Waiting by the Stump

Transformation Spell:

Consumes 1 unit of magic power. The casting material is a part of a certain creature's body. It can transform the target into that creature for around three days.

Permanent Transformation Spell:

Formed from a combination of the Transformation Rune and Solidification Rune. Consumes 1 unit of magic power. The casting material is a part of a certain creature's body. There is a high chance of failure and a small chance of permanently transforming into that creature. It cannot be reversed.

Blessing Spell:

Based on differing cores, it is divided into Strength Blessing, Agility Blessing, Wisdom Blessing, and Perception Blessing.

Consumes 1 unit of magic power. Without casting materials, it can improve an ability by an amount equivalent to half that of an ordinary adult. With casting materials, the improvement depends on the material's quality.

Blessing Rune Array:

A rune array combining Solidification Runes and inscribed upon the body, capable of permanently enhancing strength, agility, wisdom, and perception. There is a certain chance that reproducing the rune array will fail. Casting materials are required, and the enhancement depends on the material's quality.

Each ability can only be enhanced once. After being enhanced with the Blessing Rune Array, Blessing Spells are ineffective on it.

This time, the gains are immense, but danger is closing in as well. In everyone's eyes, I'm a Blessed One. There's a good chance I'll be targeted. I have to take the initiative and uncover the secrets hidden here, Ace thought.

A few days later, Ace saw Locke off from the hospital. Aside from his appearance, Locke had already completely transformed into a fishman.

Amid Locke's endless thanks, Ace escorted him back to his residence.

Locke was the Blessed Ones' bait for Ace, and also Ace's bait for the Blessed Ones.

Ace had planted a Beguiling rune structure in Locke's body. It contained his mental power, allowing him to sense it from afar.

Moor had most likely transformed into a fishman as well. He would certainly seek out Locke. As long as Ace kept an eye on Locke, he could come into contact with the other vanished Blessed Ones and uncover the secret behind them.

After leaving Locke's residence, Ace activated Ultrasonic Perception and scanned the area. Avoiding the Blessed Ones who appeared in his perception as rainbow-colored figures, he took a winding detour.

Inside a residence not far from Locke's home, Ace put the family living there into an illusionary sleep. Then he took out Glimmer. This magical short sword contained powder made from Sharp's heart; it should work as the casting material for transformation.

Ace removed his outer clothes and changed into loose Tsimari garments. As he activated the Transformation Spell, magic power gathered.

Holding the short sword in both hands, his body began to change. His figure grew taller, and he turned into a vicious-looking, middle-aged man with a face full of beard.

"Now, I am Sharp Eric! I came here to investigate the situation on land, only to be drawn into a vast conspiracy by accident. May the gods protect me."

The middle-aged man held Glimmer in both hands and spoke in a hoarse, low voice.

He sensed his own body. His heart was already beating like flame, and indistinct Soul Runes instantly took shape. Not only had he become Sharp, but he was even stronger than Sharp had been at the time.

Ace sat down to meditate and sense his new body. He discovered that his Secret Treasury Space remained, while his powerful mental power poured into his heart, making it beat with increasing force.

This was Quasi-Authority. Ace looked at the warm flame burning in his hand, then casually extinguished it.

The powerful force rooted in his bloodline had actually been stolen by him at the moment of transformation. There was no need for a spell model; as long as he thought it and believed it, he could make it happen.

The scorching heat of flames, their intense temperature, their radiance—he could manipulate them with the uninhibited ease of something he had been born with.

Subconsciously, Ace used Glimmer to cut open his wrist. His blood was absorbed by the short sword, rapidly changing it. The secondary rune array was elevated into a Soul Rune Array.

After a long while, Ace felt the Quasi-Authority weaken drastically and discovered that Glimmer had evolved into a more powerful magical weapon.

Was this how heroic wondrous artifacts were born?

No knowledge was needed. No rune replication was needed. No rune combinations were needed. With only a bloodline, one could create miracles.

"Truly miraculous. Bloodlines are ordained by the gods, and Authority arises from bloodlines. This truly is a world that drives mortals to despair."

Ace's mind grew ever more resolute. He entered meditation again and felt the Quasi-Authority slowly recovering.

When he opened his eyes, the night was already deep.

Ace released Ultrasonic Perception and found the surroundings silent. Locke was still asleep at home; no one had come looking for him.

The hospital staff had been given suggestive spells by Ace, and no one had noticed his departure.

Late one night five days later, Ace scanned the surroundings as usual and discovered several colored figures quietly approaching Locke's home. He stopped observing and stealthily drew closer to Locke's residence.

The group, cloaked in black, entered Locke's home. After speaking for a while, Locke packed his belongings and actually left with them.

Using the mental power within Locke's body, Ace followed from a great distance.

After sensing the degree to which their magic power had gathered, Ace was certain that their degree of magical transformation was low, roughly comparable to the Divinely Inspired.

But this discovery was important. They had originally been ordinary mortals, yet they showed signs of the extraordinary.

This clashed somewhat with the official propaganda that heroes alone were the saviors of this world. Perhaps they were not necessarily enemies. Pontos, Child of the Ocean, had unprecedentedly granted magic power to his followers. Perhaps they could cooperate in the future.

Thoughts churned through Ace's mind. He wanted more and more to understand all of this.

The group had actually arrived at the center of Tsimari, beside Pontos's enormous statue. Even in the dead of night, the place was brightly lit and heavily guarded.

After showing something to the guards, they smoothly entered the temple behind the statue.

Sensing the immense gathering of magic power and mental power within the statue, Ace did not continue following them and turned away.

Forcing his way in was the worst possible approach, and the Beguiling Spell was unsuitable for use here as well. He was facing a god who truly existed; there was no such thing as being too cautious.

If he was discovered, the Wizard's Path in this world might come to an end right there.

A few days later, Ace treated patients during the day as usual, while at night he joined everyone in the square to worship the statue. Gradually, he became familiar with the temple priests. As a Blessed One, he was viewed favorably by them.

Ace figured out the priests' travel patterns. They took turns leaving the city to preach. Most of these priests showed no signs of the extraordinary; only a small number displayed signs of magical transformation.

Priest Moor was walking to a village. He was a typical ascetic priest, his skin as dry and withered as an old tree, his expression bitter, his face full of compassion.

He had been born to impoverished fishermen. Ever since converting to the Child of the Ocean, he had become incomparably devout. After enduring all manner of trials, he had finally become an honored priest, able to spread the glory of the Child of the Ocean.

Ace had observed Moor for a long time. Every few days, Moor went to preach in the surrounding villages, and magical transformation had begun to manifest in him. He was an excellent target for shapeshifting.

Ace spread an Illusion Barrier across Moor's usual route. Magic pulsed in a steady rhythm, like the breathing of nature, and with that breath, the barrier unfolded naturally.

Barefoot, Moor strode resolutely along the dirt road. Suddenly, he felt unwell—nauseated, his head slightly dizzy—as though someone were murmuring in his ear.

He immediately stopped and began to pray.

"Great Child of the Ocean, you are the ruler of the Sea of Salia, the savior of fishmen and fishermen. May you bless me, may you forgive me. I will forever follow your teachings and uphold your commandments..."

Ace watched it all with great interest. Pontos's temple differed from that of the Elegant Goddess. Its priests had already formed a simple organization, perhaps one that could be called a Priestly Order.

The Priestly Order had creeds and sacred objects. The division between sacred and secular had already emerged, and its basic doctrines—or rather, its commandments—had been perfected.

The Elegant Goddess had no Priestly Order in the strict sense. Her faith was practiced more through a model of one god, one bloodline, one city-state. Bloodline descendants were the true pillars; priests were merely optional embellishments.

A passage from Myth flashed through Ace's mind: "The Lord of the Ocean Nadaya united with Wave Goddess Fosse and bore the Seven Children of the Ocean. The youngest among them was named Pontos. Pontos possessed no accompanying divine authority and was thus a demigod."

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