Chapter 25

Eh...

Iz, you really are something strange.

Kanzaki Rei couldn’t help sighing inwardly.

What he had crammed into his head were the fundamentals—the common knowledge of the world. But everything about Izparut gave him the feeling that he was constantly operating beyond common sense.

The textbooks clearly stated: the mana limit was 100.

Yet Iz had forcefully dragged that limit higher—

and pushed it all the way to 10,000.

Now, those 10,000 points had become the true upper ceiling of a Level 1 Mage.

As for spell evolution—that should have been exclusive to his own 「God-Tier · Proficiency Evolution」.

Level 100 was supposed to be the predetermined cap.

But Iz...

He had long ago conceived of the possibility of something beyond LV100—Transcendent Magic.

Thinking of it was one thing.

The terrifying part was...

He had even created a testing mechanism for it.

A detection system for a form of magic that, in theory, did not even exist.

"I’ll continue," Kanzaki Rei suppressed his thoughts and spoke aloud.

Kumironi gave a small hum. "Go ahead."

Boom!

The instant her voice fell—

lightning was already flashing across the dummy’s body.

Kanzaki Rei could sense it: the dummy was absorbing the mana from the spell.

「Thunderflash (LV: 101)」

「Lightning Strike Evolution Path — Instant」

Lightning magic’s greatest advantages were speed and destructive force.

Kanzaki Rei’s choice had been simple—

to turn Lightning Strike into his fastest offensive method.

No need to raise his hand.

No need to channel mana from above.

「Thunderflash」 could detonate instantly at point-blank range—right beside the enemy’s body.

The only regret was that he couldn’t detonate Thunderflash directly inside an opponent’s body.

If he could, the lethality would be even greater.

Kumironi read the results aloud, pride evident in her smile.

"Lightning Spell Mastery."

"Transcendence."

Seeing Kanzaki Rei’s results, her heart swelled with happiness.

She had been the one to carry little Rei out of that dungeon.

She would never forget it—

when she first saw him, his life force had been thread-thin. If she hadn’t intervened, he would have died.

And now?

He was alive and well—

and had grown into an extraordinary genius.

Perhaps this was the miracle of life.

Ice Magic — Ice SpindleLightning Magic — ThunderflashFire Magic — Converged Flame SphereWind Magic — Silent Gale SwarmLight Magic — EverlightLight Magic — Holy Radiant CrossDark Magic — Curse ArrowEarth Magic — Pillar Surge

...

Without pause, Kanzaki Rei continuously unleashed every spell he had learned.

Eight spells.

All Transcendence.

Silence fell across the hall.

Back then, Izparut’s test result had been Eightfold Pinnacle—every learned spell at LV100 proficiency.

It had once been believed that this was the absolute limit of Level 1.

No matter how astonishing future mages might be, they could at most equal Izparut’s achievement.

And yet—

at this very moment,

the eight-year-old boy standing before them had handed in an answer sheet beyond imagination.

"Eight spells... Transcendence."

Though the term had appeared for the first time, everyone present understood exactly what it meant.

"How is that possible?"

"Kumironi! He truly awakened only three days ago?" The question came from the elderly priest of the temple.

Kumironi’s expression carried unmistakable pride.

"In the name of the High Priestess of the Church of Life, I guarantee it. I personally officiated his Awakening Ceremony. His day of awakening was three days ago."

That vow carried enormous weight.

Kanzaki Rei glanced back at the gathered crowd.

Truthfully, he hadn’t intended to reveal Level 101 spells.

If anything, he had always leaned toward hiding his strength.

Concealing certain abilities, keeping trump cards secret, minimizing attention to avoid unknown dangers—

this instinctive self-preservation principle had long taken root in him.

The taller the tree, the stronger the wind.

Excessive attention could invite unseen calamities.

But demonstrating Transcendent Magic during the advancement ceremony—

that had been Izparut’s idea.

Even now, Kanzaki Rei clearly remembered the expression Iz had shown the previous night—

when Ice Spindle struck him.

Ecstasy.

The sneak attack had hit Iz directly.

Ice Spindle pierced through his body without resistance.

Blood had nearly instantly soaked through his robes.

Kanzaki Rei had never intended to truly harm him.

He had assumed a Level 5 Mage wouldn’t be so easily injured.

The records stated that a Level 5 Archmage possessed power capable of destroying nations.

How could—

how could he be wounded by a mere Ice Spindle?

Yet the attack had completely penetrated Izparut’s body, leaving behind a frost-lined cavity.

Because Kanzaki Rei believed Iz to be far stronger than himself, he hadn’t held back at all.

When he saw the gaping hole in Iz’s torso—blood and frost staining the edges—

his mind had exploded in shock.

I didn’t mean to hurt him...

He had immediately canceled the spell.

But Iz—

had shown no surprise.

No anger.

His expression had been—

exhilaration.

"Transcendent Magic! You actually used Transcendent Magic!"

Kanzaki Rei, however, had been frantic.

"Iz, your wound!"

Even if it hadn’t pierced the heart, the spell had blasted through his chest, destroyed a lung, likely even penetrated his spine.

It was a grievous injury.

"Can you hold on? Iz, I’ll go get Kumironi right now!"

But Iz paid the wound no attention whatsoever.

He suddenly teleported over, grabbed Kanzaki Rei by the shoulders—

his face brimming with excitement.

"Tell me how you comprehended it."

"This injury doesn’t matter."

"Compared to your Transcendent Magic, this wound is insignificant."

Kumironi arrived quickly.

Held fast by Iz, Kanzaki Rei hadn’t even had the chance to run for help.

Yet she had come anyway.

And Iz truly did not look like someone gravely wounded.

He had remained excited the entire time before her arrival.

When Kumironi arrived, she merely smiled helplessly.

Green energy flowed.

The hollowed section of Iz’s body regenerated within moments.

Kanzaki Rei witnessed it with his own eyes—

organs reconstructing,

bones assembling from nothing,

flesh and skin restoring seamlessly—

as though nothing had ever happened.

Only afterward did he learn the truth.

Iz had sensed the release of Ice Spindle the instant it was cast.

And his first reaction—

had been to drop every defensive measure he had been maintaining.

He had voluntarily abandoned all protection,

taken the attack head-on,

all to personally experience Transcendent Magic.

To feel—

what it was like to be struck by it.

No matter how you looked at it—

he was terrifying.

After that, Iz proposed that Kanzaki Rei demonstrate Transcendent Magic during the advancement ceremony.

His reasoning was impossible to refute.

Iz explained the essence of Advancement Ceremonies.

Every advancement ritual possessed its own core principle.

[Mage Advancement Ceremony]

Core Principle: "The Pursuit of the Origin of Magic."

The ceremony was a display of one’s efforts in pursuing magic’s fundamental root.

The ritual functioned as a witness.

Based on the results the mage displayed in their pursuit of magic’s origin—

it granted a corresponding reward.

That was what an Advancement Ceremony truly was.

"So during the advancement ceremony, you should fully display your achievements in magic."

"You must demonstrate your Transcendent Magic."

That was Izparut’s stance.

...

Kanzaki Rei had been completely persuaded.

Compared to hiding his strength—

gaining greater power was more important.

If displaying Transcendent Magic granted greater returns in strength,

then hiding the additional power gained afterward—

was still hiding something.

The three major tests were complete.

The final test was Proof of Battle Experience.

This one was the simplest.

Kanzaki Rei produced a serpent eye.

Proof that he had slain the Shadow Giant Serpent.

Proof of battle experience required only evidence that one had fought.

For mages, the requirement was not strict.

One merely needed to have engaged in combat with any magical creature.

Dungeon or wilderness—

even fighting a weak slime qualified.

Kanzaki Rei’s proof—killing a second-tier dungeon boss—carried immense weight.

Kumironi accepted the serpent eye.

In her palm, it dissolved into illusory light and vanished.

Eh...

It disappeared? That material could sell for 3 silver.

Iz had deliberately kept it, saying it would be useful later.

So this was what it was for.

The light rose into the air and slowly descended upon Kanzaki Rei, as though affirming the battles he had endured.

Heh... so there was an anti-counterfeit mechanism too?

Otherwise people would probably just buy dragon scales and pass the battle test, wouldn’t they?

Kumironi closed her eyes, as though intoxicated, and chanted in a hymn-like tone:

"I bear witness to an apprentice’s journey in pursuit of the Origin."

"It is a path of relentless seeking."

"You have unveiled a fragment of magic’s iceberg and stepped upon the road of transcendence."

"This is not the end."

"It is the beginning."

The sky was neither cloudy nor clear.

Auroras shimmered in vibrant hues.

The Origin of Magic—

felt almost within reach.

An eight-year-old child completed his Mage Advancement Ceremony.

Kanzaki Rei advanced—

and became a Level 2 Mage.