Wizard: Unlimited Profession Slots Chapter 712 - 332: The Era of Annihilation (Part 3)

By using his own body, he was able to synthesize any known Magic Potion right away, yet the cost involved utterly forsaking every trace of his human experiences.

"Airena Moonlight, history's sole female Ancient Alchemist. Her expertise lay in Emotion Alchemy—the craft of converting emotions into solid forms."

"Airena built an enormous ’emotional treasury,’ in which she gathered feelings such as love, hate, fear, and despair from tens of thousands of individuals.

She insisted these emotions were ’voluntarily donated,’ though survivors reported that her ’donation ceremonies’ frequently involved strong Spiritual Control."

"In the end, Airena fell victim to her own invention.

The negative emotions she refined formed a gigantic hatred entity, which confined her within the depths of her treasury.

Legend has it she endures to this day, fused with that hatred entity, transformed into a manifestation of sheer malice."

Upon perusing this, Ron couldn't help but remember the moment he formed the "Ink."

Even though it was just an alteration of certain Abyssal Creatures’ tissues, the sensation of birthing life proved truly mesmerizing.

Lacking enough self-restraint, one might easily plunge deeper into this route.

Gould’s accounts also featured several grim instances:

"Aegis Lacroix, who utterly succumbed while chasing the Philosopher’s Stone. He boasted of discovering a method to create it, but what we witnessed was him confining the pure souls of tens of thousands of youths from various races all at once."

"Damian Puchi, upon the discovery of his laboratory, had more than five thousand corpses in different conditions.

Certain ones were altered into living vessels for organ cultivation, others merged into multi-headed beasts, and some crafted into tools possessing partial awareness.

Most horrifying of all, numerous experimental subjects were discovered still alive, retaining conscious perception."

Such accounts led Ron to grasp profoundly why contemporary Wizards hold Ancient Alchemists in both awe and dread.

Their accomplishments were undeniably magnificent, yet the methods employed to attain them were horrifying.

Nevertheless, in the book's concluding section, Gould presented a provocative perspective:

"By what authority do we judge them? The research of modern Wizards is likewise founded on the sacrifice of innumerable lives.

Each year, Abyss Explorers suffer the loss of hundreds of members, the subterranean labs of the Crystal Tower hold tens of thousands of test subjects captive, and the killing of Alien Race beings in conquest wars defies counting."

"The sole distinction between us and the Ancient Alchemists lies in our superior skill at concealing our offenses and devising ethical justifications for our horrors.

We declare it’s ’for the progress of civilization,’ they proclaimed it’s ’for knowledge breakthrough,’ but is there truly any fundamental variance?"

"Maybe the true inquiry isn't about their actions, but whether we possess the bravery to acknowledge that in seeking power, hands remain unsullied and pure no longer."

This perspective rendered Ron temporarily at a loss for words.

Being a researcher driven by the pursuit of power, he naturally comprehended the impulse to act mercilessly for the sake of progress.

Yet conversely, logic warned him that discarding moral boundaries entirely frequently leads to one's own ruin.

"The secret lies in striking a balance,"

he reflected inwardly:

"It’s not about wholly shunning dark methods, but guaranteeing that these methods support a higher goal, rather than turning into the goal in themselves."

As he pressed on with his reading, Ron sensed a growing strain on his mind.

This prohibited knowledge acted like a vital parasite attempting to embed itself in his psyche.

The headache grew more severe, with piercing pains at his temples;

His sight would sporadically haze over, revealing phantom visions of ancient Alchemy Labs filled with myriad distorted beings squirming inside glass vessels;

Subtle murmurs started resonating in his ears, originating from long-deceased ancient scholars whose souls lingered ensnared within the knowledge;

His fingers began to quiver faintly, demanding utmost caution when flipping pages to avoid activating mental snares concealed in the book's leaves.

Surprisingly, the load proved far lighter than anticipated.

The strain from interacting with the King of Illusions the previous night had offered crucial tempering for his mental framework.

This degree of knowledge-induced shock, although still distressing, fell within his bearable limits.

"Evidently, the strain from higher-dimensional entities, despite the agony, truly fortifies mental endurance,"

Ron evaluated his state in his thoughts:

"This ’vaccine-like’ approach to training merits additional exploration."

With the afternoon sun dipping toward the west, he shut the last volume.

Extended perusal had left him weary, the throbbing in his temples signaling that his mental capacity approached its threshold.

Yet the rewards were substantial.

He now possessed a sharp insight into his upcoming journey and recognized which objectives were feasible and which demanded prolonged dedication.

Additionally, he acquired a more profound comprehension of the "cost of power."

Acquiring mastery in any ability necessitates paying the fitting toll; the essence is to keep that toll within tolerable bounds.

Initially, he intended to investigate details on the deeper Abyss, but the mental toll from absorbing forbidden knowledge had already hit a hazardous critical threshold.

Persisting with compelled reading would merely heighten the danger of Spiritual Contamination, rendering the advantages negligible.

Furthermore, within the Abyssal Observation Station, far more thorough and applicable data existed compared to the library's holdings.

Upon resuming work the following week, he intended to leverage the permissions from Cassandra to request and examine them, yielding even more beneficial insights.

Exiting the forbidden zone, the Crystal construct performed another scan on him.

"Moderate mental exhaustion detected; recommend 72 hours of rest prior to re-entry into the forbidden area."

A hint of worry colored the construct’s tone: "May you effectively apply the knowledge you’ve obtained."

"I will," Ron responded succinctly, contemplating ways to convert today’s insights into concrete advancement strategies.

As dusk fell, the spires of the Central Lands shimmered amid the evening glow.