Eijinâs clicking tongue suddenly stopped.
He stared at the child in front of himâat Kanzaki Reiâas if he were looking at some kind of monster.
"...Wait. The transformation stage of Mana Void?"
Iz nodded.
"Mm."
Eijin let out a long sigh.
"The younger generation truly is frightening..."
Then he straightened up and asked,
"Alright. Tell meâwhat kind of magic staff do you want me to craft?"
Iz glanced at Rei.
"Go on. Take it out."
Rei nodded and pulled the [Void Spirit Starwood] from his storage space.
The moment the wood appearedâ
"WHAT?!"
Eijin jumped backward in shock.
"Iz! Did you rob the royal treasury or something?!"
Iz wiped his forehead awkwardly.
"Eijin... do I really look like that kind of person?"
Eijin slowly reached out, gently stroking the Void Spirit Starwood.
"Then how could that old king possibly bear to give something like this to you?"
"It wasnât given to me."
Iz gestured toward Rei.
"It was given to him."
Eijin looked at Rei again.
"To him?"
"Perhaps the king saw the value of his talent."
Iz placed a hand on Reiâs head.
"Rei really is an extraordinary genius."
"...Though heâs still just slightly behind me."
Rei glanced sideways.
Iz... that last sentence was completely unnecessary.
Although Rei was still a bit behind for now, it wasnât hard to imagine the future.
Once he gained a few more God-Tier talents, surpassing Iz would likely become inevitable.
After reaching Level 3 Mage, Rei planned to change classes and become a Level 1 Cryptology Scholar.
That would grant him two new God-Tier talents in one go.
At that point... it should be enough.
Although, based on the nature of the Cryptology Scholar, its talents probably wouldnât be combat-oriented.
Eijin stared at the Void Spirit Starwood resting on the table.
His expression turned serious and solemn.
He crouched down again, facing Rei.
"Kid... what kind of staff do you want?"
Rei had already thought about this carefully before coming here.
He answered calmly,
"I want a staff that can greatly increase my spellcasting range."
"It would be best if it could also enhance spell power and spell coverage area."
"As for effects like mana cost reduction or shortened casting time, I donât need those at all."
Eijin began counting on his fingers.
"Range... power... area of effect."
"Thatâs not a problem."
"What about other enchantment effects? For example, specific elemental amplification."
"Or perhaps certain types of magic you specialize inâparticular elements."
"I could give you some suggestions."
Iz spoke before Rei could answer.
"Eijin, Rei is a genius with perfect affinity for all elements. He doesnât need elemental specialization."
"As for spellcasting... he can also push every spell he learns to beyond its level limit."
Eijinâs mouth twitched slightly when he heard that.
This genius... sounds a little absurd.
"You mean Transcendent Magic?"
"The thing you mentioned before?"
Iz nodded.
"Yes. Thatâs right."
"And those Transcendent spells were developed by him."
Monster...
A complete monster.
Why are magical prodigies appearing like they grow on trees these days?
No wonder the Kingdom of Loren had been growing increasingly secure in its position across the continent.
Loren was, at its core, a nation built around magic.
While it accepted other classes, magic remained the greatest pride and central pillar of the kingdom.
The country had Fizer, the Level 6 Archmage, along with seven or eight Level 5 Mage Emperors.
On this continent, even if Loren wasnât the single strongest nation, it was certainly considered a hegemonic power.
Many smaller countries were fortunate just to possess one Level 5 mage.
Some weaker nations didnât even have a single Level 5 class user at all.
Of course, kingdoms that weak were often smaller than a single city of Loren.
As for Iz Parutâ
He wasnât actually from the Kingdom of Loren.
He had merely passed through by coincidence.
The king had tried to persuade Iz to remain in Loren, at least nominally affiliated with the kingdom.
But Iz had refused without hesitation.
Iz was an absolute neutral party.
He favored neither any race nor any nation.
That was probably the reason the king had been reluctant to hand the Void Spirit Starwood to him.
Of course, with Izâs strength, he didnât particularly need that staff anyway.
Eijin paused briefly before continuing.
"So the staffâs focus will be casting range, power, and area expansion."
"Thatâs good. The more pure and focused the requirements are, the better the final product will turn out."
Iz lightly brushed his hand across the table.
Instantly, a row of materials appearedâbones, shells, roots, leaves... an entire assortment of rare components laid out before Eijin.
"Seventh-tier..."
"Is that... the shell of a Seventh-Tier monster?"
"And thisâcould it be the legendary Mirror Dragon Scale?!"
"And this... the Heart of the Holy Spirit King?!"
Iz smiled faintly.
"Letâs use these materials."
Rei looked at the table full of legendary materials and couldnât help but feel stunned.
"Iz... these materials are far too precious."
But Iz shook his head.
"Rei, a base material on the level of Void Spirit Starwood requires auxiliary materials of the same caliber."
"Otherwise, its full potential wonât be realized."
"As for the corpse of that Insect King you killedâI used it for research."
"You can consider these materials as the equivalent value Iâm returning to you."
Rei knew very well that the corpse of a single Insect King was nowhere near enough to equal the value of so many Seventh-Tier materials.
"And besides," Iz added,
"As your teacher, Iâve never given you a staff before."
"In academies, when a student advances, their mentor usually presents them with a commemorative staff."
"So you could consider this one my belated promotion gift to you."
For a moment, Rei didnât know what to say.
Iz Parut had already helped him far too much.
Without Iz, Rei might have simply learned the ordinary Mana Enhancement Spell like any other mage.
Even if he had leveled that spell to Level 100âor even beyond, it probably wouldnât have produced such an enormous mana pool.
And beyond that...
There were countless other things.
Rei couldnât even count them all.
After a long silence, Rei finally looked up.
"Iz."
"Iâll become a student you can be proud of."
Iz grinned.
"Oh! Then Iâm looking forward to it!"
"Oh, right."
Rei turned toward the shop owner.
"What about the crafting fee?"
But Eijin immediately waved his hand dismissively.
"Fee? What fee?!"
"You should be grateful Iâm not paying you for the chance!"
Eijin clapped his hands excitedly.
"Tell you what."
"Pick two magical items from the shop outside. Anything you want."
Rei blinked.
"Huh?"
"What do you mean âhuhâ?"
Iz laughed.
"High-tier materials are extremely rare."
"This kind of crafting opportunity allows him to fulfill the principles of an Enchanter."
"For him, chances like this are worth more than gold."
"Oh..."
Rei finally understood.
His understanding of this world had deepened yet again.
Iz then asked,
"Eijin, how long will it take to finish the staff?"
Eijin had already picked up the Void Spirit Starwood, running his hands over it as gently as if he were caressing a lover.
His eyes shone with obsession.
"About one week, I think..."
"But for now, I can only craft up to Level 5 properties."
"Level 6 properties will have to wait until after I advance."
"But for this little guy, that will be more than enough for quite a long time."
"This staff..."
"...might become the strongest magic staff on this entire continent."