Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

Chapter 445 "Predation" Ability

"Pheromone tracking..."

Ron recalled the details of the battle while observing the appearance of the constellation "Hunter's Rope".

The constellation is depicted as a giant net woven from light, slowly contracting in the void.

Each node in the grid is flashing a tracking signal, pointing to the same target.

"The tracking signals released by the lead hound will attract other hounds to come."

The patterns on the dice begin their final transformation, revealing a more specific time prediction:

Two different scenes appeared in the video.

First scene:
In a space protected by ancient runes.

A young figure is safely performing some kind of ritual, with powerful guardians providing protection around him.

Second scene:
The same figure stood alone before the distorted spacetime rift, facing an attack from a pack of young hounds.

But there was no fear in his eyes; instead, they were full of anticipation.

"Historical events infiltrated..."

Ron instantly understood the divination's implication:

"The next historian's job change should be safe under Professor Utter's protection."

"But the next time, when I officially become a historian and need to independently infiltrate historical events..."

The second scene perfectly illustrates this situation.

Explorers who venture alone into the long river of history will become prime targets for the hounds of time.

Without the protection of a veteran wizard like Yutel, he would be directly exposed to the attack of the pack of hounds.

This realization did not frighten Ron.

On the contrary, the expectation in the eyes of the figure in the divination image perfectly matched his current mood.

"By then, we should have sufficient combat power."

He mentally assessed his own growth trajectory:
"The career change of historians will bring new abilities and various synergy bonuses;
Exploring another world might yield even more valuable rewards.

"Besides..."

A predatory glint appeared in Ron's eyes:

"The essence of time from the Time Hound is also an extremely precious resource to me."

The silver pocket watch absorbed the energy of the four hounds during the battle and has begun to unlock new functions.

If more timehounds can be successfully hunted, the power of the pocket watch will inevitably be further enhanced.

"The roles of hunter and hunted..."

Ron pondered this subtle shift in relationship:
"They crave to hunt me, and I crave to hunt them."

This mutual longing may well be fate's arrangement.

The constellation "Ring of Reincarnation" within the magic circle began to glow; this constellation represents the cycle of cause and effect and the rotation of fate.

The ring of light rotated in the void, displaying a different image with each rotation:
The hunter chases the prey, the prey kills the hunter, and a new hunter appears...

This is a never-ending cycle, where every participant is both hunter and prey.

The patterns on the paradoxical die began to fade, eventually reverting to the appearance of a normal six-sided die.

However, the faint blood-red patterns on the surface still remain, reminding the user of its special nature.

The light of the divination circle gradually dimmed, and the constellations returned to silence as they were woven into the carpet.

The pupils of the "Eye of Truth" slowly closed;

The wheel of fortune has stopped turning;

The outer constellations also went out one by one.

"The most important thing now is to get back into shape."

Ron put away his divination tools and began planning his next recovery period:
“The cracks in the consciousness space need time to heal, and high-intensity mental activity should be avoided during this period.”

He walked to a corner of the meditation room, where several bottles of mental restoration potions were placed.

The prescription for this potion was secretly given to him by Eve, and it is said to be more effective than those on the market, even having a significant effect on Dark Sun-level wizards.

The pale blue liquid exudes a minty fragrance; just a sniff is enough to soothe the mind.

Ron carefully swallowed a small sip of the potion, and the gentle energy immediately spread deep within his consciousness.

Although the cracks in the consciousness space did not heal immediately, the pain was significantly reduced.

"As expected of the royal clan's treasured prescription, the effect is immediate."

He put away the medicine bottle with satisfaction and began to think about his schedule for tomorrow.

As originally planned, he was about to finish teaching this advanced course and then go to the Shifting Sands for academic exchange.

The opportunity for a breakthrough in the lineage of the Desert School remains the most important development goal at present.

After that, the historians at the Abyss Observatory were transferred to new positions, and a visit to Nari was also an important task that had to be accomplished.

"The timing was perfect."

Ron mentally went over these plans:

"Once the bloodline breakthrough is complete, the historian job change is finished, and enough resources have been collected from the exploration of the other world, my strength should have improved significantly..."

"By then, we will have enough strength to face the siege of the hound pack."

He gently stroked the silver pocket watch on his chest, feeling the power of time contained within it.

After that thrilling battle, the pocket watch has completely absorbed the energy essence of the four Time Hounds.

The surface shines with a purer silver sheen than ever before, and the internal mechanical structure operates at a more precise pace.

A familiar feeling of fullness came from my chest.

[Charging progress: 33/80]

[New ability unlocked: Pheromones Marking]

"As expected, there have been new changes..."

Ron carefully read the message from the pocket watch, his brows gradually furrowing:

Pheromones are labeled:

Apply special pheromones to the target.

Once generated, the marker will persist regardless of distance and time scale limitations until it is actively removed or detonated.

Marking effect:

1. Continuously track the target's location and status.

2. Remote detonation can be carried out at an appropriate time.
3. The detonation will cause a "time chaos" effect, severely impairing the target's time perception.

(The detonation power is directly proportional to the duration of the mark.)

Upon seeing this, Ron broke out in a cold sweat.

"So it turns out... this pheromone isn't just a hunting mark, it's a time bomb!"

No wonder he's had a strange sense of unease ever since the battle ended, like something was pricking his back.

"Time distortion effect..."

Ron carefully considered the terrifying nature of this attack.

Time perception is the foundation of almost all combat abilities.

Once caught in time chaos, it's equivalent to losing the most crucial ability to make judgments in battle.

The timing of an attack will be completely disrupted, the defensive response will be severely delayed, and even the most basic movement may be problematic.

In high-level battles, even a delay of a fraction of a second can be enough to decide life or death.

Just as he was analyzing his new ability, a faint "humming" sound suddenly came from inside the silver pocket watch. It wasn't the sound of mechanical operation, but some kind of deeper vibration, as if it came from the very essence of time.

With that buzzing sound, Ron felt the pocket watch begin to emit a strange "hunger".

The feeling was extremely strange, like a sentient being craving some specific "food".

"This is……"

He sensed the change with a keen awareness, and an ominous premonition rose in his heart.

The pocket watch's "hunger" was gradually increasing.

Moreover, its goal is very clear—it craves a certain special energy.

Even more bizarrely, Ron discovers that the "Star Eater's Whispers" within his body is generating a subtle resonance.

The "Devour" trait, which awakened after the Moon-level breakthrough, began to uncontrollably radiate energy fluctuations outward.

The pocket watch sensed the nature of this "devouring" and its internal hunger surged several times over!
It was as if a hungry beast had suddenly smelled the most delicious food.

The silver sheen on the surface began to burn, and the heat could even be felt through clothing.

"Stop! Stop it!"

Ron tries to sever the connection between the pocket watch and himself, but discovers that a deeper bond has been formed between them.

The "devouring" property of "The Star Eater's Whispers" is creating an unprecedented fusion reaction with the time-manipulation ability of the pocket watch.

This fusion was beyond his control, like a spontaneous chemical reaction between two naturally compatible elements.

"Oh no... this is going to cause a huge problem!"

In desperation, Ron thought of the paradoxical dice.

Although each activation of this die is accompanied by unpredictable consequences.

But the situation is already getting out of control, and we can't worry about that anymore.

He quickly took out the polyhedron and found that the blood-red patterns on the surface of the die were faintly shimmering.

Sensing the intense fluctuations in the surrounding energy, the Paradox Dice voluntarily entered a kind of "standby" state.

When Ron's fingers touched the surface of the dice, a subtle "regulating" force was immediately transmitted.

This is not a forced intervention, but rather like a sound engineer guiding the out-of-control "fusion reaction" to a more stable frequency.

The silver pocket watch gradually cooled down, but the internal changes did not stop.

Conversely, under the "regulation" of the paradoxical dice, the fusion process becomes more precise and profound.

The "devouring" property of "The Star Eater's Whispers" begins to truly merge with the time-manipulation ability of the pocket watch.

Ron could sense that the pocket watch was "learning" the core concepts of "The Star Eater's Ramblings".

That insatiable thirst for everything, that greedy instinct to transform external things into one's own power...

These qualities, originally belonging to "The Star Eater's Whispers," began to combine with the ability to manipulate time, creating a stunning chemical reaction.

As the fusion process neared its end, a brand new hand appeared on the watch face.

The pointer was entirely black, with a blood-red tip, like a drop of congealed blood.

Its trajectory is completely different from other pointers, sometimes clockwise and sometimes counterclockwise, with no discernible pattern.

[A brand new ability has been awakened: Predation]

[Predation: The time-based nature of actively hunting other individuals, depending on the degree of use, can achieve the following effects:]

Beginner: Consume fragments of the target's memories
Intermediate: Skill experience and knowledge reserves in devouring targets.
Advanced: Remaining time (lifespan or shelf life) of the target to be consumed.
Ultimate: Completely devour the essence of the target's existence, acquiring everything including talent and strength.

(The targets of consumption are not limited to living organisms)

Note: Using this ability may have unpredictable consequences; please use it with caution.

Upon seeing this description, Ron's breathing quickened.

The power of this ability far exceeded his imagination.

It begins with consuming memories and ultimately leads to the complete takeover of existence...

This is almost equivalent to some form of "existential predation".

If he could fully master this power, he could directly acquire knowledge, experience, and even innate abilities from his enemies.

This method of growth is far more efficient than any traditional cultivation method.

"This is simply..."

A flame of excitement burned in Ron's eyes; he seemed to see a path to unprecedented power.

There's no need to spend decades or even centuries honing your skills, nor to risk your life searching for precious materials.

By "hunting," one can quickly acquire any ability they desire.

But this excitement only lasted a short time.

Rational thinking quickly took over, and a deep sense of unease began to spread in my heart.

"What price will this power come from?"

He carefully recalled the fusion process he had just experienced, trying to find some clues.

The fusion was not without cost; he could feel a subtle change occurring deep within his soul.

The change was hard to describe in detail, but I vaguely felt that my nature had become more...greedy.

It's not simply an increase in desire, but some kind of more fundamental transformation.

"The Devourer's Ramblings" itself carries the risk of altering the cultivator's very nature...

Ron recalled the warning Mrs. Allen had once mentioned:

"Now that this 'predation' ability has been added, will it accelerate this alienation process?"

What worried him even more was the phrase in the description of the pocket watch that "would have unpredictable consequences."

"Unpredictability" often means great danger.

Perhaps the act of devouring the essence of others will cause an irreversible change in one's own essence?

Or, in other words, while using hunting abilities, one also becomes a kind of "prey"?

After all, the malice in the meditation method "The Star Eater's Whispers" is almost everywhere.

Based on his previous speculation and various hints, this is very likely the "flavor enhancer" that the "devourer" prepared for its "food".

The deeper one's cultivation reaches, the more one is consumed by the desire to devour, and the more delicious "food" the cultivator becomes.

When it has devoured enough and become completely out of control, what it will face is...

Ron grew increasingly uneasy; his excitement had completely vanished, replaced by deep worry.

He carefully put the pocket watch away and also sealed the paradoxical dice away.

This die played a crucial moderating role throughout the fusion process, but its surface also underwent subtle changes.

The originally blood-red patterns became even deeper, as if they had absorbed some indescribable power.

"I must find an opportunity to consult Professor Yutel and Archmage Gould in detail."

At the very least, the risks and costs of using such power must be understood before deciding whether or not to actually use it.

Moonlight streamed through the window lattice, casting dappled shadows on the floor of the meditation room.

Ron sat on the futon, gazing at the changing light and shadows, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

The immense power is right before our eyes, but the price is an unknown abyss.

This contradictory feeling reminded him of an old proverb from the wizarding world:
“Every effort has its price; the key is whether you are willing to bear the consequences of that price.”

And now, he doesn't even know what the price will be.

But at least for now, he still has the ability to make rational judgments.

As long as this rationality remains, one will not make overly dangerous choices.

(End of this chapter)