Cryace let out a low, resonant growl—not of pain, but of transformation. His body expanded, growing taller and more defined. The once-smooth ice that formed his limbs hardened into layered crystalline plates, each etched with glowing runes that pulsed in rhythm with his mana core. Jagged, crown-like horns of frost curved back from his head, and his eyes blazed with a deep, luminous blue—ancient, sharp, and intelligent.

The swirling mana began to condense, spiraling inward as the violent storm of energy stabilized. With a final surge, the light exploded outward in a blinding flash.

Silence followed.

When the glow faded, Cryace stood tall and regal, his presence far heavier than before. The air around him shimmered with cold authority, the very essence of winter bending subtly to his will.

"Wow… you really did it," he said, his voice noticeably more mature than before, though his expression still carried a hint of childish wonder.

[ Congratulations Your bonded Ice Spirit have evolved into Legendary Ice Spirit ]

[ The Shared Skill Ice Spirit Magic is now Legendary rank ]

Mike leaned back against the wall, letting his mana slowly recover. "Told you," he said with a tired nod.

"You are truly something else, human," Cryace said.

"I will call you when need arrives, if not I will just use the Ice Spirit magic I got from you"

Mike lifted his hand, and Cryace bumped it lightly with his fist. "Sure. Just call me when you need me. For now, I'm heading back, fufufu~ I am pretty sure others will surely get jealous of me now."

With a playful laugh, Cryace dissolved into shimmering frost and vanished into the snowflake mark on Mike's hand.

Mike exhaled and muttered, "Now let's see how Lily's rank-up went…"

He pulled out his phone and called her.

The phone rang for a few seconds before she picked up.

"Mike! I was just about to call you about the rank-up!" she said excitedly.

"What happened?" Mike asked, already smiling at her tone.

"Well, what do you think my rank-up quest was?" she asked eagerly.

"Hm… your class is B-rank, so I'm guessing a peak Rank 1 monster?" Mike replied.

"Yes! It was a peak Rank 1 monster—but listen to this!" she continued excitedly. "I went into a Rank 3 dungeon where the boss was a peak Rank 3 monster. After leaving you, I asked my father to get me a necromancy skill book, and he managed to find one through an old academy friend who was a necromancer."

Mike raised a brow, already sensing where this was going.

"So I used it," Lily continued, practically buzzing with excitement. "I raised every undead I could find—turned them all into Death Knights using my crazy mana reserves—and then I sent them all at the Rank 3 boss!"

Mike let out a stunned laugh. "Yeah… I can imagine. That thing didn't stand a chance."

"Exactly! It didn't even get time to retaliate," Lily said proudly. "I crushed it completely."

Mike shook his head, half amused, half amazed. He had just defeated a Leviathan after an brittle and long fight and here she was casually talking about overwhelming a peak Rank 3 boss like it was nothing.

"And that's not all," Lily added. "I got an SSS rating for it, and my potential ranked up."

Mike nodded ,. "So, this is the surprise you were talking about?" he asked.

"Yep! I'm officially an A-Rank Water Mage now!"

"Congrats," Mike said with a smile.

"Thanks," Lily replied, beaming. "By the way… how did yours go?"

"Well, I used my Mythical Lich to overpower an early Rank 2 boss and ended up getting an SSS rating. So now I'm an E-rank Knight."

"What? No way!" Lily exclaimed. "You got it too? Damn, that Mythical Lich is seriously broken."

Mike's lips twitched. "And who's the one saying that?" he asked dryly.

Lily blushed slightly at his tone. "A-Anyway," she quickly changed the subject, "I called you for another reason. I got a new skill from the Cyclops dungeon that you can use."

"Oh? That's perfect," Mike replied. "I was going to call you too. I got two ice magic skill books, and I wanted to give them to you."

"Great! Then let's meet at the Fairy and Devil Restaurant," she said.

Mike nodded, and the call ended.

He headed home briefly to change his clothes, then made his way toward the city center, where the famous Fairy and Devil Restaurant was located—a towering, elegant building divided by rank. The lowest floor served Rank 0 adventurers, while the second floor was reserved for Rank 1 and above.

Before going there, however, he first stopped by the Supernatural Association to update his rank. Concealing one's true power was considered illegal, and he had no intention of getting into trouble over that. The process was surprisingly quick; within ten minutes, he was handed a new identification card reflecting his updated status.

With that done, Mike left the association building and headed toward the Fairy and Devil Restaurant. It was only a five-minute walk away, so he decided to go on foot.

As he approached the towering building, Mike immediately spotted Lily standing near the entrance. She leaned casually against the polished stone railing, her long hair catching the light as people passed by. Even among the crowd of adventurers, she stood out effortlessly.

She noticed him the moment he came into view and waved enthusiastically. "Hey! Over here!"

Mike walked up to her, hands in his pockets. "You didn't go in yet?"

"I was waiting for you," she said with a smile. "Did everything go smoothly at the Association?"

"Yeah," he replied. "Rank updated, no trouble. They didn't even ask many questions."

Lily nodded knowingly. "That's good. It would've been annoying if they started digging."

"I was surprised too," Mike said. "I expected them to ask questions. I mean, an F-rank Knight becoming Rank 1 within a month isn't exactly normal."

Lily smiled and pointed at his outfit. "You're wearing the Transformed Knight set. They probably sensed it and assumed you're from some powerful family, so they didn't bother questioning you."

Mike nodded thoughtfully. "Hmm… that might be the reason."

"So, did they question you at all?" he asked.

"Yeah, they did," Lily replied. "But I guess it wasn't as suspicious as yours."

Mike nodded in agreement. "Yeah, with your B rank is somewhat normal" He said.

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