The impurities hidden inside his mana veins immediately began moving toward the core.
The moment they reached it, the core absorbed them.
Then it released a powerful pulse of mana.
The wave pushed the impurities back out.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Ash suddenly dropped to his knees.
"AAARGH!"
Pain exploded throughout his body.
It felt as though every vein in his body was on fire.
Black impurities began leaking from his pores.
Some came from his skin.
Others from his mouth.
Ash nearly screamed his lungs out.
Fortunately, Raphael had already prepared for this.
Using Chore Magic, she created a soundproof barrier around the area.
No matter how loudly Ash screamed, nobody inside the house would hear him.
The process continued.
Wave after wave of mana surged through his body.
Each cycle removed more impurities.
Each cycle strengthened his mana channels.
Ash clenched his teeth.
His entire body trembled violently.
The pain was unbearable.
Yet he endured it.
Because he knew what waited at the end.
Finally, after what felt like hours, the process ended.
The last traces of impurities were expelled from his body.
At the same time, his mana core underwent its final transformation.
The bright red core became a deep orange core.
A true mage's core.
An active core.
Mana immediately began circulating on its own.
Ash could feel the difference instantly.
His body felt lighter.
Stronger.
More alive.
Of course, because he had only advanced from bright red to deep Orange, the increase in physical strength wasn't dramatic.
Still, the benefits were undeniable.
Unfortunately, that didn't make the experience any less painful.
Ash collapsed onto the ground.
His entire body was covered in black sludge and foul-smelling impurities.
He looked like he had crawled out of a swamp.
"Haa... haa... haa..."
He panted heavily.
At that moment, he looked less like a powerful mage and more like a dying dog.
'Congratulations, Master. The awakening was successful.'
Ash wanted to celebrate.
Instead, he simply lay there trying to breathe.
A moment later, Raphael took control of his body once more.
Darkness magic gathered around him.
The black sludge covering his body disintegrated.
The impurities scattered around the room were destroyed as well.
Within seconds, all evidence of the awakening vanished.
Only then did Raphael return control.
Ash slowly sat up.
The pain was fading.
In its place was excitement.
Because from this moment onward...
He was officially a true mage.
And now he could also use the seventh element of magic—Spirit Magic.
'Congratulations, Master. It seems we underestimated this body's talent,' Raphael's voice sounded unusually happy.
Ash blinked.
"What do you mean?"
Instead of answering directly, Raphael used Chore Magic, a Tier 0 spell, and conjured a water mirror in front of him.
Ash looked into it.
His eyes immediately widened.
Staring back at him was a cute young child with delicate features.
However, what caught his attention wasn't his appearance.
It was his hair.
His hair was rainbow-colored.
And so were his eyes.
"...What the hell?"
Ash stared at his reflection in shock.
'Raphael, I remember from the books that having colored streaks in your hair means you can naturally use those elements and have high affinity with them. But what about the eyes?' he asked.
He didn't remember reading anything about rainbow-colored eyes in Supreme Magus.
'They may function similarly to elemental hair streaks,' Raphael replied.
'Unfortunately, I do not know for certain.'
Ash raised an eyebrow.
"I thought you were the Lord of Wisdom."
'Correct,' Raphael answered immediately.
'I am the Lord of Wisdom, not the Lord of Knowledge.'
'I can analyze, process information, and reach conclusions far beyond ordinary beings. However, I only know what Master knows, along with the information I can gather and deduce myself.'
'Regarding Supreme Magus, my knowledge is currently limited to what Master remembers from the books.'
Ash thought about it for a moment before nodding.
"Hmm. You're right."
Then he looked at his reflection again.
His expression immediately became serious.
"Still, I can't walk around looking like this."
Rainbow hair.
Rainbow eyes.
In a world filled with mages and nobles, that was practically the same as painting a giant target on his back.
Anyone with half a brain would realize there was something unusual about him.
"We need to hide it."
'Creating hair dye will not be difficult,' Raphael replied.
'However, I currently have no solution for the eyes.'
Ash nodded.
"Well, at least rainbow-colored eyes aren't a known magical trait in this world."
Most people would probably just think they were strange.
The hair was the real problem.
Suddenly, Raphael spoke again.
'Master does not need to worry.'
'Hmm?'
'I will use all available information and continue researching.'
'With enough time, I should be able to recreate Shape Shifting Magic.'
Ash's eyes lit up.
Shape Shifting Magic.
That would solve all his problems at once.
He could change both his hair and eyes whenever he wanted.
"Good."
A smile appeared on Ash's face.
"Then let's make that one of our priorities."
'Understood, Master.'
Ash looked at his reflection one last time.
'It would be great if Raphael could figure it out in a single night. Otherwise, I'll need to come up with a proper excuse for my adoptive mother, Myra,' he thought.
He glanced toward the room where Myra was sleeping.
Then he climbed back into bed and closed his eyes.
Before long, he drifted off to sleep.
Meanwhile, Raphael continued working tirelessly inside his mind without disturbing him.
Just two hours later, Raphael had already reached a solution.
'Shape-shifting is surprisingly simple,' she concluded.
'At least for changing superficial features such as hair color and eye color.'
According to her calculations, the spell was based on Light Magic and required precise control over one's life force.
For most humans, learning such a technique was extremely difficult because of their strong sense of self.
Their bodies naturally resisted alteration.
Beasts, however, had a much easier time adapting their forms.
Raphael quietly tested and refined the spell several times through simulations.
Eventually, she succeeded in creating a stable method to alter Ash's appearance.
His rainbow-colored hair could now be disguised.
His unusual eyes could also be changed.
Satisfied with the result, Raphael decided not to wake her master.
Instead, she continued analyzing the information stored within Ash's memories.
One spell after another.
One technique after another.
Many of them came from the Supreme Magus novels Ash had read in his previous life.
Most were incomplete.