Chapter 5
The next morning—
Roxy didn't bring a lesson plan.
Because there was no point.
"…Rudeus."
He looked up.
"…Yes?"
She hesitated.
Then asked the question directly.
"…What are your limits?"
Rudeus thought.
Carefully.
Then answered honestly.
"…I haven't found one yet."
Roxy closed her eyes.
"…I see."
Because that answer—
Wasn't arrogance.
It was observation.
"…Then show me everything you can do."
Rudeus stood.
Raised his hand.
And began.
Fire—
Expanded outward—
But didn't burn anything.
Wind—
Moved around it—
But didn't disturb it.
Earth—
Rose beneath—
But didn't break structure.
Water—
Wrapped around all of it—
But didn't collapse.
Four elements.
Simultaneously.
Perfectly balanced.
Roxy stepped back.
"…That's…"
Her voice faltered.
Because even King-tier mages—
Couldn't maintain this level of control.
"…Increase output."
She didn't know why she said it.
Maybe to find the breaking point.
Rudeus obeyed.
Mana surged.
The entire structure expanded.
Larger.
Denser.
More complex.
Still stable.
"…Stop."
He stopped instantly.
Everything vanished.
No residual energy.
No after-effect.
"…You're not even close to your limit…"
Roxy whispered.
That realization changed something inside her.
Because this wasn't a student.
This wasn't someone she could guide.
"…You're beyond the system."
That night—
Rudeus reached a conclusion.
"…Magic isn't finite."
It only appeared that way—
Because people relied on predefined forms.
"…So if I remove forms…"
Then—
"There's no restriction."
He tested compression.
Condensing mana—
Beyond normal density.
The result—
A small sphere.
But heavy.
Unnaturally heavy.
"…So power doesn't need scale."
That changed everything again.