[Ding!
[Ding! Spell analysis complete.]
[Ding! Aether circulation pattern stabilized.]
[Ding! High-tier spell comprehension detected.]
[Ding! Intelligence stat exceeds minimum requirement.]
[Ding! Paladin Class resonance confirmed.]
[Ding! Hidden condition met.]
[Ding! Reincarnator has activated innate affinity
[Synchronizing
[Synchronization: 3%]
[Synchronization: 10%]
[Synchronization: 33%]
[Synchronization: 67%]
[Synchronization: 100%]
[Ding! Light-element Aether responding.]
[Ding! Affinity structure stabilizing.]
[Ding! Reincarnator has fully comprehended the
Waves of system notifications rushed at Aurelian all at once. His vision blurred for a brief moment as information flooded his mind, then the torrent settled. In its place, a single panel expanded before him.
[Spell Acquired]
Name: Virtuous Lance
Rank: XII ≈ Legendary
Affinity: Light
Type: Offensive
Casting Method: Silent (Paladin Exclusive)
Aether Cost: 50
Requirements:
• Intelligence ≥ 20
• Light Affinity (Unlocked)
• Stable Aether Control
Description:
Condenses purified Light-aspected Aether into a lance-shaped construct and releases it with devastating forward momentum. Upon impact, the lance pierces physical and magical defenses alike, dealing immense radiant damage. Targets afflicted by corruption, darkness, or divine opposition receive amplified damage.
Special Effects:
• Radiant Piercing: Ignores a portion of defense and resistance.
• Divine Judgment: Deals bonus damage to corrupted or unholy entities.
• Light Resonance: Damage scales with Intelligence and Light Affinity synchronization.
As Aurelian read through the description, something stood out immediately. The spell was ranked XII, not Tier X as the codex had stated. More than that, the wording itself had changed. The description now leaned heavily toward his Paladin class, emphasizing judgment, purity, and divine authority in a way the book never mentioned.
There were a few explanations, but the one that made the most sense was also the most unsettling. Light magic in this world wasn't being used to its full potential. Not because it was weak, but because no one truly embodied it. Without an innate affinity, light was treated like just another element, shaped into spells but never elevated beyond technique.
Aurelian was different.
As a Paladin, light wasn't merely aether filtered through symbols and formations. It was righteous judgment made manifest. That truth was reflected clearly in the system's description. [Virtuous Lance] didn't just deal damage, it punished corruption, it opposed darkness at a fundamental level, and it carried intent as much as force.
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
"So this spell was never meant to stop at Tier X," he muttered. "No one here ever pushed it far enough."
If that was true, then [Virtuous Lance] wasn't the only one not being used to it's potential.
If one light spell could ascend in rank simply by being wielded by the right existence, then what about the others buried in this codex? How many so called advanced spells were actually incomplete? How many arts had been limited by the world itself rather than the caster?
Aurelian closed the book partway, his thumb resting between the pages.
"Studying this codex properly might answer that," he thought. "And if I'm right… then light magic in this world is about to be redefined."
'He's been staring at it for half an hour now. He can't be learning a spell so loosely… can he?' Heron thought.
Then—
'What's that?'
Heron's gaze widened as he saw aether beginning to gather and swirl toward Aurelian's left arm. And it wasn't just any aether. It was light-element aether, white-yellow in nature, pure beyond comparison.
"In the beginning there was light. Nothing existed before light, and nothing stands above it," Aurelian whispered in a low voice as he stretched out his left arm.
Then, with the cracking sound of mighty thunder, aether began to gather violently toward Aurelian's left arm, swirling endlessly as it took shape, forming a spear.
Lysander, on the other hand, was frozen in awe at what he was witnessing.
Two things caught his attention.
First, Aurelian was performing a spell without using any medium. No runic formation. No magical weapon. No incantations. No potions or elixirs. Just raw casting. Lysander suddenly remembered that Aurelian had done the same thing when he healed his arm. No medium. He had used magic like someone with a divine aspect.
The second was how quickly he had learned light magic. It hadn't even been an hour, and he was already conjuring a spell.
'His comprehension…' Lysander muttered inwardly.
As the spear of light continued to form in Aurelian's left arm, the shop began to shake violently. Dust and dirt rained down from the ceiling. It felt like an earthquake, yet one confined entirely within the building.
The thunderous sound intensified again and again, until nothing could be heard except the crackling roar of the forming spear of light.
"He's casting Virtuous Lance," Heron muttered, his voice tense. "But this energy emanating from him… this is far beyond Tier X. I need to confine him before he destroys everything."
Heron moved instantly.
His demeanor changed, the casual expression vanishing from his face as urgency took over. With a sharp pull, he rolled up both sleeves, revealing intricate runic tattoos carved deep into his arms. The runes glowed violet, ancient symbols layered atop one another in dizzying complexity.
Spatial magic.
Heron was an S-rank Magi, one of the few who specialized in bending space itself. A class of magi feared even among elites, because space was not something meant to be controlled lightly.
"Spatial Lock: Absolute Containment," Heron said.
The air warped.
Space folded inward around Aurelian, compressing reality into a confined zone barely three meters wide. The floor distorted, the walls bent inward unnaturally, and invisible pressure descended like a crushing hand. It was a prison made of warped space, designed to suppress catastrophic magic before it could erupt.
Inside the spatial cage, Aurelian stood still.
Then he smirked.
"So this is how you greet power?" he said calmly.
He tightened his grip around the fully formed spear of light.
The spear pulsed.
Then—
BOOM.
A thunderous explosion erupted from the confined space. Light detonated outward, slamming against the spatial walls like a divine hammer. The entire building shuddered violently, the ground cracking beneath it as if struck by a god's fist.
Heron coughed violently, blood spilling from his lips as he staggered back. His runes flared erratically, veins bulging as he poured everything he had into maintaining the spatial lock.
"T-this pressure…!" he gasped. "Impossible—!"
Lysander dropped to his knees.
His mind went blank.
Heron was an S-rank Magi. A monster among many. A man who could collapse corridors of space with a gesture.
And yet here he was, bleeding, barely standing, while the source of the destruction stood calmly inside the epicenter, holding a spear of light.
The spatial cage shattered.
Reality snapped back into place with a deafening crack.
Aurelian stood unharmed, light cascading around him like a mantle of judgment. The spear in his hand hummed softly, restrained only by his will.
Heron fell to one knee, breathing heavily, staring up at Aurelian with disbelief and something close to reverence.
Then, a familiar chime echoed in Aurelian's mind.
[Ding!]
[Title Acquired: True Wielder of Light]
[Description: You have demonstrated absolute authority over the Light affinity.]
Aurelian exhaled slowly.
The spear dissolved into particles of light, fading back into his body as he looked down at the kneeling figures before him.
"So," he said calmly, "shall we continue our lesson?"