Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

Chapter 490 Killing the Bone Crusher? The New Mine Owner

The entrance to the blood cinder mine is a natural rock crevice, three meters wide and two meters high.

The stone walls on both sides of the crack were worn smooth as a mirror, covered with claw marks and pickaxe marks of varying depths.

Two horned demons guarded the entrance. They were patrolmen under the Bonebreaker and were stronger than ordinary demons. Each had several scars on their gray-black skin.

The one on the left leaned against the wall, idly tapping his calf with a bone stick, while the one on the right squatted on the ground, burying his head in a piece of dried meat that he had somehow gotten his hands on.

The two horned demons noticed the figure approaching from a distance at the same time.

With dark red skin, curved horns, and a strong, slender body, it was a head taller than the miners inside, but half a body shorter.

A young Tanari? No, where would a cub get horns?

The two horned demons exchanged a glance. Occasionally, demons would appear wandering around the perimeter of the mine, mostly abandoned pawns who had escaped from other mines.

According to the rules, such vagrants should either be captured and made into mining slaves or expelled on the spot.

The horned demon carrying the bone club took a step forward, opened his mouth, and prepared for the routine interrogation.

Before the words were even uttered, a gray-white light shot out from Ian's palm, swift as lightning, and precisely pierced his forehead.

The horned demon's body suddenly stiffened, and the bone club slipped from its hand, hitting the ground with a dull thud.

Its eyes were still open, but its pupils had already begun to dilate, and a small grayish-white dot was slowly expanding in the center of its forehead.

Centered on the small dot, the frontal bone appears to be hollowed out by an invisible hand, peeling away layer by layer into gray powder.

Before it could even scream, it fell silently to the ground.

The horned demon, who was squatting on the right gnawing on meat, froze. Instinct beat him to thought, and he dropped the meat and fled into the depths of the mine.

With a whoosh, a grayish-white light caught up with it, and the same grayish-white dot appeared on the back of its head, turning it into ashes.

Both horned demons perished within three breaths.

Ian withdrew the lingering flame from his palm, stepped over the corpses, and strode into the mine.

Nix stood outside the mine, his legs trembling, and did not follow them inside.

It didn't want to be there, but it didn't dare to run away either. It turned around and huddled behind a rock, staring intently at the entrance and listening intently to the sounds inside.

The mine tunnel was deep and dark, with a slope extending downwards from the entrance. Several glittering pieces of ore were embedded in the stone walls on both sides, emitting a faint red glow and barely outlining the contours of the tunnel.

As they went deeper, the clanging sound of metal striking rocks rose and fell, echoing through the winding passage.

More than three hundred miners toiled away in various mining sections, some using claws to scratch, some using sharp stones to chisel, and some even biting directly with their teeth.

The moment Ian stepped into the mine tunnel, the few miners in the closest group stopped what they were doing and stared at him blankly.

No one recognized Ian; he looked completely different from how he did five days ago.

One of the bolder miners glanced at it a couple more times, then lowered his head and continued digging. In the mine, the one who doesn't meddle in other people's business is the one who can survive for a long time.

Ian ignored him and continued deeper into the mine tunnel.

The deeper you go, the wider the mine tunnels become, eventually stopping in a huge domed space.

The dome is about ten zhang high and covers an area of ​​about half a football field. Several glowing jade stones are suspended in the center, casting shadows over the entire space.

At the very center of the dome, on a flat, black rock, sat the Bonebreaker.

It was large and sturdy, more than three times the size of Ian, and nearly three meters tall. Its curved, hook-like horns added to its imposing presence.

A dark red domino is held between its two corners, making a clattering sound when it moves. This is not only a decoration, but also a testament to its victory in killing enemies.

Before it lay a bucket of murky liquid, emitting a pungent, sour smell. This was Horned Demon Liquor, a daily necessity that made him even more violent.

As Ian stepped into the dome, the Bonebreaker was tilting his head back and chugging wine. He put the barrel down and squinted.

The lesser demon, who had only recently been promoted, was not yet fully settled in his aura, but his foundation was far more solid than that of an ordinary lesser demon.

It has killed many such demons, some of which came from other mines, and others of the unlucky miners who managed to accumulate enough energy to advance in rank.

The Bonebreaker grinned, revealing jagged, sharp teeth. "Another one coming to die?"

The sound was like the friction of rocks, low and harsh.

Ian didn't bother to answer, raised his right hand, and a gray-white flame appeared out of thin air in his palm.

The man whose bones had shattered suddenly narrowed his pupils; what was that grayish-white flame?

It had never seen a flame of this color before, but had no time to ponder it further.

Ian made no attempt to probe; his combat awareness as a Level 6 Sun was fully unleashed at this moment.

The immortal soul not only endowed him with resilience, but also with precise control over the rhythm of battle.

He knew very well the weakness of this brute-force opponent; the opponent's talent was bone-crushing, and with one punch, he could shatter bones into fragments.

It has decent strength, but it's too slow and is a melee fighter.

The chaotic fire in his palm suddenly shone brightly, instantly traversing space and imprinting itself into the chest of the Bonebreaker.

"Ugh!"

The Bonebreaker let out a scream as intense pain struck. He frantically tried to extinguish the flames, but soon his hands were covered in a layer of ash.

It was filled with shock and anger; this flame was unlike any it had ever seen.

Ordinary flames only cause physical pain when they burn the body, but this chaotic fire is like a malignant sore that clings to the bone; the one whose bones are shattered feels as if his chest is becoming empty.

The abyssal energy within the skin, muscles, and bones is being stripped away layer by layer by the gray-white flames.

The Bonebreaker roared and took a step forward without regard for anything else, throwing a punch at Ian.

Ian slipped and retreated rapidly, his fist landing where he had just stood, creating a deep crater in the ground with a loud bang.

The Bonebreaker swayed, feeling his strength rapidly disappearing, yet he felt no pain in his chest.

It looked down and saw a dent the size of a bowl on its chest. Its eyes were filled with terror, and then its rage intensified.

The Bonebreaker's power surged once more, a red glow appearing on his gray-black skin as he charged toward Ian.

He threw punch after punch, each punch accompanied by the sound of wind and thunder.

The Bone Crusher's attacks were simple yet powerful, causing rocks to fall from the mine's stone walls as the force of his punches shook the walls.

Ian sneered, choosing not to confront it head-on, and instead moved leisurely through the shadows of its fists.

Every step was timed perfectly to the smallest gap in the Bonecrusher's attacks; every step was executed with exquisite precision.

The Bonebreaker's fists swept past his head, sides, and knees, but never managed to touch the hem of his clothes.

This is not a skill that ordinary demons possess; it is the profound understanding of the rhythm of battle of a Level Six Sun Demon.

Ten breaths later, the Bonebreaker's attack suddenly halted, and the hole in its chest was widening.

For every bit of abyssal energy the Bonebreaker unleashed, even more energy leaked out from the grayish-white gap in its chest.

Ian had been waiting for this moment. He turned around and appeared behind the other person, his right palm already pressed against the back of the head.

A grayish-white light erupted from his palm, enveloping the entire back of the Bonebreaker's head.

The flames penetrated the scales, seeped into the bone plates, and penetrated even deeper.

The man with the broken bones suddenly stiffened, his mouth opened, and he let out a hoarse wail.

It slammed its knees to the ground, its eyes wide open in anger, and a grayish-white crack appeared in the back of its skull, as if something had broken the bone from the inside.

The chaotic fire seeped in from the back of the head, burning down the spine and completely disintegrating the soul and body of the Bonebreaker.

The Bonebreaker's hollow body remained in a kneeling position, its size significantly reduced.

Ian withdrew his hand, and words appeared at the corner of his eye:

[Defeat a medium-sized Horned Demon, Abyss Energy +45]

Current evolution level: 45/500

A mid-level demon can provide forty-five energy points, which is much more efficient than hunting bone spike wolves.

The entire mine fell into a deathly silence.

All the miners stopped what they were doing and turned their eyes toward the dome, where a terrifying crashing sound and the mournful roar of the Bonebreakers were coming from.

Soon, a rustling sound came from deep within the mine, and the first to break in were the larger miners.

It walked to the entrance to the dome and saw the Bonebreaker kneeling motionless, and then saw Ian standing behind the Bonebreaker.

His body froze instantly, and he immediately knelt down on the ground.

The second miner walked in, saw the same scene, and also knelt down.

The third, the fourth, the fifth —

All the horned demons and mine slaves poured into the dome from all parts of the mine tunnels, kneeling down one after another.

No one spoke, no one hesitated; in the abyss, the strong reigned supreme.

Now that Ian has killed the warlord, he is the new master of the mine.

No reason is needed, no approval is required; power is the only authority.

More than three hundred miners knelt on the dome, prostrate on the ground, not daring to move, waiting for Ian's orders.

Ian stood beside the corpse of the Bonebreaker and looked around.

"Now that the deadline has passed, I'm announcing my rules."

He spoke slowly, his voice clearly reaching the ears of every miner.

"Each person shall deliver ore according to their daily quota, and the quantity shall remain unchanged."

Several miners' faces darkened, but they dared not raise any objections.

"Those who fail to complete the task will be whipped three times, and must make up for it within three days."

These words made several miners visibly tremble. During the era of the Bonebreakers, failing to meet quotas could be fatal.

Broken legs and limbs are considered mild; being thrown to feed wolves is the norm.

The miners' breathing became heavy, and a few pairs of dark red eyes quietly rose and then hurriedly lowered again.

Ian continued, "If anyone exceeds their quota, I'll give them an extra reward, and I might even help them complete their transformation."

A slight commotion arose inside the dome, and although the miners had their heads down, their bodies were visibly tense.

Previously, there was only one path to becoming stronger in this mine: being chosen by the Bone Shatterer and promoted to patrolman.

However, the patrolmen of the Bonebreakers always recruit horned demons from outside; mine slaves are not even qualified.

"All the horned demon patrols in the mine remain the same." Ian's gaze swept over the two kneeling horned demons.

"Don't even think about running away, or I'll have the miners devour you alive."

"We wouldn't dare! We swear to follow you to the death from now on!"

At this moment, a low humming sound rose from among the miners, and some of them began to look at each other, their eyes flashing with something they had never seen before.

When the Bonebreakers were around, the miners lived in a daze, but now, something different had entered their simple minds.

Ian didn't give them much time to digest, turning and walking towards one side of the dome, where the Bonebreakers rested.

A simple cave, with a slightly protruding rock serving as a bed, and several barrels of horned demon wine and piles of ore piled up beside it.

He glanced around briefly, then turned and went outside, shouting out.

"Knicks".

The sound of hurried footsteps came from the entrance of the mine.

Knicks jogged into the dome, his eyes darting around as he saw the kneeling corpses of miners and bonebreakers. His mouth opened and closed.

Ian glanced at it and, in front of all the horned demons and miners, commanded, "From this day forward, Nix will manage this mine on my behalf."

Knicks shuddered, then collapsed at Ian's feet, screaming, "Lord Xie—"

He quickly crawled to Ian's feet and was about to kiss the back of Ian's feet.

Ian kicked it away, disgusted, and turned to walk back into the stone house.

Soon, Knicks' sharp shouts rang out from outside, but Ian shook his head and ignored them.

With over three hundred miners and a small mine shaft, they finally had a somewhat stable base.

But this was just the beginning. He wasn't really interested in any of it; the mine was too small, and there weren't many monsters nearby.

The area isn't exactly safe either; there's the Crackhoof Mine right next door, where there are iron jaws even stronger than the Bonebreaker.

The strength of other Horned Demon Overseers in more distant regions is unknown, and there are many more Abyss forces yet to be encountered.

The panel appeared in the corner of my eye.

Current evolution level: 45/500

[Controlled Area: Bloodslag Mine; Faction Information Collected: Rifthoof Mine]

Ian looked at the information on the panel, a slight smile playing on his lips.

While the abyss world is indeed difficult to penetrate, it is not as difficult as one might imagine.

Six days ago, he was a dying young Tanari, hiding in a crevice in the rocks waiting to die.

Six days later, he was the master of the Bloodslag Mine.

Everything is moving in a positive direction.