Chapter 16 — Awakening
Adrian remained a disappointment.
He only occasionally showed up at the Aethergrove Training Center, usually staying at home and training under the guidance of his mage parents.
Ren eventually stopped paying much attention to him.
He had his own training to focus on.
Roar!
A tiger-like beast charged through the forest, its roar echoing between the trees.
'So loud.'
Ren stepped forward to meet it head-on.
Whoosh!
His body flashed forward.
Boom!
His fist, covered by his clawed gauntlet, collided directly with the beast's skull.
The impact stopped its charge instantly, and dust erupted from the ground beneath its feet.
Before the tiger-like beast could recover, Ren grabbed one of its front legs.
Roar!
The beast struggled violently.
Ren planted his feet firmly and swung.
Whoosh!
He hurled the beast forward.
Bam!
Its midsection crashed into a tree trunk.
The tree shook from the impact, sending several leaves fluttering down.
Ren immediately rushed forward.
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Before the beast could regain its footing, he thrust the claws of his gauntlet into its neck.
Slash!
The claws tore through its flesh.
The tiger-like beast's body went limp.
A moment later, its corpse dissolved into motes of light and disappeared.
Ren looked at his hand.
'So this is the limit.'
At fifteen years old, Ren had reached ten times the strength of an ordinary human.
Ten times.
That was the absolute physical limit of humanity.
No matter how much he trained, his body could no longer become physically stronger.
The only way to break through this boundary was to become a mage.
Fortunately, he wouldn't have to wait much longer.
'Soon.'
For the remaining time, Ren stopped focusing on increasing his raw strength.
Instead, he devoted himself to sharpening his combat instincts.
His reactions.
His awareness.
His ability to read an opponent's movements.
And his ability to kill without hesitation when necessary.
Then—
Time passed.
Ren turned sixteen.
---
Ren sat quietly on the sofa inside his rented apartment.
A familiar sense of anticipation stirred in his chest.
'So the day has finally come.'
He had waited years for this moment.
Ren glanced at the awakening potion sitting on the table.
'Alright. No need to hesitate.'
He picked it up and drank the entire potion in one go.
The potion had cost him 59,999 Astra.
He swallowed the last drop.
'Tastes pretty bad.'
Ren ignored the unpleasant taste and leaned back against the sofa.
He closed his eyes and focused inward.
A wave of heat suddenly rose from his stomach.
The sensation spread outward in thin threads, traveling through his bloodstream and gradually reaching every part of his body.
Ren remained completely still, carefully sensing the changes taking place within him.
An awakening potion wasn't the only way to awaken one's magical talent.
After reaching ten times the strength of an ordinary human and reaching the physical limit of humanity, a person could naturally awaken their talent at the age of twenty.
But that meant waiting another four years.
Ren had no intention of wasting four years just to save 59,999 Astra.
The sooner he awakened, the sooner he could begin his journey as a mage.
The strange sensation continued for a while.
Eventually, the heat began to fade.
The energy flowing through his body gradually disappeared.
Ren opened his eyes.
'Now.'
He picked up the talent-testing spell talisman from the table.
Ren traced his fingers across its surface.
The talisman activated.
A wave of light swept across his body.
Words soon appeared on its surface.
Fire Element — Tier 2, Low-Grade
Ren stared at the result for a moment.
Then the talisman dissipated.
'It's actually better than I expected.'
His biological parents were ordinary humans.
There was nothing particularly special about his family background that would suggest he possessed exceptional magical talent.
Yet he had awakened with a Tier 2, Low-Grade Fire Element talent.
His years of relentless training, carefully controlled diet, and disciplined lifestyle had clearly paid off.
It was already an excellent result.
But Ren wasn't particularly excited.
'If everything goes according to plan, this won't be my final limit.'
His gaze shifted toward his magic phone.
Ren opened his bank account.
720,625 Astra.
He stared at the number.
'This pocket change isn't enough.'
The money he had accumulated from his channel over the years was substantial by ordinary human standards.
But for what Ren intended to do, it wasn't nearly enough.
'The channel has provided me with a steady income.'
'But it's time to let it go.'
There was another reason for that decision.
Before awakening, Ren had been using the magic net available to ordinary humans.
Now that he had awakened, he was officially a mage.
And mages had access to a separate side of the magic net.
On that side, Ren was nobody.
His old training videos had little value there.
More importantly, continuing to broadcast his life wasn't particularly wise.
Mages lived in a dangerous world.
Someone with malicious intentions could examine his videos and learn his habits, the places he frequented, his training schedule, and other information that could eventually be used against him.
Before awakening, the risk had been relatively small.
Now, it was different.
Continuing to upload
videos for a little extra income simply wasn't worth exposing himself to unnecessary danger.
'There's no point worrying about it. From what I know, universities provide missions that students can take to earn money.'