Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Three terrifying bursts of magical energy—easily ten times stronger than Luna’s—suddenly erupted from Asher’s body.
‘Ugh…’ Asher let out an involuntary groan as violent power surged wildly through his mana veins.
It took a dozen seconds for the chaotic energy to finally subside, settling into a calm, steady flow.
The power hadn’t vanished; it had completely fused into his system.
‘Tier Three, Level Three already?’ Asher clenched his fists, feeling the overwhelming reservoir of energy coursing through him.
A wide grin spread across his face.
He had only been at Tier Three, Level One just moments ago.
In the blink of an eye, he had skipped two whole levels!
This kind of progress would normally cost him at least half a year of grueling meditation—and that was assuming he had full access to the academy’s training resources.
On Earthland, mages were graded from Tier One to Tier Nine, with nine levels within each tier.
At the Magnolia First Magic Academy, even the strongest figure—Vice Principal Makarov—was only at the Tier Four Transcendent Realm, equivalent to an S-Class Mage.
In this world, breaking into the Transcendent Realm was the true threshold of power.
Once a mage reached that level, noble families, top-ranking Magic Guilds, and even the Rune Knights would immediately extend lucrative recruitment offers.
For a young, high-potential Transcendent, the elite aristocrats in the capital city of Crocus would personally send invitations.
If Vice Principal Makarov hadn’t been so old with no hope of further advancement, he never would have settled for a school in Magnolia.
After all, Magnolia was just one of six major satellite cities in Fiore; Crocus was the only true capital.
The rarity of S-Class mages proved just how agonizingly difficult it was to advance.
The higher you went, the steeper the climb.
‘I hit the jackpot!’ Asher licked his lips, his heart racing.
Even more thrilling than his mana increase was the evolution of his magic.
The Magic Council officially classified magic potential from F to SSS.
The higher the grade, the greater the potential and the faster the cultivation speed.
His magic had just evolved from the C-Class [Thorn Snake] to the B-Class [Horned Python].
His cultivation speed was going to multiply several times over!
Before today, he had no idea how many years he would waste trying to reach the Transcendent Realm.
But now, with the system’s help?
S-Class wasn’t just a dream anymore.
He might even surpass Diana’s Tier Three, Level Nine cultivation faster than anyone could imagine.
Gulp.
Asher swallowed hard and shifted his gaze back to Luna.
Even without a system prompt, he could read her current power level clearly.
Tier One, Level Three!
Jumping from Level One to Level Three might not sound like much, but Luna had achieved it in five minutes just by eating a piece of roasted boar.
If the rest of the academy knew about this efficiency, they would die of jealousy.
Of course, this massive spike was mostly because Luna’s body had been starved of magical energy for so long.
The next boar leg wouldn’t give her nearly as dramatic of a boost.
But still, being able to level up purely by eating?
Her potential was downright terrifying.
Most second-year students who had just awakened were stuck at Tier One, Level One.
Elite heirs with family resources—like Chloe and Claire, who practiced their family’s Solar Flare Breathing Technique—started at Tier One, Level Two.
But Tier One, Level Three?
That was a starting line reserved exclusively for geniuses with B-Class magic or higher.
Out of the nearly one thousand second-year students at the academy, only a handful possessed B-Class talent.
In terms of raw magical power, Luna had just firmly planted herself in the academy’s top tier!
“Ah—my magic power…” Luna gasped, her eyes wide with absolute shock as she finally registered the turbulent energy flooding her system.
She could feel it.
She was more than three times stronger than she had been just a few minutes ago.
Recalling her textbook theories, she quickly deduced she had hit Tier One, Level Three.
Her brain completely stalled.
Didn’t the textbooks say that increasing your magic capacity was excruciatingly difficult?
Didn’t they say it took months of bitter meditation just to jump from Level One to Level Three?
How did she just skip all that by eating a piece of meat?!
“Ah!
And my magic!”
With a single thought, Luna’s heart rate skyrocketed, pumping hot blood through her limbs.
In a matter of seconds, her mana veins expanded to nearly twice their original capacity.
A faint, blood-red silhouette flickered in her pupils—a towering, savage bear.
She could feel a massive surge in both her offensive and defensive capabilities.
She could absolutely crush the old her without breaking a sweat!
‘Could it be…?’
Like a bolt of lightning, everything finally clicked into place.
All the bizarre symptoms, Asher’s absurd claims, her sudden spike in power—it all made perfect sense now!
“Master, did my magic really—?”
“Yes.
Your magic has officially evolved into the C-Class [Bloodthirsty Direbear],” Asher said, nodding firmly.
“Once your physical endurance catches up, and with my guidance, you will completely unlock your SSS-Class [World-Devouring Behemoth] talent!”
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
Luna’s heart pounded against her ribs, her breathing turning shallow and quick.
Her family wasn’t wealthy like the twins’; they were just middle-class, her parents working white-collar jobs at a pharmaceutical company.
Ever since awakening an F-Class rating, she had accepted her grim reality: she would have to take the standard written exams and abandon the path of a combat mage.
But the moment Asher stepped in, her entire world flipped upside down.
Not only had her magic power spiked to Level Three, but her magic had evolved to C-Class!
And the most incredible part?
It had the potential to become a legendary SSS-Class power!
Asher hadn’t just taught her a lesson—he had completely rewritten her destiny.
“Thank you, Instructor Asher!”
Luna suddenly clasped her hands together and bowed deeply, bending perfectly at the waist in a formal apprentice’s salute.
If she had harbored even a tiny shred of doubt before, it had completely vanished into thin air.
In this exact moment, from the very bottom of her heart, she fully accepted and respected Asher as her Master.
“Good.
Very good!” Asher didn’t try to stop her.
A massive, satisfied smile stretched across his face.
This was a disciple’s highest gesture of absolute respect.
Right on cue, the crisp system voice echoed in his mind again:
“Ding!
Detected that Luna’s trust level in the Host has surpassed 60.
[Personal Disciple Binding] function unlocked!
Current binding slots available: 3.
Binding slots will increase as the Host’s power level rises.”
“Upon binding a Personal Disciple, the Host will receive additional bonus multipliers from the disciple’s advancements!
Furthermore, a portion of the disciple’s daily cultivation progress will be passively transferred to the Host, with a chance to trigger a Critical Hit multiplier!”
“Ding!
Eligible Personal Disciple detected: [Luna].
Would you like to initiate the binding process?
Warning: Once bound, a Personal Disciple cannot be changed.”
‘There are extra rewards?’ Asher was stunned for a second before his eyes lit up like fireworks.
‘Bind!
Bind her!
Bind!’