Kobold Wizard's Journal

Chapter 244 Past and Change

The old-fashioned approach, which did not use ascension rituals and relied entirely on one's own accumulation to advance, naturally placed extremely high demands on wizard apprentices. This included talent, even luck, and the individual's condition during the advancement was of paramount importance. It is said that there were several key characteristics, and apprentices who met these characteristics were more likely to succeed in advancing. There were also corresponding minor spells to test each characteristic, such as the characteristic of overflowing spiritual power, which manifested as glowing eyes under the test spell. These were practices and standards of that era. In order to ensure their own condition, some wizard apprentices would also study the path of extraordinary knights and use potions to ensure that they could maintain a physical and mental state that was capable of advancing even in old age.

Ruger even suspects that the path of the gladiator was a substitute devised by some wizards who were too lazy to train as knights during that period.

The experiments in the book did not go smoothly, or rather, everything was part of the experiment. The so-called luck does not only refer to the success or failure during the advancement, but more to whether there are any situations that can affect the advancement during the wizard apprenticeship. Among them are two brothers, one was injured and affected in his mental space, and the other was cursed. Although they were eventually resolved with the help of the experimenter, they advanced by sublimation ritual and old-fashioned methods respectively after recovery, but ultimately only met with failure.

Interestingly, the two brothers did not choose to withdraw from the experiment with their reward as stipulated in the contract. Instead, they stayed there and, a year later, both attempted a second advancement through a sublimation ritual. The older brother succeeded, while the younger brother, whose spiritual space had been damaged, died during the advancement process.

Ruger jotted down some notes and continued flipping through the pages.

After learning about the conditions for advancing without an ascension ritual, he became even more interested and looked forward to comparing the two options to see which was better and in what ways.

The gradually increasing rewards during the experiment attracted several qualified self-recommended test subjects.

Among them was a special pair of wizard apprentices. They were not blood brothers, but friends who came together. They were of similar age, both on the path of bloodline wizards, and had undergone bloodline modifications from the same source. Moreover, their tolerance for this bloodline was extremely similar, so the degree and pace of bloodline modification were very consistent, and they were also included in the experiment.

Ruger flipped through the pages one after another.

He was pondering a question: if the pros and cons of both sides were ultimately equal, could he choose, in this era, to become a wizard apprentice who didn't need an ascension ritual to advance? First, this choice had to offer sufficiently compelling benefits, and second, it had to be based on the premise that his goals had remained unattainable.

Because he had an extra condition compared to these test subjects, in addition to his desire to advance to become a formal wizard, which was to alleviate the curse of the kobolds. The sublimation ritual was a rare opportunity, and he trusted the judgment of the half-humans.

The experiments in the book gradually became bizarre.

What was originally a small-scale experiment seems to have received funding from certain forces, with more resources invested, resulting in a larger scale and an increasing number of experimental subjects. Finally, it has begun to yield some results.

It's important to understand that this preliminary result is rare. The experiment was designed to compare the two approaches, but whether using an ascension ritual or following ancient methods, advancing to a formal wizard involves various factors, both inevitable and accidental. Only when both individuals are successfully matched can a control group be obtained. Moreover, to get a result, having only one group is insufficient; otherwise, it would be of no reference value.

The later mysterious benefactor played a crucial role.

As time passed and numerous failures occurred, fifteen control groups were eventually formed, comprising thirty first-ring wizards, all of whom completed their life transformation using ancient methods and ascension rituals.

The changes in vitality, the transformation of spiritual power, and their adaptability to their respective paths were all studied and recorded. Some trivial matters, such as the changes in their proficient spells, were also included. Some deeper research that was inconvenient to record was glossed over. At the end of the experiment, each of them was given another ten years to grow before the final test was conducted.

During this period, new advanced control groups continued to emerge until the ten-year testing period for the first batch of advanced experimenters arrived, at which point the training of the initial control group was declared complete. Ruger also became nervous, feeling the fates of the people in the book rise and fall with the experiment, and even more so, anticipating the results.

By then, with the popularization of the Ascension Ritual, more than 20 years had passed from the start of the experimental preparations to the ten-year growth period of the first batch of advanced individuals. Thanks to the efforts of many wise and extraordinary wizards in the world, the Ascension Ritual had developed into a more perfect system, and the subsequent control group of experimental subjects also had more choices that suited their own paths.

At the same time, it's not just those who have successfully advanced that are valuable; a large number of those who failed also provided valuable data.

The vast majority of the control groups consisted of blood brothers with similar talents. The first data point was that wizard apprentices who used the Ascension Ritual had a success rate of more than 30% higher than those who used the traditional and ancient method.

This is an astonishing answer. Ruger felt that this alone was enough to outweigh all the possible shortcomings for most wizard apprentices. The unstoppable trend of the sublimation ritual was inevitable. Of course, this exaggerated data may also be related to the experimental subjects, who were all apprentices who had reached the standards for advancement in ancient methods. If they were spread among a large number of wizard apprentices with different talents, there would inevitably be some changes.

Ruger unconsciously grinned.

Trouble indeed arose. Wizards who advance using the Ascension Ritual, depending on the specific Ascension Ritual, all have a slight advantage in a certain aspect. Wizards who advance using the Ancient Methods are the best overall, except for a few wizards on special paths. The Ascension Ritual will unconsciously guide wizard apprentices in a certain direction, even if the person was originally a very well-rounded wizard apprentice.

Luger raised an eyebrow, a wave of drowsiness washing over him.

He flipped through it quickly.

Ultimately, the experiment came to nothing. The two groups of wizards who led the experiment disagreed. The wizards of higher ranks favored those who ascended through ancient methods, believing they had a broader and more stable future. The wizards of slightly lower ranks, on the other hand, were delighted that the ascension ritual had no obvious flaws. They also favored wizards who ascended through the ascension ritual, believing that the slight constraints could not obscure the bright future and instead brought various special abilities to the ascendants.

The dispute between the two sides, along with various impromptu tests, lasted for over a hundred days.

If we leave everything to time to judge, then Ruger believes the answer is already very clear.

In fact, those powerful old wizards all knew the power of the Ascension Ritual. They were merely debating the pros and cons of each side's approach to advancement after wizard apprentices had progressed. The Ascension Ritual's help in advancement was undeniable; they had all witnessed it and knew it was unstoppable. Regardless of the advantages or disadvantages, the entire wizarding world would inevitably choose to accept the arrival of the Ascension Ritual era. Its spread and use were already unstoppable. In other words, the outcome of this experiment was already predetermined halfway through.

Ruger leaned against the bookshelf, his eyelids already trembling.

He turned to the last few pages, and the diligent crystal pen finally finished recording.

(End of this chapter)