When he awoke again, it was dusk.
Feeling a slight jolt, Lu Cang sat up abruptly.
He looked around.
He found himself sitting in a spacious and bright carriage.
Iz, Kumironi, Chi Cheng, and the stone man were all there.
Seeing Lu Cang sit up, Iz smiled and said, "You passed out from over-Casting."
"Your Talent for Magic is excellent, but you just changed your Profession. No matter how great your Talent, your total reserves of Magic Power won't just leap to a new level."
"To think you could still manage to cast two more spells with your Magic Power completely depleted."
"It seems your affinity for both the Elements and Magic Power is quite high."
'Magic Power completely depleted?'
Lu Cang recalled the last thing he saw before passing out.
He had been spamming the Thunder Strike Skill. Since it didn't require any Chanting, he'd cast it without any restraint.
He hadn't paid any attention to his Magic Power levels at all.
Come to think of it, during the last two casts, he did feel as if his body had been completely emptied out.
But because Casting felt so natural, the Magic just flew from his hands, and the spells still worked.
So he hadn't even realized there was a problem.
After all, you normally shouldn't be able to cast spells when you're out of Magic Power.
Iz continued, "Casting without any Magic Power will cause considerable harm to your body. In severe cases, it can even kill you."
"But fortunately, we have Kumironi, so it's not a problem."
"I also replenished your Magic Power in time, so you'll be fine."
'Huh... I could have died?'
'You could have told me that sooner!' Lu Cang couldn't help but complain inwardly.
"Master... what if I had actually died?"
Hearing Lu Cang's concern, Iz burst out laughing. "With Kumironi around, it'd be difficult for you to die even if you wanted to."
"Besides, experiencing what it's like to over-cast isn't a bad thing. Consider it a required lesson on the path of a Mage."
Lu Cang looked toward Kumironi.
Kumironi still wore her elegant and serene smile.
'Is Kumironi really that powerful?'
An idea to blast himself with the Thunder Strike Skill flashed through Lu Cang's mind, but of course, the thought was fleeting and quickly dismissed.
Kumironi smiled. "How does your body feel now?"
Hearing Kumironi's question, Lu Cang stretched his body a little.
He felt good after waking up, not at all like he'd been hollowed out.
In fact, it was quite the opposite.
His whole body felt incredibly comfortable, as if he'd just had a nice, long sleep.
"I feel... really good."
Kumironi: "That's good."
Lu Cang glanced around. It was a rather luxurious, large carriage, with deluxe leather seats and a bright, open space.
Lu Cang asked again, "By the way, where are we right now?"
The one who answered was Chi Cheng, who was wiping his sword off to the side. "On our way to Raine Town. It's the closest town from here."
"We're almost there."
The ride was very smooth.
Lu Cang looked out the window. He could see the fiery red sun sinking behind the western mountains, surrounded by open plains.
Looking ahead, he could see specks of light.
The carriage was traveling along a fairly wide road.
Though it wasn't as flat as a concrete road, it was still quite even.
Lu Cang looked back inside the carriage.
Then he looked at Chi Cheng.
Speaking of which, his sword was terrifyingly large.
If not for the spacious and bright carriage, there would be no way to fit his Great Sword inside.
Feeling Lu Cang's gaze again, Chi Cheng flashed a huge grin at him.
It was a dopey smile.
"Kid."
"My sword's pretty cool, right?"
Lu Cang was taken aback, not knowing why he would suddenly ask such a question, but he nodded anyway. "Yeah, it's very cool."
It really was cool.
A heavy and enormous Giant Sword with red and black patterns and incredibly rich detail. You could see that the red and black lines on the blade depicted a scene of war.
Just looking at the sword, you could feel the immense power of its wielder.
"Right? I had this sword specially forged for me by the best Blacksmith in the world."
'The best Blacksmith in the world?'
'...That's pretty amazing.'
Lu Cang was skeptical.
"Getting interested in the Warrior Profession? Want to try changing to Warrior for your second Profession?"
Lu Cang was indeed quite interested in the Warrior Profession. 'In fact... theoretically, the more Professions I activate, the more Divine Talents I should get, right?'
Lu Cang was actually very keen on the idea of getting a second Profession.
But just as Lu Cang was about to answer...
Kumironi interrupted Chi Cheng. She sighed and said, "Chi Cheng, he just changed his Profession to Mage."
"Besides, Lu Cang's Talent for Magic is so good, and he has Iz to teach him Magic. Having him change his Profession to Warrior now would be a huge waste of his Talent."
Chi Cheng scratched his head. "I know, I know. I was just kidding."
'Fair enough.'
'Looks like I don't need to say anything now.'
Besides, saying he wanted to change his Profession to Warrior right in front of Iz, who was so enthusiastic about teaching him Magic, would surely disappoint him greatly.
It would be like telling your math teacher you prefer English class.
'Logically, I should be more cautious and guarded, having just arrived in this world.'
'But with these people, I just feel like I don't need to be so wary.'
If they wanted to harm him, they wouldn't have saved him.
Even though they only brought him out of the Dungeon.
But the process of leaving the Dungeon was quite convoluted; that place was a complete maze.
If Iz and Kumironi hadn't led the way, who knows how long it would have taken him to find the exit.
Moreover, his physical condition right after he crossed over wasn't good. If it weren't for Kumironi's healing, he might very well have died there.
So, as far as Lu Cang was concerned, Kumironi and Iz were already his saviors.
The bit of wariness Lu Cang still had toward them was just a self-preservation instinct from having just arrived in this world. He couldn't just drop all his guards after a single day, could he?
Obades's deep, muffled voice sounded out: "We're here."
The carriage stopped.
'So the stone man can talk.'
From last night until now, it had been completely silent. Lu Cang had thought it couldn't speak.
Iz opened the carriage door.
Kumironi and the others got out one by one. Only after getting out did Lu Cang realize...
...the carriage was being pulled by four creatures that looked like rhinoceroses.
The difference from ordinary rhinos was that their heads and bodies were covered in thick, hard scales.
Kumironi placed a hand on one of the rhino's heads and introduced it to Lu Cang, "This is a Dragon Rhinoceros."
"Dragon Rhinoceroses have incredible stamina and are very fast runners. Don't be fooled by its bulky appearance; it can actually run up steep mountains at nearly a 90-degree angle."
"When we travel alone, they also serve as our individual mounts."
Kumironi smiled at Lu Cang. "But now that we have a new member, we'll have to add one more mount."
'Dragon Rhinoceroses must be very rare creatures, or Kumironi wouldn't be introducing them to me like this.'
Kumironi's voice was always so gentle.
Listening to her, Lu Cang felt that she truly saw him as part of the team, not just some stray kid they picked up off the street.
They had stopped in a brightly lit town, and quite a few people were looking in their direction.
And before he knew it, a large crowd had gathered around Izparut.
Most of them were young people, holding Magic Books in their hands, crowding around Izparut and chattering away, asking questions he couldn't understand.
Iz gave them a helpless, wry smile and made a gesture that said, "I'll be right back."
Then he led the crowd into a nearby building.
Kumironi said, "Iz is always enthusiastic about answering people's questions about Magic, so a lot of Mages come to him for advice."
"He's very popular, isn't he."