Chapter 23 — The First Technique
The reason Ren had pursued the true physical limit was because of a specific technique he had discovered on the university's app.
A normal Rank 1, Level 1 magic technique cost around 100,000 Astra.
This one cost 400,000.
It was called the Blazing Apex Technique.
Ren purchased it without hesitation.
Once the transaction was complete, the contents of the technique appeared on his magic phone.
The technique had a special property.
Normally, even with abundant resources and potions, someone who had just awakened and begun practicing a magic technique would need around a month or more to complete the initial transformation and enter Rank 1, Level 1 Apprentice Mage.
But the Blazing Apex Technique was different.
If the practitioner had already reached the true physical limit of an ordinary human, it could compress that process into only a few hours.
Not only would it allow someone to enter Rank 1, Level 1 extremely quickly, but it would also enhance their training speed throughout the entire Rank 1, Level 1 stage.
There was even a continuation of the technique that could be purchased and practiced after advancing to the next level.
'This technique is probably only available at Aethelgard Grand University.'
Otherwise, reaching the true physical limit would be far more common.
If other universities had access to a technique like this, wealthy families would probably force their children to reach the limit instead of stopping at five times the strength of an ordinary human.
But most children simply weren't willing to spend years doing that.
They wanted to play, have fun, and enjoy their childhood.
Training every day was boring.
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
And there was little immediate benefit to reaching the physical limit.
Once someone became a mage, their physical body would naturally grow stronger as they trained. They didn't need to spend years exhausting themselves beforehand.
As a result, most people considered reaching five times ordinary human strength sufficient.
The true physical limit only offered a few additional benefits.
One could naturally awaken after reaching it by waiting until the age of twenty, with a slim chance of awakening a better talent than they otherwise would have.
Ren had happened to be one of the lucky few who benefited from that possibility.
His Tier 2, Low-Grade Fire Element talent was partly the result of that preparation.
But there was another important restriction attached to the Blazing Apex Technique.
It had to be the practitioner's first technique.
If someone had already begun practicing another technique and switched to the Blazing Apex Technique later, they would lose its special accelerated training effect.
Ren closed the information and opened the university app.
He booked a teacher.
A short while later, he arrived at another training room.
Unlike the ordinary training rooms, this one belonged to the teacher he had booked.
Ren entered and greeted the man inside.
"Hello, Teacher."
"Hello. You should be Ren, right?"
The man appeared to be in his twenties, likely having consumed a youth-preserving potion.
"You can call me Teacher Vance."
"Yes, Teacher Vance. I'm a new student, and I'd like you to guide me through the Blazing Apex Technique."
"The Blazing Apex Technique?"
Vance looked slightly surprised.
"Have you reached the true human limit?"
"Yes. I came across this technique on the university app and felt that it was compatible with me, so I chose it."
"That's good."
Vance nodded.
"Those who reach the true physical limit before becoming mages are quite rare. You made the right choice."
There was a reason people didn't simply choose whichever magic technique looked the strongest.
Every technique required a certain level of aptitude and comprehension.
If someone attempted to practice something beyond their ability to understand, it was easy for something to go wrong during training.
In severe cases, the consequences could even be fatal.
Therefore, most people chose techniques that suited their own aptitude and comprehension.
The Blazing Apex Technique was no exception.
It was demanding, but for someone who had already reached the true human limit, it was an excellent choice.
And with a teacher guiding him, the chances of something going wrong were extremely low.
Ren shared the technique with Vance.
Vance carefully examined its contents.
Although he didn't practice the Blazing Apex Technique himself, that didn't mean he couldn't guide someone through it.
A person's own technique and their ability to teach a technique were two different things.
They spent several minutes discussing the technique and its basic principles.
Once Vance was satisfied that Ren understood the fundamentals, he nodded.
"Alright. You can begin."
Ren sat down comfortably on the sofa.
There was no specific posture required for magic training.
He didn't need to sit cross-legged or maintain some complicated position.
As long as he could concentrate, he could practice sitting, standing, or even lying down.
Ren closed his eyes.
He began practicing the Blazing Apex Technique.
Vance remained nearby, carefully guiding him through each step.
"Slowly. Follow the technique's circulation."
Ren followed his instructions.
The moment the technique began operating, he felt a strange sensation spread throughout his body.
His body began undergoing a transformation.
Normally, this transformation would take a month or more.
But Ren's body had already been pushed to the true physical limit.
The Blazing Apex Technique was now accelerating the process dramatically.
Vance handed him a potion.
"Drink this."
Ren accepted it and drank it without hesitation.
Normally, someone who had just begun practicing wouldn't need potions.
Their transformation was slow enough that their body could generally handle the process on its own.
But Ren was compressing more than a month's worth of transformation into only a few hours.
His body needed additional resources to support that accelerated process.
Ren drank another potion and continued practicing.
Time slowly passed.
His body continued transforming under the guidance of the technique.
'So this is it.'
After eleven years of preparation, Ren was finally taking his first step onto the path of magic.