They were a mile or two away from the town where he’d fought the bone ghoul giant. He stood on the grassy plain once again and stared out toward the ocean. His mana gently hummed through his body.
[I’ve compiled some interesting data you’ll want to see. The mage rankings level requirements have changed.]
Sen blinked. According to this, if he only factored in his magic stat, he’d be commoner class. He knew that wasn’t really accurate though. His hybrid stats, the ones he’d enhanced with magic, would contribute to his mage ranking as well while activated. So technically, if he activated two of them, he’d be at Knight Rank, and activating all three would bring him to Knight Commander.
Still, it was concerning that the god-ranked magicians of today were at least level 900.
Even Noble and Lord-level mages and magic beasts would be worthy foes for him now.
“Tutor, look in Mori and Ilm.”
The two of them were just as confused by the news. Though they were troubled by the new mage rankings, the more interesting matter was the special class he’d been offered.
“I don’t understand. This means your title from our time will become your class in the present?” Mori asked.
Sen shrugged. “I don’t have a shred of an idea myself. Tutor, what more can you tell us?”
[The System is presenting you with two choices. First, you can accept a pure calibration. In this scenario, everything will be exactly as it was before. Your stats will rise or fall to ensure they are accurate compared to other magicians of this time. You’d likely get an instantaneous power boost, and your stats would reflect that. Alternatively, you can accept the class change. You’ll retain your current stats, but your level will reset to one. When you level up, you’ll receive additional stat points and perks appropriate for the God of Magic class.]
“Perks?” That was interesting. In his time after he’d maxed out his level, experience had turned to mana points instead. It had given him a vast pool of mana, more than should be humanly possible if he were honest. The first option would likely allow him to compete in this world as he was. But…if the perks from the class change were good enough, this could elevate him to even greater heights in the long run.
“What sort of perks? How many additional stat points will it give me per level?”
[God of Magic Class]
- Earn 10 stat points every level. These points may only be applied to ‘pure stats.’
- Hybrid stats may be leveled up through use.
- Periodically receive the power to enhance a lower-level magic artifact into a higher-level magic artifact upon leveling up.
- Periodically receive magic essence spheres of any element or bond type upon leveling up.
- Periodically receive information regarding natural magic or spell locations within the world upon leveling up.
- Periodically receive quests that will offer additional rewards.
- Periodically receive additional benefits and rewards not listed here.
- Next benefit? A pure magic essence sphere with broad magic affinity.
Ilm’s eyes were ready to bulge out of her head. “Could I have a special class too? That all sounds amazing!”
Mori stroked his chin thoughtfully. “The perks are nice.”
Sen found himself forced to agree. The journey into the future had cost him all of his magic artifacts, and he’d used the rest of his magic essence spheres shortly after arriving. Without magic essence spheres, he couldn’t create new spells. But with this new class, he could upgrade artifacts into better versions of themselves and even replenish his stock of spheres. It might allow him to experiment with his magic more frequently.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Not to mention ten stat points per level was pretty generous. Even though he’d only be able to dump this into the magic stat since it was the only ‘pure’ stat he had. He’d be able to level up his hybrid stats with training. He’d receive a bond magic essence sphere for his next level. With that, he could create a new maximizer for himself. Something that felt necessary after learning even low-level magicians were capable of using Maxim in modern times. Even if he didn’t receive the outright power boost of the first option, the abundant mana he had would help him against opponents that outclassed him in terms of pure stats.
It wasn’t even a question. This class was the one that would bring him closer to that magic sun in the sky.
“Change my class to the God of Magic,” Sen instructed.
{Affirmative.]
A surge of power rushed through him, and he felt the mana within quake and revolt as his body adjusted. He gritted his teeth and infused his will through the magic within him. Harmonious balance returned to the roiling tides of mana.
His status window appeared.
Name: Sen Locke
Class: God of Magic
Level: 1
Strength/Mana Aggression: 99
Speed/Mana Encapsulation: 99
Magic: 99
Constitution/Mana Protection: 99
Mana Points: 999,999,999+
You have received ten stat points.
You have received a pure magic essence sphere.
[I didn’t approve of combining your hybrid stats that way, but I was overridden. Just so you know. I guess it’s not the end of the world. You can turn your enhancements on and off at will now.]
Sen’s head shot back. He focused on his modified speed stat. Mana Encapsulation was the result of wrapping mana around his body to move more freely and quickly. It was the hybrid stat he used most often. It activated seamlessly, and it was like he’d been engulfed by wind that bent to his will. He kicked off the grass and shot backwards dozens of feet into the air as if he weighed nothing at all. He did a backflip in the air and activated Mana Aggression as well.
When he landed, he punched the ground, and a crater exploded around him. He flexed his arms and legs. The activation of his pseudo stats was smoother than ever before. It was like blinking or wiggling a finger. This would allow him to react more quickly. It would enhance his physical capabilities while he readied magic attacks. This alone was a worthy upgrade of a class named the God of Magic.
[New Quest: Create or expand the power of a maximizer.]
[Reward: Low-grade magic artifact.]
His eyes lit up at that. “A quest? Already?” Excitement coursed through him. He already intended to put the bond essence to good use, but he wouldn’t mind some extra motivation.
Sen held a hand out, and a pure white sphere appeared floating above his hand. Maximizers and modifiers were strange things. They were spells in and of themselves that affected one’s magic, rather than the world. Since mastery over magic required a complete understanding of a concept, magicians didn’t need to guard the names of their techniques. It was unlikely another could discern that much information from a spell’s name alone.
Sen’s favored maximizer, Maxim, was about bringing out a spell’s true potential. He’d developed the technique at the age of seven, and at the time he’d considered it the pinnacle of maximizers. It seemed the technique had been adapted by the masses, though he couldn’t be sure the widely adopted version was a one-to-one translation of his own. Based on Klaw’s performance earlier, and the fact people believed it inefficient at higher levels, he highly doubted it.
Still, Maxim might not be enough in a world where the strongest mages had stats that more than doubled his own currently.
But Sen always had a theory. He’d always believed there was a way to expand on the power of Maxim. Not only the effect it had on other spells, but on the effect it had on itself. The problem was, it was just that. A theory. The System of his time hadn’t been sufficient enough for him to attempt developing the technique further.
Even if Maxim’s true potential was being wasted by the people of the world, he would progress with it. Maxim represented the true nature of things. To expand upon that, he would need to seek the truth of truth itself. The true nature of Maxim.
“Maxim.” He cast the maximizer without a spell, conjuring only its effect. Power focused on nothing, yet everything. The idea of an object or spells true nature. He called the mana within his body to resonate with the concept. Mana surged and pooled within him, swimming through his body and becoming more and more in sync with the notion.
The glowing white ball floating in front of him resonated. He reached out and touched it, channeling its power into the concept of Maxim. In a moment, the essence started to dissolve. Sen guided the loose essence into his Maximizer.
“Maxim!” he said again, reinforcing the concept.
The enhancement failed.
[The essence sphere is unstable. You’ll only get one more attempt at this.]
Sen frowned. “Fine then. We’ll do it the hard way.” He planted his feet in the ground and steeled himself.
“Creation Maxim.” He reached out and punched the magic essence sphere, shattering the pool of white magic essence and forcing it away from him with his mana. His spell swallowed the loose essence, and a moment later a translucent man made of mana sat on the edge of the crater Sen was standing on. He looked like a mana clone of Sen himself. He was naked, but had no genitals, and rested his hand on one knee, letting his other leg dangle over the edge of the crater. His face had only the outline of a nose and shallow grooves in its face where its eyes and mouth should be.
Mori and Ilm watched on in shock. “Master…are you sure about this? If this fails…you’ll lose the power of maxim completely.”
The mana copy sighed.
Sen stared at it. “Float Maxim.” He rose into the air.
The mana copy casually swatted a hand towards Sen. A ball of pure mana shot directly towards Sen.
Sen’s own mana poured from his body and surrounded him.
The attack smashed into his cocoon of mana and fizzled out.
“The people of this time consider you weak. A low-level maximizer for basic spells. They consider you inefficient at high levels. They teach you to children.”
The mana copy waved a hand at that. It seemed disinterested.
“Perhaps they’re right,” Sen said.
That gave the copy pause. Thick veins appeared on its forehead. Flecks of dirt fell off and floated in the air, altered permanently by the purity of the beings’ mana. It rose into the air until they were at the same height. Muscles formed on the being. Its arms and chest suddenly looked like the work of a stone sculptor. It was angry.
[Wow! How come your hybrid stats don’t work like that?]
“Why don’t we change that?” Sen asked.
The mana copy crossed its arms and stared at him in defiance.
Sen smiled. He turned and faced the ocean. Mana coalesced in his hand. “Fireball Maxim.” He held the attack back rather than releasing it. A massive sphere of fire formed in front of him. He turned and looked at the mana copy over his shoulder. “If I release this, and you don’t join me, I’ll lose my connection with your concept. I’ll have to face this new world without your power.”
The mana copy stared at him.
“If you join me, and we fail to break through our limitations, you’ll be destroyed in the process.” Maxim would theoretically exist in the world, regardless. But not the version Sen had created and given life to. Not the maximizer of the God of Magic.
Sen turned his attention toward the ocean. He poured as much mana as he could manage into the technique.
How do you surpass the peak of yourself? How do you overcome the limits of your potential? He thought of these things and focused on his maximizer.
The fireball blazed brightly as it filled the sky. He couldn’t hold the spell back much longer. His connection to Maxim weakened and the threads connecting them fractured.
Then it strengthened again.
The mana copy floated beside him, holding its own hand out toward the flame as well.
They redoubled their efforts, pouring all the mana they could into the technique. Pure mana mixed into the fireball, adding streaks of blue to the flaming sphere. It didn’t take long to reach the limit of Maxim. The spell threatened to snuff out under the pressure.
Beside him, spiderweb-like cracks formed all over the skin of the mana copy. This was it.
Sen yelled and summoned all the strength he could to force the new maximizer into existence.
“Fireball Maxima!”
Power exploded forward into the air above the ocean. It looked as if a second sun had been shot into the sky.
Maxima. A maximizer without equal. The truth of truth itself. Hidden strength that surpassed limits.
Beside him, the mana copy nodded. Its hair was much longer now, and it was a deeper, darker shade of blue. It dissolved into mana and surged back toward Sen. As the maximizer returned to him, he felt whole again. His most powerful weapon nestled within his soul. Maxim had always been as much a part of the God of Magic as he was.
Sen descended and landed next to Mori and Ilm.
“What…what was that?” Ilm asked. She’d fallen backward to the ground in awe.
Mori chuckled. “That’s the reason he’s known as the God of Magic. He created and then forced the manifestation of power itself to overcome its limits. I hardly understand it myself.”
[Quest Complete.]
[Standby for reward]
Elsewhere
The old man wasn’t the only one to notice it. The explosion of power somewhere on the Isle of Magic.
The fairy woman was the first to say anything. “Huh? What was that?” Her wings flapped as if to emphasize her question.
On the far end of the table, a man with a mask made from blood waved a hand. “It’s nothing. One of the outer gods causing trouble as usual, I’m sure.”
That wasn’t right. To confirm, he looked down at the little girl sitting on the edge of the table they all sat at. She had short blue hair and stared at him with a serious expression. He was the only one who could see her. She shook her head to confirm his suspicions. This wasn’t one of the outer gods.
This presence was someone new.