Rei did exactly as Iz instructed.
Last night, he had simply been casting over and over, never once attempting any fine control.
But now, with just that brief guidance—
It felt as though something had suddenly clicked.
Shhk!
This time, as the Ice Spear formed, it resonated with the rhythm of his mana.
Rei could clearly feel the difference.
The spear became harder. Clearer. Colder. The chill within it deepened far beyond anything he had condensed before.
「Ice Spear Proficiency EXP +100,000」「Ice Spear Additional Effect Unlocked — Hardened Frost」
What the hell?
One hundred thousand?
So practicing in a specialized way grants additional proficiency bonuses?
And there are bonus effects, too.
So it's not just leveling up proficiency that grants additional effects—discovering variations through experimentation unlocks them as well.
This really is like discovering a new continent…
Then—
Rei focused and began controlling the spear.
Under his command, the Ice Spear slowly began to rotate.
Hiss—
The spinning tip tore through the air, the surrounding atmosphere frosting over from the radiating cold.
He could feel it clearly—
Mana consumption was higher than when casting a normal Ice Spear.
But his Mana Tide was already LV: 100.
Its recovery speed was terrifying.
Even with the increased drain, his regeneration far outpaced the cost.
「Ice Spear Proficiency EXP +200,000」
Two hundred thousand?
He hadn't even fired it yet—and it already equaled twenty casts' worth of proficiency.
「Ice Spear (LV: 85) — Additional Effect: High-Speed Rotation」
"Then…"
Rei aimed the five rotating spears at a distant tree.
Whoosh!
In the blink of an eye, one spear pierced straight through a thick trunk. And after penetrating it, its momentum barely diminished before it slammed into the next tree.
The instant it exploded—
Rei maintained control.
Countless ice fragments burst outward, scattering even farther.
Wherever those shards touched bark or grass, thick frost spread instantly across the surface.
「Ice Spear Proficiency EXP +50,000」
"So strong."
He could feel it.
The penetration power had more than doubled compared to before.
More importantly—
Whoosh!
Bang bang bang bang!
The remaining four spears followed in rapid succession!
「Ice Spear Proficiency EXP +50,000」「Ice Spear Proficiency EXP +50,000」「Ice Spear Proficiency EXP +50,000」「Ice Spear Proficiency EXP +50,000」「Ice Spear Additional Effect Unlocked — Frost Shrapnel」
Four spears.
Each one granted 50,000 proficiency.
That single cast had granted him a total of 550,000 proficiency EXP.
Watching the result, Iz smiled.
"Not bad. You succeeded on the first try. You learn quickly."
Rei nodded excitedly.
He raised his hand again.
He tried to replicate the exact sensation from before—
But this time, there was no additional proficiency surge.
Whoosh!
The hardened rotating spear blasted into the forest, freezing a swath of terrain—
And only granted 10,000 proficiency.
So… it's a one-time bonus?
No.
Proficiency…
It's about familiarity. Mastery.
It's the process of deepening understanding.
Rei reasoned through it.
Then he tried something else.
Seven spears formed in front of him—no, five for now—but instead of firing them, he held them in place.
If they can split into multiple projectiles—
Then logically, they should be able to merge as well.
「Ice Spear Proficiency EXP +100,000」
It worked!
As expected—proficiency grows through exploration and experimentation.
「Ice Spear Additional Special Effect Unlocked — Gigantic Ice Spear」
Ding—
The five spears fused into one.
A colossal Ice Spear formed—larger than Rei's own body.
Whoosh!
It shot forward.
BOOM!
Crack crack crack crack crack—
It obliterated tree after tree in its path, smashing through seven or eight massive trunks before finally losing momentum.
"Impressive…"
Iz stroked his chin.
This time, without any prompting, the boy had begun exploring derivative applications on his own.
Truly gifted.
More astonishing still—
He always seemed to grasp the key insight in a single attempt, successfully mastering the variation immediately.
Iz said, "Next, try splitting the spear into smaller fragments."
"The trick lies in…"
Along the way, Rei alternated between independent experimentation and following Iz's guidance.
The already versatile Ice Spear evolved eight additional variants:
Gigantic Ice Spear.Ice Spear Fragmentation.Ice Spear Second-Stage Pierce.Extreme Cold Diffusion.Complete Transparency.Rapid Cast.Remote Manifestation.Frost Dissolution.
Through continuous practice, Ice Spear's proficiency rose to LV: 90.
From a proficiency standpoint, its multi-cast count increased from five to seven.
Iz praised him openly.
"With your current mastery of Ice Spear, I doubt you'd find more than a handful of mages in the entire world who could rival you."
Only a handful worldwide?
That's… extraordinarily high praise.
"Oh, right, Iz…"
"Who is the strongest mage in the world?"
The topic had naturally led here. The question slipped out seamlessly.
Iz Parult answered without hesitation.
"Me."
…Of course.
A classic self-endorsement.
Rei didn't feel discouraged by the failed attempt.
Instead, he adjusted his approach, speaking in an innocent, childlike tone.
"Then… what level is the strongest mage in the world?"
Iz answered seriously.
"Level 5."
…Right.
I shouldn't have used the phrase 'strongest.'
"That's not what I meant, Iz."
"I'm asking—what's the highest level any mage has reached?"
Iz rested his chin on his hand and thought.
"The highest level?"
"That would probably be Anzheng. Level 8."
Level 8?
Since last night, Rei had already begun to suspect that Iz wasn't as weak as he initially appeared.
The way the townspeople treated Iz and his companions reinforced that impression.
Still—
Hearing that the highest-level mage in the world was only Level 8 was surprising.
It felt like he might end up receiving fewer God-Tier Talents than expected…
Though the fact that Level 8 exists—
And yet Iz confidently declared himself the strongest at Level 5—
Iz, you're truly arrogant.
"Oh. We're here."
The Dragon Rhinox came to a stop.
Before them yawned the entrance to a deep cavern.
Peering inside, nothing was visible.
"This… is the dungeon?"
Iz dismounted and nodded.
"Yes. According to the map attached to the commission, this should be Shadow Cavern."
As he spoke, he lifted his hand slightly.
A silver magic circle flickered into existence before him.
"Mm. This is the place."
A magic circle.
Come to think of it, none of Rei's spells manifested visible magic circles.
Is it because his spells are too low-tier?
But Iz's spells were chantless as well.
That detail lingered in Rei's thoughts.
"Let's go."
"Okay."
Knowing that a Level 5 mage wasn't as weak as he had assumed eased Rei's mind somewhat.
Still—
He had no real concept of how strong a Level 5 mage actually was.
The only spell Iz had demonstrated in front of him was that single Lightning Strike.
Aside from that—
There was this magic circle–generating spell, whose function Rei couldn't identify.
Fwoosh—
A Fireball formed in Rei's palm.
He tossed it into the cavern.
The blazing sphere illuminated the pitch-black path ahead.
The tunnel stretched forward—dark, straight, and seemingly endless.