Kobold Wizard's Journal

Chapter 231 Choices and Trade-offs

Ruger practically pressed himself against the painting, but no matter how wide he stared, he couldn't match the dragon in the picture. After discovering the reflection in the well, he didn't rush to try, but instead continued to feel those eyes. He truly felt as if he were staring into the eyes of the dragon in the painting. Those huge, amber-like vertical pupils made him feel that if he continued to stare into those eyes for a long time, he might even hear the dragon's voice and understand more clearly what it was trying to convey.

But he knew that was unlikely; the well in the reflection was becoming clearer and clearer.

The intangible and formless spirituality that is discussed outside seems to become clearer and more visible here. It's not that it can actually be seen, but rather that it becomes more real in the sense of feeling, as if it has taken shape. This spirituality, which is now easier to feel and capture, also tells Ruger in silent communication that he is about to end this wonderful gaze.

In a daze, Luger saw a lush and green place, but he couldn't see the plants clearly when he tried to look at them. Even when he didn't look, he inexplicably knew that the surroundings were lush and green. Only the well in front of him was clear and could be examined closely. On the stacked and interwoven bluestone strips, the marks and patterns were clearly visible.

Even at the last moment, Ruger still felt that the dragon's huge eyes were looking at him.

Immediately afterwards, he arrived at the well.

A strange feeling rose in his heart, and he knew that he had inexplicably obtained a spot.

There is indeed only one well, but what each person sees is different. What he is there, what he arrives at, is his. Others can no longer come here, to this well.

Is this the legendary well? Does that mean that even if you get the golden key in advance, and the key is real and valid, success is still not guaranteed?

As Ruger thought about it, a strange feeling filled his heart.

He followed his instincts and sat down by the well. Perhaps he shouldn't bother the well with all his problems; that would be impolite and a shameful waste.

Ruger first meditated briefly to relax his mind, and then looked at the fifth magic mark that had been missing for a long time.

But he quickly exited the mental space and took out his precious black book.

At this stage of his study of the Demon Mark Meditation Technique, he no longer had any meditation runes to learn. Instead, he was faced with two choices. The feeling that filled his heart made him feel blessed by the spirit. Rather than deciding what to put in the last temporary spell slot, he should focus on the meditation technique. There was no reference for this, and his hesitation until now was due to his limited knowledge and inability to make a decision.

The two options for meditation are like two unknown paths laid out before him for him to walk.

Therefore, this spiritual place is perfectly suited for the next stage of meditation. The first option, while slightly different in essence from constructing demonic marks, is similar in that it builds upon the demonic marks to form a complete picture. The demonic marks merge in an unconventional way, and one's spiritual power reaches the conditions for advancement. The second option is to condense a demonic seal. The process of condensing the demonic seal also involves gathering the demonic marks. The five demonic marks merge into one, forming part of the demonic seal, which is when one can advance to become a formal wizard.

Ruger gently stroked the black book, his old companion who had been with him day and night.

He had already made up his mind, and there was no point in delaying any longer. Although both methods could continue to improve, he was also very curious about what the magic mark construction pattern would look like and what wonderful effects it would have.

But he still chose the magic seal because he felt it was more reliable.

It felt as if a stone that had been hanging in his heart for a long time had finally fallen, but the choice was not over. He could finally turn the page, and three different magic seals appeared before him, looking both beautiful and daunting.

He reached out and stroked them.

At first glance, the three magic seals are dark and look like three clumps of long black hair. But upon closer inspection, their beauty can be seen. In Ruger's eyes, they are works of art, exquisite objects with flowing runes.

You can only choose one of the three magic seals, and once it is formed, it cannot be changed.

The seemingly chaotic appearance of the three magic seals is not without reason; each magic seal has its own different tendencies.

From left to right, the three magic seals represent the intensity of spiritual power, the attraction of spiritual power, and the silence of spiritual power. Luger understood their meanings: intensity would make spiritual power recover faster and be more active; attraction would allow him to slowly absorb fragments of energy, similar to his deep meditation, to enhance his spiritual power; and silence would make his spiritual power more condensed and his spiritual space more stable. Luger wanted all of them, but unfortunately, he couldn't achieve them.

Perhaps it was because wizards encountered so many impossible things in their long lives that they came up with so many bizarre and unimaginable experiments.

Regret and choices are necessary on the road to growth, but Luger just smiled and pursed his lips.

After a moment's thought, he simply chose to remain silent, showing almost no hesitation. He had already witnessed too many times the benefits of solidified mental energy and a stable mental space. In comparison, things like increased cultivation speed could be achieved through his own efforts and dedication.

Moreover, the effect of the magic seal is not instantaneous; it is a continuous and subtle change that accompanies one throughout life. It is more effective when practicing meditation. Even if one does not meditate regularly, it will still make the mental space more stable, although the subtle changes are difficult to detect.

Ruger became increasingly satisfied with his choice. He even felt that coming here to make a choice was a form of self-suggestion, and that it was probably quite funny that he didn't actually rely on much spiritual power.

Following the trend, Luger flipped through the pages. No new meditation runes appeared. The method for constructing the Silent Seal was not complicated. All fifteen runes used were ones he had already mastered. Moreover, Luger discovered that they came from the parts that the five Demon Marks had to learn when they were cultivating. The first Demon Mark had its first rune, the second Demon Mark had two runes that it had only learned when it was cultivating, the third Demon Mark had three runes, the fourth Demon Mark had four runes, and the last Demon Mark had five runes that it had learned when it was newly cultivated. In total, there were fifteen runes that formed the Silent Seal.

Ruger suppressed the faint joy in his heart and began to condense his own magic seal according to what was written in the black book.

The runes twisted and intertwined in the mental space, stretching as if about to scatter, gradually forming a chaotic yet orderly circle.

Just like Luger's first impression of the magic seal, which resembled a messy clump of hair, his was relatively clean, with the five magic marks not coiled within it.

The moment the magic seal took shape, Luger clearly felt a mental refreshment, as if a thin layer of mist had been wiped away. His mental space trembled slightly and expanded outwards again, becoming even more substantial as it stretched.

The formed demonic seal hangs above the five demonic marks.

The five demonic marks, which were not connected to the demonic seal, were already showing signs of converging towards it, with one end facing the demonic seal.

Ruger let out a long sigh of relief, a slight smile playing on his lips.

This feeling is wonderful, and he was experiencing it right now, he thought to himself.

After a few days, I got used to it and the feeling disappeared. This change in mental strength, to put it somewhat inaccurately, was like suddenly being filled with power. When I clenched my fist, I felt a wonderful sense of satisfaction and could feel the steady power in my fist and arm.

One thing on my mind has been temporarily resolved.

He glanced at the well beside him, then took out the golden key and examined it in his hand.

His spirituality was telling him that he could give it a try.

Since the rabbit Tuzel didn't know what it was, he decided to take a look.

With the growth of mental power, the levelless spells and divine artifact spells have made slight progress. The expansion of the mental power space just now was not only due to the condensation of the selected magic seal, but also due to the growth of mental power. Every time mental power increases a little, the mental power space will expand slightly while remaining stable.

Ruger held the key and quietly cast a spell.

He hoped it was valuable, because that would be a win-win situation: he would get a treasure, and Tuzel the rabbit would get what he wanted.

(End of this chapter)