The Gaze

For Lu Cang, the promotion process hadn't been very complicated.

At the end of the day, all he had to do was put his hand on a crystal ball, watch it light up,

cast a few spells during the magic control test,

then take out the snake eyes he'd prepared. It was that simple.

The entire Promotion Ritual was no different from taking a stroll after breakfast.

But for Rhein Town, it was a major event.

News of a magical genius who had surpassed Izpalut...

spread from Rhein Town to every corner of the world.

[Rhein Hotel]

It had a plain, unremarkable name, but it was indeed the biggest hotel in Rhein Town, and where Lu Cang and the others were staying.

At that moment, Lu Cang was in Kumiloni's suite.

Kumiloni gently pressed her hand against Lu Cang's back, and Life Force flowed through his body.

Lu Cang could feel some of the damage inside him being repaired, and impurities being expelled.

The official explanation was that before the age of sixteen, a person's body was not fully developed, and awakening would cause irreversible damage.

That was common knowledge.

But now, Lu Cang felt...

It might not be that simple.

As soon as Kumiloni had finished presiding over the ritual, she had whispered something to Iz.

Iz had grabbed Lu Cang and hurriedly led him through the crowd, rushing back to the hotel.

"Kumiloni..."

Kumiloni's voice was as gentle as ever. She spoke softly. "You'll be fine~"

"The ritual's gaze upon you was far more intense than we'd expected."

"If an ordinary person were promoted to a Level 2 Mage, I should be able to completely eliminate the side effects."

"But... you stood out too much."

After becoming a Level 2 Mage, Lu Cang could sense all sorts of things inside his body.

By "all sorts of things," he didn't mean only his organs, like his heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys.

He could also sense magic power, blood and vitality, and other substances flowing through his body.

Some of the pitch-black things were wrapped around him.

Kumiloni was trying to get rid of them.

They seemed like roots of some kind of plant, burrowing into his body.

Like tadpoles, they were trying to swim deeper inside him.

But they had only just arrived...

There hadn't been any time for them to burrow far into Lu Cang's body before Kumiloni used some kind of method to draw them out.

He couldn't shake the feeling...

That the consequences of awakening early weren't merely some kind of damage to his [body].

They were more like a curse clinging to him.

But this was only a hunch. After all, Lu Cang had only learned some basic facts, and he really didn't know enough about these strange phenomena.

"Kumiloni, what exactly are these things?"

Kumiloni hesitated.

"They're a kind of..."

She still seemed unsure whether she should tell him.

Although Lu Cang couldn't see her behind him, he could somehow sense that she had twice started to speak, only to close her mouth again.

"Kumiloni, this is happening inside my body. I want to know the truth..." Lu Cang insisted.

At last, she sighed softly. "Spiritual Pollution."

"Spiritual Pollution?" Lu Cang asked, confused.

Kumiloni explained slowly. "Actually, early theories claimed that the younger a child was when they awakened their class, the better they would perform."

"Warriors would have more vigorous blood and vitality, Mages could sense more elements, Assassins would be more agile and better at concealing their presence... Every class showed different outstanding qualities when awakened at a young age, and they were also more likely to awaken high-tier talents."

"Besides, the earlier they awakened, the earlier they could embark on the path of a class, giving them a head start in life."

"So even though awakening this early could cause a backlash, leaving them with incurable disabilities or injuries, there were still parents eager to have their children awaken as early as possible."

Incurable disabilities and injuries? Just hearing about it sounded terrifying.

Parents forcing them...

As expected, no matter the world, there were fanatical parents willing to sacrifice their children's health to make them famous.

"But injuries alone weren't enough to justify banning early awakenings."

"Compared to powerful 'talents,' those side effects weren't necessarily unacceptable."

"After all, with monsters running rampant, lacking strength could also get you hurt by monsters, or even seriously injured."

Huh... He could suddenly understand how the parents felt.

After all, this wasn't the world he'd come from. Being weak really could get you killed.

"What truly led to early awakening being strictly forbidden was a major research report issued by the Life Church thirty years ago."

"These children who awakened early almost invariably became obsessive and deranged after reaching the advanced ranks."

"Some even became twisted and monstrous, their personalities changing drastically."

"Even people who had been kind by nature would inexplicably become warped and evil."

"At first, everyone thought they had simply gone through some sudden ordeal, or that they had gone mad because of some desire to pursue the dark arts."

"After all, there were plenty of obsessive Mages."

"Until the report pointed out..."

"The reason for these changes was that their spirituality had been polluted."

"At first, the various kingdoms dismissed the report, believing it was baseless alarmism that wouldn't have much impact."

"Until... in the third year after the report was published, a massive blood sacrifice took place."

"A Mage pursuing the dark arts, hoping to draw closer to the Source and submit a satisfactory promotion report, chose to complete his research through a blood sacrifice."

"That blood sacrifice killed three billion people. Two kingdoms collapsed completely as a result, and it was labeled the largest evil sacrificial ritual of the century."

"Investigations later revealed that the Mage had been a genius who awakened as a Mage at the age of nine. Before the blood sacrifice, he had always been a kind lord of the Meise territory."

"The incident rang like an alarm bell, shocking several surrounding continents and hundreds of kingdoms."

"Meetings concerning the matter were held frequently during that period. One of the major resolutions they passed was that no one could awaken a class before turning sixteen."

"After the incident, those who had awakened before the age of sixteen and reached Level 4 or higher were placed under close surveillance by the various kingdoms."

"The Life Church conducted more in-depth research into the matter and made some promising progress."

"What we know from the current research is this: before the age of sixteen, people's spirituality is stronger. During a class advancement ritual, they attract more attention, and that attention erodes their souls without their realizing it."

"As their class level rises, they become increasingly obsessive about their path."

"Eventually, their obsession turns them into fanatical seekers of the path."

"To climb to a higher step, they'll do anything, even things that defy their humanity."

"They become pure evil."

Lu Cang listened, his thoughts in turmoil...

So something like that had happened in the world. It seemed the rule forbidding awakening before the age of sixteen hadn't been made without reason. It was backed by a bloody lesson.

"Kumiloni... what about me?"

Kumiloni smiled. "It's all right."

"I'm one of the few healing mages who can remove this influence."

"But... little Lu Cang."

"The attention you attracted during this Promotion Ritual was far greater than I expected."

"What kind of response did you receive?"