In the pitch-black void, a point of white light appeared. The white light slowly spun.
If you were to trace its path, it would form a continuous, ever-expanding spiral, like a growing mosquito coil.
In this process, tiny, colorful specks of light emerged from the edges of the void, merging into the white light's trajectory.
Circle after circle, Ronan finally opened his eyes after an unknown number of rotations.
At that moment, Ronan felt an extraordinary mental clarity, as if he had awoken from the most refreshing sleep, his mind alert and his thoughts racing with exceptional speed.
"Did it work?"
Ronan's lips moved slightly, unable to suppress the joy on his face.
Indeed, it had worked.
He could sense what was described in "Basic Meditation Techniques"—a lively, transparent stream of air in his mind, indescribable yet tangible.
This was what they called mental strength.
Sensing its existence proved Ronan's first successful meditation, marking his official entry into wizardry.
"Thank you."
Feeling pleased, Ronan gently touched the line of words on the bed frame, whispering his gratitude.
This success was significantly aided by that line of words, and Ronan decided to clean the dust and grime from the engraved letters the next day, reading it daily as a reminder and encouragement.
As he was about to get out of bed to pour himself a drink of water, Ronan suddenly noticed a fleeting image before his eyes.
It was as if something had suddenly flown into his vision.
He blinked hard, trying to clear it, only for the light to warp at the corner of his eyes, and a pale blue screen popped up.
**[Name: Ronan Damien]**
**[Age: 16]**
**[Affinity: Non-Elemental]**
**[Level: Level 1 Wizard Apprentice (86%)]**
**[Skill: Basic Meditation Techniques (Beginner 1/100)]**
"Uh..."
Ronan was completely stunned.
He wondered if he was seeing things and rubbed his eyes hard, but the screen remained unchanged.
A thought crossed his mind, and the screen disappeared instantly.
When he focused again, the screen reappeared.
After repeating this several times, he realized it was controlled by his thoughts.
"A character panel like in a game?!"
Was this a bonus from his transmigration, or was he in an incredibly realistic game world?
Ronan thought about it and felt the first guess was more reliable.
Or rather, he preferred the first guess.
Of course, regardless of the possibility, it didn't matter since he couldn't go back. What truly mattered was how to use this panel to survive and live better in this world.
After his initial shock, Ronan suppressed his joy and began studying the information displayed on the panel.
"So I'm non-elemental."
From the original owner's knowledge of wizards, non-elemental affinity meant having no advantages or obstacles in learning any branch of wizardry.
This wasn't necessarily good news.
If Ronan had a fire affinity, learning fire spells would be easier for him, and the potency of his fire spells would be enhanced.
While learning other spells would be harder and less powerful, this drawback could be circumvented by choosing the right spells to focus on.
At the Hoddam Wizard Academy, taking any spell class allowed for a free elemental affinity test. Unfortunately, after paying the admission fee and buying the four wizarding books, the original owner had spent nearly all his magic stones, leaving no money to enroll in spell classes.
Thus, Ronan only now discovered his elemental affinity.
He was undeniably disappointed, but without the option to restart, he had to accept it.
The "Level" section on the panel indicated Ronan's current rank, Level 1 Wizard Apprentice, with the 86% showing his progress within that rank.
Reality hit Ronan hard once more. The original owner had been in the Hoddam Wizarding Land for nearly half a year now.
Despite the lack of guidance and the difficulty of self-taught meditation, he was still some distance from reaching the standard for a Level 2 Wizard Apprentice, highlighting his rather average talent.
"I've heard some talented wizard prospects can strengthen their mental power to Level 2 within weeks, or even days, after starting meditation.
Comparisons can be infuriating."
Looking at the line carved into the bed frame now seemed full of irony to Ronan.
"Does hard work really matter when the gap in innate talent is so vast?"
Ronan asked himself cynically, feeling a bit disheartened.
However, when his gaze returned to the panel, he found a glimmer of hope.
"Maybe."
Continuing to look down, there wasn't much else to see.
The barren skill section only included the recently acquired Basic Meditation Techniques, with a meager proficiency of 1.
No wonder he couldn't pick up on the original owner's memories during meditation; they were wiped clean upon his transmigration.
"Whatever, it doesn't matter anymore. I'll start from scratch, from now!"
"At least now I'm a man with a cheat, with dedication, anything is possible!"
Ronan encouraged himself, his mind still alert from meditation, feeling no urge to sleep.
He decided to study through the night, alternating between reading the remaining books and exploring his newly awakened cheat.
Unbeknownst to him, the fireflies in the illumination pouch above ceased their flight, and the glow dimmed.
"Chirp chirp—"
The dawn and bird calls awakened the sleeping forest.
The door of the small, dusty wooden house on the tall, vine-covered old oak tree creaked open.
A boy in a gray robe stepped out of the house.
He was of average build, with slightly curled chestnut hair, his eyelids and cheeks appearing a bit puffy, giving him a bloated look, though his spirits seemed high.
It was Ronan, out for some fresh air after a sleepless night.
"Heh—"
Ronan yawned and emptied the chamber pot he had filled overnight through the gaps in the oak tree's branches.
He then returned to the house with a smaller clay pot to collect morning dew from the leaves.
Ronan wasn't particularly tired.
Studying wizard books all night, he took breaks to meditate when needed. While meditation couldn't entirely replace sleep, it was far better than staying up all night without rest.
However—
Ronan felt a dull pain in his chest, a nagging discomfort.
His limbs also felt weak, and he nearly fell while gathering dew.
It seemed his body was even weaker than the day before.
Perhaps it was hunger from not eating all night.
Or maybe...
Was something wrong with his body?!