After looking around for a bit, Leo returned to his workshop. He still didn't know what other spells existed that could enhance vision, but his had the ability to see heat through walls.
As he descended the stairs, an abrupt wave of emptiness washed over his mind. His legs weakened, and he had to steady himself against the wall. A strange sensation spread through his body—something beneath his mana was shifting, changing at a level he couldn't quite grasp. It was like an unseen force was restructuring the very foundation of his power.
Then, just as suddenly as it had started, it stopped. Leo exhaled sharply, his grip loosening on the wall. He had no idea what had just happened, but since there were no immediate side effects, he decided to keep moving.
"Now I need a name for it," he muttered, stepping into the basement.
As he began tidying up, his mind churned over possible names. If this spell appeared in the Codex Arcanum after being named, he had to be careful—he couldn't afford to choose something too obvious.
"Heat Vision?" He shook his head. "No, both 'heat' and 'vision' are too common here."
His gaze fell on the parchment where he had written down the spell's structure. It was deceptively simple spell compare to what he had heard about three to four circle spells. The only reason no one had created it before was that no one had realized heat could be seen in the first place.
"Thermal Vision…" The words formed naturally in his mind, a term from his previous life. In this world, there was no equivalent phrase—nothing even close.
Either way, he had made his decision.
"Alright. I'll name this spell as Thermal Vision in the Codex Arcanum to keep it hidden, but for my own use, I'll call it Moonlit Gaze. Let's hope it works," he declared, focusing intently. "If the word for it doesn't exist in this world, then I'll just have to invent one myself." He was referring to Thermal.
With the name decided, he turned his attention to the Codex Arcanum. He needed to confirm whether it would recognize his spell. Opening the book, he flipped to the first blank page and wrote.
Spells created by Leo Mantine.
The ink sank into the parchment, then vanished. A moment later, the book's pages flipped on their own, stopping at a freshly inscribed entry.
Name: Thermal Vision
Belongs to: Enchanting
Rank: C
Usage: Enhances vision
Other Uses: Unknown
Leo blinked. "Rank C? How can someone like me, still a D minus rank, create a C-rank spell?"
Though the answer eluded him, he didn't dwell on it. He finished cleaning the room, reactivated the protective traps and locks, and made his way upstairs.
Just as he reached the top, the dizziness struck again—stronger this time. His head pounded, and then, suddenly… he heard it.
A voice.
"Zyln vor ne, vek saar thu."
An eerie, otherworldly language echoed in his mind. The Whispers.
His pulse spiked as he instinctively activated all his protection spells. Yet, no matter how many barriers he layered around himself, the Whispers remained.
"Kuth'za ren, vak ser'no."
His knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the floor, clutching his head. A sensation deeper than mana surged within him—something shifting at the core of his being.
His soul was changing.
'Am I being corrupted?'
Panic surged through him, but he refused to surrender to fear. Desperately, he reached for the mana crystal he had received from Ryan, channeling his energy into it. He unleashed a pulse of mana outward, trying to drive away whatever was influencing him—just like Ryan had done.
It didn't work.
Minutes passed. His breathing was ragged, his body tense… and then, without warning, the sensation vanished.
Leo gasped and lifted his trembling hands. They looked the same—ordinary, human. He checked himself, searching for any physical changes. Nothing.
Then, he turned his focus inward.
His mana… it was different. More stable, more defined.
"Did the spell… shape my mana?" he murmured. "Is this what Ryan meant by understanding?"
'But what about the Whispers? Where had they disappeared to?'
He thought for a long moment, piecing things together.
There was only one conclusion:
The Whispers had vanished because his soul had stabilized. He was now close to reaching C rank, and the creatures that once lurked at the edges of his mind could no longer corrupt him.
After locking the door, Leo started walking toward his home. On the way, he attempted to activate Moonlit Gaze without using any drawn symbols, but the spell was still too complex for him to cast freely. Accepting this, he pulled out a parchment and activated it the usual way.
Immediately, the world shifted. People on the street glowed in shades of orange, their body heat radiating like soft embers. It wasn't just people—animals, heated objects, and anything retaining warmth also took on the same hue. Unlike real Thermal Vision from his past life however, this version lacked any color variation—everything was just orange.
He turned his gaze toward his old house and focused. The wall blurred for a moment before his vision adjusted, and he spotted faint human-shaped figures inside.
"So, the landlord already rented it out," he muttered.
He zoomed in a little more, trying to get a clearer look. The warmth from a nearby pipeline created slight interference, but after shifting his position, he finally found the right angle.
As he focused on the person inside, another familiar effect triggered—just like Enhanced Eyes, he could hear the conversation behind the wall.
"Are you going to find a job tomorrow or not?"
"Leave me alone."
It sounded like the new tenants were already arguing.
Leo deactivated the spell and closed his eyes. Moonlit Gaze left a lingering warmth in his eyes—an uncomfortable sensation, like standing too close to a fire. After waiting a minute or two for the heat to fade, he resumed his walk home.
When he arrived, his mother greeted him warmly, just like always. After a brief exchange, he headed straight to his room.
Inside, laying down on his bed, he activated the spell again—this time, looking upward. His gaze pierced through the ceiling, revealing a person sitting somewhere above.
A voice followed soon after.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to get greasy food from that shop?"
"Can you please let me have a moment to myself?"
From the way Rorin was sitting and what he just said, Leo quickly realized… the man was in the toilet.
Leo immediately deactivated the spell.
"Maybe I shouldn't use this spell so casually…" he muttered, rubbing his temples.
With a sigh, he closed his eyes. The name Thermal Vision had brought back memories of his past life. Though those memories had begun to blur with time, one thing remained clear—his goal.
He still needed to uncover the truth.
How did he end up in this world?
What had really happened to him?
Now, he was far stronger than before. Closer to the answers he sought.
And he wouldn't stop until he found them.
But all of that aside, if this spell had truly shaped his soul—bringing him closer to C rank—then that meant creating spells could help him grow faster. And unlike anyone else in this world, he had one major advantage.
Knowledge from his previous life.
Right now, he had five clear paths to improving himself. His Enchanting class, which was nearly finished, llusion class, which still had much to offer, Ryan, a mentor beyond his current level, the secret meeting, though he had yet to make use of it and his workshop, where he could freely experiment and push his limits.
With all these opportunities, he was certain—he could advance just as fast as Pop's son, Arthur.
But one question remained.
What spell should he create next?
After thinking for a while and getting nowhere, Leo decided to sleep.
The next day, he had warrior training.
Following his morning session and breakfast, he headed to the association. At this hour, the place was nearly empty. After changing into his training clothes, he made his way to the yard.
Faleria wasn't meditating today. She stood there, waiting for him.
Leo approached and stopped in front of her, offering a slight bow. "Good morning, Coach." He had a feeling something was about to happen.
"Good morning." Faleria paused for a moment before continuing. "Today, I want to test your abilities."
A smile spread across Leo's face. "Then, could we make it interesting?"
"Interesting?"
"If I impress you, you have to tell me your age."
The air around Faleria shifted, growing tense. "You want my age as a prize?"
Leo smirked as he unfastened his weighted bands and let them drop to the ground with a thud. "Exactly."
He knew exactly what he had said, but he had a year to prepare for this moment. Activating Calm and Courage on himself, he steadied his breathing.
Faleria walked over to the barrel filled with swords and pulled out two real ones made of iron. She tossed one to him.
Leo caught the sword midair.
"I allow the use of any other item you want."
Faleria's voice was now more serious than ever. Leo knew he had to use everything he had, but if he wanted to impress her, relying on magic items was out of the question.
He took out a few parchments, each inscribed with a different spell.
"These are enough."
"Then get ready."
Leo took a fighting stance, locking eyes on her. A second passed and he blinked. When his eyes opened again—Faleria was gone.
In less than a second, he scanned his surroundings.
'Not in front. Left? No. Right? No... Behind!'
There was no time to dodge. He swung his sword upward, barely in time to intercept a powerful strike. The impact was too strong for him to hold his ground, so he used a trick Rorin had taught him—tilting his sword slightly to redirect the attack to his left. At the same time, he stepped right, spun around, and threw a punch at her.
Faleria didn't block. She simply moved back.
'As expected of my coach. She won't let me touch her to land my illusion spells.'
Leo straightened up, and with him, the stones around him floated into the air. He was using Telekinesis. The stones blurred, their outlines distorting as he cast False Image, creating several fakes among the real ones.
With a sharp gesture, the stones shot toward Faleria at high speed. Leo charged after them.
Faleria dodged and deflected the barrage with ease, but if even one attack gave him a small opening—it would be enough. As she raised her sword to block the last stone, her sword didn't touch anything.
It was a fake.
Leo took that chance. He was behind her now. He leaped above her and slashed down with all his strength, mirroring the attack she had landed on him just seconds ago.
Faleria blocked the attack just as he had before. But unlike him, she didn't need to redirect it—his strength wasn't enough to force her to move.
The force of his own attack sent him skidding backward, but he didn't stop. He charged at her again.
Faleria was already waiting. She shifted her sword to the right to block his strike. The moment their blades connected however, she felt nothing—no resistance at all.
A smile formed on Leo's face.
His sword was an illusion created by False Image.
The real one, thrown into the air moments ago from the impact of their previous clash, was now falling toward her.
With a flick of Telekinesis, the sword shot toward her head.
In an instant, Faleria's blade was above her, intercepting it perfectly.
But Leo's grin remained.
His fist was already on her stomach.
'I touched you.'
Without hesitation, he activated his pre-prepared Fear and Illusion spells. He knew the effects wouldn't last long against someone like her, so he didn't stop there. His real sword, now airborne once more, flew toward him. He grabbed it and swung the moment it reached his hand.
Then, his body froze.
Before him, there was no longer a human.
A beast, wreathed in violent energy, loomed over him.
A surge of mana erupted from Faleria. His illusion spell hadn't worked at all.
She kicked him in the stomach.
Leo was sent flying several meters back, landing hard on his back. Gasping for breath, he quickly sat up—only to see Faleria already charging at him again.
Thinking fast, he slashed a circle into the ground around himself and slapped a parchment onto the dirt. The spell activated, forming a dome-shaped barrier around him.
Faleria was already upon him.
But this was his plan all along.
He threw a parchment outside the dome and activated it.
'This is my last attack.'
The spell—Mana Surge Snare—erupted.
Boom!
The dome absorbed the brunt of the explosion, shielding him from harm. But he knew a single spell wouldn't be enough to stop a B-rank warrior. He only needed a chance to strike.
He raised his sword and slashed.
His blade clashed against something—another sword. His weapon was knocked from his grip, and before he could react, a cold blade rested against his neck.
As the dust settled, he saw Faleria standing there.
Unharmed.
'Damn it, I'm almost C rank, and still, not a scratch on her?'
Peter, Albert, Liamond, and Liam came into the yard, drawn by the explosion.
Faleria lowered her sword and extended a hand to help Leo up. As soon as he was on his feet, she leaned in close—too close—until her lips were near his ear.
"I am 55."
Leo's back stiffened, and a faint heat crept up his face.
'You didn't have to get this close…'
But his reaction vanished the moment he processed her words.
'Wait… 55? She looks 30 at worst!'
Faleria pulled back and turned toward the training room at the back of the yard.
"You can rest now."
In response, Leo gave a slight bow.