing. The most crucial thing is—"activity"!

He could clearly sense every flow of the shield's energy network, as if it were an extension of his body.

He can thicken parts of the shield to create a tower shield, or make the shield change shape like flowing water as he moves, reducing air resistance.

He can even expand the shield's range to create a simple "isolation zone" centered on him.

He tried to dispel the shield on his own, and then had another thought.

The shield reappears instantly, then dissipates, and is cast again.

After five consecutive attempts, Ian finally felt a noticeable depletion of his mental energy.

This means that in actual combat, as long as his shield is not instantly destroyed, it can almost be "never broken".

Survival capabilities have undergone a qualitative leap!

"Reorganize!"

Ian murmured the name silently, his eyes gleaming with intense light.

He looked up into the depths of the canyon, wondering when the next attack from the Crimson Court would arrive.

But Ian knew that he had another crucial trump card in his hand.

As he turned to return to his room, a loud roar came from the makeshift workshop on the east side of the camp.

"Hahaha! I fixed one! Sterling, come and see!"

His voice was filled with suppressed excitement; Copperbeard's voice was extremely loud, completely disregarding whether it would disturb the rest of others.

"Let those crimson scum taste the power of the 'Thunder Roar' ballista!"

Ian's heart skipped a beat, and he looked in that direction.

"The rune ballista just arrived today, and Brann Bronzebeard has already repaired one. He seems to have some skill."

The addition of Bronzebeard enhanced the defenses of the entire camp at a visible rate.

In the center of the camp, Sterling's figure took to the air and flew towards the temporary workshop to the east.

The rune ballista has been repaired, which is great news.

But Ian keenly sensed that Bronzebeard, Hank, and Sterling Wizard all revealed an undisguised worry.

He himself also needs to raise his strength to its current peak before the great battle arrives, and become a true artillery wizard!

The defense has now made a qualitative leap, but Ian is not satisfied.

Currently, the only areas where he can improve, besides the offensive magic he practices every day, are his physical strength.

However, his "Rock Bear Potion" skill is difficult to improve for the time being, and his "Bloodline Purification Technique" is still at the proficient level (306/400).

To refine more powerful bloodline potions, these two skills must be improved as soon as possible.

During this period, he was unable to collect much of the Rock Armor Demon Bear's essence blood. Whenever essence blood appeared, it was always bought up by others in advance.

Occasionally, the exchange list of the "Furnace" camp also includes the essence blood of the Rock Armored Demon Bear, which requires 15 contribution points per serving.

Contribution points are hard to come by, and he has to consume one [Concentration Potion] every day, barely managing to break even.

There are also [Concentration Potion] and recipes, as well as new sorcery models, rare and precious materials... There are too many things to exchange for.

Ian plans to wait until the "Star Moon Low-Level Meditation Method" is unlocked and generates special effects before changing it.

"How will meditation methods change then? I'm really looking forward to it!"

Finally, he looked at his two offensive spells.

【Frost Ray: Break Limit 1 time (389/800) (Break Limit Effect: 1. Twin)】

【Burning Ray: Mastery (177/800)】

"Burning Ray" is still some distance from breaking its limit, but its light attribute affinity can slightly increase the accumulation of proficiency.

Currently, its attack power is on par with the Frost Ray.

Once the limits are broken, what a sight it will be when both types of ray magic can be cast instantly!

Ian didn't even dare to imagine what kind of expression his opponent would have.

How can one be called a turret wizard without an incredibly powerful attack?