Chapter 269: The Concept of 2-Ring Spells

Although he desperately wanted to study this group of undead immediately, the secret imprint clinging to him like maggots on a bone and the severe injuries left by the scythe reminded him that the hidden danger was not yet resolved.

Ace looked at the humanoid skeleton, which had recovered from a crippled state to a normal Skeleton, and established a Master-Servant Covenant with it. He then separated a Time-Limited Mirror Image to continue observing, while he himself began to research how to eliminate the entanglement of the mark.

One month later, on the gray sandy ground where countless white bones were buried, a small castle made of white bones rose from the ground.

Although he had established a Master-Servant Covenant with Skeleton Experiment Subject No. 1, Ace still adopted a laissez-faire attitude towards it; it was not the focus of his research at this stage.

Ace spent about eleven days using the Nourishment Spell to repair the damage to his body. This Reflection World had no bright moon, nor could he locate a Principal Star for meditation. Fortunately, there was still some Bright Moon Mana left in his Soul Sanctuary, barely enough to sustain him.

The environment here was unsuitable for human habitation. Maintaining the Shadow State for too long wasn’t a good thing for Ace either; he didn’t want to turn into a pure Shadow Creature.

So, Ace spent twenty days building this small bone castle, inscribing sealing, isolation, and Warning Rune Arrays on the outer layer.

Inside the castle, he used the Seamless Expansion Rune Array to enlarge the space. At the bottom, he set up a Mana absorption and conversion Magic Array. The nature of the Mana here was opposite to that of the Material Plane; Ace called it Negative Energy.

The Magic Array at the bottom was reconfigured according to the environment. Ace called it the Negative Energy Conversion Pool.

‘The nature of Mana in the Reflection World is completely different from that in the Material Plane. This kind of Mana can be called Negative Energy, while the attribute-less Mana of the Material Plane can be called Positive Energy.

‘First, clear the mark, then deeply research the various phenomena of the Reflection World. Whether it’s positive and negative energy or the Undead, they are all enticing topics.’

After sighing with emotion, Ace continued to separate a Time-Limited Mirror Image. He let the clone turn into a shadow to regularly observe and record the changes in the Undead on the sandy ground and withered forest where Ace had descended, especially the situation of Skeleton Experiment Subject No. 1.

He devoted himself to studying the heart of the Hidden Divine Descendant. Using the Equivalent Exchange Ritual, Ace transmitted part of the Negative Energy to the High Tower, exchanging it with his Rational Clone for a batch of research vessels and Magic Stones, including the research tool, the microscope.

He placed thin slices of the heart tissue under the microscope for careful observation.

Meanwhile, Ace’s Rational Clone published an article titled “Beneficial State Astral Projection Hypothesis” in Magic. It described in detail the research on the Moon-Worship Wolves’ sacrifice to the bright moon and made bold deductions.

Ace believed that every existence capable of mobilizing mana was an Astral Body (Mana Source). The Astral Body would convert the mana of the external macro-environment into its own characteristic mana and use this to radiate and influence the external environment in return.

Based on this hypothesis, Ace created the foundational concept of the Beneficial State Astral Projection Meditation Method. Advanced Wizard Apprentices could use Academic Points to exchange for the 0-Ring Bright Moon Meditation Method invented by Ace.

Several Advanced Wizard Apprentices exchanged for this meditation method. When they confirmed that its efficiency was far higher than the Advanced Apprentice Meditation and that it remained effective even when Mental Power reached 9 unit, the Advanced Wizard Apprentices boiled over with excitement.

They researched the meditation method with great enthusiasm, attempting to improve it into a version best suited for themselves. Related research and papers on the “Beneficial State Astral Projection Hypothesis” slowly brewed within the High Tower Territory.

In the blink of an eye, half a year passed. It was now the winter of the Magic Calendar Year 12.

The 0-Ring Bright Moon Meditation Method allowed Bayen’s mental strength to rise again, but after reaching 9.5 unit, even this meditation method lost its effect.

“My Wizard aptitude is indeed poor,” Bayen sighed. “Betty invented the 0-Ring Dawn Meditation Method more suitable for herself based on the 0-Ring Bright Moon Meditation Method. Her Mental Power strength was already at 9.9 unit; now it’s even more likely to exceed 10 unit. Perhaps people like her are natural Wizards.”

After sighing, Bayen did not lose heart. He stroked his short beard, which had turned black again. His eyes were firm, and his voice was sonorous as he said, “However, even if my aptitude isn’t outstanding, I still yearn to become a Formal Wizard, yearn to go further on the path of pursuing true knowledge!”

Two days later, Bayen’s Promotion Ritual began.

Intermediate Wizard Apprentices and Lesser Wizard Apprentices did not participate in this experiment. All Advanced Wizard Apprentices in the territory arrived at the Magic Castle, totaling 71 people. Ace’s Rational Clone had already moved the fantasia crystal ball to the hall. Everything was ready.

Everyone took their seats, and the experiment began. The Advanced Apprentice mental network linked up rapidly. The soul level boiled, and tide-like Collective Mana washed over Bayen’s soul in waves. His soul began to slowly sublimate.

The Rational Clone stared at the mental scale gauge. Bayen’s Mental Power scale was rising slowly: 9.6 unit, 9.7 unit, 9.8 unit, 9.9 unit. The mental growth seemed to reach its limit, staying at 9.9 unit for a long time.

Bayen felt he was only one step away from Formal Wizard status. He tried hard to activate his soul, frantically absorbing the collective mana, but everything stopped there.

Bayen’s Promotion Ritual failed. His Mental Power stayed at 9.9 unit and advanced no further.

Although the Advanced Wizard Apprentices held a second and third experiment for Bayen for free, the result remained the same.

Ace’s Rational Clone looked at the despondent Bayen and recorded the situation of this promotion.

‘The influence of collective mana only offers one chance. If there is no breakthrough the first time, a situation similar to drug resistance will occur later. I call it Ritual Tolerance.

‘This phenomenon is similar in Blessing Rituals , except the effect of Blessing Rituals halves successively, while the effect of the Formal Wizard Promotion Ritual works only once.’

While Bayen was downcast, inside the small white bone castle in the Reflection World corresponding to the Saria Forest , Ace had completely cleared the influence of the secret imprint.

His mental scale had also risen from 15 to 20. The reason it rose so slowly was that Ace had been busy researching and clearing the mark in the early stages. Since there was no bright moon in the Reflection World, he could only sneak back to the surface to absorb the power of the bright moon.

He had clashed with the Punisher pursuers several times.

He analyzed a large number of runes related to authorities like concealment, fusion, deception, and assassination from the Hero-level heart. Combining these with relevant Runes analyzed from the Bent’s Pain Mask years ago, he determined the concept for his first 2-Ring Spell.

‘According to the dragon, a 2-Ring Spell will affect my Soul Sanctuary and also dictates the choice of my path.

‘Which Level 1 Rune to replicate into the Soul Sanctuary? What kind of 2-Ring Spell Model to create? After nearly three years of thinking and collecting Level 1 Runes, my ideas have finally taken shape.’

Ace held the withered heart, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

“What is lost in the morning is gained in the evening,” he said in a language from his past life that did not exist in this world. “Fusion #N Level 1 Runes solved the most important problem. I can create an open-ended 2-Ring Spell Model as the core.

“Using the Level 1 Rune-grade Dream Rune Group as the cornerstone, I will construct a singular 2-Ring Spell Model.”

Ace concentrated on creating a three-dimensional Dream Spell Model in the air.

“If it’s just this, the model’s limitations are very significant. So, I need to add different Fusion #N Level 1 Runes into it.”

Thirty Fusion Runes with identical functions but subtle differences appeared. This was Ace’s greatest deduction result: successfully deducing Fusion #1 to Fusion #30.

The Fusion Rune was a very important discovery that solved Ace’s vision. This Rune allowed a single 2-Ring Dream Spell Model to become a core. Each Fusion Rune would become an interface, capable of externally connecting various types of compatible 2-Ring Spell Models.

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