"We found Izparut's promotion report from when he was Level 1!"
The Promotion Hall records the promotion process for every Profession.
The data from the tests is archived.
Izparut's promotion was just a few years ago, so it was easy to look up.
Besides, it's not some big secret.
Not only are there records in the Promotion Hall, but it's even documented in various books and chronicles available to the public.
"Magic Power measurement... Magic Power Value."
"10,000."
"Elemental Sensing... All Elements, 100%."
The crowd looked at Izparut's past results, then back at Lu Cang, who stood spiritedly on the promotion platform.
They were exactly the same.
It was like he was cast from the same mold!
But the difference was, this kid...
He was only eight years old.
Izparut completed his Professional Awakening at the age of 15, a year earlier than normal.
And to go from a Level 1 Mage to a Level 2 Mage...
It only took him one week.
But this kid before them...
He was seven years younger than Iz was.
And he'd come for his promotion to Level 2 Mage after only three short days.
When the two were compared...
It seemed this child's aptitude was even more terrifying than Iz's.
However, Lu Cang had also overheard them talking about the records.
'Eh.'
'Iz's Magic Power Value was 10,000 back then, too?'
'Doesn't that mean that when he was a Level 1 Mage, he had already broken through the Magic Limit and learned Magic Void?'
'Wait a minute...'
'Didn't he create Magic Void?'
'He was promoted to a Level 2 Mage seven days after changing his Profession?'
'Doesn't that mean that in just seven short days, he created the Magic Tide Enhancement Technique from scratch, and then even broke through to develop Magic Void?'
'So strong...'
Lu Cang's estimation of Iz's power level rose yet again.
"Don't be hasty..."
"We can't draw any conclusions yet."
"There's still the final part of the test. He might not be able to surpass Iz."
"The Spell Mastery Level?"
"That's right."
"He only became a Mage three days ago."
"The day before yesterday, he was drinking with us and passed out until morning. Where would he find the time to practice his Magic?"
"He's probably lacking when it comes to his Magic."
"To reach the level of No Chanting with a single Magic skill requires years and years of practice."
"And to reach the legendary limit of a Magic skill, you'd need to devote your entire life to practicing that one skill."
"I doubt any Mage could ever replicate Iz's legendary feat of the Eight Arts Summit."
"And even Iz took seven days."
In their eyes, three days was too rushed.
It was just too rushed, no matter how you looked at it.
Besides, the little guy had spent a whole night drinking with them... which was a huge waste of practice time.
Lu Cang's mouth twitched.
'I heard everything you said, you know. And whose fault do you think that drinking was...'
"The final test will measure your Spell Mastery Level."
"The promotion candidate will choose any eight learned Magic skills and cast them."
"We will use the test Array to judge your mastery over the Magic."
As Kumironi announced the procedure...
The walls of the Promotion Hall gradually lowered, revealing a wide, open area in the distance.
At the same time, a complex Magic Array lit up on the ground.
'Iz mentioned something about this.'
'He'd taken on the "Optimized Promotion Hall Test Array" quest in Raine Town.'
'It was an A Level Adventurer quest.'
'Adventurer quests aren't just about exploring Dungeons.'
'It all depends on the client's request.'
'Usually, quests related to Dungeons are issued by the Adventurer's Association itself. That's because if a Dungeon is left alone for too long, Demons will start crawling out and harming the general public.'
'Besides those, there are also quests to help harvest crops, find lost cats, escort people, and even occasionally... food delivery quests.'
'A food delivery quest is too much. Are Adventurers delivery boys?'
Lu Cang felt the Magic Power surging around him.
'A test Magic Array, huh?'
'The magic systems I've encountered so far haven't mentioned Magic Arrays at all.'
In Lu Cang's opinion, Magic was only cool if a complex Array appeared with a SWOOSH during Casting.
"Now, please begin Casting at the magic dummies in the distance."
In the open area far away, there were several dummies dressed in clothes.
They weren't wooden posts, but silver dummies made from a special material. A faint iridescence flowed across their silver surfaces.
Just looking at them gave you the feeling that they were very expensive and would cost a lot to replace if broken.
'If I break it, I don't have the money to pay for it.'
With that thought, Lu Cang raised his hand toward the dummy.
WHOOSH—
A cold Qi gathered around him!
Seven shards of Ice condensed around Lu Cang, but they weren't in the shape of Ice Cones.
Instead, they were shuttles.
[Ice Shuttle (Level: 101)]
Spinning Ice Shuttles.
They were smaller than Ice Cones, but they spun much faster.
The limit for a Magic skill's Skill Proficiency was Level 100.
This was the limit for a Skill. No matter how much you practiced, once you reached this limit, the Skill itself would not get any stronger.
That applied to both Combat Skills and Magic.
At most, you could maximize the Skill's Effect through precise control.
But the Skill itself would not undergo another qualitative change.
But the Magic Lu Cang was now casting...
VMMMM—
The Array ahead lit up with an azure glow.
Almost simultaneously, the seven Ice Shuttles struck the distant dummy!
BANG BANG BANG BANG!
This time, however, the Ice Shuttles didn't stop after they hit.
The dummy's impacted surface was coated in a thick layer of frost, and then, the Ice Shuttles ricocheted off!
Bouncing and shooting off again like pinballs!
BANG!
BANG BANG BANG BANG!
The seven Ice Shuttles struck the dummy's body repeatedly!
It was no longer a one-time attack like the Ice Cone.
[Ice Cone Skill Evolution Path — Control]
[Ice Shuttle (Level: 101): Forms a persistent shuttle-body that can attack continuously until destroyed. Possesses all additional properties of the Ice Cone Skill.]
The Ice Shuttles moved extremely fast, making them difficult to track with the naked eye.
In the span of just a few breaths, the seven Ice Shuttles crisscrossed and penetrated the dummy, striking it hundreds of times.
BANG!
With a crisp sound.
The Ice Shuttles dissipated. Lu Cang had canceled the Magic.
Not because he couldn't maintain it, but because he chose to cancel it.
Kumironi looked at the test result. "Spell Mastery Level."
Kumironi's voice paused for a slight moment.
The test's light didn't form a number, but instead shone as a patch of red light.
"Beyond."
'Beyond?'
'What kind of level is "Beyond"?'
Skill Level for Magic was divided into Levels 1 through 100.
Although you couldn't normally see it, it could be measured in professional tests.
The promotion Ritual was one such professional testing environment.
Level 1 was Level 1, and Level 100 was Level 100.
"Beyond? What does that mean?"
Iz spoke up: "It means it's over Level 100."
"This testing Ritual is a version I improved."
"On top of the original foundation of Levels 1 to 100, I hypothesized the existence of a Possibility."
"Beyond Magic."
"The Possibility that after a Magic skill is practiced to its absolute limit, it can break through its original ceiling and evolve further."
"And this testing Ritual that I improved, compared to the old one, not only provides more accurate test results..."
"But... it can also detect a kind of Magic I envisioned but had not yet discovered—Beyond Magic."
"And this child... has pushed the original limits of Magic forward by another small step."