For Kanzaki Rei, the advancement process itself had not been complicated in the slightest.
In the end, it amounted to placing his hand on a crystal orb and watching it glow.
During the spell mastery test, he simply cast a few spells.
At the end, he produced the prepared serpent eye.
Just like that—it was over.
An advancement ceremony.
Compared to taking a stroll after breakfast, it felt no different.
But for Rane Town—
it was a sensation.
The news that a magical prodigy had been born—one who surpassed Izparut—
spread from Rane Town to the far corners of the world.
…
[Rane Hotel]
An unadorned name.
Yet it was indeed the largest hotel in Rane Town, and where Kanzaki Rei and the others were staying.
At this moment, Rei sat inside Kumironi's suite.
Kumironi's palm rested gently against his back. The power of life flowed through his body.
He could feel it—
damaged portions knitting themselves back together,
impurities being expelled.
Official doctrine stated: awakening before the age of sixteen, while the body was still underdeveloped, would cause irreversible damage.
That was common knowledge.
But right now…
Rei felt it wasn't that simple.
After officiating the ceremony, Kumironi had immediately whispered something to Iz.
Iz had then grabbed Rei, broken through the surrounding crowd, and rushed back to the hotel.
"Kumironi…"
Her voice remained as gentle as ever.
"It'll be alright~"
"The attention upon you during the ritual was more intense than anticipated."
"If it were an ordinary person advancing to Level 2 Mage, I could completely eliminate the side effects."
"But… your performance was too outstanding."
Now that he had become a Level 2 Mage, Kanzaki Rei could perceive various internal changes.
And by "various," he didn't mean just organs like heart, lungs, liver, spleen, kidneys.
He could sense mana.
Vital energy.
And other substances drifting within him.
Among them were strands of something pitch-black—
coiling around his body.
Kumironi was removing them.
They resembled plant roots burrowing into his flesh.
Like tadpoles, trying to swim deeper into him.
But they had only just arrived.
Before they could penetrate further—
Kumironi extracted them through some method.
Rei couldn't shake the feeling—
that the consequences of early awakening were not limited to mere "physical" damage.
It felt more like…
a curse taking root.
Of course, that was only a sensation.
He had only recently crammed the basics of this world into his mind. As for such esoteric phenomena, his understanding was shallow.
"Kumironi… what exactly are these?"
She hesitated.
"A kind of…"
She seemed unsure whether to continue.
Though Rei could not see behind him, he sensed her opening her mouth twice—
and closing it again.
"Kumironi. This is happening inside my body. I want to know the truth," Rei insisted.
At last, she let out a soft sigh.
"Spiritual Pollution."
"Spiritual… pollution?" Rei asked, puzzled.
Kumironi spoke slowly.
"In early theoretical models, the younger a child awakened, the better their performance afterward."
"Warriors would possess more vigorous vitality. Mages could perceive more elements. Assassins were more agile, better at concealing their presence… Every class, when awakened young, would display more remarkable traits—and was more likely to awaken high-tier talents."
"On top of that, awakening earlier meant starting the professional path earlier—gaining a lead at life's starting line."
"So even though such awakenings caused bodily backlash—sometimes branding the child with incurable disabilities or lifelong injuries—there were still parents who rushed toward it, eager to have their children awaken early."
Incurable disabilities and injuries…
Just hearing it sounded terrifying.
Parents forcing it…
No matter the world, there would always be obsessive parents willing to sacrifice their child's health for fame.
"But if it were only injuries, that alone would not have been enough to ban early awakening."
"Compared to powerful 'talent,' such side effects were deemed acceptable."
"After all, with monsters rampant, lacking strength could also result in severe injury—or death."
…Suddenly, Rei could almost understand those parents.
This wasn't his previous world.
Here, weakness truly could mean death.
"The true reason early awakening was strictly prohibited stemmed from a major research report issued by the Church of Life thirty years ago."
"These children who awakened early—almost without exception—became increasingly obsessive and unstable after reaching higher tiers."
"Some even turned monstrous. Their personalities changed completely."
"People who had once been kind would inexplicably become twisted and malevolent."
"At first, everyone believed they had simply experienced something traumatic—or had grown mad from their pursuit of magic."
"After all, obsessive mages were not uncommon."
"Until that report pointed out…"
"The cause of their transformation was spiritual contamination."
"At first, the kingdoms dismissed the report as baseless alarmism, believing it would have little impact."
"Until…"
"In the third year after the report's release, a massive blood sacrifice incident occurred."
"A mage pursuing the Path of Magic, seeking to approach the Origin further—to present a satisfactory advancement answer—chose to complete his research through blood sacrifice."
"That event resulted in the deaths of three billion people."
"Two kingdoms collapsed completely as a result."
"It was classified as the largest-scale evil sacrifice of this century."
"Subsequent investigation revealed that this mage had been a genius who awakened as a Mage at the age of nine. Prior to the incident, he had been a benevolent lord of the Mese Territory."
"The event rang like a warning bell. Several neighboring continents and hundreds of kingdoms were shaken."
"Conferences were convened in rapid succession."
"One of the most significant resolutions passed during that period was this: no one may undergo class awakening before the age of sixteen."
"After the incident, those who had awakened before sixteen and had already reached Level 4 or above were placed under close surveillance by major kingdoms."
"The Church of Life conducted deeper research and made substantial progress."
"Current findings indicate: before sixteen, one's spirituality is stronger. During the class change ritual, they receive greater 'attention.' That attention gradually erodes their soul without their awareness."
"As their class level increases, so too does their obsession along that path."
"In the end, their fixation transforms them into seekers who disregard everything."
"To climb higher, they are willing to commit any act—even those that violate humanity."
"They become the purest form of evil."
Kanzaki Rei listened, his heart stirring violently.
So the world had truly endured such horror.
The rule forbidding awakening before sixteen had not been born of empty superstition.
It had been written in blood.
"Kumironi… then what about me?"
She smiled gently.
"It's alright."
"I am one of the few healing practitioners capable of removing this influence."
"It's just…"
"Little Rei."
"The attention you received during this advancement ceremony was far greater than I imagined."
"What kind of response did you obtain?"