My Bugged System Made Me Too OP!-Chapter 18: Aura Mask
’I can keep going... I can keep absorbing more!’ he thought.
’My level won’t increase, but my mana certainly will.’
No matter how much mana he absorbed from his surrounding, it seemed like the system wouldn’t trigger a natural breakthrough.
He didn’t even know the limit he would have to reach before he would be able to manually break through.
Instead, all that would happen was an increase in his mana reserves.
His eyes began to shine faintly with realization.
A slight smirk formed at the corner of his lips.
This meant something very simple.
He did not need to rely solely on breakthroughs to increase his mana pool.
He could simply keep absorbing from his surroundings.
As long as ambient mana existed, he could refine it through his core and strengthen his reserves.
And it would not interfere with his rank progression.
Because he had the system.
Breaking through no longer depended entirely on swelling his core to its natural limit.
Absorption and refinement strengthened his internal foundation.
Leveling up elevated his stage.
That realization sent a thrill through him.
Without hesitation this time, he looked at the hovering prompt still waiting before him.
’Yes.’
The response was immediate.
[Congratulations! You have levelled up!]
[You’re now level 2!]
[Rank: Apprentice Magus (mid) >> Apprentice Magus (high)]
A surge of energy rushed through him.
His core trembled as a powerful wave spread outward along his veins. The golden mana flared brighter, expanding momentarily before stabilizing at a denser state.
He did not pause.
The accumulated EXP had been more than enough.
Another notification appeared.
[Congratulations! You have levelled up!]
[You’re now level 3!]
[Rank: Apprentice Magus (high) >> Apprentice Magus (peak)]
The second surge was stronger.
His veins pulsed visibly beneath his skin as the internal pathways widened again.
The affinity orbs vibrated intensely, lightning crackling more sharply while ice shimmered with deeper clarity.
His breathing grew heavier, but he remained seated.
Stable.
Then—
The third notification flashed before him.
[Congratulations! You have levelled up!]
[You’re now level 4!]
[Rank: Apprentice Magus (peak) >> Adept Magus (low)]
The moment the final message appeared, something inside him ruptured.
It was not painful.
But it was violent.
It felt as though a massive dam within his body had shattered.
A loud, internal crack echoed through his senses.
Then—
Mana exploded outward from his core.
Not the controlled flow he had been maintaining.
Not the steady surge from earlier level-ups.
This was a flood.
A torrent of golden energy burst from the center of his chest and rushed through every vein simultaneously. The pressure was immense.
His body trembled as the force expanded outward, forcing his pathways wider in an instant.
He clenched his teeth as the energy roared through him.
The difference was clear.
When he had broken through to mid–Apprentice earlier, the surge had been powerful but contained.
This—
This was several times greater.
Mana flooded his body in overwhelming waves, far more than what he had experienced before. It felt as though an entirely new reservoir had been unlocked inside him, pouring its contents into every corner of his being.
The golden light within him intensified to an almost blinding brilliance in his inner vision.
His affinity orbs responded instantly.
Lightning flared violently, arcs snapping along his veins with sharp intensity.
Ice crystallized with a deep, resonant chill, spreading cooling stability to counterbalance the explosive energy.
The two elements harmonized within the torrent, preventing the flood from tearing him apart.
His back straightened unconsciously as the final wave settled.
’Adept Magus rank...’
He had finally crossed it.
Not through years of slow cultivation.
Not through painstaking compression at the edge of a swollen core.
But through the system.
His eyes shone with unmistakable joy as he felt the mana course violently through his veins. It no longer moved like a stream. It felt like a river in flood season—strong, dominant, unstoppable.
The widened mana veins within his body carried the golden current with ease, yet the force behind it was immense.
Each circulation was heavy with power.
The mana flowed from his core outward, splitting cleanly as it passed through the two affinity orbs.
Lightning flared first.
Sharp sparks snapped along the inner walls of his veins, illuminating his inner senses with streaks of electric brilliance.
The energy was more refined than before, more responsive.
Then the ice orb pulsed.
A deep, cooling energy spread through the golden stream, tempering the lightning’s ferocity without weakening it.
The two elements surged together, intertwining before returning to the core in perfect synchronization.
Noah smirked.
A quiet chuckle escaped his lips.
He had once thought that reaching this rank would require years—if he reached it at all.
And yet here he was.
As if the system had been waiting for that exact thought, more translucent panels began appearing before him.
[Congratulations! You have broken through to the adept magus rank!]
[Milestone reached!]
[Rewards Granted: Aura Mask, Limit-breaker, Frost Blast, Lightning Chain, Freezing touch, ice hold, Lightning Arrow, Ice Spear]
His eyes widened slightly.
So many skills.
The list hovered steadily in front of him, each name clear and distinct.
But two names stood out immediately.
Aura Mask.
Limit-breaker.
His gaze fixed on them.
’Aura Mask... limit breaker?’
He had never heard of such skills before, so he was sure they were unique to the system.
The academy curriculum covered basic elemental spells for Apprentices and introductory combat techniques for Adepts.
Frost Blast and Lightning Chain sounded like advanced elemental attacks. Ice Spear and Lightning Arrow were clearly projectile techniques.
But Aura Mask?
Limit-breaker?
Those did not sound like standard academy abilities.
They sounded... different.
He frowned slightly, curiosity replacing his earlier excitement.
’What do they mean?’
As if responding to the question forming in his thoughts, two smaller tabs appeared before him, isolating the first skill.
[Aura Mask]
[Level: 1]
[Description: Allows you reduce or increase your aura by at most three ranks. Note: This doesn’t affect your normal rank.]
Noah read it carefully.
Then again.
Reduce or increase your aura by at most three ranks.
