Although the race against time aspect of the Trial of Ancient Mysticism was ever-present within the Ancient Rune Oasis, its nature underwent a change now that Kieran arrived at this portion of the trial.

The race against time had become the byproduct of Kieran’s comprehensive ability.

The greater Kieran’s comprehension, the less stringent the race against time became. But that only applied to a certain extent because he wasn’t aware of how many syllables existed within this language.

‘While it’s true that I completed the structure quicker than my previous attempt, the second syllable is more complex than the first. So the rapid progress is more so relative than definite,’ Kieran thought to himself.

Rather than move immediately after suffering damage from the earlier blow, Kieran took the time to consolidate the energy in his Mystic Gate and inject enough energy to cultivate the syllable’s essence.

Once Kieran understood its essence, Kieran shifted his attention to formulating a method to shorten the process of completing the structure. Despite his lack of understanding of this art, Kieran directly skipped to grasping a practical technique to speed up his actions.

For this, Kieran turned his attention to his recently awakened attribute—Spirituality. It was directly responsible for the creation of his Mystic Gate, so it naturally had other uses that he could explore.

The information on this attribute was nonexistent, but Kieran recalled the feeling that overwhelmed him at the time of its awakening. He felt attuned to the world, but it wasn’t related to his Perception or Focus attribute.

It was something more inexplicable—a feeling that resembled his body breathing.

‘If I can somehow mold my Spirituality to connect with my Mystic Gate better, I can augment the rate at which I manipulate the mystic energies. Doing this is easier said than done because I have zero experience conducting these actions, but it doesn’t hurt to try.’

Before he created his sequence, Kieran took nearly a minute to amass a sufficient amount of mystic energy. If he relied solely upon the power within his Mystic Gate, the process was faster, but the sequence crumbled shortly after due to the lack of maturation.

‘It’s kind of like meditating,’ Kieran thought. His eyes were closed, and his senses were confined to his body, yet he could discern the energy around him like a cozy blanket embracing him.

The pleasant embrace helped Kieran enter a state where his soul seemed to thrum and respirate alongside his Mystic Gate. Kieran held this state for a while before the precursors, which appeared in the form of mystical sparks, surfaced.

Kieran coaxed the sparks into forming a sequence composed of the first syllable.

Unlike the state, Kieran couldn’t hold onto the sequence for long, enduring for less than a minute. But, because it seemed like he could take as much time as needed, Kieran didn’t rush at all.

If there was one thing Kieran excelled at, it was alternating between impatience and patience. Kieran repeated this task for hours, becoming increasingly adept at wielding the first syllable.

After countless hours, Kieran then proceeded to improve his familiarity with the second syllable.

At times, he would attempt to create a layered sequence, but that proved to be beyond his capabilities because it would fragment his concentration in three seconds, creating splinters in the sequence.

Once Kieran felt his understanding of the second syllable had reached a suitable level, he stepped before the fortified Wykin apparition and unleashed his grasp of the sequence.

They unleashed their characters simultaneously, and Kieran received a message after their collision.

〈System: You have executed an excellent Fabrication of the «Second Syllable of Eni». Fabrication: 7.77%〉

Though the Wykin apparition that Kieran went up against was less fortified, it distributed a purer collection of energy, which astonished Kieran for a moment.

“My assumption couldn’t have been more incorrect,” Kieran said, speaking in a tone one would use when thinking out loud.

Kieran initially believed that the more fortified the Wykin apparition became, the more potent the rewarded energy would be. But the opposite proved to be the truth. The rewards were inversely proportional to how many fortifications the apparition underwent.

This was because the apparition released most of its exuberance within the conjured syllable. The weaker the syllable, the more energy the phantom would retain.

“Overcoming the phantom on the first attempt will be impossible due to my lacking knowledge of the completed syllable. The only solution to this problem would be if I somehow reduce the delay between my mystic acts,” Kieran muttered.

Although he spent hours understanding how valuable Spirituality was in this place, Kieran couldn’t claim that he was confident enough to wield it at a whim. There was still a very noticeable delay in the start-up process.

To compensate for this delay, Kieran tried something else.

He didn’t walk at a proper pace. Instead, he walked at a gait that produced minimal interference. It was akin to watching someone balance cups and bowls of water on their head and limbs while moving cautiously.

Kieran only moved once he ensured his connection to the external world remained stable. After reaching the next Wykin apparition, which wielded the third syllable, Kieran opened one eye and discerned its structure.

Afterward, he closed his eyes and completed the design in his Mystic Gate. The practiced effects of his earlier actions surfaced quickly.

A second later, his fingertips began tingling as the mystic sparks of a sequence coalesced, converging into the third symbol. Unfortunately, while he didn’t suffer damage to his Rooted Mystic Tether, Kieran and the system were displeased by the displayed attainments.

〈System: The Fabrication of the «Third Syllable of Eni» is inadequate.〉

‘Don’t fret. It’s only the first try. Theory and reality are two different things. Failure is allowed, but giving up is not,’ Kieran reminded, using a deep exhale to soothe the turmoil in his mind.

Kieran felt complaining about the failure was useless because the energy could be better spent elsewhere, preferably by identifying where he went wrong in his application.

Once he found the problem, Kieran corrected it numerous times until he could form a stable character without splinters. The accomplishment produced a surge of confidence within Kieran because each subsequent syllable grew increasingly complex.

The enthusiasm bled into his following actions as he strolled to the next step on the path and clashed with the Wykin apparition in a runic showdown.

Because Kieran corrected his mistakes, the character he conjured was more than acceptable but fell below the margin of excellence.

〈System: You have performed a superior Fabrication of the «Third Syllable of Eni» Fabrication: 11.55%〉

After learning the Third Syllable of Eni, Kieran stopped in his tracks, overcome by a strange feeling. His Mystic Gate pulsated at a frequency that automatically manifested a sequence.

As Kieran gazed upon this sequence, he realized it was the result of the three enhanced characters overlapping in his mind.

When he compared it to his previous attempts at layering the characters, Kieran found that the overlapping characters occluded the pre-existing problematic gaps in the sequence.

Eventually, Kieran understood what was happening. It was similar to the phenomenon that occurred when certain beasts reached a crucial maturation point. They’d unlock guidance from their ancestry.

In other words, the Mystic Gate had reached a point of maturation where it could produce a sequencing guideline.

〈System: Your «Mystic Gate» has reached 25% Maturation.〉

Kieran aligned the characters according to what he perceived, taking his time to place each one meticulously. After a few minutes of focusing so intently he subconsciously held his breath, Kieran received a notification.

〈System: You have created a sole «Mystic Cipher of Eni». The cipher is estimated to be the most basic, but it is effective.〉

“Eni… what exactly is Eni?” Kieran wondered.

Both the Archaic Syllables and the Mystic Cipher they aligned into were related to something called Eni, but Kieran had never heard of such a thing. Because the system revealed a relation to Illum, Kieran assumed it was the Wykin’s progenitor, but now this mention of Eni bewildered Kieran.

Since he couldn’t unearth the answers himself, he would have to rely upon Hekaina to divulge the nature of this Illum and Eni situation.

Setting aside the matters of these mysterious presences, Kieran focused on the uses of the Mystic Cipher. It was a specialized sequence that, when employed, triggered a reaction in his eyes.

The reaction naturally drew Kieran to peer through the Mystic Cipher as if it was an expanded monocle, and the outcome blew his mind.

When looking through, Kieran could see the upcoming symbol, which in this case, resembled a slipshod fusion of the first three characters in the Archaic Syllabary of Eni.

Once that happened, another change occurred.

〈System: Discernment progress has reached 100%.〉

〈System: Unveiling progress has reached 100%.〉

Kieran stood on the lengthy path, frozen in place with his mouth agape. Kieran couldn’t fathom that the factor barring the perfection of his two principles of mysticism was utilizing a tool of the Wykins to assist his eyes.

Without a Mystic Cipher to realize the potential of his mystical eyes, their prowess would remain incomplete.

“Not only am I shocked, I am aghast, appalled, dismayed, astonished, and confounded,” Kieran said, naming his feelings with a deadpan expression. If others were present to see his face, they would undoubtedly believe he said these words as a joke.

The unity of the characters was simply staggering!