Magic Arrays, Rebirth

Ronan sat cross-legged under the tranquil blue light of the Illumination Crystal beams.

Around him, a powerful Spiritual Force Field, as vast as a star, slowly rotated, forming transparent folds and distortions in the air.

"Rustle, rustle—"

Footsteps approached, accompanied by a slightly disordered and rapid breathing sound.

A short while later, a voice rang in Ronan's ear.

"Owner.."

Ronan opened his eyes and saw Hathaway standing in front of him, respectfully handing him a Space Ring.

Ronan took the ring, glanced at it briefly, then removed the monster's corpse from inside and tossed the ring back to Hathaway.

The latter looked at him with expectant eyes, but when Ronan showed no further reaction, he seemed somewhat disappointed.

But he quickly composed himself, wiped the thin layer of sweat from his smooth forehead, and turned to walk back into the darkness.

Once Hathaway's figure had completely disappeared into the darkness, Ronan opened his eyes again. He looked in the direction Hathaway had left, moved swiftly, and silently followed after her.

Over the past few days, Hathaway has brought back a total of seven waves of monster corpses for Ronan, without stopping for a moment, and the quality of the monster corpses she brought back each time was higher than the last.

She was almost unrecognizable from the "Hathaway" Ronan remembered. Ronan even sensed a "tenacious" spirit in her.

If this change can still be attributed to the powerful effects of the Master and Servant contract.

The question of Hathaway's combat strength truly surprised Ronan.

——

She was a pampered and spoiled young lady of a wizard who grew up in the Deep Sea under the protection of the Level Five Wizard, Madam Mel. She led a dozen or so third-level Elemental Lifeform and managed to fight for so long alone in the perilous Ancient Waterway ruins.

He killed more than ten fourth-tier Magic Creature, including a late-stage fourth-tier monster with strength approaching fifth-tier, Lizard Monster that even Ronan found somewhat troublesome.

Aside from the slight loss of Elemental Lifeform under her command, Hathaway herself was unharmed, though her physical and mental strength were severely depleted.

Such a "remarkable" record would probably earn any Level Four Wizard the title of "elite among their peers"! "She's bold enough to sneak into the Lost Land alone, so it seems she has something to rely on. Madam Mel must have given her quite a few means to protect herself."

Ronan thought to himself as he moved silently, like a bat, through the dense darkness above the waterway.

Before long, they caught up with Hathaway.

At this moment, Hathaway was engaged in a battle, and her opponent was none other than a fat Corpse Demon with a strength of the fifth rank.

Even Ronan was seeing a fifth-tier Corpse Demon for the first time. Its enormous, fat body was over four meters tall, and it stood on the ground like a grayish-white, rotting mountain of flesh.

His entire body exuded an incredibly strong aura of decay, an aura that resembled some kind of cursed halo, inevitably affecting those even from a distance.

Hathaway seemed to have been prepared, her pretty face was taut, but she didn't seem flustered much.

She chanted incantations, waving her staff incessantly, constantly summoning one Water Elementals after another.

Its strength was much greater than the one Ronan had created for her using the Elemental Pool, reaching the fourth rank. As soon as it appeared, under Hathaway's command, it firmly "protected" the third-rank Water Element that Ronan had given it behind it.

Ronan finally understood why these Water Element, who weren't particularly strong, had such a low attrition rate under Hathaway's command; it turned out they were all "spoiled brats" in battle.

Ronan shook his head and continued reading.

A few Level Four Water Element are not enough to deal with a fifth-tier Corpse Demon.

Hathaway doesn't seem to realize this and continues to "busy" with her work.

Just then, the fifth-tier Corpse Demon opened its black, rotting maw and spat out a jet of pitch-black water at Hathaway. In an instant, the entire space seemed to be filled with a pungent, putrid stench. Under the invisible wave of power, two weaker Water Element exploded with a "bang".

Ronan frowned, hesitating whether to intervene, but the next second he witnessed something quite unbelievable—

"Buzz—"

A deep blue water shield, radiating light and emitting intense magical energy, quickly rose in front of Hathaway, firmly blocking the water column spat out by the fifth-tier Corpse Demon.

How did you do that?!

Ronan's eyes narrowed, and he quickly noticed that between Hathaway and the Water Elementals on the field, streaks of golden and blue light were connected, faintly forming a mysterious and complex formation.

Within this formation, Hathaway and all the Water Element seemed to become one, with immense energy constantly flowing within, growing larger and larger like a snowball, eventually reaching a level comparable to a fifth-tier elementalist, capable of erupting at any node of the formation. "Inheritance Magic Array?!"

Ronan looked surprised. The principle behind this formation was quite similar to the Inheritance Magic Array that only Level Five Wizard was qualified to build, only much simpler and more flexible.

"Hathaway actually has knowledge of Rune Array, and seems to be quite skilled in it."

Rune Array are not only for defense and sealing; they can also be used to enhance a wizard's combat power. However, the latter is much more complex to use than the former two, and very few wizards are proficient in it.

Ronan was surprised that Hathaway possessed such talent.

He looked down at Hathaway, watching as she slowly wore down the fifth-tier Corpse Demon, relying on the enhancement of the movement array and the tactical application of her team of Water Element.

After the battle, Ronan's impression of Hathaway changed drastically, and he began to rethink the role of this maid with strong masochistic tendencies.

Originally, he signed the contract simply to keep Hathaway's secret and end a problem, but now it seems she has other value to him.

After dealing with the fifth-tier Corpse Demon, Hathaway used her staff for support, holding her waist as she stood there panting for a while.

Her face was deathly pale, and a few strands of her golden hair were soaked with sweat, sticking wetly to her forehead.

In this battle, she was almost completely exhausted, both mentally and physically.

I suffered some minor injuries, and even twisted one of my feet while trying to avoid them.

Hathaway pulled out a bunch of bottles and jars of potions from her Space Ring, rummaged through them haphazardly, picked up a few empty crystal bottles, tilted her head back and forcefully poured some into her mouth, and finally threw them on the ground somewhat dejectedly.

She managed to rest for a while, and finally, supporting herself, she limped toward the corpse of the fifth-tier Corpse Demon.

Ronan watched as Hathaway bent over, forcing herself to endure the nausea as she picked up the scattered pieces of the Corpse Demon's body with her bare hands, vomiting several times from the stench.

Startled by the snow-white maggots that suddenly sprang out of the Corpse Demon's belly, he screamed, then turned around expressionlessly, returned to his original position, closed his eyes, and continued his meditation.

Some time later, Hathaway returned with the few remaining Water Element, limping and looking a bit "dirty," but she immediately offered the Space Ring to Ronan.

Ronan already knew about her killing the fifth-tier Corpse Demon. He glanced at the Space Ring and nodded indifferently, saying, "Well done."

Then he tossed her a few bottles of treatment and recovery medicine.

Hathaway seemed to have completely embraced the role of "servant," accepting the potion from Ronan as if it were a priceless treasure, thanking him joyfully, but not drinking it. Instead, she carefully put it away and looked at him expectantly.

After a moment of silence, Ronan slowly spoke, "As you wish."

After saying this, he gently raised his hand, and dozens of thin golden whips, each Itai thick as a thumb, split from the sleeve of his robe. He then began to lash Hathaway's entire body.

Hathaway let out a muffled groan, then bit her lower lip hard, a strange expression of pain and pleasure appearing on her face.

Ronan suppressed his slight discomfort and continued to operate the spell.

After a while, Ronan suddenly stopped what he was doing, raised his hand, and pulled Hathaway to his side.

"Wrong."

Ronan looked at Hathaway, whose face was flushed and radiant, and whispered in surprise and confusion, "How come your mental energy is fully restored? And your Soul Power has also improved?"

Hathaway looked bewildered, still immersed in the afterglow of what had just happened, but she murmured, "I don't know. I only discovered it these past few days. Your grace has been of immense help to me. I feel like I'm experiencing a rebirth unlike any I've ever had before."

Ronan slowly released Hathaway's hand, lost in thought.

Painful stimulation can indeed promote the growth of Soul Power; [Ascetic Body Forging] is the best example.

But it's rare to see results as pronounced as Hathaway's.

This was indeed a wonderful "rebirth".

The process was rather peculiar and indescribable.

The Lost Land buried deep underground, where there is no sunlight, no daylight, only eternal, heavy Black Night.

On a relatively flat ruin, dozens of fourth-tier Elemental Lifeform roamed around, faithfully performing their guard duties.

At the center of their patrol is a semi-transparent [Space] Tent shaped like an inverted bowl.

Separated by a thin spatial barrier, the inside and outside of the tent seem like two different worlds.

Fresh flowers, green plants, wardrobes, dressing tables, and a soft, large bed in the bathroom, with gentle lighting from above, create a tranquil and cozy atmosphere.

A faint fragrance filled the air, mixed with the smell of leftover food.

Ronan sat in a pink high-backed chair, gently wiping his lips with a handkerchief. He had just enjoyed a fairly delicious dinner.

"Owner."

Hathaway walked up to him, slowly squatted down, and then looked at him expectantly with pleading eyes.

Ronan succumbed to her intense gaze and reluctantly lifted his foot.

Hathaway hugged Ronan's legs tightly in her arms with a look of delight, placing them on her knees, and then gently pounded them with her fists. With each pound of her fists, the corners of her eyes would involuntarily curve downwards, as if she were getting great satisfaction.

Ronan's lips twitched slightly as he looked at Hathaway.

It's hard to imagine anyone connecting the obedient, well-behaved, and sensible woman in front of them with Hathaway of the Deep Sea School.

Sometimes Ronan felt like he was the one being "disciplined"—

He is being gradually trained by Hathaway to become a qualified "master".

He could only keep comforting himself with the thought that "this is the most suitable way for her to cultivate."

It must be said that Hathaway's Soul Power has indeed increased significantly over this period of time.

"Was your magic array technique taught by Madam Mel?"

While "enjoying" Hathaway's service, Ronan casually chatted with her.

Hathaway's massage technique was clumsy, but her expression was unusually focused, as if making Ronan's legs feel comfortable and relaxed was the most important thing in the world.

She shook her head when she heard Ronan's question.

"No, Grandma wasn't interested in magic arrays. For a period of time when I was little, she forced me to stay in the attic. Apart from daily meditation, all I had to do to pass the time were the books that filled the room."

Much of the knowledge I acquired was accumulated during that time.

Later, when I gained my freedom, these things were gradually forgotten.