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At night, Ronen lay in bed, feeling utterly drained and unable to sleep.
From the next room came the faint sounds of conversation; the two sisters chatted in low voices, every word remarkably clear to Ronen's ears."So lonely… I really want to cuddle Meteria and sleep too."
Drained of spiritual energy, Ronen sighed.
He'd grown used to Meteria's presence and felt lonely after only a short time apart.
The thought of the sisters sleeping together without him made him feel even more alone."I might as well study the meditation technique."
If he wanted to update the magical formula that suppresses skill effects, he definitely wouldn't have enough mana.
After all, the update wasn't merely to the engraved magic itself, but rather to create a cluster—an ultimate magic that integrates various similar and different components into one.
Layer over layer, expanding in scale—it could be called nesting magic.
Or perhaps—a magic formation.
Looking for a quick way to achieve the required effect, Ronen pondered several methods.
In fact, some of these ideas he'd had before, but now he was only just reaching the thresholds needed.
First: Mana Quality Training.
Improving mana quality is a long-term process: use mana, deplete mana, restore mana.
Repeat these steps to slowly raise its quality.
But beyond that, Ronen also had other thoughts: Spiritual training.
By actively condensing his mana and repeatedly tempering it with magical effects, he hoped to rapidly enhance its quality—especially its substance.
To achieve this, mastery over mana control was essential; condense mana and execute magical effects with precision—the former required skill in charging, the latter demanded careful control over the force and finesse of the training, to avoid self-injury.
Physical training was already painful, but spiritual training might be even more taxing.
The second method was Mana Recovery.
By regulating and repairing bodily functions, he could rapidly recover both body and spirit, or restore mana through overdraft.
Just considering this made Ronen feel sleepy.
He'd spent the whole day in the dungeon.
Though the upper levels weren't terribly dangerous, he still had to stay constantly alert.
And then used several restorative potions at night, draining his spirit further; now, exhaustion weighed on him."Good night."
Ronen closed his eyes.
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Next Morning
Ronen always woke up late; when he finally got up it was already half past eight.
After washing up, he left the basement and entered the church, where the two sisters were chatting idly."Awake?"
Alfia looked at Ronen with a strange expression. "I've never seen anyone as lazy as you."
"I'm used to it,"
Ronen replied, yawning. "And I really was tired yesterday."
Alfia fell silent.In fact, the two had become much closer.
Compared to their first meeting—when she barely paid him any attention and looked at him coldly—Alfia was now much more approachable."Don't worry, you're Meteria's sister. No matter how tired I am, I'll help you."
Ronen smiled. "Judging by my calculations, I'll finish adjusting my body's functions by tomorrow. While I'm at it, I'll redesign the engraved magic."
Engraved magic
a whole category—suppressing skill effects was just one application.
Ronen planned to use it as the basis for a magical storage seal: the "Yin Seal from Naruto.""Mm… I'll leave it to you."
Faced with Ronen's effort, Alfia could no longer maintain her cold facade.
She showed an uncomfortable, slightly awkward expression.
This actually revealed Alfia's poor social skills.
They sat across from each other, and once more he took her hand.
Despite knowing it was for treatment, Alfia still found it hard to calm down.
Seeing her expression, Ronen couldn't help but smile inside.
In his world, even elementary school kids were more socially adept—nobody blushed just from holding hands.
Alfia was incredibly pure, even more so than Meteria.
After all, Meteria was now experienced—something Alfia couldn't match.
Having finished today's first treatment, Ronen relaxed in his chair.
Compared to yesterday, things felt easier today.
Each day, Ronen deepened his understanding—of mana's quality and control, of bodily structure—and steadily grew stronger."It's time to start designing the engraving cluster."
With that thought, he took out a sheepskin scroll.
"I'll help, too," Alfia said calmly."Okay."
Ronen nodded. "Let me finish the design diagram first; afterwards, I'll explain the magical logic and assign your tasks."
"I can help, too!"
Meteria raised her little hand."Alright, let's do it together."
Ronen's expression softened; he didn't mock Meteria's earnest offer, despite her struggles as a student.
In fact, Meteria had changed a lot under Ronen's influence.
Even if she wasn't a great student, she was hardly ignorant.An hour passed quickly. Ronen's work wasn't done yet, but a visitor arrived.
There was a knock at the door; Ronen sensed the familiar life aura—it was Riveria.
Yesterday, while using his detection waves repeatedly, Ronen had honed this ability, enhancing his sense of presence.
Even without magical feedback, he had developed a passive innate awareness.
"Welcome!"
Ronen greeted her with a smile. "Come in."
"Excuse me."
Riveria walked in politely, froze upon seeing the two sisters sitting in front of her.
"This is Riveria, a friend I met in the dungeon yesterday," Ronen introduced. "That's my girlfriend, Meteria. You probably also know the other—Alfia the Silent Witch, who happens to be my sister-in-law."
"I'd heard about this yesterday, but I didn't expect Lady Alfia's sister to be your lover ."
Riveria marveled. "Hello, I'm Riveria."
Riveria and Alfia had indeed met before in elf forest.
While Riveria was well-known, it was Alfia who commanded true respect in Orario, her reputation striking fear into all.
"Riveria, huh…"
Alfia had clearly recognized her,she royalty after all, but showed little interest, glancing at Riveria before returning to the scroll.
As Ronen explained his design ideas, Alfia helped refine them—she was more talented than him, often able to extrapolate and suggest improvements.
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