If you thought about it carefully, advancing from a Level 1 Mage to Level 2 was actually fairly simple.
A Level 1 Mage only needed to learn a few spells. Anyone with even a bit of talent could pick them up quickly.
What was truly difficult… was mastery.
With his God-Tier talent, Sueharu's understanding and application of magic was already far from shallow.
If he continued developing at this pace, then in the future, he might become a mage second only to Kanzaki Rei himself and Izparut.
Of course, advancement speed was not simply a matter of "the faster, the better."
The shadow behind Kanzaki Rei stretched outward.
Several small undead monster spirits emerged from Kanzaki Rei's own world. Soon after, those undead creatures gradually vanished into the darkness again, becoming part of the shadows within the Land of Moonwatch.
Better to leave a few more undead stationed here.
"Sueharu, how do you think you performed in today's battle?"
Sueharu lowered his head and cautiously asked,
"Did my performance disappoint you…? I feel like your expectations for me should've been much higher."
Kanzaki Rei smiled gently, his tone calm and warm.
"I do have expectations for you, but everyone's path of growth is different. There's no need to put too much pressure on yourself."
"Just tell me honestly how you felt."
Sueharu raised his head, his eyes shining brightly.
"Actually… I think I fought pretty well."
"During the battle, I suddenly started understanding the theories you taught me, Master. It felt like a lot of realizations just appeared in my mind. I followed that feeling and released the magic naturally."
Kanzaki Rei nodded lightly with a smile.
"You did very well."
"Appropriate combat can inspire far more creativity in you. Standing on the edge between life and death can also trigger sudden enlightenment about important things."
"Still, it's best not to put yourself in danger whenever possible."
"After all, there have been plenty of geniuses who died in dangerous situations."
You couldn't only look at the people who survived…
There were also plenty of geniuses he himself had killed.
"Mhm! I'll remember that!"
Kanzaki Rei continued,
"And when I say your performance was good, I'm not trying to comfort you. It truly was good."
"It's just… slightly worse than how I performed back then."
Sueharu lifted his head, eyes filled with curiosity.
"Master, what were you like back then?"
"Heh, back then, huh…"
Kanzaki Rei briefly described some of his past exploits.
Naturally, there was a bit of embellishment mixed in.
For example, he polished over some of his failures a little…
After all, admitting in front of your disciple that you once lost badly to someone was rather embarrassing.
Besides, it could also motivate the disciple to surpass his master.
If one didn't even possess the desire to surpass their teacher, how could they possibly grow?
"Anyway, that's basically how it happened. Izparut and I exchanged bombardments head-on, and then he used his Origin Magic."
Kanzaki Rei looked up toward the sky.
The two of them were currently taking a walk through an open section of the imperial palace grounds. They had already reached the gardens.
Beyond this point stood the palace where Sueharu lived.
Lothdan had indeed provided him with excellent living conditions—a private palace all to himself, complete with dedicated attendants.
Back then, Kanzaki Rei's own residence had also possessed a similar garden.
"Let me show you."
Kanzaki Rei lightly waved a hand toward the sky.
"Second-Tier Origin Magic—Elemental Void."
Buzz!
Within a radius spanning dozens of kilometers, all color instantly vanished!
Every elemental particle was extracted in an instant, converging toward a single point in the heavens.
BOOM!
Black and white exploded across the sky like a collapsing miniature black hole.
"This is Iz's Origin Magic."
"And it was the final attack he used against me back then."
The terrifying fluctuation in the sky caused Sueharu's pupils to tremble violently.
Was this really magic a Level 2 Mage could use?
Fear, anticipation, longing…
All kinds of emotions reflected within Sueharu's eyes.
Seeing the light in his disciple's gaze, Kanzaki Rei couldn't help but smile faintly.
Having mastered so many things, Kanzaki Rei genuinely hoped someone could inherit his legacy someday.
"When you become a Level 2 Mage, you should also awaken your own Origin Magic."
"To become an outstanding mage, Origin Magic is a mandatory lesson."
Sueharu looked toward Kanzaki Rei expectantly.
"Master, Master! How long do you think it'll take me to comprehend Origin Magic?"
Kanzaki Rei replied,
"The speed at which someone comprehends Origin Magic doesn't depend solely on talent. Your experiences matter too."
"So I can't accurately predict when you'll awaken it."
"But it probably won't take too long."
"Maybe a few days."
"Maybe several months."
"Perhaps something unexpected will trigger your enlightenment."
While casually chatting, the two gradually arrived at the site where the advancement ceremony had been prepared.
Ding!
Origin enveloped the entire advancement grounds.
The corruption caused by premature advancement would no longer affect Sueharu.
The Origin Magic given by Mesei was still incredibly useful even now.
"Begin."
Buzz!
A projection of Origin split open across the sky once more.
However, this projection was incredibly distant—watching Sueharu's advancement from afar.
The spheres of light used to test elemental perception appeared around Sueharu.
All elements.
One hundred percent perception.
Not a single omission.
Then came the demonstration of magic!
Sueharu raised a hand toward Kanzaki Rei.
Unlike Kanzaki Rei, he did not possess Proficiency Evolution. The proficiency levels of his various spells did not rise nearly as quickly.
But there was one exception.
His Focus Magic!
"Void Corrosion · Flame (Lv.46)"
Purple-black flames erupted violently toward Kanzaki Rei!
This no longer belonged within the scope of First-Tier magic.
If one had to describe it, it was perhaps even stronger than the Transcendent Magic Kanzaki Rei once possessed.
BOOM!
The purple-black flames detonated before Kanzaki Rei, yet failed to inflict any damage whatsoever.
Then, in the very next instant, the raging explosions transformed into black ice in midair!
The frozen darkness sealed the surrounding air in all directions around Kanzaki Rei.
"Mhm. Very good. Continue."
Void Corrosion was a spell Kanzaki Rei had carefully selected specifically for Sueharu.
His God-Tier talent allowed him to focus on a single spell, continuously evolving and strengthening it.
But if all he evolved were simple Fireball or Frost spells, it would be an enormous waste.
The main problem was that such spells lacked versatility. Against complex situations, they were too easily countered.
Combat was never determined purely by damage output alone. Battles often involved situations one was poorly equipped to handle.
That was why Kanzaki Rei preferred teaching him a spell capable of branching into countless variations.
BOOM!
Next came purple-black lightning.
After the thunder exploded, a ray of light shot from Sueharu's fingertips, piercing directly through Kanzaki Rei's body.
The sight startled Sueharu.
"Continue. Don't worry about me."
Kanzaki Rei's voice echoed directly inside his mind.
Meanwhile, the master standing before him—whose body had just been pierced by light—remained perfectly unharmed, as though nothing had happened.
Only then did Sueharu finally relax.
Immediately afterward, a long stream of darkness spread outward from beneath Sueharu's feet, engulfing Kanzaki Rei's entire body.
Void Corrosion imitated elemental properties through the Void itself, simulating ever more variations.
Originally, this spell had merely been a standard medium-class utility spell used to convert other elements into Void properties.
It had never even been designed for combat.
But in Sueharu's hands, it had become like an extension of his own body, evolving countless derivative applications.