Ronan stood silently as the black-haired man managed to regain a semblance of composure, his face pale as he gave Ronan a slight nod.
"Even if facing a high-level zero-order magical beast, as an advanced wizard apprentice with gaseous mental energy, he shouldn't react so poorly..." Ronan mused as he stepped closer to the man, his tone filled with implication, "It seems you have a secret?"
The black-haired man's expression shifted drastically, and the scrawny wizard beside him quickly interjected, "Lord Francois was just startled, that's all!"
The black-haired man nodded twice, only to hear Ronan's calm, detached voice.
"Never mind, if you don't want to talk, I'll just kill you and find out myself..."
"No!"
The black-haired man shrieked, his voice high and quavering, shattering any remaining aura of authority.
The scrawny wizard's face changed as he lunged to stop him, but the man had already thrust a shiny object toward Ronan.
"Damn it, look at what you've done!" the scrawny wizard shouted, eyes red with anger as he grabbed the black-haired man's collar.
The black-haired man retaliated, shouting back, "You're the fool! I told you not to mess with anyone above Level 6!"
The two began to scuffle in the snow, rolling around as they fought.
Ronan ignored their squabble, his attention fully on the object they had offered.
A quick mental probe later, he was amazed.
"A Level 1 artifact?!"
In the forest, Ronan tracked the blood trail left by the two-headed lizard while examining the shard in his hand, akin to a broken piece of a mirror.
Feeling the energy emanating from the shiny surface, Ronan was deeply impressed.
This shard, looking like a fragment of a shattered mirror, was undoubtedly a genuine Level 1 or higher magical artifact, possibly even beyond that!
Its function was to replicate the aura of any selected target within a major realm.
The two wizard thieves had dared to rob him by relying on this artifact's remarkable ability.
The "Lord Francois," who appeared to be an advanced aura wizard apprentice, was merely mimicking the aura of such a wizard using this artifact.
Without the mirror's disguise, he was just a Level 4 wizard apprentice.
After acquiring this artifact by chance, the two had used it to deceive and extort many low to mid-level apprentices.
With repeated successes, their courage and greed grew until they targeted Ronan, only to hit a brick wall.
"This thing seems damaged, just a piece of an artifact..."
Ronan closely inspected the mirror's edges, noting the obvious signs of breakage.
Probing with his mental energy, he saw the fractured runes within.
The runes were complex, like the roots of creeping plants, possessing a natural and intricate beauty.
Remarkably, even with the runes broken and incomplete, the artifact still managed to partially function, which was astonishing.
While the mirror's deceptive ability wasn't particularly useful to Ronan, he was intrigued by the engraved runes inside.
High-level and rare runes were always coveted by wizards, especially by Ronan, a runesmith.
"I'll study it later."
Ronan casually stored the mirror fragment in his pouch, his eyes glinting with the soft white glow of [Detect Magic] as he followed the blood trail.
As he progressed, the bloodstains in the snow thickened.
Sensing he was nearing his target, Ronan slowed his pace.
He reached under his robe and conjured a black staff about a meter long.
The staff was plain, with a smooth, unadorned shaft, save for a round orb at the top.
Though lacking any enchantments, it was the ideal staff for Ronan.
Holding the staff calmly, Ronan walked forward, his deerskin boots crunching in the snow as the cold wind stirred his robe.
As he strolled, he chanted quickly under his breath.
The black orb atop the staff glowed green, gradually brightening.
When the two-headed lizard reappeared in his view, Ronan's spell was finally complete.
"Go!"
Ronan pointed his staff toward the distant lizard.
The orb's accumulated green light floated forward like a firefly.
As it reached the lizard's head, it morphed into a ring of light, silently enveloping the creature.
The lizard, already frenzied and wild from its injuries, visibly weakened under the green glow.
Its wounds, nearly scabbed over, burst open, blood gushing like a fountain.
The lizard growled low, its ferocity giving way to fear of Ronan.
It tried to escape, but its movements were sluggish.
Ronan's chanting never ceased, and another spell was ready just in time.
"Tap!"
The black staff touched the ground lightly, energy particles surging as bright currents raced across the snow...
"Valensuna! You wretch!"
A woman in a white dress, with wild hair and a twisted face, flew forward, shrieking hysterically as she approached the lizard.
"I'll have your life!!"
Her terrifying scream transformed into invisible sound waves, causing ripples in the air and exploding the snow on the trees and branches.
The lizard lost all hope of fleeing, emitting a pitiful wail.
Ronan then calmly approached, raising his right hand, where a large blue-black energy sphere had formed instantly, and gently tossed it at the lizard's head.
"Boom!"
The sphere detonated, leaving a massive crater in the lizard's head. It wobbled slightly before collapsing with a thud, lifeless.
"Now that's wizardry!"
Ronan marveled at the fallen lizard, gesturing to recall the white-dressed ghost back into the ring, sighing in genuine admiration.
Strolling leisurely, mastering the battlefield, dispatching foes with a flick of the wrist...
Reflecting on the ragged struggle of months ago, when he wielded a heavy sword in desperate battles, Ronan felt a deep sense of satisfaction at his current composed elegance.
"Though it also reflects my improved strength, having control skills is undeniably essential."
Ronan didn't immediately check the lizard's corpse, wary of any lingering threat. He let it rest in death while he summoned his status panel.
**[Name: Ronan Damien]**
**[Age: 16]**
**[Affinity: Non-attribute]**
**[Strength: Level 7 Wizard Apprentice (69%)]**
**[Skills: Basic Meditation (Expert 419/800)
Energy Missile - Particle Stream (Master 3/1600)
Charged Weapon (Expert 312/800)
Rune Engraving—Cleanse (Proficient 185/200), Shine (Proficient 33/200), Protection (Expert 23/400)
Ascetic Body Training (Expert 100/800)
Basic Swordsmanship (Expert 455/800)
Fireball (Novice 21/100)
Iceball (Novice 35/100)
Detect Magic (Proficient 158/200)
Weakness Curse (Novice 56/100)
Electric Current (Proficient 12/200)
Wailing of the Souls (Novice 22/100)]
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