’He can’t be allowed to live.’

Ian made his decision in an instant, a sharp glint in his eyes. He would kill the man as soon as possible.

An enemy lurking in the shadows, probing for his secrets, was far too dangerous.

’I have too many secrets. I can’t give him any chance to investigate further.’

He assessed the situation. The man’s Concealment skills were decent, but what about his Power?

Judging from the Energy fluctuations, he wasn’t a High Level Apprentice. But as a Bloodline Wizard, he could still possess the strength of one. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Ian himself had just been promoted to High Level Apprentice. His Shield had undergone Limit-Breaking, gaining the "Reorganization" effect, allowing for instant casting. His own safety was guaranteed.

Offensively, he had the Control Level Scorching Beam and, more importantly, the instant-cast Twin Frost Freeze Beams, giving him the initiative.

Crucially, they were inside the camp. His opponent wouldn’t dare cause a major disturbance either.

A rough plan quickly formed in his mind.

Ian pretended he needed to dump some waste after organizing his materials. He picked up an inconspicuous earthenware jar and pushed the door open.

He walked naturally toward the edge of the camp, to a relatively secluded spot near the waste pile for the newly built Workshop.

The shadows cast by the debris were deeper there, and few people passed by at night.

He didn’t walk quickly, but his Spiritual Perception was firmly locked onto the presence behind him—an aura that tailed him like a shadow, believing itself to be hidden.

As expected, the man followed, using the terrain for cover and gradually closing the distance.

Upon reaching the waste pile, Ian stopped and bent over, pretending to empty the jar.

In that very instant, he silently pushed off his feet, his body closing in on his opponent in a flash.

At the same time, his mind raced as his Spiritual Power connected with the Shield Rune.

There was no spell chanting, not even a noticeable burst of Energy.

The Crystal Energy Barrier, enhanced by the "Reorganization" effect, instantly formed a translucent, sealed Silence Barrier about three meters in diameter, with him at its center!

The Barrier’s surface shimmered faintly, trapping all Energy fluctuations and sounds securely within.

This was one of his High Tier applications of the "Reorganization" trait: instantly changing the Shield’s form and function from defense to a concealed prison.

Almost as the Barrier formed, Ian turned. Two icicles had already materialized before him... Twin Frost Freeze Beams!

Two eerie blue rays shot out without a sound!

The Power of Extreme Cold tore through the air, kicking up fine ice crystals.

The figure in the shadows was stunned, his reaction a little sluggish.

He never expected that Ian had not only discovered him but could also launch such a swift and silent attack.

What terrified him most was Ian’s near Domain-like control and his instant-cast attack.

He scrambled backward in a clumsy roll as a piece of Passive Witchcraftal Armor on his body activated automatically.

His Shield was struck by the weakened Frost Freeze Ray and was quickly covered in frost, obstructing his vision for a split second.

That split second was all it took!

Ian’s right hand was already raised, two rays ready to be unleashed in his mind, but he didn’t fire them. Instead, he pushed off his feet again.

The physical prowess of a High Level Apprentice, bolstered by a powerful Physique nourished by the Rock Bear Potion, burst forth.

He closed the distance like a phantom!

His opponent was still fighting off the chill, trying to activate some kind of Bloodline Witchcraft.

Ian raised his seemingly slender fist and, with the precision granted by his powerful Spiritual Power, "gently" struck a vital point on the side of the man’s neck!

POP! The Shield shattered instantly, followed by a faint "CRACK!"—the sound of bone breaking within the Silence Barrier.

The immense Power and precise strike instantly destroyed his cervical vertebrae and severed the neural connections.

The stalker’s eyes bulged, his pupils filled with incredulous horror and confusion.

He seemed to want to say something but only managed a short gasp before his body went limp and collapsed, his life force fading rapidly.

From start to finish, the entire process took less than two seconds.

There was no intense clash of Energy, no alerting of any patrolling guards.

Even the sound of craftsmen striking Metal in the nearby Workshop drowned out the barely perceptible disturbance.

Ian calmly bent down and quickly searched the body.

He found a hidden pocket sewn into the man’s undergarments.

Inside, aside from some Magic Stones, was a small, blood-red Bone Fragment used for communication or tracking.

There was also a worn piece of beast hide with a map of the surrounding area.

And a note with a brief record about Ian himself. The more he read, the darker his expression became.

The paper noted important information like "Suspected connection to Nolan’s disappearance, relationship with Star Leaf Magic Pharmacy, sales records of Rock Bear Potion, requires further confirmation..."

"Just as I thought," Ian’s gaze turned colder.

He quickly used his Frost Freeze Ray to completely freeze the Bone Fragment into dust, then put away the beast hide paper.

Next, he gradually shrank the Shield’s radius, causing the Barrier’s intensity to increase significantly.

He carefully controlled the power of his Frost Freeze Ray to freeze the corpse into a solid block of ice, then used brute force to crush it bit by bit.

Immediately after, he cast the Cleaning Technique, gathering the "debris" and dust from the ground to erase all traces.

He then used his Spiritualization-enhanced Wizard’s Hand to scatter the "debris" across the waste pile within a thirty-meter radius, wiping away all signs of a struggle.

After finishing, he dispelled the Silence Barrier and, holding the empty jar, calmly walked back to his Alchemy Room as if nothing had happened.

The night remained dark, the light from the distant watchtower flickering.

No one knew that a clean and efficient elimination had just taken place in the shadows.

「Inside the camp, in the hall of a stone house.」

Leon sat at the head of the table. Below him sat several Apprentices, all Wizards from the Osborne Clan.

"Why isn’t Kari back yet? Did he find something new?"

The speaker was an elderly Wizard Apprentice sitting below. His tone was direct, suggesting considerable seniority, but his strength was only at the Middle Level.

Leon’s brow furrowed slightly. "Perhaps he got held up. It’s happened before. I’m leaving tomorrow. After I’m gone, keep a low profile and don’t cause any trouble for me."

As he spoke, he glanced at the elderly Apprentice, a hint of disgust in his eyes.

’This old fool,’ Leon thought. ’His aptitude is garbage. He only tagged along this time by pulling seniority because he wants a Rock Bear Potion to prolong his life, doesn’t he?’

’The man constantly throws his weight around, relying on the clan’s prestige, and has caused me endless trouble. I really wish I could just burn him to a crisp with a Fireball.’

Seeing the look on Leon’s face, the other Apprentices lowered their heads and said nothing.

They had come here not only for the official mission from the High Tower but also to investigate the leak of their clan’s Rock Bear Potion formula.

About three months ago, they learned that someone was selling Rock Bear Potion on the market, not long after Nolan’s death. They immediately began a covert investigation.

Following the trail, they traced it all the way to the Star Leaf Magic Pharmacy, where they discovered a Magic Potion Alchemist with a somewhat strange history.

At the time, wary of the Official Wizard behind Star Leaf, their investigation was extremely secretive and slow.

When the great War broke out, the clan needed more Power to face the conflict. They turned their attention back to the Potion, intensified their investigation, and tracked the leads all the way here.

Ever since their ancestor became an Official Wizard, no one in the Osborne Clan had successfully advanced to that level. They had only managed to maintain their strength by relying on the few Rock Bear Potions left behind by their ancestor. Unfortunately, the clan had never been able to refine a single one since.

’If we could control this Magic Potion Alchemist and have him refine Magic Potions exclusively for the clan...’

As the few people in the hall considered this wonderful prospect, the greed in their eyes grew more intense.

...

Ian returned to his room, his expression still calm.

The immediate crisis was resolved, but the pressure had not lessened.

The threat of the Deep Red was imminent, and now someone within the camp was spying on him.

He glanced at the materials in the corner. The refining of the Rock Bear Blood Essence, achieving greater skill with his Shield, accumulating Contribution Points, breaking through in his Attack Witchcraft... every single task was urgent.

Furnace Camp, this logistics base, was already tainted by the flames of War, burning fiercely in the crucible.

And he himself had to grow rapidly within these flames to gain enough strength to protect himself.

Suddenly, the eyeball on his roof spotted a figure gradually approaching his residence.

The newcomer was small and slender, almost unnoticeable in the dark of night.

Ian linked his Spiritual Power to the eyeball to get a closer look. He was taken aback.

’What’s he doing here?’