Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

Chapter 171 Dead Universe

The instant Ron made eye contact with the giant "eye," an invisible force surged into his consciousness like a tide, instantly filling his mental world.

Countless unfamiliar and complex pieces of information flooded into his consciousness like a tidal wave, each carrying a weight heavy enough to destroy the rationality of an ordinary person.

The first whisper of the universe's birth, the laws governing the folding of dimensions, the essential causes of the flow of time, the metamorphic process of galaxy sublimation...

These concepts, which are far beyond the capacity of human thought, were forcibly instilled into Ron's mental world at this moment.

Each concept carried a mountain-like weight, pressing down on his mental structure.

"True knowledge is a heavy burden," and only now did he truly understand the meaning of this saying.

Ron had a terrible headache, as if someone was drilling holes in his skull.

The effects of the "Mental Shield" potion were triggered, and a silver-blue energy barrier unfolded around his consciousness, blocking some of the information surge.

The barrier lasted only a moment, but it was enough to slow down the initial impact and buy Ron precious time to react.

"There are too many; we must stabilize our mental energy field."

Ron tried his best to maintain the integrity of his thoughts, but the tide of knowledge was too overwhelming, like a flood that had burst its banks, and it overwhelmed the mental defenses he had carefully constructed.

Just as he was on the verge of a mental breakdown, his consciousness was suddenly pulled away.

The feeling was like being grabbed by an unimaginable giant hand, traversing endless dark tunnels in the void, and finally being randomly abandoned in a strange starry sky.

The starry sky here was completely different from what he usually saw in his meditations.

There are no living stars that shimmer with the light of life, no subtle order and beauty, only a deep, almost all-consuming dark background.

The occasional flashes of light were like the last weak heartbeats of a dying person.

This starry sky gives one the feeling that it's about to die...

Ron tried to sense his surroundings, but found that his mental energy seemed to be trapped in some kind of viscous substance, and each extension was extremely difficult.

"Where exactly is this place?"

Just as a question arose in his mind, he heard a strange vibration coming from above:
It was a sound that did not belong to any known creature, like countless metal plates rubbing against each other, harsh and terrifying.

He looked up alertly, and a chill instantly swept over his body.

A massive tentacle, so large it filled the entire field of vision, twitched slightly.

The surface of the tentacles was covered with countless tiny suckers and scales, each shimmering with an ominous dark purple light.

Its size is so large that it is hard to imagine what its main body actually is.

The tentacles trembled slightly, as if shaking off an extra hair, and flung off an object.

The object it throws down changes and twists continuously as it falls, like an hourglass that keeps turning over.

It eventually landed not far from Ron, transforming into a sea urchin-like monster covered in thorns.

The creature was about three meters tall, completely black, and covered with thorns that shimmered with a ghostly blue light.

It was surrounded by dozens of muscular tentacles that thrashed about, making unsettling, wet noises.

It had no obvious facial structure, but Ron could feel a sense of oppression from being stared at, as if an invisible eye was hidden on every inch of the monster's surface.

This is by no means a product of ordinary mental pollution...

Common forms of mental pollution often manifest as hallucinations or nightmares, but the aura emanating from this monster carries a substantial threat.

Ron's heart sank; he immediately realized the seriousness of the situation.

This is not a simple hallucination or conventional mental pollution, but a real trial triggered by the "initiation" characteristic.

"It seems this is the 'inspiration is a curse' that Mrs. Allen warned about."

Ron analyzed the situation calmly, his brow furrowed:
"Every burst of inspiration comes with both opportunities and risks."

His instincts were warning him: if he couldn't defeat this monster, he might be trapped in this consciousness space forever.

The monster seemed to sense his thoughts, emitting a strange sound that was somewhere between a howl and a whisper.

The voice didn't travel through the air; it rang directly in Ron's mind, carrying an indescribable sense of decay.

The next moment, dozens of the monster's tentacles attacked him simultaneously, moving so fast they left almost a blur, clearly not intending to give him any time to think.

Ron's combat instincts kicked in immediately.

He didn't panic, and his expression didn't even change much.

In this life-or-death situation, he entered a state of near-detached rationality.

The construction of the spell model was almost becoming part of his instincts, and his mental energy was precisely injected into every node like flowing water.

The model was built quickly, nearly half the speed of previous builds, which is the result of long-term, high-intensity training.

"Ring of Glory!"

A brilliant golden-red halo erupted, like a miniature sun, forcing the approaching tentacles back several steps.

The heat emanating from the halo caused the air to distort slightly, and even the surfaces of the tentacles directly exposed to the light developed slight scorch marks.

The monster let out a piercing screech, its tentacles instinctively contracting slightly, but quickly resuming their offensive posture.

"The effect is not obvious"

Ron's sharp eyes observed the monster's reaction, quickly calculating the various possibilities in his mind:
"It is somewhat afraid of light and heat magic, but it is not completely immune to it."

The monster seemed to be assessing Ron's strength, keeping its tentacles at a distance for the time being, but then changed its attack method.

Suddenly, dozens of tiny holes on its body simultaneously sprayed out a thick, dark green liquid, forming a deadly mist that enveloped Ron.

The widespread acid rain that poured down on him left him nowhere to hide, forcing him to activate his bloodline power.

His blood and qi instantly boiled, and the power of the Crimson Blood Flying Dragon surged beneath his skin.

Soon, a layer of fine scales emerged and covered his skin.

At the same time, Ron mobilized his mental energy to condense the "Ring of Radiance" into a tighter protective net, forming a double defense.

This is the effect of the additional trait "Radiance," which makes the "Radiance Ring" effect more customizable.

The acid rained down, and the first batch to come into contact with the Radiant Ring emitted a piercing hissing sound, turning into wisps of green steam that dissipated into the air.

However, the amount of liquid was too large, and some of the acid still managed to break through the aura barrier and drip onto Ron's scale defenses.

"Hiss—" Ron gasped, feeling the stinging pain of his scales being corroded.

The corrosiveness of the acid far exceeded his expectations; even with dragon scales protecting him, he could still feel a burning pain.

“This thing is more dangerous than I thought.” A hint of seriousness flashed in Ron’s eyes.

After the initial probing, he had roughly figured out his opponent's abilities:

The powerful physical attacks, combined with corrosive acid and other attack methods that seem to be hidden, create a chilling combination.

Moreover, this monster's aura was far stronger than that of the lion scorpion, colder, more ancient, and more...unlike this world.

“Simply defending is not a long-term solution.” Ron quickly adjusted his strategy and decided to take the initiative.

He took a deep breath, focused his mind, and activated the [Boiling Blood] trait.

Instantly, an even more violent surge of heat rushed through his body, as if a volcano were erupting in his blood vessels.

As Ron felt the power surging within him, his eyes gradually took on the vertical pupils characteristic of dragons.

He touched his waist and found all the familiar equipment on his body, and felt the "Thousand Transformations Illusion" covering him.

That makes things much easier...

He drew his ironwood sword and used the "Radiant Flame" property to transform the "Radiant Ring" into a layer of golden-red flames that enveloped the blade, aiming directly at the monster's flank.

This strike combined the power of physical attack with the triple force of light and fire, bearing the hallmarks of a "magic swordsman." Wherever the sword light passed, even the void itself distorted. —Slash!

With a soft sound, the blade sliced ​​through the air, carrying a scorching shockwave, and struck the monster's tentacles hard.

Several thick tentacles snapped off instantly, and a dark green, viscous liquid oozed from the broken ends. The liquid writhed in the void for a few moments before dissipating into dark particles.

"It works!" Ron's eyes lit up, and he breathed a slight sigh of relief.

At least it confirms that this thing is not completely indestructible.

Pressing his advantage, he nimbly weaved through the monster's tentacles.

The blades flashed like streaks of golden-red lightning, each strike landing precisely on the monster's weak points.

In just a few dozen seconds, he had severed nearly half of the monster's tentacles.

The monster let out a howl that was somewhere between a mournful cry and an angry roar, and began to tremble violently.

But just as Ron was preparing to continue his attack, something unexpected happened...

At the severed ends of the tentacles, new tissue grew at a speed visible to the naked eye, quickly forming new tentacles that were even thicker than before!

"High-speed regeneration and adaptability?" Ron frowned slightly, a hint of worry rising in his heart.

The situation was more complicated than he had imagined.

The newly grown tentacles not only returned to their original state, but even became stronger.

The surface is also covered with more dense spikes, clearly adapted to his attack pattern.

The monster's entire body began to swell violently, and all its thorns stood up, emitting a ghostly blue light.

Then, like a rain of arrows, hundreds of sharp thorns shot out in all directions, blocking all of Ron's escape routes.

At the same time, the remaining tentacles and the newly grown tentacles formed a giant net that attacked from another direction, creating a perfect pincer movement.

Ron frowned, quickly calculating possible breakthroughs.

His mental energy was concentrated to an unprecedented degree, and a beam of mental energy instantly took shape.

"Mental interference!"

He released an invisible ripple that accurately struck the tentacle monster that had barely moved.

The effect is immediate.

Under the influence of mental interference, the tentacles immediately lost their coordination and began to twitch irregularly, creating a possible path for him to break through.

At the same time, Ron twisted his body at an almost impossible angle, trying to avoid most of the incoming thorns.

He also expanded the Radiant Ring to its maximum extent, forming a shimmering barrier of light and flame, attempting to intercept some of the incoming thorns.

However, the number of thorns was too great, and their speed was astonishing.

Even with scales protecting his body and an aura of light, several thorns still broke through his defenses and pierced his shoulders, arms, and thighs.

"Hiss—" A sharp pain shot through him instantly, and Ron felt dizzy, as if poison was spreading through his body.

This is bad. A thought flashed through his mind: these thorns may contain toxins that paralyze or weaken mental power.

"They must be removed immediately."

Despite the pain, Ron quickly channeled the power of his bloodline to the wound.

At the same time, the muscles exerted force, and the thorns on the body were quickly squeezed out. Each time a thorn was squeezed out, a tearing pain was felt.

The "Boiling Blood" property accelerates blood circulation, which has the opposite effect, making the toxins work even faster.

Although this battle takes place in the realm of consciousness, and the damage is primarily felt on a mental level, the pain and weakness are real.

Despite forcing himself to stay upright through sheer willpower, Ron still felt a wave of helplessness wash over him.

The flow of mental energy became sluggish, and the construction of spell models was not as smooth as before.

The monster seemed to sense his weakness and let out a hiss that sounded almost triumphant.

Immediately afterwards, a crack suddenly appeared in the center of its tightly closed body, revealing a huge mouth full of sharp teeth.

There was no tongue in that giant mouth, but a constantly writhing mass of black matter, which looked like some kind of liquid shadow.

The giant mouth slowly opened and closed a few times, then emitted a strange, low, muttering sound.

It wasn't human language, or even the language of any living being, yet it inexplicably held meaning in Ron's mind:

"Zkruniag Rotip."

The murmurs invaded Ron's consciousness as if they were a physical entity, each syllable carrying a strong mental impact and directly interfering with his thought process.

His previously orderly thoughts suddenly became chaotic, and the spell model collapsed in his mental space, unable to maintain a complete structure.

"This is also a form of mental interference!"

Ron recognized the attack method and felt a strong sense of fear.

This attack method is somewhat similar to the "Mental Blast" taught by Sauron, but it is more primitive, more profound, and more—distorted.

It not only interferes with the functioning of mental energy, but also triggers intense fear and despair.

Ron felt his will being eroded little by little.

Just like the waves constantly washing over the beach, over and over again, until the last grain of sand is swept into the sea.

"Stability is essential."

He gritted his teeth, desperately trying to muster the last vestiges of his consciousness to build a mental barrier.

However, just as he was trying to calm himself down, the monster's tentacles attacked again.

The thorns pierced deep into his scales, causing waves of tearing pain.

Ron faced the enormous maw filled with sharp teeth, so close that he could feel the sour stench emanating from it.

The giant mouth opened, and a stream of viscous acid sprayed out, heading straight for his face.

Ron instinctively strengthened the protection of the Radiant Ring, and a thin wall of golden-red light formed in front of him.

The acid hit the light film, emitting a piercing hissing sound, and most of it was evaporated into green mist.

However, a small amount of penetrating defense still landed on his skin, causing a severe burning sensation.

“The situation is getting worse and worse,” Ron felt an unprecedented anxiety.

Each of his attacks was neutralized by the opponent's regenerative ability, and the prolonged battle consumed a great deal of his mental energy.
The opponent's acid and thorns further injured him, limiting his mobility;

What's most troublesome is the babbling, which constantly disturbs his mental field, making it difficult for him to concentrate on casting spells.

This is far more troublesome than the lion scorpion we've faced before.

At least the lion scorpion has obvious weaknesses and periods of fatigue, while this monster seems to never tire and has a more diverse range of attack methods.

"This situation must be broken!" Ron thought painfully.

His eyes scanned every detail of the monster, his brain working at high speed, searching for a possible breakthrough.

"This thing has an exceptionally strong regenerative ability; physical attacks are limited in their effectiveness; its acid spray has a wide range, making it difficult to completely dodge; and that babbling..."

Just then, an idea suddenly flashed into my mind.

—That babbling seemed to be the core of the monster's power.

Whenever it utters murmurs, its regenerative ability becomes more vigorous, and the strength of its tentacles also increases, as if those sounds themselves are a carrier of some kind of power.

Recalling his recent advancement to the "Thousand Transformations" skill, a bold idea suddenly flashed through Ron's mind.

(End of this chapter)