[Investigate the Abnormal Energy Fluctuation in the Eastern "Withered Forest" (Independent Mission)]

"GA, this one’s good!" Gaga poked its head out from a shadow. "We don’t have to share the loot!"

The corner of Ian’s mouth twitched. He felt the same way.

After his fight with Sterling, he had grown more accustomed to acting alone.

More people meant more variables, and a greater risk of his secrets being exposed.

He tapped on the mission details.

[Mission Location: Withered Forest (Edge of the Seventh Sector, Eastern War Zone)]

[Mission Objective: Investigate the source of the recent abnormal energy fluctuation, assess the threat level, and eliminate the abnormal node if necessary.]

[Mission Level: Level One (Recommended for Vaporization-level Wizards and above)]

[Mission Reward: Base reward of 800 Merit Points, with bonuses based on the threat assessment.]

[Special Note: Multiple Apprentices have recently gone missing in this area. The energy environment is unstable, and the presence of a Demon that causes spiritual pollution is suspected.]

’Spiritual pollution?’

Ian’s eyes flickered.

He recalled the special effect he had obtained from the Secondary Limit-Breaking of his [Bloodline Purification Technique]: [Spirit Devourer].

An ability specifically for devouring and purifying Spiritual Energy and Soul fragments.

"Accept." He pressed confirm.

The Demon Hunting Jade Token vibrated as the mission information flowed into it.

[Mission Accepted]

[Recommended: Bring Witchcraft Artifacts or Potions that provide spiritual protection.]

Ian turned and began his preparations.

He placed ten bottles of Concentration Dew into his Dimension Bag and slipped the [Ring of Overlapping Peaks] onto his left wrist. He also brought the portable Array Disc for the [Source Annihilation Array], which would be useful for setting up a temporary camp in the wild.

Finally, his gaze fell on the pile of Blood Essence in the corner.

"GA! My snacks!" Gaga immediately dove for the pile, spreading its little wings protectively over it.

"We’re only taking half," Ian said, pinching a few of the Rotting Swamp Porcupinefish Blood Essences between his fingers.

"We might need to replenish our Life Energy in the Withered Forest’s environment."

Gaga reluctantly loosened its claws, its small eyes fixed on Ian’s hands. It let out an indignant "Ga!" for every piece he took.

Ian chuckled and rubbed its head. "I’ll pay you back double when we get back."

"That’s a promise! Ga!"

「Half an hour later.」

Ian followed the map to the exit of a dimly lit cavern.

He hovered in mid-air, surveying his surroundings.

Before him lay a forest, but it was unlike any forest he had ever known.

There were no leaves, no hint of green.

Only a forest of twisted, desiccated black "trees" that looked as if they had been drained of all Life Force.

The trunks were twisted into unnatural shapes, their surfaces riddled with honeycomb-like pores from which a dark purple ooze faintly seeped.

The ground was covered in a grayish-white fungal mat that was soft underfoot, making a muffled SQUISH sound with each step.

The air reeked of rot and decay, mingled with a faint whisper on a spiritual level.

It was like countless tiny voices murmuring at the edge of hearing—inaudible, yet deeply unsettling.

[Eye of Vigilance] activated automatically.

An eyeball of pure Energy materialized above his head. As the [True Sight] effect activated, his vision was suddenly filled with streams of energy invisible to the naked eye.

Dark purple streams of corrupting energy, like a spider’s web, clung to every withered tree. It slowly seeped from the pores and mingled with the air.

"A field of spiritual pollution..." Ian murmured.

He mobilized his Vaporization-level Spiritual Power, forming a thin protective layer over his skin.

Simultaneously, his [Spirit Devourer] ability activated. The whispers trying to invade his consciousness crashed against an invisible vortex, where they were silently devoured and purified.

"GA! This is uncomfortable!"

Gaga’s feathers fluffed up, and its mismatched eyes scanned the surroundings warily. "Something’s watching us!"

Ian had sensed it, too.

Something was squirming within the pores of the withered trees.

He raised his right hand. A pale purple [Frost Ash Beam] condensed at his fingertip, but he didn’t fire it.

He simply held it, ready to be unleashed, and advanced slowly.

The fungal mat beneath his feet compressed with each step before slowly springing back, leaving faint impressions in its wake.

After about a hundred meters, a withered tree to his left began to tremble violently.

The pores on its trunk all opened at once, spewing a large cloud of dark purple mist.

From within the mist, dozens of translucent Tentacles shot toward him.

They were incredibly fast, accompanied by a shriek that was both audible and a form of mental Piercing.

Ian’s expression turned cold. He raised his left hand, activating the [Ring of Overlapping Peaks].

Three layers of a dark-silver Shield instantly unfurled, overlapping in a translucent barrier before him.

THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.

The Tentacles slammed into the Shield. The first layer shuddered violently, its surface rippling, but it held.

The tips of the Tentacles then tried to bore through the Shield, emitting a SIZZLING, corrosive sound.

’A physical psychic attack?’ Ian surmised.

He jabbed his right hand forward, and the pale purple [Frost Ash Beam] lanced out, striking the withered tree’s main trunk directly!

The energy, a maelstrom of Ice and Fire Interweaving, exploded on the trunk.

The outer layer was instantly frozen and made brittle, while the high temperature within detonated it from the inside!

BOOM!

The withered tree burst apart from its center, splattering dark purple ooze. All the Tentacles went rigid at once before dissolving into mist.

But the danger wasn’t over.

More than a dozen surrounding trees began to tremble in unison. Their pores opened, and more Tentacles spewed forth like a purple tide!

"GA! There are too many!"

Gaga shrieked, using [Shadow Jump] to appear in the air behind Ian in an instant.

[Omen Eye]!

A gray light descended, enveloping the three nearest trees. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

The rhythm of their trembling immediately fell into disarray. The Tentacles they spewed went awry, tangling with one another.

Ian seized the momentary opening. His Spiritual Power surged as he activated [Crystal Energy Barrier].

Dozens of palm-sized, diamond-shaped Floating Crystal Guards shot out like a swarm of hornets, precisely striking the base of each Tentacle!

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

The Tentacles were knocked aside and broken.

Simultaneously, Ian attacked with both hands.

With his left hand, he cast [Secondary Frost Freeze Beam]. Its "Twin" effect activated, and two intersecting ice-blue beams swept out, freezing a large swath of Tentacles.

With his right hand, he cast [Scorching Beam], its "Focusing" effect compressed to the absolute limit. A brilliant white beam, as precise as a scalpel, lanced into the core pore of each withered tree.

The alternation of ice and fire cleared the enemies with extreme efficiency.

In a mere five breaths, all the surrounding trees had exploded, leaving the ground covered in dark purple ooze.

The fungal mat began to absorb the ooze, making a GULPING sound.

"Ga... Are they eating their own kind?" Gaga asked, landing on Ian’s shoulder with its little eyes wide in disbelief.

Ian didn’t answer. His gaze was fixed on the depths of the forest. The battle had attracted more things.

Something was writhing beneath the fungal mat.

THWUMP!

A pale arm burst from the ground, followed by a second, then a third...

Three "corpses" clawed their way out from under the fungal mat.

They wore tattered Apprentice Robes. Their skin was ashen gray, their eye sockets were hollow, and dark purple ooze dribbled from their mouths.

Their movements were stiff, but they were surprisingly fast, closing in on him in a triangular formation.

’Corrupted corpses...’ Ian’s expression grew grim.

These must have been the missing Apprentices, now serving as vessels for the corrupting energy.

’He didn’t want to waste his Spiritual Power.’

With a mere thought, he activated his [Bloodline Purification Technique], fully unleashing his [Spirit Devourer] ability!

An invisible vortex radiated out from him.

The three corpses froze in place. A dark purple light flickered violently within their hollow eye sockets, as if something inside was struggling.

Then, wisps of dark purple mist were forcibly extracted from their mouths, noses, and eye sockets, flowing into the vortex around Ian.

The corpses rapidly shriveled and collapsed, crumbling into ashes.

The extracted corrupting energy, transformed by [Spirit Devourer], became pure fragments of Spiritual Power that replenished Ian’s Sea of Spirit.

"GA! That’s handy!" Gaga exclaimed, flapping its wings excitedly.

Ian nodded slightly. In an environment like this, [Spirit Devourer] was practically a divine skill.

It could perform Purification, replenish his energy, and weaken his enemies.

He pressed onward.

The deeper he went, the denser the withered trees became, the thicker the fungal mat grew, and the clearer the whispers in the air.

He was occasionally attacked by groves of the tentacled trees, and sometimes corrupted corpses would crawl from the ground.

But Ian dealt with them all using a combination of his abilities.

He used [Frost Ash Beam] as his main attack, [Spirit Devourer] to purify and replenish his energy, and the [Ring of Overlapping Peaks] for defense. Gaga provided interference while the Floating Crystal Guards handled crowd control.

The combination was executed with flawless precision.

After another two kilometers, he reached a relatively open clearing.

In the center of the clearing stood three figures.

Ian stopped short. At the same moment, they turned to look at him.

The person on the left wore a dark gray Long Robe, its hem embroidered with a pattern of withered vines.

’The symbol of the Withered Council.’

The man’s face was pale and translucent, and a faint aura of Death Qi emanated from him. He held a bone-white Magic Staff.

In the middle was a slender male Elf with blond hair and pointed ears. He wore lightweight, dark green Leather Armor and carried a longbow on his back. His eyes were as sharp as a hawk’s.

On the right was a member of the Sea Race. His skin was pale blue, and he had gill-like structures behind his ears. He wore form-fitting Water Patterned Soft Armor, and two Short Blades hung at his waist. His movements were graceful and light.

All three had the auras of Basic Level, Level One Wizards, but each of them had a very distinct presence.

The Wizard from the Withered Council radiated Death Qi, the Elf had a strong Natural Affinity, and the Sea Race member moved like water.

They were clearly here on a mission as well.

At that moment, three pairs of eyes fell upon Ian.

The air grew taut with tension.