That subtle feeling of being treated like a child...
It really was strange.
If only theyâd treat me like a child when it came to heavy drinking too.
Now that he finally had the chance to move around freely, the first thing Kanzaki Rei wanted to do was cram in the common sense he so desperately lacked.
At the very least, he needed to escape the state of knowing absolutely nothing about this world.
...
When he arrived at the library, he was surprised to find it far busier than expected.
He had assumed it would be deserted.
Rei stepped before a fixed magic circle engraved into the floor.
[Search Spell]
A spell used to locate booksâhow incredibly convenient. Heâd heard it was permanently installed through a process of eternal binding, leaving the magic formation active in a fixed location indefinitely.
All it required afterward was routine maintenance and a steady supply of mana.
Rei extended his consciousness into the Search Spell, his mind sweeping rapidly through its cataloging matrix. It didnât take long before he found exactly what he needed.
"Guide to World Common Knowledge"
Heh...
Blunt and unpretentious. But that was exactly the kind of book he wanted.
Swish!
Selection confirmed.
Moments later, a book flew straight off a distant shelf and into his hands.
Magic truly was convenient.
With the guide secured, Rei found a quiet seat and began reading.
He read for an entire afternoon.
He skipped the world history section outright and flipped directly to the Chapter on professions.
Combat-oriented classes were categorized as: Warrior, Mage, Archer, Defender, Healer, Assassin, Machinist...
The book was thick, and its coverage comprehensive.
By the time he closed it, dusk had already fallenâyet he had barely made a dent in it.
He focused first on the knowledge most relevant to himself, then on the most fundamental common sense. There was still a great deal left unread.
Topics like gods and faithâthings he had no immediate access toâwere skipped, just like world history.
Seeing that it was getting late, Rei checked the book out and returned to the inn.
On the way back, several adventurers began greeting him proactively.
Rei noticed something had changed.
They no longer looked at him as "the kid tagging along with Iz."
Insteadâ
"Yo, Little Rei! Thanks for the drinks yesterday!"
First of all...
My name isnât Little Rei. Itâs Rei.
Secondly...
...Forget it.
At least this meant he had carved out a place for himself in Rhen Town.
He was no longer Izâs pitiful tagalong.
He was an adventurer: (Little) Rei.
Not long after returning to the inn, Iz called him back out.
He was still Reiâs mentor.
And a mentorâs duty was to teach magic.
After cramming common knowledge today, Rei finally understood the worldâs ranking system.
Every profession was divided into Levels 1 through 9.
Level 1 was the lowest. Level 9 was the theoretical peak.
However, for some professions, no one had yet reached Level 9.
Each profession level carried its own corresponding title.
A Level 1 Mage was called: Apprentice.
A Level 2 Mage was called: Magus.
A Level 3 Mage was called: Archmage.
At Level 3, one was already considered a powerful mageâsomeone with standing in a regional Magic Association.
A Level 4 Mage was called: Grand Specialist of the Arcane.
And Level 5â
Iz Parutâs levelâ
The title was: Magic Emperor.
The gap between Level 4 and Level 5 titles is ridiculous...
Rei couldnât help but complain internally.
Izâs strength in his estimation rose yet again.
One of the rare Level 5 Mages in the world.
No wonder he said he was strong.
He had every right to.
Across an entire kingdom, there were only one or two Level 5 Magesâand they were typically the Royal Courtâs Chief Archmage.
In that light, Iz truly was terrifyingly powerful.
In Rhen Town, he likely had no equal.
"Tonight, weâll study Dark Magic: Shadow Arrow. And Earth Magic: Earth Spike."
That was Izâs lesson plan.
"And while weâre at it, bring every spell youâve learned... to maximum proficiency."
Maximum proficiency...
He meant Level 100.
Iz... you really tailor your teaching to the student, donât you?
Rei was no longer ignorant.
The first thing he had studied today was practical knowledge he would use frequently.
The reality wasâ
Most mages only mastered one or two spells to no-chant status in their entire lifetime.
To cast a spell without chanting required roughly 30,000 uses of that spell.
And for any mage, it was impossible to use only a single spell forever.
Mana recovery also required time.
When Rei had first advanced, he cast Lightning Strike a little over a dozen times and completely drained himself.
A typical Level 1 Mageâs mana pool was only five to ten times greater than that initial amount.
If one recovered mana and cast spells nonstop, perhaps 200 casts per day was possible.
Howeverâ
For most mages, mana recovery required meditation.
Yes. An effect like Mana Tide, which operated automatically and restored mana continuously, was extremely rare.
And even Mana Tide only became fully automated at Level 10.
Before Level 10, Rei still had to consciously control it.
If he spent all day casting and recovering mana, heâd have no time for anything else.
And fundamentallyâ
Spending that much effort on low-tier spells wasnât considered worthwhile.
Advancing from Level 1 to Level 2 was something everyone could accomplish.
Most mages conserved their energy for Tier 2 spells.
As a result, the vast majority of mages mastered at most one or two Tier 2 spells to no-chant in their entire lives.
That was the limit of a mageâs lifetime effort.
And yet Iz Parutâs demand of himâ
Learn two new spells tonight.
And "incidentally" raise every spell he knew to Level 100 proficiency.
Heh.
If anyone else heard Iz Parutâs requirement, theyâd think he was insane.
"If you master these spells tonight, tomorrow you can advance to Level 2 Mage."
"Youâll likely become the fastest mage in the world to reach Level 2."
Level 2?
At Izâs promise, Reiâs heart surged with excitement.
Finally.
Finally, I can level up.
He could almost see the next God-Tier Talent beckoning him.
Just ăGod-Tier · Proficiency Evolutionă alone was already absurd.
If he gained anotherâ
Wouldnât that make him invincible?
"All max proficiency, huh..."
"Alright, Iz!"
"Letâs make it worth the anticipation!"
"Darkness that clings to boneâcondense into a lethal arrow and pierce!"
ăMagic Learned â Shadow Arrow (LV: 1)ă
ăShadow Arrow Proficiency EXP +10000ă
ăShadow Arrow (LV: 5)ă
...
Whoosh!
The Shadow Arrow pierced the straw dummy, leaving behind a patch of clinging darkness.
Iz shook his head slightly.
"Attacking a dummy is pointless. Aim at me."
"Use everything you have. Try to defeat me."
With a single step, Iz replaced the dummyâs position, standing at a distance from Rei.
"Master Iz, be careful."
BOOM!
Without any warningâ
Thunder crashed down violently!
Rei didnât use the still-chant-required Shadow Arrow.
Instead, he switched to the fastest instant-cast spellâ
Lightning Strike.
BOOM!
Thunder exploded above Izâs head, arcs of electricity cracklingâ
And yet...
Iz remained completely unharmed.
"Your lightning lacks cohesion. Its penetration is insufficient."
BOOM!
A second strike fell without pause.
"The lightning is too slow. Thunder is second only to light in speed. When invoking lightning, do not start from your body. Learn to directly summon the thunder itself."
Whoosh!
Shhk shhk shhkâ
Invisible wind blades slashed out!
But they curved away from Izânot because Rei missed, but because their trajectory was completely altered.
"Wind Blades must follow the natural current of wind. Only then can they be hidden within it."
"The greatest advantage of wind is invisibility. If you cast against the windâs flow, not only is power reduced, it becomes easy for the enemy to detect."
Clangâ
Iz caught the Light Cross in one hand.
"Lightâs nature is purity and speed. The defining trait of Light Cross is purity. Do not mix any other elements when forming it."
"And its purpose is not slaughterâbut to dispel evil..."
BOOM!
A fireball exploded around Iz.
"Fire is the most common destructive element. Its damage divides into heat, impact, burning adhesion, and explosive force. Within a Fireball..."
Every word Iz spoke brought new clarity to Reiâs mind.
Every spell cast granted additional proficiencyâbonus effects layered on top.
And striking Izâ
Even with a normal castâ
Granted bonus proficiency.
ăEarth Spike Proficiency EXP +50000ă
ăFireball Proficiency EXP +50000ă
Wait.
What is he? An experience training dummy?
Why does hitting him grant five times the normal experience?
It felt bizarrely surreal.
His spellcasting speed accelerated. What once took one castâs worth of time now allowed twoâeven three.
The elements grew denser.
Though he now recovered mana from the void, using ambient elements made certain spells even faster.
As Iz saidâ
With Lightning Strike, simply call down thunder directly. There was no need to channel personal mana first.
Cast that way, the enemy would have virtually zero reaction time.
Unfortunatelyâ
His opponent was Iz Parut.
The gap between a Level 5 Mage and a Level 1 Mage was simply too vast.
Even though Rei felt his casting speed was already incredibleâ
Iz blocked everything effortlessly.
With bonus experience and Izâs instructionâ
Reiâs leveling efficiency skyrocketed.
With near-endless mana, he bombarded Iz from 7 PM until 4 AM.
When the final massive Earth Spike burst from the groundâ
And Iz crushed it underfootâ
The last spell reached Level 100.
After an entire nightâ
Rei had pushed
Lightning StrikeIce SpikeFireballWind BladeIlluminationLight CrossShadow ArrowEarth Spike
All eight spells to Level 100 proficiency.
Combined with ăMana Voidă, which ran constantly and was already maxedâ
He now possessed nine Level 100 spells.
And every single one displayed an evolution prompt.
ăIce Spike (Evolvable)ă
ăAvailable Evolution Paths â Control / Speed / Freeze / Poweră
Iz brushed off his robes, preparing to call it a night.
And in that instantâ
Whoosh!
Three crystalline icicles streaked forward, dragging long trails of frostâ
Appearing before Iz in a flash.
A sneak attack.