At this moment, Richard's body radiated a golden light that was both beautiful and majestic, carrying an aura that was serene yet oppressive — as if it possessed infinite vitality.

However, Richard couldn't care less about the changes happening to his body.

He was shocked and bewildered after reading the final message from the System.

It stopped?

How could it stop?

So, there really was a limit to the enhancement granted by the System.

And it stopped once he reached the World Realm.

Richard couldn't say he was unhappy — but there was a certain discomfort in his heart, as he had grown used to the feeling of progress that wasn't the result of his own effort.

If that was the case, didn't this mean he would now have to rely on himself entirely to improve his mastery over the Codex and Arcane Arts he possessed?

'Looks like, for now, I really have to focus solely on training to reach the World Realm,' he thought.

He had many things he wanted to do, yet suddenly he lost interest in them all.

Nothing felt more important than advancing to the World Realm, even though he didn't know how long it would take.

It was, indeed, a difficult goal.

Of course, it would be troubling if he still failed even after ten years.

"Boy, it's done!" Suddenly, the Fire Spirit Queen appeared again in his room and tossed a golden coin toward Richard.

It landed perfectly in his palm.

Naturally, it was the Ignis Volt Core.

Richard furrowed his brows — it didn't seem any different.

However, instead of asking immediately, he focused his senses on it.

As he did, he discovered the difference.

He even found a special space within the golden coin — a space capable of storing something, though its main function was clearly to contain a Nature Spirit that could serve as an energy source for the Ignis Volt Core.

Of course, the most intriguing part was that when he linked it with his Sixth Sense, he found that he could draw it into his body — turning it into an External Power.

However, there didn't seem to be much difference whether it was fused with his body or not.

If he fused it, he could fire it directly from his hand, finger, or even mouth.

After thinking for a while, since it was an artificial construct, Richard decided not to merge it with his body, wary that it might contain something dangerous.

"Do you still want anything else, boy?" asked the Fire Spirit Queen while Richard was still examining the Ignis Volt Core.

"Your Majesty, I want to begin serious training to become one with the world. I think it's quite difficult for me. Do you have any advice?" Richard replied.

In this matter, there was no shame in asking the Fire Spirit Queen — she had immense experience in magic.

"So you can also find things difficult?" the Fire Spirit Queen said mockingly.

This time, Richard ignored her sarcasm and waited quietly for her explanation.

"Boy, in my opinion, it will take you much longer to reach the World Realm," she said.

"Why?" Richard was surprised to hear that.

"Because you're too young. You've reached the peak of Life Aether at far too young an age. Your body isn't yet fully attuned to this world. Remember — this process is about your body becoming one with the world itself. That means you'll need a period of adaptation first. Talents like you have appeared throughout history, but all of them took a long time to reach the World Realm."

"How long do you think it'll take for me to reach the World Realm?" Richard asked.

"Ten years, at the earliest," she replied — and Richard's face twitched.

He hadn't even lived for ten years in this world.

Richard felt like she was spouting nonsense, but she was clearly serious.

"In ten years, does that mean my power won't increase at all?" he asked quietly, frowning.

"All Magi go through a phase like that. But as long as you build a solid foundation, when you finally reach the World Realm, the world will reward you according to that foundation. You might even reach near the Peak of the World Realm instantly upon advancement, depending on your groundwork. If you make good use of this time, when you ascend, your strength will soar to unimaginable heights."

"Ohhh…" Richard had indeed heard of such cases before — though the information was vague, as it only applied to a few exceptionally gifted individuals whose mastery over their Codex and Arcane Arts grew tremendously during the process of merging with the world.

Because of that, they received a reward from the world itself.

---

Not long after his conversation with the Fire Spirit Queen, Richard met with Arthur, who had come to report.

"My Lord, we've cleared the battlefield area, but… we didn't find any loot," Arthur said, surprising Richard.

After all, loot was one of the things he had been looking forward to.

"Did that woman take it?" Richard asked.

"We suspect so. With her power, she could have easily collected all the Storage Artifacts from the barbarians without us even noticing," Arthur replied.

"Just leave it, then," Richard said flatly.

"My Lord, Lady Moonshadow also left a message for you," Arthur continued.

"What is it?" Richard asked.

When he was told to speak, Arthur hesitated.

He hadn't understood it at first, but after some thought and observation, he'd begun to form a few convincing assumptions.

"Just say it," Richard said, noticing Arthur's silence.

He guessed it wasn't something pleasant to hear.

But not that he cared.

When Richard gave such an order, Arthur had no choice but to speak.

"She said she feels honored to see that the trash she once discarded has evolved into a shining diamond."

Richard: "…"

"Anyway, there's something I want to ask of you," Richard said after a brief silence.

He didn't think much of Rebecca's words.

"Please, my Lord," Arthur replied, showing an expression ready to accept any command.

"I plan to undergo long-term training. It may take a very long time, and I don't intend to stop until I reach the World Realm," Richard said — shocking Arthur.

"During my training, I want you to manage the city entirely. During that time, I will be… unreachable."

***

Richard wanted a place where he could train without any disturbance.

Speaking of such a place, there was only one that came to mind — his village.

He asked the Fire Spirit Queen to take him and Sister Lisa back home.

With the Fire Spirit Queen carrying them, the journey ended in no time.

They soon arrived again at Purple Rose Village, the place they had long left behind — but of course, it remained completely unchanged.

The only slight difference was that Mr. Joe seemed to have left the village.

Richard had no idea where he had gone, and neither did the villagers. He assumed the old man had gone on a journey to train in magic.

Since Richard only wanted to begin training immediately, he went straight to his ancestor's cottage — the one who had also mysteriously disappeared.

He entered the underground passage from the cottage and descended into the Dragon Hall.

With the Fire Spirit Queen residing in the cottage, safety was not something he had to worry about at all.

Instead of going to the designated training chamber, he chose a random spot to sit — beside a wall, leaning quietly against it.

He didn't need to absorb Aether, except occasionally to replace the nourishment he required, so he didn't have to stay in a room with a dense concentration of Aether.

'Can I really endure endless training?' Richard questioned himself.

He was used to wandering freely, but now he had to confine himself — to focus solely on cultivation. For now, his determination burned strong, but he knew that sooner or later, boredom would creep in.

'Well, this is ultimately a life trial I must overcome,' he thought.

He began closing his eyes, concentrating on finding a way to unite himself with the world.

It was a new beginning for him — but for others, it was as if he had vanished from the face of the earth.

The Eastern Region of the Land of Humans was shaken by his talent.

He might have only roamed within the Holy Star Kingdom, but even the Order of the Crimson Veil had taken notice of him and extended an invitation to join.

Even without future achievements, his name was already destined to be engraved in history — not easily forgotten.

But now, he was gone.

Neither his enemies nor his allies could find him, no matter how hard they searched.

Countless rumors spread. His enemies claimed he had been killed by a powerful Magus, leaving no trace behind.

Meanwhile, his allies believed he had entered long-term training to advance to the World Realm.

As he kept pushing himself, Richard eventually learned to endure the solitude within the Dragon Hall.

Time itself trained him, turning the grueling routine into something he could bear with ease.

Of course, he didn't spend every moment trying to merge with the world — he also relied on his talent to deepen his mastery over his Codex and Arcane Arts.

Even with his talent, without the habit of training alone, it was still a difficult path for him.

However, over time, his mastery continued to grow — little by little, step by step.

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