Chapter 8

Have I hit a bottleneck?

Was that something a normal person would even say?

You awakened as a Mage this morning. It hasn’t even been a full day, and you’ve already reached the maximum mana capacity of a Level 1 Mage.

Once you hit your mana cap, it stops increasing.

Under normal circumstances, unless you level up, that’s the absolute upper limit of mana for a Level 1 Mage.

Kanzaki Rei felt the flow of mana inside him stall—no further growth, no matter how he circulated it. He frowned slightly.

"...Then can’t I just go level up?"

He had considered the possibility that this world might have some kind of level-suppression mechanic.

Like those so-called prodigies in cultivation stories—deliberately holding back their breakthrough, compressing and tempering themselves to perfection within a single realm before advancing, only to utterly dominate everyone else at the same stage.

Seeing how respected Iz was, Rei couldn’t help forming a quiet suspicion.

Maybe Iz and the others weren’t as weak as he’d initially assumed.

Maybe the level cap of this world wasn’t as high as he’d imagined.

Iz thought for a moment before replying.

"If you want to level up, you certainly can. It wouldn’t take long."

"But for you, it’s better to break through your mana limit first."

"If you shatter your current cap now, your total mana after leveling will be significantly higher. You’ll also have greater tolerance when your mana runs dry."

"Even if you overcast, you’ll be less likely to suffer severe backlash. At worst, you won’t collapse unconscious on the spot."

Iz Parult explained patiently.

That... sounded like a lot of advantages.

And Rei had already experienced the dangers of overcasting earlier today.

He couldn’t guarantee that he’d never face a situation where he had to burn every last drop of mana just to unleash one decisive spell.

As a Mage, having more mana was never a bad thing.

"I understand, Master Iz."

Rei genuinely respected him.

After all, Iz had been the one to guide him onto the path of magic. And this technique—Mana Tide—had been created and authored by Iz himself.

Iz glanced out the window. Night had completely fallen.

"Tomorrow," he said at last. "Tomorrow, I’ll take you into the dungeon."

A dungeon?

So it was finally time to run an instance.

Since arriving in this world, Rei hadn’t seen a single monster. The Lightning Strike spells he’d cast had done nothing but blast flooring and empty air.

Skills only felt real when used against enemies.

And his current mana pool...

Compared to when he had first changed class to Mage, it had increased by over a hundredfold.

Perhaps it couldn’t be called an ocean—but it was at least a vast lake.

If he cast Lightning Strike now, he could probably fire thousands in succession without stopping.

And Mana Tide didn’t just increase total mana—it also restored mana.

In practice, the number of casts would be even higher.

"Alright!"

At the thought of fighting monsters, Rei couldn’t suppress his excitement.

Maybe it was because this body was that of a child. His emotions felt lighter, more reactive—anticipation, excitement, curiosity bubbling up easily.

Perhaps age really did shape perspective.

"Mm... It’s getting late."

"I’d expected you to spend the entire night learning Mana Tide, but that doesn’t seem necessary anymore."

"Rest for today."

"However, for safety reasons, I’ll be taking this book back."

Iz pulled Mana Enhancement from in front of Rei.

"If your curiosity gets the better of you and you attempt to learn the forbidden spells recorded later in the text, it could harm you."

If it were anyone else holding this book, Iz wouldn’t worry.

Forbidden spells weren’t something one could just casually learn.

If anything, even if Iz wanted to teach them, most students wouldn’t be capable of grasping them.

But Rei...

The terrifying talent he had displayed suggested he might actually master them overnight.

Cradling the book, Iz opened the door. Before leaving, he sighed softly.

"Rei, your talent is extraordinary. But that isn’t always a blessing. The path of magic must be walked step by step. As you explore it, you must learn what can be studied—and what must not."

"Some forbidden knowledge brings immense danger if encountered too early."

"As for which knowledge is harmful and which is safe, I’ll teach you gradually."

He was emphasizing this carefully—but in truth, most people didn’t need such warnings. Forbidden knowledge was typically incomprehensible; even exposure didn’t guarantee understanding.

But Rei’s heaven-defying aptitude demanded caution.

Rei nodded repeatedly.

"I understand, Master Iz."

"...But may I learn other Tier 1 spells?"

"I slept too long earlier. I’m worried I won’t be able to fall asleep tonight."

Iz considered it. The air before him rippled.

Three different spellbooks materialized in his hands.

[Ice Spear][Fireball][Wind Blade]

"These should suffice. Sleep when you’re tired. You’ll need full energy for tomorrow’s dungeon raid."

Rei nodded eagerly. "Mm!"

Iz left, leaving the three spellbooks behind.

Rei rubbed his hands together, barely containing his anticipation.

He opened the page of Ice Spear’s incantation.

"Frozen cold that halts all things."

"Condense into a sharpened spike."

"Pierce."

This time, he didn’t use his staff. He simply raised one hand toward the window.

Sss—

Frost condensed midair, solidifying into a palm-sized ice spear.

「Spell Learned — Ice Spear (LV: 1)」「Ice Spear Proficiency EXP +10000」「Ice Spear (LV: 5)」

Just like when he had learned Lightning Strike.

Rei chanted again.

"Cold gathers into a spike—pierce!"

Whoosh!

The Ice Spear shot into the night sky, tearing through the air.

「Ice Spear (LV: 8) — Shorter chant, faster projectile speed」

"Ice Spear!"

Another formed instantly.

Whoosh!

It streaked upward once more.

「Ice Spear (LV: 10) — No chant, faster speed, larger spear」

Shhk!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Three consecutive spears fired into the sky—each larger, faster, and more translucent than the last.

「Ice Spear (LV: 16) — No chant, extremely high projectile speed, larger spear, inflicts extreme frostbite on hit」

Rei realized something important.

There was no such thing as cooldown in this world.

As long as he had sufficient mana and completed the casting conditions, he could cast endlessly.

Casting speed, when chantless, depended on how quickly he could mobilize his mana.

However—

Only one spell could be active at a time. Until a spell was completed or canceled, he couldn’t begin casting another.

In other words, he couldn’t cast two Ice Spears simultaneously for a double-shot or triple-shot overlap.

Night had grown deep.

The inn he was staying in was surprisingly high quality—according to Kumironi, it was the best in town. His room was spacious, and the window faced the inn’s garden. Beyond that stretched a forest.

Casting spells in that direction posed no risk of hitting anyone.

As for food, he’d already dined here earlier with Kumironi and the others.

Rei briefly considered sneaking out alone to explore.

But he was unfamiliar with this place.

He’d been lucky to meet good people like Kumironi. If he wandered alone and encountered someone less kind—well, getting knocked unconscious and robbed would not be ideal.

Solo excursions could wait until he grew stronger and better understood the surroundings.

Ice Spear. Ice Spear. Ice Spear.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh—

Unlike earlier in the day, he no longer ran dry after a handful of Lightning Strikes.

He monitored his mana carefully.

Under the effect of Mana Tide, his mana refilled almost instantly after each cast.

At this recovery rate, if he only used Ice Spear, he might literally never run out.

「Mana Tide (LV: 94)」

Even though his total mana hadn’t increased further, every automatic circulation of Mana Tide still granted 10,000 proficiency EXP.

Without even consciously managing it, Mana Tide had reached Level 94.

After Level 90, however, it required thousands of cycles per level.

The proficiency growth had slowed considerably.

Still, at this pace, it would likely hit Level 100 by tomorrow morning.

As for Ice Spear, under Rei’s mechanical repetition, it quickly rose to Level 71.

「Ice Spear (LV: 71) — No chant, five consecutive shots, auto-lock targeting, extremely high speed and turning rate, ice explosion on hit, freezing effect on hit, massively enlarged spear」