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"More monsters are coming."
Ronen's calm voice drew the attention of the two beside him.
After a full five or six seconds, more than a dozen beastmen emerged once again from the darkness and fog ahead.
Watching this unfold, Riveria felt a flicker of surprise deep in her heart.
That distance… even she hadn't sensed them coming.
In the world of adventurers, Level 1 was considered a lower-class adventurer, while those above Level 2 were categorized as upper-class.
But even among upper-class adventurers, there were further distinctions:
Level 2: Third-tier
Levels 3–4: Second-tier
Level 5 and above: First-tier adventurers.
A Level 2 adventurer already possessed superhuman physical and sensory capabilities.
Which was exactly why Riveria was astonished—Ronen had noticed the enemies before she did.
Thinking back, when her arrows were knocked off course earlier despite not seeing anything, she'd assumed it was a result of his magic already being active. But now... perhaps it was something else?
"A sensory-type magic," Ronen said, easily reading the doubt in her eyes.
"I see." Riveria nodded, then added, "Let me handle this next wave."
"By all means."
Ronen smiled, noticing her eagerness. "Feel free to go all out. Within two hundred meters, there are no other adventurers besides us."
"Understood."
Riveria responded briefly, then began to chant.
"—O harbinger of the end, O pure white snow.
At the twilight hour, let the gales rise.
O sealed light, O frozen earth, O blizzard that veils the world,
Come forth, third winter—my name is Alf."
A magic circle unfolded on the ground beneath her as Riveria poured her full attention into the spell.
"…I see now."
Ronen watched the glowing lines of the circle and finally understood.
Ordinary magic users typically didn't produce magic circles. Instead, magic was invoked directly through the transformation and manifestation of mana—shaped and altered by one's intent.
Magic circles, however, were like simplified ritual constructs formed from mana.
They were similar in essence to the Mind Transmutation Ceremony Ronen had performed to refine his spirit power.
To produce a magic circle while casting magic required the Magecraft development ability.
Magic circles boosted the spell's power, expanded its area of effect, and reduced mental energy consumption.
In short, they were the signature of a high-ranking mage.
"Falna really are amazing " Ronen murmured marvel at the divine technique.
Now that he grasped the principle behind magic circles, he realized he could replicate them even without the 'Magecraft' ability—though it wouldn't be easy.
Each spell had its own unique 'ritual form', so the magic circle would need to be adjusted on a per-spell basis.
Unlike the gods' falna , which offered automated support, his method would be entirely manual.
It was like the difference between manual and automated machinery.
As Ronen mused, Riveria finished her chant.
"Elation: Fimbulwinter."
In an instant, the area within a hundred meters turned into a frozen hell.
All life was sealed in ice, including the monsters, who cracked and shattered where they stood.
Riveria possessed three types of magic—attack, defense, and healing.
Each came with a three-stage chant progression.
"Elation: Fimbulwinter" was merely the first stage of her offensive spell.
The full name of the spell was "Vís Vanaheimr." To cast it required an extensive, long-form chant.
What she had just used might seem lengthy, but in reality, it was a short-form chant, the first stage of her full attack magic.
Had she continued chanting, the spell would have escalated—symbolizing not just the end's snow, but the chaos of Ragnarök itself—transforming into a full-blown wide-area annihilation spell.
The complete version of the spell had never been revealed, even in the original records.
But based on hints, its destructive power would likely be immense and indiscriminate.
"Amazing," Ronen said, clapping lightly. "Your bloodline really are the pinnacle of innate magical talent."
His sharp eyes could see the thick frost carpeting the ground, the monsters embedded in the ice as they shattered.
To be fair, Ronen's magic could reach similar levels of power.
His shockwaves could cover wide areas, and their raw impact wasn't far off.
He'd demonstrated this when fighting the Killer Ants—though admittedly, both his spell's power and range had fallen short of Riveria's.
That, however, was merely due to a difference in mana reserves.
As for Riveria's second-stage magic—High-grade: Sword of Victory—Ronen had a comparable technique of his own.
He'd already completed the elemental shaping for a "miniature" Rasenshuriken-type spell.
The only thing holding him back was mana.
In terms of control and form, he was already there.
The destructive potential of such a spell depended on how much mana he poured in.
As for the blast radius, that could be tweaked—by reducing power, he could increase area.
And because the Rasenshuriken was highly condensed, as long as it moved fast enough and wasn't intercepted, there was little risk of friendly fire.
That was why Ronen rated his innate magic at 4 tier
5 tier was considered "top-tier," like Riveria's second-stage spell.
6 tier was "transcendent," like his sister-in-law Alfia's legendary third-stage spell, Obliteration: Prayer of Doom, which had slain Leviathan in one blow.
In truth, Ronen was being modest. He could reasonably claim to be 5 tier, but he knew his magic still had room to grow.
"Bloodline talent?" Riveria echoed, puzzled.
"Falna magic may depend on one's interests and convictions, but a person strength still comes down to his talent," Ronen explained.
"Those from magical species or descended from high elves tend to awaken stronger spells. but even among them, their are people that inherited most advantage of their race That's what I mean by bloodline talent."
"For example, you fall under that category. Whereas the 'Silent Witch'—she's a pure personal talent-based user."
"Ah… I see."
Riveria finally understood. "I didn't realize there was such a way of categorizing magic."
The Silent Witch—Alfia—was feared as a " Monster Among Talented ."
Though he had never met her, it wasn't hard to picture her cold, mismatched eyes if he simply imagined his lover with a sharper demeanor.
"By the way," Riveria asked, "are you planning to go deeper into the Dungeon?"
"With my current mana, the twelfth floor is my limit. Any lower and things get risky."
Ronen shook his head.
"…Would you like to team up?"
Riveria's eyes lit up instantly. "I assure you, I mean no harm."
"I know," Ronen smiled. "The Nine Mage Sisters of the Loki Familia are trustworthy enough."
"To be honest, you're the first professional mage I've ever met.
Talking with you might even give me new inspiration."
Riveria had many questions about Ronen.
And Ronen, for his part, welcomed her company not only for the conversation—but also for safety. He wanted to explore deeper layers.
After all, secret guardians could only protect him from the shadows.
If his mana ran out during an unexpected encounter, he could be left defenseless.
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