After twenty-five relentless days of uninterrupted training, the day Leo had awaited with unwavering patience and determination finally arrived.
Deep within the heart of the forest, where silence ruled as the only sovereign and even the wind seemed reluctant to disturb the stillness, he finally reached the milestone he had pursued throughout the entire month.
The Peak of the Fifth Circle.
The instant his breakthrough was completed, an immense torrent of mana erupted from his body.
It was as though an ancient dam, sealed for countless ages, had shattered in a single moment.
Boundless magical energy flooded every direction, sweeping across the forest like an invisible tidal wave. The surrounding air trembled violently beneath its pressure, while powerful gusts of wind spiraled outward, forcing the towering trees to bow as countless leaves danced wildly through the night sky.
The earth itself seemed to shudder beneath the overwhelming surge.
The eruption continued for several long moments before gradually subsiding.
The chaotic sea of mana slowly settled, almost as if it had finally acknowledged the existence of its new master.
Only then did Leo slowly open his eyes.
They appeared clearer than ever before.
Deeper.
Calmer.
As though the world reflected within them was no longer the same one he had looked upon only moments ago.
He drew a slow, steady breath before examining the countless changes taking place throughout his body.
This wasn't a simple increase in strength.
It was a complete transformation.
The amount of mana stored within his body had more than doubled.
His magical circuits had become vastly more refined and stable, allowing mana to flow through them with astonishing smoothness. The number of spells he could freely cast had increased dramatically, granting him far greater endurance in prolonged battles without fear of exhausting his reserves.
Leo slowly rose to his feet.
Stretching out one hand before him, he opened and closed his fingers several times, almost as though he were testing an unfamiliar body.
Power responded effortlessly to even the smallest movement.
Every motion felt lighter.
Sharper.
Perfectly controlled.
A faint smile of quiet satisfaction appeared on his lips.
"...Now this," he murmured softly,
"I can finally call real progress."
Yet the changes extended far beyond mana alone.
As the immense magical energy within his body continued to grow, every aspect of his physical capabilities evolved alongside it.
His hearing became astonishingly acute.
His vision grew incomparably sharper.
Even his perception of the world around him expanded to an entirely different level.
Closing his eyes for a brief moment, Leo focused his senses.
Almost instantly...
He detected the faint rustling of grass nearly two hundred and fifty meters away.
His eyes slowly opened again.
Fixing his gaze upon the distant patch of vegetation, he narrowed his vision with incredible precision.
The blurry outline gradually became clearer.
Then clearer still.
Until, eventually...
He identified the source.
A small rabbit.
It cautiously hopped through the grass, blissfully unaware that someone had observed it from such an absurd distance.
Leo gave a quiet nod of approval.
"My senses have surpassed even my expectations."
For a brief moment, another thought crossed his mind.
He wanted to test the destructive power he could now unleash after reaching the Fifth Circle's peak.
His fingers almost began tracing the patterns of an offensive magic circle.
Almost.
Then he stopped.
Immediately.
The idea vanished from his mind just as quickly as it had appeared.
Unleashing a high-tier destructive spell within the Forest of the Elves was hardly an innocent experiment.
It would be no different from inviting death upon himself.
Even if the elves chose not to pursue him afterward, such reckless destruction would undoubtedly plant unnecessary resentment within their hearts and create suspicions where none needed to exist.
From Leo's perspective...
Waiting another five days was infinitely wiser than creating a pointless enemy for no reason whatsoever.
As he quietly organized his thoughts...
His heightened senses suddenly detected someone approaching.
He didn't even need to look.
He already knew exactly who it was.
Moments later...
Eliaria emerged from between the trees.
Yet the instant she stepped within several meters of him...
She unconsciously stopped.
A slight tremor ran through her body.
It wasn't fear.
Not exactly.
It was the pressure.
The aura surrounding Leo had changed so dramatically that even standing near him felt completely different.
It had become denser.
Heavier.
Far more overwhelming than before.
And beneath that crushing weight lay an indescribable sharpness, as though invisible blades filled the very air around him.
Without warning, an old memory resurfaced within Eliaria's mind.
The Imperial Elven Archmage.
The legendary Eighth Circle mage she had once encountered.
The feeling...
It was almost identical.
That absolute pressure.
That suffocating dominance.
The overwhelming sensation that compelled everyone nearby to acknowledge the strength of its owner before he even made a move.
She stared at him in astonishment before finally saying,
"It seems..."
"You've become much stronger."
Leo answered with his usual calmness.
"It would seem so."
Excitement immediately lit up Eliaria's eyes.
"So what rank have you reached?"
Then, almost as soon as the question escaped her lips, another realization struck her.
Now that I think about it...
I've never actually asked him what his real level is.
Leo simply smiled faintly.
"I'll leave that to your imagination."
Eliaria pouted slightly.
After staring at him for several seconds, she let out a defeated sigh.
"Forget it."
She turned around and began walking away, quietly mumbling something beneath her breath that Leo couldn't quite make out.
Watching her retreating figure, he tilted his head ever so slightly.
Strange...
Why did she leave so early today?
The thought lingered only briefly before disappearing from his mind.
During the remainder of that day, and throughout the next, Leo devoted every waking moment to stabilizing his newly advanced magic circle.
Although the breakthrough itself had already been completed, fully adapting to the enormous increase in power required patience.
He carefully synchronized his body with the overwhelming mana now flowing through it, ensuring that every spell, every movement, and every strand of magical energy became as natural as breathing.
Only once that balance had been achieved would his newfound strength truly become his own.
Three nights later...
Leo finally decided it was time.
Time to visit Ava once again.
His purpose wasn't driven by curiosity alone.
He had two clear objectives.
The first...
To obtain one of the World Tree's roots, if such a thing proved possible.
The second...
To seek answers.
There were still countless mysteries surrounding Ava and the World Tree—questions that had lingered unanswered ever since their first meeting.
Under the cover of darkness, Leo quietly made his way toward the World Tree.
Moonlight poured through the towering branches above, casting silver streams across the forest floor while deep shadows concealed nearly every path.
Before long, he reached the outer perimeter.
Five elite guards stood watch around the sacred tree.
Leo didn't hesitate.
His presence melted into the darkness itself.
His footsteps became virtually nonexistent.
He moved like a passing shadow.
Then...
In only a matter of moments...
He struck.
One guard.
Then another.
Then another.
Every movement was clean.
Precise.
Silent.
Not a single unnecessary motion.
Not a single wasted breath.
Within less than a minute...
All five guardians lay unconscious upon the ground.
None of them had managed to utter so much as a single warning.
Leo glanced toward them before quietly thinking,
Before my recent breakthrough...
Pulling something like this off without making a sound would've been incredibly difficult... perhaps even impossible.
Leaving the unconscious guards behind, he continued toward the colossal World Tree.
As he walked, a faint smile crossed his face.
This is exactly why I chose to come at night.
Had I attempted this during the day...
The entire forest would've descended into an unbearably noisy mess.
Moments later...
He finally arrived before the World Tree.
Standing in the very same place where he had stood during his first visit, Leo quietly waited.
He fully expected the same phenomenon to occur.
The mysterious light would emerge from the ancient trunk.
Then Ava would summon him into her domain, just as she had before.
But...
Nothing happened.
One minute passed.
Then five.
Then ten.
Twenty full minutes slipped away.
The World Tree remained completely motionless, as though it hadn't noticed his presence in the slightest.
Leo slowly exhaled.
His patience was beginning to wear thin.
Am I supposed to simply take one of the roots... and leave?
The very instant that thought crossed his mind—
The light appeared.
The same ethereal radiance he had been waiting for since his arrival.
It slowly blossomed from within the World Tree, growing brighter and brighter until its brilliance engulfed the entire forest.
Before Leo could fully comprehend what was happening...
The world around him dissolved.
Space itself seemed to fold away.
And once again...
Without realizing how...
He found himself standing inside Ava's domain.