Although he had been a huge fan in his past life of powerful bald big shots like 47, Kratos, and Saitama, Ryan had no interest in going bald himself.
In Ryan's eyes, this dazzling golden hair—just like Gilgamesh's—was compensation for his dangerously receding hairline in his past life. It was a treasure he held dear. Never mind that going bald didn't necessarily make you stronger; even if it did, Ryan would never become a brilliant, shiny-headed bald mage—unless the offer was good enough.
"I'm not one of those Red Wizards of Thay, who are so stubbornly devoted to magic they've gone mad. I don't need tattoos, but I do need this beautiful head of hair. After all, everyone knows how popular blondes are in my old world." Ryan grumbled silently to himself.
What he was proudest of in this life was his Charisma, which rivaled his high Intelligence. If he weren't so intent on pursuing the wonders and truths of magic, he could even have considered taking up the utterly broken class of a Chosen Sorcerer.
After removing all the precautions he had prepared in advance, Ryan calmed himself down a little. He suppressed the urge to smash something that came with his sudden surge in strength, then carefully examined his body.
After using magic to check himself from head to toe, Ryan was surprised to find that he had grown considerably taller again. Still in the midst of his growth spurt, he had shot up from around 1.65 meters to 1.8 meters. His physique had also become much stronger. Beneath his seemingly slender exterior, his muscles were sharply defined, brimming with explosive power.
At the same time, the abilities in the dragon blood had enhanced certain aspects of Ryan's body, taking him straight from the growth stage to the ultimate stage. But since it was inconvenient to verify—and embarrassing to mention—Ryan didn't record anything further about that.
By his estimate, Ryan could now cleave through a three-foot-thick slab of marble with a full-strength swing. He nodded in satisfaction. "A perfect mage build has been born."
After tidying up the room, sorting the remaining herbs and materials, and storing them away in his space, Ryan disposed of the unconscious goblin and cleaned up the laboratory until it was as neat as before. Then he left and headed straight for the association's testing room.
After a thorough series of tests, Ryan emerged from the room, fully satisfied. The Dragon Blood Potion had truly been worth every penny; he didn't regret spending one of his reward slots on it.
To Ryan's delight, the unlucky Red Dragon had been an ancient dragon. It had been terrifyingly powerful and utterly reckless, but after taking too many night flights, it had eventually run into trouble.
As it went about its usual daily entertainment, attacking merchant ships at sea, it had been spotted by Alexander, who was aboard a ship enjoying the scenery. The old man's mood had been spoiled, so in a fit of anger he killed the dragon, skinned and gutted it for materials, and put its heart blood and fearsome head into storage.
Ryan had also seen the head of the dragon named "Dius" in the treasury. Even in death, this ancient, noble, and savage creature still exuded an awe-inspiring, terrifying presence.
Ryan had no opinion on Dius's tragic fate. After all, what was a hero to an enemy was a nemesis to you. He wouldn't pity an evil, cruel Chromatic Dragon that had done countless wicked things. But since its heart blood had fallen into lucky Ryan's hands, granting him not only the usual boost to his attributes but also the Red Dragon's Spell-like Ability—Fire Breath—he silently wished Dius a pleasant stay in Tiamat's divine realm.
After that arduous and grueling journey through the Everlasting Wasteland, and with the boosts from the Nether Scrolls and the Dragon Blood Potion, Ryan had undergone a complete transformation. He estimated that his current self could take on two or three versions of himself from when he had first left Silverymoon. In just three short months, his combat power had skyrocketed like a rocket. His attributes had now become far more impressive:
[Ryan Chris Constitution: 15 Strength: 14 Dexterity: 13 Intelligence: 18 Wisdom: 14 Charisma: 18 (The above are unarmored attributes and do not include equipment bonuses) Spell Feats Empower Spell—Raises your spellcasting power check by one priority level Eschew Materials—After taking one standard spell action, you can cast a spell without expending material components Spell Duration—Your spells last longer than expected Rapid Memorization—Your excellent memory and special circumstances allow you to rapidly memorize Spell Slots Personal Feats Alchemy Bonus—Your practiced alchemy skills grant you a +2 bonus when creating magic items Lesser Fire Immunity—You are immune to the burning damage of flames below 400 degrees Class Levels Mage 7/Arcanist 3/Monk 1 Special [Planeswalker Apprentice] Spell-like Ability Fire Breath—Scorch everything before you with a powerful stream of searing flames, 1/1 per day Spell List ...](To avoid padding the word count, the personal status panel will only appear at the end of each volume when necessary.)
"Looks like you really do improve faster when you venture out into the world. A blade is sharpened on a whetstone, and the ancients weren't wrong. No wonder my teacher kicked me out of the mage tower." Ryan stared at the updated system screen in front of him, admiring his new feats and impressive attributes.
Of course, Ryan understood that most of this incredible growth was thanks to the years of hard work he had put in at the mage tower. He might not have experienced any life-or-death battles in that ivory tower, but he had spent sixteen years diligently preparing to face this dark and brutal world. He was ready, both in skill and in mindset.
What was more, his theoretical knowledge could stand up to any challenge. After all, Ryan had used the system to copy Yefalin's rare, treasured books and the collection of Silverymoon's grand library. He could confidently claim that he was capable of posing as a learned scholar with encyclopedic knowledge anywhere in Faerûn. He wouldn't be exposed even in front of Candlekeep's erudite bookworms.
That was why this encounter, combined with all the experience he had built up, had led to such astonishing progress. Unfortunately, opportunities like this were rare. From now on, Ryan would still have to grow by steadily accumulating knowledge and experience.
Of course, Ryan could only get away with this because Yefalin wasn't watching. If she found out that he had used the precious heart blood of an ancient Red Dragon just to improve his hand-to-hand combat, she would be furious and lament that her little sapling had grown crooked once again.
Night had fallen. A nearly full moon hung in the ink-black sky, casting its cool light over the city. Waterdeep remained lively and bustling after dark. Beneath the splendor and extravagance of this magnificent city, bloodshed and filth intertwined, while wealth and profit flowed quietly, drawing one ambitious hopeful after another to make a pilgrimage there.
In the familiar room, Ryan stood before a full-length mirror as tall as a person. A hint of arrogant amusement appeared on his handsome face. He watched his familiar reflection, drew back his long, powerful fingers, each knuckle clearly defined, and clenched his fist. Then he shouted, "Bankai!" As soon as the words left his mouth, a vast expanse of gray mist unfurled, and Ryan returned to the Planeswalker Realm where he had first awakened.
Ryan stood upright above the boundless, desolate expanse. He rubbed his own small face and felt a little embarrassed. "That was so cringey. How did those tokusatsu actors in my old world manage to deliver such edgy lines with a straight face?"
Unlike before, when the empty, desolate expanse held only a barren plain and hills floating like lonely islands, the Planeswalker Realm now had a touch of green. A lush forest stood beside the western plain, bringing abundant life to the hazy, primeval space.
From time to time, colorful meteors streaked and circled through the white mist high above. Watching the Planeswalker Realm slowly come to life, Ryan felt a deep sense of satisfaction.
Beside the barren plain, the lush, verdant forest was thick with trees and grass, radiating rings of emerald light. White and green surged against each other, sharply divided.
This forest was the Land Card Ryan had recently acquired:
[Maribo Forest
Type: Basic Forest
Effect: Generates 5 points of green mana each day
"Verdant life springs forth here."]
After learning how important Land Cards were from the Planeswalker inheritance, Ryan had made time to visit his family's estate and try to acquire one. Though he hadn't started a family of his own, his father, Count Chris, doted on him as the most beloved youngest son. He had prepared an estate for Ryan long ago, planning to let him manage it and collect its taxes once he came of age.
Unfortunately, Ryan had no interest in such things. He was devoted to pursuing magic and becoming stronger. But that didn't stop him from using this connection to make a pact with the richest forest on the estate, successfully summoning his second basic Land Card.
From Augustus's inheritance, Ryan had already learned how Planeswalkers grew stronger and how their battles worked.
There was a number in the lower-right corner of a Planeswalker card. Unlike on creature cards, where it measured a creature's strength, this number also determined how powerful a Planeswalker's abilities were. Faerûn had a similar concept, which adventurers usually called "Challenge Rating."
Adventurers often used Challenge Rating to estimate how difficult a quest would be and how dangerous a monster was. For example, a white dragon with a Challenge Rating of 10 meant that a party of four adventurers of the same level would need careful preparation and a well-designed plan to have a chance of defeating it.
Ryan's card number was "12." Of course, Planeswalker cards weren't that simple. The number also determined how many Land Cards Ryan could have, meaning he could only own twelve at a time. This dashed his hopes of finding a bunch of unclaimed forests in the wild and marking them as Land Cards. Ryan preferred quality over quantity and would rather have fewer than settle for less, confident that he would eventually draw a legendary card.
The "12" also determined the number of cards Ryan could hold in his hand. He could hold a maximum of six cards drawn from the Planeswalker Realm at any one time. His Spark could only sustain that many cards for now; any excess would return to the Planeswalker Realm.
His daily draw limit was half of half his level. Ryan could draw three cards a day and add them to his hand, ready to use when needed.
As for his ability—"Whenever Ryan casts a spell outside the Weave, the difficulty of his next spell is halved, with a chance to randomly cast a spell from his deck whose level does not exceed Ryan's remaining levels"—Ryan had affectionately named it the Free-Cast Technique. This ability was level-limited too, and could only be used twice a day. Still, Ryan was very satisfied. After all, free stuff didn't cost a thing. What a deal.
Naturally, Ryan hadn't forgotten about cards. He had not only successfully turned the spells he had learned and thoroughly understood into Summoning Cards, but also turned his staff into an Artifact Card. He had tested it out: its weight could be adjusted to his liking, as long as it didn't exceed the maximum, and it was much easier to wield. It felt like an extension of his own body, responding as naturally as his arm. Ryan was extremely pleased.
Hovering above the two sharply divided Land Cards, Ryan looked down at the Planeswalker Realm as it gradually grew. A smile appeared on his face. This wondrous realm, belonging to him alone, was the foundation that would allow him to establish himself in Faerûn and across the infinite multiverse.
With the full moon drawing near, Ryan had gradually made all the preparations he could. Everything was ready; all that remained was the right moment.
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