In the darkness of nothingness, a white light appeared.
The white light slowly rotated.
If one traced its path, it would be a continuous circle that kept expanding outward.
It resembled a mosquito coil that was continuously growing larger.
During this process, scattered, colorful light points emerged from the edges of nothingness, merging into the trajectory of the rotating white light.
Circle by circle by circle...
After countless circles, Ronan opened his eyes.
At this moment, Ronan felt exceptionally spirited, as if he had enjoyed a restful sleep, waking refreshed and clear-headed, with his thoughts shifting at an unusually fast pace.
"Did it work?"
Ronan's lips slightly moved, his face unable to suppress the joy.
Indeed, it had worked.
He could sense what was described in Basic Meditation Technique—a lively and transparent flow of energy in his mind that was indescribable but genuinely present.
That was the so-called spiritual power.
Sensing the existence of spiritual power proved that Ronan's first meditation was very successful; he had officially entered the doorway.
"Thank you."
Ronan, in a good mood, gently stroked the "soul" inscription on the bed frame, murmuring softly.
This successful meditation owed a lot to these inscribed words. Ronan planned to clean the dust and grime accumulated in the inscription's crevices the next day, and thereafter read them daily to keep himself alert and inspired.
As he thought this, Ronan, who was about to get out of bed for a glass of water, suddenly sensed something swiftly passing in front of his eyes.
It was as if a bug had suddenly entered his eye.
He blinked hard, attempting to squeeze it out, but unexpectedly, the light at the corner of his eye fiercely twisted a few times, followed by a pale blue screen popping up.
[Name: Ronan Damien]
[Age: 16]
[Talent: No Attribute Affinity]
[Strength: Level 1 Wizard Apprentice (86%)]
[Skill: Basic Meditation Technique (entry-level 1/100)]
"Uh..."
Ronan was completely dumbfounded.
He questioned whether it was an illusion, vigorously rubbing his eyes, yet the screen in front of him remained unchanged.
As a thought passed through his mind, the screen immediately disappeared.
When the thought returned, the screen reappeared.
After a few repetitions, he realized it was controlled by his own thoughts.
"Is this... a character panel from a game?!"
Was this a perk of crossing over, or was he actually in an incredibly realistic game world?
Ronan thought about it and felt the former hypothesis was more plausible.
Or rather, he preferred the first guess.
Of course, regardless of which possibility it was, the outcome wasn't essential, because he couldn't return to his former world. What truly mattered was how to make use of this panel to survive well here and make the best of his life.
After the shock, Ronan suppressed the joy in his heart and began to study the various pieces of information displayed on the panel.
"So, I have No Attribute Affinity..."
According to the knowledge about wizards left by his predecessor, No Attribute Affinity should mean there is no enhancement when practicing any type of wizard spells, but correspondingly, there are no obstacles either.
This wasn't necessarily a good thing.
Because if Ronan now had a Fire Element Affinity, then practicing Fire Magic would be easier for him than others, and the power of his Fire Magic would be somewhat enhanced.
Although practicing spells from other systems would be more difficult and less powerful than normal, this disadvantage can be avoided by choosing the right major direction for one's spells.
At Hoddam Wizard College, taking one spell class allows for a free attribute affinity talent test, but unfortunately, the predecessor had almost spent all his Magic Stones after paying the tuition and buying four Inherited Wizard Books, leaving no money to enroll in any spell class.
Thus, Ronan only recently understood his own attribute affinity talent.
It's a lie to say he's not disappointed, but there's no choice but to accept it.
The strength section of the panel shows Ronan's current realm, a Level 1 Wizard Apprentice, and the following 86% probably represents the progress at this realm.
Reality struck Ronan hard again, as the predecessor had been in Wizard Land for almost half a year.
Even if he struggled to enter due to the lack of guidance, relying solely on himself, and his spiritual power still a distance away from reaching the standard of a Level 2 Wizard Apprentice after so long in meditation, it clearly showed that his talent was truly average.
"Some talented wizard youngsters, after entering meditation, can strengthen their spiritual power to Level 2 in just a few weeks, or even a few days.
Really, comparisons can be so frustrating..."
Now, when Ronan recalled the line engraved on the bed frame, he felt it was full of irony.
"With such a huge gap in innate abilities, does hard work really matter?"
Ronan asked himself mockingly, feeling somewhat disheartened.
But his eyes fell on the panel again, and suddenly he felt a glimmer of hope.
"Maybe."
He continued to read on.
But there seemed to be nothing interesting left to see.
A bare Skill Bar with only his recently mastered Basic Meditation Technique recorded in it, and its proficiency was a pathetic 1.
No wonder he couldn't feel the memories of his predecessor when he tried to meditate before; it appeared they had been cleared after his transmigration.
"Forget it, it doesn't matter, starting from scratch, starting from now!"
"Anyway, I am now a man with a cheat at my side, practice well, and everything is possible!"
Ronan cheered himself on, his energy vibrant following his recent meditation session, not feeling like sleeping at all.
He just worked through the night, flipping through the remaining books while studying his newly awakened 'golden finger.'
Unconsciously, the light from the Gauze bag hanging overhead dimmed as minuscule lights began to fade.
...
"Chirp chirp—"
The dawn and the birds' chirping woke the slumbering forest.
On a huge, vine-entwined old oak tree, the door of a dusky wooden cabin creaked open.
A young man in a gray robe walked out from the cabin.
The youth had an average build, slightly curly chestnut hair, and his eyelids and cheeks looked somewhat swollen, giving off a flabby appearance, but he seemed spirited.
It was Ronan, who had come out for a breath of air after staying up all night.
"Yawn—"
Ronan yawned, and with that, he tossed the night's collection from the urine pot down through the gaps in the oak tree branches.
Then he went back into the cabin and brought out a slightly smaller ceramic pot to start collecting Morning Dew from the leaves.
Actually, Ronan wasn't very tired.
He had been studying the Wizard Books all night; when he felt sleepy, he went to bed to meditate. Although it couldn't fully replace sleeping, it was far better than actually staying awake all night.
But...
Ronan felt a heaviness in his chest, a dull pain lingering.
His limbs also felt weak, almost causing him to fall from the tree while collecting Morning Dew.
He felt his body being a bit more depleted than yesterday.
Perhaps it was from not eating anything all night.
Or perhaps...
Was there something wrong with his body?!