...The void did not have a concept of time, but the mind of an Archmage did....

...One hundred thousand years ago....

... For one hundred thousand years, his soul had been suspended in the absolute, crushing dark of the Creator's prison....

... His crime? Developing magic so volatile, so terrifying, that it threatened the very fabric of the established laws of reality....

...Then, the void cracked....

...[Syncing... 100%]...

...[Soul Integration Complete.]...

...[Warning: Target body possesses an extremely fragile mana vessel (1st Circle).]...

...[Error: Unidentified high-density energy detected within the vessel. Calibrating...]...

...Marcus opened his eyes....

...The air smelled of ozone, cheap instant ramen, and the distinct, hum of neon-lit mana-tech. He wasn't in the void. He was sitting on a squeaky mattress in a cramped, metallic-walled apartment. Before him, glowing in a pale, iridescent blue that no one else in the room could see, was a holographic interface....

...[Exclusive Player Status Window]...

...Name: Marcus (Reincarnated: 29th Archmage)...

...Class: Mage (Unawakened)...

...Mana Core: 1st Circle (Compressed)...

...Active Effect: Boundless Compression (Passive) ...

...Marcus stared at the floating text, a dry chuckle escaping his throat. "A status window? The divine laws of this era are governed by a system..."...

...He closed his eyes and looked inward, examining his new mana heart. It was pathetic. By the standards of this modern, dungeon plagued Earth, a 1st Circle core was the absolute bottom of the barrel barely enough to light a candle or spark a low-voltage battery....

...But as he focused, a smirk played on his lips....

...The core was tiny, yes, but the mana inside it wasn’t swirling loosely like a normal novice's. Thanks to the remnants of his ancient cultivation technique, the mana was packed together so tightly it had practically crystallized. ...

...It was a miniature, high density star....

..."They think a 1st Circle is weak because they only measure the volume," Marcus whispered, raising his right hand....

...He didn't chant. He didn't use a focus wand or a standard system-approved casting ring. He simply nudged a single, microscopic droplet of his highly compressed 1st Circle mana to his fingertips....

...Hum....

...The air in the room suddenly grew heavy. ...

...The gravity seemed to distort, pulling toward his hand. ...

...A tiny, deep-crimson spark ignited above his index finger. ...

...It wasn't larger than a bead, but the sheer thermal energy radiating from it began to melt the plastic casing of his desk lamp three feet away....

...This wasn't the 1st Circle fire. ...

...This was the highly concentrated, destructive output of a 5th Circle Great Explosion spell, compressed into the space of a single spark....

..."Interesting," Marcus said, snuffing out the flame with a flick of his wrist. "In this world, they rely on the System to guide their magic. They build wider pools, but they don't know how to condense the depth."...

...A sudden, sharp alarm blared from the street below, accompanied by the flashing red lights of a nearby warning siren....

..."Warning. D-Rank Dungeon break detected in Sector 4....

... All non-combatants please evacuate to the nearest mana shield shelter immediately."...

...Marcus walked over to the window, looking out at the towering, neon-lit skyscrapers of the sci-fi metropolis. ...

...A dark, swirling portal had torn open in the middle of the intersection below, and the first wave of armored beasts was beginning to crawl out....

...The 29th Archmage had returned. ...

...And Earth's system was about to be rewritten....