[Library]
That night, Rei wandered into the library once again.
Pari was there.
"Pari."
She looked up and glanced at him.
She didn't say anything, yet Rei somehow felt as though she were staring straight at his personal assets.
"If you have a question, just ask…"
"I want to ask about these two spells."
Mese had given him three spells in total. One was Origin, while the other two were minor spells.
For the sake of safety, Rei hadn't learned any of them yet.
Now that the matter had come back to mind, he had come specifically to ask about them.
"Oh, those two… they're just ordinary spells."
When answering this question, Pari didn't charge him anything.
…
Early the next morning, Kumironi—wearing her green hooded cloak—brought Rei to the Promotion Hall.
Kumironi raised the back of her hand. A green sigil engraved on it began to glow.
The moment the promotion examiner saw the mark, he immediately lowered his head, his voice trembling slightly.
"Lady Kumironi."
Kumironi glanced behind her and murmured softly:
"Shh."
"Prepare a secret promotion chamber…"
The examiner seemed a little flustered.
But he still nodded quickly.
"Yes!"
A hidden door in the shadows opened. Rei and Kumironi stepped inside.
Kumironi truly disliked appearing in public.
Small towns were manageable. But in large cities, far too many people begged her to help them awaken their classes. Refusing them became troublesome.
Kumironi had a kind personality, but that didn't mean she would help every single person she encountered.
Only those who truly needed help—and whom she genuinely could help—would she assist.
For example, someone like Rei.
A child randomly teleported here, alone and with nowhere to go.
She had already discussed it with Iz beforehand; they could bring Rei along for this journey.
With Iz's guidance, even if Rei's aptitude were dull, he could still barely reach Level 3 Mage.
Even if he could no longer level up before turning sixteen, reaching Level 3 would still place him at the height most mediocre mages in the world ever achieved.
But if it were someone else…
Kumironi couldn't possibly awaken someone and then take them along every time, could she?
That would turn into running a kindergarten.
As for the rumor that she only helped awaken truly gifted prodigies…
Honestly, half of that was just rumor.
To be truthful, when she helped those people awaken in the past, she hadn't even considered their talent.
Early awakening simply meant higher spirituality to begin with. Add to that the children's own efforts and the attention they received for awakening early…
And eventually the story transformed into:
Kumironi only helps awaken the most talented class-changers.
Explaining it didn't help, so she simply let the rumor persist.
In fact, the rumor saved her a great deal of trouble.
Otherwise, even more people would be looking for her now.
[Secret Promotion Chamber]
The room was sealed off on all sides. Once the door closed, it became a completely isolated chamber.
"This place is used for secret awakenings."
"Certain… unspeakable class changes are conducted here."
Though Kumironi didn't say it outright, Rei already understood.
In a vast nation, how could there not be a darker side?
Those professions banned in public probably still existed in secret. Some of those class-changers might even directly serve the kingdom.
Otherwise, destroying the forbidden class scrolls would be far too wasteful.
Someone always had to do the dirty work.
Kumironi removed her hood. The concealment over her presence faded instantly.
Her pointed ears sprang free as the hood came down.
"Anyway, let's begin your awakening."
"You also changed class into a Death Priest, so the promotion difficulty might increase slightly."
Buzz—
A magic circle lit up across the ground.
When Rei saw the magic formation beneath his feet, it further reinforced his understanding of Origin.
Origin was the source of all magic—the foundation that carried everything.
"Promoting a Level 2 Mage to Level 3 Mage examines several factors."
"The number of spells you have mastered, their proficiency, whether you've created any spells yourself, and whether you possess unique insights into magic."
"It also evaluates battles you've fought using magic. You must submit a portion of a monster's remains killed by your magic as proof."
"Additionally, your magical control, application, and the finer details of your mana usage will all be evaluated."
"In short, it's similar to the Level 2 promotion. The key point is demonstrating your understanding."
In the distance, a puppet shimmering with iridescent colors rose from the ground.
"Demonstrate your magic. Attack the puppet."
Rei raised his hand.
At the same time, the puppet charged toward him.
So it wasn't a stationary target anymore.
Boom!
「Origin·Repulsion Wind Burst」
Right from the start, Rei unleashed Origin Magic.
The moment the spell erupted, he faintly sensed something—
As if something had opened its eyes and begun watching him.
A gaze fell upon him.
At the same time, Kumironi raised her hand. A gentle radiance descended, enveloping herself.
Black particles visibly evaporated from her body.
「Origin·Piercing Ice Pillar」
The instant the wind burst exploded, a massive ice pillar simultaneously shot out from a distant wall.
Boom!
The puppet was blasted directly onto the protruding ice pillar!
A tremendous creaking sound erupted.
Yet it wasn't pierced through.
The material was surprisingly durable…
Whoosh!
But the wind burst instantly transformed, morphing into a spirit explosion that manifested right in front of the puppet.
"Sacrifice — 1,000 Souls."
「Origin·Spirit Explosion」
The explosion detonated!
But the Spirit Explosion—which should have had a massive blast radius—was compressed into an extremely small area, exploding solely in front of the puppet's chest.
Boom!
A hollow cavity was blasted straight through the puppet's torso.
The transformations of "Origin Transforms All Magic" also included changes in magical form. Spells could even be twisted into entirely different shapes.
Whoosh!
Next, using the ground as the center, the wind burst shot upward into the sky, instantly launching the puppet airborne!
Originally, the casting condition of Wind Burst was simply a straight line centered on the caster.
Either fired outward, or blasted back from a distant point toward the caster.
But now, with Origin Transforms All Magic, spells could be cast from any point.
The storm blasting into the sky suddenly split into one hundred twenty-six ice spikes, piercing the puppet from different angles.
At the same time, blazing earthfire formed out of thin air and descended from above.
Boom!
Molten lava fell from the sky toward the ground, completely engulfing the puppet.
Rei gradually felt the sensation of being watched grow stronger.
But soon, the feeling disappeared.
"That's enough."
Kumironi spoke.
Rei stopped casting.
Three spheres of Origin Transforms All Magic returned to orbit around him like satellites.
What a peculiar form of magic.
Though, of course, Origin Magic had never been ordinary.
Once the casting stopped, Rei felt a surge of spiritual fullness.
He clearly sensed that the principle governing mages had acknowledged him.
He had perfectly embodied the principle of pursuing the Origin.
Feedback from the principle flowed into him.
His spirituality began to grow.
The world itself seemed clearer.
In fact, Rei already felt that the final evaluation—fighting monsters with magic—had become almost irrelevant.
Even if he didn't complete that part, he could still perfectly ascend to Level 3 Mage.
But despite that intuition—
Rei still took out a wing and a severed hand.
They belonged to the Blood-Slaying Needle Wasp and the King of Aberrant Insects.
The wasp wing and insect king's hand dissolved into faint particles of light, drifting upward into the air.
Did they really have to disappear?
Watching the scene, Rei felt a little pain in his heart.
Those alone were worth ten to twenty thousand gold coins.
Even though he was already wealthy now, watching tens of thousands of gold vanish…
Sigh.
Forget it.
They hadn't left him.
They had merely changed the way they accompanied him.
Rei comforted himself with that thought.
As the particles of light faded away, a mottled black radiance descended from the ceiling.
Rei felt his body—no, his entire life structure—undergo transformation.
He was now a Level 3 Mage.
The first thing he sensed was—
Perception.
All Level 3 professionals gained an ability called Perception.
From this moment onward, one no longer saw with their eyes, but with perception.
Closing his eyes, Rei could sense the entire shape of the room.
He could even perceive details that normally went unnoticed.
Focusing his perception toward the wall, he could "see" the patterns and grime along its surface.
When he turned that perception toward Kumironi, it felt as though he were standing extremely close to her, examining her carefully.
A Level 6 Healing Specialist truly possessed flawless skin.
Kumironi's complexion was smooth as jade.
There wasn't even a single visible pore.
They said that reaching Level 5 and above altered one's life form.
It seemed the rumors were true.
And just as Rei curiously continued observing Kumironi in such detail—
Tap.
A slight pain struck his head.
His perception was abruptly cut off.
Opening his eyes, he saw Kumironi's cheeks slightly flushed.
"Rei, don't play pranks."
Right…
Staring at a girl like that was indeed impolite.
Rei wasn't surprised that someone as powerful as Kumironi could sense his perception.
Still, perception required a certain degree of concentration to release.
It couldn't yet remain constantly active.
Perhaps it required special training methods…
But overall, having perception would definitely make combat far more convenient.
At the very least, sneak attacks would become much harder.
As for the maximum range of perception—
This chamber blocked perception from leaving.
Rei had already extended it to its maximum range, covering the entire room, yet it couldn't pass through the walls.
Aside from Perception, he also felt another rise in his spirituality.
However, the increase was vague.
He could only feel his thoughts becoming clearer, his thinking speed accelerating, his mind connecting ideas more easily—as if he could perceive more of the world.
There were surely more benefits to spirituality, but Rei didn't yet know how to utilize it fully.
He would have to study it later.
His Multi-Casting also evolved from Triple Casting to Quadruple Casting.
All spells were now released four times simultaneously.
Even Origin Transforms All Magic increased from three orbs to four.
He gained two Mage Masteries and one new God-Tier Talent.
Mage Mastery — Origin·All MagicYou have comprehended your own path of Origin. You are permitted to pursue Origin through your own methods. The principles of Origin will treat you with greater leniency.
Mage Mastery — Spiritual InsightYou gain inspiration more easily, drawing wisdom from spirituality. Your comprehension ability surpasses ordinary individuals.
Mage Masteries were likely blessings granted based on one's performance within a level.
Rei's most remarkable feat at this level had been Origin Magic.
Second was the speed with which he comprehended it—and the creativity he displayed in using magic.
[New Talent]
Talent: Ascend Magic → Talent: God-Tier·Ascension
All learned spells are elevated to the next tier.
"Ascension…"
After so many days, Rei had already learned much about talents.
Most class-changers awakened one talent during their first class change.
A very small number awakened two or more.
According to legend, the world record belonged to a scholar who awakened four talents at once.
Unfortunately, all four were extremely ordinary.
Talents were divided into six ranks:
Common, Advanced, Extraordinary, Exceptional, Supreme, and God.
Most people awakened Common or Advanced talents.
Talents provided innate advantages.
Examples included:
Proficiency Control — Skill proficiency increased faster than normal. Casting a skill might grant +2 or +3 proficiency instead of +1.
Injury Recovery Talent — Injuries healed faster, and healing effects were stronger.
Dual-Hand Casting Talent — Both hands could cast spells independently, allowing two spells to be cast simultaneously.
Fast Reading Talent — Books could be read much faster than normal.
…
Yet the advantages these talents provided weren't necessarily unreachable through effort.
For example, Memory Enhancement Talent.
Some people naturally had excellent memory without such a talent.
Others could train their memory to achieve similar results.
Generally, talents were assistance along the path of advancement—not decisive factors.
There were many ways to compensate for weaker talents through effort.
Of course, the higher the talent's rank, the harder it was for effort to bridge the gap.
Especially God-Tier Talents, which were entirely different.
From Common to Supreme, talents still obeyed the rules of the world.
They did not violate natural laws.
Only God-Tier Talents…
They distorted or overturned the rules of the world itself.
Events that should not occur—rules that should not exist—would become reality through such talents.
Those who possessed God-Tier Talents were incredibly rare.
One might appear only once every several hundred years.
Beyond rank, talents also had rarity differences.
For example, although both might be Extraordinary rank—
Spatial Control was far rarer than Fire Element Control.
Additionally, talents were usually strongly tied to one's first profession.
Secondary professions often benefited far less from them.
That was why most people focused on a single main class.
Now, Rei's God-Tier Talent: Ascension had evolved from Ascend Magic.
Originally:
Ascend Magic (Extraordinary)Choose one spell of Tier 4 or below. Manifest and learn its next-tier form.
It had been a one-time ability to learn a higher-tier spell.
But after evolving into a God-Tier talent—
It could elevate every spell he knew.
Upon reaching Level 3 Mage, Rei felt his power undergo a transformation bordering on earth-shattering.
Not only could his spells—previously capped at Level 201 proficiency—continue upgrading.
Every spell he possessed had undergone complete evolution.
As God-Tier·Ascension formed into a talent rune within his body, every spell he had learned reorganized itself.
Knowledge of those spells surged into his mind like an ocean tide.
Spells he had never studied suddenly felt perfectly understood.
Rapid Ice Shuttle (Tier 1) → Flying Ice Swarm (Tier 2)Sudden Pillar Burst (Tier 1) → Riot Stone Spikes (Tier 2)Sea of Fire (Tier 2) → Spreading Inferno Sea (Tier 3)Origin Transforms All Magic (Tier 2) → Origin·All Magic (Tier 3)
…
Even Origin Magic could be elevated?
As Origin Transforms All Magic ascended, countless insights about Origin poured into Rei's mind.
The gift came so suddenly.
Rei had no choice but to close his eyes and quietly absorb the realization.
The Mage Masteries didn't greatly increase his immediate combat power.
But they expanded the path ahead.
The biggest concern with taking multiple professions was conflict between principles.
Now, however, Rei's understanding of Origin allowed him to experience the path of Origin through other professions as well.
It was as if the Mage profession had turned a blind eye.
As long as he continued pursuing the Origin, his mage advancement would not be hindered by secondary professions.
"So then…"
This wasn't the end.
Rei looked toward Kumironi.
Next—
He would take on a second profession.
Cryptology Scholar.
..
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