The moment the two new prompts appeared in his profession interface, Ron froze for half a heartbeat then felt an icy coolness flow through his body, like he was submerged in a refreshing spring.
The sensation wasn't unfamiliar. It was the same feeling he had when he first obtained the Initial Magic Mark, a strange power cleansing his spirit and soul.
His spiritual energy surged.
In just a few seconds, Ron could sense his mental strength skyrocketing—at least ten points stronger than before. The cool current faded after about ten seconds, leaving him exhaling deeply, every cell of his body alive and awake.
"Mid-Tier Magic Mark…" he muttered softly.
He didn't rush to anything else, instead opening his achievement interface to inspect his status.
Profession: Mage – Supreme Archmage
Magic Mark: Mid-Tier (Spirit +20)
Creatable Marks: Initial Marks (up to 2)
Owned Runes: 19
Staff: Elven Wand
Total Achievement Points: 52
His eyes stopped on the second line the Magic Mark had indeed upgraded from Initial to Mid-Tier, and the Spirit boost had jumped from +5 to +20.
That meant he had just gained fifteen points of spiritual power in one go.
A windfall.
To achieve that much through achievements, he would need ten, maybe fifteen separate completions. To gain it through training would take over half a year.
This fifteen-point boost, combined with the three achievement points from earlier, pushed his total spiritual power from seventy-six straight up to ninety-four.
Only six points short of the hundred-mark transformation.
Feeling the shift in his mind and soul, Ron couldn't help but smile. This upgrade came at the perfect time just when he needed it most.
Without it, reaching one hundred points would have taken forever. Even with hard training and more achievements, or hunting down another Devil Fruit, it would've been a long climb.
But now, just six points remained. At his current pace, he could reach it in a month or two of meditation.
He had been debating whether to stop experimenting with third-tier magic until after crossing the hundred-point threshold. Now the decision was easy—focus on strengthening his spirit first.
Once his mental energy transformed again, he could brute-force the structure of third-tier magic if he had to.
"Two Initial Marks to grant others, huh…"
He calmed his excitement and glanced again at the system text.
That was perfect for Nami.
Her spirit wasn't weak by his estimation, it was at least in the double digits. With an Initial Mark enhancing her power, she should be able to learn basic first-tier magic and maybe even a strengthened version of it.
Ron chuckled to himself. "Lucky her. No need to struggle through research, she can just take my ready-made runes."
After a moment, his gaze shifted to the flashing draw interface. Another spin had appeared.
Like before, it was all runes no staffs or special items. The only difference this time was that the Guardian Rune he'd previously earned was grayed out. Everything else remained.
His hopes rose slightly. Maybe, just maybe, he'd pull one of the Eternal Runes Space, Time, or Undead.
The screen shimmered, the runes flickering in a blur of light.
Finally, it stopped.
[You have obtained the Earth Rune.]
Ron blinked, momentarily surprised. Not quite what he hoped for. No Eternal Rune, not even one of the special types like Ice, Lightning, Light, or Darkness just another elemental rune.
A small sigh escaped him, but the disappointment passed quickly.
Any new element was a gain. Earth magic, after all, was the magic of stability and control, ideal for restraining enemies. For someone like him, that was quite useful.
Wind and Fire magic both relied on projectile flight. Even though he could cast in an instant, the spells still took time to reach the target an easy opening for anyone with Observation Haki to dodge.
Earth magic, though, could create terrain, bind opponents, or alter the battlefield entirely. Combining it with Wind and Fire could form devastating synergy.
"Let's see what it can do."
The system interface changed again, projecting the familiar visualization of rune evolution.
To Ron, these diagrams were now second nature. One glance and he could memorize the entire pattern, reconstructing it perfectly from memory.
"Time for a test."
He pushed open the cabin window, gazing at the calm sea outside.
He wasn't sure whether Earth magic would work without solid ground beneath him. Testing it out over water seemed safe enough if the Marines noticed, he could just claim it was some odd Devil Fruit ability.
In a world where swordsmen unleashed fire, ninjas from Wano used ninjutsu, kings could punch like gods, and Gol D. Roger could hear the voice of all things, one more strange power would barely raise an eyebrow.
He focused his mind.
A golden rune formed in front of him, glowing with faint radiance.
The moment it stabilized, he realized this spell didn't cast outward it targeted himself.
After a brief pause, he triggered it.
A pulse of golden energy rippled across his body. His skin tingled as if encased in something solid and heavy. A faint, comforting pressure spread over his limbs.
[You have learned the Earth Element First-Tier Spell: Stone Skin.]
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