SSS Awakening: I am the First Legendary Mage

Alex looked at the screens. A familiar warmth spread through his body as the energy from leveling up arrived. The pain in his hand began fading almost immediately, while the strain in his muscles eased significantly.

Before he could focus on the spell evolution, he heard approaching footsteps. A few moments later, the others emerged from between the trees.

...

Sarah, Frank, and Emma had eventually managed to kill the Level 8 Titan Reef Crab. The battle had been far more difficult than any of them had expected, requiring Emma to repeatedly distract the monster while Sarah and Frank searched for opportunities to attack.

They had moved away from their original location long ago. It was to using their speed advantage against the monster. By the end of the fight, Sarah reached Level 4.

Normally, she would have been happy about leveling up. Instead, she found herself worrying about Alex. If the four of them barely defeated one monster together, how was he supposed to handle the second crab alone?

Then they heard a loud boom echoing through the area.

Everyone immediately stopped moving. A second boom followed shortly afterward, and Sarah felt her stomach tighten. Both sounds had come from the direction Alex had gone.

"That was Alex’s side," Sarah said.

The group quickly picked up their pace. None of them spoke as they hurried toward the source of the noise, each imagining the worst possible outcome.

When they finally arrived, they were greeted by a sight that left them shocked.

Alex was standing near the corpse of the Titan Reef Crab. He looked exhausted and injured, though the leveling energy was already healing him.

The monster looked far worse than him.

Deep cracks covered one of its pincers. The armor that Sarah had been completely unable to damage showed signs of having been shattered by overwhelming force. The creature’s face was even worse, with large fractures spreading beneath its eyes.

’He did this? Alone?’

The thought appeared in Sarah’s mind immediately. Looking at the dead monster, she struggled to reconcile what she was seeing with what she thought was possible.

She remembered Joseph explaining that leveling up would remove the limits that had always restrained humanity. At the time, she hadn’t fully believed him.

Everyone had become stronger, but nothing she had witnessed so far seemed capable of completely changing her understanding of human limits.

Alex was making her reconsider that belief.

...

"Are you okay?" Emma asked. The others were still staring at him in shocked silence.

"Yeah. I’m fine. Just tired mentally," Alex replied with a nod.

Emma visibly relaxed.

Alex glanced toward the dungeon entrance before speaking again. "Let’s take a short break and recover some stamina. After that, we’ll go inside and rescue Joseph and Yulia."

Nobody objected.

Alex walked over to the Gene Potential dropped by the monster and stored it away. Afterward, he moved a short distance from the group and sat down before anyone could begin asking questions. Closing his eyes, he focused on the notification screen again.

[Body Reinforcement Spell can now be evolved. Choose an evolution: Advanced Body Reinforcement Spell, Power Punch Spell, Dash Spell, Battle Instinct Spell, Iron Body Spell, Piercing Punch Spell]

’There are six evolutions.’

Alex studied the list carefully. He tried focusing on each option individually, hoping additional information would appear, but nothing happened. That probably meant he would have to determine their functions based on their names alone.

Advanced Body Reinforcement Spell seemed like the direct upgrade of Body Reinforcement Spell.

It would likely strengthen every aspect of his body while providing a greater overall enhancement than before. It was a safe and reliable choice that allowed him to maintain versatility.

Power Punch Spell appeared far more specialized. Instead of boosting everything, it would probably focus entirely on increasing the force behind his punches.

Since specialized abilities often produced greater results in their chosen area, the increase in power might be significantly higher than what Advanced Body Reinforcement Spell could offer.

Alex had already managed to kill a Level 9 monster with a punch.

If his striking power increased further, there was a chance he could eventually kill Mid-Rank species with a single hit. The possibility was difficult to ignore.

Dash Spell was much easier to understand. It would likely focus on movement speed and explosive acceleration. While it lacked the raw offensive power of Power Punch, mobility was valuable in its own way.

There would inevitably be enemies stronger than him. When that happened, the ability to escape could become far more important than the ability to fight.

Alex remembered the baby Iron Claw Badger he killed earlier. If its mother ever came looking for him and it was stronger than him, a speed-focused Spell could be the difference between survival and death.

His attention shifted to Battle Instinct Spell.

Out of all the options, this one interested him the most. Based on the name, Alex believed it would strengthen his focus and sharpen his five senses.

There was also a chance it enhanced the brain itself, which immediately caught his attention.

Alex was a mage. For him, mental performance was just as important as physical ability. Better focus would allow him to react faster during combat, improve his mana control, and potentially reduce the time needed to cast Spells.

The more he thought about it, the more attractive the Spell became.

Every aspect of a mage’s combat style revolved around thought, concentration, and mana manipulation. Improvements in those areas could affect everything else he did.

Iron Body Spell was another strong candidate.

The name suggested a defensive ability. It would likely strengthen his skin, muscles, bones, or perhaps all three.

A powerful defense should never be underestimated, especially in battles where a single mistake could result in death.

If his defenses surpassed those of a monster, he could slowly wear it down even if it was physically stronger.

A war of attrition favored whoever could survive longer, and Iron Body Spell would certainly help with that.

..

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