When Lu Cang saw Iz again, he was no longer exuding that intense, almost visible malice.
Kumironi seized the opportunity.
She immediately explained in a soft voice, "What Iz used on you back then was likely the Malice Aura."
"This Magic exudes intense malice, instantly provoking wariness, hatred, and even fear toward the caster from any nearby target."
"This malice can drive away timid Demons, and it can also be used... for a person's Trial."
"Many academies use the Malice Aura during training to create a greater sense of crisis for their Trials."
"However, if you know about it beforehand, the effect of the Malice Aura is greatly diminished. After all, knowing the other person doesn't truly intend to harm you will definitely weaken its impact."
Now, looking at Izparut again, Lu Cang found he didn't feel the same revulsion he had before.
Iz's face still held a hint of guilt. "I'm sorry. Because of the special circumstances at the time, I couldn't explain too much to you, or else it wouldn't have had any effect."
"To learn Magic Void, one of the conditions is that you need to completely exhaust your Magic Power under the threat of life and death."
"In addition to that, I also needed to personally arrange a corresponding Ritual."
Lu Cang relaxed slightly inside.
Although the wariness in his heart hadn't completely dissipated, it seemed highly likely they were telling the truth.
'I was unconscious for so long...'
'He's had plenty of opportunities to kill me.'
'Even if he wasn't going to kill me,'
'after what happened, he shouldn't have brought me back.'
'Should I trust him?'
Lu Cang was actually very conflicted.
'To just pretend nothing happened after I was on the verge of death... that would be far too magnanimous.'
But as he felt the Magic Void within him, he knew it was true—he had broken through his Magic Limit, just as they'd said.
And he had, in fact, learned Magic Void.
'If what he's saying is true, would it be too heartless of me to just give Iz the cold shoulder and walk away?'
'But if I just trust him again so easily... am I being too naive for someone in an Otherworld?'
'Trusting the very person who put me at death's door?'
Right and wrong struggled in Lu Cang's mind.
Lu Cang's mind flashed with memories: the Adventurers' warmth toward Iz, the earnest joy of the Apprentices asking Iz about the Demon Dao, the urgency in Kumironi's eyes when she appeared in the Dungeon to save him.
'The concern, the gentleness...'
'Could all of that have been an act?'
'I didn't die. I was saved... That's real, too.' Even as the shadow of Death flickered in his memory, Lu Cang made his decision.
Finally, Lu Cang let out a soft sigh.
He said softly to Iz, "Iz, I believe you."
Although Iz was far more powerful than Lu Cang, upon hearing those words, he looked as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and his smile returned.
Iz smiled. "Thank you."
Iz had no idea how difficult it was for Lu Cang to make the decision to trust him.
Lu Cang had never heard of Izparut's reputation in this world.
Nor had he heard any of the famous legends about him.
He was just a Transmigrator who had been in this world for less than three days, and he knew almost nothing about it.
He only knew that the person he had originally trusted had pushed him to the brink of death.
And now, Lu Cang had to rebuild his trust in this person he had known for less than three days—the very person who had nearly led him to his death.
This was far, far more difficult than it would be for those who knew the legends of Izparut.
...
Lu Cang calmed down and listened carefully as Izparut explained the whole story from beginning to end.
He had already planned last night how he would put Lu Cang in a life-or-death situation today.
It was just that the Dungeon was changed from the Tier Two Dark Jungle to the Tier Two Shadow Cave.
But no matter which Dungeon it was, the result would have been the same.
The final strength of the Dungeon Lord would be personally controlled by Iz.
He used the Demon Manipulation Magic to make the Demons attack at the right moments.
He used the Demon Frenzy Magic to make the Demons stronger than they normally were.
The end result was Lu Cang facing one life-or-death, hair's-breadth crisis after another.
But in reality, this threat didn't exist at all.
It was all orchestrated by Iz.
If Lu Cang couldn't dodge an attack, Iz would have found a way to stop it.
But as long as Lu Cang could dodge, Iz would create a perilous situation where he escaped by a hair's breadth.
As Lu Cang listened to Iz describe the whole plan, his expression grew very complex.
Iz held a cup of hot tea. "Your performance was truly stunning."
"Even against the Dark Serpent after it went into a frenzy, you were able to suppress it and even nearly killed it."
Lu Cang recalled the scene and said with his head lowered, "At the time, I was only thinking about how I could survive."
Iz's expression also darkened a little. "I'm sorry..."
"Perhaps I should have used a gentler method."
Lu Cang shook his head. "No... Iz."
"I said I believe you."
"At least, this time, I will believe you. After all, you were the ones who brought me out of that place."
The fear still lingered in his heart, and the resentment wouldn't disappear so easily.
But, at least Lu Cang chose to trust this Mage again.
It wasn't that Lu Cang didn't revere life, but his decision stemmed from the character Iz had shown, everything he had demonstrated, and the companions by his side...
It was also because the Magic Void within him was still active.
All of this made Lu Cang believe that Iz was worthy of his trust a second time.
"Tell me about Magic Void, Iz," Lu Cang said with a grin.
Izparut also showed a relieved smile. "Alright."
...
[Magic Void (Level: 100) (Forbidden) — Constantly Active; Magic Power from the Void; Full-Attribute Magic Power; Magic Absorption Resistance; Extremely Fast Magic Recovery Speed; Continuous Magic Power Growth]
Iz began to speak, "Magic Void... only two people in the world have mastered it."
"One is me."
Lu Cang: "And the other... is me."
Iz nodded lightly.
Lu Cang: "Then, the method to break through..."
Iz: "It only existed in theory. But it was a theory I was 99% sure of."
Lu Cang's mouth twitched.
'So I was the first one to test it.'
'Oh, Iz... and I just started trusting you again.'
Thinking this, Lu Cang still tilted his head and asked doubtfully, "Then why hasn't a second person besides you mastered it?"
"Didn't you say that besides me, two other people learned Magic Tide?" Lu Cang's tone was full of curiosity.
Iz: "Because of their Level."
"They've all advanced past being a Level 1 Mage."
"To break through the Magic Limit and learn Magic Void, you must be a Level 1 Mage."
"There's one other condition: Magic Tide must reach the limit of its Skill Proficiency."
'The limit.'
'Is he talking about Level 100?'
One of the effects of Divine Skill Evolution was that he could see the progress of his Skill Proficiency.
This meant that ordinary people couldn't normally see their own Skill Proficiency progress.
They could only sense their progress to a greater or lesser extent.
'But there must be a way to measure it, right?' Lu Cang guessed to himself.
"Mm-hmm."
"I could feel it after you learned Magic Tide. With your Talent, you'd be able to master Magic Tide to its limit very quickly."
"You are the most likely Mage I've ever met, besides myself, to learn Magic Void."
"If you didn't learn Magic Void at Level 1, you would never have the chance again."
Lu Cang nodded lightly.
Now that he knew the whole story, Lu Cang could accept the "Trial" that Iz had arranged, even if it had been psychologically scarring.
"Magic Void doesn't just increase your maximum Magic Power capacity."
"It also allows you to recover Magic Power in any environment."
Iz lightly raised his hand.
VMMMM—
The familiar feeling appeared again. With Lu Cang at the center, the free-floating Elements within a one-kilometer radius vanished in an instant.
This area became a place where it was impossible to recover Magic Power... a Magic Forbidden Zone.
Iz spoke, "Try to use some Magic Power."
Lu Cang raised his hand, and an Ice Cone materialized beside him.
Lu Cang increased the amount of Magic Power he was outputting.
He consumed 0.2% of his Magic Power.
This 0.2% was now equivalent to 14% of his total during the battle with the Giant Snake.
However, the instant the Magic Power was consumed, it was replenished just as quickly.
The recovery of his Magic Power was not affected by the external Elements in the slightest.
'Or rather...'
'My Magic Power isn't supplied by the external Elements at all. It comes from the Void inside me.'