Ronan tested the environment, combining it with the "Shbiart's Universal Pearl," and found that the speed at which his spells reached master-level proficiency, especially those with extraordinary domains, increased by three to five times compared to normal conditions.
Once master-level proficiency reached 500 points, progress became increasingly difficult. Ronan had numerous domains to comprehend, and spreading his attention across multiple spells slowed his progress.
However, with efficiency increased by three to five times, he could save a significant amount of time.
"Casting corresponding elemental spells here has much greater power than outside, which means my [Ascetic Body Tempering] training can also progress more quickly."
Ronan survived his confrontation with the remnant will of the "Ancient Frost Hydra Hecarto" by sheer luck, thanks to his willpower far surpassing that of his peers.
For an ordinary person, they might not have lasted long enough to seek help from Bennigo before being completely consumed.
Ronan's willpower was forged through countless trials and tribulations, stronger than steel, but to contend with the ancient ruler's consciousness, even that wasn't enough. [Ascetic Body Tempering] remained a critical focus of his training.
After the battle with the Ancient Witch Resurrection Society on the Goblin Plains, Ronan felt a slight increase in the efficiency of his mental power growth through meditation.
This improvement was subtle, almost imperceptible without close observation, but it was indeed there.
"It must be the constant clash of spells and domains that purged some impurities from my soul."
Ronan speculated.
Practicing the ancient battle mage path proved effective. For a wizard of ordinary talent like him, actively seeking competition and honing himself through constant conflict was the only way to reach, or even surpass, other wizard prodigies.
He left the ice legacy space and returned to the cozy, quiet room.
The aroma of food wafted through the air, and Ronan looked up to find a meal laid out on the central table.
—A few pies, half a golden roast goose, and a bowl of rich soup made from cabbage leaves, mushrooms, and chopped onions, with a hint of egg yolk fragrance.
Had someone visited the room while he was in the legacy imprint space?
Ronan's eyes flickered as he noticed a black writing board beside the food, with elegant handwriting: If you have any needs, write them on the board, and someone will arrange them for you.
"It seems they're really not planning to let me out anytime soon."
Ronan sat at the table, calmly tasting the food with the silver cutlery, then wrote his feedback and expectations for the next meal on the blackboard.
As he tore into the crispy roast goose leg, his gaze swept over the bookshelves. A blue-covered book, about half a finger thick, floated off the shelf and opened before him, pages flipping rapidly.
Inside the coverless book was a single rune spell, with no other content.
Ronan flipped through book after book, realizing that the shelves were mostly filled with rune books.
This discovery surprised him, making him wonder if this was the core knowledge repository of the Ring.
Runes are the essence of a wizard's talent and the crystallization of wisdom. Any existing rune is a treasure. If Ronan hoped to achieve anything on the wizarding path, he'd inevitably reach the point where he needed to create his own runes.
And the prerequisite for that step was a sufficient reserve of rune knowledge.
Had he encountered and collected many runes during his journey?
Yes.
But was it enough?
No, not nearly enough to meet the minimum standard for creating his own runes.
The [Mirror Light] rune was merely his extraction from the core runes of the "Universal Pearl" and the Tier 2 mirror artifact, far from being "original."
Of course, for a second-level wizard like him to already think of creating runes and founding spell schools was quite ambitious.
In the immediate term, Ronan had accumulated several high-level rare runes—the core rune of the Universal Pearl, the core rune of the dawn artifact space-stopping staff, the core runes of the mirror dagger and silver comb, the [Cold Soul] rune...
Ronan's research into these runes never stopped, but progress was slow due to the lack of rune knowledge reserves.
To use an imperfect analogy, it's like an elementary student finding a college textbook; even after years of studying it, they might not glean anything valuable.
Ronan had seen and studied too few runes, and his foundational knowledge as a rune engraver wasn't enough to support the analysis of high-level rare runes.
The rune knowledge available in this room was a rare opportunity to fill in those gaps.
"Even if the legacy imprint space isn't fully open to me, being able to freely browse these runes is an incredibly valuable opportunity."
Ronan's eyes gleamed with interest as he continued to read the rune books while dining.
The Ring had its advantages. Its pursuit of "Omniring" stored vast amounts of various elemental runes and corresponding general spells.
Ronan didn't need to learn each one, but merely reading and understanding them rapidly expanded his spell knowledge.
Kirstie had mentioned that after becoming a third-level wizard, Ronan would officially begin accessing the Ring's core legacy. At that point, deciding which elements to study and which spells to focus on would require careful consideration. Understanding these now was a form of preparation, allowing for preliminary planning of his future spell system.
As Ronan read, he suddenly heard the flapping of wings above.
He looked up to see a colorful parrot descending with a loud voice from the darkness.
"Hey, Damien."
A vibrant rainbow parrot spiraled down, landing swiftly on the table, and greeted him with a playful wink, "How are you finding it here?"
Borbi.
Ronan was somewhat surprised by the arrival of the illusionary parrot Borbi.
"What brings you here?"
"I came to check on you."
Borbi preened its feathers with its large spiral beak, replying to Ronan with a playful lilt, "And to bring you something."
With that, Borbi lifted its claw, and the space ring it wore flashed, depositing a dozen or so bottles and jars on the table between them.
Borbi spat out a small rune stone, pushing it toward Ronan, "These are potions to help a second-level wizard enhance mental power, and a few for third-level wizards... There's a guide on how to use them. Use these first, and I'll bring more when you run out."
Ronan's eyes flickered as he picked up a translucent white crystal bottle, seeing dozens of black wriggling worms inside.
These worms were covered in eerie patterns, and upon closer inspection, they resembled faces expressing various human emotions.
"Contemplation Worm larvae. So many?"
Contemplation Worms were rare magical materials, each worm possessing intelligence comparable to a human. They were beneficial for enhancing a wizard's mental power. Ronan had read about Contemplation Worms in a potion book and had tried collecting them using his Sixth Ring privileges, but to no avail.
He hadn't expected Borbi to bring him so many at once.
"Did the Ring Master send you?"
Ronan looked up at Borbi, who chuckled, "Of course, who else but Kirstie would care so much about you?"
Borbi hopped closer to Ronan, peering into his plate before scribbling a list of peculiar dishes on the blackboard with its claw.
"In a secluded room like this, you must try these dishes, Damien!"
"They're delicacies you won't find outside. If they haven't changed chefs in two hundred years, you won't regret it. Alright, Damien, see you next time, and have a pleasant stay!"
Borbi gave a long whistle, waved to Ronan, and flew upwards, disappearing into the darkness above.
"Is that the exit?"
Ronan squinted slightly at the direction Borbi left.
He calmly took inventory of the items Borbi left, eventually picking up the bottle containing the Contemplation Worms. He carefully poured out a single black worm, hesitated briefly, then slowly placed it in his mouth.
As he chewed, Ronan seemed to hear a woman's piercing cry, followed by a wave of extreme nausea and grease filling his mouth.
As described in the book, the taste of consuming Contemplation Worms directly was awful, best eaten with honey.
However, this was also the most effective way to consume them.
As he chewed, Ronan felt the Contemplation Worm's magical effects take hold, his second mental power crystal in his mind rapidly growing.
"Crack—"
When the rapid growth sensation ceased, Ronan checked his character panel, seeing his Level 2 Wizard progress had increased from 40% to 42%.
Just one Contemplation Worm had increased his mental power progress by 2%, and he had at least twenty more left!
"No wonder they're extremely valuable magical materials for third-level wizards. These over twenty Contemplation Worm larvae are likely Kirstie's private stash."
Ronan felt a slight touch of sentiment.
Before entering this "seclusion room," Kirstie had repeatedly expressed skepticism about his chances of advancing to a third-level wizard in three years and qualifying for the Southern Wizard Genius Gathering, the "Helamsk Prodigy Seat" competition.
Yet, she immediately sent Borbi with precious resources to help him advance to the third level.
This woman was as contradictory as ever.
Ronan mused for a moment, put away the materials on the table, took out his portable tea set, brewed himself a cup of tea, and continued perusing the rune books on the shelves.
He felt himself beginning to enjoy life here.
With nothing to worry about, food and resources delivered on time, all he needed to do was follow his schedule of training and learning.
For most wizards seeking stability, this place was paradise.
After drinking two cups of tea, Ronan put down the rune book, approached the gray door representing the metal legacy imprint space, and entered.
In the seclusion room, where there was no distinction between day and night, time flowed like invisible sand through unseen fingers.
Initially, Ronan tried to keep track with an hourglass and watch, but eventually, he forgot to check, and stopped caring about the passage of time.
His life became focused on a few things—
Meditation, practicing spells in the legacy imprint space, body tempering training, and rune research.
Ronan relished this tranquility.
It had been a long time since he'd experienced such peaceful and fulfilling days.
These routines had accompanied him for a long period during his apprenticeship, but after advancing to a formal wizard, he was constantly on the move, rarely having such settled moments.
"Click—"
Under the leaden sky, Ronan stood on a massive dark red rock, extending his right hand.
Blobs of black metal shot from his fingers, landing on the ground, racing like living creatures, some even sprouting wings, soaring like birds.
These living metal substances spread around Ronan, and at a moment's notice, he flipped his hand.
All the active metal gathered at once, forming a bizarre humanoid figure over five meters tall, with three heads and six arms.
The strange figure had no facial features, only two black hole-like eyes on each head. Ronan looked up, meeting its gaze silently.
A faint consciousness transmitted out, and soon, the figure began running swiftly across the vast metal land, its shape constantly shifting, sprouting weapon-like spikes that shot out, exploding violently on the ground, creating crater after crater.
Ronan watched the moving figure, a light flickering in his eyes.
In an instant, the running figure froze, as if suddenly solidified, rapidly turning into a shimmering silver from top to bottom.
The [Silverization] rune activated.
The silverized figure seemed to gain an aura of mysterious profundity, continuing to step forward, this time disappearing from the spot in an eerie manner, reappearing dozens of meters away.
After a few such movements, Ronan raised his hand.
"Boom!"
The entire figure exploded, turning into a stream of silver metal, quickly flying back to Ronan's hand.
"Incredible."
Ronan murmured softly, watching the mercury-like flow between his fingers, carrying the intense metallic energy with faint spatial aura.
[Activated Metal - Living Steel (Master 60/1600)]!
The [Activated Metal] first-level metal spell had, after prolonged use, finally reached master-level proficiency.
The extraordinary domain effect it spawned was unique, allowing further "deep activation" of separated metal, achieving a puppet-like effect—lacking self-awareness, but able to execute simple combat commands from Ronan and perform reconnaissance tasks like a living creature.
Overall, the [Living Steel] extraordinary domain effect wasn't particularly outstanding but greatly enriched Ronan's combat methods. When attached, it gave a peculiar sensation akin to wearing living armor.
But what truly surprised Ronan was the space energy seed in his mind optimizing the [Silverization] rune.
After being nourished by space energy, the [Silverization] rune underwent some mysterious transformation. When Ronan activated [Silverization], the metal spells he cast sometimes exhibited effects akin to space spells.
"This isn't just a simple space energy seed; it must contain some legacy knowledge of space spells from the ancient Mirror Court. I just lack the means to actively receive and interpret it."
Ronan examined the space energy seed in his mind, once again sensing its extraordinary nature. Clearly, the dawn-level silver staff artifact had left him a gift far beyond his imagination.
If he were a legitimate Mirror Court wizard, he might have already gleaned some remarkable space spell from this seed.
Unfortunately, he wasn't, so the gift transferred in its simplest, most crude form to his soul marks.
Whether it was [Mirror Light] evolving into [Multiple Mirror Light] or the current intriguing changes in the [Silverization] rune, these were likely just minor glimpses of the gift's true value.
Ronan felt regret but knew he couldn't change it, only watch as a massive treasure slipped away every moment.
"I still have the core rune of the dawn-level artifact silver staff. I should combine it with this rune to see if I can truly unlock the space energy seed's value."
"Even if I don't gain a space spell legacy, enhancing the [Mirror Light] and [Silverization] runes as much as possible will mitigate some losses."
As Ronan's expertise in ice spells deepened, metal spells became increasingly redundant for him. But if they could be infused with spatial intricacies, they might transform into a new trump card.
Ronan pondered as he exited the metal legacy imprint space.
This time, as he stepped out of the gray door, he was surprised to find someone else in the secluded room, where he'd always been alone.
A handsome face, short golden hair like flowing gold, deep silver eyes like tranquil lakes, exuding the powerful mental aura of a third-level wizard.
Sitting quietly at the table, reading a rune book.
As Ronan emerged, the individual looked up at him.
Orion.
The quad-metal Orion.
Ronan's expression shifted slightly, standing still in front of the gray door, silently meeting Orion's gaze.
After a moment, his gaze calmed, naturally walking over to the table, pulling out a chair opposite Orion, and sitting down.
As Kirstie mentioned, many in the Ring placed their hopes on Orion.
This secluded room, along with the eight legacy imprint spaces, had always been Orion's exclusive domain.
Ronan was a newcomer, an "intruder."
However, Orion's face showed no displeasure or hostility at his "territory being invaded." He seemed genuinely friendly towards Ronan, even nodding and greeting him.
"Long time no see, Ronan Damien."
Orion tapped the table lightly, and several winged, smoke-like transparent figures emerged from the seemingly seamless peach wood table, climbing onto Orion's fingers, gazing at him with adoration.
Orion gently played with the figures before addressing Ronan, "Would you like something to drink?"