That subtle feeling of being treated like a child…
It really was strange.
If only they'd treat me like a child when it came to heavy drinking too.
Now that he finally had the chance to move around freely, the first thing Kanzaki Rei wanted to do was cram in the common sense he so desperately lacked.
At the very least, he needed to escape the state of knowing absolutely nothing about this world.
…
When he arrived at the library, he was surprised to find it far busier than expected.
He had assumed it would be deserted.
Rei stepped before a fixed magic circle engraved into the floor.
[Search Spell]
A spell used to locate books—how incredibly convenient. He'd heard it was permanently installed through a process of eternal binding, leaving the magic formation active in a fixed location indefinitely.
All it required afterward was routine maintenance and a steady supply of mana.
Rei extended his consciousness into the Search Spell, his mind sweeping rapidly through its cataloging matrix. It didn't take long before he found exactly what he needed.
"Guide to World Common Knowledge"
Heh…
Blunt and unpretentious. But that was exactly the kind of book he wanted.
Swish!
Selection confirmed.
Moments later, a book flew straight off a distant shelf and into his hands.
Magic truly was convenient.
With the guide secured, Rei found a quiet seat and began reading.
He read for an entire afternoon.
He skipped the world history section outright and flipped directly to the chapter on professions.
Combat-oriented classes were categorized as: Warrior, Mage, Archer, Defender, Healer, Assassin, Machinist…
The book was thick, and its coverage comprehensive.
By the time he closed it, dusk had already fallen—yet he had barely made a dent in it.
He focused first on the knowledge most relevant to himself, then on the most fundamental common sense. There was still a great deal left unread.
Topics like gods and faith—things he had no immediate access to—were skipped, just like world history.
Seeing that it was getting late, Rei checked the book out and returned to the inn.
On the way back, several adventurers began greeting him proactively.
Rei noticed something had changed.
They no longer looked at him as "the kid tagging along with Iz."
Instead—
"Yo, Little Rei! Thanks for the drinks yesterday!"
First of all…
My name isn't Little Rei. It's Rei.
Secondly…
…Forget it.
At least this meant he had carved out a place for himself in Rhen Town.
He was no longer Iz's pitiful tagalong.
He was an adventurer: (Little) Rei.
Not long after returning to the inn, Iz called him back out.
He was still Rei's mentor.
And a mentor's duty was to teach magic.
After cramming common knowledge today, Rei finally understood the world's ranking system.
Every profession was divided into Levels 1 through 9.
Level 1 was the lowest. Level 9 was the theoretical peak.
However, for some professions, no one had yet reached Level 9.
Each profession level carried its own corresponding title.
A Level 1 Mage was called: Apprentice.
A Level 2 Mage was called: Magus.
A Level 3 Mage was called: Archmage.
At Level 3, one was already considered a powerful mage—someone with standing in a regional Magic Association.
A Level 4 Mage was called: Grand Specialist of the Arcane.
And Level 5—
Iz Parut's level—
The title was: Magic Emperor.
The gap between Level 4 and Level 5 titles is ridiculous…
Rei couldn't help but complain internally.
Iz's strength in his estimation rose yet again.
One of the rare Level 5 Mages in the world.
No wonder he said he was strong.
He had every right to.
Across an entire kingdom, there were only one or two Level 5 Mages—and they were typically the Royal Court's Chief Archmage.
In that light, Iz truly was terrifyingly powerful.
In Rhen Town, he likely had no equal.
"Tonight, we'll study Dark Magic: Shadow Arrow. And Earth Magic: Earth Spike."
That was Iz's lesson plan.
"And while we're at it, bring every spell you've learned… to maximum proficiency."
Maximum proficiency…
He meant Level 100.
Iz… you really tailor your teaching to the student, don't you?
Rei was no longer ignorant.
The first thing he had studied today was practical knowledge he would use frequently.
The reality was—
Most mages only mastered one or two spells to no-chant status in their entire lifetime.
To cast a spell without chanting required roughly 30,000 uses of that spell.
And for any mage, it was impossible to use only a single spell forever.
Mana recovery also required time.
When Rei had first advanced, he cast Lightning Strike a little over a dozen times and completely drained himself.
A typical Level 1 Mage's mana pool was only five to ten times greater than that initial amount.
If one recovered mana and cast spells nonstop, perhaps 200 casts per day was possible.
However—
For most mages, mana recovery required meditation.
Yes. An effect like Mana Tide, which operated automatically and restored mana continuously, was extremely rare.
And even Mana Tide only became fully automated at Level 10.
Before Level 10, Rei still had to consciously control it.
If he spent all day casting and recovering mana, he'd have no time for anything else.
And fundamentally—
Spending that much effort on low-tier spells wasn't considered worthwhile.
Advancing from Level 1 to Level 2 was something everyone could accomplish.
Most mages conserved their energy for Tier 2 spells.
As a result, the vast majority of mages mastered at most one or two Tier 2 spells to no-chant in their entire lives.
That was the limit of a mage's lifetime effort.
And yet Iz Parut's demand of him—
Learn two new spells tonight.
And "incidentally" raise every spell he knew to Level 100 proficiency.
Heh.
If anyone else heard Iz Parut's requirement, they'd think he was insane.
"If you master these spells tonight, tomorrow you can advance to Level 2 Mage."
"You'll likely become the fastest mage in the world to reach Level 2."
Level 2?
At Iz's promise, Rei's heart surged with excitement.
Finally.
Finally, I can level up.
He could almost see the next God-Tier Talent beckoning him.
Just 「God-Tier · Proficiency Evolution」 alone was already absurd.
If he gained another—
Wouldn't that make him invincible?
"All max proficiency, huh…"
"Alright, Iz!"
"Let's make it worth the anticipation!"
"Darkness that clings to bone—condense into a lethal arrow and pierce!"
「Magic Learned — Shadow Arrow (LV: 1)」
「Shadow Arrow Proficiency EXP +10000」
「Shadow Arrow (LV: 5)」
…
Whoosh!
The Shadow Arrow pierced the straw dummy, leaving behind a patch of clinging darkness.
Iz shook his head slightly.
"Attacking a dummy is pointless. Aim at me."
"Use everything you have. Try to defeat me."
With a single step, Iz replaced the dummy's position, standing at a distance from Rei.
"Master Iz, be careful."
BOOM!
Without any warning—
Thunder crashed down violently!
Rei didn't use the still-chant-required Shadow Arrow.
Instead, he switched to the fastest instant-cast spell—
Lightning Strike.
BOOM!
Thunder exploded above Iz's head, arcs of electricity crackling—
And yet…
Iz remained completely unharmed.
"Your lightning lacks cohesion. Its penetration is insufficient."
BOOM!
A second strike fell without pause.
"The lightning is too slow. Thunder is second only to light in speed. When invoking lightning, do not start from your body. Learn to directly summon the thunder itself."
Whoosh!
Shhk shhk shhk—
Invisible wind blades slashed out!
But they curved away from Iz—not because Rei missed, but because their trajectory was completely altered.
"Wind Blades must follow the natural current of wind. Only then can they be hidden within it."
"The greatest advantage of wind is invisibility. If you cast against the wind's flow, not only is power reduced, it becomes easy for the enemy to detect."
Clang—
Iz caught the Light Cross in one hand.
"Light's nature is purity and speed. The defining trait of Light Cross is purity. Do not mix any other elements when forming it."
"And its purpose is not slaughter—but to dispel evil…"
BOOM!
A fireball exploded around Iz.
"Fire is the most common destructive element. Its damage divides into heat, impact, burning adhesion, and explosive force. Within a Fireball…"
Every word Iz spoke brought new clarity to Rei's mind.
Every spell cast granted additional proficiency—bonus effects layered on top.
And striking Iz—
Even with a normal cast—
Granted bonus proficiency.
「Earth Spike Proficiency EXP +50000」
「Fireball Proficiency EXP +50000」
Wait.
What is he? An experience training dummy?
Why does hitting him grant five times the normal experience?
It felt bizarrely surreal.
His spellcasting speed accelerated. What once took one cast's worth of time now allowed two—even three.
The elements grew denser.
Though he now recovered mana from the void, using ambient elements made certain spells even faster.
As Iz said—
With Lightning Strike, simply call down thunder directly. There was no need to channel personal mana first.
Cast that way, the enemy would have virtually zero reaction time.
Unfortunately—
His opponent was Iz Parut.
The gap between a Level 5 Mage and a Level 1 Mage was simply too vast.
Even though Rei felt his casting speed was already incredible—
Iz blocked everything effortlessly.
With bonus experience and Iz's instruction—
Rei's leveling efficiency skyrocketed.
With near-endless mana, he bombarded Iz from 7 PM until 4 AM.
When the final massive Earth Spike burst from the ground—
And Iz crushed it underfoot—
The last spell reached Level 100.
After an entire night—
Rei had pushed
Lightning StrikeIce SpikeFireballWind BladeIlluminationLight CrossShadow ArrowEarth Spike
All eight spells to Level 100 proficiency.
Combined with 「Mana Void」, which ran constantly and was already maxed—
He now possessed nine Level 100 spells.
And every single one displayed an evolution prompt.
「Ice Spike (Evolvable)」
「Available Evolution Paths — Control / Speed / Freeze / Power」
Iz brushed off his robes, preparing to call it a night.
And in that instant—
Whoosh!
Three crystalline icicles streaked forward, dragging long trails of frost—
Appearing before Iz in a flash.
A sneak attack.