The Black Sea and the solitary island gradually vanished into the fog.
Peeling away layer by layer like an onion being unwrapped.
At first, Ian's consciousness was still immersed in the lingering echoes of his dream, but as his senses gradually clarified, a chill pervaded his skin, seeping across his face.
Under the thin quilt, the night's chill permeated the cotton, bringing a unique taste of late autumn and early winter. As Ian slowly opened his eyes, he heard the commotion outside the window.
Rain pattered against the windowpane in the fierce wind, yet it did not disturb those adventuring in the sweet realm of dreams.
The snores of his roommates, William and Michael, filled the entire room, alternating as if in a performance. For Ian, snoring was never really noise. Life at the orphanage made him far more adaptable to communal living than ordinary people. He rubbed his eyes and glanced at the clock on the wall.
12:07.
The clock in the dorm room pointed to a familiar number as always, although this time Ian had stayed in the Misty Illusion Realm far longer than ever before.
In the past,
he would only remain in the Misty Illusion Realm for a short while, but today he stayed for almost half the day. Ian guessed this was what Teacher Mara had referred to when she said "next time will be different."
"Perhaps it is related to my Magic Level." The only change Ian could identify in himself was having previously eaten the Golden Apple that Pandro found in the Misty Illusion Realm.
Name: Ian Prince
Profession: Bloodline Mage
Magic Power: Level 8 (Undergoing explosive leap)
Skills: [Wisdom Enlightenment (This skill cannot be upgraded)]
...
Without a sound,
Ian's Magic Level increased by another level overnight. He couldn't accurately assess his current level of magic, but certainly it surpassed most adult wizards.
The effects of the Golden Apple were indeed very strong.
"The reason why the kind of Magic Transformation that Noseless performed on him is dangerous might be because it belongs to a research faction that emerged only after the Golden Apples went extinct."
Ian's supposition was reasonable. If eating a Golden Apple could grant transcendent magic, why would anyone choose to dangerously transform the body inherited from their parents?
Just look at Noseless Tom to understand the aftereffects and dangers of Magic Transformation, and how it pales compared to the instant and harmless effect of a Golden Apple.
If there was a choice,
the dangerous and intelligence-draining Magic Transformation wouldn't be wizards' first choice. In reality, Ian assumed that the rise of magical body transformation began with the extinction of the Golden Apple.
"Teacher Mara is truly a sinner; thankfully, I'm not a saint either, otherwise my morals and sense of justice would relentlessly torment me for learning from her." Ian seemed very clear about his self-awareness, thinking of himself as not particularly bad without assuming he was a good person either.
He didn't even realize that sometimes he didn't act very human at all.
"The Level 8 seems not to be the limit of the Golden Apple."
The "explosive leap" notation following Magic on Ian's personal panel still existed, which naturally indicated that his Magic Level would experience a significant increase in a short period.
At least it could still increase another level?
This was definitely good news for Ian. Although his age didn't demand high magic power, he had awakened the [Form of All Things] extraordinary trait in the Misty Illusion Realm.
Gamp's Basic Transformation Law was broken by this extraordinary trait, and Ian was already capable of doing things other wizards could not, including creating Magic Items and increasing the quantity of transformed objects.
Of course,
he could transform food and convert dead objects into living ones, but according to his current level in the [Transformation Technique], he could only use magic to endow the manifested food with nutrition.
The consumption of Influence would be immense.
However, the food would not revert back when the Influence was withdrawn—this perhaps touched the edges of the Eternal Transformation Technique, akin to another broken Law where the dead could become the living.
Normally, Professor McGonagall could transform a desk into a pig in Transformation Class, but when her magic ceased to exert influence, the pig would still revert to a desk.
Of course, Ian couldn't permanently endow life to dead objects, and perhaps even Lady Ravenclaw couldn't, but he could at least ensure that the pork he created would maintain its form even after being subjected to a magic attack. This accounted for touching the authority of a Creator Level, yet there was still a long road ahead.
Now,
Ian did not intend to attempt such transformation; he only planned to attempt two other principles, difficult to shake for ordinary wizards in their lifetime.
"Vera Verto!"
Ian sat at the dormitory desk, performing the Transformation Technique on his cup, splitting it into three and then transforming them into Little Jerrys in an instant.
Reaching a Level 5 in Transformation Technique, although still not as lifelike as Professor McGonagall's leopard, it already possessed a vividness indiscernible from reality.
The most crucial aspect was the quantity of Little Jerrys. Transforming an item into three Little Jerrys was an accomplishment unattainable to other wizards, no matter how they enhanced their Transformation Technique.