Benny was stirring the stew in the pot, while Ronan picked up a silver flask and took a sip. The liquor, fiery as flames, flowed down his throat like a scalding thread sliding into his stomach.
For most people, such a fierce drink would likely cause them to cough violently, but Ronan had no reaction, drinking it slowly as if it were water, all while intently examining the lines in his palm.
It was as if there was something intriguing and addictive in the lines of his palm, deeply capturing his attention.
"When did you pick up this habit?"
Benny closed the pot with a lid, adding, "The flavor will reach its peak in a little while."
"Don’t you find the lines on our palms interesting?"
Ronan looked up, his gaze strangely intense as he spoke, "Every line has its own place, just like the patterns of runes."
Benny’s eyes flickered, and he spoke slowly, "There is indeed a theory that the origin of runes comes from the palm lines... Damien, the six ’Murphys’ Kiss’ potions have really changed you quite a lot..."
"Pain will mold you into the shape you aspire to become..."
Ronan took another sip of his drink, "Every single time."
The entire Brain-eating Flower that Ronan brought back from the Damp Jungle was enough to make eleven bottles of "Murphys’ Kiss," out of which six were successfully created and all were consumed by Ronan.
Benny once said that if there were a record of consecutive consumption of "Murphys’ Kiss," Ronan would undoubtedly be the holder of the highest record.
It’s nothing short of a miracle in Magic Potion studies that he could live unscathed after drinking six bottles of "Murphys’ Kiss"!
’Without the experience of Ascetic Body Refinement since the Apprenticeship, without having gone through the rebirth from breaking out of the cocoon, without having endured months of pain from Magic Body Wash...’
Without these, Ronan’s threshold for tolerating pain would not have been significantly raised.
And then there was the unwillingness to yield to certain things, along with some inexplicable perseverance in his heart...
Ronan felt he probably wouldn’t have lasted up to the consumption of the sixth bottle of "Murphys’ Kiss."
It seemed like he had experienced another "rebirth"!
Different from the last physical rebirth, this time was a spiritual one.
After being "Hotly kissed" six whole times by the toxic lips of Murphys, the Goddess of Wisdom, he had become a different person.
His efficiency in absorbing knowledge, his ability to understand things, his speed in processing thoughts...
The significant benefits of the vast development of his brain were manifesting in various ways, and Ronan was still exploring and finding out more.
However, he had already achieved tangible benefits from the upgrade in brain power.
The huge increase in data on his character panel was just a small part of it.
"Have you entered Level 1 Magic Domain Resonance?"
Benny suddenly asked.
A flicker of light passed through Ronan’s deep blue eyes.
He was silent for a while.
Finally, he shook his head, "No."
Benny seemed to have anticipated this answer, but disappointment inevitably showed on his face.
"Even for a Second-level Wizard, comprehending Level 1 Law Domain Resonance is extremely challenging... A Level 1 Wizard mastering that would be abnormal."
"I thought the six bottles of ’Murphys’ Kiss’ could change something... but now, I see it was just wishful thinking on my part..."
Benny sighed softly, murmuring, "If you could comprehend Level 1 Law Domain Resonance, maybe there’d really be hope... Forget it, let’s not talk about that."
Benny picked up the flask and gestured to Ronan.
They clinked their drinks, each taking a sip.
Benny lifted the pot lid, and steam mixed with the aroma burst forth; chunks of brown meat simmered in the creamy white broth.
Benny, seemingly out of nowhere, grabbed a handful of brightly colored spices and garnishes, tossing them into the pot... No matter how you looked at it, this was a pot of delicious stew that made one’s mouth water.
"Tomorrow is the day when the combat trial officially begins..."
Using Magic Nightmare Tungsten Steel, Benny fashioned a long-handled knife and fork, picking up a piece of meat, and after some thought, he said to Ronan, "Would you like to hear my story?"
Ronan also took a piece of meat from the pot, holding it in his hand and slowly tearing at it.
"I just felt like something was missing..."
Benny gazed towards the distant ice coffin, then stared at the burning flames before him, slowly sinking into reminiscence.
"As it happens... I was never a genius."
"I wasn’t even as talented as an ordinary person..."
As Benny told his tale, a story that was neither novel nor trite began to unfold before Ronan—
A stable hand’s son from a Baron Lord’s house, because of his decent physical condition, was enrolled in the Baron’s Domain knight apprentice training class.
Through hard work and Talent, he grew into a qualified Knight.
At that age, Benny was probably about as old as Ronan now; he was brave and skilled, earning great military achievements for his loyalty to the Baron, and thus obtained a marriage bestowed by the Baron, marrying the Baron’s daughter.
That was the blonde woman lying in the ice coffin, named Fiona.
They loved each other dearly, as if destined to be together, but Fiona had been frail and sickly since childhood, and as she came of age, this weakness became more severe.
Benny had been searching for a way to cure Fiona, which led him to meet a Wandering Wizard Apprentice and thus embarked on the path from Knight to Wizard.
Benny’s qualifications as a Wizard were poor, at the very limit of qualifying, just a hair’s breadth away from not possessing the potential to become a Wizard...
"Are you pulling my leg?"