Before heading to Songmu Town, Roland had spent some time studying and researching with Bronson.

During this time, he learned from Bronson about the key steps a Wizard must take to cast Magic, as recorded in ancient texts.

First, one must master a Meditation Technique. Through Meditation, one enhances their Spiritual Power, thereby carving out a Deep Sea of Consciousness within their mind.

Second, one must learn Spell Runes and use powerful Spiritual Power to inscribe them within the Deep Sea of Consciousness.

Finally, one must master a special technique to draw the necessary Magic Elements from the air. This activates the Spell Runes in the Deep Sea of Consciousness, ultimately allowing for the Casting of Magic.

However, Roland faced two insurmountable obstacles in his quest to cast Magic and increase his power.

For one, he currently had no way of obtaining a Meditation Technique.

For another, Bronson—having been expelled from the High Tower and not even a Wizard Apprentice—had never learned any Spell Runes.

Of course, even if he had learned Spell Runes, he would be unable to pass that knowledge on to anyone due to the High Tower’s restrictions.

Therefore, even with the world’s Magic Elements gradually reawakening, Roland couldn’t become a true Caster anytime soon.

The conditions for casting a Trick, by contrast, were far more lenient.

Although a Trick also required inscribing a Rune and drawing Magic Elements from the air, the Rune only needed to be inscribed in the Consciousness Shallows.

As for the Consciousness Shallows, anyone with Spiritual Power slightly higher than an average person possessed this Trait; the only question was whether they could successfully achieve Awakening.

As for the problem of drawing Magic Elements, the Spell Patterns Bronson had been researching already offered a solution.

However, the fluency and speed of casting Magic or a Trick were still constrained by one key factor.

Namely, the speed at which Magic Elements were drawn from the air and the Purity of those Magic Elements.

Theoretically, the purer the drawn Magic Elements, the smoother and faster the Casting process.

When Roland had come in, Bronson mentioned his improvements to the Spell Patterns.

Although their capacity was reduced, the speed at which they could draw Magic Elements was significantly increased.

’If we inscribe the improved Spell Patterns on this special piece of bone...’

Bronson immediately grasped the hidden meaning in Roland’s words.

A brilliant light flashed in his eyes. He snatched a piece of parchment with his left hand, the quill pen scratching across its surface.

"Since the bone itself can hold such pure Magic Elements..."

he murmured to himself, the tip of his pen sketching complex patterns on the paper.

"Then we can completely discard the storage function of the Spell Patterns and focus on..."

When the quill finally stilled, the scholar’s fingers were trembling with excitement.

He gripped Roland’s shoulder, his voice low but unable to conceal its tremor.

"Roland! You’re an absolute genius!"

On the parchment, the still-wet ink of the patterns gleamed in the sunlight.

"Letting the Spell Patterns specialize in drawing Magic Elements, while the bone serves as the vessel... It’s a perfect combination!"

"Mr. Bronson..."

Roland calmly removed the hand from his shoulder.

"You’re just caught up in the excitement. Even without my prompting, you would have thought of it soon enough..."

Noticing the ever-brightening gleam in the other man’s eyes, he skillfully changed the subject.

His fingertip tapped lightly on the bone’s surface, making a crisp sound.

"Mr. Bronson, in your professional opinion, if we were to inscribe Spell Patterns on this bone, how many Tricks could be cast with the stored Magic Elements?"

The question was like a splash of cold water, causing the fervent glow in Bronson’s eyes to gradually subside.

He frowned, his fingers unconsciously stroking the edge of the bone.

"Well..."

After a moment of contemplation, he rubbed his hands, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Roland, I’ll need some time to run detailed calculations..."

At this, the scholar suddenly grabbed Roland’s sleeve, then immediately realized his faux pas and let go.

"Could you leave this bone with me for now? I swear..."

Bronson pounded his chest to emphasize his promise, but it only triggered a violent coughing fit.

"COUGH, COUGH... I stake my reputation on it... I won’t damage it in the slightest..."

"Of course, Mr. Bronson."

Roland raised an eyebrow.

’Even if he hadn’t asked, I was planning to do just that.’

’Professional matters should be left to the professionals.’

’With my current knowledge, even ten years of study wouldn’t be enough to catch up to this scholar, who spent years at the High Tower and is obsessed with his research.’

"However... if the research progresses smoothly..."

Hearing this, Bronson hurriedly picked up the chipped wooden cup, took a few large gulps of water to catch his breath, and then made a solemn promise.

"As we agreed, all research findings will be at your disposal."

He wiped the water from his beard, his eyes shining with a pure passion for research.

"You know, all I’ve ever pursued is truth itself."

"Deal."

Roland slowly pushed the white bone toward Bronson. He then took six Silver Coins from the pouch at his waist, which landed on the wooden table with a crisp clink.

"This is a two-month advance on your research funds, Mr. Bronson. I hope you won’t let me down."

"You can count on me!"

Bronson’s spirits lifted at the sight of the Silver Coins. He habitually raised a hand to pound his chest, but froze mid-motion.

The earlier coughing fit was still fresh in his mind, so he awkwardly withdrew his hand and scratched the back of his messy hair instead.

"One more thing..."

Roland’s knuckles tapped a steady rhythm on the oak tabletop.

"When can I begin learning about Trick Runes?"

Bronson, who had been stroking the Silver Coins, suddenly froze.

"Wait, the ancient script I’ve been teaching you... you’ve already mastered it completely?"

The scholar’s eyes went wide.

It had taken him years to barely master that difficult ancient script.

"Not yet."

Roland unconsciously rubbed his temples.

’Every time I try to study that ancient script, it’s like I’ve taken a sleeping pill; I get so drowsy.’

’Only by activating my [Concentration] Trait can I manage to stay awake.’

Hearing this, Bronson breathed a sigh of relief and put the Silver Coins into his pouch.

"Listen, Roland, inscribing a Trick Rune in the Consciousness Shallows is a deeply personal art."

He took out his quill and drew a demonstrative pattern on the parchment.

"You must be able to decipher the ancient script on your own—even if you only understand most of it—before you can calibrate a Rune Array that is uniquely yours."

The ink on the parchment snaked like a serpent in the candlelight as Roland stared at the lines.

"Then how does an ordinary person awaken their Consciousness Shallows?"

"As far as I know, there are three methods..."

Bronson held up three gaunt fingers, their knuckles casting long, thin Shadows in the sunlight.

"The first is to practice the Echo Technique. It’s an incomplete version of a Meditation Technique that the High Tower provides for free to every advanced student, but, as you know..."

Bronson pointed to his temple and sighed helplessly.

"Due to the restrictions, I can’t teach it to you."

"The second is natural Awakening..."

Bronson frowned, digging through his memories.

"A very small number of people born with active Spiritual Power will have their Consciousness Shallows awaken under specific circumstances, such as a powerful Spiritual Shock or long-term exposure to an environment with a high concentration of a certain Magic Element..."

"As for the third, it’s taking a Secret Medicine."

At this, Bronson lightly patted Roland’s shoulder.

"Don’t worry, I have all the materials for Refining the Secret Medicine. It’s just..."

Following his gaze, Roland could vaguely make out various tattered pouches and unidentifiable instruments in a corner pile of junk that looked as if it had been hit by a tornado.

"Ahem... I might need a bit of time to organize..."

Bronson nudged a pottery jar that had rolled away back into the pile with the tip of his boot.

"And the Refining process..."

He turned and rummaged through his bookshelf for a while, finally pulling out a water-stained notebook from which a few dried Purple Orchid Petals fluttered out awkwardly.

"I’ll need to re-familiarize myself with it..."

"I understand."

Roland wasn’t disappointed to hear this.

However, his gaze swept over the scholar’s sunken cheeks and prominent collarbones, and he couldn’t help but sigh.

"Mr. Bronson, I’ll arrange for Matthew to bring you meals on time every day."

He knocked on the black bread on the table, which was as hard as a rock.

"No matter how important the research, you still need to eat and sleep."

"O-Okay..."

The sudden show of concern left Bronson a bit flustered. He could only trace patterns on the tabletop with his rough knuckles, leaving faint marks.

To ease the atmosphere, Roland changed the subject.

"By the way, do you have any idea who the original owner of this bone was?"

"It was definitely a Demon, no doubt about that, but..."

Sure enough, the moment an academic question was raised, Bronson immediately forgot his earlier embarrassment.

His brow furrowed as his fingers unconsciously twisted his beard.

"A Demon possessing both Fire Element Affinity and a massive body... The texts from before the Year of the End record many similar species. I’ll have to consult some ancient tomes to verify."

"I’ll leave that to you, then."

Roland nodded.

"In that case, I’ll take my leave. I’ll be back later to continue my studies of the ancient script."

"Take care, Roland!"

Bronson spoke the pleasantries, but he was already eagerly ushering Roland to the door.

As the wooden door shut with a THUD, his excited muttering drifted from the crack.

"Should I test the Elemental Conductivity first, or..."

Hearing the immediate sounds of rummaging from inside, Roland couldn’t help but shake his head and smile.

He felt no disappointment at being unable to master a Trick so soon.

After all, compared to true Magic, the power of a Trick was paltry. At best, it could only serve as a supplementary form of attack.

In Roland’s opinion, the fastest way to increase his power was to use his Professional Panel to become a Warrior as soon as possible, awaken more Skills, and subsequently unlock more Professions.

At this thought, his pace quickened, and in the blink of an eye, he had vanished from sight of the wooden cabin.