"So it's him. I heard another Legendary Mage has appeared in Raine Town. The younger generation is truly formidable."
"It seems the future of our Mage Association is bright."
The man crouched down in front of Lu Cang, his head even lower than the boy's.
"Little one, have you considered joining the Mage Association?"
Lu Cang looked toward Iz.
Iz spoke for Lu Cang. "Feize."
"The entry age for the Mage Association is sixteen, isn't it?"
The man called Feize flashed a brilliant smile and turned to reply to Iz, "Our association values genius over rules, doesn't it?"
"As long as someone is a genius, we can always make an exception to the rules."
Iz tapped the table and firmly refused. "He's still a child. Let him take his time to consider whether he wants to join the Association."
"Alright, alright. Since you've put it that way."
As he spoke, Feize took a blue card from his clothes.
"Little one, if you decide you want to join the Mage Association, you're welcome anytime."
"Show this card at any regional Mage Association branch, and someone will receive you."
With that, Feize stood up.
He gave Iz another wave before finally departing.
Lu Cang: "Iz, who is he?"
"The Chairman of the Mage Association for this continent."
"A Level 6 Mage."
Eh?
'A Level 6?'
'I just crammed on this world's common sense this morning.'
'A Level 6 Magic Saint is already a terrifyingly powerful being on this continent.'
"What did he come to see you for?" Lu Cang asked, taking advantage of his childlike status to be shamelessly inquisitive.
Normally, prying into such a private matter might displease someone.
But it was different for a child.
"It's not really something that needs to be hidden."
"He came to see me to discuss the war."
Lu Cang tilted his head. "War?"
'What a sensitive topic. I can already imagine the widespread death and destruction.'
"Mhm."
"After the Harvest Moon comes the tenth month."
Lu Cang recalled what he'd read that morning about the Moon.
"The month of war and fire, when the Moon is Bani."
Iz scratched his head and sighed. "That month brings blessings for war: braver morale, greater Power for legion-level Magic, swifter marches, and orders reaching the soldiers' minds faster..."
'A month that encourages war.'
'How cruel. Almost all wars, big and small, break out during this month.'
In wars fought during this month, the victor receives even more bountiful rewards.
And the loser suffers slightly less damage.
It was illogical, but it was a fact written in the Common Sense Books.
"He wants me to participate in the upcoming war."
Lu Cang: "What are your plans, Iz?"
"I refused."
"I don't intend to get involved in any of this world's wars."
'So Iz is a pacifist.'
"He was just doing his duty as the Association's Chairman by trying to persuade me. He knew he couldn't convince me, but he also gave me some other useful information on the side."
Lu Cang asked, puzzled, "What kind of information, Iz?"
Iz glanced at the transparent paper in his hand and shook his head. "You don't really need this kind of information right now."
Iz stretched, changing the subject.
"Let's go practice some new Magic."
Lu Cang: "Mhm! Okay!"
'I came to find Iz specifically to learn Tier Two Spells.'
'And now that I'm a Level 2 Mage, I should be able to learn the more advanced knowledge for 'Magic Power Enhancement' that Iz mentioned.'
'Besides, once you've experienced what it's like to practice Magic with Iz, you can never forget it.'
'Every Casting gives you a fivefold increase in Skill Proficiency!'
'No wonder everyone wants to be taught by Iz.'
'Without Iz, even my interest in practicing Magic would drop significantly.'
...
They arrived at the Training Ground in Raine Town once again.
This time, Iz had rented a larger area.
The Training Ground was divided into free and paid areas.
In the free area, everyone practiced together. The space was smaller, there were no training dummies, and people just threw their Skills into the open ground.
The free area had dedicated guards—usually Level 2 Defenders—to prevent accidental injuries.
The paid option was to rent out a private area.
Generally, the paid areas also came with guards, and you could even hire a Level 3 Defender.
But with Iz around, that wasn't necessary.
"Compared to the singular Effects of Tier One Spells, Tier Two Spells have slightly more complex variations."
"Chant with me."
Lu Cang and Iz chanted one after the other, "O heavy earth, surge forth! Form a thick and sturdy barrier, rise as a broad wall!"
RUMBLE—
The earth churned and the ground bulged upward! A Stone Wall formed in front of Lu Cang!
[You have learned—Stone Wall Technique]
[Stone Wall Technique Skill EXP +10,000]
[Stone Wall Technique (Tier Two) (Level 3)]
'Level 3?'
'It seems that compared to Tier One Spells, Tier Two Spells require more Experience Points to Upgrade.'
'No wonder they say most Mages only master one or two Tier Two Spells with No Chanting in their entire lifetime.'
"Haha, looks like I don't need to teach you the principle behind it. I was worried that Tier Two Spells would be too complex for you to cast just by chanting."
'I feel like I was just underestimated a little.'
Lu Cang chanted again...
RUMMMMMBLE—
Just as expected, it was different from Tier One Spells. It took a full seven casts for the Tier Two Spell to reach Level 10 and gain the No Chanting Effect.
However, Lu Cang didn't reveal his Multiple Casting ability.
Otherwise, with triple the Skill Proficiency, he would have trained even faster.
"Very good. You've mastered the Stone Wall Technique. Next, let's learn a Wood Element spell, Vine Whip."
'Whip what?'
Lu Cang didn't get it at first...
"O savagely growing Vines, burst forth from the earth with vigorous life, brandish your stalks, and whip!"
POW!
Dozens of Vines burst from the earth, countless tendrils whipping and dancing wildly!
'A Wood Element spell.'
'It's an element I've never studied before...'
"This spell is a bit more difficult than the others. Give it a try."
Lu Cang nodded and mimicked the chant he had just memorized—
"O savagely growing Vines..."
BOOM!
As the chant concluded, three Vines erupted from the ground, lashing at the air!
"Next, the Fountain Skill."
...
Teaching Lu Cang Magic was a relaxing and pleasant affair.
Izparut had also taught at the Lorentz Magic Academy for a time.
For a newly-promoted Level 2 Mage, it often took more than ten days to master a Tier Two Spell from scratch.
Even so-called Genius Mages needed at least the time it took to drink a cup of coffee, or even a whole lunch break, to figure one out.
Compared to Lu Cang... the gap was truly immense.
Even with a personality like Iz's, who would never look down on any student, teaching a genius brought a feeling of exceptional joy.
A good student just gives a teacher a different feeling.
"Alright, repeat after me..."
WHOOSH!
A hurricane erupted in an instant—
He had mastered the Wind Blowing Technique as well.
'Mastering a spell just by reciting a single Spell... he had only ever experienced such an effortless feeling himself.'