Chapter 285: Chapter 284: Stepping into the Golden Level

“That’s right, just like that. Control the output rate of your Spiritual Power and maintain the balance of the Magic Patterns.”

In the courtyard behind Swamp Castle, Ronin was instructing Erin on how to use the Water Arrow Skill.

Casting Intermediate Magic wasn’t particularly difficult, and after just one day of practice, Erin had more or less mastered it.

As the Water Elements from the surrounding air converged on Erin’s palm, a thirty-centimeter-long water arrow rapidly took shape.

Though called an arrow, it looked nothing like one. It was more like a cone, with an exceptionally sharp tip.

The Third-level Magic, Ice Arrow, is based on the Water Arrow Skill with an added freezing effect. Thanks to its sharp tip, it possesses considerable piercing power.

It was said that Jenny once used a single Ice Arrow to dent a Knight’s breastplate, striking his heart and killing him instantly.

“Lock onto the target with your Spiritual Power and fire.”

Erin fixed her gaze on a branch swaying in the wind. The water arrow shot out at an incredible speed, letting out a WHOOSH as it cut through the air.

CRACK!

The branch, struck by the water arrow, snapped violently and fell from the tree.

Although its power was slightly less than that of the Fireball Skill, another Second-level Magic, the Water Arrow Skill was not to be underestimated.

During the great cleansing of the territory, Jenny had knocked an alligator unconscious with a single water arrow.

“I finally did it!”

Erin clenched her fists, let out an excited cry, and leaped up to hug Ronin, who had been standing beside her offering guidance.

A soft, warm figure embraced him, bringing with it a faint, sweet scent. He couldn’t tell if it was her natural fragrance or perfume.

Unfortunately, Ronin had been single his entire past life, with no opportunity to encounter perfume, much less study it. Otherwise, he could have taken up researching it in this Otherworld.

“It’s just a Second-level Magic. No need to get so excited.”

Ronin smiled, wrapped an arm around Erin’s slender waist, and gently set her down. “Let me show you *my* Second-level Magic.”

“Okay!” Erin’s face was flushed as she nodded earnestly.

Ronin took a deep breath, cleared his mind, and became completely focused.

It was the last day of August. More than thirty days had passed since he last allocated his points, and Ronin had accumulated 430 Attribute Points. He had finally achieved a breakthrough in his power early this morning.

He was now both a Golden Knight and a Mage.

Upon becoming a Mage, a magic user could strengthen the power of their Ordinary Magic, for example, by expanding a spell’s range or enhancing its damage.

Ronin knew the Magic Patterns for the Second-level Fireball Skill by heart, and he sketched them out in a single, fluid motion.

Normally, the fireball would have already materialized by now. But Ronin could now control its formation time, allowing him to expand the Magic Patterns and, in turn, increase the fireball’s size.

’Let’s make it a little bigger.’

His Spiritual Power stretched the Magic Patterns, expanding them bit by bit until they reached what seemed to be their limit: a two-meter diameter.

BOOM!

Fire Elements converged violently, the sheer velocity of the flow palpable even to an Intermediate Mage like Erin.

Before she could even register her surprise, a massive two-meter-diameter fireball appeared before her. An immense wave of heat washed over her cheeks, and the resulting gust of air sent her golden hair whipping about.

“So… so huge…”

’Even Ronin, the Caster, was surprised. The power of this Second-level Magic was probably greater than the Third-level Flame Burst Skill!’

’Of course, amplifying its power also came with a correspondingly greater drain on his Spiritual Power and Magic Power.’

WHOOSH!

The fireball soared high into the sky with a heavy, tearing sound, finally exploding dozens of meters up. The massive blast shocked everyone both inside and outside the castle.

They looked to the sky, their expressions filled with growing awe.

’Their Lord was mysterious and powerful!’

“That was a Second-level Magic?”

Erin said in disbelief, “The Second-level Fireball Skill… it shouldn’t be that powerful, should it?”

’She thought of the Water Arrow Skill she had just mastered. Compared to that fireball, its power was like a three-year-old child next to a towering Knight—they weren’t even in the same league.’

“Upon becoming a Mage, a magic user can strengthen the power of their Ordinary Magic to a certain extent,”

Ronin explained with a smile. “Understand now?”

Erin’s eyes flew wide. “A Mage?” she cried out in astonishment. “You’ve become a Mage? Heavens, how is that possible!”

Seeing Erin’s astonished expression, Ronin couldn’t resist giving her cheek a little pinch.

“Keep up the hard work, Little Erin. With your talent, you can become a Mage, too. Just don’t make me wait too long.”

“O-Okay…”

Although Erin agreed, she was intimidated. ’A Mage… can I really reach that level?’

But seeing Ronin’s encouraging expression, she couldn’t help but clench her small fists. ’I can definitely do it!’

After he finished instructing and encouraging Erin, Ronin turned to his own training.

At this stage, a Knight’s Fighting Qi and a Mage’s Magic Power both liquefy, increasing their volume more than tenfold.

Simultaneously, Knights can sense the ’Falu Wheel’ in the depths of their Sea of Qi, while Mages can sense the ’Seal Wheel’ within their Mana Space.

These concepts are somewhat abstract, but they can be compared to the Fighting Qi Spirit Seed. When a Knight or a Mage uses their Fighting Qi or Magic Power on these ’wheels,’ respectively, the wheels react and strengthen the Transcendent’s power.

When these wheels are assimilated by Extraordinary Power and completely merge with the Sea of Qi and Mana Space, it signifies that the Knight or Mage can advance to the next stage, entering the ranks of the Meteor Level and Great Mage.

With his system, Ronin didn’t need to train to assimilate these two wheels. All he had to do was master the Combat Skills and Magic of his current stage.

First and foremost was the Sixth-level Magic: Fire Dragon Devouring Heaven.

Speaking of which, he had quite a history with this particular spell.

Lurans had given him two Magic Scrolls for this spell. He used the first one in the Wushan City Beast Fighting Arena to repel a Golden Level assassin and save Princess Blanche.

He used the second one in the Mysterious Valley to kill Natalia and injure Carlos.

Now, he would be able to cast this spell without relying on a Magic Scroll.

In addition to magic, the two Combat Skills he needed to master next were Fire Flash and Pressure Wave.

’It’s a shame the Magic Books my grandfather gave me don’t include any Sixth-level Wind Attribute Magic.’

Lurans had given Ronin many books. The most complete collection was of Fire Attribute Combat Skills, ranging from Intermediate to Meteor Level. He had books on other attributes’ Combat Skills and magic as well, but they became scarcer at the advanced levels.

This was understandable. After all, Lurans himself possessed Thunder and Fire Dual Attributes, so his collection naturally favored those two elements.

And since he wasn’t a Mage, he had delved even less into collecting Magic Books.

A Sixth-level Magic Book likely started at a price of Five Hundred Gold Coins. If the spell was particularly powerful or had special effects, the price would be even higher.

For Ronin, purchasing Magic Books later on would be a significant investment.

Besides purchasing them, there was another way to acquire such spells: entering the Demon Beast Mountain Range to hunt Sixth-level Wind Attribute Magical Beasts and obtaining their Demon Cores.

He could master the spells by studying the Magic Pattern imprints recorded within the Demon Cores.

However, this method was rather troublesome.

For one, not all Sixth-level Wind Attribute Magical Beasts had necessarily mastered a Sixth-level Magic.

For another, Carlos was rather timid. Fifth-level Magical Beasts were already at the top of its food chain. Unless it was starving, it was unwilling to provoke Magical Beasts of its own level.

Therefore, to hunt a Sixth-level Magical Beast, Ronin would have to go himself.

’I should head to Wushan Castle first and have a look. If Grandfather doesn’t have one in his collection, I’ll just buy a book.’

Calculating the time, more than ten days had passed. Toru and his group were about to arrive at Wushan Castle, so Ronin could head over in advance.

He still needed to communicate with Lurans first about how to distribute the spoils from their recent victory in the war.

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