The moment the enhanced Fireball detonated with a thunderous boom, Ethan stood frozen, the force of the explosion still echoing off the stone walls. Smoke drifted from the scorched impact zone, and the air shimmered with lingering heat. His arm was still outstretched from the cast.
He slowly lowered it, breath catching in his throat.
"That… wasn't just stronger."
It felt alive. The mana flow had surged with intensity, and the spell had roared through the air like a vengeful beast. There was weight behind it now — substance, density, something almost volatile.
First thing Ethan did was blink away the heat haze and call up his notifications.
[Spell Rank-Up: Fireball (F-Rank) → Fireball (E-Rank)]
[STATS GAINED FROM E-RANK SPELL FIREBALL]
+10 (+5) Mana
+5 (+3) Spell Power
+3 (+2) Agility
+2 (+1) to all other stats
His eyes scanned the screen, then narrowed slightly.
So that's how it worked. The parentheses showed the effective gains — the difference between what he had already earned from the F-Rank version of the spell, and what the E-Rank version now offered.
He already knew that Mages gained permanent stat boosts from spell mastery. What he hadn't known until now was that higher-ranked spells gave greater benefits, but only the difference would apply upon ranking up an existing spell.
Still — even a small difference was a big deal when every stat counted.
He whispered the command.
"System page."
[SYSTEM PAGE - ETHAN VALE]
Class: Mage
Talent: Mana Overflow
Class Rank: E
HP: 220 / 220
STA: 120 / 120
Stamina Regen: 120 Stamina / Hour
Mana: 1500 / 1500
Mana Regen: 1500 Mana / Hour
STR: 11 → 12
VIT: 21 → 22 (+10)
AGI: 11 → 13
STA: 11 → 12
Mana: 102 → 150
Spell Power: 99 → 145
Spells: 1 / 6
Spell Memory:
E-Rank - Fireball
Mastery: 0.00% → 0.01%
Mana Cost: 10 Mana → 20 Mana
Cooldown: 2 seconds (Unchanged)
Range: 20 Meters → 25 Meters
Base Damage: 200 → 484 (+284 from Spell Power)
Ethan stared.
Before, when he was using the F-Rank Fireball at nearly full mastery, it had 95 base damage, and with his Spell Power, it had hit for around 218 total.
Now?
484.
His Fireball now hit like a truck. And this was just the beginning — with mastery at only 0.01%, it would only get stronger. This was no longer some basic starter spell. This was a weapon.
A slow grin spread across his face.
This is what real power looks like.
He didn't even bother finishing today's dungeon grind. Instead, he made his way to the exit.
Between dungeon runs, crystal sales, and saving every coin he didn't need for survival, he had built up a decent buffer. Enough to consider his next step seriously.
Outside the dungeon, the city's light welcomed him again. He walked with purpose, the residual heat of the spell still radiating faintly from his fingertips.
By the time he reached the awakeners exchange building, he was already planning ahead.
The clerk barely looked up before recognizing him.
"Back again already, Vale?"
"Yep. Today's haul," Ethan said, pulling out the pouch.
He handed over the pile of F-Rank mana crystals and one boss crystal he had held back. The transaction was quick.
A few minutes later, the money appeared in his balance.
+$5,550
Current Funds: $25,100
He exhaled slowly.
It still amazed him. Just a week ago, that number would've been unthinkable. Now? It felt like a stepping stone.
The urge to spend it immediately surged through him. His mind drifted to the spell market — shimmering spell cores sealed in glass cases, each one glowing with a unique elemental aura. The thrill of opening a new path.
He could maybe afford something bigger.
D-Rank spells.
Now that he was officially E-Rank, the System would allow him to learn spells one tier higher than his current class — so long as he had the means to acquire them. It was a leap. A true leap.
But he hesitated.
Do I go for mobility… or defense?
He mulled it over as he walked toward a bench on the street corner, the sun high above and the hum of city life buzzing around him.
Movement spells meant survivability — dodging attacks, repositioning mid-fight, or even escaping a dangerous encounter altogether. Something like Blink or Flash Step would let him dance around enemies. But those are high rank spells, I would need to buy something lower rank.
Defensive spells, on the other hand, could let him tank hits when things got messy. A barrier spell, or maybe a damage absorption technique, could make him more durable against ambushes or ranged monsters.
Both had merits.
Lena would say movement. She always talks about footwork.
He hit send, then leaned back on the bench.
A breeze passed through the street, ruffling his hair and cooling the lingering heat on his skin. His body still thrummed with energy, and his mana core pulsed faintly, as though echoing the power of his new spell.
He flexed his fingers.
One spell. One damn spell, and everything feels different.
He had leveled his Fireball with nothing but determination, grit, and near-maniacal repetition.
He stood up and headed straight for the spell market.
…
The spell market was always buzzing, but today, Ethan walked through its arched doors like he belonged there. Vendors called out names of spells, magical cores floated in sealed stasis cases behind protective glass, and the hum of arcane energy lingered in the air.
He made his way to the D-Rank section, pausing at a few displays. One showed a glowing blue orb — the description read "Aether Shield", a damage-nullifying barrier. Another glimmered red, something called "Lava Skin", which increased resistance to fire spells.
But his eyes landed on a core shimmering with golden-blue light. It pulsed in sync with his heartbeat the moment he looked at it.
"Surge Step"
The attendant at the counter noticed his interest and walked over.
"Good eye," the woman said. "That one's been popular among duelists and speed specialists. It doesn't just grant a speed burst — it enhances reaction time and leg strength."
Ethan read the description:
[D-Rank Spell: Surge Step]
Type: Movement
Mana Cost: 30
Cooldown: 10 seconds
Duration: 3 seconds
Passive Effect: +10 Agility while memorized
Active Effect: +50% Agility for 3 seconds
Description: By infusing mana into the caster's legs and nervous system, Surge Step grants explosive speed and heightened reflexes. During activation, movement becomes a blur, and terrain navigation improves significantly.
It was exactly what he was looking for. No instant-shifting or teleportation — just pure, honed speed. A movement spell that enhanced his body rather than bypassing it.
"I'll take it," Ethan said.
"25.000 for the D-Rank spell," she said with a nod.
He paid, with a pained grimace and received the small crystalline core, and immediately walked away. As the system scanned D-Rank spell, a prompt appeared in front of him:
[D-Rank Spell Core Detected: Surge Step]
Would you like to memorize this spell?
Y/N
He confirmed.
A rush of mana flooded his limbs, focusing on his legs. He staggered briefly as the agility boost settled into his nervous system like a hum of potential energy waiting to be unleashed.
[Spell Memorized: Surge Step (D-Rank)]
[+10 Agility (Passive)]
[New D-Rank Spell Detected]
[STATS GAINED FROM D-RANK SPELL Surge Step]
+20 Mana
+10 Spell Power
+5 Agility
+3 to all other stats
He felt the surge of stats for the second time this day. He could get addicted to this feeling.
He took a few steps around the room.
His body already felt lighter. More responsive. There was a bounce to his stride he hadn't noticed before.
"Perfect," he muttered.
He opened his system page again, grinning.
[SYSTEM PAGE - ETHAN VALE]
Class: Mage
Talent: Mana Overflow
Class Rank: D
HP: 250 / 250
STA: 150 / 150
Stamina Regen: 150 Stamina / Hour
Mana: 1700 / 1700
Mana Regen: 1700 Mana / Hour
STR: 12 → 15
VIT: 22 → 25 (+10)
AGI: 13 → 28
STA: 12 → 15
Mana: 150 → 170
Spell Power: 145 → 155
Spells: 2 / 6
Spell Memory:
D-Rank - Surge step
Mastery: 0.00%
Mana Cost: 30 Mana
Cooldown: 10 seconds
Duration: 3 seconds
Passive effect: +10 Agility when memorized
Active effect: +50% → 127.5% (+77.5 from spell power) agility for 3 seconds when active
E-Rank - Fireball
Mastery: 0.00% → 0.01%
Mana Cost: 10 Mana → 20 Mana
Cooldown: 2 seconds (Unchanged)
Range: 20 Meters → 25 Meters
Base Damage: 200 → 510 (+310 from Spell Power)
When Ethan saw that he would gain over 100% of his agility when using Surge Step, he almost couldn't contain his excitement. This was unreal, it almost equaled a C-Rank movement spell.
It was time to test it in the field tomorrow.
//Authors Corner
Heeeya, I have been thinking about what spells the mc should learn, and haven't concluded on everything yet, so if you have some good spells please comment them here, and I will look them over!!
Another reader also commented that he would rather make Alice (Ethans sister) into a brother. What are your thoughts on this, would you rather have the mc had a brother or a sister? I wanted the mc to have someone he could dote on when he got richer, and have a wholesome chemistry with, and when they grew older he would hire them to work with him. So yeah, please comment if you would either have a sister or a brother.