As Zack strolled back to his room, memories of his morning chat with Fannie flooded his mind.

"Teacher, you mentioned being afraid of losing your humanity as you get stronger," Fannie brought up suddenly.

Zack grinned, "Sure, but I've got it under control. A good night's sleep once a week, three times a day, and having you around does wonders."

Fannie blushed at his words, then spoke up after a moment, "I've got an idea that might help even more."

"How about we venture outside and see what regular people are up to? Getting close to humans might help us reconnect with our humanity, don't you think?" she suggested.

Zack chuckled, "Easy there! What about the wizards in the tower? They're people too, right?"

"It's different. Plus, you need a break every now and then, Teacher," Fannie insisted.

"Nope, I've taken plenty of breaks! Like now, eating with you, wandering in the garden, sleeping together. Aren't those breaks?" Zack countered.

Fannie shot him a pitying look, her tone laced with sarcasm. "Oh, Teacher, it's sad how you think those count as breaks. You need some real time off, you need to have fun!"

Zack's eyebrows twitched. "I have plenty of fun with you, you know!"

Fannie blushed again. Watching her, Zack couldn't help but think, 'This girl, always teasing me, but blushes like a tomato when I tease her.'

"Teacher, please, just think of it as taking me out for some fun. You always say the outside world is dangerous, but with your strength, what could possibly hurt us? We're not going looking for trouble out of nowhere," Fannie pleaded.

'Hmm, why not? Ever since the pope kicked the bucket, it feels like fate's stopped gunning for us. And I can't force my homebody traits on Fannie. She needs a breather outside once in a while, and I can't just leave her out there alone. Ugh, what a pain... But hey, going outside once in a while isn't so bad.'

"Hmm... alright, just this once, but no more than a year!" Zack declared through gritted teeth.

"Why so short? Make it 10 years! We've got plenty of life left anyway," Fannie countered.

"Two years!" Zack insisted firmly.

"Nine!" "Three!"

After some negotiation, they settled on going outside for a maximum of five years.

Remembering their negotiation Zack couldn’t help but smile, and then he focused his attention back to present as he opened his practice room, where 100 clones awaited him, all decked out in lightning tower apprentice wizard robes. These were the clones he'd scattered around Tormentaheim after his showdown with the grand paladin five years back. Each one packed a modest 150,000+ mana points—nothing compared to his newer, beefier creations, each boasting over 45 million mana points. Time for an upgrade.

To send these clones out of the tower, they needed at least apprentice wizard badges. Zack could whip up a hundred badges in a snap with his authority. But since the next apprentice recruitment was still three months out, conjuring up another hundred badges now would raise too many eyebrows, even with his level 2, scratch that, level 3 wizard status.

So, he gathered his 100 clones from outside into the tower, intending to use their badges for his newer, stronger clones. These new clones would adopt the physical characteristics and mana signatures of the old ones, allowing them to use the badges. With his [Thousand Faces] ability, this was a walk in the park. Since the clones' mana was his, they could effortlessly use his abilities.

Now that the 100 clones from outside were inside the tower, it was time to replace them with the new ones. Closing his eyes, Zack activated 30 clones stored in the hall, directing them to the practice room. With his soul integrated into his sigil, he felt a surge in mental prowess. He figured he could handle a hefty battle with 10 clones at once, or control up to 30 for other tasks. And it seemed like his mental strength was still on the rise. 'Looks like the sigil's nurturing my soul. Sweet.'

Zack manually controlled the clones to swap them out and tweak their identities to match the old ones. Once done, he sent the clones outside to wait while he stayed put.

Closing his eyes again, he stirred the sigil inside his blue core. In an instant, an invisible wave emanated from him, enveloping the practice room and extending outward. He made sure to spread his influence horizontally, not vertically, to not affect the other floors.

"Hmm, what's happening? Why won't it stop?" Zack watched as his domain expanded rapidly, surpassing 500 meters, then a kilometer, until finally halting at 1.5 km. "Phew, three times the size of a newly advanced level 3. Not bad, considering with my mana capacity, I expected the domain to swallow up the whole forest of death," Zack thought, pausing suddenly. "Hmm, something's off."

Focusing on his mana heart, Zack noticed that the sigil was drawing energy solely from the blue mana core to fuel the domain. He had a hunch. Activating one of the mana cores from the inner circle of his orbiting mana cores, it sent a stream of mana to the blue core. This particular mana core, along with the blue one, boasted full infinity mana.

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After a moment of anticipation, Zack's domain remained unchanged at 1.5 km. "Well, duh. Should've known. Domains are more about a wizard's grasp of the concept than just sheer mana," Zack mused. But he noticed the domain's shell had toughened with the extra energy source. And with more mana at his disposal, Zack realized he could unleash stronger effects within his domain.

Experimenting further, Zack found nothing remarkable. The effects were just the same as when he manually wielded the sigil, only amplified.

Zack decided to deactivate his domain and test out a spell: [God’s Series - Garuda]. Mana surged from his heart, cascading like a waterfall of lightning before him. The crackling energy coalesced into a massive bird, almost filling the entire practice room. With its shining feathers and piercing gaze, the eagle-like creature exuded an aura of power.

"You're a bit too hefty. Slim down," Zack instructed.

With a crackle of lightning, the garuda shrank into an eagle with a 10-meter wingspan, emitting a brief screech.

"That'll do. Thanks," Zack nodded, unfazed by the creature's size.

"Give flying a shot," he urged.

In an instant, the eagle vanished from Zack's sight, but his enhanced senses tracked its movements effortlessly as it circled the room.

"As I suspected, the spell packs more punch overall," Zack noted. Casting the same spell with the same mana before his level 3 advancement yielded nowhere near the same power. "Guess the mana purity boost made a huge difference, but that's not all."

He scrutinized the Garuda's speed closely. "It's way faster now, beyond just its strength increase."

The spell Zack had just cast lacked the unique spell structure exclusive to level 3, being his own version from level 2. Yet, it boasted greater power and speed than its level 3 counterpart. Recasting Garuda, he focused on his mana heart, sensing the sigil infusing the mana with something extra. He suspected it was a speed concept boost.

Observing the created Garuda once more, Zack detected subtle concept fluctuations despite it being a level 2 spell. "Whoa, each spell I cast from mana alone comes with an imbued concept. That's impressive!"

He wondered about the potential of casting the level 3 version. With an additional boost from his domain, it could be unstoppable. Zack theorized that this concept boost applied to all his spells, more noticeably on his offensive spells since it directly increased their speed.

He refrained from using attack spells like [Zeus’ Thunderbolt] because they were one-offs. Elemental spells like this allowed him to observe speed with minimal harm to the surroundings and could last for a longer time, providing valuable insights applicable to other offensive spells. Each mana particle held a minuscule trace of intelligence. While individually insignificant, when grouped and organized using special spells, wizards could craft semi-independent summons capable of battling on the battlefield. That was elemental spells.

For his final experiment, Zack expanded his domain once more, dismissed the previous Garuda, and cast the level 3 version.

A monstrous surge of mana erupted from Zack's body, coalescing into countless bolts of lightning as thick as pythons. Together, they cascaded down like a roaring waterfall, dancing and intertwining to form a massive creature. Before his eyes, a beast unlike any other wizard, except Zack, had ever seen took shape—a creature reminiscent of the demigod the spell was named after.

"HAHAHA, welcome, Garuda!" Zack exclaimed, as the creature took its formidable form. An intense pressure radiated from the creature, wreaking havoc around it, but Zack remained unfazed. "Alright, enough showing off. Shrink down."

Garuda screeched in agreement, though Zack sensed a hint of discontent. "Figures, stronger spells always come with a few quirks," he mused.

He commanded Garuda to take flight once more. With enhancements from his domain, the level 3 spell structure, his increased mana purity, and the speed concept bestowed by his mana, Garuda moved through the room with seamless fluidity, blending into the space itself. Zack's domain suppressed wind movement, rendering Garuda's flight invisible even to his enhanced eyes.

"HAHAHA, this is insane!" Zack exclaimed, only able to track Garuda's movements when he activated his [Triple Enhancement].

***

While Zack was busy enjoying his newfound powers, deep within the Forest of Death on the edge of the Abyss, a strange phenomenon occurred.

A torrent of red mist billowed forth from the depths of the Abyss, pouring out like a crimson sea into the sky. Yet, as the mist rose higher, it dispersed with the wind, blending into the air and losing its color as it spread across the continent.

In the midst of this eerie event, a lone monkey, separated from its pack and surviving a perilous journey into the heart of the forest, suddenly began to choke. Collapsing to the ground, it writhed in agony, clutching at its throat.

Over time, the monkey's fur shed, its body expanding until it doubled in size. When it awoke, its eyes glowed with an ominous red hue. Confusion gave way to a calm demeanor as it surveyed its surroundings, its face now bearing an unsettling tranquility.

Crafting a makeshift spear from a branch and stone, the transformed creature found a secluded spot among the trees. Bathed in moonlight, it closed its eyes and began to consciously draw mana into its body.

In another corner of the forest, a pack of wolves suddenly collapsed, writhing in agony. Unlike the monkey, these wolves underwent a different transformation. They grew larger and larger until they were three times their original size, their fangs and claws sharper, their fur and skin tougher. Their once-blue pupils now glinted with a menacing red hue, and they exuded a ferocity beyond anything they had shown before.

Magical plants in the vicinity also underwent dramatic changes. Some shot up in height and size, while others transformed entirely. Carnivorous plants sprouted thick legs, allowing them to roam and hunt prey actively. Even insects weren't spared, as they too grew in size.

Similar phenomena occurred throughout the Forest of Death. Some magical beasts shed their fur and adopted a bipedal stance, potentially indicating increased intelligence. Others simply grew stronger and larger, but with a newfound ferocity and aggression.

Soon, the effects spread beyond the forest's borders. Cows, sheep, pigs, and chickens grew larger and more powerful, their behavior turning berserk.

***

In the largest tent of the Serpentfang tribe, the strongest tribe in the Tribal Alliance, a man sat calmly, enjoying a dance performance before him. Abruptly, he sensed something amiss and turned his head towards the window, eyes scanning the sky. The man, the chief of the Serpentfang tribe, a level 3 powerhouse, thought, "There's a disturbance in fate, larger than ever before. Not even during the great holy war over a hundred years ago was the turbulence this chaotic."

In the capital of the Holy Empire, within the grandest church of the city, a lone man clad in golden armor knelt on the floor, hands clasped in prayer. Suddenly, he, the grand paladin of the Holy Empire, also a level 3 powerhouse, opened his eyes and looked skyward, beyond the church's roof. "Another disturbance. Oh Lord, may many lives be spared, may they continue to live in happiness unaffected by the impending chaos. And may you guide and protect those caught in the turmoil."

Zack, on his way to the kitchen after wrapping up his experiments, suddenly felt his pupils shrink. He glanced upwards, his gaze piercing through the tower's roof and into the swirling chaos of fate in the sky. Under his breath, he muttered, "Oh, crap!"