Wizard Bloodline

Moments later, the final wave of energy subsided, and the garden returned to its original tranquility and peace, as if nothing had ever happened.

A towering figure, over two meters tall, silently appeared at the edge of the garden.

With shoulder-length white hair, clad in a simple silvery metal armor, the figure's robust form was revealed. A long cut marked the waist and abdomen, as if sliced by a sharp blade, exposing the firm, dense flesh beneath, yet strangely, no blood flowed, and the wound was slowly healing.

Veins surged across the face, resembling mysterious rune patterns. The eyes, pure white, hinted at what once was a handsome visage, now imbued with a demonic allure.

"Whoosh—"

The figure exhaled softly, and the towering, formidable body shrank as if deflated, the fierce features fading, returning to a lean, balanced form, with softened facial lines.

As the figure reverted to a youthful appearance, the metal armor transformed back into the original gray robe with silver patterns.

Ronan checked the wound on his abdomen, now fully healed, and glanced at his character panel. The mastery of [Ascetic Body] had increased significantly, nearing the 500 threshold.

He examined himself internally, noting the white vitality sphere in his chest had shrunk to about two-thirds of its original size.

"Normally, it's not necessary to compress vitality to its limit; the resulting power is usually sufficient."

Ronan mused silently.

The state he used to engage the transparent twisted figure wasn't the full [Immaculate Body] Ancient Giant Form. He termed this state "semi-demonization," which, while not maximizing power, offered quick activation and significantly reduced vitality consumption.

Ronan had nearly accustomed himself to maintaining his vitality sphere in a compressed state at all times, which not only trained his mental power but also enabled rapid "semi-demonization," and in moments of crisis, shortened the time needed to enter the "complete Ancient Giant Form."

"The Neman alloy's flexibility and extensibility are indeed excellent. Once enchanted, it can be worn as clothing, and after giantification, there's no need to worry about being exposed. Plus, once silverized, its resistance to both magical and physical attacks is exceptional."

Ronan patted his robe lightly, idly twisting a silver ring on his right ring finger, releasing a faint spatial energy wave. Two bottles of vitality-restoring potions appeared in his hand, and he slowly drank them.

The "semi-demonization" state combined with the silverized Neman alloy resulted in formidable defenses.

Yet, despite this, the transparent twisted figure's attack easily pierced his dual defenses, leaving Ronan uncertain of the creature's exact power level.

Late second-level?

Or approaching third-level wizardry?

"Space and mirror magic creations... Rumor has it that space and mirror magic are known for their mystery and immense destructive power, and it certainly seems so.

If I could master such formidable offensive techniques, that would be ideal."

He pondered, a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

His left hand, usually hidden under his robe, extended, revealing two items in his palm—a delicate silver comb and a sparkling, mirror-like silver dagger.

In the instant he engaged the transparent twisted figure, he used his old trick, threading metal wire through the rune array's gaps to successfully acquire these items.

Now, aside from the teapot and teacup, everything else on the white table had been claimed by Ronan.

"A comb, and the mirror that Fulyn and the others obtained... They seem like items for women. Is the owner of this mysterious garden space a witch?

Or perhaps a rather vain male wizard?"

Ronan wondered, storing the items in his spatial ring. Holding them, he sensed they were both magical artifacts, of considerable quality, awaiting further study of their runes.

He was primarily interested in their runes.

After the departure of the ancient wizard faction from the Mirror Court, no spatial or mirror magic legacies were left behind.

Many wizards attempted to deduce the essence of these two schools of magic through the runes left on their artifacts, seeking to recreate the Mirror Court's past glory. Ronan had now joined this vast endeavor.

Runes are a condensation of magic, an alternate interpretation of magic elevated to a certain level. A single rune can encompass various spells, much like a pot of soup might contain dozens or even hundreds of ingredients.

Reverse engineering spell legacies from runes is akin to fishing a piece of meat from a hot soup, then guessing the appearance of the creature when it was alive based on its shape and taste.

The difficulty is immense.

However, having tasted success with the [Mirror Light] rune, Ronan's expectations weren't high. If he could develop another rune compatible with his current magic system to serve as a soul sigil, that would suffice.

Having gathered his things, Ronan surveyed the mysterious garden before him.

The transparent twisted figure that had pursued him across the map was now hidden again in the geranium thicket, as if it had never appeared. Golden sunlight bathed the garden, leaving not a single blade of grass damaged. Dew still clung to many leaves, the peace and quiet almost unsettling...

"Compared to the items on the table, this garden is the real treasure... as well as the unknown beyond it."

Ronan scanned the garden, a faint gleam in his eyes.

Having read extensively in the Silver Tower recently, he recognized the garden as employing the "maze nesting array" from "Ivaylo's Ten Array Theories," not a typical maze array but a moving one.

To unravel the garden's secrets and find the entrance to the next secret space—if there was one—he'd have to solve the maze formed by countless small space teleportation arrays and find the true exit.

Ronan closed his eyes, attempting to construct the skeleton of the garden maze in his mind, comprised of interconnected space teleportation arrays. The challenge lay in their mobility, and he hadn't yet identified any pattern to their movement.

Images and inspirations flickered within his mind...

After a while, Ronan opened his eyes, temporarily abandoning the puzzle.

"Take it slow; no one else can enter for now."

Aside from Ronan, only Fulyn and the others from the First Ring knew of this secret space.

If he couldn't solve the maze, Fulyn and the others certainly couldn't.

If they chose to reveal it publicly, he had no complaints. After all, the secret realm was originally discovered by them, and "no man's land" implicitly allowed everyone the right to explore freely.

In the wizarding world, countless hidden treasures exist, where only wisdom and strength are the true keys to unlocking them.

Finding the entrance he came through, Ronan stepped out lightly...

On the lake's surface, a handsome youth in a gray robe emerged step by step from the water, like a lake god from a mundane tale.

No one witnessed this miraculous scene. Ronan activated his flight ring, swiftly heading toward the Ring.

Within the Ring, Ronan turned the feather ring on his hand, enveloping himself in a faint magical wave, allowing him to enter the Silver Tower unnoticed.

Borby's illusion ring proved exceptionally useful.

Its effect could weaken the user's "presence" to some extent, what Borby described as temporarily shedding Ronan's halo.

In certain situations, it could even serve as a stealth tool.

Of course, the illusion's effectiveness varied by individual, less noticeable to those with exceptionally strong mental fortitude.

Ascending the spiral staircase, Ronan occasionally grabbed flying books from the air for a casual read.

The ten days in the Silver Tower had been extraordinarily peaceful. The abundance of books here would take an ordinary person a hundred years of nonstop reading to finish. Living in the tower, Ronan was like a dry sponge, voraciously soaking up knowledge, growing more enriched and settled.

Approaching a spot near the tower's top, Ronan brushed aside the dense books, lightly leaping onto a nearby circular platform.

To his left, about twenty meters away, stood a pale-skinned, green-haired man in his thirties, gazing dreamily towards the book staircase, murmuring to himself, as if on the verge of stepping off the platform.

This was one of Ronan's "neighbors" in the tower. Most were wizards deeply engrossed in academic research, with limited interaction, preferring to immerse themselves in their worlds.

Ronan dismissed the idea of greeting him, moving to a small door with a brass lock. As he approached, the old brass lock loudly praised, "Look who's back? Ronan Damien, the Seventh Ring's most outstanding genius wizard, the future Seventh Ring Saint, destined to lead silver to new glory."

"Shut up, Serri!"

Ronan grabbed the old brass lock, silencing its praise.

"If you keep up this welcome routine, the public washroom's toilet in the Seventh Ring City will be your best home."

A weak voice followed.

"Welcome home... my dear master."

Ronan released his grip, opened the door, and closed it with a cold expression.

"Bang."

Silence.

A distinctive feature of the Silver Tower was the alchemical constructs like the brass lock, often housing ancient souls, remnants of past wizard experiments in the tower.

These soul-sealed objects were akin to "smart home assistants" from Ronan's past life, sometimes quite helpful, but occasionally leaving Ronan speechless and exasperated.

Entering the room, Ronan found a spherical space, not large, without a bed, as tower wizards typically replaced sleep with meditation.

A large crystal window faced the door, sunlight spilling in, revealing other Silver Tower spires, drifting clouds, and the still sky.

A small desk sat by the window, surrounded by various wizard books, with a lake-blue carpet for resting.

This was Ronan's abode in the tower, with the bathroom, meditation room, and laboratory adjacent, accessed through rune doors.

Standing at the [Clean] rune array by the entrance, Ronan rid himself of dirt and scents, moving to the window, opening it slightly before sitting at the desk.

The breeze lifted his shoulder-length hair. Ronan casually grabbed a few white strands, deciding to tie them with a silver-patterned metal band from his Neman alloy.

Each transformation into the giant form caused his hair to grow wildly, making it a hassle to manage, so he decided to leave it untrimmed.

Thinking of hair, Ronan recalled Borby's collection of his strands. When Kosti requested his blood for research, she brought up his simple transaction with Borby.

Kosti earnestly reminded him that such behavior was reckless for a wizard, as anything from one's body—flesh, blood, nails, hair—shouldn't be given to unfamiliar wizards lightly.

For curse-specializing wizards, these items are prime casting mediums.

In the Ring Tower, no one intended him harm, but outside, they could become a means for rival wizards to target him.

Kosti didn't blame him, noting that a region's sensitivity to curse magic is proportional to the number of black wizards practicing it there.

Black magic is rare near the Ring, and black-robed wizards are uncommon. Like many Ring wizards, Ronan overlooked the curse magic risk, as did the third-level wizards who requested his hair through Borby, clearly not considering the implications.

Given Ronan's youth and inexperience, such oversight was understandable.

Kosti resolved the matter by personally ensuring the third-level wizards who took Ronan's hair signed soul contracts.

Regarding soul contracts, Ronan had signed one upon joining the Ring—a non-betrayal soul contract. After advancing to six rings, the contract's form and content were upgraded.

Soul contracts, essentially another form of "curse," are rooted in the soul via runes. Breaching the contract shatters the runes, causing backlash, likely resulting in a fate worse than Benigo's...

Ronan mused idly, turning his spatial ring to retrieve items from storage, arranging them before him.

From left to right: the second-level artifact "Frostburn" bracelet from Kosti, the silver comb and dagger from the mysterious garden secret realm, and resources exchanged for his hair with the third-level tower wizards.

Kosti's "Frostburn" bracelet, upon activation, unleashes a "burning" ice ring, damaging nearby opponents.

The artifact's power is notable, being a second-level item, serving as a trump card for ordinary second-level wizards.

But what truly interested Ronan was its core rune, [Frostburn].

A rare ice rune suitable for a soul sigil, enhancing ice spells' coldness and triggering a peculiar "catalytic" reaction, creating a burning frost effect.

In terms of grade, [Frostburn] surpasses [Frozen Earth], likely why Kosti intentionally gifted the bracelet to him.

It offered an additional option for when he advanced to second-level and considered upgrading his existing soul sigil or forging a new one.

Though currently, Ronan had no plans to replace [Frozen Earth].

However, when he could forge a fourth soul sigil, this rune might prove useful.

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