With no way to recover mana, Kanzaki Rei had no choice but to make a decision.
If he wanted to survive, he couldnât drag this out any longer.
He had to kill the Lord in front of himânow.
Ice Spikes rained down without pause!
Rei had no idea how many more it would take to finish it.
Which meant the optimal solution was obviousâ
Dump every remaining drop of mana into offense.
Boom!
A spinning Ice Spike drilled into the serpentâs lower jaw, bursting out in a spray of blood before detonating in an icy explosion!
The previous spike had barely shattered when the next rotating spike pierced directly into the freshly opened wound!
Again and again!
Is this the vitality of a Lord-tier creature?
Itâs absurd...
Completely on a different level from the monsters outside.
At least a thousand times stronger?
The minor mobs outsideâseven Fireballs, and two were enough to instantly kill them.
This BOSSâ
How many full-powered spells had it already endured?
If calculated purely by HP, it probably exceeded the outside mobs by ten thousand times or more...
And its attack powerâ
With Reiâs current physique, even a grazing hit would likely mean instant death.
His mana...
Was running out.
Yet the serpentâs body still writhed.
Its entire head was already frozen solid.
How was it not dead?!
Since entering its second phase, Rei had cast over thirty consecutive Ice Spikes.
Every cast was meticulously calculated.
He squeezed maximum power from minimal mana expenditure.
And under this extreme optimizationâ
Each Ice Spike cast granted him 150,000 proficiency EXP.
You never know your limits until you force yourself.
But to maintain lethal outputâ
Even with optimization, each Ice Spike still required at least 2% mana.
And now, a 2% Ice Spike dealt more damage than the earlier 3% version.
With the talent ăGod-Tier · Proficiency Evolutionăâ
He could continuously refine, continuously evolve!
Was he really going to die hereâ
At the very beginning?
In his very first dungeon?
Unwillingness surged in his heart.
His mana was being wrung dry.
Boom boom boom boom!
Bang!
And thenâ
An unexpected change struck again!
The serpent, nearly frozen into a corpse, suddenly shattered countless layers of ice!
Its rotting, fractured head turned toward Reiâ
"Die..."
"Die already!"
"Why wonât you die?!"
Reiâs unwillingness twisted into fury.
Why had this happened?
Why was he about to die for no reasonâ
Why?!
He gathered every last drop of mana.
ăIce Spike Proficiency EXP +100,000ă
ăIce Spike Proficiency EXP +100,000ă
ăIce Spike Proficiency EXP +100,000ă
ăIce Spike Proficiency EXP +100,000ă
...
Compress.
He compressed the Ice Spike further.
Harder.
Sharper.
Spin fasterâfaster!
It didnât need to be massive.
It needed to be slender.
Needle-thin.
Mana poured out unstoppably.
And in his mind, proficiency notifications rang without end.
This time, the increase was ferocious.
A long, needle-like Ice Spike condensed beside Rei.
Its high-speed rotation stirred freezing currents throughout the cavern.
His mana was gone.
But it wasnât enough.
He could overcast.
Squeeze out everything.
If he couldnât kill it, heâd die anyway.
The tide was dry.
In its placeâ
A void.
An empty abyss within his body.
No mana remained.
Exhaustion.
Nothingness.
A crushing wave of dizziness hit him!
Bang!
In that very instantâ
The Ice Needle beside him vanished.
Thud!
A long spray of blood mixed with ice fragments erupted upward!
A towering column of blood shot toward the cavern ceiling!
The serpentâs head was completely pierced through.
Not just its skullâ
The Ice Needle had plunged deep into its body through the shattered opening.
The entire massive serpent froze into an ice sculpture in mere moments.
That was the last thing Rei saw.
Darkness swallowed his vision.
And just before losing consciousnessâ
He faintly heard voices within his mind.
ăMagic Enhancement: Mana Tide has evolvedă
ăYou have learned: Mana Void (Second Tier) (Forbidden Art)ă
ăMana Void Proficiency EXP +100,000ă
ăMagic Enhancement: Mana Void (LV: 10) â Automatically operates, obtaining additional mana from the Voidă
...
Izz pushed open the stone door and stepped inside.
He caught Rei just before the boy hit the ground.
A soft sigh escaped him.
"Sorry. If I hadnât pressured you like this, you might never have truly fallen into crisis. Your talent is simply too strong."
He snapped his fingers lightly.
The elemental density in the chamber returned to normal.
Izz looked toward the frozen serpent.
"Your task is complete."
Snapâ
ăMonster Berserk (Fourth Tier) (LV: 100)ă
Spell dispelled.
Boom!
The ice-encased serpent collapsed into countless fragments, shattering into powder.
In truth, the serpent had never been that powerful.
Izz had cast Monster Berserk, drastically amplifying its strength.
...
My body...
Feels so light...
Yet I can still feel it.
Warm.
Not cold at all.
Did I... win?
Or did I die again?
Did I reincarnate into another world?
Rei slowly opened his eyes.
What he sawâ
Was smooth, emerald-green hair.
A familiar face.
Kumironi.
Rei shot upright instantly!
Instinctively on guard!
He even stood up on the sofa.
But Kumironi only smiled gently.
"Youâre awake."
"Mm... I suppose I should help clear up some misunderstandings between you and Izz."
Rei raised his right hand toward her, still wary.
"Misunderstandings?"
Kumironi twirled a strand of her hair, her expression slightly helpless as she sighed.
"Little Rei... Izz didnât throw you in there to kill you."
"He did it so you could break your magic limit."
Reiâs guard remained tight.
But he also began examining his body.
Mana Tide was gone.
The internal surge of rising and falling waves had disappeared.
In its placeâ
A small void.
Like a miniature black hole.
Within it, his mana resided.
Rei couldnât sense its upper limit.
He only felt that he could draw mana from it at any time.
And the total quantity...
Was roughly fifty times greater than before.
Equivalent to more than five thousand times the mana he had at the moment of awakening...
"See? If Izz hadnât shown hostility toward you, you wouldnât have believed you were facing life-and-death danger~"
"Only when you feel despair will you truly squeeze out every last drop of potential."
Rei gradually relaxed, just slightly.
"And if he truly wanted you dead, he wouldnât have brought you back for me to heal."
"Who would drag home someone who hates them to the bone?"
Kumironi had a point.
Only then did Rei noticeâ
His right arm was fully restored.
All discomfort had vanished.
In factâ
His physique felt stronger than before.
His previously thin frame now carried faint muscle definition.
His body was in even better condition than before entering the dungeon.
As for his spellsâ
ăMana Void (LV: 92)ă
ăIce Spike (LV: 100) (Pending Evolution)ă
ăFireball (LV: 91)ă
ăWind Blade (LV: 86)ă
ăIllumination (LV: 55)ă
ăLightning Strike (LV: 43)ă
ăCross of Light (LV: 39)ă
Mana Tide had been replaced by Mana Void.
Ice Spike had reached LV: 100âand now displayed a Pending Evolution prompt.
Knock knock knockâ
At that moment, a knock sounded at the door.
Kumironi softly said, "Come in."
Izz Parulut pushed the door open and entered.