Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

"They can't stay."

Ian made a decision instantly, his eyes flashing with a sharp light, deciding to kill his opponent as soon as possible.

An enemy lurking in the shadows, probing his secrets, is far too dangerous.

I have many secrets, and I must not give them the opportunity to investigate further.

He assessed the situation. The opponent was good at concealment, but what about their strength?

Judging from the energy fluctuations, he is not a high-level apprentice, but he is a bloodline wizard, so he may have the strength of a high-level apprentice.

He had just been promoted to senior apprentice, and his shield had broken through the limit to gain the "recombination" effect, which could be cast instantly, ensuring his safety.

In terms of attack, it has a control-level scorching ray and an instant-cast twin frost ray, giving it the advantage of striking first.

Most importantly, this is inside the camp, so the other side doesn't dare to make too much noise.

A rough plan quickly took shape in his mind.

Ian pretended to need to go out to dump the waste after organizing the materials, picked up an inconspicuous earthenware pot, and pushed open the door to go out.

We naturally walked towards the edge of the camp, to a relatively secluded spot near the dumping grounds for the newly built workshop's waste.

The shadows cast by the clutter were even darker there, and few people passed by at night.

He didn't walk fast, but his mental perception was firmly locked onto the shadowy, seemingly hidden presence behind him.

As expected, the other party followed, using the terrain for cover as they gradually closed the distance.

As he approached the waste dump, Ian stopped and bent down as if to tip over the earthenware pot.

In that instant, he silently exerted force with his feet, and his figure suddenly closed in on his opponent.

At the same time, his mind raced, and his mental energy connected with the shield runes.

There were no incantations chanted, and not even a noticeable burst of energy.

The "recombination" effect of the Crystal Energy Barrier instantly formed a semi-transparent, enclosed, and silent barrier with a diameter of about three meters, centered on him!

The barrier's surface shimmered with an inner glow, effectively locking away all energy fluctuations and sounds within.

This is one of his advanced applications of the "reorganization" feature, instantly changing the shield's form and function, transforming it from defense into a concealed cage.

Almost as soon as the barrier took shape, Ian turned around, and two icicles appeared in front of him—"Frost Ray Twins"!

Two beams of dark blue light shot out silently!

The extreme cold tore through the air, creating tiny ice crystals.

The figure in the shadows was startled, even reacting somewhat dazedly.

He had no idea that Ian would not only discover him, but also launch an attack so swiftly and silently.

What terrified him most was Ian's almost "domain-like" control methods and instantaneous attacks.

He rolled awkwardly to the side and backward, and a passive magical protective gear on his body was automatically activated.

The shield was hit by the weakened version of the Frost Ray, and frost flowers quickly spread over it, causing a momentary delay in vision.

It's this very moment!

Ian's right hand was already raised, and two beams of light were poised to be fired in his mind, but he did not fire them. Instead, he continued to exert force with his feet.

The advanced apprentice's physical abilities, combined with the robust physique nurtured by the [Rock Bear Potion], suddenly exploded.

Its figure approached like a ghost!

Meanwhile, the opponent was still fighting against the cold, trying to activate some kind of bloodline witchcraft.

Ian raised his slightly thin fist and, with precision enhanced by his powerful mental strength, "lightly" struck the vital spot on the side of the other's neck!

With a pop, the shield shattered instantly, followed by a very faint cracking sound of bone breaking within the silence barrier.

The powerful force and precise strike instantly destroyed the connection between his cervical spine and nerves.

The stalker's eyes bulged out, his pupils filled with disbelief, horror, and confusion.

He seemed to want to say something, but only managed a short "ho" sound before collapsing to the ground, his life force rapidly fading away.

The entire process, from start to finish, takes no more than two seconds.

There was no violent energy collision, and no patrolling guards were alerted.

Even in the nearby workshops, the sound of craftsmen hammering metal drowned out the barely perceptible noise here.

Ian calmly bent down and quickly examined the body.

A hidden lining was found in her underwear.

Besides some magic stones, there was also a small piece of blood-red bone used for communication or location tracking.

And an old piece of animal skin with a map of the surrounding area.

There was also a simple record that included Ian, and the more Ian looked at it, the uglier his expression became.

The paper contained important information such as "Suspected connection to Nolan's disappearance, relationship with Star Leaf Potion Shop, and the time record of the sale of [Rock Bear Potion], which needs further confirmation..."

"As expected." Ian's eyes grew even colder.

He quickly froze the bone fragments into powder using frost rays, and then put away the parchment.

Then the shield's range gradually decreased, and the barrier's strength began to increase significantly.

He carefully controlled the power of the frost rays, freezing the corpses into hard blocks of ice, and then crushed them bit by bit with brute force.

He then used his cleaning magic to gather up the "debris" and dust on the ground and remove the traces.

Then, using the "Enchantment" wizard's hand, the "miscellaneous items" were scattered across the abandoned garbage heaps within a thirty-meter radius, and all traces of the fight were erased.

After doing all this, he removed the silence barrier, took the empty earthenware jar, and calmly walked back to the alchemy room as if nothing had happened.

Night still fell, and the watchtower in the distance of the camp shone brightly.

Unbeknownst to anyone, a clean and efficient cleanup had just been carried out in the shadows.

Inside the camp, there is a stone hall.

Leon sat at the head of the table, with several apprentices below him, all of whom were wizards from the Osborne family.

"Why hasn't Kari come back yet? Has she made another discovery?"

The speaker was an elderly wizard apprentice below. His tone was direct, suggesting he was of considerable seniority, but his strength was only at the intermediate level.

Leon frowned slightly. "Perhaps something has held you back. This has happened before. I'm leaving tomorrow. Keep a low profile after I leave and don't cause me any trouble."

After speaking, he glanced at the old apprentice from before, a hint of disgust in his eyes.

This old codger, with his low aptitude, is only trying to get a [Rock Bear Potion] to prolong his life by relying on his seniority.

This person usually acts recklessly, relying on the prestige of his family, which has caused him a lot of trouble. I really wish I could burn him to death with a fireball.

Seeing that Leon's expression was off, the other apprentices lowered their heads and remained silent.

Besides their stated mission at the tower, they also came here to investigate the leaked recipe for the "Rock Bear Potion" from their family.

About three months ago, I learned that someone was actually selling the [Rock Bear Potion] on the market. This happened shortly after Nolan's death, so I immediately began to investigate in secret.

Following this line, they traced it all the way to Star Leaf Potions Shop, and then discovered a potion master with a rather strange background.

At the time, due to the fear of the official wizard behind Xingye, the investigation was extremely secretive and slow.

When the great war broke out, the family needed stronger forces to deal with the war, so they set their sights on the potion and began to intensify their investigation, tracing it all the way here.

Since their ancestor became a formal wizard, no one in the Osborn family has successfully advanced to the next level. They have been able to maintain their strength only by relying on some Rock Bear Potions left by their ancestors, but unfortunately, no one in the family has been able to refine another one.

If we could control this potion master and have him concoct potions exclusively for the family...

As the group in the hall imagined that wonderful prospect, their greed grew stronger.

……

Ian returned indoors, his expression still calm.

The crisis has been temporarily averted, but the pressure has not eased.

The threat from the Crimson was imminent, and there were also people secretly spying on the camp.

He looked at the materials in the corner: the refinement of Rock Bear Blood Essence, the further mastery of the shield, the accumulation of contribution points, the breakthrough in attack magic... each one was urgent.

Camp "The Furnace," this logistical base, has been tainted by the flames of war, burning fiercely in the furnace.

He himself must grow rapidly in these flames and gain enough strength to protect himself.

Suddenly, his eyes on the roof saw a figure gradually approaching his dwelling.

The person who came was small and thin, and was almost invisible in the darkness.

Ian used his mental powers to connect with his eyes and examined them carefully, then he was taken aback.

"How could it be him?"