Passerby Villain In A Wizard World

In the world of Aetherion, Wizards were divided into many different ranks.

From Wizard Apprentices to First Ring, Second Ring, all the way to Eighth Ring—although there might be more ranks. And those who were at Sixth Ring and above were called Arch Wizards.

However, although the apprentices were also called wizards by the masses, it wasn't actually so in the grand scheme. Actually, they were just in their starting phase.

That's why only after one reached the First Ring Wizard level would they be called an official Wizard.

Also, many believed that the First Ring Wizards were those who could construct the First Ring spell in their mind and use it freely.

They weren't wrong, but if that was really the case, wouldn't Ian already be considered one?

After all, he already had Inferno Burst and Soul Siphon as First Ring Spell models.

However, he was still an apprentice, not a Wizard, just because his consciousness hadn't developed enough yet.

In fact, his consciousness didn't even have its distinct form. Otherwise, those First Ring and Zero Ring Spell Models wouldn't just suspend in the void of nothingness in his mind.

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"Swish!"

As soon as Ian drank the blood-red Ascension Potion made by him, it suddenly dissolved directly into his body without needing to go through his stomach.

It was as if the potion had a will of its own, bypassing all normal processes and heading straight for his core.

Then suddenly, Ian began to feel extremely hot.

It wasn't physical heat that he was feeling, but at the level of soul and mind.

His vision trembled slightly, and a strange pressure began to build in his head, like a storm about to burst.

Even his thoughts started to blur at the edges, as if they were melting under an unseen flame.

It felt ancient… primal, as if something buried deep within him had been forcefully awakened.

'Damn, this is just too much!'

While Ian knew that he was lucky to get the Ascension material and the recipe both related to the fire element, he forgot what it represented.

Sure, it was indeed the Ascension Potion—one that could help you reach the First Ring Wizard level. But, according to its elemental nature, it also had its own effect.

And without a doubt, a fire-related Ascension Potion was anything but gentle.

It was wild, unrestrained, and destructive by nature—just like the element itself.

The kind of power that didn't knock politely but kicked the door open with blazing fury.

A moment of carelessness could easily turn the blessing into a disaster.

But that was the price of playing with fire—wasn't it?

'Fuck!'

It hadn't even been a minute, and Ian was already sweating buckets.

Moreover, he could feel that the potion's main effect was on his mind, as he practically began to feel his consciousness getting violently pushed by the fiery energy.

It was like trying to stay afloat in a sea of flames, every wave crashing against the shores of his sanity.

His thoughts flickered like candle flames in a storm, barely holding form.

The pressure wasn't just mental—it was spiritual, like something was trying to burn away the old to forge something new.

Ian gritted his teeth, holding on with everything he had.

'Should have made some soothing potion on the side. Sigh... forget it, let's not waste this opportunity. I have to reach the First Ring Wizard level today.'

Ian lamented that he was too anxious to drink the Ascension Potion. But he also knew that he didn't have much time, as he could already feel some movement from his anchor.

And surprisingly, even his Life Core inside his dantian was showing some movement, although it was barely noticeable.

After making his decision, Ian slowly closed his eyes and began to meditate using the Veiled Mind Meditation Method.

'Woosh!'

Suddenly, his concentration shifted from his body to his mind, toward his consciousness.

And just like any other time, Ian suddenly saw a large shimmering cocoon gestating in his mind like a slumbering beast silently waiting for its return.

'No matter how many times I see it, it never ceases to amaze me.'

Ian thought with genuine amazement.

However, since there was not much time, he put aside those thoughts for now and actively began to absorb the Ascension Potion.

"Swish!"

As Ian began to meditate with his eyes closed, the mana around him suddenly rustled in extreme movement, rushing toward his direction.

The gathering array began to operate on its own, providing enough mana in the chamber, while the treasures put aside at the node by Ian earlier began to dissolve rapidly.

The absorption of mana was so fast that a sudden vacuum appeared around Ian.

"Ugh..."

Ian couldn't help but mumble uncomfortably as the process was a bit more violent than he had thought.

However, he could only control himself and concentrate on impacting the next realm.

As far as he knew, to reach a First Ring Wizard level, he had to do two things: Condense his pure consciousness into a Platform and Engrave at least one First Ring Spell Model.

For the latter, he already had two, so all Ian had to do was form a Platform Of Consciousness with the help of the Ascension Potion.

'Hmm? It is easier than I thought.'

As Ian absorbed the fiery power of the potion, applying pressure to his incorporeal consciousness, he began to feel that the process was much easier than he had thought.

In fact, he could already see the shadow of a concentric circle in his mind beginning to take shape.

It seemed his mental power was already enough, as he had no qualms during the entire process, nor did he have to take the mental power supplement he had prepared beforehand.

'As long as I can be promoted easily, everything is fine.'

Ian was also quite happy as he began to give the platform a circular shape.

In fact, the reason why a First Ring Wizard was called 'First Ring' was also because of the shape of the consciousness platform.

Just like one needed something to visualize as an anchor to meditate, such a consciousness platform was also needed as an anchor for the complex 3D structure of a spell model.

One of the important reasons why no apprentices could learn a First Ring spell beforehand was also because of this.

After all, if you don't have the platform to hold on to that structure, you could never use the spell, even if your mental power is high.

So, Ian was once again amazed by his System, which could make those structures so firm even in the void.

'Let's transfer those spell models to the periphery of the platform, and the promotion should be complete. It was far easier than I thought.'

Ian thought and carefully used the tendril of his mental power to drag those two suspended spell models directly into his Consciousness Platform.

"Swish!"

As soon as those spell models landed on his consciousness platform, Ian suddenly felt his whole body relax as he directly absorbed all the mana around him in a jiffy.

Then, suddenly, he felt something click in his mind, followed by an extreme awareness and clarity he had never felt before.

It was as if he had been inside the water all along and finally surfaced, seeing the true world at last.

It was a truly surreal feeling, more so than when he advanced in rank during his apprentice level.

'Did I finally become a First Ring Wizard?'

Ian thought, feeling incredible—and kinda disappointed? Maybe he was thinking too much?

However, before his thoughts had even set in, he suddenly felt his mind shake strongly, making him dizzy.

So, he hurriedly used his mental power to look at his consciousness, only to see something that made him completely bewildered.

'It is tilted.'

Yes, what he saw was his perfectly fine Circular Consciousness Platform tilting on its own at a weird angle as if it couldn't bear the weight.

'Creak... Creak...'

However, what made Ian feel fear was the feeling of cracking he felt from the platform.

'No, it is about to crack.'

Ian suddenly became anxious and hurriedly concentrated to find what the problem was, only to see the shadow of a shimmering cocoon suddenly appearing on one side of his platform.

Its appearance was sudden, yet so mysterious that Ian almost lost his calm.

Fortunately, he managed to calm down his thoughts and carefully analyzed why this happened.

As far as he knew, anchors were visualization diagrams in one's consciousness that were used for meditation.

They weren't real or fake; they were something in between and always present in one's mind as soon as someone started their wizard journey.

They could be considered the manifestation of one's mental power.

So, one could always feel it, visualize it, and even see it by using their consciousness.

However, it wasn't actually present in true form like those spell models.

At least Ian knew that no First Ring Wizard would have their anchor appearing in their consciousness platform like this.

'No, it is not only the platform that is cracking, but also this….'

Once Ian paid close attention, he quickly figured out that not only was his newly born platform cracking, but something else was also cracking ever so slightly.

'It seems, my cocoon is… hatching?'