Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

Chapter 487 The First Follower

Ian assessed the situation and confirmed that the efficiency was indeed very low, with most of the energy dissipating during the conversion process.

Then, a line of text appeared at the corner of my eye:

[Abyss Energy +1.37, Devour Talent Conversion Rate: 27%]

Current evolution level: 5.37/100

This body had only accumulated 4 points of energy before, which was far from being able to advance to the level of a lesser demon.

Ian wasn't disappointed; he hadn't expected a Bone Spike Wolf to bring much improvement anyway.

He looked down at his palm, and with a thought, turned off Devouring Evolution and activated Chaos Transformation, covering the remains of the Bone Spike Wolf with his palm.

The difference is immediately apparent.

The remaining flesh and blood energy on the wreckage was completely absorbed by the Chaos Transformation, with not a single drop was wasted.

The panel flashed again:

[Abyss Energy +1.0, Chaos Conversion Efficiency: 99%]

Current evolution level: 6.37/100

Ian stared at the numbers on the panel, his heart filled with joy; the Child of Chaos was indeed extraordinary.

Same prey, same flesh and blood: treated with different talents, the difference is outrageous.

It should be noted that the ability to devour and evolve is an innate talent of abyssal creatures, which has been passed down in the abyssal world for countless millennia.

All demons grow stronger in this way, from the lowest-ranking lesser demons to the most powerful Tanaris lords; the path is almost identical.

Devour, absorb, evolve—simple and brutal.

But his chaotic transformation is different; it extracts not only the energy from flesh and blood, but also the rules contained within it.

This powerful talent allows one to absorb all rules by converting them into a lower form of energy.

Ian's crimson eyes flickered incessantly; the growth rate of this projection would far exceed his imagination.

An ordinary young Tanari needs to devour hundreds of Bone Spike Wolves to accumulate 100 points of Abyssal Energy to advance to a Lesser Demon.

He only needs less than a third of it.

More importantly, his evolutionary basis is completely different from that of other demons.

Other demons absorb chaotic abyssal energy, and their evolution is guided by the rules of chaos.

His evolution is based on chaotic energy, making his foundation more solid, more stable, and his potential higher.

It's like the difference between two people building a house: one uses mud and straw, and the other uses bricks and stones.

Ian leaned back against the stone wall, a slight smile playing on his lips.

At this moment, a new line of information popped up on the panel.

[Data collection complete, evolutionary path deduction complete]

[Young Tanarib → Little Devil]

[Upon promotion, a core talent must be selected to establish an evolutionary direction. Known branches include: Flomo, Berserker Demon, and Six-Armed Serpent Demon.]

Balor the Balrog —

[More branches will be unlocked after obtaining more information]

Ian scanned through the branch names.

Flomo is a small flying demon that excels at infiltration and assassination. It is fast but weak in attack, making it suitable as a scout.

Berserker Demon, a pure melee demon, is enormous in size. When its strength surges, it loses most of its rationality and becomes a pure killing machine.

The Six-Armed Serpent Demon, as its name suggests, has six arms and a serpentine lower body. It combines strength and agility, representing one of the most balanced evolutionary paths among the Tanari race.

Balor Flame Demon, an advanced evolutionary branch.

Enveloped in red flames, it possesses immense combat power, but its evolution requires stringent conditions, demanding a large amount of fire-attribute abyssal energy.

That's all; more information is needed to unlock it. This indicates that the evolutionary system of the Abyss world is far more complex than what we know about the Wizarding World.

Ian noted this information down; it was too early to consider the direction of evolution.

He only has 6 points of Abyss Energy. Before he can accumulate enough energy, he needs to recover from his injuries and figure out the situation near the Bloodslag Mine.

Zul's memories gave him some basic information.

The strongest being in this region is the mid-level Horned Bonebreaker, who rules over three hundred mine slaves.

I heard from other miners that there is an even larger mine nearby called "Crackhoof Mine," which is controlled by a horned demon overseer named Ironjaw, who is stronger than the Bonecrusher.

But this information was too coarse; he needed more detailed intelligence, such as the routes and schedules of the Horned Demon patrols, and the personality and habits of the Bonebreakers.

He needs to avoid these horned demons for now, and come back to wipe them out once he's fully developed.

Ian kicked the remains of the Bonethorn Wolf outside the pile of rocks and continued to rest and recover from his injuries.

At this moment, the vortex in the sky stopped emitting red light, and it became completely dark outside.

The whole world began to become dangerous, with mournful howls echoing from afar.

In this pile of rocks, the Bone Spike Wolf is only the lowest level of predators; there are many more monsters that are far more ferocious than the Bone Spike Wolf.

In his current state, he could handle a dozen more bone spike wolves, or even one or two horned demons.

But if he attracts a Stone-skinned Demon, he'll have to run away, as he can't break through its defenses for the time being.

Ian thought about it and decided to leave.

The crevice where he was hiding was too shallow and offered no defense whatsoever. If a powerful monster blocked the exit, he would be completely helpless.

He used his right hand to support himself against the stone wall and stood up. His chest and arm still hurt, but it didn't affect his movement.

Although the healing effect of the Undying Soul is slow, it is very stable. In another day or two, the ribs and left arm should be fully recovered.

He spread out his spiritual perception and walked in the opposite direction from the mine.

After walking about a hundred steps, I suddenly stopped.

Behind the pile of boulders, on the back of a black rock as tall as a person, there was a life signal that was almost imperceptible.

The fluctuations are very small, much smaller than those of the Bone Spike Wolf, and can be easily overlooked if one is not paying attention.

Judging from this, it seems he's been hiding there ever since he killed the Bonethorn Wolf.

It remained motionless behind the black rock, its aura suppressed to the lowest possible level.

It's not a small bone spike wolf; they don't have such precise breath control.

It is another kind of demon, small in size, shrouded in a thin mist, seemingly possessing a talent for stealth.

Ian lowered his head and pondered for a moment. Not sensing any danger from it, he ignored it and continued on his way.

Behind him, half a head slowly peeked out from behind the rock, staring intently at Ian's back.

This is a Quassamon.

It is small and thin, covered in scales, with two pointed ears that stand up like bat wings.

Its face is somewhere between that of a human and a rat, with a long nose and a pair of thin wings folded behind it, which are almost invisible when folded up and close to its back.

Nix had been lingering on the outskirts of the mine for a long time; it belonged neither to the Bonecrusher's mining slave ranks nor to Ironjaw's forces.

It is an independent wanderer.

Quassamon is disliked in the Abyss World. He is weak and extremely lazy, and can't do anything except steal things and deliver messages.

But the Quassma also possess a unique ability that other demons lack: they can become invisible.

This ability is very useful in the Black Corrosion Realm; the miners cannot sense it, and the horned demon patrols also have a hard time detecting it.

Nix used this skill to roam between various mines, stealing the remains of the miners and occasionally picking up ore fragments discarded by horned demons.

The Knicks had been watching ever since that young Tanari killed the Bonethorn Wolf.

It found it strange; it recognized the cub—the one that had been captured by the patrolling horned demon.

Just now, Knicks was planning to wait until it died before taking a bite.

But it didn't die; instead, it killed a Bonethorn Wolf.

A dying young Tanari killed a strong Bonethorn Wolf with just one hand.

Thinking of this, Knicks' heart skipped a beat.

It itself had been chased by bone spike wolves several times, and each time it was almost torn in two, only managing to escape by using its invisibility.

Even the horned demon patrols would avoid packs of bone spike wolves, as it wasn't worth the effort.

But after killing the cub, it didn't eat; it seemed to be extracting something from the corpse.

The Knicks didn't see the specific process clearly; their perception wasn't strong, and they could only see some blurry movements.

It crouched behind the rock, staring in the direction Ian had disappeared, rubbing its pointed ears with its fingers.

It sensed danger and wanted to run away immediately, but its damned curiosity made it unable to move.

It smelled a scent on the cub, something it had never smelled before.

Knicks' ears twitched, and he quietly followed.

Although Ian's mental sea was suppressed, this superficial invisibility technique still couldn't fool him. Pretending not to notice, he continued walking forward for several hundred meters.

There was a protruding rock wall in front of him. He suddenly turned a corner, stopped, and held his breath.

A few seconds later.

Around the corner, a small figure slowly emerged, less than a meter tall, with pointed ears and bat wings tucked behind its back.

It tiptoed and cautiously peeked out, looking in the direction Ian had left.

Upon discovering that Ian was missing, it paused for a moment, then its nose twitched as if it were sniffing the air.

"Are you looking for me?"

Knicks shuddered, his wings suddenly spread, and he tried to fly away.

Ian swung his right hand, and a stone smashed into its wing.

Knicks screamed and rolled to the ground, then quickly got up and turned to run away.

Ian was already standing in front of it.

"Don't kill me! Don't kill me!"

Knicks fell to his knees with a thud, clutching his head with his hands, his voice shrill.

"My lord, spare me! I was just passing by! I didn't see anything!"

Ian looked at it, comparing it with the information in his memory.

The Quassamon is weak, can shapeshift and become invisible, and is cunning—a typical creature from the bottom of the abyss.

Weak, but adept at survival.

Ian crouched down and looked at it. "How long have you been following me?"

"No! Absolutely not!" Knicks shook his head vigorously. "I swear! I just—I just happened to be passing by!"

"Oh?" Ian reached out and pinched its wing, applying a little force.

Knicks winced in pain. "I'll talk! I'll talk!" it screamed. "Damn it! I've been following you, Damn it!"

Why?

"Because—because you are different from other demons." Nix glanced at Ian's face.

It had been secretly following this weak Tanari, hoping to take advantage of the situation, but unexpectedly, it was captured by the Neighbor Demon.

Unexpectedly, it secretly escaped from the towel again, covered in blood.

"Sir—do you—have a special talent?"

Ian did not answer, his claws trembling.

The Knicks rubbed their wings, too afraid to run.

"You want to come with me?" Ian asked, knowing that Quassamodo often possessed powerful demons.

Knicks' eyes lit up, but then he looked away.

"I—I dare not presume to presume, but—if Your Excellency needs me to run errands, gather information, or—dispose of corpses—"

Its voice grew softer and softer.

Ian understands that this Quassamon wants to curry favor with a powerful figure. In the Abyss, it is common for weak creatures to rely on the strong.

But the sounds of the Quassamon were not good; even the original owner, who was naive and ignorant of the ways of the world, had a very bad impression of them.

Betrayal, betrayal, and stabbing in the back are all commonplace.

Ian looked at the Knicks. "What can you offer?"

"News!" Knicks said immediately, afraid that Ian would turn around and leave.

"I know the patrol routes of all the neighboring demons in the mine! I know when Lord Bonecrusher drinks every day! I also know—Lord Ironjaw of the Rifthoof Mines is currently recruiting thugs!"

He speaks very fast, like pouring out beans.

"Also—east of the Bloodslag Mine, there's an abandoned smelting pool where magic iron crystals occasionally settle. Although small, their energy purity is very high!"

Ian's heart skipped a beat. The magic iron crystal was something he didn't remember.

But just by hearing the character "亥" (hai), you can tell that this is probably the essence of magic iron ore.

"You follow me for now." Ian turned around. "Are there any deeper caves around here?"

The Knicks paused for a moment, then asked, "A cave?"

"Yes, it's a cave where you can hide from large monsters."

, 7

"Please follow me, sir. I know there is an abandoned pit not far ahead."

97

The Knicks turned around and led the way, very actively.

Ian followed behind, his eyes flickering slightly.