Chapter 62: Chapter 61: Spiritual Contamination and Terror
More terrifyingly, as this information poured in, he began to see some dreadful visions.
In between the stars, something was moving, unimaginably vast and grotesquely distorted beyond human comprehension.
"It" writhes, stretches, devouring every planet and even stars it passes by, like a massive black hole, but even more... conscious.
Ron suddenly realized that the residual image he was witnessing might be what the Traveling Wizard who created "Star Eater’s Ravings" had seen.
Undoubtedly, it was a cosmic-level horror, an ancient entity beyond human understanding.
"This is what they call the weight of knowledge, so heavy it defies imagination. No wonder that Traveling Wizard went mad..."
As this thought surfaced, his mind began to become disordered, his brain throbbing with pain as if pierced by countless sharp blades.
In fact, he wasn’t directly staring at this entity, just inadvertently glimpsing a corner between the gaps of the stars.
But it was precisely this glimpse that sent an indescribable fear sweeping through his entire body.
His spirit was dissolving, his thoughts collapsing, like an ant trying to understand a volcanic eruption, or a drop of water attempting to encompass the entire ocean.
"My thoughts are overloading... must stop this contact..." The ocean of consciousness was sending Ron constant danger alarms.
The observer hurriedly attempted to interrupt the meditation and return to reality, but found his consciousness was firmly captured by that sight, unable to easily detach.
The stars began to flicker at an unhealthy frequency, and the ravings grew sharp and piercing, like countless insects crawling in his mind.
"No... this isn’t what I wanted... must control it..."
At this critical moment, the effect of the Artificial Star Dew suddenly erupted to the extreme.
A thin silver-blue light film formed around his consciousness, like a protective shield, filtering out most of the information that could shatter reason.
[Artificial Star Dew effect activated: Spiritual Shield]
[Currently resisting external spiritual impacts, protection level: 83%]
With the help of this layer of protection, Ron barely maintained consciousness clarity.
He clearly realized that if not for consuming the Artificial Star Dew early, he might have sunk deep into moderate contamination by now.
[Star Eater’s Ravings experience points +10]
The protective array in the room was still steadily operating, the incense had burned out, and a faint fragrant aroma lingered in the air, a remnant of the dissipated Artificial Star Dew energy.
Ron opened his eyes, finding himself soaked in cold sweat, but still relatively clear-headed, far from as bad as he had anticipated.
Lady Allen’s warning was correct, and the cautious early use of Artificial Star Dew indeed protected him at the critical moment.
Calming down, Ron noticed his lips were also bitten from prolonged tension, a trace of blood sliding down his lip corner.
[Warning: Spiritual contamination detected]
He immediately stretched out his hand to pick up the silver pocket watch by the bed, channeling his consciousness into it, attempting to eliminate this abnormal state.
The black gemstone on the pocket watch immediately lit up, starting to absorb the negative state from him.
[Successfully reset negative state: Moderate Spiritual Contamination, energy -5]
As the pocket watch reset the spiritual contamination, Ron felt his mind gradually clearing, his thoughts returning to order.
The feeling of being disturbed by countless strange thoughts disappeared, leaving only a faint fatigue.
"That was too dangerous..." he murmured to himself, still breaking into a cold sweat.
Even with Lady Allen’s warning, he hadn’t expected the first meditation of "Star Eater’s Ravings" to be so thrilling.
However, danger and reward often coexist.
His spiritual power seemed to have undergone some special tempering through this experience, just as muscles need to be torn to reassemble stronger, the mind needs such extreme experiences to reach new heights.
[Spiritual Power has endured the ultimate challenge!]
[Spirit: 2.4→2.6]
"If not for the prepared pocket watch and Star Dew, today would have been... I’d better be even more cautious next time, the dangers in this world are indeed a bit too much."
Ron sighed, feeling deeply grateful.
He opened the window, letting the fresh night air flood into the room, relieving some of the subtle oppressive feeling still lingering in the room.
The night was deep, yet his mind was exceptionally clear.
He knew this was a normal reaction brought by the leap in spiritual power, requiring at least a few hours to truly calm down.
"Since I can’t sleep, I might as well use this time."
Ron retrieved a notebook from under the bed, planning to roughly document the experience and feelings of this meditation for future reference.
Once the records were complete, he felt his spirit finally beginning to relax, and his eyelids gradually grew heavy.
In fact, after the pocket watch had reset the contamination, the energy gauge still had five points left to use, but the heavy spiritual burden rendered him unable to train further.
Luckily, the pocket watch gauge refreshes daily at midnight, so practicing more after returning from Lady Allen’s tomorrow afternoon shouldn’t be wasted.
As he lay in bed, he recalled the visions of the stars he saw today, the feeling of grandeur mixed with terror still vivid.
"This is the path of the Wizard, where the weight of knowledge and the boundaries of madness stretch out..."
With such thoughts, he finally sank into sleep.
.........
In the morning, Ron stood at the window, watching the dawn light dispel the mist above the Black Mist Jungle, slightly alleviating the fright from last night.
In the brief sleep just now, he had a very peculiar dream.
In the dream, he was walking in an endless sea of stars, surrounded by a sound of indescribable ravings.
In the depths of the star sea, something was watching him, its gaze ancient and cold, enough to send chills down his spine.
"Was it an illusion born out of my exhaustion?"
Ron rubbed his eyes, the professional panel showing all status normal, the pocket watch last night should have completely reset his contamination state.
He shook his head, now the most important thing was to quickly grasp the core tenets of "Star Eater’s Ravings," to prepare for the challenges ahead.
"First go to Lady Allen’s to report last night’s experience, then continue studying."Follow current novels on ɴovel(ꜰ)ɪre.nᴇt
Ron already had a plan in mind.
.........
The herb store was quiet and peaceful in the morning, a faint herbal scent permeating the air, as Lady Allen sorted the previous day’s accounts behind the counter.
"You’re here?" She didn’t lift her head, seemingly knowing Ron’s arrival in advance.
"Yes, ma’am." Ron replied respectfully, closing the shop door behind him.
Lady Allen was already waiting inside, her deep green eyes locking onto him the moment he entered, as if trying to see through his soul.
"I see you’ve already tried it." The old witch, without any pleasantries, pointed out directly, "Faster than I expected."