Target: Ryan Age: 14 Spiritual Power: 6.3 (6.1 + 0.2) Physique: 5.2 Particle Energy: 1.3 units
Wizard Meditation Method: Vast Sea (Basic)
Five points was the limit a mortal could reach through physical training alone. Surpassing it was generally impossible without supernatural means.
The essence of a Wizard was to influence reality by continually elevating Spiritual Power.
The birth of particle energy and the body's Benign Radiation both worked this way.
With a thought, Ryan's consciousness gradually entered a vast darkness. Faintly, he could hear the rise and fall of waves.
A dim glow came from a star overhead. On closer inspection, it was an intricate construct of complex strokes and patterns.
This was a Wizard's Sea of Consciousness. By visualizing and tracing Wizard Runes, a Wizard could light up his Sea of Consciousness and elevate his Spiritual Power.
Wizard Tuta had given the freshmen the Vast Sea Meditation Method when they boarded the Wizard Ship.
It was a basic Meditation Method of the Umbral Expanse, one that could be seamlessly converted into various advanced inherited methods.
The first Wizard Rune was not difficult to form, but the difficulty multiplied with each additional rune.
Ryan tried visualizing and tracing the second Wizard Rune, but failed. He had completed only about thirty percent before his Spiritual Power ran dry.
He was still too unfamiliar with the process, and it took too long. It drained Spiritual Power continuously.
Ryan returned to the Real World and pressed his brow, easing the faint ache in his head.
A Wizard could use various aids in Meditation practice, such as Wizard Potions, special supernatural plants, or alchemical methods.
But he would have a chance to obtain those only after entering the Umbral Expanse.
That evening, Harak came fluttering back. The round glass window was growing a little cramped for her, especially after a full meal. She had to squeeze through with difficulty.
Ryan checked Harak's condition. The feathers on her wings had grown together in neat order, and her claws were powerful enough to crush a sea beast's spine with ease.
Harak's condition had fully stabilized. She displayed every trait of the Steel Fangs and Sharp Claws Nurturing Sorcery.
But something caught Ryan's attention. Through Harak's consciousness, he sensed that something was wrong with the sea beasts in the surrounding waters.
More precisely, far too many sea beasts had gathered around the Wizard Ship.
This boundless ocean was recorded in A Detailed Guide to the Geography of the Umbral Expanse as the Endless Sea.
The name meant that no Wizard had yet found the ocean's end. Even the farthest expedition had discovered only an island called The End of the Endless.
Beyond The End of the Endless, chaotic particle energy lingered year-round. Blinding lightning storms raged, and waterspouts swept between sea and sky. Their pull could reduce even a mountain to dust in an instant.
Weather this extreme frightened even powerful full-fledged Wizards.
During the past few months, as the Wizard Ship sailed across the sea, powerful sea beasts had never come within a thousand meters of it, as though they instinctively sensed danger.
Weaker sea beasts were curious about the Wizard Ship and often swam straight into it. After the ship moved on, they became food for other sea beasts.
These sea beasts also commonly served as food for the Newborn Wizards.
In the images from Harak's Part of Consciousness, Ryan could clearly see dense black shapes swimming beneath the water within a hundred meters of the Wizard Ship, packed against one another.
It was as if some force drove them forward, yet they feared the Wizard Ship, leaving them in a fragile balance.
This was far from normal. Ryan's expression turned grave. Did Wizard Tuta know? Had that powerful aura he released that night been a warning?
Whatever the case, the Wizard Ship would not remain peaceful for long.
I just need to look after myself!
Ryan stroked the feathers at the back of Harak's neck, and the weight in his heart eased a little.
He wielded Supernatural Power himself. Besides, Wizard Tuta was aboard, powerful beyond anything Ryan could fathom.
I'd better stay in my room for the next few days and study the Wizard Meditation Method. If I can visualize the second Wizard Rune, I wonder how much my Spiritual Power will rise.
"Hey, Ryan. You'd better stay in your room for the next few days. Don't come out."
In a corner of the Automated Restaurant, Gray dropped into a seat and spoke quietly, surprising Ryan.
Ryan set down the bread in his hand and glanced at the young man, who was as scruffy as ever. Gray continued.
"Kobik's restless. She's getting more and more irritable. It's not just my nurturing sorcery causing it. Something external is at work."
Gray said, "My Seed of Consciousness has picked up hints that something's happening, though I don't know what. I'd hate for one of us—the only two on this ship who chose Supernatural Nurturing sorcery—to be gone next time."
"I'll take seven days' worth of food in advance and focus on studying the Wizard Meditation Method in my room." Ryan said no more and bent his head to finish his meal.
Gray let out a strange chuckle. "We both know what's going on. I knew you couldn't be any worse than me. You're just as sharp."
His yellowed teeth showed in a mocking grin as he glanced toward the Wizard freshmen gathered in the center of the Automated Restaurant, holding their so-called Wizard Exchange Meeting as usual.
"What a bunch of fools."
"Brilliantly said, Lord Arthur! Thanks to your experience, I feel like my understanding of the Vast Sea Meditation Method has improved by another ten percent."
"And the experiences Lord Anna, Lord Rowell, and Lord Orson shared have helped us so much."
The Newborn Wizards cheered and praised the four people at the center.
Even Rowena, once shy and awkward, had grown used to it after sharing his experience several times. He followed Arthur's example, raising his chin slightly with a confident smile.
They deserved this honor. Each time they shared their experience, they spent a day or two beforehand planning what to say.
That inevitably took time away from Wizard training, but Rowena was not worried. Big Brother Arthur had said the four of them possessed the finest Wizard Aptitude. They could complete their training in a tenth of the time others needed and would have no trouble entering the Umbral Wizard Academy.
Rowena suddenly noticed something and looked curiously at Ryan and Gray, who were collecting large amounts of food.
How had I never noticed those two before? Why don't they attend the Wizard Exchange Meeting? Everyone gets something out of it.
Arthur noticed his gaze, patted him on the shoulder, and said with a mocking smile, "Don't mind those two. They're just a pair of stupid, lowly freshmen. They chose the Supernatural Nurturing Series. They're not like us."
Rowena said, "I just feel a little sorry for them."
Arthur shook his head. "There are plenty of people to pity in this world. They'll have to pay for their own stupidity."
"Of course, no one's stopping them from attending the meeting. Their ridiculous pride is the only thing in the way."
Rowena could only sigh.
Anna brushed back a lock of fiery red hair and said with a soft laugh, "Everyone has their own path. There's no need to force them. As long as they can bear the consequences of their choices, that's enough."
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