Sonic Oscillation Completed: "Micro-Ripple" Trait

The two of them looked at each other, then suddenly burst out laughing at the same time.

"Looks like I really did find the right ally." Andre raised his teacup in place of wine, hope gleaming in his eyes. "To our cooperation!"

"And to the future!" Ron raised his cup in reply.

The crisp, pleasant clink of teacups rang out. Friendship and trust were more precious here than anything else.

"Starting tomorrow, I'll have to prepare the list of potion materials," Ron said as he drank his tea. "Do you have any channels on your side that can get Dragon-Beard Grass? I need that stuff to refine Blood-Qi Potions."

"Dragon-Beard Grass isn't a problem," Andre answered casually. "As for your side, what's on Mrs. Allen's list? Maybe I can help."

Hearing Andre's question, Ron had been about to reveal a little about the task Mrs. Allen had given him, so that Andre, whose network of contacts was far wider than his own, could lend a hand too.

But he looked up at the sky outside, which had already darkened, and decided they would discuss the details of their cooperation tomorrow instead.

Seeing Ron's expression, the Thirteenth Prince, who was skilled at reading people, immediately understood. He took the initiative to set down his teacup and offered his farewell himself.

After seeing Andre off, Ron locked the door, then took from the table the Simple Stardust Liquid he had refined earlier under Mrs. Allen's guidance.

A little more than half of the silver liquid remained in the bottle, glimmering faintly under the candlelight.

"I'd better save the Artificial Star Dew for now. It still isn't time to use it."

Ron muttered to himself, glancing at the precious potion deep inside the cabinet that Holt had given him.

He already had a plan in mind—after Mrs. Allen handed "Whispers of the Star Eater" to him, he would use this higher-quality Star Dew to accelerate his breakthrough.

With the complexity of that Gem-Grade Meditation Method, if he relied purely on grinding it out, who knew how long it would take before he could seek a breakthrough? With potion support, he would be able to break through faster.

"The remaining Simple Stardust Liquid should be enough for me to push the Sonic Spell to an entry-level stage where it can be used in actual combat."

Ron took a deep breath, took out Darund's notebook, and prepared to use the remaining Stardust Liquid to help him break through the final bottleneck:

Sonic Oscillation (Prototype 87/100)

After thinking for a moment, he opened the window to confirm that the night was deep and quiet. Then he took out a section of experimental deadwood he had brought back from the Herb Shop and placed it on the table as a target.

Carefully pouring out a small spoonful of Simple Stardust Liquid, Ron slowly drank it down.

A cool sensation spread through his throat and soon flowed through his entire body.

He could feel his mind becoming exceptionally clear, his thoughts turning more flexible as well.

Although, according to Mrs. Allen, its effects were only the youthful version of true Stardust Liquid, it was already enough for his current task.

Simple Stardust Liquid - Effect: Mental power stability slightly increased; spellcasting precision slightly increased

He sat cross-legged on the bed, opened Darund's notebook, and carefully studied the parts he still did not understand.

Under the effects of the Stardust Liquid, the symbols and notes that had originally been obscure and difficult to grasp now became much clearer and easier to understand.

As time passed, he gradually saw through some of the essence—

The core of Darund's Sonic Spell was not simply invoking vibrations, but using specific "mental waves" to guide the resonance of mana particles in the air, forming an offensive sound wave.

"So that's how it is."

With the mental stability brought by the Simple Stardust Liquid, Ron closed his eyes and began constructing the model of the Sonic Spell in his mental space.

It was no longer a simple droplet shape, but a spiral-shaped energy structure formed by three layers of mental power of differing densities rotating in interwoven patterns, creating a complex yet stable Energy Vortex.

The angle and speed of each layer's rotation were extremely particular. Following the guidance in Darund's Notes, he adjusted them one by one amid the clear senses brought by the Stardust Liquid.

It feels like tuning an instrument string by string, not simply constructing a spell, he thought to himself.

As mental power poured in, the spiral-shaped Energy Vortex began to expand, producing a faint humming as it rotated.

At first it was only a barely perceptible vibration, but soon, as Ron began to input mana, that vibration gradually gained substantial destructive power and started disturbing the surrounding air.

Sonic Oscillation (Prototype) EXP +1

Sonic Oscillation (Prototype) EXP +1

Sonic Oscillation (Prototype) EXP +1

Spell Construction (Entry) EXP +1

Ron did not stop, continuing to adjust the direction and intensity of the energy flow.

After changing profession to Wizard Apprentice (one and a half stars) and obtaining the professional skill Spell Construction, he could clearly feel that his speed in perfecting the Sonic Oscillation prototype had become much faster.

He discovered that when mental power vibrated at a specific frequency, it could not only construct the Spell Model more effectively, but also greatly reduce mana consumption.

"It's like I've found some kind of resonance frequency."

Immersed in constructing the Spell Model, Ron did not notice that the wooden block on the table beside the bed had suddenly begun to tremble faintly.

By the time he came back to himself, he realized that his mental power had actually constructed a complete Sonic Spell model unconsciously, and it had already begun affecting physical objects around him.

"I actually completed it unconsciously just like that? Looks like the Simple Stardust Liquid works better than I imagined."

He quickly focused his attention and brought this unexpected gain under control.

"Sonic Oscillation!"

Ron recited the spell's name in his mind while releasing a concentrated surge of mental power, driving that spiral-shaped Energy Vortex forward.

A ripple almost invisible to the naked eye shot from his palm and struck the wooden block on the table.

In utter silence, countless tiny cracks suddenly appeared across the block's surface. Then the whole piece of wood shattered with a crash, turning into a pile of wood chips.

Sonic Oscillation (prototype) EXP +8

Breakthrough! Sonic Oscillation (prototype 100/100) → Sonic Oscillation (proficient 1/200)

Additional trait acquired: Microripple (harder to detect when launching an attack)

"Success."

He could hardly believe it. He had actually mastered the Sonic Spell so quickly, and had crossed the beginner threshold right away, pushing it straight to proficiency—to the point that he had directly obtained an additional skill trait.

Perhaps it was because he had perfected this Spell Model starting from the prototype conception.

Thinking of this, Ron reached out to touch the wood chips and found that they had been shaken into tiny fragments that could almost be called wood powder. The destruction was far more thorough than it appeared on the surface.

What surprised him even more was that the mana consumption for casting the spell this time was unexpectedly low—it had only used around 0.2 mana, yet produced destructive power comparable to most offensive spells.

And another advantage of this type of spell was that it was almost completely silent during activation, so it would not raise much alarm. It was excellent for ambushing people.

"No wonder Oliver is so interested in this kind of spell."

Ron thought to himself, If it's really as Mrs. Allen said, and it's combined with curses, it might indeed be possible to create an attack method that is almost impossible to defend against at the apprentice stage.

The thought left him both excited and wary.

In different hands, this kind of power would lead to completely different results.

"Good thing I'm no longer the kind of weakling who can't even truss a chicken."

Ron let out a soft breath and looked at the gradually brightening sky outside the window.

This newly added Sonic Oscillation might become another important trump card for him in the perilous Black Mist Forest.

He finished the remaining Simple Stardust Liquid in his cup and gently closed his eyes.

"Now all that's left is Whispers of the Star Eater. Once I've gathered the materials on the list, maybe I'll be able to take another step toward a higher level."