Ice Spike, Fireball, Wind Blade Technique

Reached a bottleneck?

Was that something a normal person would say?

You had only awakened as a mage this morning. Not even a full day had passed, yet you had already reached the mana limit of a level 1 mage.

Once one reached the mana limit, mana could no longer increase.

Normally, aside from advancing to the next level, this was already the maximum mana a level 1 mage could possess.

Feeling his mana stop increasing, Lu Cang could not help asking, "But... can't I level up?"

Lu Cang had also considered the possibility that this world had some sort of level-capping mechanism.

Like those prodigies of a certain realm who deliberately suppressed their levels, honing themselves to the limit within that realm before advancing and crushing other powerhouses of the same realm.

Seeing how highly respected Iz and the others were, Lu Cang felt they might be doing the same.

A few quiet guesses arose in his heart.

Perhaps Iz and the others were not as weak as he had imagined.

Maybe this world's level cap was not as high as he had thought.

Iz thought for a moment before replying, "If you want to level up, it would indeed happen very quickly."

"But for you, it would be better to break through your mana limit first."

"If you break through your mana limit now, your total mana will be greater after leveling up, and you'll also be more resilient when your mana is depleted."

"Even if you overcast, it will be less likely to cause serious consequences. At the very least, you won't pass out immediately."

Izpalut explained.

It seemed there were quite a few benefits.

Besides, he had already witnessed the dangers of overcasting today.

Lu Cang could not guarantee that he would never find himself in such a situation again.

Perhaps in certain battles, he would have to exhaust every last drop of mana just to release one crucial spell...

Besides, as a mage, having more mana was certainly not a bad thing.

"I understand, Master Iz."

Lu Cang held Iz in deep respect.

After all, Iz was the mentor who had led him onto the path of magic, and he had also created and written Magic Tide.

Iz glanced out the window. It was already completely dark outside.

"Tomorrow. I'll take you to the dungeon tomorrow."

A dungeon?

I'm finally going to run an instance.

Since coming to this world, Lu Cang had yet to see a single monster.

The few Lightning Strike Techniques he had cast with a bang had only blown up floors and air.

Skills really only felt real when used against monsters.

And compared with when he had just changed into a mage...

His current mana had probably increased by over a hundred times.

His total mana might not be an ocean, but it could at least be called a large lake.

If he cast Lightning Strike Technique now, he could release it thousands of times in a row without stopping.

And Magic Tide did not merely increase his total mana. It could also restore mana.

The actual number of casts should be even greater.

"Alright!"

The thought of fighting monsters made Lu Cang excited.

Perhaps it was because this body was that of a child. He was affected by it to some extent, always prone to anticipation, excitement, and exhilaration.

Maybe his curiosity about the world was also because of his age.

"Mm... it's getting late today."

"I originally expected you to spend the whole night learning Magic Tide, but it seems that won't be necessary."

"You should rest for now."

"However, for safety reasons, I'll need to take this book back first."

Iz took Magic Enhancement from in front of Lu Cang.

"If you can't resist your curiosity and secretly learn the forbidden spells recorded later in the book, you could hurt yourself."

If someone else had gotten hold of this book, Iz would not have had this concern.

Forbidden spells were not something one could learn just because one wanted to.

Rather, even if Iz were willing to teach them, his students might not necessarily be able to learn them.

But Lu Cang before him...

With the terrifying talent he had displayed, it was truly possible for him to learn those forbidden spells overnight.

Holding the book, Iz opened the door.

Before leaving, he sighed softly and instructed Lu Cang, "Lu Cang, your talent is very high, but that may not always be a good thing. The knowledge of magic must be learned step by step. As you explore the path of magic, you must also know what can be learned and what cannot."

"Encountering certain forbidden knowledge too early can also bring immense harm."

"As for what knowledge is harmful and what knowledge can be learned, I will teach you slowly."

Iz gave this special warning, though ordinary people generally did not need to worry about encountering forbidden knowledge.

That was because most forbidden knowledge was difficult to understand. Even if one came into contact with it, one might not be able to comprehend it.

But Lu Cang's heaven-defying talent truly required special warning.

Lu Cang nodded repeatedly.

"Got it, Master Iz."

"But can I learn other first-tier spells?"

"I slept too long today, so I'm worried I won't be able to sleep tonight."

Iz thought for a moment. The space before him rippled.

Three different spellbooks appeared in his hands.

[Ice Cone Technique][Fireball Technique][Wind Blade Technique]

Iz asked, "These should be enough. Sleep when you get tired. You'll need to make sure you have enough energy to conquer the dungeon tomorrow."

Lu Cang nodded. "Mm-hm."

Iz left.

With the three spellbooks left behind, Lu Cang rubbed his hands together impatiently.

He opened the incantation page for Ice Cone Technique.

"Frozen ice that freezes all."

"Condense into a sharp cone."

"Pierce through."

This time, Lu Cang did not use his staff. He merely raised one hand toward the window.

Sizzle—

Cold air condensed into ice, forming an Ice Spike the size of a palm.

"Learned magic—Ice Cone Technique (LV:1)"

"Ice Cone Technique proficiency EXP +10000"

"Ice Cone Technique (LV:5)"

Sure enough, it was exactly the same as learning Lightning Strike Technique.

Lu Cang chanted again.

"Cold air, condense into a cone and pierce through!"

Whoosh!

The Ice Spike shot into the sky with a piercing whistle!

"Ice Cone Technique (LV:8)—Shorter chant, faster projectile speed"

"Ice Spike!"

Another Ice Spike formed!

Whoosh!

It tore through the air again!

"Ice Cone Technique (LV:10)—No chant, faster projectile speed, larger Ice Spike"

Swish!

Whoosh!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Three Ice Spikes shot into the sky in rapid succession. Each was faster, larger, and more translucent than the last.

"Ice Cone Technique (LV:16)—No chant, extremely fast projectile speed, larger Ice Spike, inflicts extreme cold freezing on the struck area"

Lu Cang realized that spellcasting in this world did not have such a thing as cooldowns.

As long as one had sufficient mana and met the casting conditions, one could keep casting endlessly.

When there was no chant, casting speed depended on the speed at which one could mobilize mana.

At the same time, Lu Cang discovered something else.

Only one spell could be cast at a time. Before a spell's casting was completed or canceled, it was impossible to cast another spell.

In other words, he could not cast Ice Cone Technique twice at the same time for a double cast or triple cast.

It was already quite late into the night.

The inn he was staying at was quite nice. Kumiloni had said it was the best inn in town.

The room assigned to him was also large. Its window faced the inn's garden, and beyond the garden was the forest. Casting magic in that direction meant he did not have to worry about hitting anyone.

As for food...

He had eaten at this inn with Kumiloni and the others before checking in.

Lu Cang actually felt like going out for a walk alone.

But then he remembered that he was unfamiliar with the place.

He had been fortunate to meet good people like Kumiloni and the others. If he went out alone and encountered bad people...

It would be bad if someone knocked him out with a club.

He would wait until his strength improved further and he had a rough understanding of his surroundings before acting alone.

Ice Cone Technique, Ice Cone Technique, Ice Cone Technique.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

Casting spells now was no longer like during the day, when casting Lightning Strike Technique a few times would drain his mana.

Lu Cang kept an eye on his mana.

Under the effects of Magic Tide, his mana was replenished almost the instant he finished casting Ice Cone Technique.

At this recovery speed, if he only cast Ice Cone Technique, he would probably never run out of mana.

"Magic Tide (LV:94)"

Although his total mana had not increased, every automatic cycle of Magic Tide still provided Magic Tide with 10,000 proficiency points.

Lu Cang had barely paid attention to it, yet Magic Tide had already risen to level 94.

However, after level 90, it took roughly several thousand cycles to gain one level.

The rate at which proficiency levels increased had slowed considerably.

Still, at this pace, it would probably reach level 100 by tomorrow morning.

As for Ice Cone Technique, under Lu Cang's ceaseless, mechanical casting, it quickly rose to level 71.

"Ice Cone Technique (LV:71)—No chant, five-shot burst, auto-lock, extremely fast speed and turning, ice explosion on hit, freezing on hit, enormous Ice Spike"