With no way to recover mana, Kanzaki Rei had no choice but to make a decision.
If he wanted to survive, he couldn't drag this out any longer.
He had to kill the Lord in front of him—now.
Ice Spikes rained down without pause!
Rei had no idea how many more it would take to finish it.
Which meant the optimal solution was obvious—
Dump every remaining drop of mana into offense.
Boom!
A spinning Ice Spike drilled into the serpent's lower jaw, bursting out in a spray of blood before detonating in an icy explosion!
The previous spike had barely shattered when the next rotating spike pierced directly into the freshly opened wound!
Again and again!
Is this the vitality of a Lord-tier creature?
It's absurd…
Completely on a different level from the monsters outside.
At least a thousand times stronger?
The minor mobs outside—seven Fireballs, and two were enough to instantly kill them.
This BOSS—
How many full-powered spells had it already endured?
If calculated purely by HP, it probably exceeded the outside mobs by ten thousand times or more…
And its attack power—
With Rei's current physique, even a grazing hit would likely mean instant death.
His mana…
Was running out.
Yet the serpent's body still writhed.
Its entire head was already frozen solid.
How was it not dead?!
Since entering its second phase, Rei had cast over thirty consecutive Ice Spikes.
Every cast was meticulously calculated.
He squeezed maximum power from minimal mana expenditure.
And under this extreme optimization—
Each Ice Spike cast granted him 150,000 proficiency EXP.
You never know your limits until you force yourself.
But to maintain lethal output—
Even with optimization, each Ice Spike still required at least 2% mana.
And now, a 2% Ice Spike dealt more damage than the earlier 3% version.
With the talent 「God-Tier · Proficiency Evolution」—
He could continuously refine, continuously evolve!
Was he really going to die here—
At the very beginning?
In his very first dungeon?
Unwillingness surged in his heart.
His mana was being wrung dry.
Boom boom boom boom!
Bang!
And then—
An unexpected change struck again!
The serpent, nearly frozen into a corpse, suddenly shattered countless layers of ice!
Its rotting, fractured head turned toward Rei—
"Die…"
"Die already!"
"Why won't you die?!"
Rei's unwillingness twisted into fury.
Why had this happened?
Why was he about to die for no reason—
Why?!
He gathered every last drop of mana.
「Ice Spike Proficiency EXP +100,000」
「Ice Spike Proficiency EXP +100,000」
「Ice Spike Proficiency EXP +100,000」
「Ice Spike Proficiency EXP +100,000」
…
Compress.
He compressed the Ice Spike further.
Harder.
Sharper.
Spin faster—faster!
It didn't need to be massive.
It needed to be slender.
Needle-thin.
Mana poured out unstoppably.
And in his mind, proficiency notifications rang without end.
This time, the increase was ferocious.
A long, needle-like Ice Spike condensed beside Rei.
Its high-speed rotation stirred freezing currents throughout the cavern.
His mana was gone.
But it wasn't enough.
He could overcast.
Squeeze out everything.
If he couldn't kill it, he'd die anyway.
The tide was dry.
In its place—
A void.
An empty abyss within his body.
No mana remained.
Exhaustion.
Nothingness.
A crushing wave of dizziness hit him!
Bang!
In that very instant—
The Ice Needle beside him vanished.
Thud!
A long spray of blood mixed with ice fragments erupted upward!
A towering column of blood shot toward the cavern ceiling!
The serpent's head was completely pierced through.
Not just its skull—
The Ice Needle had plunged deep into its body through the shattered opening.
The entire massive serpent froze into an ice sculpture in mere moments.
That was the last thing Rei saw.
Darkness swallowed his vision.
And just before losing consciousness—
He faintly heard voices within his mind.
「Magic Enhancement: Mana Tide has evolved」
「You have learned: Mana Void (Second Tier) (Forbidden Art)」
「Mana Void Proficiency EXP +100,000」
「Magic Enhancement: Mana Void (LV: 10) — Automatically operates, obtaining additional mana from the Void」
…
Izz pushed open the stone door and stepped inside.
He caught Rei just before the boy hit the ground.
A soft sigh escaped him.
"Sorry. If I hadn't pressured you like this, you might never have truly fallen into crisis. Your talent is simply too strong."
He snapped his fingers lightly.
The elemental density in the chamber returned to normal.
Izz looked toward the frozen serpent.
"Your task is complete."
Snap—
「Monster Berserk (Fourth Tier) (LV: 100)」
Spell dispelled.
Boom!
The ice-encased serpent collapsed into countless fragments, shattering into powder.
In truth, the serpent had never been that powerful.
Izz had cast Monster Berserk, drastically amplifying its strength.
…
My body…
Feels so light…
Yet I can still feel it.
Warm.
Not cold at all.
Did I… win?
Or did I die again?
Did I reincarnate into another world?
Rei slowly opened his eyes.
What he saw—
Was smooth, emerald-green hair.
A familiar face.
Kumironi.
Rei shot upright instantly!
Instinctively on guard!
He even stood up on the sofa.
But Kumironi only smiled gently.
"You're awake."
"Mm… I suppose I should help clear up some misunderstandings between you and Izz."
Rei raised his right hand toward her, still wary.
"Misunderstandings?"
Kumironi twirled a strand of her hair, her expression slightly helpless as she sighed.
"Little Rei… Izz didn't throw you in there to kill you."
"He did it so you could break your magic limit."
Rei's guard remained tight.
But he also began examining his body.
Mana Tide was gone.
The internal surge of rising and falling waves had disappeared.
In its place—
A small void.
Like a miniature black hole.
Within it, his mana resided.
Rei couldn't sense its upper limit.
He only felt that he could draw mana from it at any time.
And the total quantity…
Was roughly fifty times greater than before.
Equivalent to more than five thousand times the mana he had at the moment of awakening…
"See? If Izz hadn't shown hostility toward you, you wouldn't have believed you were facing life-and-death danger~"
"Only when you feel despair will you truly squeeze out every last drop of potential."
Rei gradually relaxed, just slightly.
"And if he truly wanted you dead, he wouldn't have brought you back for me to heal."
"Who would drag home someone who hates them to the bone?"
Kumironi had a point.
Only then did Rei notice—
His right arm was fully restored.
All discomfort had vanished.
In fact—
His physique felt stronger than before.
His previously thin frame now carried faint muscle definition.
His body was in even better condition than before entering the dungeon.
As for his spells—
「Mana Void (LV: 92)」
「Ice Spike (LV: 100) (Pending Evolution)」
「Fireball (LV: 91)」
「Wind Blade (LV: 86)」
「Illumination (LV: 55)」
「Lightning Strike (LV: 43)」
「Cross of Light (LV: 39)」
Mana Tide had been replaced by Mana Void.
Ice Spike had reached LV: 100—and now displayed a Pending Evolution prompt.
Knock knock knock—
At that moment, a knock sounded at the door.
Kumironi softly said, "Come in."
Izz Parulut pushed the door open and entered.