SSS Awakening: I am the First Legendary Mage

A fresh stream of knowledge entered his mind.

Fire Bullet Spell focused on compressing unstable fire-element mana without letting it lose control, while Mana Bullet Spell focused on hardening ordinary mana as much as possible during compression.

The two spells looked similar at first glance, but the principles behind them were completely different.

Alex smiled faintly. The knowledge from Mana Bullet Spell gave him exactly what Fire Bullet Spell had been missing.

He could now create a much harder mana casing, allowing him to fill it with more compressed fire-element mana. That would significantly improve Fire Bullet’s power and range.

The more he learned, the more impressed he became with his Talent. Every new spell expanded his understanding of mana itself instead of merely giving him another attack.

That understanding helped him master existing spells faster, unlock new evolutions sooner, and gain even more knowledge in return.

It formed a perfect cycle.

Alex looked up from his status screen. Everyone else was still busy practicing, some experimenting with Aura, others trying to manipulate mana, while a few simply familiarized themselves with their new weapons. Seeing nobody needed his help for the moment, he decided to check Dwitter again while training his Battle Instinct Spell.

He still wanted Mana Circuit Spell for his Class Evolution, and his earlier post should have attracted plenty of replies by now. Somewhere among those messages, someone might actually possess the spell he was looking for.

The application took several seconds to load because the internet connection had become even slower than before. While waiting, Alex glanced at the trending topics. [Relativity of Ranks] and [Beast Monarchs] were still there, but another topic had climbed onto the list.

[Time Dilation.]

Unfortunately, neither the posts nor his private messages would load because the internet connection had become painfully slow. He couldn’t read them.

Just as he was about to move around the restaurant to look for a better signal, the ground beneath his feet trembled.

A strange sound echoed through the street. It was deep and heavy, like something enormous striking the ground. Before anyone could react, the earth shook again.

The next impact was closer. Then came another, and another, each one shaking the building more than the last. Alex quickly realized whatever was making that sound was heading straight toward them.

Everyone except him stiffened. Ophelia instinctively pulled Charlotta into her arms, Kevin’s face turned pale, and Sophia unconsciously grabbed Miss Rae’s wheelchair for support.

Even the elderly woman tightened her grip on her rifle as everyone stared toward the entrance. It was as if their trauma was resurfacing due to the noise.

Another step landed.

Something invisible crashed into Alex.

It wasn’t a physical blow, yet it felt like being hit by a speeding truck. A strange energy pierced into his body from every direction at once, and through the Mark of Origin on his hand, Alex instinctively recognized it.

Origin Energy.

It wasn’t mana. Yet somehow, it felt disturbingly similar.

The energy stabbed into his body, and moved around, doing something to him.

Alex started shivering. Around him, everyone’s reaction worsened. Charlotta burst into tears, and Ophelia desperately tried to comfort her even though tears were already running down her own face.

Kevin suddenly bent over and retched. Sophia could barely remain standing because she was leaning against Miss Rae’s wheelchair. The elderly woman herself looked like she was trying to raise her rifle, but her body refused to move.

The heavy footsteps continued until they finally reached outside the restaurant.

Alex forced himself to look through the shattered window.

At first, all he saw was green skin. Then he realized he wasn’t looking at the creature itself. He was looking at its feet.

The monster was enormous.

The cracked green foot was stained with fresh blood, while broken bones, crushed cars, and mangled human bodies clung to its sole. Through the restaurant window, Alex could only see as high as the monster’s knee.

Realization struck him immediately.

It was the same monster.

The same creature that had left massive claw marks down the apartment building across from his own, tearing through three floors as though concrete were paper. Alex’s shivering intensified. Unnatural fear invaded his mind. He cursed himself for shooting a powerful fire bullet into the sky. It must’ve brought the monster to their location.

Then the monster stopped moving.

Right in front of their building.

The Origin Energy surrounding it flooded the restaurant like an invisible tide. Alex felt as though something enormous had wrapped around him, crushing his body and locking him in place.

He could no longer move. His breathing became shallow, and even his thoughts started slowing under the overwhelming fear. He was afraid, so afraid—

Suddenly, Alex sucked in a sharp breath.

The fear weakened.

Not by much, but enough for him to think clearly again. Only then did he realize Battle Instinct Spell had never stopped running because he had been training it the entire time. Right now, he had accidentally learned how to increase the anger.

The sudden surge of anger forced the fear back for a brief moment.

Alex didn’t waste that opportunity. He immediately pushed Battle Instinct Spell to its limit, no longer using it for training but for combat.

His emotions calmed. His thoughts became clear again despite the monster’s overwhelming Origin Energy trying to affect him.

The Origin Energy still continued invading his body. However, Alex noticed something unexpected as it reached his head.

The mana gathered inside his brain was so dense that the foreign energy couldn’t push through it.

Realizing that, Alex immediately activated Advanced Body Reinforcement Spell at full power. Mana surged through his body like a burst dam, forcing the invading Origin Energy back little by little.

As the pressure disappeared, he slowly regained control over his limbs.

Alex leaned against the wall and breathed heavily. Sweat dripped from his forehead as he realized how close he had come to losing completely. The monster’s Origin Energy had two abilities: Fear affect, and freezing others.

It had been able to use both on him. Only the Battle Instinct Spell saved him. And...

If the mana stored inside his heart had been even slightly lower, the monster’s Origin Energy could have suppressed it as well, preventing him from activating any spell at all.

..

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