Rainer

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Rainer Ian Gray (莱纳)
Alias(es)	“Skullcrusher” 198
Gender	Male 59
Affiliation	Crescent Academy; Mercury Plain; Magic Association Review Committee; High Council 66 149 356
Occupation/Role	Mage, scholar, Crescent Academy principal, assistant reviewer 66 149
Status	Alive; Ninth-Circle Mage standing one step from Legend 569
Age	20 when he reached the Fourth Circle 296
Notable title	Youngest recipient of the Hohenheim Gold Cup 137

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Mage Apprentice	10 59	His nearly dry Heart Lake is flooded after a breakthrough in understanding; he is publicly identified as a mage apprentice at the Mercury Plain conference.
First-Circle Mage	148 149	President Dmitri and two high-level mages assess his optimized Fireball and formally recognize him as an official First-Circle Mage.
Second-Circle Mage	168 341	He meets the requirements for advancement and begins a breakthrough attempt; Explosive Flame is later recorded as his second-circle spell.
Third-Circle Mage	207 341	He creates and inscribes the personal offensive spell Queen Killer, later identified as his third-circle spell.
Fourth-Circle Mage	285	Advances by inscribing Isaris’s Magnificent Battle Armor, a Fourth-Circle defensive spell.
Fifth-Circle Mage	341	Advances with Schmidt’s Arrow of Air, a fifth-circle spell formed from a 96-node model.
Sixth-Circle Mage	342 355	Reaches the sixth circle using another self-created spell; he is described as recently advanced before attempting the high rank.
Seventh-Circle Mage / High-Rank Mage	355 356	Creates Ian Gray’s Formula Armament rather than using an established advancement spell, becoming a high-level mage.
Ninth-Circle Mage	569	Creates Crimson King from quantum theory, arriving before the gates of Legend.

Background

Rainer is the third son of the Ian Gray Family. The original Rainer was remembered as a spoiled playboy who lacked parental affection and showed little interest in family affairs; his position between more accomplished siblings was considered awkward 296. His later conduct sharply contrasts with that reputation: he becomes composed, courteous, academically driven, and difficult for his siblings to read 305.

As Crescent Academy’s principal, Rainer develops a detailed rescue plan for the struggling school, including the production of cola, and earns the trust of Claire and Charlotte 6. His early realization that deeper understanding of the world could increase magical power establishes the foundation of his approach to both scholarship and advancement 10.

His presentation against the established Combustion Theory at Mercury Plain makes him a prominent young scholar. He argues that fire elements are an unnecessary assumption, using the image of an invisible dragon to challenge claims that cannot be proven 60. Soon afterward, he receives the Hohenheim Gold Cup and Mercury Plain’s protection 65.

Appearance

Rainer is a young, notably handsome man whose appearance often draws attention at academic gatherings 59 99.

• Gray hair characteristic of the Ian Gray Family 305 484.
• Commonly wears mage robes marked with the gold cuff trim of his current rank 150.
• Wears the Hohenheim Gold Cup Ring, a visible symbol of Mercury Plain’s protection 65 314.

Personality

Rainer is analytical, skeptical, and methodical. He insists on evidence, controlled experimentation, and theories with the fewest unnecessary assumptions, whether he is challenging Combustion Theory, investigating isotopes, or examining a supposed haunting 60 109 240. He avoids premature conclusions even when other mages expect a decisive answer from him 422.

Despite his fame, he consistently presents himself with humility. He credits earlier researchers for making his discoveries possible, accepts professional limits when becoming an assistant reviewer, and shares promising research directions with Sullivan rather than hoarding them 65 149 154 376.

He is also pragmatic and cautious. Rainer develops personal combat spells after repeated encounters with the Serpent of Chaos, uses psychological warfare when outmatched, and refuses to conduct human experiments even when doing so might be useful 207 282 381. His concern for Claire, Hersen, students, and lower-ranked mages increasingly informs his decisions 357 449.

Abilities & Skills

Spell Model Mastery

Rainer rapidly comprehends, constructs, and improves complex spell models. His self-created spells are especially compatible with his Heart Lake, allowing unusually fast inscription and advancement 168 342.

• Uses academic discoveries and world feedback to accelerate his magical growth 10 370.
• Can adapt established spells into new applications, including turning defensive magic into an offensive tool 285.
• Creates personal spells to preserve secrecy and maximize compatibility with his own magic 355.

Queen Killer

Queen Killer is Rainer’s third-circle personal offensive spell and one of his recurring trump cards 341.

• Requires direct or indirect contact to place explosive effects 338.
• Can be carried by an invisible Arrow of Air to make its placement difficult to detect 338 381.
• Is enhanced after his ninth-circle advancement, enabling it to seep through magical barriers and detonate across a larger area 569.

Isaris’s Magnificent Battle Armor

A Fourth-Circle defensive spell that forms an invisible, transparent armor around Rainer 285.

• Defends against physical and magical attacks 285 288.
• Can distort space around his limbs, allowing defensive force to be applied offensively through punches 285.
• Serves as a major component of the later Formula Armament 355.

Ian Gray’s Formula Armament

Rainer’s self-created seventh-circle spell combines armor, movement, acceleration, deceleration, and explosive force 355.

• Automatically analyzes and dismantles hostile spells when his magic comes into contact with them 356.
• Allows high-speed movement through gaps in ambient magic power rather than conventional spatial transference 356 381.
• Can neutralize magic of the sixth circle and below 356.
• Creates a mental barrier that blocks psychological suggestion and charm effects 484.
• Can be strained by high-level spells with unusual properties; Rainer avoids relying on it to endure such attacks directly 381 382.

Crimson King

Rainer’s ninth-circle quantum spell grants him traits resembling a quantum organism 569.

• At full power, he can ignore harm from the real world so long as he remains conscious 569.
• Can remain in this state for no more than thirty minutes due to extreme mana consumption and limited external mana conversion 569.
• Lets him perceive distant events, cast spells remotely through quantum entanglement, and move instantaneously 569.
• Allows quantization even inside the magic-suppressing Dead Zone 569.

World

Rainer uses World to accelerate himself so drastically that time effectively stops for eight seconds from his perspective 574.

• Enables rapid sequences of attacks against opponents unable to react within the accelerated interval 574.
• Was used alongside quantum-imbued fireballs and Queen Killer against the Soren Giant 574.

Scientific Counterspell Techniques

Rainer applies his research directly in battle rather than treating theory and spellcasting as separate disciplines.

• Uses his understanding of light’s particle properties and the photoelectric effect to neutralize Levin’s wave-based Sword of Light 383 384.
• Uses experimental observation to identify the mechanism of unfamiliar spells before choosing a response 383.
• Employs controlled analysis to investigate magical phenomena, creatures, ruins, and ancient artifacts 109 240 422.

Research & Innovations

• Combustion Theory critique — Challenges the necessity of fire elements and argues that valid theories should avoid unsupported assumptions 60.
• Electrolysis of water — Receives a successful review and 300 academic points for his paper 70.
• Isotope research — Confirms that elements can possess different relative atomic masses, documents four elements, and rearranges the Periodic Table accordingly 117.
• Periodic law and new elements — Presents work on elemental ordering and patterns before high-level mages, building on a new element discovered by his father 140 141.
• Light and atomic theory — Publishes work proving light’s particle nature through the photoelectric effect, then connects it to electron behavior and the periodic law 365.
• Relativity research — Presents a subversive paper on the constancy of light speed and its implications for the magical system 476.
• Quantum theory — Uses quantum theory as the basis for Crimson King and develops it into practical high-level magic 569.
• Educational publishing — Compiles Ian Gray’s Complete Guide to the Textbooks, including explanations, exercises, and chapter tests 113.
• New Moon Cola expansion — Develops a commercial strategy that expands cola production, promotional culture, and plans for standardized magical equipment 249.
• Magic computer project — Studies mechanical magic, computer miniaturization, and wireless communication modules for broader deployment 387 409.

Equipment / Items

• Hohenheim Gold Cup / Ring — Award recognizing Rainer’s alchemical contributions; provides defensive spells, mana absorption, and an emergency contact function that summons nearby high-ranking mages 65.
• Notebook — Used to record experimental measurements, investigative deductions, and spell-related observations 109 240.
• Magic computer — A developing magical computing system Rainer works to optimize, miniaturize, and connect through wireless transmission 409.
• Arrow of Air — A fifth-circle spell frequently used as a delivery method for Queen Killer 341 381.

Relationships

• Claire — Crescent Academy’s dean of studies, later Rainer’s secretary and partner. Their relationship develops from teasing concern into mutual trust and a commitment to spend their future together 66 70 360 387.
• Frederick Dmitri — President of Mercury Plain and a major mentor. He awards Rainer the Hohenheim Gold Cup, warns him about early fame, supports his advancement, and promotes his academic work 65 148 352.
• Lord Igglesfield / Lord Field — High-ranking Mercury Plain mage who assists Rainer, responds to his Gold Cup distress signal, and supports his entry into the High Council 318 356.
• Charlotte — Student and laboratory assistant who works with Rainer on elemental-mass and isotope experiments 109 117.
• Aili Miya — Crescent Academy student council president. Initially prejudiced against Rainer’s earlier reputation, she later apologizes, and the two reach a more amicable understanding 23 295.
• Hersen — Hohenheim’s Alchemical Doll, entrusted to Rainer after Hohenheim’s recovery. She accepts Rainer as her master; he later modifies her core magic circle to sustain her with his own magic power 445 449.
• Phyllis Ian Gray — Rainer’s older sister and an Enchantress Witch. Their relationship is marked by family secrets, mutual suspicion, and a five-year supervision arrangement after her wanted status is lifted 331 497.
• Winchester Ian Gray — Rainer’s father and the head of the Ian Gray Family. Their relationship is shaped by inheritance politics and Winchester’s indirect involvement in family conflicts 295 305.
• Lord Hohenheim — Legendary founder of modern alchemy. Rainer’s actions help Hohenheim regain lucidity; Hohenheim subsequently entrusts Hersen to him 433 445.

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Saving Crescent Academy — Takes responsibility as principal, proposes a concrete recovery plan, and establishes the foundation for New Moon Cola production 6.
• Mercury Plain breakthrough — Challenges Combustion Theory, earns a standing ovation, and receives the Hohenheim Gold Cup 60 65.
• Elemental research — Measures elemental masses, establishes isotope theory, reorganizes the Periodic Table, and predicts new elements 109 117.
• Official mage and reviewer — Is recognized as a First-Circle Mage, becomes an assistant reviewer, and gains the “Skullcrusher” reputation through the disruptive effect of his papers 149 190 198.
• Conflict with the Serpent of Chaos — Survives attacks by Ampecos and Levin, investigates Maken Hadacia, and becomes increasingly entangled with the organization’s secrets 314 319 381.
• High-rank ascent — Advances to the seventh circle with Formula Armament, joins the High Council, and conceals his advancement to draw out hostile Serpent of Chaos members 355 356.
• Revolution in light theory — Uses the photoelectric effect and atomic theory to deliver papers that reshape the wave-versus-particle debate 365.
• Elliot Demiplane expedition — Investigates the ruins, encounters Hohenheim, and becomes Hersen’s master after Hohenheim’s return to Legend 433 445.
• War against the Soren Aberrations — Proposes a way to fight the Aberrations, enters the Dead Zone, advances to the ninth circle, and pursues a path toward Legend 565 569 575.

Notable Quotes

“Time is relative. A long but meaningless life and a brief yet shining moment hold entirely different meanings for each person.” 360

“So, are you willing to spend the time ahead with me?” 360

“I will need to obtain the samples before I can be certain. Until then, I cannot draw any conclusions.” 422