“That’s a bit too dazzling.”

Staring at her own glowing figure, Hulim Heyerar thought for a moment, then cast another spell.

“Concealment.”

With Infinite Strikes amplifying it, the brilliant light faded away instantly.

In the next heartbeat, her entire body vanished without a trace.

Hulim quickly adjusted the amount of mana she was channeling, and her form reappeared—though the blinding glow did not return.

“This should do the trick.”

She focused inward, sensing the flow of her power.

Even though she was sustaining the spell at a rate that would normally drain her mana completely in ten minutes, her reserves barely dipped. What’s more, she could faintly feel her maximum mana capacity climbing steadily upward, second by second.

“It’s incredible… If it keeps growing like this without limits—”

Hulim’s voice trailed off abruptly.

A terrifying realization hit her.

If she never actively trained to grow stronger again, and simply let her mana increase on its own…

Could there come a day when her sheer mana pool alone would make her comparable to a god?

“……”

Hulim didn’t dare to dwell on the thought any longer.

Because she suspected her conclusion was correct.

This ability—Infinite Strikes—was a power that could let someone ascend to godhood naturally, without any cost at all!

Whoosh~!

A soft breeze ruffled her hair.

Hulim dispelled the spell she was maintaining.

She focused inward once more.

Her mana was regenerating at an astonishing speed, and the steady rise in her maximum capacity hadn’t stopped—it had merely slowed down a little.

“……From now on, I’ll keep practicing spells like this at all times.”

She’d done this before, of course—sustaining low-tier spells constantly to hone her control. But now, everything was different. The basic practice spells she maintained would no longer be mere Second-Tier incantations—they would be amplified to the level of Sixth-Tier Spells.

“Fortify. Featherlight. Enhance. Concealment……”

She cast one ordinary low-tier spell after another, each boosted to absurd levels of power, while carefully balancing the mana she spent with her regenerative rate.

On the surface, Hulim looked no different from usual.

But in reality, her maximum mana capacity was skyrocketing at the fastest possible rate. What’s more, her passive defense was now strong enough to shrug off any attack below the Sixth-Tier.

“What an absurd ability… I wonder what effects the other Forbidden Powers have. Wait a second—”

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As she marveled at the might of Infinite Strikes, a sudden thought crossed her mind.

She turned her attention inward, focusing on the very first ability she had obtained.

On the surface, Primordial Fury seemed far inferior to Gluttony.

But here was the thing—they were supposed to be on the same level of power!

Which meant that Annihilation Divine Light wasn’t weaker at all. She had simply been misunderstanding its true potential.

“Ultimate destructive power……”

Perhaps,

This seemingly plain and unremarkable ability was actually the most absurd one of them all.

……

On the shores of Mirror Lake.

Irus sat by the water’s edge, poking the surface gently with her finger.

Tiny, distinct ripples spread outward from her fingertip, dancing across the lake and bouncing back from the far shore, over and over again.

She watched the ripples silently, waiting patiently.

At that moment—

Her eyes flickered.

She lifted her head, gazing toward the island in the lake’s center.

A figure was slowly walking out of the temple……

“How is it? Are you feeling alright? Any strange side effects? Can your body handle it?”

Once they met again on the shore, Irus bombarded her with questions, unable to hide her worry.

Seeing Irus’s concerned expression, Hulim smiled softly.

It seemed the intense side effects from when she first obtained the Forbidden Power had left Irus with quite a misunderstanding.

“I’m perfectly fine.”

Hulim spun around in a circle, showing herself off.

“If anything, I’ve never felt better in my life.”

“Huh? Are you lying to me?! Could it be that this time the side effects are affecting your brain?!”

Hulim’s smile froze on her face.

“That’s a problem. If your brain’s been damaged, we’re in big trouble. Is there any way to treat a fried brain……”

Irus muttered to herself, pacing back and forth anxiously.

Meanwhile, Hulim’s eyes darkened.

“……”

I heard every single word of that!

Hulim was about to snap at her—but then a mischievous idea popped into her head, and a tiny, wicked grin tugged at her lips.

“Hey, Irus~ I really am okay, honest! Look!”

She held up two fingers, forcing a bright, overly innocent smile.

“……”

Irus froze on the spot.

Then she panicked, her face paling visibly.

“What do I do? What do I do?! The child has gone crazy?!”

In her fluster, she felt someone tugging at her right hand.

She looked down—and found herself staring into Hulim’s wide, “innocent” eyes.

“Really, Irus, I’m doing great~.”

Hulim raised her right fist, patting her arm with her left hand to show off.

“If you don’t believe me, Irus, you can punch me. Use your full strength—I won’t defend myself at all.”

With that, she spread her arms wide, standing completely defenseless in front of Irus, her eyes sparkling with eager anticipation.

“A-Ah……”

Irus’s face went ashen, her hands trembling so badly she could barely move.

This was it.

The child was definitely beyond saving!

What am I going to do?!

“N-Now, Hulim dear.”

Irus forced a shaky smile, her voice trembling.

“Don’t joke around like that. If you take a full-powered S-Rank punch without defending yourself, you’ll die! Let’s not play this game, okay? Let’s go back to the surface first.”

“Nope, I don’t wanna.”

Hulim shook her head vigorously, her lower lip sticking out in a pout.

“If you won’t punch me…… Then—”

“May I punch you once?”

Her tiny fist bobbed casually in front of her, looking utterly harmless.

“N-Now, Hulim, let’s save this game for when we’re back above ground, alright?”

“Nope nope nope! If we don’t play, I’m not leaving! Hmph~!”

“Ugh……”

Cold sweat streamed down Irus’s forehead.

I’m done for.

How did things end up like this?!

Left with no other choice, Irus caved in.

She forced a stiff smile, her cheeks twitching.

“Fine, fine. You can punch me once. But after that, we’re going straight back, okay?”

“Deal! Promise!”

Hulim jumped up and down in excitement.

Then she started winding up her fist, swinging it back and forth in the air.

“Stay right there, Irus!”

“O-Okay, okay.”

Irus replied distractedly, her eyes fixed on Hulim’s cute little fist.

How adorable, the way she’s winding up like that.

It’s not so bad to humor her once in a while. Besides, if she doesn’t use magic to boost her strength, a punch like that won’t even hurt—no need to defend against it at all.

“Are you ready, Irus? Here I come!”

“Mm-hmm, come at me whenever you’re ready.”

Irus nodded, copying Hulim’s earlier pose and spreading her arms wide open.

“Secret Technique—Serious Punch!”

Pfft, how silly. Secret technique, seriously—

“Ugh! Urk aaah——!!!”

In the blink of an eye, Irus’s body bent backward like a bowstring.

Her consciousness nearly flew out of her skull. She could only gasp for air, her eyes rolling back into her head.

She crumpled to the ground, trembling violently, her entire body screaming in pain.

“???!!!”

Confusion flooded her mind, leaving nothing but a sea of question marks.

After what felt like an eternity,

She finally regained her senses.

“HU-LI-M——!!!”

“Sorry sorry! I might have used a little too much strength. Ehehe~!”

“Oh, is that so~?”

At that moment, a dangerously sweet smile spread across Irus’s face.

……

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