Ian dove into the woods. His heart tightened as he felt a powerful aura rapidly approaching from behind.

The pursuer was extremely fast, their aura even stronger than Nolan’s, whom he had killed.

But this time, his opponent wasn’t half-crippled like Nolan.

He didn’t dare flee in a straight line, instead constantly changing direction through the trees, trying to use the terrain to shake his pursuer.

But his opponent was experienced and stayed hot on his heels.

One chased and one fled. They soon ventured several miles deep into the dense forest, far from the main road.

A small clearing appeared ahead. Ian suddenly stopped and turned around.

The pursuing High Level Apprentice also stopped, standing thirty meters away, tilting his head as he sized Ian up.

He was a sinister-looking, middle-aged man dressed in a dark red Long Robe, with several Rings on his hands.

His aura was clearly different from that of a Shadow Moon Apprentice; a faint, bloody scent clung to him.

"Why’d you stop running?"

The sinister man sneered. "Hand over your Magic Stones, Potions, and anything else of value. I might grant you a more comfortable death."

Ian didn’t answer, his eyes narrowing slightly.

The Eye of Vigilance hung high above his head, monitoring the surroundings. He was checking for any other hidden enemies.

"Courting death!" The sinister man saw Ian’s gaze wander, ignoring him. A vicious glint flashed in his eyes.

He raised his hand and pointed a finger. "Corrosive Piercing!"

A thin, jet-black line shot out, heading straight for Ian’s face with a pungent, foul stench.

Although High Level Apprentices couldn’t use Instantaneous Witchcraft, their casting time was still extremely short.

This was a Corrosive Witchcraft of the Dark Element, possessing strong Penetration Power and a potent poison.

"Kryst’thal!"

Ian shouted, and the Crystal Energy Barrier formed almost instantly in front of him.

THUD!

The jet-black line struck the Shield, almost piercing it completely before being nullified by the overlapping crystal barriers.

"Oh? You cast that pretty quickly." The sinister man was a little surprised, but he quickly followed it with a cold smirk.

"Let’s see how many of these you can block!"

His hands flicked continuously as he chanted a non-stop Spell.

One after another, Corrosive Rays shot out in a barrage.

Ian held the Shield in front of him. With a stomp of his foot, he rapidly retreated, moving out of the Witchcraft’s attack range.

Just as the man paused his assault to prepare a more powerful Witchcraft...

Ian suddenly stopped his retreat and charged forward again.

"I’ve had a taste of your Witchcraft. Now, you can have a taste of mine!"

Before his words had even faded, two deep-blue Frost Freeze Rays shot out.

The rays suddenly split mid-flight, curving out in two arcs to flank the man from both sides, cutting off his escape routes.

"Huh?!" The sinister man was stunned. He even blinked.

He hadn’t seen Ian chant a Spell at all.

’Instantaneous Witchcraft!’

When he realized what had happened, his heart went cold. He knew he’d run into a tough opponent.

A Ring on his hand flashed, and a dark-red Blood Shield enveloped him.

THUD! THUD!

Both rays hit the Shield at the same time, unleashing the Power of Extreme Cold.

A thick layer of ice rapidly formed on the Blood Shield’s surface and began to spread inward, eroding it and constantly forming tiny ice crystals.

His vision blocked, the sinister man’s vigilance soared, and he hurriedly extended his Spiritual Power outward.

He watched as his Blood Shield grew thinner and thinner. The chill was even affecting the circulation of his Magic Power, making it sluggish.

’Instantaneous Ice Witchcraft... what a pain!’

The Magic Power in his body began to surge rapidly.

With a BANG!, he shattered all the ice covering him.

"Brat, you’ve successfully angered—"

Before he could finish, a massive volley of deep-blue light appeared in his vision, flying rapidly toward him.

The air of extreme cold spread wildly, and the temperature in the clearing plummeted.

"AHHH..." the sinister man roared, no longer daring to hold back.

After activating several more Blood Shields, he formed a Sealing Technique with his hands and began chanting a long, complex Spell.

A heart-palpitating Dark Energy began to gather.

Ian’s pupils shrank, and the hairs on his body stood on end.

He was overwhelmed by the immense threat of imminent death!

It was far more terrifying than Nolan’s Death Bell!

’I can’t let him finish!’

He quickly swallowed a Recovery Potion. No longer conserving his Spiritual Power, he once again frantically activated the Frost Rune.

In mid-air, one after another, rays of deep cold materialized out of thin air...

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

A series of loud bangs erupted as the ice on the sinister man’s body continuously trembled and thickened.

The sinister man’s face darkened; his Spell had been interrupted.

The Blood Shields around him rose and shattered, one by one, and his Witchcraft Rings were gradually running out of power.

The ice grew thicker and thicker, completely encasing him and forming a small iceberg.

’I will not die here!’

The sinister man hardened his heart. After chanting silently for a moment...

He spat out a mouthful of blood, spraying it onto the ice in front of him.

SIZZLE...

The blood’s temperature seemed extremely high, and it quickly melted away all the ice on his upper body.

’Now’s my chance!’

A sharp glint flashed in Ian’s eyes.

He mobilized his Spiritual Power to its absolute limit, and a scorching light ignited at his fingertip.

"Ignis! Maximum output!"

A Scorching Beam, nearly twice as thick as usual, burst forth.

Like a crimson meteor, it shot straight toward the sinister man, who was just about to break free from the ice.

The sinister man felt a mortal threat and frantically drove his Magic Power, trying to shatter the ice and dodge.

But there were too many layers of ice!

He had only struggled halfway out when the beam arrived!

"No—"

The sinister man let out a short, miserable cry before being torn to shreds by the exploding flames and shattered blades of ice!

When the flames dissipated, all that remained were a few scattered, mangled fragments and the messy traces of ice and fire.

Ian rubbed his temples and let out a long breath.

What he had just used was a little trick he had recently developed.

By relying on the formidable concentration of his Spiritual Power, he could maximize his casting to enhance the might of his Witchcraft.

’Looks like it worked pretty well.’

Ian quickly walked over, looted the Rings and other valuables from the man’s hands, and then sped off in the direction of Nightfall Town.

As he ran, he used his Eye of Vigilance to monitor his surroundings.

Thinking back to the Witchcraft the sinister man had failed to complete, besides the lingering fear...

...there was also an indescribable excitement and thrill!

’A High Level Apprentice, at least Elite Level, killed by me in a head-on fight! Haha...’

He knew the sinister man had died for underestimating him, but it wasn’t a simple case of carelessness.

In any one-on-one fight against a Wizard who could cast instantaneously, without special defensive measures, you would be continuously worn down and forced into a passive state.

The power of Instantaneous Witchcraft had been demonstrated to the fullest extent in these last two battles!

’My strength is now enough to survive in this cruel War, and I can even take the initiative to hunt others!’

Outside Nightfall Town, Ian found a hidden spot to clean himself up and remove any traces of the battle.

He walked through the gates with a nonchalant expression and returned to the Star Leaf Magic Pharmacy.

Closing the door to his room, he immediately began to examine his spoils of war.

On the sinister man’s body, there were over three hundred Magic Stones, some Middle Level Magic Potion Materials, and a few common healing, detoxification, and Recovery Potions.

Unfortunately, most of the Witchcraft Rings were overloaded and broken; only one was still usable.

Besides these items, there was also a thin booklet—the "Blood Erosion Technique."

’Not a bad haul.’ Ian smiled and put the items away.

Although he had no intention of learning Dark Witchcraft, he could sell it or trade it with someone.

He sat down cross-legged and began to meditate to recover.

In his mind, he replayed every detail of the battle that had just occurred.

He summarized what he’d learned and reflected on his shortcomings.