Rei was briefly stunned after hearing that explanation.
But he quickly understood what Iz Parut meant.
One question pointed toward the true answer:The Origin, the Origin of the Path of Magic.
The other question pointed toward:For me, what is the Origin? What is the Origin of the Path of Magic for me?
Rei pondered for a moment.
Then he raised his head.
"Iz… I want to hear your thoughts."
Rei sat cross-legged on the training ground.
Iz nodded in satisfaction.
"Good."
"You can learn from the thoughts of those who came before you."
"But everyone's understanding of the Origin is different. The final conclusions they reach won't necessarily be the same."
"They may not even point toward the true answer."
"The most important thing is still your own thinking."
"Those who comprehend Origin Magic rarely share the same understanding of the Origin. In fact, their interpretations may even be completely opposite."
"I'll tell you about my understanding of the Origin."
The subject of the Origin was far more complex than Rei had imagined.
At the beginning of Iz Parut's explanation, Rei could still understand a few fragments.
But after just a few sentences, it started sounding like pure incomprehensible scripture.
It was roughly equivalent to asking an elementary school student to grasp the theoretical calculations of quantum mechanics.
Still, Rei managed to grasp a few broad ideas.
At Levels 1–2, Iz's contemplation of the Origin had leaned toward the concept of the Void.
However, after reaching Level 3, he realized that direction was somewhat flawed and shifted his thinking onto a different path.
This suggested that whether one's reasoning arrived at the correct ultimate answer might not actually be that important for comprehending Origin Magic.
"In truth, my thoughts aren't that important for you," Iz said.
"What matters is your own thinking…"
"You're already only one step away from becoming a Level 3 Mage."
"As long as you comprehend Origin Magic, you can advance to Level 3 Mage immediately."
In the end…
The question was thrown right back at Rei.
Iz refused to allow Rei to advance before comprehending Origin Magic.
His exact words had been:
He could not tolerate someone wasting their talent like that.
Of course…
Rei himself wouldn't allow it either.
The next day…
Rei learned several new spells from Iz.
At Rei's request, Iz focused on teaching defensive magic.
[Resilient Water Ring Shield (Second-Tier) (LV:201)][Encasing Stone Dome (Second-Tier) (LV:201)][Repulsion Extreme Wind Guard (Second-Tier) (LV:201)][Water Illusion Mist Shadow (Second-Tier) (LV:201)][Dark Corrosion Ring Shield (Second-Tier) (LV:201)]
These were all spells Iz had used during their sparring match.
Master Iz… were you hiding this many spells because you were afraid you couldn't beat me?
The thought of sparring again briefly rose in Rei's mind.
But after thinking about it…
His soul reserves were already running low.
There was no Monster Tide right now, so gathering souls wasn't easy.
A single dungeon run would at most involve killing around 100 monsters.
Monsters in the wild were sparse and scattered.
And souls could only be obtained by killing intelligent creatures or monsters of at least First-Tier.
Killing ants or insects…
Didn't yield souls.
They were clearly alive, yet had no souls.
It felt absurd—but this was another world, so Rei didn't bother judging it by Earth's logic.
Besides, when it came to souls, Earth's theories were even more mystical.
People couldn't even prove whether souls existed at all.
While learning these spells today, Rei also discovered something interesting.
The spell Flame Shield had actually already been recorded in magical archives.
The spell he had believed to be his own creation had, in fact, already been invented by someone else.
However—
Because he had created it independently, Rei's version was still slightly stronger than the one he learned.
Thanks to this, Rei roughly understood why self-created magic was stronger.
It was because it was perfectly aligned with the caster.
A learned spell required imitating someone else's mana pathways and casting methods.
But a self-created spell was developed entirely based on one's own conditions.
Naturally, it would flow more smoothly and become slightly stronger.
Once Rei understood this principle…
He realized something important.
All the spells he had already learned could be improved according to his own characteristics.
So using that idea as a foundation, Rei began adjusting every spell he had learned.
After these adjustments, the spells saw slight improvements in:
Casting speed
Power
Control flexibility
Overall performance
Watching Rei's progress, Iz couldn't help but nod slightly.
Adjusting learned spells in the direction of self-created magic was an advanced course taught at magic academies.
And even among academy students, very few could truly accomplish it.
Yet Rei had figured it out purely through his own reasoning—and had improved all his spells in a short amount of time.
His comprehension was absolutely monstrous.
As expected of the only magic genius second to me.
Iz praised him sincerely in his heart.
"Oh right, Iz."
"During the sparring match two days ago… after I used Soul Burst, the spell you used that detonated infused mana…"
Iz replied immediately.
"You mean Mana Explosion?"
Rei nodded.
"I think so."
Iz answered frankly.
"That's a spell I improved after learning from your Soul Burst."
…What?
Learned?
Improved?
Rei suddenly felt confused.
When did I ever teach you Soul Burst?
Wait—how do you even know that death spell is called Soul Burst?
Rei had never said the spell's name aloud.
"Master Iz… how did you learn it?" Rei finally asked.
Iz blinked.
"How else would I learn it? I saw you cast it once, so I learned it."
…
Silence fell.
Sometimes, when two geniuses encountered each other's talent…
They simply had nothing to say.
"In any case, I'll teach you Mana Explosion."
Rei quickly learned the basic form—
[Mana Eruption]
After two evolutionary upgrades, it became:
[Mana Explosion]
…
Iz…
The improved version you created… is also a Transcendent Spell?
This mysterious magic man…
Just how terrifying was his magical talent?
The more Rei came to know Iz—and the more he learned about this world—
The more frightening Iz's magical genius seemed.
Rei wondered how many God-Tier Mage Talents he would need to obtain before he could match Iz on the path of magic.
"Master Iz… did you also learn Soul Burst?"
"I did," Iz replied.
"But I can't cast it."
"Casting Death Spells requires souls, and collecting souls is a specialization unique to Death Priests."
"Then what about Healer spells?" Rei asked, quickly drawing a parallel.
Healers also used spells, after all—just a different category of magic.
Iz thought for a moment.
"Hmm… I know those as well."
"But I can't cast them either."
"Life Spells require the caster to have Healer levels to generate the necessary casting resources."
"I don't have any Healer levels, so I can't release Life Spells."
Rei had already studied the characteristics of different professions.
Each level of Healer came with casting limits.
For example:
A Level 1 Healer could cast 20 First-Tier Life Spells per day.
The higher the class level, the more Life Spells they could use daily, and the faster those charges regenerated.
The usage of those charges was also tied to advancement evaluations.
The more faithfully someone practiced the principles of life, the more Life Spells they could use—and the stronger their effects became.
Of course, aside from that:
Talents
Healing staves
Other specialized equipment
could also increase the available casting capacity.
This was part of the Healer profession's unique mechanics.
Warriors, Assassins, Archers, Defenders, Engineers…
Every profession had its own distinctive traits.
"But it seems that when it comes to spells, everyone shares the same foundation."
"Whether it's Death Spells or Life Spells, they all fall under the broader category of magic."
Mages could create their own spells.
So could Death Spells also be self-created?
Did Death Magic also lead toward the Origin?
Or perhaps…
The Origin itself was the source of all magic.
What exactly did the term Origin truly refer to?
Why had no one ever defined it clearly?
Why did generation after generation of mages pursue it?
Why did mages pursue not merely magic itself—
But something vague, undefined, and elusive—
The Origin?
Back in his room, Rei gazed out the window.
The moon hung in the sky, slowly drifting farther away as the clouds passed.
Rei remained deep in thought.