Chapter 97: Reunited with an "Old Friend," the "Eternal" Progress

Ronan was taken aback by Benigo's suggestion.

Challenge Travis... or Lanny?!

"Is that even feasible?"

"Of course."

Benigo replied, his pipe dangling from his lips. "Defeating either of them would place you on equal footing—or rather, make you an even greater talent. Such petty tricks would no longer affect you. I know what you're thinking. My downfall was due to my own issues; Lanny and the others merely took advantage, kicking me while I was down."

Ronan pondered deeply, his eyes flickering with thought.

Benigo spoke again.

"If you think it's too difficult, there are tasks in the Ring they can't tamper with. Just wait for those."

"I'll keep an eye out for you."

Ronan didn't ask how Benigo, secluded in the secret realm, planned to monitor tasks. His mind was consumed by Benigo's "solution."

Ronan felt as if Benigo had illuminated something within him.

Indeed.

From the start, he focused only on defense against Travis and his ilk, never considering an offensive approach.

Upon reflection, Benigo's suggestion was the most straightforward solution.

Defeat them!

Address the root of the issue.

If he were a three-ring wizard now, would he be fretting over mere tasks?

But Travis's group were seasoned second-level wizards, renowned for their prowess.

He was only mid-first-level.

Could he reach a level to challenge them head-on in six months?

"I need some air."

Ronan muttered to Benigo, heading out of the secret realm.

"Go ahead."

Benigo replied absentmindedly, tending to the magical herbs in his nursery.

In a wind-swept valley, buzzing with insect wings, Ronan stood suspended in the air, chanting spells. He summoned gusts of snow, icy spears, and frost beams.

When the [Permafrost] sigil in his mind flickered four times, he clasped his hands, a deep blue light blossoming.

"[Ice Ball - Desolate Freeze]!"

"Arlis's Ice Ring Necklace!"

The Domain of Despair unfolded!

Instantly, the valley was suffused with deep cold and despair.

All winds ceased.

Even the buzzing stopped.

The giant wasps froze mid-air like ice sculptures, crashing to the valley floor with shattering sounds.

Surrounded by frost and snow, Ronan floated, the source of the cold and despair, a king commanding winter. Yet his expression was distant.

He was still mulling over Benigo's words.

"Six months... Can I?"

Ronan gazed into the distance, eyes contemplative.

"Buzz—"

A loud buzzing emanated from the valley depths.

Ronan squinted upward, spotting a massive wasp five times the size of a regular Green Spike Gale Wasp emerging.

This wasp shimmered a deep green, its wide wings like crystal.

Its tail bore a meter-long dark green stinger, its head adorned with intricate patterns, resembling a twisted human face.

Its arrival stirred the valley's stagnant air, unleashing fierce winds, scattering ice and snow.

A formidable pressure bore down on Ronan.

A second-level beast, the Green Spike Gale Wasp King!

"Finally..."

Demon Tungsten seeped from Ronan's skin like black mercury, forming a black single-handed sword in his grip.

Ronan inhaled deeply, running his hand along the blade. [Charged Weapon - Power of Dispelling]'s blue flames coiled around the sword like a lover's touch.

Mysterious energy flowed, intertwining domain power.

Though Ronan had confidence facing a second-level, this was his first genuine encounter.

"It's been a while since I felt such pressure."

Sword in hand, Ronan's eyes glowed blue.

"[Immaculate Body]! Activate!"

In an instant, the white light within him, representing life energy, pulsed like a heart.

"Whoosh—"

A white flame of life energy enveloped Ronan, collapsing the air, warping light.

"Swish—"

Ronan vanished, leaving a blurred afterimage.

Reappearing near the Wasp King.

But as quick as he was, the Wasp King reacted faster. Before Ronan could close in, a mass of dense wind blades filled his vision.

Ronan's pupils contracted. The surrounding despair and frost instantly crystallized, meeting the swarm of blades.

The Domain of Despair's particle-repelling was ineffective against the Wasp King, a terrifying wind energy source. In its domain, Ronan felt suppressed.

Within breaths, his summoned ice couldn't withstand the storm of wind blades. His domain shrank, while the blades multiplied.

Ronan's eyes flashed. He advanced, swinging the black sword, slicing through the wind blades with [Basic Swordsmanship] enhanced by dispelling flames.

He carved a path through the green blade torrent, appearing behind the Wasp King.

"Desolate Freeze!"

Ronan wielded his sword, a blue aurora spilling forth like northern lights.

He became the source of cold, enveloping the Wasp King in despair-laden frost.

In moments, the green vanished, replaced by swirling blue and white.

The massive Wasp King froze into a crystalline statue. Ronan pressed down, the dispelling-flamed sword piercing it like butter.

"Boom!"

As the sword penetrated, Ronan felt a violent tremor.

He pressed the Demon Tungsten sword deeper, his domain at full force, cold waves surging, driving the blade further.

A fierce energy field roared. The ice groaned under pressure.

Ronan grimaced, white flames flickering wildly, [Immaculate Body]'s power pressing down.

But the ice couldn't hold.

"Crack!"

"Boom!"

With a resounding explosion, the ice statue shattered, scattering frost and snow.

Deep green flooded the sky, the Wasp King re-emerging with an enraged screech, its wings vibrating into green blurs. Wind energy surged, forming spear-like spikes, stabbing at Ronan from all directions.

Ronan's face shifted, instinctively raising his sword, evading swiftly.

As he swept the air clear with his sword, intending to retreat—

"Buzz—"

The furious Wasp King twisted, its stinger darting at Ronan from an impossible angle.

Too close, Ronan couldn't dodge. Even raising his sword was a struggle. The attack surpassed his reflexes, too fast to react.

"Clang! Boom—"

Ronan was impaled mid-air by the stinger, the Wasp King flinging him like a cannonball.

"Crash!"

The valley's cliff collapsed, rocks and snow tumbling, raising clouds of dust.

A figure staggered from the rubble, sword in hand.

Ronan's handsome face was ghastly pale, his hand clutching his left upper abdomen, his expression dark.

Lifting his bloodied hand, he saw his standard Ring robe torn open.

Beneath, blood gushed from a gaping, horrifying wound.

Pain!

Excruciating pain!

The Wasp King's venom and the wound's agony nearly made Ronan faint.

The white orb within him rapidly consumed, stalling the venom and healing the injury.

Ronan was pale, sweat drenching his brow.

He eyed the wound, relief in his gaze.

He thought himself prepared for second-level beasts, yet their terror was unforeseen.

A single misstep, and he might not have survived.

The wound needed only a slight shift to threaten his heart, a fatal blow.

"When was I last in such pain?"

"When was I last so close to death?"

Ronan asked himself.

Looking up, he saw the Wasp King, battered but frenzied.

Deep green light coursed over it, terrifying energy bubbling, wind particles swirling.

Centered on the Wasp King, a monstrous tornado was forming in the valley.

The wind whipped Ronan's tattered robe.

"One last push... I still have a chance."

He inhaled, gripping his sword tighter, no thought of fleeing.

His eyes gleamed as he prepared to strike again, when—

The wound's pain made him pause, reflecting.

He recalled his discussions with Benigo—

"If you defeat one of them, all problems will be resolved."

"Is it possible?"

Is it possible?

This time, the answer seemed clear.

"When I faced Laura, at first-level, without sigils or first-level spells, far weaker than now... I still had the courage to fight. Why doubt now?"

"[Ascetic Body] reached mastery, yet ceased growing. Lacking pain's lashings, my will faded?"

"Since entering the Ring, hesitation, worry, caution... fearful and timid!"

"So what am I—"

Ronan gripped his sword, facing the wind, asking himself.

"What am I afraid of?!"

In that moment, his eyes shone with unprecedented brilliance.

Ronan felt the dust on his soul, unwittingly settled, was once again swept away.

He was like a polished mirror, radiant.

He inhaled, sword in hand, rising to soar above the Wasp King.

His blue eyes mirrored the frantic wasp, whispered words scattering in the wind.

"But."

"Just some strong second-levels."

With that, mysterious energy surged, forming a vast, terrifying domain.

Hundreds of black particles twisted the light, a descending black torrent, mighty and unstoppable.

Within this torrent, a sword-wielding figure rode the waves, a falling star.

A blue flame trail extended from the sky to the valley floor, through the storm, through the giant wasp, vanishing in dust.

Moments later, Ronan emerged from the dust, sword in hand, his silver robe billowing.

Behind him, the Wasp King's bisected corpse fell, the tornado dissipating.

Ronan extinguished the sword's flame, Demon Tungsten melting into him.

Exiting [Immaculate Body], the white orb shrank by half.

But his abdominal wound had healed significantly, scabbing over.

"Idiot."

Ronan cursed himself, pressing the wound. The pain made him wince, yet he felt clear, as if reuniting with an old friend.

He'd nearly forgotten.

Through countless nights, besides loneliness, pain was his constant companion.

"Pain is like the wind, always with me."

A self-deprecating smile, Ronan felt inexplicably light, as if reborn.

Perhaps this was clarity of mind.

Ronan returned to the Wasp King's corpse.

A second-level beast was a treasure trove. He'd need several trips to transport it all.

As he worked, Ronan habitually checked his character panel.

He felt his mental power had increased, and indeed—

His first-level wizard progress, once 39%, was now 45%, a six-point jump.

"How many potions is that worth..."

Ronan marveled, realizing his soul power was enough to condense a second [Spirt's Mithril Transformation] sigil.

Once successful, his power would surge again.

Feeling elated, Ronan's gaze fell on the panel's bottom.

"Plop—"

A Wasp King's leg fell from his grasp, Ronan stunned.

He thought he misread, but after multiple checks, he confirmed it.

Overwhelming excitement and joy surged within him.

In the skills section, [Ascetic Body]'s "eternal" progress (Master 1/1600) had become (Master 5/1600).

It inexplicably increased by four points?!

"How did it increase? Why?"

After the joy, Ronan pondered.

Instinctively, his gaze fell on his abdominal wound.

"Could it be... because of injury?!"

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