"A spatial mirror spell excavated from the ancient Mirror Court."
"This was originally supposed to be the reward for whoever won the competition, but after the incident with the Ancient Witch Resurrection Society, the leaders of several forces decided that anyone who reached the third round of the competition would be eligible to study it."
"Actually, this isn't a special compensation from our Ring to you; it's a reward you rightfully earned."
Kirstie raised her hand, and the crystal floor-to-ceiling window before them opened with a roar, allowing the evening wind to pour in, rustling their robes and hair.
Ronan noticed a delicately designed crystal bracelet on Kirstie's slender wrist flash, followed by the crisp sound of wings flapping.
A large albatross emerged from Kirstie's sleeve, hovering before them.
"Let's go."
Kirstie gestured to Ronan. "I'm taking you to another place."
Ronan's eyes flickered, but he didn't ask where they were going. He nodded and followed Kirstie onto the back of the white albatross.
This seemed to be a unique flying artifact, with a magical effect much stronger than ordinary flying devices.
Standing on the albatross, Ronan was a step behind Kirstie. Her hair's faint fragrance wafted in the wind, brushing his face.
"The real compensation is where you're about to go," Kirstie told Ronan as the white albatross carried them past the towers towards the massive silver ring above the seven towers.
"Ronan, do you know the true origins of our Silver Ring?" Kirstie suddenly asked.
Ronan blinked, answering, "I heard that the Ring originated in the central continent, and the 'Silver' part was added later."
Bennigo had told Ronan this, and it wasn't much of a secret; many knew it.
"That's right."
Kirstie nodded. "The Ring's roots are in the central region, originally called the 'Omniring.' It's a top-tier large wizard force, with a decent reputation even in the central region. After moving south, it was renamed the Silver Ring, partly due to acquiring the [Silverization] rune and to distinguish it from the headquarters."
Kirstie sighed with a sense of nostalgia. "Back then, ten of us traveled from the central to the southern region, full of ambition, and now..."
She didn't continue, and Ronan didn't press.
With only seven Rings and seven Ring Masters now, not ten, it was easy to guess that something had happened along the way.
"...Our main purpose for coming south was to explore the ancient Mirror Court ruins."
Kirstie composed herself and continued to Ronan, "Our clues about the Mirror Court ruins came from the headquarters, issued as a task within the force. Only ten of us took on this task."
"Now that the Mirror Court ruins are mostly excavated, does this mean the task is complete?" Ronan interjected, surprised when Kirstie shook her head.
"No, far from it. The Mirror Court didn't have what we were looking for."
"Hmm?"
Kirstie glanced at Ronan, hesitated briefly, then spoke softly: "The real purpose of sending us from the headquarters was to acquire knowledge about spatial and mirror spells from the Mirror Court, to enhance the 'Omniring' system's spatial spell legacy. Additionally, we were to search for the lost spatial treasure, the [Mirror of the Void]."
"[Mirror of the Void]?"
Ronan's face showed curiosity.
"Yes," Kirstie explained, "[Mirror of the Void] is a powerful spatial artifact created by the Mirror Court's wizards. It's far beyond the few dawn-level artifacts we found in the ruins. It's rumored that the Mirror Court deliberately left it as a seed of inheritance on the Upper Ring Continent."
"But it's just a rumor. Even the headquarters' wizards don't take it seriously, only issuing it as a task for lower members like us to follow the scant leads."
"Indeed, even after fully excavating the core area of the Mirror Court ruins, the [Mirror of the Void] was nowhere to be found. Perhaps it was never in the ruins, or it left like those sentient dawn-level artifacts, breaking the runic restrictions, going who knows where."
"But that doesn't matter anymore."
Kirstie looked down from the albatross at the seven silver towers, gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, her expression calm. "Perhaps no one remembers why we came anymore, myself included. Time truly changes many things."
The albatross landed on the massive metal ring, now bathed in the golden glow of the last sunset rays.
Kirstie guided the albatross clockwise around the metal ring, continuing, "...The Ring's core and most powerful legacy is the [Omniring] rune. Its power is directly related to the number of elemental spells you master. The more elements you master, the stronger the rune's power, minimizing vulnerabilities in your spell system, hence the name 'Omni.'"
"I heard the [Omniring] rune requires high physical resilience from wizards, which most can't handle."
Ronan pondered aloud.
Kirstie replied, "That's partly true. The multi-element energy particles put immense strain on the caster's will and body. But to reach that point, you'd have to touch the 'Omni' limit. In reality, few wizards achieve true 'all-element mastery.' Human effort has limits; even with a wizard's long lifespan, mastering all-element spells is impossible. Most Ring wizards study two to three elements, perhaps slightly more for the gifted. So, the name 'Omni' is theoretically impressive but practically unattainable."
Ronan thought, indeed.
If Ring wizards could all achieve all-element mastery, the Ring wouldn't merely be a large force; it might have become super-large or even ruled the Upper Ring Continent.
For him, just studying ice, metal, possibly energy, and body tempering already strained his time and energy, forcing him to make trade-offs.
Though his training time wasn't long, dawn-level wizards lived over a thousand years, but higher-level spells were also harder to learn. Multi-element mastery required reconciling conflicting spell principles, and a wizard couldn't devote all time to spell practice; they also needed to meditate, seek resources, gain knowledge, and conduct necessary studies in runes, potions, and alchemy. The 'Omni' title was impressive in theory, but no one truly achieved it.
"Yet, the Ring's legacy remains strong. Each additional element mastered enhances the [Omni] rune, exponentially boosting combat power. Achieving results, few wizards at the same level can match Ring wizards."
"Even the 'Elemental Crystal' system we created from Shbiart's metal legacy shares similar traits."
Ronan's expression shifted slightly, "Is that what Orion practices?"
"Yes."
Kirstie nodded as their albatross stopped at a point on the metal ring.
Ronan saw an inconspicuous passage entrance on the massive ring, enough for several people to pass freely.
Kirstie dismissed the albatross spell, leading Ronan through the entrance.
Inside was a long metal corridor, its walls covered in complex and mysterious rune patterns.
"So how many elements does the Omniring encompass?"
Ronan, half a step behind Kirstie, asked while curiously examining his surroundings.
"Earth, wind, fire, ice, electricity, energy, metal, plant, dark."
Kirstie listed, concluding, "When I left the central region, Omni had ten elements. Now, it might be eleven, twelve, or more."
"..."
Ronan was astonished.
Ten elements or more.
Was Omniring aiming to be the wizarding world's "spell encyclopedia"?
He suspected the high-level Ring members had a serious "collection obsession."
In a situation where no one could master all those elements, they kept adding new content to the system, just for a truly deserving "Omni" title?
Wouldn't it be better to focus on maximizing the [Omniring]'s power within human limits?
Of course, as a mere second-level wizard, his perspective was limited. The high-level Ring members might have considerations beyond his understanding.
"When you reach the third level, you'll access the Ring's true core legacy. You can choose our unique Southern path or the headquarters' orthodox one."
Kirstie suddenly stopped, though they hadn't reached the corridor's end, with a long way ahead.
"I'm about to take you to the Ring's core legacy imprint space."
Kirstie pondered, "Theoretically, you shouldn't be allowed entry now, not even after reaching the third level. But due to the World Stone coordinates, they agreed to an exception for you. The legacy imprint space's resources are limited. Originally, only Orion among the younger generation had access, bearing many hopes."
Kirstie's gaze lingered on Ronan before speaking again, "Given your current state and the unresolved Resurrection Society turmoil, staying here is a good choice. As for your issues, I'll see if they can be resolved."
She raised her hand, her soft palm emitting a misty glow that illuminated the corridor.
In the light, an entrance appeared, barely large enough for one person.
Ronan's eyes flickered as he stepped toward it, but just before entering, Kirstie called out.
"Ronan."
Ronan turned, meeting Kirstie's steady gaze, her lips moving before calmly advising, "Make the most of this opportunity."
Ronan nodded, stepping through the entrance.
As his figure vanished, a chill crept onto Kirstie's calm face.
She spoke coldly to the empty corridor's end.
"Is this compensation? It's more like imprisonment. Ultimately, you still don't trust me."
In the dim corridor, only Kirstie's voice echoed, unanswered.
Moments later, she inhaled deeply, declaring, "Regardless, I'll continue fighting for Damien's true compensation."
With that, Kirstie turned and walked back the way she came, her footsteps echoing in the empty corridor.
"Click—"
Ronan found himself in a cozy, comfortable room.
Soft light filled every corner.
The room's walls were spiral bookshelves, lined with various books, stretching upward with no apparent ceiling, leading who knew where.
In the center stood a peach wood table, with something atop it.
Ronan approached, discovering a gray rune stone beside glowing words: For Ronan Damien.
For him?
As he read the words, the glow vanished as if it never appeared.
Ronan gently picked up the rune stone, letting his mental power seep in...
Moments later, he withdrew, his face showing a strange expression.
The rune stone contained a spell legacy.
Without a specific rank.
The spell's name was—[Mirror Soul]!
"Looks like this is the legacy spell from the ancient Mirror Court."
After reading the entire spell introduction, Ronan understood why the six forces were willing to share it.
The reason was that it didn't involve spatial principles, being purely a "mirror spell."
Mirror spells derived from spatial spells, often closely linked, but independent mirror spells existed, like the one Ronan held.
Despite not involving spatial principles, the unrated [Mirror Soul] spell remained powerful.
The core of [Mirror Soul] resembled mirror runes and spells Ronan had encountered, with the effect of replication.
A caster could use a special magical medium to construct a temporary "summon" using [Mirror Soul].
The summon's strength depended on the caster's skill level and the medium's quality.
Perhaps this was why it was unrated, as its power varied greatly between wizards.
[Mirror Soul] required a wide range of magical mediums, from objects to auras, even memories...
Different mediums summoned different "mirror souls," with vastly differing abilities.
Ronan immediately thought of a medium well-suited for [Mirror Soul]. If his idea was feasible...
"This spell seems custom-made for me!"
Ronan exhaled, suppressing his eagerness to try it, storing the rune stone in his space ring.
He hadn't forgotten his purpose for coming here—was the legacy imprint space Kirstie mentioned this library-like room?
Ronan continued observing, soon noticing eight small doors around the room.
Each small door bore a different emblem, which Ronan deduced represented various elemental symbols.
He decided to approach a nearby door with a flame emblem.
Reaching it, he tried to push it open.
Pressing his hand against the door with some force, it didn't budge.
Ronan frowned, moving to another door.
Again, it wouldn't open.
Finally, on the fifth attempt, as Ronan touched the door, its crossed swords emblem glowed, and the gray door transformed into a vortex, pulling him in—
Lead gray, black, silver, gold...
His eyes met mottled metal gleams, the air thick with iron's scent, the ground beneath impossibly hard.
This was a world entirely composed of metals.
The usually scarce metal energy elements in outer space were so dense here they were almost visible.
Occasional winds swept the ground, sounding like metal scraping, blowing against his face with a stinging, blade-like sensation.
"This is the metal legacy imprint space."
Ronan gazed at the leaden sky, thoughtful.
Lingering here, he felt slowly assimilated by metal, his body sluggish and ponderous.
Yet the tungsten-steel and Neman metal on him were lively.
Ronan didn't explore further, exiting the space, returning to the book-filled room.
He continued trying the remaining doors.
The next few doors opened smoothly.
Ronan tried all eight, finding he could open half.
The spaces behind the doors were—metal, ice, earth, and energy.
"An exceptional opening."
Ronan stood among the doors, pondering.
"Claiming an exceptional opening, yet only partially open. If it were Orion, perhaps all eight would be accessible."
Ronan glanced around.
He'd been here a while, yet found no exit.
Kirstie hadn't mentioned when he'd leave, suggesting he'd stay a while.
"Is anyone watching?"
Ronan squinted into the dark ceiling.
Then he lowered his gaze.
"Very well, I do need a quiet place and undisturbed time to reassess my combat system and address the bloodline issue."
Ronan weighed his options among the four accessible doors, choosing the most comfortable—the ice door.