For Lu Cang, the promotion process wasn't very complicated.
It was just a matter of placing his hand on the Crystal Ball and watching it light up.
During the Magic control test, he just had to cast a few spells.
Finally, he presented the Snake Eye he'd prepared, and just like that, it was over.
The whole promotion Ritual was no different than a morning stroll after breakfast.
But for Raine Town, it was a monumental event.
The news of the birth of a magical prodigy who surpassed Izparut...
...spread from Raine Town to all corners of the world.
...
「Raine Hotel」
It had a simple, unadorned name, but it was indeed the largest hotel in Raine Town and also where Lu Cang and his companions were staying.
Lu Cang was currently in Kumironi's suite.
Kumironi's hand rested gently on Lu Cang's back, Life Force flowing through his body.
Lu Cang could feel damaged parts of his body being repaired and impurities being expelled.
The official explanation was that since the body was not fully developed before the age of sixteen, awakening would cause irreversible physical damage.
This was common knowledge.
But now, Lu Cang had a feeling...
'It might not be that simple.'
As soon as Kumironi finished presiding over the Ritual, she had immediately whispered something to Iz.
Iz had then grabbed him, pulled him through the surrounding crowd, and rushed him back to the hotel.
"Kumironi..."
Kumironi's voice was as gentle as ever. She said softly, "You'll be alright~"
"The Ritual's 'gaze' upon you was far more intense than anticipated."
"If an ordinary person were advancing to a Level 2 Mage, I would be able to completely eliminate the side effects."
"But... your performance was just too exceptional."
Now that he was a Level 2 Mage, Lu Cang could sense all sorts of things within his body.
These "all sorts of things" didn't just refer to his organs—heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys.
He could also feel his Magic Power, Qi and Blood, and other substances moving about within him.
Among them were some pitch-black things coiling around his body.
Kumironi was currently in the process of clearing them away.
These things were like the roots of some plant, trying to burrow into his body.
Like tadpoles, they tried to swim deeper into his body.
But they were newcomers...
They didn't even have a chance to burrow deep into Lu Cang's body before Kumironi extracted them with some unknown technique.
Somehow, he felt...
...that this early awakening brought more than just *physical* damage.
It was something more akin to a Curse clinging to his body.
But that was just a feeling. After all, Lu Cang only knew the basics. He didn't have any deep knowledge of these inexplicable things.
"Kumironi, what exactly are these things?"
Kumironi seemed hesitant.
"It's a type of..."
She seemed undecided on whether to tell him or not.
Although Lu Cang couldn't see her behind him, he could almost feel her start to speak twice, only to close her mouth again.
"Kumironi, this is happening inside my own body. I want to know the truth..." Lu Cang insisted.
Finally, she sighed softly. "Spiritual Contamination."
"Spiritual Contamination?" Lu Cang asked, confused.
Kumironi began to explain slowly. "Actually, early theories suggested that the younger a child was, the better they would perform after awakening a Profession."
"Warriors would possess more vigorous Qi and Blood. Mages could sense more Elements. Assassins would be more agile and better at concealing their presence... Every Profession, when awakened at a young age, would show some kind of remarkable performance, and they would also be more likely to awaken High Tier Talents."
"Plus, awakening earlier means embarking on the path of a Professional earlier, giving them a head start in life."
"So, even though such an awakening would cause a backlash to the body, even leading to incurable disabilities and injuries, parents still flocked to the idea, desperate for their children to awaken early."
'Incurable disabilities and injuries? Just the thought of it is terrifying.'
'Forced by their parents...'
'I guess no matter what world you're in, there are always obsessive parents willing to sacrifice their own child's health just to make them famous.'
"But if it were merely injuries and disabilities, that wouldn't have been enough reason to prohibit early awakenings."
"Compared to gaining a powerful Talent, such side effects were considered an acceptable price to pay."
"After all, with Demons running rampant, being too weak could just as easily lead to being gravely injured by one."
'Huh... Suddenly, I can kind of understand where those parents were coming from.'
'After all, this world isn't like the one I came from. Being weak here can actually get you killed.'
"The real reason early awakening was strictly prohibited stemmed from a major research report published by the Life Church thirty years ago."
"These children who awakened early, almost without exception, became paranoid and insane after becoming High Level Professionals."
"They would even become monstrously evil, their personalities changing drastically."
"Even those who were originally kind-hearted would inexplicably become twisted and malevolent."
"At first, everyone assumed they had simply gone through some trauma, or that they had been driven mad by a desire for something like the Demon Dao."
"There's no shortage of obsessive Mages, after all."
"...until the report pointed out..."
"The reason they changed so drastically was that their Spirituality had been contaminated."
"Initially, the major Kingdoms dismissed the report, believing it to be baseless fear-mongering that wouldn't have any major impact."
"Until... three years after the report was issued, a massive blood sacrifice incident occurred."
"A Mage pursuing the Demon Dao, in order to get one step closer to the Root Source and to present a 'satisfactory answer' for his advancement, chose to complete his research via a blood sacrifice."
"That blood sacrifice resulted in the deaths of three billion people. Two Kingdoms completely collapsed as a result, and it was deemed the largest-scale evil Sacrifice event of the century."
"Subsequent investigations revealed that this Mage was a prodigy who had awakened his Mage Class at the age of nine. Before the blood sacrifice, he had always been known as the benevolent Lord of the Meise Territory."
"The incident served as a wake-up call, shocking the surrounding continents and hundreds of Kingdoms."
"Meetings related to the matter were held frequently during that time. One of the most significant resolutions passed was the prohibition of awakening a Profession before the age of sixteen."
"After the incident, those Professionals who had awakened before sixteen and had already reached Level 4 or higher were placed under close observation by the major Kingdoms."
"The Life Church conducted further research into the matter and made significant progress."
"Here is what current research has uncovered: The Spirituality of those under sixteen is more powerful, causing them to receive more of the 'gaze' during the awakening Ritual. This 'gaze' then unconsciously erodes their souls."
"As the Level of their Profession rises, they become increasingly obsessive on their path."
"Ultimately, their obsession turns them into seekers who will stop at nothing."
"In their quest to climb to greater heights, they are capable of committing any inhuman act."
"They become the purest of villains."
Lu Cang's mind reeled as he listened...
'So that's what happened... It seems the rule about not awakening before sixteen wasn't just pulled out of thin air. There's a truly bloody lesson behind it.'
"Kumironi... what about me, then?"
Kumironi smiled. "It's alright."
"I am one of the few Healing Mages who can purge this kind of influence."
"It's just... Little Lu Cang."
"The 'gaze' you received during this promotion Ritual was far, far greater than I ever imagined."
"What kind of response did you receive, exactly?"