Chapter 24: Beyond Magic

“I found Izpalut's promotion report from Level 1!”

The Promotion Hall records the advancement process of every profession.

Data from tests are archived.

Izpalut's promotion was only a few years ago, so it was easy to find.

Moreover, it wasn't a secret.

Not only was it recorded in the Promotion Hall, but it was also documented in various folk books and annals.

“Mana measurement... Mana value.”

“10,000.”

“Elemental affinity... 100% for all elements.”

The crowd looked at Izpalut's former achievements, then turned their gaze toward Lu Cang, who was currently standing on the promotion platform with high spirits.

They were identical.

It was as if he had been cast from the exact same mold!

But the difference was, this child...

He was only 8 years old.

Izpalut had completed his professional awakening at age 15, one year earlier than normal.

And to go from a Level 1 Mage to a Level 2 Mage...

It had only taken him one week.

But this child before them...

He was 7 years ahead of Iz.

Furthermore, he had come to promote to Level 2 Mage in just 3 short days.

Comparing the two.

It seemed this child's talent was even more terrifying than Iz's.

However...

Lu Cang had heard everything they were saying.

*Eh?*

*Was the mana value Iz broke through back then also 10,000?*

*Doesn't that mean that when he was a Level 1 Mage, he had already broken through the mana limit and learned Mana Void?*

*Wait...*

*Mana Void was his creation, right?*

*He promoted to Level 2 Mage only 7 days after his class change?*

*Doesn't that mean that in just 7 days, he created the Mana Tide enhancement technique from scratch and even evolved it into Mana Void?*

*So strong...*

Iz's strength level rose once again in Lu Cang's heart.

“Don't be hasty...”

“We can't draw conclusions yet.”

“There is one final stage to the test; he might not necessarily surpass Iz.”

“Is it the mastery of spells?”

“True.”

“He has only been a Mage for three short days.”

“The day before yesterday, he was drinking with us and stayed drunk until morning; how could he have had that much time to practice spells?”

“There will most likely be flaws in his spellcasting.”

“To reach the level of chantless casting, one needs years of practice.”

“And to reach the legendary spell limit, one must spend a lifetime practicing a single spell.”

“Iz's feat of reaching the peak of eight spells back then is something no Mage can likely replicate.”

“And even Iz took seven days.”

In their view, three days was too rushed.

No matter how you looked at it, it was too rushed.

Besides, this little fellow had spent the whole night drinking with them... wasting quite a bit of practice time.

Lu Cang's mouth twitched.

*I heard everything you said. Do you really think it was my fault we were drinking the day before yesterday...?*

“The final test is to measure spell mastery.”

“The candidate may choose any eight learned spells to cast.”

“We will use the testing magic circle to judge your level of mastery over these spells.”

As Kumironi read out the procedure.

The walls of the Promotion Hall gradually lowered, revealing an open expanse in the distance.

Simultaneously, complex magic circles lit up upon the ground.

Iz seemed to have mentioned it.

He had once accepted a commission to 【Optimize the Promotion Hall Testing Magic Circle】.

It was an A-rank adventurer commission.

Adventurer commissions weren't just about exploring dungeons.

It ultimately depended on the client's requirements.

Generally, dungeon-related commissions were issued officially by the Adventurer Association, because if dungeons were left unattended for too long, monsters would emerge and endanger the general public.

Aside from that, there were commissions to harvest crops, find lost cats, escorting, and even the occasional food delivery commission...

Food delivery commissions were a bit much; were adventurers delivery boys?

Lu Cang felt the agitation of the surrounding mana.

*A testing magic circle?*

In the magic systems he had encountered so far, magic circles had never been mentioned once.

In Lu Cang's view, it would be much cooler if a complex magic circle appeared with a *whoosh* whenever one cast a spell.

“Now, please cast your spells toward the magic dummies in the distance.”

In the distant open area, there were several dummies dressed in clothing.

They weren't mere wooden posts, but silver dummies made of a special material, their silver surfaces shimmering with a faint, flowing luster.

Just looking at them gave the impression that they were very expensive and that one would have to pay a fortune to replace them if broken.

*If I break them, I don't have the money to pay.*

With that thought, Lu Cang raised his hand toward the dummies.

*Whoosh—*

Cold air gathered around his body!

Seven shards of ice condensed around Lu Cang, but these seven shards were not in the form of ice spikes.

Instead, they were spindles.

「Ice Spindle (LV: 101)」

Spinning ice spindles.

Smaller than ice spikes, but spinning at a much higher speed.

The limit of spell proficiency is LV: 100.

This is the limit of the skill; no matter how much one practices, once this limit is reached, the skill itself will not become more powerful.

Whether it is a combat technique or a spell.

At most, one can maximize the skill's effect through precise manipulation.

The skill itself will no longer undergo a qualitative change.

But the spell Lu Cang was releasing now...

*Hum—*

The magic circle in front lit up with a deep blue light.

Almost simultaneously, the seven ice spindles had already struck the distant dummies!

*Bang bang bang bang!*

However, this time, the ice did not stop upon impact.

The surface of the dummy hit by the ice was covered in a thick layer of frost, and immediately after, the ice spindles bounced back!

They bounced and shot out like pinballs!

*Bang!*

*Bang bang bang bang!*

The seven ice spindles struck the dummy's body repeatedly and continuously!

It was no longer a one-time attack like an ice spike.

「Evolution path of Ice Spike — Manipulation」

「Ice Spindle (LV: 101): Forms a persistent spindle shape that can continue to attack until destroyed; possesses all additional characteristics of Ice Spike.」

The speed of the ice spindles was extremely fast, making them difficult to capture with the naked eye.

In just a few breaths, the seven ice spindles had crisscrossed and penetrated, completing hundreds of attacks on the dummy.

*Bang!*

With a crisp sound.

The ice spindles dissipated, and Lu Cang canceled the spell.

It wasn't that he couldn't maintain it, but that Lu Cang chose to cancel it actively.

Kumironi looked at the detection results: "Spell Mastery."

Kumironi's voice paused slightly.

The light from the test did not form a number, but rather a field of red light.

"Transcendent."

Transcendent?

What level was "Transcendent"?

Spell proficiency levels were divided into levels 1 to 100.

Although they couldn't be seen normally, they could be measured in professional tests.

A promotion ceremony was exactly such an occasion for professional testing.

Level 1 was Level 1, and Level 100 was Level 100.

"Transcendent? What does that mean?"

Iz: "It means exceeding Level 100."

"This detection ceremony is a version I improved."

"On top of the original levels 1 to 100, I hypothesized the existence of a possibility."

"Transcendent Magic."

"The possibility that a spell, after being practiced to the extreme, breaks through its original upper limit and gains an additional evolution."

"And this improved detection ceremony of mine, compared to the old one, is not only more precise in its results..."

"But... it can also additionally detect a type of magic I hypothesized but has not yet been discovered—Transcendent Magic."

"And this child has pushed the original limit of magic... one small step further."

(End of Chapter)