Chapter 5: Overcasting

When he woke up again, it was already dusk.

Feeling a slight jolting motion, Lu Cang sat up abruptly.

He looked around.

He found himself sitting inside a bright, spacious carriage.

Iz, Kumironi, Chicheng, and the Stone Man were all there.

Seeing Lu Cang sit up, Iz smiled and said, "You overexerted your magic and passed out."

"Your magical talent is quite good, but since you just completed your class advancement, no matter how high your talent is, your total mana capacity won't undergo a qualitative change."

"To think you managed to cast two more spells while your mana was completely depleted."

"It seems your affinity for both elements and mana is quite impressive."

Mana depletion?

Lu Cang recalled the final moments before he lost consciousness.

He had been spamming Lightning Strike, and because it didn't require chanting, he had cast it without any restraint.

He hadn't paid any attention to his mana levels at all.

Come to think of it, he did feel like his body was empty during the last two casts.

But because the spellcasting felt so natural, he had just tossed the magic out without thinking, and it had worked.

He hadn't realized there was an issue there at all.

After all, normally, you shouldn't be able to cast spells if you're out of mana.

Iz added, "Casting spells without mana causes significant damage to the body; in severe cases, it can even be fatal."

"But fortunately, we have Kumironi, so it doesn't matter."

"I also replenished your mana in time, so you'll be fine."

Ha... so it could kill you?

You could have told me that sooner, Lu Cang couldn't help but think to himself.

"Master... what if I had actually died?"

Hearing Lu Cang's concern, Iz burst into laughter. "With Kumironi around, it’s difficult to die even if you want to."

"Besides, experiencing the feeling of overexerting your magic isn't a bad thing; it’s a required course on the path of a mage."

Lu Cang looked toward Kumironi.

Kumironi’s face still held that elegant and composed smile.

Kumironi—is she really that amazing?

A thought crossed Lu Cang's mind about testing his Lightning Strike on himself, though it was only a fleeting thought that was quickly dismissed.

Kumironi smiled and asked, "How does your body feel now?"

Hearing Kumironi's question, Lu Cang moved his body a bit.

He felt great after waking up; there was no sensation of being "hollowed out."

In fact, it was quite the opposite.

His whole body felt incredibly comfortable, as if he had just had a good night's sleep.

"It feels... very good."

Kumironi: "That's good."

Lu Cang looked left and right. It was a rather luxurious carriage with plush leather seats and a bright, open space.

Lu Cang asked again, "By the way, where are we now?"

It was Chicheng, who was polishing his sword nearby, who answered: "On the way to Rennes Town. It’s the closest town to here."

"We're almost there."

The jolting was very slight.

Lu Cang looked out the window and saw the fiery red sun sinking toward the mountains in the west, surrounded by vast, open plains.

Looking ahead, he could see specks of light.

The carriage was traveling along a fairly wide road.

Although it wasn't as smooth as a paved road, it was still quite level.

Lu Cang looked back inside the carriage.

He looked at Chicheng again.

Come to think of it, his sword was truly terrifyingly large.

If it weren't for the spacious and bright carriage, it really wouldn't have been able to fit his greatsword.

Feeling Lu Cang's gaze again, Chicheng flashed a wide grin at him.

Uh, a goofy grin.

"Kid."

"My sword is cool, right?"

Lu Cang was stunned, not knowing why he would suddenly ask such a question, but he nodded anyway: "Yeah, it's very cool."

It really was cool.

The heavy, massive greatsword with red and black patterns had incredibly rich details; one could see a scene of war carved into the blade with those red and black lines.

Just looking at the sword, one could feel the immense power of its wielder.

"Right! This is a sword I specifically commissioned the world's greatest blacksmith to forge for me."

The world's greatest blacksmith?

...That's certainly impressive.

Lu Cang was skeptical.

"Are you interested in the Warrior class? Want to try advancing to a Warrior as your second class?"

Lu Cang was indeed quite interested in the Warrior class. In fact... logically speaking, the more classes he activated, the more god-level talents he would have, right?

Lu Cang actually had some thoughts about getting a second class.

But just as Lu Cang was about to answer, Kumironi interrupted Chicheng. She sighed and said, "Chicheng, he just advanced to Mage."

"Besides, Lu Cang has such great magical talent, and he has Iz to teach him. Making him switch to a Warrior now would be a waste of his talent."

Chicheng scratched his head and said, "Alright, alright, I was just joking."

Fine.

It seems he didn't need to say anything after all.

Moreover, speaking about wanting to become a Warrior in front of Iz, who was so enthusiastic about teaching him magic, would have been disheartening for him.

It would be like saying you like studying literature in front of your math teacher.

Logically, he should be more cautious and guarded after coming to this world.

But he felt there was no need to be wary of these people.

If they wanted to harm him, they wouldn't have saved him.

Even if they only brought him out of the dungeon.

But the process of leaving the dungeon had been quite convoluted; it was a complete labyrinth.

If not for Iz and Kumironi leading the way, he didn't know how long it would have taken him to find the exit.

Furthermore, his physical condition when he first transmigrated wasn't great; if not for Kumironi's healing, he might have actually died there.

So, for Lu Cang, Kumironi and Iz were already his saviors.

The little bit of wariness Lu Cang still held toward them was just a self-preservation instinct from having just arrived; he couldn't just drop his guard on his first day in a new world, could he?

Obades's dull voice came from the front: "We're here."

The carriage stopped.

So this Stone Man could talk after all.

From last night until now, it had been silent, and Lu Cang had assumed it couldn't speak.

Iz opened the carriage door.

Kumironi and the others got off one by one. Only after getting off did Lu Cang notice.

The carriage was 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 her hand on the head of one of the rhinos and introduced it to Lu Cang: "This is a Dragon Rhino."

"Dragon Rhinos have excellent stamina and are very fast. Don't let their bulky appearance fool you; they can actually run on steep mountains at nearly 90-degree angles."

"When we travel individually, they are our respective mounts."

Kumironi smiled at Lu Cang: "But now that we have a new member, we'll need one more mount."

Dragon Rhinos must be very rare creatures, otherwise, Kumironi wouldn't have introduced them to him like that.

Kumironi's voice was always so gentle.

Listening to her words, Lu Cang felt that she really considered him a part of the team, rather than just some stray kid picked up by the side of the road.

The place where they got off was a brightly lit town, and quite a few people were looking toward them.

And, before he knew it, a crowd of people had gathered around Iz Palut.

Most of them were young people holding magic books, chattering away and asking questions he couldn't understand.

Iz gave a helpless, bitter smile toward their side and made a "I'll be right back" gesture.

Then he led the crowd into a nearby building.

Kumironi: "Iz is always eager to answer people's questions about magic, so many mages come to him for advice."

"He's very popular, isn't he?"