A torrent of magic power more potent, refined, and profound than before burst forth from the cup's rim like a breached dam, instantly merging with the circulating mana throughout his entire body.

Boom!

Gauss felt his cerebral cortex tremble violently.

Streams of information flooded his mind, and faintly, a mysterious force seemed to gather from his surroundings into his body.

"Professional Level upgraded to: 2"

Strange energy rippled around him, stirring an invisible wind from the ground. His clothes billowed and snapped in the gale.

The mana within him rapidly purified itself, becoming more refined with each cycle through the cup-like vessel as if impurities were being filtered away.

His core skill, [Gauss Field], activated unconsciously, visibly thickening around him. The combined fluctuations from both internal and external sources even temporarily distorted the light near his body.

As the winds gradually calmed and the energy flow settled, it transformed into a substantial force that settled throughout his limbs and mana circuits.

Gauss slowly opened his eyes.

He felt the changes brought by his level-up.

"Intelligence +1"

"Agility +1"

"Perception +1"

Name: Gauss

Strength: 8

Agility: 8

Constitution: 8

Intelligence: 10

Perception: 8

Charisma: 7

After leveling up, his Intelligence attribute had directly broken through to 10 points! Two other relatively weaker attributes had also improved simultaneously.

Of course, the attribute increases couldn't fully reflect the complete metamorphosis of his overall strength.

Observing internally, the cup-like vessel that manifested his Professional Rank had been drained again. Though it now shone brighter and conveyed an even more voracious hunger for advancement, it had also become more resilient with doubled capacity.

Secondly, his mana had become more condensed, with the quantity roughly doubling as well.

Now even slight movements could more easily trigger elemental resonance with the ambient natural magic. This was actually quite significant, as a spell's power depended not only on one's own mana but also on the ever-present environmental magic.

Moreover, he could feel that the load capacity for spell models in the depths of his consciousness had increased substantially.

This capacity didn't seem solely tied to Intelligence. When he'd received his 500-kill reward that boosted Intelligence from 8 to 9, the effect hadn't been this noticeable. It appeared more like a liberation from constraints brought by his Professional Rank advancing from Level 1 to Level 2.

This meant that at Level 2, he could master more spells.

Gauss exhaled a long breath of white air as he felt the comprehensive improvements throughout his body, unable to suppress the smile forming on his lips.

All his persistence, the days of monotonous practice and monster-slaying, had culminated in this most bountiful reward!

He was now... a Level 2 Magician!

Feeling the incomparable power now at his command, he gained deeper understanding of Professional Levels. Why Level 2 professionals could overwhelmingly defeat Level 1 professionals in most cases.

Attributes were just one aspect.

More importantly, it was the transformation brought by the Professional Rank advancement itself.

The core lay in the qualitative leap of the Professional Rank - it represented the synthesis and sublimation of a professional's comprehensive abilities, the "master control" that unlocked higher limits and coordinated attributes with capabilities.

For example, two people might possess equal strength, but a drunken person might swing wildly and miss completely, rendering their strength useless. Even when force is properly applied, the effects differ drastically between an open-handed push, a clenched punch, or a weapon thrust. The difference between low and high Professional Ranks followed similar principles.

Thus, barring exceptional freaks, higher-level professionals specializing in combat could easily suppress lower-level ones in most situations.

This feeling... was truly wonderful.

Stuffing dried meat into his mouth, he began packing his belongings.

Truthfully, advancing from Level 1 to Level 2 was only a minor improvement. The real milestone would come when progressing from Level 2 to Level 3.

But he was already satisfied, especially since he'd only recently reached Level 1. This speed was remarkably fast - some professionals might struggle for half a lifetime without achieving this step, while he'd done it in less than half a year!

Moreover, professionals who advanced quickly from Level 1 to Level 2 typically wouldn't slow down significantly in subsequent advancements.

"Could my current strength challenge a Level 3 professional?" A thought flashed through his mind.

Gauss began contemplating. While Level 2 to Level 3 presented a considerable gap that was nearly insurmountable for ordinary people - like how Level 2 spellcasters couldn't master Tier 2 spells, which required Level 3, and Level 3 spellcasters could further upgrade their skills, representing qualitative transformation - with his numerous abilities and talents, after familiarizing himself with his upgraded capabilities...

Gauss was genuinely curious.

But for now, he should return to town and verify the star-rating advancement process at the Adventurers Guild.

Having packed up, Gauss turned toward the warm lights of Grayrock Town.

"Sir, finishing work early today?" The gate guard recognized him and instinctively straightened to salute.

The guard's gaze swept across Gauss's handsome young face before finally settling on the gleaming bronze one-star badge, unable to conceal his envy.

"Achieved my goal." Gauss nodded, his eyes noting the frost on the guard's shoulders. "Hard work out here."

"Not at all, not at all! You're the one working hard. Early wishes for a happy New Year's festival."

"Happy New Year." Returning the greeting, Gauss passed through the gate into town.

He didn't find cultivation arduous - being able to continuously witness his own improvement and enjoy the positive feedback of growing stronger was actually quite addictive, constantly motivating him to keep training and adventuring.

If anything, it was these guards stationed year after year like screws in Grayrock Town's outer walls who had the tougher lot.

Barring extraordinary circumstances, their world was confined within these stone walls. The extent of their vision might forever be limited to this border town's low skyline and the monotonous snowfields beyond.

Ten years, several decades... the world's grandeur would remain nothing more than fleeting tales by the tavern hearth to them.

Had he never seen hope, the old Gauss might have endured such a life. But the current him could never accept such tedium.

From the moment he arrived in this fantastical world of swords and magic, he'd heard his heart's true voice and understood exactly what he wanted.

To walk!

Following ever-extending footprints, to feel different winds and see different sights.

Through forests, polar regions, volcanoes, oceans...

To witness ancient treants migrating slowly under moonlight on knotted roots, to seek legendary icebound spires beneath auroras, to turn the tide against beast tides besieging cities, becoming the heroic figures sung of in epic ballads.

To truly control his life's trajectory.

He could see his own quiet yet unwavering ambition. For this, he would keep moving forward, constantly breaking through his limits.