"Why do more prodigies awaken before the age of sixteen?"
"It's because their spirituality is stronger. Powerful spirituality draws more attention—and attention is almost synonymous with blessing."
"The more attention one receives, the more blessings they are granted."
"Little Rei."
"The attention surrounding you is so dense it's almost tangible…"
"You must have received tremendous favor from the Root."
Kanzaki Rei opened his eyes.
Since arriving in this world, this was the first time he had been startled awake from a dream.
Yesterday, after Kumironi had cleansed the contamination of attention from him and repaired his body, his consciousness had felt strangely weightless.
His body heavy. His thoughts drifting.
He didn't even remember how he had returned to his room, or how he had fallen asleep.
That hazy distortion of awareness had seemingly begun right after he leveled up yesterday.
So much so that even after advancing to a Level 2 Mage, he had forgotten to carefully examine what changes had taken place within himself.
Rei sat up in bed.
The sky outside was still dark. He glanced at the wall clock.
4:30 a.m.
「Everlight (Tier I) (LV: 101) — When activated, consumes mana to persist indefinitely, illuminating an immense area with gentle light and complete coverage without blind spots. When not activated, the caster retains equivalent brightness in their vision.」
The transcendent evolution of the Tier I illumination spell—Everlight.
He no longer needed to suspend floating light sources.
Even without activating the spell, Rei could easily see into the darkness.
When he did activate it, it was usually so his teammates could see as well.
His mind now felt completely clear.
Rei examined the changes within himself.
If his mana had been 10,000 before advancing—
It was now 700,000.
An absurd amount.
A normal Level 2 Mage's mana range was typically between 100 and 500.
Still, mana capacity itself wasn't particularly important.
Whether it was 700,000 or 200,000, at this stage there was simply no realistic scenario where he could exhaust it.
A little more. A little less.
Functionally the same.
The real point was this—
After advancing to Level 2 Mage—
The proficiency of his transcendent spells had begun increasing again.
Previously, once a spell reached Level 101, continued use no longer granted proficiency.
Rei had assumed that was the true limit.
But now it seemed the stagnation had only been because his class level hadn't broken through.
Aside from proficiency continuing to rise—
He also appeared to have gained a unique blessing.
「Mage Mastery — Transcendent (Exclusive): Casting any spell with proficiency above Level 100 grants additional proficiency. All spells exceeding Level 100 proficiency gain greatly enhanced magical effects.」
"Transcendent."
Rei slightly raised his hand. Ice Lances condensed around him.
The mana consumption was nearly nonexistent—less than what he had needed before advancing.
And the number of Ice Lances he could form had become fourteen.
It had doubled.
As for flight speed—
Rei tested them with a subtle motion of his will.
Faster than before. Nearly fifty percent faster.
As for destructive power, he couldn't test it inside the inn. But it was safe to assume the increase was significant.
If he were to kill that giant serpent again—
It would likely be an instant kill.
「Mage Mastery — Mana Sourceflow (Overlimit): Vastly increased mana capacity. Extremely rapid mana regeneration.」
Upon leveling up, he had gained two Mage Masteries—one corresponding to transcendent magic, the other to mana.
So this was the so-called reward.
And the "Transcendent" mastery carried the label Exclusive.
That likely meant he alone possessed it.
Did the first pioneer to produce results receive exclusive mastery?
If so, when Iz advanced to Level 2 Mage, she likely obtained an exclusive mastery related to mana as well.
Beyond those two—
A second strange sigil had lit up within his body.
An unfamiliar symbol.
It granted him a second talent.
[Current — Mage: Level 2][Talent Acquired: Dual Casting → 「God-Tier · Multicast」]
「God-Tier · Multicast」「May simultaneously cast any number of different spells. All spells cast are additionally released (Current Mage Level + 1) times.」「Additional releases consume no mana.」
Multicast.
Rei's mind shifted.
On his right side, three massive, condensed Fireballs formed in midair.
On his left, three Ice Lances orbited in perfect symmetry.
He had cast each spell only once—
Yet two additional copies of each had materialized automatically.
"Simultaneous casting…"
A mage could normally cast only one spell at a time. At least, that was how things currently worked.
The gap between casting one spell and switching to the next was precisely the vulnerable window in which a mage could be exploited.
"Ridiculously useful."
Rei dispersed the Fireballs and Ice Lances.
There was no need for further testing. He could already sense it—
As long as his mana was sufficient, he could cast all his spells simultaneously.
Given his current mana pool, that was hardly a limitation.
Since he couldn't fall back asleep, he might as well head downstairs early.
Iz hadn't "refreshed" in the hotel lobby today.
Well. It was 4:30 in the morning.
Still…
When had he subconsciously started assuming Iz would always spawn in the lobby?
The hotel restaurant, however, operated around the clock.
As expected of a luxury establishment.
After breakfast, Rei went to the library. The library in Rane Town was open twenty-four hours a day.
After advancing to Level 2 Mage, his mental strength had clearly improved significantly.
He crammed common knowledge relentlessly until noon before returning to the hotel.
On his way back, he noticed an exceptionally opulent carriage.
Not merely luxurious—imposing.
Black, elegant. Gold, regal.
The two colors intertwined, radiating unmistakable wealth and status.
See the carriage, see the person.
Whoever had arrived was clearly no ordinary individual.
The moment Rei saw it, he grew cautious.
There was no telling whether this arrival had anything to do with him.
Iz wasn't in the lobby.
Again.
…Why had he already internalized the idea that she would always be there?
In any case, it was time to find them.
Rei stepped into the elevator.
Yes.
This world… had elevators.
The principle wasn't complicated.
A box.
And a force that pulled the box upward.
That was essentially it.
In its most primitive form, one could even hire someone strong enough to haul it up manually.
Whether that was safe…
Another matter entirely.
But in a world where magic existed, safety solutions naturally existed as well.
And this elevator certainly wasn't as crude as being dragged by brute force.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Rei rapped on Iz's door.
"Come in."
The door opened automatically.
"Won't you reconsider?"
"If they hear the name Izparut, surely they will surrender without a fight."
"That would minimize casualties."
Iz shook her head firmly.
"There's no need to persuade me further. My decision will not change."
Rei saw a man he didn't recognize speaking with her.
After receiving her answer, the black-haired man—wearing a gentleman's top hat—rose to his feet.
"Then I shall take my leave for now."
He bowed to Iz.
Iz responded with a graceful smile of farewell.
The man turned to leave—and noticed Rei.
"And this would be…?"
Iz replied calmly,
"My direct disciple."