[Abilities] are the foundation of everything. They show a person's basic stats. All powerful abilities are built on them.
Strength and Endurance are easy to understand. They show basic attack and defense.
Ronan thought Dexterity and Agility were different. Dexterity was about how well you used your hands and upper body. For example, using small tools, traps, and weapons, or making things that needed careful movement.
Agility was about speed: how fast you attacked, moved, and reacted.
Finally, there was Magic. It was directly tied to [Magic]. Ronan Veyr always paid close attention to it whenever he checked his Status.
Magic mattered. High-level mages were important everywhere, even in Orario.
[Development Abilities] turn your experience, skills, and memories into reality. They become [Abilities] that help you.
Examples include "Mage," "Blacksmith," "Hunter," and "Abnormal Resistance."
[Skills] are born from a person's desires. They are mysterious and can do almost anything. They are also the reason some people can become far stronger than others.
To become strong or special, having a powerful [Skill] helped a lot.
...
Ronan Veyr had everything he needed from the very beginning.
At Level 1, he already had three magics, seven skills, and one Development Ability.
Because he had that advantage, he would gain even more in the future. His third magic, [Ronan Veyr's Magic Notes], let him keep learning magic without limit.
The only thing he had been worried about was the limit on his [Abilities].
But his special power could solve that problem.
What was the price?
Money.
He had to spend [Experience] and [Valis] to buy more points.
His time fighting monsters in the Dungeon gave him [Experience]. He could also collect items and sell them for [Valis].
Then, through the skill 『Proof of the Traveler』, he could use both to increase his stats.
Ronan's Magic had reached its current limit.
Now, he had spent 100 Experience and 1 million Valis. He had easily broken past the wall that stopped so many people.
"Not bad. This works well, but it is expensive."
After feeling this "pay-to-win" experience for the first time, Ronan wasn't sure whether to laugh or sigh.
With one click, all his savings from the last six months were gone. He only had 1,500 Valis left. That was just enough for food and drinks tomorrow.
"But it is worth it."
"Next is today's extra prize."
He took an old book from his pocket. It felt heavy and solid in his hand.
"I've been an adventurer for a while now, but this is the first time an item has dropped. I didn't know I could do this."
『All Things - Origin』.
This power had adapted itself to this world. It had other uses besides showing his stats and potential.
For example, Dropped Treasure Chests: when he killed an enemy, there was a small chance that a chest would appear. These chests could contain many different things.
He had only found out today. This was the first time a chest had dropped since he became an adventurer. If he had not heard a [Ding] sound, he would never have known his power could do this.
Only he and his Familia could see the chest. He also kept a tired expression on his face so other people would not notice anything.
In the Dungeon, you had to be careful of monsters, madmen, and other adventurers. Some adventurers were robbers too.
Just because they were adventurers did not mean they were good people. Many of them had "side jobs."
Thinking about what had happened, Ronan shook his head. "The drop rate is low, but the item is good."
Ronan looked at the name of the item.
[Name]: "Magic Book: Burn"
[Origin]: Azeroth
[Type]: Knowledge
[Effect]: Very short magic words. The damage is low, but it sets the target on fire. This causes damage over time. If you use other fire magic on the target later, the damage becomes higher. [Description]: The damage is small, but this is only the beginning.
This magic book and his skills were the reason Ronan had chosen to raise his [Magic] first.
Look at Ronan Veyr's skills:
『Demon King Emblem』: Doubles his base Endurance and Magic. He also has a huge amount of Mind, and it recovers very quickly.
『Hand of All-Rounder』: This lets him walk the path of a generalist. A great mage should know a little of everything.
『Sharp Mind』: This helps him learn faster and improves the quality of his magic and equipment.
『Truth of All Magic』: An incredible skill. It lets him use charged magic and chantless casting.
『Magic Shield & Guard』: This turns Magic into defense and protects him in battle. With it, Ronan would not be a fragile mage. He could fight on the front line, the middle line, or the back line.
With these skills and a good plan, he could become a mage who was good at everything.
Ronan had all these advantages, so he did not want to become a simple warrior. He wanted to become a high-level mage.
...
He sat at the table and turned on the lamp. He carefully placed the [Magic Book: Burn] on the table.
He opened the old cover. The pages contained all the information about the magic 『Burn』. There were also notes left by someone else, which made the book even more valuable.
Ronan began to study. He was completely focused.
He did not notice time passing. It was late at night and the moon was high when hunger finally pulled him back.
He looked at the clock on the wall and closed the book.
"So this is magic. Incredible. I can finally feel the magic inside my body."
He raised his right hand. Remembering the spell, he whispered:
"Burn!"
The moment he said the name—
"Sizzle—!!"
A tiny flame appeared on his fingertip.
Ronan smiled and started laughing quietly.