The winter night was heavy with falling snow, the kind that chilled to the bone, while inside, the warmth was almost oppressive, steam fogging the windows in a thick haze.
Ronan, having just finished a round of body training, stepped into a tub filled with hot water, his body slick with sweat.
In this bitter cold, nothing was more comforting than a hot bath after intense exercise.
He lay back in the tub, eyes closed, savoring the moment before calling up his status panel.
**[Name: Ronan Damien]**
**[Age: 16]**
**[Affinity: Non-attribute]**
**[Strength: Level 7 Wizard Apprentice (70%)]**
**[Skills: Basic Meditation (Expert 439/800)
Energy Missile - Particle Stream (Master 4/1600)
Charged Weapon (Expert 633/800)
Rune Engraving—Cleanse (Proficient 185/200), Shine (Proficient 33/200), Protection (Skilled 112/400)
Ascetic Body Training (Expert 106/800)
Basic Swordsmanship (Expert 702/800)]**
Since reaching the expert level in [Ascetic Body Training], progress had slowed significantly, taking three to five days to gain a single point of proficiency.
The main reason was Ronan's relaxed approach to this discipline.
He practiced up to the limit of pain he could endure without pushing for breakthroughs or self-flagellation.
For a wizard to reach his level in body training was already a remarkable achievement.
Ronan flexed his right arm, admiring the perfect, streamlined muscle from deltoid to forearm. A slight effort filled it with strength.
Initially, his goal in body training was merely to mitigate the erosion from energy particles.
Now, not only was that issue resolved, but the benefits had far exceeded his expectations.
However, regardless of how much one trains the body, at the level of a formal wizard, the advantages of physical prowess diminish significantly, if not completely.
You never hear of formal wizards specializing in physical body enhancement.
Even if they do, it's never through self-training.
Thus, Ronan viewed this as a transitional phase, prepared to abandon it when the time came.
For now, he continued with [Ascetic Body Training] mainly for its ability to refine mental power, counteracting the side effects of potion-enhanced growth.
"Continual meditation has finally shown results. My mental power is increasing, indicating that impurities have mostly been purged. I can resume using mental enhancement potions."
With that thought, Ronan looked at his other skills on the panel.
[Basic Swordsmanship], used as a "cool down" exercise after body training, was nearing completion at the expert level.
It's remarkable how quickly mundane skills could improve.
He hadn't encountered any significant obstacles along the way.
He wondered what transformation would occur upon reaching mastery in [Basic Swordsmanship].
Recently, Ronan focused primarily on improving [Energy Missile - Particle Stream] and [Charged Weapon].
He managed to increase the former's proficiency by one point and made significant progress towards completing the expert level in the latter.
He picked up the black longsword resting on the tub's edge, murmuring softly as he ran his right hand over the blade.
A shimmering flow of light smoothly coated the blade.
At this stage, the effect of [Charged Weapon] had evolved drastically from its initial form.
Originally, the spell's energy was painfully bright and chaotic, its power unstable and explosive.
Now, the energy particles on the sword's surface were tightly bound and orderly.
The visual effect had shifted from glaring and erratic to deep and restrained, with an overall bluish hue.
Ronan casually swung the expert-level [Charged Weapon] enhanced sword in the air, barely exerting force, yet the blade left visible ripples and waves in its wake.
This power rivaled some high-level zero-order spells with low proficiency. If Ronan unleashed his full physical strength, the damage would be terrifying.
After soaking for a while, feeling the bathwater cool, Ronan cast a spell to summon a fireball, gently submerging it to warm the water.
Repeating this process several times, Ronan felt all fatigue dissipate and leisurely emerged from the tub.
Wrapped in a thin blanket, he sat by the burning fireplace, where a pot of tea was brewing.
Ronan took out the clutch of eggs he retrieved from the two-headed lizard, placing a few in the hot ashes by the fireplace to roast while he sipped tea and examined some items.
First was a seed.
The very seed Andre and his sister had entrusted to Old Wills to give him before departing.
Ronan couldn't identify the seed's origin, and the siblings left no note or explanation.
The only clue might be the oak box itself, which featured strange engravings on the inside, along with a line of small script.
Ronan had asked Old Wills, who identified it as ancient Elvish but couldn't decipher its meaning.
Uncertain of the seed's purpose, Ronan occasionally toyed with it but spent more time studying the magical fragment from the two foolish wizards.
The shard, akin to a broken mirror, shimmered silver in the firelight.
Ronan's mental energy delved into it, admiring the runes inscribed within as if observing a masterpiece.
Every smooth, flowing line and intricate detail...
Only a runesmith could appreciate the exquisite beauty of these runes.
Whoever engraved them was a grandmaster, their expertise in runes far surpassing Ronan's by an immeasurable margin.
Even gleaning a fraction of knowledge from them was immensely beneficial to Ronan.
Over time, studying the runes within the shard had improved Ronan's rune engraving skills. He was close to mastering the high-level zero-order [Swiftness] rune, which had long eluded him.
"Once I can engrave the [Swiftness] rune, my monthly income will increase significantly, allowing me to prepare for advancing to a formal wizard."
Sitting by the fireplace, Ronan traced the mysterious rune shapes from the shard with tea-soaked fingers on the floor.
While sketching, suddenly...
"Bang!"
A muffled sound abruptly echoed in his ears.
Ronan instinctively looked up, staring in the direction of the sound, sensing it came from afar.
No second sound followed for a while.
Ronan shook his head, resuming his unfinished sketch.
However, before he could continue for long...
"Boom!"
A thunderous explosion swept through the small house like a gale, shaking dust from the ceiling and causing the flames in the fireplace to waver.
Ronan sprang from his chair, swiftly donning his robe before heading outside.
This time, he clearly identified the source.
The sound came from nearby...
Within the town.
Something had happened.
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