Doors and Windows

The last two runes progressed a little more slowly than Ruger had expected, but only a little.

Yet he felt that the difficulty was not the normal kind involved in mastering runes, but rather an issue with his spiritual power. His own analysis was that his spiritual power had grown too quickly lately. Essentially, the process of attempting to master one Meditation Method rune after another was itself a form of training for spiritual power, and the rate at which spiritual power grew affected the progress of the Meditation Method, and vice versa. If there had been anything unusual recently that might have caused this, it was that gray translucent crystal, which had abruptly boosted his spiritual power. He truly did not think much of such outside aid.

In the intervals between meditation, he remembered the storage bag he had asked the Half-Man to open for him but had yet to inspect. Once he got busy, though, he forgot about it again. Level-two wizard apprentice was right within reach, and he was full of drive. Aside from eating and sleeping, he buried himself in meditation and training his spiritual power. It was monotonous and dull, yet strangely satisfying. It brought peace to his heart, and watching himself improve bit by bit gave him a faint sense of fulfillment.

"Today should be the day."

He stuffed mouthfuls of bug meat into his mouth. To save time, and also as an experiment, he had begun trying the fleshy bugs from the bedroom space these past two days. He had collected these plump meat bugs into the space along with the soil he had taken to pave the ground when he had gone to the ravine to catch bugs last time. They had remained alive for days, their texture had not changed at all, and they had not given him diarrhea.

He finished the simple meal.

For the first time in a while, he lay down and blanked out for a while. Spacing out was also a refined form of relaxation, one with considerable technical difficulty.

Fortunately, he had mastered it—and he had mastered the core technique.

That was thinking about absolutely nothing.

After a simple meal, some simple spacing out, and a few chunks of ice, he felt that he had adjusted himself well enough. Then he entered meditation once more.

He had already mastered all the runes needed to construct the second Demonic Mark.

His previous attempts had all come close to success, yet each had fallen just a tiny bit short.

He felt this time would succeed. For no particular reason, he was certain of it. It was a feeling, as if he could already do it—as if a voice deep within him told him so.

Six new and six old—twelve distinct Demonic Mark Meditation Method runes took shape one after another. His spiritual power was steadily consumed, transformed into a different kind of flesh and blood for the newborn runes. Drawing twelve runes in succession was a trial of both his willpower and his control over spiritual power. Not a shred could be wasted, not a moment of hesitation allowed. Runes formed through the Meditation Method would slowly disperse over time if they did not form a Demonic Mark. As the number of runes required increased, the difficulty of advancing rose as well.

Constructing them too quickly made mistakes and excess consumption likely. But if he pursued stability too much, then by the time he constructed the tenth rune, the first might already have begun to disperse, and he would still face failure. For a level-one apprentice, spiritual power gained solely through practicing and training with one's own Meditation Method was only just enough for this point. There was no room for the slightest waste or error.

At this moment, he was like a blade of grass or a stone that existed in this world without a single stray thought. The difference was that he continuously drew runes in meditation; other than that, he was no different from when he was spacing out.

The eleventh rune took shape in the blink of an eye. Only the final step remained before he advanced to a level-two wizard apprentice. Even in Ka Liu's diary, an advancement rate like his was exceedingly rare—at the very least, faster than Ka Liu, who had called himself a genius. And there was no telling whether Ka Liu had exaggerated.

In the first two attempts, he had failed to grasp that precise balance. When he drew the twelfth rune, the first runes had begun to disperse. This repeated process of trying to construct a Demonic Mark was also training in meticulous control over himself and his spiritual power. No matter how powerful a force was, if it could not move like an extension of one's arm, then it did not truly belong to oneself.

The twelfth rune was the most complicated, as though it had ascended another step. From it, one could also judge what the runes leading to the third Demonic Mark would be like.

He did not feel the slightest fatigue. From the first rune onward, everything had flowed as naturally as water. Every thread of spiritual power was allocated naturally, every step connected seamlessly. The mistakes he had made and the problems he had encountered in earlier attempts were unconsciously corrected and avoided one by one. Nothing changed when he reached the twelfth rune. He remained swift and steady, and only by maintaining that consistency from beginning to end could he succeed.

Rumble!

At last, all twelve runes appeared simultaneously within the illusory world of his spiritual power space.

They were like old friends who had known each other forever, yet had never managed to gather in one place.

Noisily, they drew closer and closer, forming a strange spectacle. They repelled one another even as they tangled together, gradually reaching the most critical moment.

The spiritual power space trembled in response, though it was nowhere near as intense as when he had become a wizard apprentice from nothing. Perhaps it was because his spiritual power space was already far more stable than it had been then.

A new dark-red Demonic Mark surfaced in the spiritual power space. It was slightly longer than the first and lay parallel beside it, while several spell models drifted in circles around them.

Another illusory little ravine—or rather, a claw mark left by some fierce beast with only two claw tips.

After thinking for a moment, he moved the spell model of the Demon Skin Spell close to the Demonic Mark to empower it, then stored the empowered phantom in the second Demonic Mark—the second temporary spell slot.

He chose the Demon Skin Spell not only because it was the only tough spell he had mastered, but also because of the journey into the Abyss. When the time came, this durable spell would effectively become a disguise spell. Having one more instant-cast opportunity that required neither waiting nor expenditure would undoubtedly make things much safer.

He opened his eyes and let out a long breath.

That breath summoned back all his scattered thoughts, turning him from grass and stone back into a lively kobold.

He blinked, suddenly remembering that ever since becoming a wizard apprentice, he had never changed what was in his first temporary spell slot. Whenever he used it, he promptly replenished it with another Strength of the Savage Bull.

He had abruptly become a level-two wizard apprentice, but in this desolate place, all he could do to celebrate was eat some flavorless shaved ice.

He was very satisfied.

After a short rest, he still needed to choose a spell and test the new limit on how many times he could cast it, so he would have a clear grasp of his own strength.

After finishing the shaved ice, he went to the cave wall.

He wanted to conduct an experiment first: to try opening that door with his stronger spiritual power.

Earlier, he had already felt that he might be able to open a stable spatial door that could remain fixed for a period of time, though it would be difficult. Now that he was a level-two wizard apprentice, it should be easier, allowing him to possess a door through which he could freely enter the Abyss bedroom space.

This was also preparation for stealing dragon blood. He could open this door in advance, one that allowed entry and exit at any time. Should anything unexpected happen, he could hide inside.

As for why he had come to the cave wall for this attempt—

It was merely more convenient for focusing his mind. After all, imagining a door opening in a wall or something similar made it easier to convince himself.

There were still more things to prepare. Once he could open the door skillfully, he would need to find a way to break open that strange dragon's hide. Even a mosquito had to get its mouthparts in first before it could suck blood.

As a door that seemed both light and illusion gradually appeared, a flurry of hurried footsteps came from nearby.

Aisijin?

Still not very proficient, he concentrated and barely completed the final bit. A spatial fragment door more than a person's height tall was successfully formed.

He wiped at the nonexistent sweat on his forehead.

Perfect. He could invite Aisijin in to take a look, he thought.

Ever cautious, seeing that the fat meat bugs had been fine for days, he had already decided to go in and have a look himself.

"Brother Ruger, Old Gold Tooth's light threads are so long," Aisijin's voice came from around the corner before she arrived, followed by her anxious face. "Those things suddenly started getting brighter and brighter. He wouldn't let me disturb you—he said you must be doing something very important—but he hasn't been able to eat anything for a long time..."