184. Attempt

In front of the desk.

Ian is rapidly drafting an acquisition proposal.

The clock on the wall Pointer away, and soon it reached the central time zone that represents midnight.

"Without realizing it, it's already so late..."

He rubbed his shoulders, got up, drew back the curtains, and gazed at the moonlight outside.

Although he is a professional, Ian also has another identity: Billy's secretary. Therefore, he must complete certain tasks, which is also the master's requirement.

Thinking of Billy, Ian's expression became somewhat subtle. "That friend of mine today... Ron, he seems very strange... My intuition tells me something's wrong, I need to investigate!"

If there's anyone in this manor who can keep the unruly Billy in check, it's him.

Suddenly.

Through the window, he saw another figure!

The other person seemed to have been hanging upside down from the roof, and was staring at him in an eerie way.

Those eyes seemed to hold the majesty of Great Dragon!

Boom!!

The next moment, Ian couldn't even activate the Curio on his body; his eyes rolled back and he fainted.

Squeak!

The window opened, Sulu quietly climbed in, then closed the window again and drew the curtains tight. "It would be a miracle if you, a level one, could react to a sneak attack from a level three attacker like me!"

This Ian is the most unstable factor in the manor, so of course he needs to act as an insurance agent.

Incidentally, it's also a chance to test my newly acquired abilities.

The Mind World.

"With my current rank and abilities, I could easily destroy this isolated island and turn it into a vegetable, right? Of course, I can't do that to someone at the second rank..."

Gazing at the isolated island of his mind before him, Sulu muttered to himself before stepping inside.

As far as the eye could see, there was a huge maze.

"Snort!"

He snorted coldly, and his Spirit Pressure surged into the sky, sweeping across the labyrinth with overwhelming force.

This time, his Spirit Pressure seemed to possess its own sentience, knowing how to find the enemy's weak points, with most of it concentrated in a certain core area.

Splash!

A large portion of the walls broke down, revealing a path leading directly to the heart of the maze.

"Achieving the same effect with minimal effort—is this also a change resulting from increased Spirit Pressure? It's certainly much more flexible now..."

Sulu nodded and arrived at the center of the maze.

There, a Black-Robed Mage looked exactly like Ian in reality had fallen into a coma.

"Let's try... the sealing ability first!"

Sulu drew a Thaumaturgy Card; as a [Thaumaturge] exclusive item, it could naturally be brought into the Mind World: "Psychic Thaumaturgy... Seal!"

In his field of vision, Ian's subconscious opposite him suddenly became semi-transparent.

The various colored parts shimmered with light.

"These are... the extraordinary elements within his body?"

Sulu immediately understood, gazing at the vibrant colors. "Different colors represent different abilities he possesses... and what I need to do is use the Thaumaturgy Card to seal one of them?"

After thinking for a moment, he chose the red part.

Sizzle!

A wisp of red light was drawn from Ian's body and disappeared into the Vortex on the back of the Thaumaturgy Card.

On the previously blank front of the card, a crimson flame appeared.

"It's Lesser Fireball... a magical trick mastered by the [Apprentice], but much less powerful than a real Fireball..."

Once the flame pattern stabilized, Sulu stopped and caught the falling card from the void. "Unsealing it in reality is equivalent to casting a Lesser Fireball? It really is a one-time use item scroll!"

"Furthermore... the damage to Ian should be equivalent to the loss of his ability due to unconscious use..."

The [Thaumaturge]'s sealing cards cannot completely seal the extraordinary abilities of a professional.

"Furthermore... there are compatibility requirements for sealing. For example, some spellcasting skills are relatively easy to seal, and due to my [Rogue] status, some agility-related abilities can also be sealed... but for Warrior -type abilities that increase strength and constitution, it's more difficult, and there are rank restrictions!"

"The success rate of sealing is very high against first-tier professionals, it returns to normal for second-tier professionals, and it's more difficult for third-tier professionals... As for fourth-tier professionals, even if they voluntarily open their minds, it would be very difficult for me to succeed, right?"

"This is similar to using Psychic Thaumaturgy to alter the limitations of memory."

Sulu vaguely drew a conclusion.

The ability to 'perfectly alter memories' is invincible against ordinary people as long as the logic is sound and there are no major flaws. It is also very effective against first-tier professionals. At the second tier and above, doubts may arise. It is unlikely to work against third-tier professionals, at most it can have some subconscious influence.

This is all determined by his own 'rank'.

"A [Thaumaturge] with a large stockpile of Thaumaturgy Card is undoubtedly terrifying... but the source of those cards is a major problem!"

To achieve top-tier third-tier combat power, or even rival fourth-tier power, ordinary second-tier abilities are insufficient; the skills of third-tier professionals must be sealed, which creates a paradox.

Of course, even professionals have weaknesses before reaching legendary levels, which can be countered.

Even if you only have Tier 1 or Tier 2 ability cards in your inventory, you can still achieve Glory results if you coordinate them well.

Having thought all this Ian, Sulu didn't even bother sealing Ian's abilities anymore.

They simply altered their origins in the other person's memory, placed an insurance policy, and then left the other person's Mind Secret Realm.

"With my current abilities, I can barely manage to use Psychic Thaumaturgy to infiltrate the Mind Secret Realm of a second-tier professional without being detected... third-tier is still out of the question. Although I could force my way through, the opponent would definitely notice in the real world!"

"The next stage's goal is to find opportunities to replenish my second-tier cards and quickly build up my combat strength!"

Sulu counted the cards in his hand; he currently had twenty-three Thaumaturgy Card, one of which had already sealed the Lesser Fireball.

The rest shouldn't be wasted.

Unless you encounter some exceptional Tier 1 ability, it's best to seal Tier 2 or even Tier 3 skills.

Whew!

A cool breeze blew in the dark night.

Inside the bedroom, Ian, lying on the bed, suddenly opened his eyes, stared at the open window, and fell into deep thought, "What... just happened to me?"

He stood up, went to his desk, and looked at the documents on it. "Hmm... I was working on the draft the whole time, but then I think I got too tired and fell asleep? I didn't even meditate. It seems a comfortable life really does corrupt..."

Ian closed the window and yawned again. "Feeling listless and tired, I don't know why... I feel exhausted, like I just finished casting a spell?"

He eagerly climbed into bed, ready to begin his [Apprentice's ] meditation practice.

As for the investigation into Ron, he had completely forgotten about it.

Young Master Ron, isn't that Billy's staunch buddy? There's nothing suspicious about him!