"Damn it, even this nameless body training technique costs me a low-grade magic stone!" Ronan muttered through gritted teeth as he left the market.
In the end, he bought the technique.
The young wizard who sold it to him assured Ronan that it was great for strengthening the body and even hinted mysteriously that it might aid in mental cultivation as well.
"Really?" Ronan was skeptical.
He wanted to browse further, but the young vendor's aura subtly pressured him, making it clear that not buying wouldn't end well.
Ronan had no choice but to reluctantly accept this loss.
"Without power, you can't even buy things without being bullied," he thought, returning to his forest home, feeling dejected.
Despite successfully selling his two [Cleanse] runes, he returned with empty pockets, having spent everything at the market.
The market seemed to earn and consume his money entirely, leaving nothing to take home.
Frustrated by his market experience, Ronan threw himself into rune engraving upon returning home.
Over three days, he used up the twenty blank rune stones he acquired, successfully engraving six runes.
He sold them gradually and reinvested in a large batch of blank rune stones.
Eventually, the vendor's changing attitude made Ronan decide not to visit again.
"Whoosh—"
Ronan blew dust off a rune stone, pleased with yet another successful engraving.
Even though his proficiency with the [Cleanse] rune was still at the beginner level, his success rate had improved significantly.
When in a good state, Ronan could succeed two to three times in a row; on bad days, he'd fail five or six times consecutively.
On average, his success rate stabilized around thirty percent, meaning he succeeded roughly once every three attempts.
"When I have the means, I must set up a quiet, undisturbed workspace. Too many failures came from distractions like insects flying in or birds chirping outside."
With this thought, Ronan placed the rune stones into a dedicated pouch.
He had accumulated three or four [Cleanse] runes again.
With ample materials, he planned to save up and sell them directly at a proper rune shop in the Dwarf Market.
"Six [Cleanse] runes sold for four and a half low-grade magic stones. Left one for the entry fee, and used the rest to buy materials."
On his last rune sale, Ronan haggled fiercely, nearly severing his limited rapport with the vendor, ensuring it was a farewell transaction.
He had stockpiled nearly a hundred blank rune stones, enough to last a while.
Leaving home, Ronan stretched widely.
He had devoted all his energy to rune engraving, pausing nearly all other activities except meditation.
Now, with some free time, he felt heavy-chested and decided to go for a walk, eventually finding himself by the lakeside.
"Whoosh!"
A bluish orb flew into the lake, erupting with a splash several meters high.
Then came a second, and a third...
Ronan fired off four or five [Energy Missiles] into the lake, then waded in barefoot to gather the fish blasted to the surface.
"Dinner's sorted," Ronan thought, gathering a few fish in his robe, planning to make soup, grill some, and dry the rest.
After spending some time at the lake, enjoying the breeze and scenery to refresh himself, Ronan headed back home with his catch.
Dinner was lavish, featuring fish soup with leftover venison and wild fruits. Ronan treated himself well.
After dinner, under a clear, starry sky, Ronan sat beneath an oak tree, flipping through the ancient ascetic body tempering manual by moonlight.
"Just follow the instructions," he mused.
He skimmed the booklet, which contained about ten different posture diagrams and explanations—nothing extraordinary.
As a runesmith, Ronan had the habit of memorizing the first page's diagrams and descriptions before practicing.
"What awkward poses."
He realized the difficulty once he started.
Perhaps due to his body's poor condition, his limbs were stiff.
What seemed simple in the diagrams proved challenging, leaving him sweaty and exhausted.
"Huff, huff—"
Panting heavily, Ronan maintained a positive outlook.
"Not bad, this workout matches my usual one- or two-hour sessions. It's a proper body training technique."
Unconcerned about his slow progress with the first posture, Ronan stood up, wiped his sweat.
"Enough for today. Time to meditate and get an early night's sleep."
Life returned to its regular rhythm.
Meditation, rune engraving, exercise, and spell practice filled his days.
The only change was replacing running with the body training technique.
Despite its slow progress, the technique, which cost him a whole low-grade magic stone, showed noticeable effects.
Ronan's appetite grew, and he became visibly stronger.
"Damn, damn, ouch, ouch!"
Ronan lay half-prone on the grass beneath a tree, contorted in an awkward posture, grimacing and slapping the ground like a boxer signaling surrender.
"Slap!"
Releasing the posture, Ronan sprawled out on the ground, taking a long moment to sit up.
"Why does it hurt more the deeper I go?"
Wiping sweat from his face, Ronan was visibly displeased.
As he neared mastery of the first posture from the ancient ascetic manual, the pain during practice intensified.
Moments ago, he felt his body was tearing apart, tears and snot flowing freely.
"This kind of pain... sure doesn't help with mental cultivation."
Ronan realized the young vendor had deceived him.
He should have seen it coming.
Ancient ascetics' body tempering methods...
What was their training like?
Extreme heat, cold, fasting—anything torturous.
This was a self-tormenting method, designed to increase pain tolerance, not a legitimate knight training technique.
There might be some body conditioning benefits, but it wasn't a proper knight method.
Realizing this, Ronan knew it was too late to return it.
"Fine, I'll keep at it. I'll switch to something else when I can afford it."
Ronan sighed in resignation.
He was close to mastering the first posture, and despite the pain, he felt good after each session, sweaty but refreshed.
The health benefits were... decent, perhaps.
Ronan touched his face, noticing that the puffiness and excess weight had diminished considerably.