Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

Chapter 544 The Creator's Recognition
Ron's heart was undoubtedly in his throat.

In his mind, various escape plans were already being devised.

Can Nari's chaotic power tear apart this dimensional space?

Could Erica's pocket watch briefly freeze the other person's consciousness?
Will the King of Absurdity and the King of Illusion step in to get themselves out of trouble?

In this anxious wait, Hephaestus slowly spoke.

“You haven’t eliminated the shadows, however…”

The voice of the Lord of Light echoed softly through the sea of ​​stars, as solemn as a morning bell or evening drum:

"You taught the shadows how to dance."

These words eased Ron's tension slightly.

"You did not win through superior skills or impeccable logic, although you have achieved some success in these areas, but not to the point of convincing me."

Hephaestus continued, his tone tinged with disappointment:

"You cheated in this game."

A madman's fireworks were thrown into my sandbox, and the resulting chaos happened to befall you.

At this point, the entire dimension seemed to hold its breath.

The starlight became serene, and the ripples in time and space temporarily subsided.

"This is exactly the trick that madman Hector always uses: if he can't solve a problem, he creates a new one..."

A powerful mental pressure suddenly descended, pressing down on him like the pressure of deep sea water.

The air became as thick as mercury, and each breath felt like drawing air from the depths of the lungs.

However, this terrible pressure came quickly and went quickly.

"...But then again..."

Hephaestus's tone underwent a subtle change.

That condescending, judgely tone gradually faded away:

"The result was indeed fascinating."

The Lord of Light's voice carried a hint of reluctance, but more so, a heartfelt approval:

"You created a system that thrives because of its own imperfections, a civilization that finds strength in contradictions."

"This is by no means the standard answer I am looking for, and it even goes against my beliefs."

But it was ultimately an answer, an answer I had never considered.

As He spoke, His form began to become less solid.

The pure light that made up the body began to flicker, as uncertain as a candle flame in the wind.

At the same time, the "Mirror Kingdom" itself, maintained by His powerful will.

It also began to show signs of waking up from a dream, with its surface covered in spiderweb-like cracks, gradually dissipating.

“You are walking the path of the ancient alchemists, a path of true ‘creation’.”

Hephaestus's voice began to fade into the distance, as if it were being withdrawn from this dimension:
"Before I leave, I will give you what you need most."

"This is not a gift, but a catalyst—catalyzing the 'understanding' you've already earned through your own efforts."

He slowly raised a finger made of pure starlight and gently touched Ron's forehead.

This is not a simple data transfer or memory transfer.

The moment his fingertips touched his forehead, Ron felt an initiation of pure "true knowledge".

It was a moment of absolute clarity, a direct understanding that transcended language.

It was as if someone had suddenly lit a lamp for him in the midst of chaotic darkness.

The light illuminates the sparks of wisdom that have always existed within him, yet have never been clearly recognized.

He did not gain any new recipes or occult knowledge from it.

He was only beginning to understand that the true secret of alchemy lay in the art of discerning the "story" of a thing.

As he gazed at a meteorite floating in the sea of ​​stars.

In his eyes, it is a grand narrative spanning hundreds of millions of years:
It's about shaping pressure, tempering with heat, and waiting in stillness.

Each crack tells a story of its lonely wandering in the void;

Every glimmer of light records its intimate encounter with the stars;
Every grain of dust carries the primordial memory of the universe's birth.

To change this meteorite, we must first understand its story and then write a new chapter for it.

He understood that potion-making is the art of unleashing the "potential" of something.

When he imagined an ordinary herb.

In his perception, it was a vibrant life form yearning to grow, be healed, or be poisoned.

Every leaf contains unfulfilled possibilities;
Every drop of juice flows with the primal impulse of life;
Every wisp of fragrance conveys a longing to communicate with other life forms.

True potions masters listen, understand, and then persuade the ingredients to blend together.

He understood that enchanting is the art of writing that connects "story" and "potential".

A rune is not merely a mysterious pattern; it is a complete sentence in the language of reality itself.

It is the code that tells a stone how to become a sword;
It is the reasoning that convinces people why herbs should heal wounds;
It is a poem that teaches starlight how to bring warmth to the darkness.

The power of runes lies not in their mystery, but in their logic.

It uses the most basic language of the universe to explain the fundamental laws governing the transformation of all things.

This realization nourished Ron's consciousness like sweet dew.

Those technical problems that once troubled him now seem to have clear solutions.

As the lesson ended, Hephaestus looked at Ron and sighed softly.

"Lance and Alexander were excellent craftsmen; they were repairing the existing world."

The Lord of Light's tone softened: "And you, you possess the potential to create a new world."

As they spoke, fragments of time and space froze in mid-air.

Two objects emanating an aura of primordial energy slowly emerged from the gradually dimming light and hovered in front of Ron.

The first item is a "sand table".

In Ron's mind, it appeared as a miniature, glowing chessboard.

But at the same time, it is also a door to infinite possibilities.

"I'm handing my sand table over to you."

Hephaestus handed over the extremely abstract "sand table":

"I will not play against you again, because I have seen everything I needed to see."

"The game still exists, but it's no longer about winning or losing."

"You can choose to enter it in your dream and hone your skills."

Show me, and show yourself, just how high a civilization built on 'dancing with shadows' can truly reach.

This is a tool for practice.

It allows Ron to practice the Tripartite Arts on the grandest scale.

This allows him to rapidly improve his proficiency without taking up his valuable time in the real world.

Time flows faster in the sand table than in reality; a dream in one night can encompass decades or even centuries of civilization's development.
The space presented in the sand table is more expansive than in reality, allowing one to overlook the changes of the entire world in an instant;

Every creation, every blend, and every enchantment Ron makes will receive the most direct and profound feedback.

Hephaestus's role in this process is less that of a generous "giver" and more that of a stern "midwife".

He did not simply provide ready-made knowledge or skills, but rather the special framework of "sandplay therapy".

Within this framework, extreme hardship and powerful adversaries will put Ron to a stifling test.

This forced him to make numerous critical decisions in a short period of time, thereby rapidly accumulating experience and wisdom.

This approach to growth, while challenging, is far more efficient than any traditional learning method.

After all, people can only unleash their full potential under real pressure.

The second item is a real "key".

[A beacon to the mysteries of creation—"The Key to the Craftsman's Labyrinth"]

It is a fractal crystal beacon that is constantly reconstructing itself.

The appearance of this strange object resembles a frozen droplet of rainbow liquid.

Its internal structure, however, is constantly evolving. Through its crystal-clear surface, Ron can see an eternal dance of creation unfolding within:

At the microscopic level, countless points of light collide, coalesce, and separate like stardust, each contact sparking new possibilities;
On a macroscopic level, virtual galaxies are born, rotate, and annihilate within them, as if calculating the complete cycle of the entire universe from creation to end.

This magnificent sight evokes the thought process of the Creator during the creation of the world.

Every thought breeds endless changes, and every inspiration can give birth to a completely new reality.

It contains dynamic coordinates that point to the dimension of the true "craftsman's labyrinth".

This also means that the coordinates themselves are "alive".

They grow, change, and evolve like living organisms, and cannot be conquered by simple copying or brute force.

Only when Ron's own strength, and his understanding of the mysteries of "creation":

In other words, only when the integration of alchemy, potion-making, and enchanting skills reaches a certain critical point can he truly "understand" the changing patterns of this beacon.

This allows us to pinpoint and open the door to the true "artisan's labyrinth".

Within the labyrinth lie countless unfinished "creation works" and experimental data left behind by Saint Hephaestus;

There are also the ultimate secrets about the second cornerstone—the "Creator," and the secrets of how ancient alchemists ascended to higher realms.

This key is equivalent to Hephaestus's recognition of Ron's qualifications to be a candidate for "Ancient Alchemist".

At the same time, a new notification appeared on the job panel that only Ron could see:
[Note: You have met one of the requirements for advancing to the Ancient Alchemist rank:]

"Gaining the approval of an ancient alchemist"

The source detected is "Perfect King" Saint Hephaestus.

Its rank is higher than "Ancient Alchemist (Four-Star)" and belongs to the advanced profession "Creator (Five-Star)".

The advanced condition has been determined as "exceeding the target"!

[Exceeding the target will provide additional stat bonuses when you advance to the "Ancient Alchemist" class.]

Just when Ron thought he had a unique opportunity.

Hephaestus's voice rang out again:

"This key is not the only one in the world."

Over the years, I have granted entry to the maze to more than one 'potential' challenger.

"A solitary genius may be able to create miracles, but truly great creations often require the collision and fusion of multiple kinds of wisdom."

When you are qualified to enter the labyrinth, you can bring along all your trusted companions, just as Hector did with his friends in the past.

"The labyrinth never welcomes lone adventurers."

These words resonated in Ron's mind, bringing him a pleasant surprise.

Being able to explore with teammates opens up a whole lot of possibilities...

With the complete collapse of the Mirror Kingdom, he found himself still sitting in his dormitory at Emerald Ring No. 2.

The "Complete Explanation of the Extraordinary" in front of me closed quietly, as if everything that had just happened was just a splendid dream.

However, the heavy feeling of the silver pocket watch on his chest, and the glittering "sand table interface" in his mind, both reminded him:
This is no illusion.

He immediately began to tally up the enormous gains from this extraordinary encounter:

In addition to the "Three Dogs Bond Combination" which can provide a huge boost in combat power.

Ancient alchemists have gained significant insights and clear paths to advancement in the three phases of their skills.

He benefited greatly from skills such as Alchemy, Enchantment, and Runeology, and the mysteries of alchemy and runes became clearer to him than ever before.

The experience points for [Advanced Potions (Mastery)] are also rising rapidly, almost reaching the ceiling for that level;
I have almost completely solved the difficulties I faced in overcoming the [Potion Professor] challenge.

The third condition, "creating at least one original potion recipe," is no longer a problem for him.

Inspired by Hephaestus, he was able to "listen" to the heart of the herbs and "understand" the desires of the elements, thus creating truly living potions.

The only condition that requires time is the fourth one:
They trained five students to the level of potion masters.

However, his elite group of students also made progress quite quickly.

Based on the current pace, I estimate that I will receive another round of intensive guidance after returning home in six months.

This could lead to the creation of at least two professional potion masters.

At the same time, as several related skills approached the maximum experience value for the [Mastery] level, the job panel suggested a brand new possibility:
【hint:
It has been detected that you possess multiple skills with near-Mastery level experience values ​​at maximum.
[Expert skills fusion can be attempted]

[Expert Skills Integration:]
This is a crucial step from "mastering" to "creating";
The requirement is to integrate knowledge from different fields and create one's own unique system.

Fusion conditions:
You must have at least two related [Mastery] level skills that have reached their maximum experience level.
And a sufficiently profound "opportunity" or "insight" to ignite the spark of integration.

These opportunities and insights would have previously required years or even decades of arduous practice to find.

However, with the "sandbox game" bestowed by Hephaestus, this problem became relatively easy to solve.

In that civilization's evolution where the flow of time was accelerated, he could conduct countless experiments, fail, reflect, and experiment again...

In the shortest amount of time, one can accumulate the experience and insights that most people would need a lifetime to gain.

Just as he was immersed in planning the future development path, a crackling sound from a spacetime rift broke the silence of the room.

The figure of the hunting dog, Sackron, slowly emerged from the crack.

His weathered eyes were fixed hostilely on the phantom image of Carlos projected from the pocket watch.

The two hounds stared at each other like blades clashing, and a tense atmosphere filled the air.

“I smell a schemer in the air,” Sackran roared in a deep, thunderous voice.
"Young hound, do you think you can erase your past by siding with a new master?"

"And I saw a living fossil that only knew how to shrink back and not move forward."

Carlos's voice came from the pocket watch, his tone filled with undisguised contempt:
“Sakron, your ‘experience’ and ‘wisdom’ are nothing more than synonyms for fear.”

The hostility between the two timehounds surged like a tidal wave, almost tearing the air out of the room.

"Humanity."

Sackran ignored Carlos's taunts and turned directly to Ron:
"The news of your defeat of the three elite hounds has spread like wildfire through every tributary of the River of Time."

"You are no longer that nameless nobody who can be hunted at will."

Now, the weaker, younger generation will no longer risk their lives to search for you.

The implication is that those who dare to come again are mostly elite hunting dogs with absolute confidence in themselves.

Ron nodded, having been mentally prepared for this outcome.

Reputation is a double-edged sword:
It can bring respect and opportunities, but it can also attract more powerful enemies and more complex challenges.

"Please allow me to propose a rather practical strategy."

Carlos's voice smoothly entered the conversation:

"Directly hunting our own kind has now indeed become a low-probability event."

"However, other historians and astrologers also explore the river of time and conduct various studies. And they..."

The hound's tone turned somewhat cold: "Completely unprepared."

Ron raised an eyebrow, keenly sensing the implications of the suggestion:
"You mean, use them as bait?"

Carlos nodded affirmatively:
"Yes, it was deliberately designed to let those radicals hunt these 'easy targets'."

When the hounds are fully focused on the fight and lower their guard, we emerge from the shadows, transforming into the true hunters.

The advantage of this strategy is:

We can gain new spoils and eliminate the threat of those radicals.

"It can be described as a perfect solution that achieves three goals at once."

Sakron was completely stunned after hearing these words.

“This…this is strikingly similar to Erica’s original plan.”

The old hunting dog's voice began to tremble:
"It's just that Erica chose to use herself as bait, while you..."

He looked at Ron, then at the pocket watch that imprisoned Carlos's wisdom, and let out a weary sigh.

"The path this new master is taking feels... far too familiar."

History always repeats itself, only the roles and details are slightly different.

Erica once used herself as bait, ultimately dragging the entire Timehound clan into an abyss of near extinction.

Ron is now considering using others as bait, a similarity that makes Sackran feel the cruel mockery of fate.

Perhaps, there is a certain commonality in the mindset of the strong.

They always come up with the most efficient, ruthless, and dangerous solutions.

(End of this chapter)