Elopement
His physical body was severely damaged. If it weren't for the strong physique he gained from practicing the Ascetic Body Forging, an ordinary wizard would have to undergo a major alchemical transformation of his body, even if he didn't abandon it, in order to survive.
Even so, the power of the Dawn Rank spell Bone Flame had seeped into his body. Even though the Vitality Orb within him was working hard to "remove" it, some of it still remained, causing his injuries to heal quite slowly. Now, if he were to remove his robe and mask, he would be unrecognizable.
Of course, Ronan also gained some benefits from this.
Having endured the erosion and burning of magical flames for half a month, his Master Level proficiency in [Ascetic Body Forging] has surged, breaking through the 1,400-point mark and approaching 1,500 points, making it the skill with the closest proficiency to Master Level perfection on his Character Panel.
Apart from that, there was only a superficial easing of tensions in his relationship with Moriel.
The two can now at least exchange a few simple words occasionally like ordinary friends, no longer filled with resentment and tension as before.
"Giggle giggle"
A girl's giggles came from somewhere below.
Ronan slowly picked up the silver metal mask from the ground and put it back on, then looked in the direction from which the laughter came.
On the deck at the bow of the magical ship, two girls were chatting together. Ronan recognized one of them immediately—it was Moriel. She had somehow run down there.
Standing next to Moriel was a girl with light green hair, about the same age as Moriel, and with a rather pretty and cute appearance.
She seemed to be amused by Moriel's words, and the laughter Ronan heard came from her mouth.
Not far from the two, there was a cold-looking man with many black markings on his face. He looked like a guard for the green-haired girl. When Ronan looked at the two, the Black-Marked Stern Man immediately looked at Ronan with a cold scrutinizing look in his eyes.
Ronan glanced at it briefly before looking away.
For the next two months, her activities would be confined to a single ship. Given Moriel's personality, it would be impossible for her not to find something to do to pass the time.
Let her be. Compared to being concerned about Moriel, Ronan felt he should be more worried about the safety of those who come into contact with her.
Don't let Moriel's current harmless appearance fool you; before this, she was the infamous "Ash Witch" of the Central Wizard World.
As for the Green-haired Girl opposite, she was just an ordinary First Level Wizard, while the cold-faced man with black markings beside her had reached the late stage of level two.
The ship currently sailing towards the East Coast is also thanks to them; Ronan and the others can be said to have benefited from their presence.
The Homer Blue Town was destroyed by the Level Four Dawn Wizard of the [Resurrection Society], so Ronan's agreement with the "Black Swan" Merchant Guild was naturally void. He was also lucky to have caught this ship after staying in the port for two days.
Ronan stood on the deck for a while, and once the magic ship had completely entered the ocean area and the dock where he had come from was no longer visible, he returned to his room.
After setting up the shielding and [Protection] Rune Array, Ronan removed his mask and robe, and as usual, first checked his physical condition.
His entire body is now covered in festering, festered burn wounds, a truly horrific sight.
But upon closer inspection, you'll find that some flesh is already growing under those wounds, and the internal organs are quite healthy. Apart from the pain caused by the worsening and healing of the wounds, it's actually not that serious anymore.
At this rate of healing, he might be fully recovered before the ship reaches the East Coast.
Their physical strength will also become much greater at that time.
Ronan took out healing powder and carefully changed the dressings on all his wounds. Then he summoned Itai and made it continue to devour the "Red Lotus Scepter".
Itai its time in Homer Blue, leaving only the size of a human head. If Ronan had previously felt somewhat guilty about feeding Itai Moriel's Red Lotus Scepter, he now felt completely justified.
Ronan also let the metal goat Dodol III, which he hadn't seen for a long time, out for some fresh air. He placed some unused metal scraps on the floor and then let it run around in the small room.
Having done all this, Ronan officially began his ascetic practice for the day.
Besides his daily meditation practice, Ronan is currently focusing on two main areas.
One is the Metal Element Spell Inheritance of [Golden Fire Spirit Moye].
After advancing to the Third Level Wizard, Ronan was able to learn almost all five spells of the [Golden Fire Spirit Moye].
Only after studying it did he realize how profound and difficult this set of Spell Inheritance. Logically speaking, they were all spells of the Mist Rank, but to Ronan, they felt even more mysterious than the [Ghost Arrow] inheritance he received from "Bone Bell" Mafflin.
The five spells are mysteriously connected, with the Schubert's Golden Law at its core, and their ultimate goal seems to be to completely construct the true form of the spells belonging to the Golden Fire Spirit Moye.
This was the first time Ronan had encountered such interesting magic, which could be cast independently or in complex combinations.
The process of learning and exploring new spells is itself full of fun, and Ronan enjoys it immensely.
The second direction is the study of runes.
Ronan has now formed six Spiritual Power Crystal, and a seventh is in the process of forming, but he has only condensed five Soul Rune.
Ronan still has at least four slots for Soul Rune.
The four Soul Rune slots will definitely not be filled by the Ice Magic inheritance of the "Ice Flame Iris" Lanster Family. Ronan's current consideration is to combine the Silver Magic Ring's [Elemental Magic Ring] inheritance with his various space-type, mirror-type, and Helamus Law Adept Inheritance to make the most suitable choice for himself.
"The previous Soul Rune can also be further optimized and upgraded."
Whether it's [[Space Silvering]], [Tundra Frozen Earth], or [Multiple Mirror Lights], from Ronan's current perspective, there is still a lot of room for improvement and refinement.
The runic knowledge contained within the Helamus Law Adept Arm Ring is as vast as the starry sky. After studying it for some time, Ronan has gained many new insights, including a deeper understanding of the Myriad Treasure Orb and the "dynamic" Space Rune he obtained in the Mystic Garden.
In addition to the gains from the series of battles in the Talent Competition, Ronan's mind is now constantly brimming with inspiration.
He needs time to reflect and absorb these inspirations and gains. In time, his overall strength will be transformed once again.
As time passed, Ronan never left his room again after boarding the ship.
Every day, every meal was delivered to his room door by a dedicated person, and he only needed to occasionally sense Moriel's presence and location, and he didn't care about anything else.
In the dimly lit room, sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, casting a straight orange dappled pattern on the paulownia wood floor.
A tall, imposing figure stood before a metal mirror, and at his feet, a fluffy gray goat listlessly licked his toes.
"The injury is healing faster than expected."
"Click-click-click—"
Ronan looked at himself in the mirror, stretched his limbs slightly, and a series of crisp, resonant bone-crackling sounds came from his body.
Compared to a month ago, he looks much better now.
Most of the "burns" on the body surface have healed, leaving only some pitted and proliferative scars that will take time to smooth out.
His facial features also revealed their original handsome contours, and short, chestnut-brown hair grew back on his scalp, which, combined with the scars that had not yet faded, added to Ronan's fierce and domineering aura.
Ronan found a robe and slowly put it on, covering his strong, smooth muscle lines. He put on a silver metal mask, revealing only a pair of deep, jewel-like blue eyes.
The man in the mirror was cold and aloof, giving off an unfathomable sense of mystery.
In a daze, Ronan seemed to see the shadow of a slightly chubby boy in the sunlight, receding further and further away from him in the mirror. He shook his head, wiping away the slight ripples in his heart.
I can easily bring up my current Character Panel.
Name: Ronan Damien
Age: 21
[Strength: Third Level Formal Wizard (65%)]
[Skill: Basic Meditation Technique - [Clarity Realm] (Master 1369/1600)]
Over the past month, aside from his strength, the stats of all his skills on his Character Panel haven't changed much since the end of the battle.
Besides a significant increase in his proficiency with the [Basic Meditation Technique, he also mastered all five of the [Golden Fire Spirit Moye]'s inherited spells—[Spirit Maya Black Steel Touch], [Spirit Moye Silver Body], [Spirit Moye Brass Head], [Spirit Moye Diamond Heart], and [Spirit Moye Golden Soul]—to the "Mastery" level or higher.
Among them, the most proficient skill, [Spirit Maya Black Steel Touch], has even reached the "Expert Level".
The main reason for the rapid progress was not only Ronan's outstanding ability to comprehend magic, but also because he had sensed earlier that the true starting point of these five spells was after the emergence of the Extraordinary Magic Domain.
Compared to the progress in magic, the gains from rune research were actually greater.
He has already made some progress in expanding the application of the mysteries of space and mirrors into his own spell system, and is just waiting to further refine them before putting them into practice to verify them properly.
Let's go for a walk.
Ronan bent down, touched Dodol III's soft, fluffy head that didn't resemble a metal creation at all, put it into his Space Ring, then pushed open the door and slowly walked out.
A burst of orange-red light instantly filled his vision.
It was just as the sun was setting; the sea was calm and bathed in golden light, while the vast Sky Dome was filled with brilliant fiery clouds.
Ronan walked to the railing at the edge of the deck and looked down.
On the largest deck at the lowest level, a group of apprentice-level boys were gathered together, loudly discussing random topics, their eyes constantly glancing upwards as if trying to attract someone's attention.
On the third deck above the group, there was a small white table where red-haired and green-haired girls were huddled together, chatting quietly and occasionally letting out soft laughter.
Ronan's appearance attracted the attention of two groups of people. The boys below naturally had nothing to say, but the two girls on the third deck both looked at him.
The red-haired girl glanced at him and then looked away, while the green-haired girl next to her looked at him with a curious expression.
Beside the two, the cold-faced man with black markings was there as usual. He turned his head to look at Ronan, his cold expression softening, and he even gave Ronan a friendly smile.
Ronan was immediately taken aback.
No one knows what Moriel has been doing on the ship for the past month or so. It's one thing for the group of boys below to be completely fooled by her beauty, but she's also become as close to the green-haired girl who seems to have a decent status as her best friend. Even the guards around her have become much nicer to her.
"So boring."
A few minutes later, Moriel, who had left the third deck, yawned and walked over to Ronan. She leaned against the wooden railing next to him, squinting lazily at the distant sunset clouds.
"There's almost nothing left on this ship that can pique my interest."
As Ronan listened to Moriel's mutterings, he suddenly caught a strange fluctuation flashing across her body. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he said, "Your strength is recovering."
"Otherwise what?"
Moriel turned to look at him, the colors of the sunset reflecting on her cheeks, a half-smile on her face. "Do you want me to stay like a useless piece of trash, letting you control me?"
The two looked at each other silently.
To outsiders, the two appear romantic and ambiguous, but only they know that the air around them is gradually growing cold and tense.
Finally, "No."
Ronan shook his head and turned his face away to avoid Moriel's gaze.
He gazed at the horizon and calmly said, "On the contrary, I think this is a good thing. You should be ten thousand times more eager than I am to get out of this situation."
"Why"
Moriel sighed softly for some reason. She leaned on the railing, waved to the Green-haired Girl below who was watching them curiously, and then began to talk about some seemingly unrelated topics.
"What an innocent and lovely girl! At the age when she should be enjoying the beauty of youth, she is forced to bear the responsibility of avenging her entire family."
Moriel spoke to herself, her eyes fixed on the Green-haired Girl on the third deck. She recounted the girl's name and how her entire family had been wiped out by their enemies. She had been taken away by the remaining members of her clan and fled to a place where her enemies could not find her, seeking an opportunity for revenge. Ronan listened to Moriel's story, he gradually sensed something unusual. The connection between him and Moriel allowed him to detect the subtle emotional fluctuations rising in Moriel heart.
What she was telling didn't seem to be entirely the story of the Green-haired Girl below.
The pain and sorrow that Moriel had shown during that torrential downpour in the hotel room in Homer Blue seemed to resurface in her once again.
Perhaps because of the connection between their souls, Ronan felt a strange, absurd sympathy and pity for Moriel.
He couldn't suppress the urge to ask, but when he finally spoke, he changed the question.
"You know so much about her?"
How could she tell you even these things?
"Because we share the same plight."
Moriel sat up, her eyes gazing into the distance with a calm and indifferent look that Ronan found stranger than ever before.
However, the next second, she turned to Ronan with a playful expression and said, "I told them that we eloped. Your family has always opposed our relationship because I have no wizarding talent. Along the way, you almost died several times because of me."
"Well"
Ronan was stunned for a moment, not knowing what to say.
No wonder the two Green-haired Girl had such a big change in their attitude towards him after he hadn't shown his face for more than a month, and their eyes were filled with strange admiration. It turns out they regarded him as the "great lover" of the Wizard World who would give everything for love! Just as Ronan was speechless, suddenly, the brilliant sunset clouds in the distance disappeared abruptly in a few breaths.
The sky darkened rapidly, and the sea below began to surge violently.