"Boom!"
With a dull thud, a cloud of white dust rose inside the small treehouse.
Through the swirling smoke, Ronan walked out slowly, expressionless, patting the stone fragments and dust off his robe.
It seemed like this wasn't the first time something like this had happened.
"Failed again!"
Ronan waited for the smoke in the house to dissipate before going back inside. His gaze fell on the temporary makeshift workbench, where only three blank rune stones remained. His eye twitched slightly.
It had been almost a month since he started studying rune engraving.
Three days ago, he began officially attempting to inscribe the [Cleanse] rune on blank rune stones. Nineteen attempts later, all the rune stones had been ruined, and he had yet to succeed.
"So close."
Ronan recalled his latest failure. He had almost completed 97% of the entire rune. The [Cleanse] rune had nearly come to life on the stone, but a few missteps in the final strokes caused everything to fall apart.
In fact, the uncontrolled energy particles caused the entire rune stone to explode.
"In the end, I'm still lacking in skill. My mental and physical strength falters toward the end."
Ronan grabbed a wet towel and patted it on his face, wiping away the exhaustion on his brow as he analyzed his failure.
Rune engraving was an extremely draining task. The process required constant mental energy for guidance, demanding absolute concentration and seamless execution without any pause.
With his current mental capacity as a second-level sorcerer apprentice, engraving the [Cleanse] rune left him mentally exhausted and unable to maintain his state toward the end.
"Honestly, my progress is already pretty fast. Most sorcerers at this stage probably haven't even gotten the hang of holding the tool properly."
Ronan's unique abilities had not disappointed him. His rune studies had progressed smoothly overall.
From copying runes to practicing carving techniques, his progress was incredibly fast. Once he officially started working on rune stones, every failure provided him with new insights and experience.
Among the nineteen attempts, his improvement was almost visibly rapid.
Every failure pushed his progress further and further. By his eighteenth try, Ronan reached 95%, thinking he was about to succeed—only to fall short once again.
"Almost succeeding and completely failing make no difference to me. I've only got these few materials left. If the remaining three rune stones don't work out, I'll have to consider taking out a loan or selling off some belongings."
Ronan sighed softly and summoned his status panel.
[Name: Ronan Damien]
[Age: 16]
[Talent: Non-Attribute Affinity]
[Power: Level 2 Sorcerer Apprentice (13%)]
[Skills: Basic Meditation (Proficient, 156/200), Energy Missile (Mastered, 334/400), Charged Weapon (Beginner, 68/100)]
Over the past month, all of his abilities had grown steadily.
His mental strength hadn't increased much, pushing his progress as a second-level sorcerer apprentice up by only 10%.
At this rate, Ronan estimated it would take another nine months for him to advance to a third-level apprentice.
Of course, that timeline might shorten since his Basic Meditation skill kept improving, increasing the effectiveness of each meditation session.
His Energy Missile had reached the Mastery level, significantly speeding up his casting.
Now, Ronan only needed to chant a few syllables and make a simple gesture to cast the spell, reducing the total casting time to under three seconds. The spell's power had also slightly increased.
To expand his combat options, Ronan learned Charged Weapon, one of the five basic zero-rank spells.
This spell temporarily enchants a weapon with a thin layer of energy particles, adding a "charged" effect. When the enchanted weapon strikes an object, the energy particles cause explosive damage.
Since Ronan wasn't particularly skilled in close combat, he didn't put too much effort into mastering this spell. He only practiced it casually, which left him at the Beginner level.
"Slap!"
Ronan tossed the wet towel into the water basin, splashing water everywhere, then stood up. "Time for a walk."
Staying inside the treehouse studying rune engraving was tiring. His mind was worn out, and the cramped, damp space made his body stiff and sore.
Sliding down the hanging vines, Ronan coughed twice, feeling a faint pain in his chest.
The prolonged and intense meditation sessions had caused increasing damage to his lungs due to energy particle erosion.
"The knight's breathing technique… If I can't handle it anymore, I might have to write home and ask the family to send some training manuals from the Earl's estate. But that'll take a year or two to arrive."
Ronan muttered to himself while adjusting his hunter's gear and stepping into the forest.
The forest was calm and shrouded in a faint layer of mist. Strange-looking trees grew wildly, and the ground was covered with thick layers of decaying leaves and moss.
"Rustle!"
A faint noise reached his ears. Ronan's mental energy, previously coiled tightly in his mind, spread outward in an instant, locking onto the source of the sound. He quickly whispered a short incantation.
"Uru Bazidam!"
With a simple gesture, the air in front of him twisted and distorted.
A deep blue sphere of energy, the size of a fist, materialized and shot forward.
"Boom!"
The energy missile struck a bush about ten meters ahead, creating an explosion that sent dirt and leaves flying. A sturdy oak tree slowly toppled over.
Ronan calmly walked toward the blast site and found a trail of blood and flesh in a large pit.
Judging by the scraps of fur on the pit walls, the noise must have come from an unfortunate wolf.
"Sorcerers truly are extraordinary. The destructive power of a spell is incredible," Ronan marveled at his handiwork.
In the mundane world, only highly trained knights could cause such devastation. Yet, this was just a low-level zero-rank spell.
It was clear how powerful and exceptional sorcerers were compared to ordinary people.
Ronan felt much more at ease and confident in this part of the forest than when he first arrived. Especially after his Energy Missile reached Mastery, he believed he could even hold his ground against a third-level apprentice.
His casting speed was significantly faster than most low-level apprentices, and the power of a mastered Energy Missile was about two or three times greater than at the beginner level.
Of course, Ronan's self-assessment was just a guess. He hadn't fought another sorcerer yet, so he had no real understanding of what sorcerer battles were like.
Adding magic items to the mix made battles even more unpredictable.
Ronan continued along his usual morning jogging path. The fresh air and serene beauty of the forest gradually soothed his weary mind.
When he reached a tree spring, Ronan squatted down to wash his hands and face, feeling instantly refreshed.