Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

Chapter 493 Devouring the Succubus Nilos

Instead of going out to hunt monsters, Ian turned his attention to the ore in the corner.

After more than a month of accumulation, these ores filled most of the stone house.

Ian stepped forward, a faint gray-white light illuminating his palm, and flames instantly filled the corner.

The chaotic fire enveloped the ore, causing its dark red surface to fade and gray powder to fall off at a much faster rate than a month ago.

"The adult is eating stones again."

Knicks stood in the doorway, a piece of jerky clutched in his hand, his expression complex.

Ian ignored it and focused on refining the ore.

[Abyss Energy +0.9]

The panel kept jumping, and a warm current flowed into the body. In less than half an hour, all the ore turned to ash.

Current evolution level: 553/500

Ian stretched his body, his senses scanning his internal organs. Every node was full and ready for advancement.

Without delay, he sat cross-legged in the center of the stone house, his consciousness sinking deep into his body.

[The abyss energy has reached the critical value for general advancement. Evolve now?]

[Current Form: Juvenile Baloro Demon, about to advance to Intermediate Baloro Demon]

Ian's mind stirred slightly, and he confirmed the promotion.

The familiar tremor rose within my body again, much more intense than the first time.

Large areas of scales fell off the skin, the dark red flesh hardened rapidly in the air, the bones cracked and popped, and every bone was being disassembled and reassembled.

Unlike last time, this time all talents spontaneously participated in the transformation, reshaping every inch of the regenerating muscle fibers and bones.

The transformation lasted for about forty minutes.

The first change was in height, which stretched to just over 2.5 meters. The shoulders broadened, the back straightened, and the entire figure changed from slender to robust and heavy, with full muscles that exuded a sense of oppression.

Then the two horns on the top of the head hardened and grew again, with a larger curvature, turning from the original half circle into an almost complete spiral.

The base of the two horns is as thick as a child's arm, with a dark red sheen on the surface, and the tips are sharp like two short swords.

Its skin color changed from jet black to deep black, and the scales expanded to cover its neck and back, with each scale edge tinged with a faint dark red.

The most important thing is the change in the Chaos Flame.

Ian opened his right hand, and the flames in his palm were more than twice as intense as before, their color changing from grayish-white to silver-gray.

He gently clenched his fist, and the flames instantly compressed, gathering on the surface of his fist and turning into a thin layer of silvery-gray light film.

Ian casually threw a punch at the stone wall, and the light membrane hit the rock wall, causing the entire stone house to shake.

At the point where the fist made contact, a one-meter square rock instantly turned into powder and vanished silently.

His mind stirred slightly, and his consciousness sank into the panel.

[Ascension complete, current form: Medium-level Balor Fire Demon]

[Core Talents: Chaos Transformation (Enhanced), Chaos Fire (Enhanced)]

[Support Talents: Top-tier Fire Affinity, Shadow Clone, Mighty Strength, Superior Scale Armor, Superior Perception ————]

[Power Assessment: Equivalent to a late-stage level 3 wizard in the Wizarding World]

Current evolution level: 53/3000

The evolution limit has increased from 500 to 3000, and fire affinity has jumped from advanced to top level.

[Top-Tier Fire Affinity: Chaos Fire range +50%, penetration +50%, inflicts continuous burning damage on abyssal creatures]

Ian stretched his neck, his bones cracking as he felt a comprehensive boost in strength, speed, perception, and defense.

A mid-level demon, placed in the surrounding area, is already considered a minor overlord.

He stepped out the door, and Knicks squatted at the doorway, looking up at Ian with his mouth wide open.

Standing in front of Ian, it felt like an ant.

"Sir——————————"

"I'm going out first thing tomorrow morning," Ian said, his voice a few decibels lower than before. "Keep an eye on the mine."

""

Knicks shuddered. "Sir, shouldn't I go with you?"

Ian didn't reply and walked straight back to the stone house.

The Knicks shrank back, not daring to ask any more questions, and jogged off to arrange patrols.

The next day, just as dawn broke.

Ian left the mine alone and headed east.

The Crackhoof Mine is more than 30 miles away from the Bloodslag Mine in a straight line. At his current speed, he will arrive in less than 15 minutes.

Nix said that Ironjaw's mine is several times larger than Bloodslag Mine, with more than 800 miners and more than 2,000 Scorpion Demon patrols.

In addition, Ironjaw itself is a high-level demon and the largest force in the nearby mining area.

Within the hierarchy of the Black Corruption Realm, higher-ranking demons have transcended the brutal slaughter of the lower ranks, establishing territories, order, and rules, thus becoming the true ruling class.

Ian walked briskly through the wilderness. When he passed a wasteland, a stone-skinned demon smelled his scent from afar and was so frightened that it burrowed into a crevice in the rocks and remained motionless.

Ian was busy at the moment and didn't bother to go and cause them trouble.

Soon, the Clefthoof Mine came into view.

The entrance to the mine was more than three times wider than the Bloodslag Mine. It was a giant, naturally formed cave with rough, scorpion-shaped magic patterns carved on the stone walls on both sides.

Four scorpion demons lay at the entrance, each half a person's height and a person's length, their jet-black carapaces gleaming with a dark light, their stingers pointing high.

They wielded short iron spears, their eyes alert.

Ian made no attempt to conceal his presence and strode over. The four scorpion demons noticed him at the same time, and their stingers stood up in unison.

The leader took a step forward and was about to open his mouth when Ian raised his hand, and four gray-white flames shot out at the same time.

The four scorpion demons fell at the same moment, their stingers still twitching in mid-air, each with a small grayish-white dot on its forehead that quickly spread.

In the blink of an eye, the four scorpions died silently.

Ian stepped over the dissipating wreckage and into the mine.

The mine tunnel was much wider than the blood cinder mine, with glowing ores embedded on both sides, making the entire tunnel appear red.

The miners were working hard, and when they saw Ian walk by, they all secretly looked up, but no one dared to utter a sound.

Ian ignored him and continued deeper into the mine tunnel.

The deeper you go, the wider the mine tunnels become, and the denser the abyssal energy in the air.

At the end of the mine tunnel appeared a huge domed space, at least five times larger than the dome of the Bloodslag Mine.

At the very center of the dome, on a raised black stone platform, sat Iron Jaw.

Ian paused, for Ironjaw was a scorpion demon.

It was much larger than Ian was now, standing over three meters tall, with a human-like upper body that was as broad as a wall and covered with a layer of dark brown carapace.

At the front of the two forearms are two huge pincers, each about half a person's height, with the edges of the pincers gleaming with a cold light.

This is the origin of the name "Iron Jaw".

Its lower body was supported by six thick scorpion legs on the stone platform, and a three-meter-long scorpion tail was trailing behind it, with dark green liquid seeping from the tip of its stinger.

Iron Jaw was using its left pincer to hold a piece of ore and put it into its mouth. With a crunch, the ore was chewed into pieces.

When it saw Ian walk in, it stopped chewing and looked him over for a few moments.

"I've heard of you; you killed that piece of trash in the Bloodslag Mine."

Ian remained silent, his senses expanding as he carefully observed the Scorpion Demon.

Ironjaw tilted its head and pointed its left pincer at Ian's horn.

"A Balrog that hasn't even grown up yet dares to come to the mines of high demons? You guys are definitely not in the right mind."

It stood up, its three-meter-tall body resembling a mobile fortress, its six legs striking the stone platform with a series of dull sounds.

"Here, there's only one price to pay for making a mistake: I get eaten."

The iron jaws lowered their heads, and the pincers slowly closed, revealing a dense array of barbs inside.

Ian looked at its pincers, a smile playing on his lips. "You talk too much nonsense."

2

Iron Jaws paused for a moment, then hissed loudly, "I'll eat you."

Before he finished speaking, Ironjaw swayed, moving more than twice as fast as the Bone Crusher.

With a sweeping motion of his right pincers, the blades whistling through the air, he slammed towards Ian's waist and abdomen.

If this clamp were to grip firmly, even a mid-level demon would be severed in half.

Ian dodged to the side, the pincer blades grazing past him and slamming into the stone wall behind him, cutting a crack several meters long in the wall.

Iron Jaws missed its attack, and its left pincer followed up with a slash, while its scorpion tail shot out from behind, aiming straight for Ian's face.

Ian slid backward to avoid the pincer blade, while simultaneously raising his right hand and shooting a burst of chaotic fire toward the scorpion's tail.

The flames struck the stinger, and grayish-white powder peeled off the surface of the stinger, evaporating all the venom on it.

Iron Jaw's pupils contracted, and he was greatly alarmed.

Its tail armor is extremely hard, and even a full-force attack from a mid-level demon cannot penetrate it. However, this grayish-white flame merely touched it, rendering its trump card useless.

It sensed the power of the flame and became wary, no longer daring to underestimate Ian.

The iron jaws snapped shut, and with all six legs pushing off the ground, the entire body slammed into the ground like an iron mountain.

With a loud thud, a series of cracks appeared in the ground, and the entire mine shaft shook slightly.

"You're asking for it!" Iron Jaw's voice carried a hint of anger.

The scorpion's pincers clamped down simultaneously, followed closely by its tail. A dark red light emanated from the edges of its pincers, a testament to the full power of its carapace.

Ian didn't flash again. He stood still, and the Chaos Flame in his right palm instantly expanded to the size of a bathtub, its silvery-white light illuminating the entire dome.

As Ironjaw charged in front of him, Ian clenched his right fist and unleashed a fireball.

The chaotic fire transformed into a wall of flames, covering the entire front of the Ironjaw.

The flames instantly engulfed the iron jaws, penetrated the carapace, burned the muscle tissue inside, then the second layer of carapace, and the third layer.

The roar of the iron jaws changed from rage to terror.

It retreated desperately, its six legs digging deep furrows in the ground, its pincers slapping at the flames on its body, but to no avail.

The Chaos Fire has already seeped into his body.

The carapace was peeling off, the dark red luster on the pincers was completely extinguished, the scorpion's tail drooped to the ground, and the stinger turned into a grayish-white stump.

Amidst a series of piercing screams, Iron Jaw's body shrank, from three meters to two meters, and from two meters to one and a half meters.

It struggled for about fifteen breaths before finally collapsing beneath the stone platform, the light in its eyes completely extinguished.

Ian withdrew the flames, looked at the corpse on the ground, his eyes calm.

The two iron pincers that could snap a mid-level demon were now just two broken shells, lying quietly on the ground.

He and Ironjaw didn't actually have any conflict, but the fastest way to grow stronger in the Abyss World was to hunt.

The panel is jumping around.

[Abyss Energy +128]

[Unfamiliar talents detected: Iron Claws (Intermediate), Shell Hardening (Intermediate), Extract?]

Iron pliers? What's the use of that? Ian still confirmed the extraction.

[Extraction complete, carapace hardened: The hardness of the scales has been greatly increased, capable of withstanding physical impacts from high-level demons]

Unfortunately, only this talent is useful; the other iron clamp is somewhat useless, only making his fist harder.

Only then did hurried footsteps come from the entrance to the dome, and the Iron-Jawed Overseer's screams could be heard, as if he knew something was wrong.

Five scorpion demons rushed in, much larger than the four at the entrance. Their carapaces were marked with the Ironjaw mark, indicating they were elites under the Ironjaw's command.

They saw the remains of the iron jaws, and their eyes filled with both anger and fear.

The lead one was the largest, its two front pincers stained with dried blood; it was a loyal follower that Ironjaw had kept for many years.

"The warlord—you killed the warlord!"

Its voice trembled, but its six legs had already pushed off the ground and charged forward, its tail spikes raised high.

Ian raised his right hand, and a burst of chaotic fire precisely splattered its face.

The scorpion demon's body stiffened, flames seeped into its body through the gaps in its carapace, and it collapsed and remained motionless in less than three breaths.

The other four hesitated for a moment, then spread out at the same time, trying to flank from four directions.

Ian flashed, activated Shadow Concealment, and merged into the shadows.

The four scorpion demons lost their target, and their stingers swept frantically in all directions, making a whooshing sound as they cut through the air.

The next instant, Ian emerged from the shadows behind a scorpion demon and punched its weakest point, the neck joint.

The combination of its immense strength and the iron pincers smashed half of its carapace.

The second one had barely turned around when the Chaos Fire had already burned through its tail. The scorpion demon, having lost its tail, was greatly weakened in combat and its skull was crushed by Ian's foot.

The third and fourth tried to escape, but with their stealth and top-tier range, they couldn't get out of the stone house at all.

Within five breaths, all five scorpion demons collapsed.

[Defeat five medium-level Scorpion Demons, Abyss Energy +195]

Current evolution level: 376/3000

[Talents detected: Poison Mist Spray (Beginner), Shell Resonance (Beginner), Extract?]

Seeing that no more scorpion demons rushed in, Ian extracted his talent; this time the harvest was quite good.

He glanced around the dome; it had quieted down outside. The miners had probably all heard the commotion, but no one dared to come in.

He called out towards the outside of the stone house, "Come here."

After a while, a series of light footsteps came from the depths of the passage, and a graceful figure slowly emerged from the shadows.

She's a succubus.

She was about 1.7 meters tall, with a slender figure, long black hair that reached her waist, and her pale purple eyes were filled with terror.

She was trembling all over, too afraid to look up, her eyes fixed on the ground. She walked up to Ian and knelt down with a thud.

"Nee, Nelos—Greetings, Your Excellency—Please, Your Excellency—Don't kill me—"

Ian glanced at her.

Succubi hold a special position in the Abyss world—neither high nor low—but almost every high-ranking demon has a succubus in charge.

Succubi are among the most intelligent creatures in the abyss, far more reliable than Quassamon in handling affairs, managing territories, and trading with other territories.

Ironjaw's choice of manager was indeed excellent.

But in the Abyss World, there is no difference between stewards and mine slaves.

"Iron Jaw is dead," Ian said. "You should know what your fate is."

"I—I will do whatever you want with me—" Nilos lowered her head even further, her forehead almost touching the ground.

"My lord—Nilos is willing to do anything—just please spare my life—"

A faint silvery light shone from Ian's palm, illuminating the stone house.

Her body stiffened abruptly, and she dared not even tremble. She lay motionless on the ground.

After a few breaths, Ian withdrew the flames.

"Get up, I am not a bloodthirsty person."

Nilos stood up shakily, not daring to look up, her eyes fixed on Ian's feet.

"From now on, you will manage this mine for me."

"Yes—yes!" Nilos nodded repeatedly. "Nilos listens to the master—whatever the master says, Nilos does." Ian looked her up and down and nodded to himself.

If you ignore her tail, she is indeed beautiful.