Overcharge

"<Dark Ice>" With this, Alex first froze the legs of the newly arrived Monster Wolves, preparing for his next attack.

'It's time for Overcharge.'

As he readied for the impending assault, Alex recalled his conversation with Aurora from the previous night.

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Last night, as Alex lay on his bed, various expressions played across his face as he pondered numerous thoughts.

Aurora floated just above him, observing his countenance while he delved deep into his reflections.

Unable to resist her curiosity, she asked, "What has you so lost in thought?"

"I was simply pondering about tomorrow. I'm excited to venture outside the city, but there's still a lingering worry within me."

Although Alex was living his dream life in this new world, well maybe not everything was perfect. He had to conceal his magic talents and affinity, probably facing numerous challenges in the future.

Nevertheless, he was grateful for this second chance, as it granted him the opportunity to pursue the things he longed for in his previous life.

Here, he could live freely, attend school like any other normal student, forge friendships, and indulge in his most cherished desires—using magic and embarking on adventures.

"Stop overthinking; you'll be fine. From what I can tell, if you can handle a single E-rank monster without taking on a group, you should have faith in yourself, the cheat system, and me included."

"If you say so." While Alex exuded confidence, Aurora's words managed to ease all his worries and bring a smile to his face.

Suddenly recalling something, Aurora mentioned, "You already know some excellent attack and defensive spells for your level, but I think you should also learn some movement spells."

"Does dark magic also have such spells? I thought only wind or lightning magic could have movement spells."

Aurora was intrigued by his speculation and wanted to understand his reasoning. "You are partially correct, but what made you think so?"

Considering his words carefully, Alex responded, "From the fantasy novels I've read in my world, the dark attribute appears to be related to stealth and death. Fire attributes are associated with great firepower, while wind or lightning attributes are considered speed types." He looked at her, eager to hear her response.

"Your world seems to have a basic understanding of these concepts. I'd love to visit it one day. However, you're mistaken about dark magic; it's much more than that. As I..."

Aurora attempted to continue, but he interrupted with a triumphant smile, "I was right then."

"Let me speak, at least. Now, where was I? Ah, yes. See this and tell me."

She conjured a Tier-2 magic circle on her hand, and it took Alex just a few seconds to memorize the spell, as always.

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[The host has learned a new magic spell]

<Shadow Walk>

Tier: 2

Attribute: Dark

Mana Cost: 100

Mastery: F

Range Limit: 3m 

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"So with this spell, can I run silently in the shadows or hide in someone's shadow?" Alex was already envisioning all the stealthy, assassin-like kills he could execute with this skill.

"Haaahh, what? No, and with this Tier-2 spell, definitely not," Aurora immediately burst his bubble.

Alex looked at her with a deadpan expression.

"Now, don't go sulking like this. It may be a Tier-2 skill, but don't underestimate it. This spell allows you to instantly teleport from a specified shadow."

Alex was alarmed by this description of the spell. "I underestimated this spell, I guess."

"Yes, but it has its limitations. You have to stand in a shadow to use this spell, and you can only teleport to another shadow. It also has a range limit based on your mastery of the spell."

"I understand. For my current mastery, it is showing 3 meters. What will happen if I try to teleport if there is no shadow in range, or say the target shadow is gone?"

"If there is no shadow in range, it will simply not work. In the latter case, in some instances, the spell might cancel, or in the worst case, it might give you a backlash."

"This spell is risky, then." 

"If you don't use it properly, then, and let me tell you, don't try to teleport to the shadow of a moving object. There are other cases, but that is the scenario where it mostly fails."

As night fell, they decided to sleep early for the upcoming day.

However, Alex was not in the mood to sleep. "Aurora, are you awake?"

"Hmm? What happened? I am always awake, remember."

"I was just thinking about how to increase the power of my spell. Is it possible to put more mana into it to make it more powerful?"

Alex had this idea while contemplating the <Dark Fire> spell. The more mana he put into it, the more the flames burned and for a longer duration.

Mana was the energy used for the spell, so what would happen if he put more than the required amount into a spell?

Aurora hesitated before she spoke, "...You can certainly charge your spell by pouring more mana into it to make it powerful and increase its magic power. But..."

"So, I can, can't I?" Alex turned and looked at Aurora with an expression of delight.

"It is called Overcharge, and yes, you can, but it is not something you should try to do now as it takes a lot of skill and practice." Aurora said with an uneasy voice.

She was not ready to teach Alex this method, although it was commonly used; it could prove harmful to the mage himself if not done properly.

Aurora knew Alex would want to learn it, so before that, she had to explain its problems if not done correctly.

"I know you want to learn this method, and I will teach it to you, but always remember to be careful and not overcharge it too much, as it might explode on yourself. The intensity with which it can explode can even cause your death."

"Go on, don't keep me waiting." Ignoring her warnings, he was determined to find a new way to enhance his magic.

"Sigh, when you cast a spell and it is not yet fired, you continuously pour mana into the magic circle until you feel a sort of resistance, and when you do, you instantly fire it."

"Okay, understood. One more thing, can I do this on any spell?"

"Not every spell, but specific ones, like with projectile spells, such as <Dark Bullet>. It can be extremely dangerous for the first time, and I also won't be there to help you and tell you when to stop and fire it. So just fire it when you feel you can't pour any mana into it."

"Okay, don't worry. I will be fine and only use it if I'm in a very precarious situation."

"You better be."

"Yes, yes."

Aurora didn't want to halt Alex's growth, but she couldn't help but worry, as amateur mages often fail miserably with such techniques.

'I will just believe in him. After all, he is not some normal mage either, despite being new to it.'

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Alex gazed ahead at the four Monster Wolves, their legs frozen by his magic, <Dark Ice>.

Due to the pressing circumstances, he couldn't infuse much mana into the spell. Although the ice appeared formidable, it seemed fragile to the Monster Wolves, on the brink of breaking free.

With his sword gripped tightly in one hand, Alex focused on the Monster Wolf that seemed to be the Monster Wolf pack's alpha.

He then casted <Dark Bullet>, but this time, he didn't fire it immediately. Instead of an immediate release, he began to continuously pour more mana into the spell.

'I can do it...there's some resistance, but it's possible.'

In his first attempt, Alex easily achieved the desired effect. He sensed a subtle resistance as he poured more mana than required into the spell, yet it eagerly absorbed the surplus energy.

Finally, when he reached the point where he could no longer pour additional mana into the magic circle, he promptly unleashed the overcharged spell at his intended target.