Zelir took off his shirt and looked down at his body.

There was no exaggerated scene of his muscles suddenly bulging and turning him into some beefy strongman. The changes brought by this power were quite subtle.

Zelir could feel every muscle fiber in his body becoming denser and more explosive under the nourishment of this peculiar power.

The lines of his body became more defined, and his posture straightened, filled with an agile and fluid beauty.

This feeling of abundant power was incredibly exhilarating for Zelir. He felt a strong urge to slam his fist on the wooden table, but he held back when he considered the potential cost of damages to the inn.

’I have to find a place to see just how much I’ve improved, right now!’

Zelir quickly threw on his clothes, grabbed his foil and the White Wax Wood, haphazardly tucked them into his belt, then threw on a light jacket and sprinted downstairs.

"Good morning, Zeli... eh?"

Behind the counter, Aurora, who had just finished her night shift, was about to greet Zelir when she saw him dash out of the inn like a whirlwind.

The rush of air he created even messed up her bangs.

"Wh-what was that about?"

Aurora blinked, a look of confusion on her face.

...

By the river on the outskirts of Black Stone Town, the morning fog had not yet dissipated.

As Zelir felt the power within him, so abundant it felt like it was about to overflow, an unprecedented wave of confidence welled up in his heart.

Unable to hold back any longer, he began testing his abilities after the increase to his Attributes.

First up was his physical fitness.

Zelir lowered his center of gravity, crouching slightly.

SWOOSH!

The next second, he shot forward from a dead stop.

Zelir ran at high speed. The grassy riverbank flew backward under his feet, and the wind howled in his ears.

Zelir could clearly feel that his running speed was much faster than before, and his coordination had also improved significantly.

He could perform maneuvers like turning, sudden stops, and consecutive jumps while running at high speed. Every footfall was precise, and every part of his body moved as if it were an extension of his will, without the slightest hint of sluggishness.

Zelir sprinted back and forth along the riverbank a few times, only stopping when his forehead was slightly beaded with sweat.

He took a deep breath. His cardiovascular functions had also been strengthened, and his endurance was higher than before.

Zelir rested for a moment, then picked up a rock and held it in his palm.

He squeezed with all his might!

"Well..."

Zelir disappointedly opened his hand.

The violent scene he had imagined—crushing the rock to powder—didn’t happen. It seemed his Power wasn’t quite at that level yet.

There was a pleasant surprise, though. The rock was sharp and jagged, but when he squeezed it hard, his skin wasn’t pierced, leaving only a faint white mark.

’It seems the increase in Constitution is really useful.’

With the test of his physical fitness concluded, it was time for the melee combat test.

Zelir placed his hand on the hilt of his sword and, with a SHING, drew it sharply.

The blade glinted coldly in the morning sun.

The foil felt much lighter in his hand than before, making it easier to wield. This was likely the result of his increased Power and Agility.

Zelir hadn’t learned any formal Swordsmanship forms; he simply swung the weapon on instinct.

Chops, slashes, straight thrusts, and upward swings!

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! SWISH!

Every swing of the sword produced a sharp whistling sound as it cut through the air. Whether it was Power, speed, or the ferocity of his attacks, everything was on a completely different level than before, carrying a threat that could not be underestimated!

He would no longer be utterly helpless if an enemy got close.

A look of excitement flashed in Zelir’s eyes.

He had a feeling that if he learned a few practical Swordsmanship techniques, he could even join a Low Level Adventurer Squad as a Swordsman.

The confidence and sense of security that came from a strong physique were incomparable.

’The Magic Contract is truly something else!’

With that thought, Zelir’s gaze shifted back to the Talent Skills section.

Sure enough, a line of gray text appeared, indicating the condition to unlock the next Talent Skill.

[Reach Middle Level Mage]

’Well... that’s to be expected.’

’I wonder what kind of surprise the third Talent Skill will bring.’

After thoroughly enjoying the increase in his physical power, Zelir finally turned his attention to Magic.

Zelir focused his mind slightly and began to examine the Spell Structures he already knew by heart.

His Intelligence Attribute, now a high 114 points, had brought about a qualitative leap in his Magic Manipulation Level.

Many activation pathways that had previously seemed impossible were now easily achievable. The Spell Structures could be further modified to become more efficient.

’I can connect this part like this...’

’The Magic Power channeling path for this rune can be a much shorter, straight line...’

’This magic-conducting circuit can be omitted entirely...’

Countless inspirations burst forth in Zelir’s mind like a bubbling spring. He didn’t even need to go through tedious Casting practice; just a quick review was enough to easily optimize many Spell Structures.

After finishing the reconstruction, Zelir eagerly began to test his work.

’Flame Breath Skill!’

The complex energy charge that originally took over six seconds now took... one, two, three, four...

Just over four seconds!

In such a short time, Zelir completed the construction with his bare hands. The entire process was as smooth as flowing water, and the torrent of Flame erupting from his palm was a whole size thicker than before.

’Arcane Missile!’

The Casting Speed for this convenient and useful Arcane Magic spell was also significantly optimized, breaking the five-second barrier.

The formed Rhombus Missile shone brilliantly, exuding a more dangerous aura than ever before.

He fired one!

BANG!

It directly blew apart a large portion of a huge boulder by the river. Its power was much greater than before.

Similarly, the charging speed for Water of Cutting was also greatly increased, and the cutting ability of the cicada-wing-thin Water Blade had reached a new level.

And that was to say nothing of the Level Two Magic spells.

The Casting Speed for each of them was compressed to under three seconds. Factoring in the enhancement from the White Wax Wood Base Material, Zelir could release one in just over two seconds.

’In the future, it might even be possible to use Magic for suppressive fire in combat.’

’Then...’

Zelir took a deep breath, an even greater sense of anticipation rising in his heart.

’Now that I’m a Junior Mage, I should be able to use Fog Flowing Gauze... right?’

Based on its description and the Fog Demon’s performance in actual combat, the Fog Flowing Gauze Magic could almost be called a physical immunity shield.

As long as he mastered it, attacks that didn’t contain Magic or Fighting Qi would basically pose no threat to him, drastically increasing his safety.

Zelir immersed his mind, focusing his attention on the Spell Structure for Fog Flowing Gauze, which he had long since finished analyzing.

Previously, his Magic Manipulation Level had been insufficient. Even though he knew the Spell Structure, he was completely unable to cast it.