Bloodline of the Wizard
Chapter 161 - 98: Second Rune, [High Energy Crucible], [Rusty Swamp]_2

Chapter 161: Chapter 98: Second Rune, [High Energy Crucible], [Rusty Swamp]_2

Ronan spent the last few days within the Magic Ring trying to find information related to "Schiper," but he could only find sparse details. He knew that Schiper was a wizard of legendary status who once existed on this continent.

The exact extent of his strength was unknown, yet his profound knowledge was well recognized, having left astonishing achievements invaluable to posterity in numerous fields such as spells, runes, Magic Potions, and alchemy.

The Magic Ring was not the only Wizard Force to have received Schiper’s legacy, nor was it the first.

"Wizards leave behind ’Whale Falls,’ nurturing countless wizards that come after them..."

Ronan softly exclaimed in his heart. After successfully refining his Second Rune, he once again felt a "feeling of fullness" from his soul. When this sensation of fullness completely disappeared, it would be time for him to qualify for refining the next Seal.

After successfully refining the [Silverization] Seal, Ronan had yet to attempt using it.

Thinking, Ronan stepped out of the cabin.

The light outside made him squint slightly, and he thought he caught a glimpse of a shadow flicker past, but when Ronan looked again, the feeling of being watched had disappeared.

"Who knows which fly someone has sent this time..."

Ronan was unconcerned, closing the door of the cabin with a calm demeanor.

The place where he practiced and resided was a "Meditation Room," which only official members of the Magic Ring were qualified to rent—essentially a bunch of metal cabins huddled together without any special Rune Formation effects. Sometimes Ronan could even hear the snoring from the cabin next door.

Purely because it was within the irradiation range of the Seventh Magic Ring Silver Tower’s massive Meditation Array, it had some effect in promoting the growth of spiritual power, yet the rent was frighteningly high.

"There’s no cost-effectiveness at all; for that slight and not yet intense meditation amplification effect, I’d rather live outside more comfortably..."

Ronan gave up the "Meditation Room" and left the Magic Ring, venturing into the vast forest.

He found a quiet, undisturbed spot and began testing the effects of his Second Seal.

Magic Nightmare Tungsten Steel flowed out from beneath his Magic Robe like mercury, and the inherent nature of the dark material caused a slight burning sensation on the skin it passed over.

As usual, Ronan condensed the Magic Nightmare Tungsten Steel into his favored One-handed Sword form, and the [Silverization] Seal within his mind’s consciousness was activated.

Instantly, a strange power from the soul sprouted, transmitting through Ronan’s body, conducting down to his hand.

Ronan saw the Longsword in his hand gradually turn from pure black to silver-white.

Even the black smoke that the Longsword was constantly emitting turned into a misty silver fog, refracting a luxurious and beautiful color in the sunlight.

"Whoosh—"

Ronan gently swung the sword, leaving a clear sword mark in the air, with faint silver ripples emanating from it.

He then flicked the blade of the Longsword with his finger, hearing a crisp "ding ding" sound.

"The sharpness and solidity have at least doubled..."

Ronan came to a preliminary conclusion.

He then quickly flew in the direction of the deeper forest.

The forest area near the Magic Ring had been cleared of Magic Beasts by those Level 1 Wizards who lived off hunting, and to find a Magic Beast now, one had to go deeper.

It’s uncertain how long he flew, but Ronan finally saw a huge creature resembling a wild boar next to a small puddle that reeked of decay; it was a Low-level First Rank Magic Beast.

He remembered it, something called a "Mud-eating Swamp Pig" or some such, mediocre in terms of strength, with not much of value on it. The key was that its thick skin, intermixed with Earth Attribute Energy Particles, could rival the defense of an Intermediate First Rank Magic Beast—smelly, tough, and not worth much—thus generally disliked by hunting wizards.

However, it was quite suitable to serve as a Moving Target for testing magic.

Ronan didn’t use any spells. Relying only on physical strength and the bodily control provided by his Master Level Basic Swordsmanship, he floated up to the boar-like Magic Beast and stabbed it in the forehead with one swift strike.

"Pfft—"

The Silverized Demon Nightmare Longsword easily pierced into the head of the Mud-eating Swamp Pig and encountered a brief resistance when it hit its skull, but as Ronan pressed down a bit harder, it quickly broke through.

"Huh?"

Ronan, as if having discovered a new world, appeared astonished as he drew his sword and quickly retreated.

By the time he had returned to his original position, the Mud-eating Swamp Pig that had been stabbed in the head only began to react to the pain with a frenzy of howls, wildly digging into the mud beneath it and splattering mud droplets everywhere.

Ronan completely ignored the "victim’s" state, focusing all his attention on the longsword in his hand.

Just as he was about to thrust his sword, he noticed that the Mud-eating Swamp Pig, clearly aware of the impending danger, showed a moment of confusion in its eyes, as if falling into a state of chaotic consciousness beyond its control.

Even the sensation of pain from a major head injury had a "delayed" reaction, only registering after several seconds.

"Is it the special effect of the Demon Nightmare Tungsten Steel?"

For the first time, Ronan realized that the shimmering silver mist on the blade of his longsword might have effects beyond just making it look good.

With curiosity, he conducted over ten tests and finally confirmed that the Demon Nightmare Tungsten Steel indeed possessed some kind of inherent "consciousness disturbance" ability.

In battle, one’s spiritual power would be unavoidably disrupted when subjected to a spell attack mediated by Demon Nightmare Tungsten Steel.

This ability was quite twisted; it could throw off the opponent’s attack rhythm at critical moments, or even cause their spellcasting to fail.

Previously, Ronan had only used the Demon Nightmare Tungsten Steel as a pure melee weapon, completely overlooking this aspect.

"Does the ’nightmare’ in ’Demon Nightmare Tungsten Steel’ refer to this?"

"Silver Mist of Nightmare..."

"No wonder Travis was so obsessed with getting Benny’s piece of Demon Nightmare Tungsten Steel... The true value of Demon Nightmare Tungsten Steel might be far beyond my imagination."

Ronan reflected thoughtfully.

Then, using the Demon Nightmare Tungsten Steel as a medium, he tested a few other Metal Magic spells.

Although Ronan possessed the complete legacy of Metal Magic from both the first and second tier, he had actually learned only a few Metal Magic spells.

Apart from the core skill [Activated Metal], he learned one first rank offensive magic—[High Energy Crucible], and one first rank control magic—[Rusty Swamp].

The former is about controlling the metal medium to detonate explosively, as if an invisible crucible in the air is superheating the thrown metal medium.

The latter entangles the opponent with one’s metal medium, causing obstructions to their movement like rusting metal, and also inflicts some corrosion damage.

After the silverization, the might of these two spells clearly improved.

However, Ronan was only at entry-level for these two spells, whereas his proficiency in [Activated Metal] was nearing Mastery due to its frequent use in daily life.

The effect of [Activated Metal] is to bestow a sort of "activation" characteristic to the metal medium, allowing wizards to better control metal—an essential skill for the vast majority of Metal Attribute spells.

As the proficiency in [Activated Metal] increases, the "activity" of the metal medium will gradually upgrade, tightening the connection between it and the wizard, and improving the effectiveness of the released Metal Magic spells.

After tormenting several unfortunate Magic Beasts used as moving targets, Ronan completed the testing of his capabilities with the Metal Magic legacy and was finally ready to move on to the real subject.

— Deciphering the growth of Master Level Proficiency in [Ascetic Body Refinement]!

"Phew—"

Ronan exhaled a deep breath, took off his magic robe in a spacious area backed by a rock wall.

His appearance was too handsome, and cutting his hair shorter had added a much-needed ruggedness.

Now, stripped of his magic robe, his immaculate physique was revealed, accentuating that ruggedness even more.

Ronan held the longsword in reverse, the blade aimed at himself, contemplating where to start the first step.