"Just as I suspected—Gauss, your magic is truly special!"
"This phenomenon, according to recorded cases in magical literature, is extremely rare, and only occurs in individuals with particularly unique mana."
"To put it simply: your mana is more active than that of other spellcasters."
"Your Mage Armor must have reached a fairly advanced level of proficiency, and that, in turn, is stimulating your internal mana to grow even more active—this results in what we call magical resonance."
"Your mana is beginning to unconsciously resonate more deeply with spell structures. In other words, your magic is trying to reshape the spell from within."
"And what does that mean for me, practically speaking?" Gauss blinked.
"This type of resonance isn’t dangerous. As long as you learn to perceive and harness it, you’ll be able to advance to a full-fledged profession far faster than your peers."
Hearing Andeni’s explanation, Gauss finally relaxed.
He had worried that something was wrong with his body—maybe the reason Mage Armor’s progress had stalled was because of some internal issue.
He hadn't expected it to be caused by overly active magic. Then again, it might also be related to his Magic Resistance trait.
"Oh right, Gauss, one thing to keep in mind," Andeni continued. "Now that your Mage Armor is highly proficient, further progress isn’t about how many times you cast it. You need to start focusing during each cast—try to feel the source and nature of that 'heat flow' resonance, and guide its changes consciously."
"You’ll need thoughtful observation, and exposure to all sorts of combat situations to gather diverse impact feedback. That’s how you’ll deepen your understanding of magical resonance."
"But I can't help you there," she added, blinking. "My mana is too strong—it would just interfere."
Andeni shrugged helplessly.
Gauss smiled and nodded in thought.
He realized something: ever since reaching Lv2 with Mage Armor, he had become obsessed with casting it faster and stronger—rather than truly understanding it.
That was clearly a short-sighted approach.
He hadn’t fully internalized the spell.
And perhaps that was exactly why Mage Armor was stuck at 19/20.
Level 1 spells were vastly more complex than cantrips. Mage Hand could be brute-forced through repetition, but the intricacies of Mage Armor required deeper understanding.
He needed to return to the essence of the spell, not just its practical usage.
Watching Gauss enter deep contemplation, a faint look of admiration—and nostalgia—flashed through Andeni’s eyes.
She glanced at the lost-in-thought young man and quietly summoned a small paperback, flipping it open to read while he processed.
For spellcasters, unlike warriors or rangers, immersive inner reflection was meaningful. While magic might seem like mana at work, at its core, it was always about willpower and mental force. Mana itself required the mind to shape and control it.
Eventually, when Gauss came out of his thoughts and clarity returned to his gaze, Andeni quickly stashed the book.
“Ahem… Gauss, how’s that white bone staff treating you?”
Why the sudden topic shift? Gauss blinked, still clearing his head, but didn’t think much of it.
He pulled out the staff and gave it a once-over.
As his mana flowed into it, the staff gleamed faintly, almost exuding a sacred energy.
“I’ve gotten very comfortable with it.”
After days of use, the compatibility between him and the bone staff had reached its peak.
Andeni’s eyes flickered with surprise.
Gauss might not notice it, but to her magical senses, the staff had undergone a profound transformation. It may look the same, but spiritually, it was a different staff entirely—no longer dull and lifeless, but brimming with potential.
It fit in Gauss’s hands like it had always belonged there.
A strange thought flashed through her mind—like the staff had always been meant for him, and she was merely a placeholder keeper until fate returned it to its rightful owner.
But she quickly shook the idea away and gave a bitter smile.
That kind of thinking leaned too much into fatalism—a mindset she’d always scoffed at.
Was she really growing soft in her old age?
She was still in her prime as a halfling, after all.
“Make good use of it,” she said at last, looking at the bone staff with a hint of reluctant affection. “I’ve had that thing for decades.”
As a spellcaster, who wouldn’t want a mysterious, powerful staff? If she hadn’t tested it so many times and confirmed her mana didn’t suit it, she never would’ve given it up.
Andeni went on to teach Gauss a new mana flow technique to improve spell control, answered a few lingering questions he had about learning magic, and gave him two theoretical spellbooks to take with him.
After that, she politely kicked him out—it was time for her nap.
Gauss left the Thorny Cottage and returned to his room at the inn.
Sitting cross-legged on the straw bed, he cast Mage Armor again.
This time, he slowed down the process deliberately.
He focused not on speed or efficiency, but on feeling the subtle transitions—how spirit, mana, and structure all interwove.
And when the spell completed, he focused on that familiar wave of heat.
With each repetition, he could feel his understanding of the spell deepening.
It reminded him of math problems from his past life—you didn’t get full credit just by writing the right answer. You had to show every step, every formula, every line of reasoning.
“Am I cramming for finals?” he couldn’t help but wonder.
The system-assisted spell progression was nice, but perhaps too convenient. It let him skip the process—and in doing so, skip the growth.
By dinnertime, he finally let out a satisfied smile.
His Mage Armor still hadn’t ticked up to Lv3, but he knew he was close. His understanding had deepened noticeably.
It was only a matter of time.
He guessed Lv1 was beginner level, Lv2 was proficient, and Lv3 would be mastery.
For Mage Hand, a simple cantrip, Lv3 didn’t offer drastic improvements—maybe just slight refinements.
But for Mage Armor? Every level brought significant upgrades.
At Lv1, it was barely usable.
At early Lv2, it was stable.
At late Lv2, he could cast it on others and slightly boost the defense.
Once it hit Lv3… it would likely leap to an entirely new tier.
And that magical resonance he kept feeling?
When he finally understood and mastered it fully—he knew in his heart—it would mark the moment he officially stepped into the path of a true mage.
And Mage Armor would undergo a fundamental evolution.