Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

Alyssa walked back to her seat and began to speak slowly.

"The underground world... it's the ruins of an ancient battlefield."

In ancient times, a great war broke out between the wizarding world and the abyss world, affecting countless planes.

Although the sages ultimately triumphed and banished the will of the abyss, some battlefields were left with a pollution that could not be completely eradicated.

The underground world beneath our feet is one of them.

Malena held her breath, countless glorious and tragic images flashing through her mind.

"The underground world is filled with an omnipresent abyssal aura, a twisted, insane, and malevolent energy field."

Elivia's voice turned low, "Prolonged exposure to this environment will erode the rationality of living beings, ultimately turning them into servants of the abyss, monsters that only know how to kill."

The underground races are numerous and come in all shapes and sizes, but they all share common characteristics: madness and twistedness.

You've never participated in underground warfare before, so be careful if you encounter these monsters!

She traced lines in the air with her fingertips, and magic coalesced into several blurry images.

Thousand-Faced Worm: A giant worm-like creature pieced together from countless tormented human faces. Each face can roar independently, unleashing chaotic mental screams and spraying corrosive pus.

Shadow of the Abyss: A translucent, shadowy creature whose form changes with the fluctuations of surrounding sounds. It can mimic the sounds or memory fragments of its prey to mentally ensnare them, and those who come into contact with it will gradually lose their self-awareness.

Shadow Weaver: A bizarre creature that is half physical and half energy. It looks like a humanoid figure entangled with black silk threads. It is constantly weaving and recombining. After killing its prey, it will turn it into a "silk puppet" and retain some of its original abilities to fight for it.

……

Alyvia waved away the image, her expression solemn.

"Besides these, there are numerous other strange and troublesome humanoid races, too many to list."

However, they were all deeply corrupted by the abyss, their reason completely gone, leaving only an instinctive hatred and killing desire for the creatures on the surface.

They will attack any living thing that enters their sensing range relentlessly, until it is dead.

Malena's face paled: "Why not completely purify the underground world with monsters like these?"

"Because the cost is too high," Alyvia said with a wry smile.

"Although the ancient war wizard civilization was victorious, the abyssal aura has merged with the origin of the underground world. Forcibly purifying it may cause the earth veins of the entire continent to become unbalanced, triggering a disaster."

The power of His Majesty 'Endless Holy Light' is primarily used to maintain the surface barrier and prevent the energy from rising.

Deep underground, every fifty years, the abyssal aura accumulates to a peak, necessitating a large-scale cleanup; otherwise, when the pressure becomes uncontrollable, monster hordes will break through the blockade and surge to the surface.

She looked at Malena, her eyes serious:

"At that time, the mortal realm will be the first to suffer, with millions of crazed monsters flooding into towns and villages... It will be an annihilation disaster."

Therefore, the Silver Ring periodically organizes a demon-hunting operation, summoning wizards from across the continent to delve deep underground. Before the peak of the aura arrives, they aim to reduce the number of monsters as much as possible, destroy newly formed nests, and reinforce the sealing nodes.

Malena murmured, "So the recruitment includes all formal wizards and advanced apprentices..."

"Flowers grown in a greenhouse cannot survive in the wizarding world."

Alyvia sighed softly, "These are the rules set by His Majesty, both a responsibility and a tempering."

Real combat, life-or-death crises, and fighting against the corruption of the abyss—these experiences are crucial to a wizard's growth.

In fact, many wizards who are stuck at a bottleneck break through during demon-hunting operations, although the mortality rate is also very high.

She paused, her voice ethereal.

"It is said that during the Demon Hunt, those who perform exceptionally well will be recognized by the will of the world and receive a sliver of the essence as a gift."

This is the irresistible temptation for all wizards!

"The origin of the world!" Malena's pupils suddenly contracted.

With even a tiny wisp of the Wizarding World's essence, there will be no more bottlenecks before breaking through to the fourth level of wizarding!

"The tower master confirmed that this rumor was true, but I've never heard of anyone receiving it. Perhaps..."

Alyvia shook her head. Such a precious item, even if she obtained it, she would keep it a secret.

Marlena processed this information, then suddenly remembered something: "What about Ian...?"

"As long as he remains on this continent, he will be summoned, whether he is a wandering wizard, a family wizard, or a hermit... without exception."

This is the will of the Morning Star Wizards; those who disobey will be marked by holy light and hunted down by the entire wizarding world.

Alyvia and Malena already know that Ian has been promoted to senior apprentice.

The two were deeply shocked when they heard the news.

Ian's time to advance from intermediate to advanced apprentice was far too short!

A brief silence fell over the room.

Malena gripped her teacup tightly, head bowed, and remained silent.

She remembered the taciturn, yet miraculous, black-haired boy, and his calm gaze.

"He will survive," she murmured to herself.

Alyssa didn't reply, but instead looked south, her gaze seemingly piercing through layers of barriers to see the woodland shrouded in a ghostly light.

Ian stood by the window, gazing at the strange magic that seemed to flow subtly in the night.

After his mind was completely atomized, his perception of energy became several times more acute.

At this moment, he could "smell" the subtle changes in the free magic in the air. It was not a natural fluctuation, but rather an "aftershock" left by the intervention of some enormous will.

"As expected... something big is about to happen."

He sat back down at his desk, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the surface.

Amos's meaningful words floated into my mind, reflecting the growing tension in the Shadowwood over the past seven months.

Ian tried to extract keywords from the information, but he couldn't piece together a complete picture of the events. He needed more information.

……

The next morning, Ian left the tent early and headed to the "Dreamweaver's Hut".

Mira seemed to have anticipated his arrival and was already waiting in the quiet room in the backyard.

Her attire today was much more formal than usual, a gray robe with silver trim and a small ring-shaped silver badge pinned to her chest—the insignia of a member of the "Silver Ring".

"You noticed." Mira didn't bother with pleasantries and went straight to the point.

Ian nodded: "Yes, but I'd like to know why."

Mira gestured for him to sit down and poured him two cups of herbal tea. "You seem very young!"

Ian's heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained unchanged. "What do you mean?"

Mira looked at Ian with a half-smile: "Because this magical change happens once every fifty years."

Ian sighed inwardly; this was the downside of cultivating in seclusion—he couldn't access much information.

"Prepare well! In about three months, the Supreme Wizard Tower of the Silver Ring will issue a conscription order to the entire continent."

"Moreover, conscription is mandatory, and the consequences of evading it are worse than death."

Your presence will be marked by the 'Silver Ring,' making it impossible for you to move an inch in Anoria. Any wizard will have the right to arrest or kill you.

Therefore, don't take chances.

Ian's heart sank. "Are wandering wizards also included in the recruitment?"

Mira nodded silently. "Of course, all advanced apprentices and above must participate, including me."

"Why weren't we informed of the war beforehand?" Ian had just asked when he realized what was going on.

Advanced apprentices are no longer individuals requiring protection, and no one is obligated to inform them in advance.

It is likely that many people are taking advantage of this information gap to amass wealth.

Besides, in such a massive war, those who don't receive the news are probably just cannon fodder.

It's no longer important.