----------------------------------------------------
[Status]
[Host: Alex Blanc]
[Title: Territory Boss Exterminator]
[Race: Human]
[Age: 16]
[Rank: B → B+]
[Magic Affinity: Dark(SS), Ice(A)]
[MP: 14500/14500]
[HP: 7200/7200]
[Experience: 42285600/50000000]
[System Points: 4133158]
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The soft glow of the status window reflected in Alex's eyes as he scanned it once more.
A slow, satisfied smile spread across his face.
The first thing that caught his attention was his overall rank.
It wasn't an A yet—but the fact that it had moved at all was proof that the training had paid off. Advancement didn't come overnight—certainly not through effort alone.
The second change was subtler, but no less reassuring. His mana pool and health had both increased slightly.
Not by leaps or bounds—but enough to show that his body had adapted to the relentless training. Three days under Elena's merciless drills, followed by two days under Caelum's refinement-focused guidance, had pushed his limits outward. His reserves were denser. His recovery was faster.
Then there was the most dramatic shift of all.
His Ice Magic mastery had increased significantly.
Alex let out a quiet breath as he closed the window. That one he understood immediately.
Caelum's teachings had changed the way he wielded Ice magic.
Before, Alex's approach to magic had been overwhelmingly direct. Pour in mana. Shape it fast. Overwhelm the target. That approach worked for destructive elements like fire or darkness, where raw output could compensate for inefficiency.
Ice was different. It demanded precision, balance, and control.
Too much force caused instability. Too little control ruined the structure. Power without precision produced brittle constructs that shattered under pressure.
And Caelum had drilled that lesson into him relentlessly.
What surprised Alex most wasn't how strict Caelum had been—but how measured he was.
Despite his cold demeanor and uncompromising standards, Caelum never once made Alex feel overwhelmed. He never displayed strength so far beyond Alex's reach that it felt unattainable. There was no crushing gap, no despair-inducing show of superiority.
That, Alex realized, was intentional.
Caelum hadn't aimed to make him stronger in the traditional sense. There was no focus on increasing raw magic power or expanding mana reserves. Every correction, every repetition, every clipped instruction had one goal: the refinement of Ice magic itself.
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆
With Caelum's lessons concluded, Elena wasted no time reclaiming full control of Alex's training.
The training room was already alive with cold when she arrived.
Alex stood at its center, breath steady, palms raised as frost gathered and dispersed in controlled cycles. One by one, he refined the Ice magic spells he had recently learned, smoothing imperfections with each repetition.
Three of his Ice spells had reached B-rank mastery. The Tier-4 and Tier-5 spells lagged behind at C-rank mastery.
That was when the door opened.
Elena stepped inside with unmistakable presence, her heels clicking sharply against the frozen floor. Unlike her usual severe composure, there was a hint of anticipation in her expression—a faint smile she didn't bother hiding.
Alex noticed immediately and lowered his hands. "Good morning, Principal."
"Alex," she replied absently, already walking toward him. "Don't stop on my account. I just wanted to check your progress."
Her gaze swept over the frost patterns once before she nodded. "Good."
Before Alex could respond, she reached into her spatial storage and casually withdrew two scrolls.
They landed neatly in his hands.
Elena folded her arms. "Tier-6 and Tier-7 Ice magic spell circles."
Alex blinked. Once. Twice.
"…Oh. Okay."
In today's world, Tier-6 and Tier-7 spells were not something money alone could buy. They weren't sold through normal channels. Even when they appeared at high-end auctions, their prices started in the hundreds of millions—and often climbed into the billions.
Tier-1 to Tier-3 spells were common, even available online. Beyond that, acquisition became increasingly difficult. Tier-7 spells, in particular, were exceedingly rare, typically possessed only by major noble families and passed down through generations.
Aurora nearly choked midair. 'That's it? That's your reaction?!'
Elena arched an eyebrow.
She studied him for a long moment, clearly waiting for shock, disbelief—something. When none came, she sighed softly, as if reminded once again that Alex operated on a different set of assumptions.
"I wasn't planning to introduce spells of this level so early," Elena said, stepping closer, her gaze sharp and evaluative. "However, your talent has made my original schedule… obsolete."
That word again.
She continued before Alex could interrupt. "The academy does possess Tier-6 and Tier-7 spells." she said calmly. "Just not of every attribute."
Her eyes flicked briefly to the scrolls in his hands. "If you had talent in either fire or wind magic, I could have produced suitable spells without issue. Ice magic, however, is another matter."
"You won't be casting them," Elena added, cutting off his next question. "The mana cost alone is far beyond your current capacity. Tier-6 spells require a minimum of twenty-five thousand mana. Tier-7 far more."
Alex exhaled quietly. That, at least, made sense.
"So," Elena said, tapping the scrolls lightly, "your task is simple. Learn them. Memorize the magic circles for now."
"There's no rush," she continued, though her eyes suggested otherwise. "These are advanced constructs. Even for you, they will take time. Two or three days, at least."
She turned away as if the matter were settled—then paused.
"Oh. One more thing."
Alex looked up.
"These spells are not from the academy," Elena said, glancing back over her shoulder. "I obtained them personally."
"I understand," he said instead.
Elena nodded once, satisfied. "Good. Then don't disappoint me."
The door sealed shut behind her, leaving the training room silent once more.
Alex stared down at the scrolls in his hands, his heartbeat finally catching up to the situation—yet even then, his reaction was muted.
He lacked the common sense of this world—the instinctive understanding of what was supposed to be impossible. To him, spells were tools. Complex ones, yes—but still things meant to be learned, memorized, and used.
The weight of the two scrolls never truly sank in.
Aurora, hovering nearby, wasn't much help either. She had seen far higher-tier spells in the past—things that dwarfed even Tier-7 magic in both complexity and destructive potential. Compared to those, these magic circles felt… impressive, but not awe-inspiring.
'They're strong,' she admitted, arms crossed thoughtfully. 'But nothing unheard of.'
And there lay the problem.
Aurora had provided Alex with spells before—freely, casually—without ever explaining how rare or valuable such things were in this era. As a result, Alex had never developed a proper sense of scale. He didn't know what should be nearly impossible to obtain, or what most mages would trade their lives just to glimpse.
As for the mana cost—
That, to Alex, was hardly a concern.
He could increase his mana pool through the system whenever he wished. The numbers Elena had mentioned were high by normal standards, but they weren't limits—just thresholds waiting to be crossed.
And suspicion?
Elena had never measured his mana capacity. There had been no official assessment, no formal check. As long as he didn't recklessly display impossible feats in front of others, there was little risk—or so Alex reasoned.
With that settled, he sat down and unfurled the first scroll.
The Tier-6 spell.
The magic circle was immediately different—denser, more layered, every line interwoven with secondary structures that dynamically adjusted mana flow. It wasn't something that could be memorized at a glance.
Alex's expression grew serious.
Time passed.
By the time he engraved the Tier-6 spell fully into memory, more than half a day had slipped by.
==============================
[The host has learned a new magic spell]
Tier: 6
Attribute: Ice
Mana Cost: 30000
Mastery: F
==============================
Then came the Tier-7 spell.
This one… was on another level.
Even Alex couldn't rush it.
The magic circle was vast, intricate to the point of absurdity—dozens of interlocking subsystems, recursive formations, and stabilizing nodes that demanded absolute precision. A single misalignment would collapse the entire construct.
Two full days passed.
Then another half day.
Only when he was certain—absolutely certain—did Alex finally roll the scroll back up.
==============================
[The host has learned a new magic spell]
Tier: 7
Attribute: Ice
Mana Cost: 70000
Mastery: F
==============================
When Elena saw it, her lips tightened.
'This little monster.'
It had taken her months—months—to fully learn a Tier-7 spell. And he had done it in days.
Her fingers twitched.
For a brief, dangerous moment, she felt the urge to drag a hand through her hair and scream at the ceiling.
She resisted.
Barely.
Instead, Elena inhaled slowly, exhaled even slower, and reminded herself—again—that Alex was not a standard by which any sane person should measure themselves.
Still…
"Unbelievable." she muttered under her breath.