'Being treated like a kid is such a strange feeling.'
'It'd be even better if they treated me like a kid when it came to drinking, too.'
Finally free to do as he pleased, the first thing on Lu Cang's mind was to catch up on all the common knowledge he was missing.
At the very least, he wanted to stop being completely ignorant about this world.
...
When he arrived at the library, he was surprised to find it crowded with people.
'I thought it'd be pretty empty.'
Lu Cang walked up to a Magic Array.
「Search Skill」
'A Magic for searching books. How convenient. I heard they work by permanently installing an Array in one place, allowing it to function indefinitely.'
'After that, all it needs is simple maintenance and a steady supply of Magic Power.'
Lu Cang's mind rapidly searched via the Search Skill, and he quickly found the book he was looking for.
*World Common Sense Guide*
Heh...
'What a plain and simple name, but it's exactly the kind of book I need.'
SWISH!
Select.
A moment later, a book flew directly off a distant shelf.
It landed in Lu Cang's hands.
'Magic really is convenient.'
With the *World Common Sense Guide* in hand, Lu Cang found a place to sit down.
He read for the entire afternoon.
He skipped the world History section and flipped straight to the chapter on Professions.
Combat-oriented Profession categories: Warrior, Mage, Archer, Defender, Healing Mage, Assassin, Mechanician...
It was a very thick book, and the information it contained was quite comprehensive.
By the time he closed the book, it was already dusk, but he had only read a small portion of it.
Lu Cang had prioritized learning the things he was most curious about, followed by the most basic common sense, leaving much of the book unread.
He had skipped over topics like gods and faith—things he had no immediate contact with—just as he had with world History.
Realizing it was getting late, Lu Cang checked out the book and headed back to the inn.
On the way back to the inn, Lu Cang noticed many Adventurers proactively greeting him. He could feel they no longer saw him as just "that kid who follows Iz around."
Instead, it was: "Yo, Little Lu Cang! Thanks for treating us yesterday!"
'First of all...'
'My name isn't Little Lu Cang. It's Lu Cang.'
'And second... never mind.'
'At least this means I have a place in Raine Town now, right?'
'I'm no longer just some poor kid they brought along.'
'I'm an Adventurer: (Little) Lu Cang.'
Not long after he got back to the inn, Iz took him out again.
Iz was still his mentor, after all.
And as a mentor, it was his duty to impart knowledge of Magic.
After cramming on common knowledge today, Lu Cang finally understood this world's Level system.
Every Profession was divided into Levels 1 through 9.
Level 1 was the lowest, and Level 9 was, in theory, the highest.
However, for some Professions, even the highest-Level practitioners hadn't reached Level 9.
Each Professional Level came with its own corresponding title.
A Level 1 Mage is called an Apprentice.
A Level 2 Mage is called a Magic Master.
A Level 3 Mage is called a Great Mage.
Reaching Level 3 already made one a powerhouse among Mages, influential enough to secure a position in the regional Mage Association.
A Level 4 Mage is called a Magic Expert.
As for a Level 5 Mage—Izparut's Level—the title was Magic Emperor.
'The gap between the titles for Level 4 and Level 5 is huge...'
Lu Cang couldn't help but think.
Iz's perceived power rose even higher in his mind.
One of the few Level 5 Mages in the world.
'No wonder he said he was strong.'
'It all makes sense now.'
Across the entire world, a whole Kingdom would only have one or two Level 5 Mages.
And they were all individuals on par with a royal court's Chief Mage.
'In that case, Iz really is incredible.'
He must be completely unrivaled in Raine Town.
"Today, we'll learn Dark Element Magic: Shadow Arrow, and an Earth Element Magic: Earth Spike."
This was Iz's lesson for the day.
"And while you're at it, practice all the Magic you've learned... until you've reached the absolute limit of your proficiency."
'The proficiency limit...'
'He's talking about Level 100, isn't he?'
'Iz, you really know how to tailor your teaching to the student...'
But Lu Cang wasn't completely ignorant of common knowledge anymore.
The knowledge Lu Cang had prioritized studying today was precisely this kind of frequently used common sense.
The vast majority of Mages only managed to master No Chanting for one or two spells in their entire lifetime.
Achieving No Chanting required casting a single spell around 30,000 times.
And of course, no Mage would ever use only a single spell.
Recovering Magic Power also took time.
Right after he'd advanced, Lu Cang had completely exhausted his Magic Power after casting Thunder Strike Skill just a dozen or so times.
A typical Level 1 Mage's total Magic Power was only about five to ten times what he had right after advancing.
Even if one spent all day and night recovering Magic Power and Casting, they could only manage about 200 casts a day.
However, for most Mages, recovering Magic Power required meditation.
An effect like Magic Tide, which operated automatically to restore Magic Power at all times, was extremely rare.
And even Magic Tide only became fully automatic at Level 10.
Before Level 10, Lu Cang still had to actively control it.
If you spent all day Casting and recovering, you couldn't get anything else done.
Besides, the most fundamental reason was that it just wasn't worth wasting so much energy on Low Tier spells.
Going from Level 1 to Level 2 was something anyone could achieve.
Most Mages would rather save their energy for Tier Two Spells.
That's why the vast majority of Mages would only master No Chanting for one or two Tier Two Spells in their entire lives.
That was likely the limit of what a Mage could accomplish in a lifetime.
And yet, Izparut's demand... was for him to learn two new spells tonight.
And, "while he was at it," raise the Skill Proficiency of *all* his learned spells to Level 100.
Heh...
If anyone else heard Izparut's demand, they'd probably think he was insane.
"Master these spells tonight, and you can get promoted to Level 2 Mage tomorrow."
"You'll probably be the fastest Mage in the world to reach Level 2."
'Level 2?'
Hearing Iz's promise, Lu Cang was overcome with joy.
'Finally, I can finally Upgrade!'
Lu Cang could almost see his next Divine Talent beckoning to him.
Just 「Divine Level Skill Evolution」 alone was so incredible.
'If I get another one, won't I be invincible?'
"All of them to their maximum proficiency..."
"Alright, Iz!"
"Then you'd better get ready to be impressed!"
"Darkness, born of clinging bone, condense into a fatal Arrow, and pierce!"
「Magic Learned—Shadow Arrow (Level 1)」
「Shadow Arrow Skill EXP +10,000」
「Shadow Arrow (Level 5)」
...
SWOOSH!
The Shadow Arrow pierced the training dummy ahead, leaving a patch of darkness on its body.
Iz watched, then shook his head slightly.
"Instead of attacking a dummy, attack me."
"Use all your strength and try to defeat me."
As he spoke, Iz took a step forward.
He had already taken the dummy's place, standing at a distance from Lu Cang.
"Master Iz, be careful then."
BOOM!
With no warning whatsoever, a bolt of thunder crashed down!
Lu Cang didn't bother with Shadow Arrow, which still required Chanting.
Instead, he switched directly to the instantaneous and fastest spell he had: Thunder Strike Skill.
RUMBLE!
A blast of thunder exploded above Iz's head, arcs of electricity crackling—
Yet... Iz was completely unharmed.
"The thunder isn't focused enough. It lacks penetrating Power."
BOOM!
Without a moment's pause, a second bolt descended!
"The lightning is too slow. Thunder is an Element second only to Light. When you call upon the Thunder Element, don't channel it from your body. Try to summon the lightning directly."
WHOOSH!
SWISH SWISH SWISH—
Invisible Wind Blades slashed out!
But they curved past Iz's body. It wasn't that Lu Cang missed; Iz had completely changed their trajectory.
"When you release a Wind Blade, you must follow the flow of the natural wind. That's the only way to hide it within the breeze."
"The Wind Blade's greatest advantage is its invisibility. If you cast it against the wind, not only will its Power be diminished, but it will also be easily detected."
DING—
Iz caught the Cross of Light with a single hand.
"The characteristics of Light are purity and Speed. The Cross of Light's greatest trait is its purity. When you form it, don't let any other Elements mix in."
"Furthermore, the Cross of Light isn't meant for killing. It's for dispelling evil..."
BOOM!
A Fireball exploded around Iz.
"Flame is the most common form of offense. Its effects are divided into scorching heat, impact, adhesive burning, and explosion. Within a Fireball..."
Every time Iz spoke, it brought a flash of understanding to Lu Cang's mind. With each cast, he gained even more Skill Proficiency and additional effects.
And throwing Magic at Iz... even the most standard cast yielded an extra Skill Proficiency bonus.
「Earth Spike Technique Skill EXP +50,000」
「Fireball Technique Skill EXP +50,000」
'You've got to be kidding me...'
'Is he some kind of EXP training dummy?'
'Why do I get five times the normal experience for hitting him?'
'This whole thing feels bizarre for some reason.'
His Magic channeling speed increased. In the time it used to take for one cast, he could now manage two, or even three...
The surrounding Elements also grew exceptionally dense. Although he was recovering Magic Power from the Void, when casting certain spells, drawing on readily available external Elements made the cast much faster.
It was just as Iz had said: for Thunder Strike Skill, it was better to just call down a lightning strike directly, rather than using his own Magic Power to cast it.
Cast this way, the enemy would have almost no time to react.
But unfortunately, his opponent was Izparut.
The gap between a Level 5 Mage and a Level 1 Mage was probably just too vast.
Even when Lu Cang felt his Casting was already incredibly fast, Iz could still block it with ease.
Now, thanks to the extra experience bonus and Izparut's guidance...
Lu Cang's Magic upgrading efficiency was skyrocketing...
With a nearly inexhaustible supply of Magic Power, he bombarded Iz with Magic from 7 p.m. all the way to 4 a.m.
After one final, giant Earth Spike erupted from the ground and was shattered under Iz's foot,
his last spell, Earth Spike Technique, also reached Level 100.
Lu Cang had spent the entire night...
...to finally get Thunder Strike Skill, Ice Cone Skill, Fireball Technique, Wind Blade Skill, Lighting Technique, Cross of Light, Shadow Arrow, and Earth Spike Technique...
...all eight spells, up to Level 100 Skill Proficiency.
Adding in the constantly active and already max-leveled Mana Void...
...Lu Cang now had a total of nine Level 100 spells.
And on every single spell, there was an evolution prompt.
「Ice Cone Skill (Evolvable)」
「Selectable Evolution Paths—Control, Speed, Freeze, Power」
Seeing Lu Cang finish the last spell, Iz brushed off his clothes, preparing to call it a night.
But at that very instant...
SWOOSH!
Three crystal-clear cones of Ice, dragging long icy trails, appeared before Iz in an instant.
A sneak attack.