"Form up! Stay alert!"

Kalem’s voice snapped everyone back to reality.

He stood at the head of the group, his scar looking all the more menacing under the glow of the fluorescent moss.

"This is the western side of Iron Ridge Canyon—the entrance to Demon Nest Number Twelve."

He pointed to a massive, twenty-meter-tall cave to the left. The rock at the cave’s edge was jagged, as if chewed on by some great beast.

"Our mission is to clear this area of all active subterranean life, destroy the Demon Nest, and establish a temporary defensive line."

"Now for defensive assignments." Kalem issued his commands quickly. "Rod, take twenty people and cover the cliff face on the left flank."

"Kelly, you also take twenty and cover the right flank. The rest of you, guard the main entrance with me."

"Remember, don’t advance rashly. Focus on defense and counterattacks. First, we need to figure out these Demons’ attack patterns."

Ian was assigned to Kalem’s group, positioned toward the right of the frontline.

He quickly got into position, fanning out with five other High Level Apprentices, each about ten meters apart.

This distance allowed them to support one another without risking friendly fire from area-of-effect Witchcraft.

"Gah, this place is awful..." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Gaga complained in Ian’s mind, "The Shadow Energy is very active, but the other elements are so ’dirty.’"

"Just stay hidden for now. Don’t come out," Ian whispered, his eyes fixed on the dark cave ahead.

He didn’t have to wait long.

THUD... THUD... THUD...

Heavy footsteps echoed from deep within the cave, accompanied by coarse panting and the wet, sloppy sound of something being dragged.

’They’re here.’

The first things to charge out of the cave were a type of humanoid creature.

They stood about two meters tall with enormous heads and hunched backs. Their facial features were twisted and crammed together, their mouths split to their ears, and their sharp teeth dripped with foul-smelling saliva.

Their arms ended in scythe-like Bone Blades, the edges of which glowed a faint green, clearly indicating they were coated in a potent poison.

"Corrosive Claw Inferior Demons. One of the most common types of cannon fodder in the underground," Kalem’s calm voice rang out.

"Their Power is equivalent to somewhere between a Middle Level Apprentice and a High Level Apprentice, but they usually appear in large numbers. Watch out for their Bone Blades and venom. And don’t let them get close—these things like to self-destruct before they die."

Before his voice had even faded, the first batch of a dozen or so Corrosive Claw Inferior Demons came roaring out of the cave!

In the dim light, their eyes glowed crimson. They were devoid of reason, driven only by a pure desire for slaughter and Devouring.

Upon spotting the human contingent, they let out piercing shrieks and dropped to all fours, lunging forward with astonishing speed!

"Attack!"

Kalem ordered.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

On the left, the Apprentices in Rod’s group attacked first. A dozen or so Fireballs, Ice Cones, and Wind Blades whistled through the air and smashed into the pack of Inferior Demons.

BOOM! SPLAT!

A dozen Inferior Demons were blown to pieces by the Fireballs, sending dark green blood and chunks of flesh flying.

From behind them, more Inferior Demons charged forward!

In Ian’s position, three roaring Inferior Demons were pouncing toward him.

A female Apprentice next to him turned pale, but she still gritted her teeth and began to chant a Spell.

A translucent Force Field Wall materialized, struggling to hold its position directly in front of them.

BANG!

The foremost Inferior Demon slammed hard against the Force Field Wall, its Bone Blade scraping across the surface and sending ripples across the Force Field.

"Help me!" the female Apprentice cried out, her Force Field Wall trembling violently.

Ian didn’t use his signature Instantaneous Beam Spell.

He pretended to quickly chant a Spell, tracing a Rune in the air with both hands—the standard preparatory motion most Apprentices used when casting Witchcraft.

In reality, his Vaporized Spiritual Power was already surging silently within his Sea of Spirit.

’Scorching Beam.’

He recited the name in his mind but deliberately controlled the Power and speed, making the orange-red beam look as if it had been formed after a brief period of chanting.

HISS!

A beam, thick as a thumb, struck the left Inferior Demon’s shoulder, burning a blackened hole through it.

The Inferior Demon let out a wretched howl and its movements slowed, but it didn’t fall immediately.

"Not enough Power! Again!"

Another male Apprentice shouted as he released several Acid Balls, which hit the middle Inferior Demon and corroded its flesh, releasing puffs of white smoke.

Ian "cooperatively" began to "chant" again. Another beam shot out, this time hitting the Inferior Demon’s knee.

The Inferior Demon stumbled and fell to its knees, and the female Apprentice seized the opportunity to decapitate it with a strengthened Wind Blade.

Fighting erupted all along the defensive line.

The Corrosive Claw Inferior Demons weren’t particularly strong, but their frenzy and numbers made up for their lack of quality.

And just as Kalem had said, these Demons had no regard for their own lives. Once severely injured, they would desperately charge at the nearest Apprentice.

Then... BOOM!

An Inferior Demon with both legs severed suddenly swelled up before it could fall, a dirty red light glowing from beneath its skin. Then it exploded!

Chunks of dark green flesh and venom splattered everywhere, covering a ten-meter radius.

An Apprentice who couldn’t dodge in time was splashed. Their protective Energy Shield immediately began to sizzle as it corroded, and their face turned blue.

"Purification Potion! Quick!" someone yelled.

Throughout the battle, Ian remained calm and observant, deliberately keeping his performance at an "above average" level.

He would occasionally "miss" an attack or "struggle" to block an Inferior Demon’s counterattack.

But in truth, with his fully Vaporized Spiritual Power, his incredibly fast casting speed, and his precise control, it was all ridiculously easy for him.

HISS!

Another beam pierced an Inferior Demon’s eye socket and exited through the back of its skull. The Inferior Demon collapsed, twitching.

’Seventh one,’ Ian counted silently.

The Jade Token in his breast pocket vibrated faintly, seemingly recording something.

The battle lasted for about a quarter of an hour.

When Kelly blasted the last Corrosive Claw Inferior Demon to charcoal, hundreds of twisted corpses lay piled near the cave entrance.

Dark green blood soaked the rock, and the air was thick with the foul stench of gore and burnt flesh.

"First wave is over. Rest where you are, tend to your wounds, and collect the Abyssal Crystals."

Kalem commanded. "Move quickly. The next wave won’t wait for long."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but no one dared to let their guard down completely.

A few injured Apprentices quickly took Antidotes and Healing Potions, while the others started walking toward the Demon corpses they had killed.

Ian also walked toward the few Inferior Demons he had killed.

As he drew near, he noticed a detail: the closer his Jade Token got, the more the frantic, agitated aura of the Inferior Demon corpses dissipated. It was as if the very "thing" that sustained their existence was being drawn out by the token.

Ian knelt down and placed his hand on the forehead of one of the Inferior Demon corpses.

’The Secret Technique for extracting Abyssal Crystals... It’s quite simple.’

He recalled the short Spell all participants had learned before entering the underground. It was a minor Secret Technique that a High Level Apprentice could master quickly.

His Spiritual Power pierced deep into the Inferior Demon’s skull like a fine needle, touching a tiny, ice-cold Crystal Core in a location similar to a "pineal gland."

’Condense.’

Ian recited the Secret Technique’s Spell in his mind. His Spiritual Power enveloped the Crystal Core and gave a gentle tug.

POP.

A dark gray crystal the size of a grain of rice floated out from between the Inferior Demon’s eyebrows. It had faint spiral patterns on its surface and landed in Ian’s palm.

’So this is an Abyssal Crystal.’ It was cool to the touch, and he could feel extremely faint, chaotic currents of Energy flowing within it.

According to the pre-battle briefing, this crystal was a "core of pollution" that formed inside subterranean creatures after being subjected to the Erosion of Abyssal Power. It was also the proof needed to exchange for Merit Points.

Just as Ian was about to extract a second one, the sound of an argument broke out nearby.