Drift Of The Multiverse: [Marvel] [Resident Evil] [DC] [Bleach] [DB] Chapter 26

rlin was surprised by how quickly Ethan made his decision and couldn't help but wonder why Ethan had chosen such a difficult path so easily.

"You said that as long as I stick to this path, I'll eventually reach a level of strength comparable to yours, right?" Ethan asked.

rlin nodded. "That's correct. As long as you persevere and don't die from so unforeseen accident… Although this path is difficult, it doesn't have any significant bottlenecks."

Ethan had sensed this as well, but that wasn't the only reason behind his decision.

"So, if I were to follow the path of an ordinary mage, where could I realistically expect to end up?"

rlin smiled knowingly. "Ah, young man, your thinking is very clear. This clarity will help you progress faster as a mage. I hope you can maintain that sharpness of mind."

Ethan's decision was simple: One path would undoubtedly lead him to the level of a top magician like rlin. It might be full of obstacles, but at least the endpoint was visible. The other path, however, was shrouded in uncertainty, he didn't even know where it would lead or what the destination would look like. Taking unnecessary risks on such a path was pointless.

Although the path of an ordinary mage could allow him to beco battle-ready more quickly, Ethan had never relied solely on magic. His thods of handling ergencies were not limited to the realm of magic.

For self-protection, if it ca to it, he could always prepare so advanced technology or gear. That alone would be enough to help him through the early stages of his journey.

"As long as I can control space-ti energy, I'll have a higher chance of returning to the Marvel Universe… Maybe I can even trick Tony Stark into helping out with so equipnt," Ethan thought to himself.

However, he recalled that Tony wasn't exactly the type to offer help for free. To gain anything from him, Ethan would need to offer sothing in return.

At worst, there were plenty of firearms in various movie worlds that could help him handle many dangers. So, Ethan didn't mind how difficult this path might be at the start. He had always trained his spiritual power consistently, and he would just keep pushing forward.

"Actually," rlin interjected, "there's no need to worry too much. While the early stages are dull and monotonous, once you start generating magic power from within yourself, the process becos smoother. As your spiritual power grows stronger, the magic you produce will increase in quality and quantity. At that point, it's not impossible to absorb external energy to enhance your magic power. You just need to be careful not to overdo it and contaminate your own magic."

rlin's explanation was straightforward. "Think of it like the ocean," he continued. "If your magic power is vast like the sea, absorbing a small amount of external energy is akin to adding a few drops of ink, completely inconsequential. But if your magic power is still as small as a pot of water and you pour in half a bottle of ink…"

The analogy was clear, and Ethan couldn't argue with it. Still, that scenario was far off. For now, rlin began explaining the cultivation thod in detail. Even though he only outlined the major steps, it still took considerable ti.

In short, the thod was divided into several phases:

1. First, Ethan needed to strengthen his spiritual power while gaining precise control over it. This was an area where Ethan already held a natural advantage.

2. During this initial stage, external magical energy could not be absorbed not even a little. Any external energy would pollute his spiritual power.

3. At the sa ti, Ethan needed to expand his knowledge by studying various subjects related to magic. According to rlin, the magic generated from one's spiritual power wasn't inherently balanced across all attributes. It was influenced by the mage's understanding of different types of energy.

For instance, a mage with deep knowledge of fire elent energy would naturally produce magic with a strong affinity for fire. Even if they didn't actively absorb fire energy from the outside world, their magic would still lean heavily toward fire-based spells. Many mages used this principle to enhance their magical attributes, their cultivated magic would, in turn, influence the energy they produced.

If Ethan wanted his magic to be well-rounded, he would need to study an extensive range of magical knowledge. However, unlike most mages who could actively practice spells, Ethan couldn't even perform basic magic at this stage. He could only bury himself in theoretical learning. Just thinking about it made him feel frustrated.

"So, could I rely on magic circles or enchanted items instead?" Ethan asked.

"Oh, that's perfectly fine," rlin replied.

Ethan nodded. It seed like he would have to continue down the path of relying on props and external tools. Combined with his lee combat skills, Ethan wasn't so much a pure mage as he was an all-rounder, dabbling in many things but mastering none.

Still, once he got through this initial stage, things would improve.

When his spiritual power beca strong enough and his knowledge base extensive enough, a unique transformation would occur during ditation. According to rlin, this change would feel like a hidden spring welling up from the depths of his spiritual power. Once this happened, his magic would begin to flow out naturally, like water from a spring.

At this stage, Ethan would no longer need to rely on external objects to cast magic. He could harness his own magic power instead.

Of course, the "spring" would be small at first, and the magic it produced would be limited. During this ti, his magic power would remain fragile and prone to contamination. Absorbing external energy would still be off the table.

However, over ti, the spring would grow into a stream, then a small lake, a river, and eventually a vast ocean. By that point, Ethan's magic would be deep and boundless. He would be able to cast spells freely without worrying about contamination, and he could replenish or enhance his magic by absorbing external energy.

From rlin's description, Ethan understood that achieving this "ocean" level of magic power required more than just ti and effort. It demanded vast knowledge of magic and a deep understanding of various types of energy. Without this, it would be impossible to create magic capable of encompassing all attributes.

Unfortunately, rlin couldn't give him a concrete answer on how to achieve this.

"Sadly, I don't know the exact details," rlin admitted. "After all, no one has ever fully attempted this thod."

Ethan suddenly beca curious. How had rlin started his journey? Did he, like most common mages, begin by choosing an energy he was most familiar with?

"Oh, that…" rlin replied, suddenly flashing a smug smile. "I'm not a pure human being. I was born with imnse magical power."

"Seriously? All talent?"

It was only then that Ethan recalled the legends about rlin. The fad magician supposedly carried the blood of a fae, which gifted him with a natural affinity for magic. There was simply no comparison between an ordinary human like Ethan, who couldn't even qualify as an apprentice, and soone like rlin.

Realizing he'd just been thoroughly outclassed, Ethan couldn't help but feel a little frustrated. However, this line of thought reminded him of sothing important: being a mage required talent, often a lot of it. From this perspective, the path rlin had proposed might actually be the only viable option for him to achieve success.

If Ethan followed the standard approach most mages used, he'd likely hit an insurmountable wall eventually. At best, he might master a single attribute like water magic. But as his spiritual power beca polluted with external elents, he'd find himself stuck, unable to advance any further. And with his late start and lack of natural talent, even his total magic reserves would be inferior to other mages at the sa level.

Granted, Ethan did have the space-ti orb, which might help him find alternative ways to overco talent-based bottlenecks. But relying on that alone ca with far too many unknowns.

Ethan didn't like uncertainty. So, when an opportunity presented itself, a path that might be grueling but promised concrete achievents—he seized it without hesitation.

Although this thod rlin proposed only detailed how to reach the "sea" level of magical power, Ethan couldn't help but let his imagination run wild.

The sea, vast and seemingly limitless, might be impressive, but it wasn't truly the largest scale he could envision. A sea was, at best, part of a single planet. What if he could cultivate a "galaxy" of magic, one containing countless planets? Not only would the depth of his magic be unparalleled, but its density and scale would utterly dwarf anything else.

And why stop at a galaxy? What if countless galaxies could be forged into a colossal supercluster? Ethan even considered the idea of using magic to create an entire universe within himself, a self-contained realm of infinite possibilities.

"Wait… wouldn't that technically be a 'Micro Universe'?" Ethan mused, briefly veering into the territory of Saint Seiya. Realizing how absurdly far his thoughts had wandered, he shook his head to refocus. Dreaming so far ahead wasn't helpful. What mattered now was absorbing the knowledge rlin provided, step by step, and putting in the effort required to make steady progress.

The ti he had in this world was limited, just ten days. After confirming the direction Ethan should take in his studies, rlin focused on teaching him how to control space-ti energy, as that was the most urgent matter. As for the spiritual cultivation thod, rlin planned to organize the relevant information and leave it for Ethan to practice on his own later.

This, of course, ant Ethan was about to receive yet another stack of dense textbooks.

"Speaking of books, I actually have an idea," Ethan said, an idea suddenly forming in his mind. "Do you think it's sothing you could help with?"

Ethan thought back to the piles of books already cluttering his ship. Now, with rlin preparing to hand him even more, the thought of lugging around so many volus was starting to feel overwhelming.

It was easy to foresee that as he continued to learn more about magic and its various attributes, the number of books he'd need to study would only increase. Was he supposed to bring along an entire ship just to store all this material?

This made creating a magical tool for storing books a top priority.