Kanzaki Rei slowly withdrew from his state of deep concentration.
This time, his contemplation of magic was no longer focused on the depth of a single spell.
Instead, his thoughts expanded outward.
He reflected on the history of the spell, the intent of the person who had created it, and how one might convey the underlying artistic conception of that magic to others.
Magic wasn't only about understanding how a spell was constructed or how it was released.
There was also something akin to an intangible "realm of intent."
If one followed that realm of intent—gathering mana along its natural flow—then condensing the magic became as effortless as water flowing downhill.
But if someone merely memorized the spell mechanically, strictly following the instructions written in a spellbook and forcing mana to circulate through fixed routes…
The process actually became far more complicated.
"Make spellcasting part of your body's instinct."
"Just like executing a combat technique—you don't think about it. Your body simply moves."
"…In the end, all disciplines really are interconnected."
Rei closed the magic book and let out a quiet sigh of reflection.
He couldn't help but wonder—
If he were to change professions to Archer or Assassin, would he gain entirely new insights into combat techniques and magic?
The more he verified his ideas, the more firmly convinced he became about the nature of the Root.
And the more convinced he became, the harder it was for him to prove its opposite.
If Iz hadn't already demonstrated that the opposite of the Root existed…
If Rei didn't already know about the special nature of Root Magic, where nearly any line of reasoning could eventually lead back to the Root…
He might have begun doubting whether the opposite of the Root was something that could even be proven at all.
"Have you finished preparing?" Iz asked.
Rei nodded.
"Yeah. It should be fine."
Back in university during his previous life, he had hosted several events and given a few speeches.
So he already had some experience with this kind of thing.
And now his spiritual sensitivity was far higher than before.
Compared to his previous life, he was far more intelligent now.
There shouldn't be any problems.
"Good. There's still an hour before class begins. Felix is also on his way."
Iz leaned back slightly before continuing.
"What did you think about the magic used by the monsters in yesterday's dungeon?"
The two of them immediately began discussing magic again.
The experience in the dungeon yesterday had been novel for both of them. Even Iz had rarely encountered so many Submerged-Land–grade monsters at once.
Once the topic was raised, the conversation flowed endlessly.
Rei said,
"I think those spells were incredibly refined. Monsters probably don't possess enough intelligence to master magic that complex…"
"But if those spells were imitations of magic used by the people they've killed, then everything makes perfect sense."
"And from what I observed, many of their traits likely originated that way as well."
Iz nodded.
"Exactly. Magic is the product of intelligence. Monsters with low spiritual capacity can't truly master genuine magic or combat techniques."
"That's why most of their fighting relies on instinct."
Rei replied,
"More accurately, if spiritual capacity is too low, it becomes difficult to follow any systematic principles at all."
Iz tilted his head slightly.
"But there's one thing you're mistaken about."
"That Ten-Thousand-Body True Soul we encountered yesterday—I exchanged several spells with it."
"Its magic was extremely interesting."
"Although many of its spells carried traces of human souls… they were ultimately monster magic."
"Monster magic?" Rei looked up, clearly surprised.
Iz nodded.
"Yes. Those spells perfectly align with their bodies and instincts."
"They're not simple imitations. They're magic that belongs to the monsters themselves."
"Did you notice? Even though the spells originated from absorbed souls, they were still fully controlled by the monster's own will."
Rei fell into deep thought after hearing this.
He carefully considered the meaning behind Iz's words.
Those details…
He hadn't noticed them at all at the time.
"I've already deconstructed their magic," Iz continued.
"This is a third-tier soul magic spell I reconstructed from it."
"Even though your level is still low, you should be able to learn it."
Iz raised his hand.
Several white magic circles layered themselves in the air, lighting up in overlapping patterns.
He already deconstructed it?
Rei couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Back when they were in the City Within the Circle, Rei had once asked Iz a question.
How could someone learn another person's magic just by seeing it once?
Iz's answer had been simple.
If you saw someone cast a spell, you should be able to deduce how the spell was constructed.
From that construction, you could reverse-engineer how it was released.
Then deduce the mana circuits formed inside the body.
Once you understood those circuits, you would know the corresponding Root Language of the spell.
And once you knew the Root Language, combined with the spell's structure and mana circuits—
Wouldn't you then know everything about that magic?
…Right.
Rei had already concluded that Iz's explanation was basically a string of things he himself still couldn't do.
In simple terms, once a spell had already been cast, it had become a completed reality.
What difference was there between a Stone Creation spell and a real boulder?
If you saw a stone on the ground, could you deduce how magic had formed it?
Of course not.
It was impossible to understand.
And that was just a simple spell.
More complex spells were far beyond that.
Rei had once assumed Iz's extraordinary magical ability came purely from his immense spiritual capacity.
But later he realized that wasn't entirely true.
Iz's spiritual sensitivity might not even be higher than Rei's.
Iz simply possessed astonishing natural talent for magic.
In many other areas, Iz's abilities were only slightly above average.
He didn't display that overwhelming spiritual brilliance where someone could instantly comprehend any field of study.
So…
Why was his magical talent so absurdly high?
It truly remained a mystery.
The soul magic spell constructed by Iz appeared before Rei.
The structure was so detailed that Rei could grasp it extremely intuitively.
Rei's own understanding of soul-related magic had already surpassed that of most ordinary practitioners.
Even so—
The spell Iz had constructed was something entirely new and unusual.
Rei began forming hypotheses around the spell.
As he did, yesterday's battle replayed itself in his mind.
The two of them became completely immersed in discussion.
…
Knock. Knock. Knock.
After an unknown amount of time passed, a knock sounded at the door.
Only then did Rei snap out of the intense discussion.
"Come in," Iz said.
With permission granted, the door handle turned.
A man wearing a gentleman's top hat stepped inside.
"Iz. We meet again."
The man hung his hat on the coat rack and sighed.
"You refused to appear in the war. Because of that… a lot of people from Loren and Riga died."
Iz shook his head gently.
"Felix, if you came to talk about the war, then you might as well leave."
"I'll personally take Rei to the Mages' Association to handle his special membership application."
Felix paused for a moment before laughing.
"Haha… alright, alright. Then we won't talk about that."
He noticed Rei and walked over, crouching in front of him.
"It's only been a little over two months, but you've grown quite a bit taller."
"When I last saw you, you were only about waist-high."
Iz smiled.
"He really has grown quite a lot."
Felix nodded.
"I heard he's already a Level 3 Warrior."
"The class-change phenomenon this morning—that was him, wasn't it?"
Felix sighed with admiration.
"It's only been a few months… and he's already comprehended Root Magic and the ultimate principles of combat."
"Iz, I envy you. You found an incredible disciple."
"You also have a disciple," Iz replied casually while sipping coffee.
"Ah—don't remind me…"
Felix sighed repeatedly, shaking his head.
Apparently, being a talented child was practically a natural sin.
People would inevitably compare them.
Felix…
There's really no need to compare anyone to me, Rei thought inwardly.
After all, I'm a true genius.
If everyone could surpass a one-in-ten-thousand genius, then geniuses would be everywhere.
Felix finally spoke again after a long sigh.
"My disciple awakened five years ago… and he's still only a Level 4 Mage."
Iz raised an eyebrow.
"Isn't that fairly good?"
Felix looked at Iz, then at Rei.
Good?
He himself had reached Level 5 Mage during his fourth year.
After that, he remained stuck at Level 5 for a long time before finally advancing to Level 6 at age twenty-five.
Now he had been Level 6 for ten years.
The difficulty of advancing from Level 6 to Level 7 was immense.
It felt almost impossibly distant.
But thinking about his disciple being stuck at Level 4 made him feel deeply frustrated.
"…Sigh. Forget it."
Felix took out an item.
"Little Rei, this is your Mages' Association badge."
"Give me your left hand. I'll place the Association contract mark on you."
Rei extended his left hand.
Leaving a contract mark on the back of the hand was the most common practice in this world.
A faint blue light flashed.
Rei immediately felt the effect.
He had obtained the appropriate authorization.
Now he could likely enter certain restricted areas within the Mages' Association.
"Alright. Done."
"Thank you, Uncle Felix."
"Haha. Work hard. One day you might even surpass Iz."
"That guy… sigh."
In Felix's eyes, if Iz joined the battlefield, the war would end without suspense.
The number of casualties would drop dramatically.
Even if three Level-6 class-changers from Riga appeared together, they would still avoid confronting Iz Parult head-on.
Perhaps he could even unify the entire Riga Continent.
At the very least, his mere presence would drastically reduce casualties.
But Iz simply refused.
And so the war continued, claiming countless lives.
Felix understood, of course.
Iz hadn't actually done anything wrong.
No one was obligated to participate in war.
Especially since Iz wasn't even a citizen of any country.
Still…
If only he were willing.
Perhaps Rei would be different someday.
Rei had reportedly already joined Loren.
Maybe one day he would seek to change the entire continent.
Iz glanced at the time.
"Let's go. It's almost time for our appointment."
Rei frowned slightly.
"Isn't it still early? We have another thirty minutes."
Iz smiled.
"I'll show you around the academy."
Rei considered it.
"…Alright."
Felix waved.
"I'll go check on my disciple."
"Alright," Iz replied. "Take care."
Rei left the room with Iz.
The Loynz Magic Academy covered an enormous area.
Judging from the map, it was probably ten times larger than the university from Rei's previous life.
Most classes were held in a cluster of towers known as the Tower of Knowledge.
These included:
Tower of Souls
Tower of Fire
Tower of Ice
Tower of Mind
Tower of Light
Each tower represented a different school of magic.
Different floors corresponded to Tier-1 through Tier-4 magic courses.
Beyond the academic area, the academy also contained:
A Magic Library
Dormitories
Dining halls
Dueling arenas
It really did resemble a university from his previous life.
And…
As Rei expanded his perception, he noticed non-human races walking around.
Those pointed ears…
Were those elves?
Come to think of it, he had never asked Kumironi or Luluvy about their race.
Their ears were also pointed.
But they seemed slightly different from these elves.
He also spotted individuals with lizard-like tails.
They looked similar to the draconian humanoids described in legends.
Rei couldn't be sure.
As Iz walked, he explained various parts of the campus.
Soon they arrived at a standalone building.
"This will be your residence at the academy."
"If you don't want to return home, you can stay here."
Rei blinked.
"They even assigned me a house?"
Iz chuckled.
"That's the most basic treatment. Since you're teaching here, you naturally receive the academy's benefits."
After about twenty minutes of hurried sightseeing—
Rei realized the academy was far more lively than he had expected.
Before arriving, he had imagined a group of mages locked in classrooms all day, doing nothing but studying magic.
Instead…
People were playing ball, jogging, and even—
Wait.
What were those two doing?
Hugging in public?
Were they here to study magic or date?
This level of laziness was unbelievable.
How could anyone properly cultivate magic like that?
Even with his extraordinary talent, Rei still spent enormous amounts of time every day studying magic.
How could they be so careless?
Rei sighed inwardly.
Perhaps low spiritual capacity also meant weaker self-discipline.
Or maybe…
They simply didn't care about magic as much as he did.
Perhaps it was because Rei had come from a world without magic.
To him, the ability to use magic was precious.
Or maybe it was the anxiety of being a transmigrator.
Or perhaps it was his obsession with becoming the strongest.
Whatever the reason—
Almost every moment of his day was devoted to learning and becoming stronger.
Time spent relaxing was extremely rare.
Thirty minutes wasn't nearly enough to explore the entire academy.
After a quick tour, they finally arrived at the Tower of Light.
The contract mark on Rei's hand glowed.
The tower's barrier briefly opened.
They stepped inside.
The Tower of Light was where light-attribute magic was taught.
Rei expanded his perception.
Many classrooms already had instructors waiting.
Following Iz's lead, he arrived at his assigned classroom.
Iz quietly sat down in a corner near the wall.
Shadows obscured his face.
No one noticed his presence.
Rei slowly walked toward the podium.
…This podium was ridiculously tall.
If he stood behind it, only his head would be visible.
That wouldn't work.
Rei considered two options:
Cut part of the podium off…
Or simply float.
He chose the latter.
As he levitated above the podium, whispers immediately spread through the classroom.
"Who is he?"
"A kid?"
"Why is he wearing a lecturer's robe?"
"A specially appointed senior lecturer?"
"Hey, isn't this supposed to be a professional course?"
"Where's Professor Pimino?"
"I came here specifically to hear his lecture!"
"Wait, isn't this a paid professional course? This is false advertising!"
Rei glanced toward Iz.
You never mentioned this class was paid.
Didn't you say everything had been arranged?
…Sigh.
He sighed inwardly.
Fine.
Rei spoke, his voice amplified clearly across the room.
"Everyone."
"Today's lecture on Daylight Magic will be conducted by me in place of Professor Pimino."
A voice immediately called out from below.
"Hey kid, who are you?"
A white-haired man with glasses sitting in the front row waved dismissively.
"Magic theory isn't a child's game."
"Kid, I don't know where you borrowed that robe, but you should hurry home."
Rei replied calmly.
"Since this is our first meeting, allow me to introduce myself."
"I am the Chief Mage of the Kingdom of Loren, Kanzaki Rei."
"Due to certain circumstances, I am currently serving as a specially appointed lecturer at Loynz Academy."
"From today onward, we will be teacher and students."
"Chief Mage?" the white-haired man burst into laughter, slamming the table.
"Hahaha! If you're the Chief Mage, then I must be the king!"
"Why is there a comedy show today?"
His laughter triggered scattered chuckles around the classroom.
"Right? It's hilarious!" he said, nudging his desk partner.
But when he looked over—
His partner's face was stiff.
There wasn't a hint of laughter.
Instead, his expression carried unease… even fear.
Seeing that reaction, the white-haired man's laughter faltered.
"Hey… you're not actually fooled by this kid, are you?"
His partner pulled his sleeve away.
"Stop talking."
The white-haired man suddenly noticed something strange.
The classroom had grown quiet.
The laughter…
The whispers…
They were disappearing.
Replacing them was a wave of confusion and shock.
"Wait… seriously?"
"Is it really him?"
"I heard the king hosted a banquet two days ago. The guest of honor was an eight-year-old child."
"The former Chief Mage stepped down just to give the position to him."
"And his name… was Kanzaki Rei."
"Wait… that story was actually real?!"
Rei looked at the white-haired student who had laughed the loudest.
He couldn't help but feel a bit nostalgic.
Finally…
Someone who mocked him.
Ever since arriving in this world, even though he was just a child, everyone had treated him with seriousness and respect.
He had never truly experienced being looked down on as weak.
Only here, during his self-introduction, had he briefly felt it.
Though…
The information network here was surprisingly fast.
How did they believe it so quickly?
Had the news of him becoming Chief Mage spread that widely already?
He had expected far more skepticism.
Originally, he planned to use their disbelief to make an example of someone and establish authority.
But the atmosphere had changed too quickly.
Rei turned his gaze toward the white-haired student.
It was obvious the man was already panicking.
Still…
Since you laughed the loudest, you'll have to do.
Rei met his eyes.
"This white-haired student."
"You don't believe my identity, do you?"
The man suddenly found himself in an awkward position.
Moments ago he had been shouting confidently.
Now, hearing the murmurs around him, doubt crept in.
Being stared at by Rei's calm, profound gaze—
He felt strangely pressured by a mere child.
"Well, I—"
Rei cut him off before he could retreat.
"If you don't believe me…"
"Then attack me using the magic you are best at."
"If you manage to harm me, I will hand over the title of Chief Mage to you."
"And this bag of 100,000 gold coins will also be yours."
Rei tossed a heavy pouch forward.
The white-haired student caught it and weighed it in his hand.
One hundred thousand?
He swallowed.
Greed instantly surged in his chest.
Nothing was more tempting than 100,000 gold coins.
Whether Rei's title was real or fake—
Those coins were definitely real.
"…You said it yourself!"
..
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