'Hit a bottleneck?'
Is that something a normal person would say?
You only just awakened your Mage Profession this morning. Not even a full day has passed, and you've already reached the Magic Limit for a Level 1 Mage.
Once you reach the Magic Limit, your Magic Power can't increase any further.
Normally, aside from advancing to the next Level, this is the maximum Magic Power a Level 1 Mage can have.
Lu Cang, sensing that his Magic Power was no longer increasing, couldn't help but ask, "But... can't I just go and Upgrade?"
Lu Cang had also considered that this world might have some kind of level-locking mechanism.
'Like those prodigies in certain realms who suppress their advancement, polishing their abilities to the absolute peak at one stage so they can crush other experts of the same level after they finally upgrade.'
Lu Cang felt that Iz and the others were like that. In fact, seeing how respected Iz and his companions were, Lu Cang had already formed some secret speculations.
'Perhaps Iz and his group aren't as weak as I thought.'
'The Level cap in this world might not be as high as I imagined.'
Iz thought for a moment before responding, "If you want to Upgrade, it would indeed be very fast."
"But for you, it's better to break through your Magic Limit first."
"If you break through your Magic Limit now, your total Magic Power will be greater after you Upgrade. It will also give you greater resilience when your Magic Power is depleted."
"Even if you overexert yourself by Casting too much, it will be less likely to lead to severe consequences. At the very least, you won't fall unconscious immediately."
Izparut explained.
'It seems there are quite a few benefits.'
Besides, he had already witnessed the dangers of excessive Casting today.
Lu Cang couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't find himself in such a situation in the future.
'There might be battles where I have to exhaust all my Magic Power to cast that one crucial Skill...'
Besides, as a Mage, having high Mana could never be a bad thing.
"I understand, Master Iz."
Deep down, Lu Cang held great respect for Iz.
After all, he was the mentor who had guided him onto the path of Magic, and he was also the one who had created and written the Magic Tide.
Iz glanced out the window. The sky had already turned completely dark.
"Tomorrow. I'll take you to a Dungeon tomorrow."
'A Dungeon?'
'I'm finally going to run a dungeon.'
Since arriving in this world, Lu Cang had yet to see a single monster.
He had cast the Thunder Strike Skill a few times with a BANG BANG, but he had only blasted the floor and the air.
'Skills really only feel real when you're using them on monsters.'
As for his current Mana Value...
...compared to when he had just changed his Profession to Mage, it had probably increased by more than a hundredfold.
His total Magic Power might not be an ocean, but it could certainly be considered a great lake.
If he were to cast the Thunder Strike Skill now, he could do it thousands of times in a row without stopping.
Furthermore, Magic Tide didn't just increase his total Mana; it could also be used to restore his Mana Value.
The actual number of times he could cast should be even greater.
"Okay!"
The thought of fighting monsters made Lu Cang's excitement surge.
'Maybe it's because this body is that of a child. It affects me to some extent, making me easily excited, thrilled, and full of anticipation.'
'This boundless curiosity about the world is probably due to my age, too.'
"Well... it's getting late."
"I had originally expected you to spend the whole night studying Magic Tide, but it seems that won't be necessary."
"For now, you should get some rest."
"However, for your own safety, I need to take this book back for now."
Iz pulled the Magic Power Enhancement Spellbook away from Lu Cang.
"If you can't resist your curiosity and secretly try to learn the Forbidden Techniques recorded in the back, it could bring you harm."
If it were anyone else who had this book, Iz wouldn't be so worried.
Forbidden Techniques weren't something one could learn just by wanting to.
In fact, even if Iz were willing to teach them, his student wouldn't necessarily be able to learn them.
But this Lu Cang before him...
With the terrifying Talent he had displayed, it was genuinely possible that he could learn all those Forbidden Techniques overnight.
Cradling the book, Iz opened the door.
Before leaving, he let out a soft sigh and admonished Lu Cang, "Lu Cang, your Talent is immense, but that may not always be a good thing. Knowledge of the path of Magic must be acquired step by step. As you explore this path, you must also learn what you can and cannot study."
"Coming into contact with certain forbidden knowledge too early can bring great harm."
"As for what knowledge is harmful and what is safe to learn, I will teach you slowly."
Iz gave this special warning, but in truth, ordinary people didn't need to worry about encountering forbidden knowledge.
Most forbidden knowledge was difficult to comprehend; even if they came across it, they likely wouldn't understand it.
But with Lu Cang's heaven-defying Talent, a stern warning was definitely necessary.
Lu Cang nodded repeatedly.
"I know, Master Iz."
"But, can I learn other Tier One Spells?"
"I slept for so long today, I'm worried I won't be able to fall asleep tonight."
Iz considered it for a moment, and Space rippled before him.
Three different Spellbooks materialized in his hands.
Ice Cone Skill, Fireball Technique, Wind Blade Skill.
Iz asked, "These should be enough. When you get tired of studying, go to sleep. You'll need to have plenty of energy for conquering the Dungeon tomorrow."
Lu Cang nodded. "Mhm."
Iz left.
Left with the three Spellbooks, Lu Cang rubbed his hands together, filled with eager anticipation.
He flipped open the Ice Cone Skill to the Spell Page.
"Ice that freezes all."
"Condense into a sharp cone."
"Pierce."
This time, Lu Cang didn't use a Magic Staff, simply raising one hand toward the window.
SZZT—
Chilly air condensed into Ice, forming a palm-sized Ice Cone.
You have learned the Magic—Ice Cone Skill (Level 1)
Ice Cone Skill EXP +10000
Ice Cone Skill (Level 5)
'Just as I thought. It's exactly the same as learning the Thunder Strike Skill.'
Lu Cang began Chanting again.
"Chilly air, condense into a cone, pierce!"
WHOOSH!
The Ice Cone shot toward the sky, tearing through the air!
Ice Cone Skill (Level 8) — Shorter Chanting, faster firing speed
"Ice Cone!"
Another Ice Cone formed!
WHOOSH!
It shot out again, tearing through the air!
Ice Cone Skill (Level 10) — No Chanting, faster firing speed, larger Ice Cone
SWISH!
WHOOSH!
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Three Ice Cones shot toward the sky in succession, each one faster, larger, and more translucent than the last.
Ice Cone Skill (Level 16) — No Chanting, extremely fast firing speed, larger Ice Cone, applies extreme frostbite to the impacted area
Lu Cang discovered that there was no such thing as a cooldown time for Casting in this world.
As long as you had enough Mana Value and met the casting conditions, you could cast indefinitely.
And the speed of release, when there was No Chanting, was related to how quickly he could mobilize his own Magic Power.
At the same time, Lu Cang also discovered something else.
He could only cast one spell at a time. Until a spell's Casting was complete or canceled, he couldn't begin Casting another one.
In other words, he couldn't cast the Ice Cone Skill twice at the same time to achieve a double or triple cast.
It was now quite late into the night.
The inn he was staying at was quite nice. He'd heard Kumironi say it was the best one in town.
The room assigned to him was also very large. The window faced the inn's garden, and beyond the garden was a Forest, so he didn't have to worry about hitting anyone if he aimed his Magic in that direction.
As for the food...
He had already eaten at the inn with Kumironi and the others before checking in.
Lu Cang now felt a little urge to go out for a walk by himself.
But then he remembered that he was in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people.
He was lucky to have met good people like Kumironi and her group, but what if he went out alone and ran into someone bad?
It would be terrible to get mugged.
'I should wait until I'm a bit stronger and have a better understanding of my surroundings before I start exploring on my own.'
Ice Cone Skill, Ice Cone Skill, Ice Cone Skill.
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH—
Now when he cast, his Magic Power wasn't depleted after a few Thunder Strike Skills like it had been during the day.
Lu Cang kept an eye on his Magic Power.
Under the effect of Magic Tide, his Magic Power was replenished almost the instant he finished casting the Ice Cone Skill.
At this rate of recovery, he estimated he would never run out of Magic Power if he only cast the Ice Cone Skill.
Magic Tide (Level 94)
Although his total Magic Power hadn't increased, every time Magic Tide automatically circulated, it still provided 10,000 points of Skill Proficiency for Magic Tide.
Lu Cang had barely paid any attention to it, but the Level of his Magic Tide had already risen to Level 94.
However, after reaching Level 90, it now took several thousand circulations to gain a single Level.
The speed at which its Skill Level increased had also slowed down considerably.
But at this rate, he estimated it would reach Level 100 by morning.
As for the Ice Cone Skill, under Lu Cang's mechanical, nonstop Casting, it quickly rose to Level 71.
Ice Cone Skill (Level 71) — No Chanting, five-shot burst, auto-locking, extremely fast speed and turning, Ice Burst on hit, freeze on hit, very large Ice Cone