Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

Chapter 534 A Little Happiness

“Yes!” Nari clenched his fist. “We should look for those memories that prove our strength!”

“That’s true.” Acelia also rallied:

"The power of the dragon race is a truth that cannot be distorted by any means!"

But Ron frowned.

As Leira spoke, he noticed a detail.

The memory maggots that roamed the maze became noticeably more active when she appeared, and even vaguely gathered towards her.

This phenomenon reminded him of the relationship between certain parasitic organisms and their hosts.

On the other hand, while Laira's words sound reasonable, they contain a subtle logical trap.

She equates "truth" with "positive" and "distortion" with "negative".

However, this simplistic binary opposition violates the principle of speculative reasoning.

Those three crazy rabbits also reminded themselves: "The most precious treasures are often hidden in the most inconspicuous corners."

If we apply this principle to the current situation...
Thinking of this, Ron took a step back and shook his head:

"wrong."

He looked around, and the mirrors reflecting pain, glory, sorrow, and joy were all filled with intense drama.

Every scene is as exaggerated as an opera, and every emotion is amplified to a degree that transcends reality.

"The more intense the emotions, the easier they are to be distorted and exploited."

Ron calmly analyzed:

"A true mirror may not need such a glamorous stage at all."

Laira's blank face stiffened slightly.

Deep within her, a surge of frenzied emotion welled up like a tidal wave:

What is he hesitating about?
This future of ruling the world is the ultimate desire that no male creature can resist!
Why...why didn't he immediately become addicted to it?

Did he discover something?
But on the surface, she maintained her composure:

"Dear visitor, your caution is commendable."

But time is limited, and the memory maggots have already begun to gather..."

Indeed, those translucent memory parasites were gradually approaching the three of them.

They seemed to be drawn to the "emotional scent" that Nari and Azalea had emitted during their emotional outbursts.

However, Ron completely ignored Laira's warning.

He turned away from the alluring golden mirror and began searching along the edges and corners of the maze.

Those mirrors reflecting epic scenes:

He ignored emperors who conquered the world, heroes who slayed dragons, and sages whose wisdom was as vast as the sea.

Instead, he focused on the most inconspicuous and dimly lit reflective surfaces.

Some are almost impossible to photograph because they are covered by dust, while others are half-hidden by vines and moss.

Laila's anxiety began to rise sharply:

You idiot! You've missed the only "right" answer! You're wasting your time!

...Wait, what is he looking for?
Those corners are filled with only discarded fragments of memories, utterly worthless!
...No, his direction...could he be thinking...Impossible! How could he possibly be thinking of going that place?!

As Ron's search became clearer, Laira could no longer remain completely calm.

Her heart was boiling like a volcano, but on the surface she maintained a calm and composed demeanor, continuing her "kind" reminder:
"Challenger, the reflected energy in the edge areas is weak and full of uncertainty, making it easy to get lost in them."

Her voice remained gentle.

But upon closer listening, a hint of urgency had already crept in.

The more people oppose it, the more it proves that they are right!

Ron smiled, ignoring the commotion, and continued his search.

Finally, in a corner half-hidden by weeping vines, he found his target.

It was a small, unremarkable hand mirror covered in dust.

This mirror is so ordinary that it has almost been forgotten.

It has no ornate carvings, no mysterious runes, and even its basic smoothness has been lost due to dust.

Ron gently brushed away the dust, and a very ordinary scene slowly appeared in the mirror:

That was a scene of him preparing "multi-element soup" with Ailan and Dale in the observatory's top-class kitchen.

There was no earth-shattering battle, no inspiring speech; just three people gathered around the kitchen counter, focused on preparing the ingredients.

Ailan carefully adjusted the heat with vines, the green leaves trembling slightly in the steam;
Dale used her siren's talent to test the purity of the soup base, her eyes full of seriousness;
Ron himself was patiently waiting for the right moment to add the ingredients, his face showing only focus and tranquility.

This scene, because it is too "ordinary," is overshadowed by other dramatic illusions.

But it is precisely in this everyday life that the most sincere and pure emotions are contained—care, trust, and mutual appreciation.

When Ron's fingers touched the mirror, Laira's composure completely crumbled.

"No!"

She let out a roar of resentment.

All pretense was completely stripped away at this moment, revealing the true face of the Time Hound.

The mirror began to melt, flowing like silver mercury, and eventually coalesced into a key made of warm light.

But what makes this key unique is that each ray of light contains a special "frequency".

That was a resonance of genuine emotions.

[Gaining Insight: The Secrets of Enchantment]

Ron understood that the true essence of high-level enchanting was not merely the infusion of powerful magic.

True masterpieces require the infusion of genuine and pure emotion into the very soul of the object.

This involves a deep understanding of the "Flesh and Blood Rune" technique, which is one of the two core requirements for advancing to the next level as a rune expert.

"I see," he murmured to himself.

"The most genuine emotions are often hidden in the most ordinary daily life."

Passion may fade, vows may be forgotten, but the quiet, enduring care can be eternally etched into the depths of the soul.

As the key took shape, the entire Mirror Maze began to shake violently.

Those magnificent mirrors shattered one by one, scattering like raindrops.

Laira's figure also became unstable due to the tremors.

Sometimes a gentle administrator, sometimes a ferocious hunting dog.

"You damned little bug!"

She completely dropped her pretense, her voice becoming sharp and malicious:
"You mere Moon-level wizard, do you think you can escape my domain just by finding a broken key?"

Space began to distort and reorganize.

The mirror maze vanished, replaced by a pure white, endless space.

Here, although Laira is weakened and can no longer create complex illusions indefinitely, she is still the master of this mental realm.

"Since gentle methods are ineffective, then I'll let you experience despair!"

The battle is imminent!
Laira's figure split like a shattered kaleidoscope, transforming into dozens of beams of light that darted through space at high speed.

Every ray of light and shadow was rapidly changing shape.

Eve's sweet smile suddenly twisted into a painful cry, Ailan's worried eyes instantly turned into a desperate accusation, and Dale's innocent call turned into a shrill scream.

"tutor……"

Eve's phantom appeared from the left, her amethyst eyes brimming with blood and tears:
Why did you abandon me? You promised to stay with me forever...

Before she finished speaking, she had already rushed in front of Ron, her ten fingers like sharp blades aimed straight for his throat!
Ron quickly dodged to the side, but then he heard Ailan's pleading voice from his right:

"Master...please don't leave me, what did I do wrong?"

Countless vines, like venomous snakes, surged from the ground, attempting to entangle his legs.

Before he could completely escape, Dale's phantom pounced on him from behind:
"Dair is so scared... Why doesn't Master want Darle anymore? Darle will be very obedient..."

As the siren spoke, she spat out a mouthful of corrosive acid!

Ron was attacked from three sides and barely managed to leap up to dodge, only to find that there were even more phantoms waiting for him in the air.

Professor Yutel's figure hovered in mid-air like a judge, the light from his ethereal form as cold as frost.
“Ron, I’m very disappointed in you. I’ve imparted all my knowledge to you, and you’ve used it to satisfy your own selfish desires…”

The words struck Ron's heart like a heavy hammer, while a sharp mental shockwave struck the core of his consciousness!
"baby!"

Nari made an anxious call at the crucial moment.

Although the special rules here restrict her true form, the deep connection in her bloodline remains unobstructed.

The chaotic power of the Apostle surged into Ron's body like a tidal wave, resonating strongly with the chaotic ram-headed bloodline.

As the link strengthened, a strange dark purple light suddenly shone from Ron's body, and the [Radiation Field] instantly unfolded!

This time it was no longer an instinctive release, but rather the power of the chaotic origin amplified by Nari.

Its dual characteristics of devouring and disrupting are amplified to the extreme, frantically absorbing the emotional energy of the battlefield like a black hole.

Laira's illusions were immediately disrupted. The lifelike faces began to distort and deform, the clear voices became intermittent, and the entire rhythm of the attack was thrown off balance.

"This aura... You're not an Abyss Awakener, how can you possess such pure chaotic power?!"

The hounds' cries of terror came from all directions, but her reaction was extremely swift.

Since emotional attacks are being disrupted, let's change our strategy!
"Since you like chaos, then I'll give you real chaos!"

Leira abandoned elaborate illusions and began to create pure sensory chaos.

The colors in the space began to change wildly, the sound frequencies were violently distorted, and even the direction of gravity was constantly changing.

Up, down, left, and right have completely lost their meaning. Ron finds himself as if he were inside an ever-rotating kaleidoscope.

Even more terrifying is that Laira herself moves through this chaos like a ghost.

Sometimes she attacks from "above," sometimes she ambushes from "behind," making it impossible to predict where she will appear next.

"Hahaha! In my domain, I am a god!"

A semi-transparent mental blade struck from Ron's blind spot, and the flowing barrier couldn't defend against it at all.

He managed to turn his head to dodge, but a deep cut was still made on his left shoulder.

The drops of blood fell into the white space and were immediately absorbed.

"Ron!" Azalea cried out urgently amidst the chaos.
"Her attack pattern is predictable! There's a brief energy build-up period before each attack!"

The dragons' fighting prowess was on full display at this moment.

Even in her child form, Azalea is still able to pinpoint her opponent's weaknesses amidst the chaos.

But simply knowing the weaknesses is not enough.

In such an extremely chaotic environment, a short warning time is simply insufficient to make an effective response.

Just as Ron was in grave danger, he suddenly remembered the silver pocket watch on his chest.

[Pheromone Tagging]!
With a thought, he silently imprinted it onto Laira.

"Got you……"

Ron gently stroked his pocket watch, pinpointing the hound's exact location.

No matter how she shifted and moved, she remained as clearly visible to him as a star in the night sky.

But this is not enough.

Laira is extremely fast, and even if you can predict her location, hitting her is still very difficult.

He needed an opportunity, a chance for the hounds to expose their weakness.

"Acelia! Dragon's Might Shakes the World!"

The silver-haired girl understood and took a deep breath.

Although their power was severely restricted, the majesty of the ancient dragon race was by no means merely decorative.

“VORTH'GAR THEK SULANI! (Tremble!)”

The childish voice contained a racial oppression that acted deep within the soul.

The chaos in the space instantly subsided!
All of Laira's illusions trembled simultaneously, their movements coming to a fatal halt.

She clearly hadn't expected that this seemingly harmless little girl was actually the ancient dragon soul that she had sensed possessing the other person!
"It's now!"

Ron seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and detonated the time-disruption effect of the [Pheromone Mark].

The flow of time in space becomes extremely unstable.

Countless time vortexes appeared around Leira.

In some areas, time accelerated to the extreme; in others, time almost stood still; and in still others, time even briefly reversed.

"Pheromone marking?! How could a human wizard possibly... and I should be completely immune!"

Leila's voice was filled with disbelief.

Her figure became extremely stiff in the turbulent flow of time, as if bound by invisible shackles.

Ron certainly knew the reason.

Pocket watches belong to the "king of clocks," whose status is far superior to that of mere elite hounds, and thus they can naturally play a role.

But in battle, he's not one of those villains who like to give long-winded explanations; he has no obligation to answer questions for the enemy.

Nari's chaotic power surged in once more, amplifying this attack!
——Mental shock!
The mental shockwave, amplified by the power of chaos, tore through space like an invisible thunderbolt.

The attack precisely struck the core of Leila's consciousness, which was trapped by time chaos.

"what--!"

The hound let out a piercing howl, its mental defenses completely collapsing under this blow.

Her body began to sway violently, and the scattered illusions dissipated.

But Laira lived up to her reputation as an elite hound, still managing to fight back even after suffering heavy losses.

She endured the excruciating pain, burning her life essence to unleash her final, deadly attack.

"Time Cage!"

Countless threads of time burst forth from her body, attempting to completely bind Ron to a frozen state of time.

Once this attack hits, even a wizard of the same level will have to pay a huge price to escape!
At the critical moment, Acelia struck again:

“KOTH'VALAR NETH! (Crush!)”

The power of the dragon's language struck the threads of time like a heavy hammer.

While it cannot be completely destroyed, it is enough to create a breach!
Without hesitation, Ron used "Time Jump" to break through the gap, unleashing the full power of his Thunderfire Tyrant bloodline.

—Radiant Ring Thunder Mode!
Within the expanding aperture, dazzling lightning also descended, completely enveloping Leira.

A powerful electric current, like thousands of silver snakes, coursed through her body, paralyzing her and rendering her completely immobile.

"No...no!"

Laila collapsed to the ground, her form gradually becoming transparent, her eyes filled with resentment and confusion:

"I am an elite hound, how could I lose to a Moon-level wizard..."

"Because you got the point wrong from the very beginning."

Ron slowly walked toward the hound, his body still bearing the marks of the battle.

There was not a trace of victor's smugness in his eyes:

"You think that by constructing a perfect mental trap, you can trap all your prey."

Little do people realize that true strength is never swayed by emotions. Emotions are a source of power, not a root of weakness.

He turned to look at Nari and Azalea, and smiled faintly:
"Most importantly, I've never been fighting alone."

Laiira was ruled a complete defeat by the rules of the arena.

The body formed by light and shadow began to lose stability, constantly dissipating and reassembling like smoke blown away by a strong wind.

The true nature of this elite hunting dog is beginning to emerge.

It was a collection of countless fragments of memories she had devoured, pieced together from each other.

Every memory is weeping, struggling, and trying to regain its independent existence:

"Give me back my childhood..."

"Give me back my lover's face..."

"Give me back my mother's voice..."

"Give us back our names..."

Thousands of voices intertwined in the air, forming a mournful elegy.

These real memories, forcibly distorted, altered, and devoured by the hounds, are now desperately trying to break free from her control.

But even on the verge of collapse, the instincts of the Time Hound kept her sane.

She knew that complete dissipation meant true death.

As a result, all the scattered fragments of light and shadow began to shrink towards the center, forming a sphere about the size of a fist.

The sphere constantly changes color—sometimes a deep-sea blue-black, sometimes a blood-red scarlet, and sometimes a sickly pale green.

Each color represents a type of memory that she has distorted:
The beautiful is tainted with despair, the painful is magnified into nightmares, and the ordinary is distorted into falsehood.

"The Core of Illusory Light," Acelia whispered in Ron's arms.
"This is usually the last struggle of an elite timehound when it is dying."

She compressed all her essence into this core, forming an extremely unstable but immensely powerful form of existence.

Nari watched the floating sphere warily:
"Honey, be careful. This thing is like a time bomb; it could explode at any moment."

But Ron did not back down.

Instead, he slowly walked toward the still slightly trembling core of light, a hint of greed in his eyes.

This look in their eyes felt somewhat unfamiliar to both Nari and Azalea.

That wasn't the other person's usual rational and gentle gaze, but something more primal and thirsty.

"Ron?" Acelia asked softly, "What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking," Ron said, his voice unusually calm.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

(End of this chapter)