Worse

Robbin did not say much, just motioning for the Rank 2 wooden golem to follow behind them as he walked with Kai towards the tree. Kai also preferred this atmosphere of silence and seriousness, so he too did not say anything, just nodding at Robbin.

'Only those who are worthy may enter.'

The same voice was heard in their heads once more, and Kai stepped forward with Robing next to him. All of a sudden, Kai heard a voice in his head.

'Not you.' However, this voice was not referring to him, but to Robbin, who was repelled back to the outside.

'You! You have already passed 2 of my trials?! And what is this? You also have understood the Spiritual Energy surges and reformed your own Spiritual Energy signature to match it! Ha! Finally! After 4000 years! Listen here boy, what is your name?'

'Kai'

As soon as he said his name, Kai almost immediately felt a presence in front of him, within the decaying tree. However, this presence was unlike anything he had felt before.

Kai had already faced a Rank 2 Mage, however, this figure's power felt as though it had fused with the world. As though this presence was the presence of the world itself.

From the books he had read on the future path of the Magi, something like this could only be done by someone above Rank 4. Magi followed a very structured power progression through the Ranks; with specific clothing required for each rank.

Rank 0: Apprentice Rank (Grey robes)

Rank 1: Official Mage (Coloured robes of chosen element)

Rank 2 Great Mage (Coloured robes with silver stripe)

Rank 3 Grand Mage (Coloured robes with golden stripe)

Rank 4 Arch Mage (Coloured robes with two golden stripes)

However, this was the limit of this world. Once a Mage reached Rank 4, and progressed even further, they would reach Rank 5, which was a Sorcerer. They did not have names, but Ranked from 5 onwards, with not too many records left behind about them. However, a Sorcerer could affect the very reality of the world and understand and control its laws.

The feeling Kai got from this figure was of someone who could affect the world as a whole, so Kai immediately assigned the Rank of a Sorcerer to this presence which did not quite feel real.

'Kai… You are the first Apprentice I have seen in a long time who matches the conditions required to receive my legacy. Will you receive it?'

'Legacy? What is your legacy, esteemed Sorcerer?'

'Hoh? Do the Magi still remember us? Well, that is good for them. I won't have to spend too much time convincing you that what I am about to say is actually possible. My legacy, which I shall bestow upon you, is one which allows you to stabilise your Mental Space at Rank 0, and once you reach Rank 1, you can begin to create a Mental World. As you progress in Ranks, you should be able to make it grow until you reach Rank 4. Only then will it really help you?'

'Based on your comprehension ability, number of spells, as well as Spiritual Energy foundation, reaching Rank 4 should not be too difficult. Anyways, even before you reach Rank 4, using this will boost the power of your spells by at least 1.25 times, and should increase the mana each rune can store by a factor of two. I suppose this should be enough…'

Kai was greatly tempted, but immediately he became cautious. Such encounters were quite normal in novels and movies back on Earth, however, there were also some cases where such a thing was not beneficial to the protagonist.

Sometimes, it would boost the power of the protagonist, but the enemies of the powerful figure would become his enemies, resulting in many future struggles. This was fine by Kai, however, since the power itself was enough of a risk.

What Kai cared about more, was the possibility of the mysterious figure using this as an opportunity to take over Kai's body or personality, being reborn in the process. This was not something he was willing to happen.

'Scan me thoroughly. Ensure nothing is wrong with me or odd with my body. Use as much Mana as you want.'

*Beep*

…

In such cases, the protagonist often had hidden reserves of power or just simply plot armour that somehow comes to save him or her. However, Kai was not the protagonist of a story and was just an ordinary mage apprentice in this world, and just some bits of data for those on Earth.

Despite having his past memories, he was still essentially a copy of the original Kai from Earth, having fused with the Kai of this world. As such, Kai did not want someone trying to take over his mind or body and just wanted to make sure. After he scanned his body thoroughly, he would ensure that not only would the system copy his mind and store it, but also protect his current mind to the best of its ability against foreign invasions.

Of course, all of this might just be Kai being paranoid, and hopefully, it was.

However, the words the system told him upon scanning his body were something that Kai had hoped he never had to hear. It was worse than what he had expected even!