Wizard: Unlimited Profession Slots Chapter 711 - 332: The Age of Annihilation (Part 2)

[Advancement Requirements for Rune Expert (Three and a Half Stars):

Enchantment and Rune Magic both require reaching Master Level;

One must invent a distinctive rune of their own;

Achieve success in imbuing an object with intelligent features at the ’quasi-conscious level’;

Gain proficiency in the ’Blood and Flesh Rune’ method to etch runes straight onto living beings, transforming the entity into a living vessel for the rune framework.]

On the topic of Rune Expert failures, Mendelssohn surprisingly offered no further explanations, settling instead for a single concise line:

"Throughout the full span of wizard history, those Enchanters who manage to perfect the ’Blood and Flesh Rune’ technique remain heartbreakingly few..."

Upon reviewing these thorough prerequisites and cautions, Ron experienced an odd surge of thrill.

Hazards? They undoubtedly persist, yet every worthwhile strength demands its share of perils.

The real challenge lies in retaining self-mastery amid the pursuit of such might.

In his thoughts, he swiftly evaluated the three paths to advancement:

"Among them, the Magic Potion Professor route seems the most straightforward to fulfill. My skill in Magic Potion Making already nears expert status, bolstered by a solid collection of personal recipes. As for mentoring students..."

His mind drifted to the elite team, especially Liss’s unwavering passion for Magic Potion Making:

"The elite team members possess strong basics; with sufficient time, they could develop into capable alchemists. The crucial part is shielding their progress from any outside disruptions."

"The Alchemy Master demands the toughest fulfillment, particularly crafting a device of ’semi-permanent level’. That kind of creation calls for elite methods across areas such as time, space, energy, and more..."

He thought back to the Mobile Simulation Battle Device under his development:

"Could the simulation device perhaps evolve to semi-permanent status? By integrating self-repair via Aksa’s soul fragment, it might in theory satisfy the criteria."

"The Rune Expert’s ’Blood and Flesh Rune’ method raises the greatest concerns yet holds the strongest appeal. Should I secure it without risk, combined with my existing bloodline adjustment skills..."

His gaze fell to his right hand, the site of its prior merger with the Stand-In Puppet:

"I might begin trials with ’Ink’. As an alchemical being I fashioned personally, it shows utmost faith in me, and the Autophagic Slime Monster’s qualities help keep the trial dangers somewhat in check."

After shutting the initial volume, Ron proceeded to a different shelf area, home to volumes on forgotten arts and vanished lore.

These works displayed far more aged and perilous exteriors, with certain ones sprouting eye-like organs along their backs that tracked the approacher’s motions.

He selected a weighty volume entitled "Legacy of the Annihilation Era."

The writer, a Moon Level Mage by the name of Vasily Gould, doubled as a chronicler of events.

Legends claim he devoted his existence to unearthing vanished ancient arts, only to vanish forever in an Abyss expedition.

As Ron parted the covers, a frosty presence seeped forth from the sheets.

Beyond mere facts, this tome chronicled the grim chronicles tied to that wisdom.

In a tone bordering on fixation, Gould recounted the myths and calamities of Ancient Alchemists:

"Lance Heivet’s name gleams prominently in wizard annals, though scant few grasp the shadowy reality fueling his triumphs."

"His mercy was genuine, but merely in comparison. Against fellow alchemists of his epoch, Lance’s trials seldom delved into needless brutality.

Still, a vast gulf of bloodshed separates ’comparative mercy’ from authentic compassion."

"From notes I unearthed in a forsaken lab, Lance, in his pre-ancient alchemist studies, ’expended’ precisely one thousand three hundred and seventy-two test subjects altogether.

Among them: two hundred willing participants, nine hundred war captives, and one hundred and seventy-two slaves acquired through purchase."

"Prior to every trial, he extended apologies to the subjects; post-trial, he grieved the fallen, and documented each one’s identity along with their kin details.

Yet this ’mercy’ fails to alter a core truth: one thousand three hundred and seventy-two vital souls became mere data points under his hand."

"Yet that pales against the true horror. The phrase that haunted my sleep came directly from Lance:

'Should there be an afterlife, I yearn for a path to discovery free of others’ sacrifice.

Here and now, however, time constrains me; for the higher cause, I endure the smaller wrongs.'"

Gould’s insights plunged Ron into profound reflection:

"Such reveals the authentic nature of ancient alchemists.

Far from simple lunatics or fiends, they were scholars forced into dire decisions amid dire straits.

When life’s worth clashed against knowledge’s worth, they sided with knowledge."

The volume proceeded to detail further ancient alchemists, each blending epic tales with nightmarish dread:

"Alexander King, dubbed the ’Merciful Alchemist’, truly refrained from willful harm to the blameless.

His ’mercy’, though, rested on a foundation of terror—he reserved all experiments for his own form."

"Over his final century, Alexander had reshaped himself into a breathing lab.

His bloodstream yielded to assorted magic potions, his internals morphed into alchemical apparatuses, and even his bone marrow shifted to energy reservoirs."

"Eyewitnesses portrayed Alexander’s closing days as resembling a see-through vessel in human shape, swirling with vibrant fluids throughout his frame."