Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

Ian's cold tone startled the other three.

Sachi's pupils contracted slightly, then he grinned maliciously: "A dying man still dares to be stubborn?"

Before the words were even finished, the three of them suddenly sprang to their feet!

Sachi swung his short staff fiercely, and the crystal at the tip of the staff exploded with blood-red light, shooting out three thick, blood-like dark red rays in a triangular pattern.

The rays tore through the air, making a hissing sound, and a fishy stench instantly filled the forest!

Barton let out a low growl, clashing his fists together. The runes shone brightly, and his skin completely turned into bluish-gray rock.

He pushed off with his foot, creating a shallow crater in the ground, and charged forward like a cannonball, his right fist wrapped in a hazy earth-elemental energy, aimed straight at Ian's face!

Sera vanished like a ghost, reappearing to Ian's left rear.

Two daggers, one above the other, their poisoned blades tracing a ghostly blue path, aimed straight for the back of the neck and the waist—the angle was tricky, the timing ruthless!

Encircled from three sides, a deadly situation!

Ian moved.

He didn't retreat or dodge, but instead took half a step forward to meet Barton's fist!

Raise your right hand and bring your index and middle fingers together.

The icy blue light condensed and compressed at his fingertips, causing the surrounding temperature to plummet and the moisture in the air to condense into ice crystals that fell down in a flurry.

That chill wasn't just ordinary cold; it was an extreme cold that penetrated to the bone marrow, as if it could freeze even the soul!

"freeze."

He uttered two words softly.

Instantaneous Ice Blue Ray!

Barton's fist had already slammed into Ian a foot away, the wind from the punch making his gray robe flutter wildly.

A cruel gleam of pleasure flashed in his eyes—this punch was enough to shatter rocks!

Then he saw the icy blue trail.

"What—"

The thought had barely formed when the ray struck his fist.

"Snap!"

A sickeningly loud freezing sound erupted!

The moment Barton's right fist came into contact with the ray, it was covered by a layer of deep blue ice that shimmered with strange patterns!

The ice spread rapidly upwards along his arm.

Wherever he went, his "Stone Skin," which was said to be able to withstand advanced witchcraft, was powerless to resist.

Instantly lost consciousness, became more brittle than glass!

A chill that penetrated to the bone marrow crept in wildly along my frozen arm.

Blood, muscles, bones... everything freezes and becomes brittle in the extreme cold!

"My stone skin... how could this be..." For the first time, shock appeared in Barton's eyes.

He desperately activated the runes, causing a surge of gray light as he attempted to shatter the ice layer...

Ian raised his left hand and aimed it at Barton's frozen right shoulder joint.

"Burning rays".

A burst of bright white rays!

The shoulder joint, frozen to the extreme, was already structurally fragile, and it was hit by the high-temperature rays the instant it was ruptured.

"boom!!!"

Ice and fire clashed, resulting in a terrifying explosion!

Patton's right arm exploded from the shoulder! It wasn't severed, it disintegrated from the inside!

Frozen muscle and bone fragments, mixed with ice shards and charred flesh, shot out in all directions!

Half of the fractured edge was charred and carbonized, while the other half was covered with icicles, with charred blood vessels and bone fragments exposed to the air!

"Ah—!!!" A heart-wrenching scream erupted from Barton's mouth.

The excruciating pain and blood loss caused him to stagger backward, his eyes filled with unbelievable fear.

His stone-like skin... was shattered in a single blow?!

All of this happened in the blink of an eye.

Sachi's three blood rays only just hit.

Ian didn't even turn around. He spread his left hand and released five fine [scorching rays] in a fan shape, precisely targeting the blood ray.

"Hiss hiss hiss...!"

The blood mist exploded, and the stench was charred into a burnt mess by the high temperature.

The remaining curse energy touched Ian's body, but was quietly devoured by the dark red "Soul Devourer" rune in his mental sea.

Sachi's expression changed drastically: "Instant cast?! Two attributes?!"

Sera's dagger was already at the back of Ian's neck!

She saw Patton's miserable state, but the die was cast.

The poisoned blade sliced ​​through the air, its azure arc about to pierce flesh.

Then she saw Ian's face turned slightly to the side.

Those eyes were calm and still, reflecting her astonished face.

And, Ian's left index finger, which he had raised at some point.

His fingertips were aimed at her brow.

There were no incantations, no charging up.

"laugh."

The extremely concentrated bright white ray pierced through the air, leaving a scorching trail on Sera's retina before instantly disappearing into her brow.

Sierra's momentum came to an abrupt halt.

Her charming expression and murderous intent froze, and her pupils dilated rapidly.

A small, charred hole appeared between his eyebrows. No blood flowed out, and the skin, flesh, and bones around the wound had been carbonized instantly.

She didn't even have time to feel the pain before her consciousness went dark.

The poisoned dagger in his hand clattered to the ground.

"Sera!!!"

Patton's eyes were bloodshot, but the excruciating pain from his shattered right arm made him almost unable to stand.

Sachi's heart sank to the bottom; it all happened too fast!

In the span of just three breaths since they began fighting, Barton is seriously injured and Sera is dead! This is definitely no ordinary advanced apprentice!

"Who exactly are you?!"

Sachi roared, wildly waving his short staff, unleashing a barrage of dark red blood arrows like a torrential rain.

At the same time, he bit his tongue and spat out his semen onto the tip of the staff, causing the crystal to glow brightly red.

An even more intense wave of bloody curse enveloped Ian, this time aiming to directly erode the very source of his life!

Ian finally got serious.

His figure blurred as he charged straight at the blood arrows and curse ripples!

Within the sea of ​​consciousness, the "Soul Devouring" rune spun wildly, devouring and transforming most of the enveloping curse ripples.

The remaining portion touched the array of will runes, like ice melting away.

With his left hand, he flicked his wrist, and five [Burning Rays] precisely detonated the main blood arrow.

His right hand rose again, aimed at Sachi.

"it's over."

Two rays, one icy blue and one bright white, burst forth simultaneously!

After being launched, they did not disperse. Under Ian's exquisite control, they spiraled and intertwined, transforming into a beam of light interwoven with ice and fire, tearing through the air and shooting straight at Sachi!

Sachi, terrified, frantically activated all his defenses. A bone shield flew from his chest, and his leather armor glowed with crimson runes as he hissed:

"No! I am Lord 'Blood Leech's' subordinate! If you dare kill me, he will not let you get away with it..."

The laser has arrived.

"Pfft—BOOM!!!"

The bone shield shattered like paper, the blood-red runes on the leather armor dimmed and disintegrated instantly, and the light drill pierced Sachi's chest!

Ice and fire energies erupted simultaneously within his body!

His upper body was instantly charred and carbonized, while his lower body was covered in a thick layer of frost. Then, under immense force, it shattered into pieces! The severed limbs, mixed with the stench of burning and ice shards, were scattered all over the ground.

The screams abruptly stopped.

The forest returned to silence.

The only sounds were the rustling of leaves in the wind and Patton's suppressed groans of pain.

Ian slowly lowered his hand and walked to the dying Barton.

The burly man's face was ashen, blood gushing from his severed arm, and his eyes were filled with terror.

"How did you know my whereabouts? Who is 'Blood Leech'?" Ian crouched down, his voice calm.

Barton's lips trembled: "'Blood Leech'... is a first-level wizard who dwells in the rotten swamp... most of our loot... must be handed over to him... in exchange for his protection..."

He coughed up blood: "You killed Sachi... the lord will not let you get away with this..."

Before he could finish speaking, a bright white light pierced his forehead.

A first-level wizard? A rotting swamp?

Ian's eyes flickered slightly; it seemed the Darkwood was indeed a deep and complex place.

He quickly searched the three bodies and was surprised to find that Sachi had a dimensional bag.

Among the remains of Sachi, a metal plaque engraved with a leech pattern was also found.

Without time for a detailed investigation, Ian quickly dealt with the scene.

They used alternating ice and fire rays to clean up the bloodstains and traces, and then burned, froze, and buried the remains of the three bodies.

After doing all this, Ian sensed his surroundings and, to make sure there were no other onlookers, hurried away.

Deep within the rotting swamp, in a nest built of bones and mud, a life tablet engraved with Sachi's name shattered with a "crack".

In the darkness, a pair of scarlet eyes slowly opened.

"Who... killed my servant?"

A hoarse sound echoed in the nest, carrying a thick, bloody stench.

Several bloodsucking leeches emerged from the mud and slowly crawled toward the Whispering Forest.