diff --git a/src/components/reader/Reader.svelte b/src/components/reader/Reader.svelte
index da4ff61..06f4a33 100644
--- a/src/components/reader/Reader.svelte
+++ b/src/components/reader/Reader.svelte
@@ -37,13 +37,13 @@
   const pageCache = new Map<number, string[]>();
   const inflight  = new Map<number, Promise<string[]>>();
 
-  const isAuth = () => (appStore.settings.serverAuthMode ?? "NONE") === "BASIC_AUTH";
+  const useBlob = $derived((appStore.settings.serverAuthMode ?? "NONE") === "BASIC_AUTH");
 
   function resolveUrl(url: string, priority = 0): Promise<string> {
-    return isAuth() ? getBlobUrl(url, priority) : Promise.resolve(url);
+    return useBlob ? getBlobUrl(url, priority) : Promise.resolve(url);
   }
 
-  function fetchPages(chapterId: number, signal?: AbortSignal): Promise<string[]> {
+  function fetchPages(chapterId: number, signal?: AbortSignal, priorityPage = 0): Promise<string[]> {
     const cached = pageCache.get(chapterId);
     if (cached) return Promise.resolve(cached);
     if (signal?.aborted) return Promise.reject(new DOMException("Aborted", "AbortError"));
@@ -52,7 +52,10 @@
       const p = gql<{ fetchChapterPages: { pages: string[] } }>(FETCH_CHAPTER_PAGES, { chapterId })
         .then(d => {
           const urls = d.fetchChapterPages.pages.map(p => plainThumbUrl(p));
-          if (isAuth()) preloadBlobUrls(urls, urls.length);
+          if (useBlob) {
+            if (urls[priorityPage]) getBlobUrl(urls[priorityPage], urls.length + 999);
+            preloadBlobUrls(urls.filter((_, i) => i !== priorityPage), urls.length);
+          }
           pageCache.set(chapterId, urls);
           return urls;
         })
@@ -286,12 +289,13 @@
 
     store.pageNumber = 1;
     try {
-      const urls = await fetchPages(id, ctrl.signal);
+      const urls = await fetchPages(id, ctrl.signal, resumeTo > 1 ? resumeTo - 1 : 0);
       if (ctrl.signal.aborted) return;
       store.pageUrls = urls;
       if (resumeTo > 1) store.pageNumber = Math.min(resumeTo, urls.length || resumeTo);
       pageReady = true;
       loading   = false;
+      if (adjacent.next) fetchPages(adjacent.next.id).catch(() => {});
     } catch (e: any) {
       if (ctrl.signal.aborted) return;
       error   = e instanceof Error ? e.message : String(e);
@@ -480,7 +484,7 @@
     const ahead = store.settings.preloadPages ?? 3;
     const current = store.pageUrls[store.pageNumber - 1];
     if (!current) return;
-    if (isAuth()) {
+    if (useBlob) {
       getBlobUrl(current, 999);
       const upcoming = Array.from({ length: ahead }, (_, i) => store.pageUrls[store.pageNumber + i]).filter(Boolean) as string[];
       const behind   = store.pageUrls[store.pageNumber - 2];
diff --git a/src/components/settings/Settings.svelte b/src/components/settings/Settings.svelte
index 0e975a0..4932ca8 100644
--- a/src/components/settings/Settings.svelte
+++ b/src/components/settings/Settings.svelte
@@ -1759,6 +1759,13 @@
 
               {/if}
 
+              {#if store.settings.serverAuthMode === "BASIC_AUTH"}
+                <div class="step-row">
+                  <div class="toggle-info"></div>
+                  <p class="auth-perf-note">Images are proxied through Tauri when Basic Auth is active, which reduces loading speed.</p>
+                </div>
+              {/if}
+
               <div class="step-row">
                 <div class="toggle-info"></div>
                 <div class="sec-btn-row">
@@ -2455,6 +2462,7 @@
   .sec-eye-btn { position: absolute; right: 8px; top: 50%; transform: translateY(-50%); display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center; padding: 0; border: none; background: none; color: var(--text-faint); cursor: pointer; transition: color var(--t-base); }
   .sec-eye-btn:hover { color: var(--text-muted); }
   .sec-btn-row { display: flex; align-items: center; gap: var(--sp-2); flex-shrink: 0; }
+  .auth-perf-note { font-size: var(--text-xs); color: var(--text-faint); max-width: 260px; line-height: var(--leading-snug); }
   .sec-action-btn { font-family: var(--font-ui); font-size: var(--text-xs); letter-spacing: var(--tracking-wide); padding: 5px 14px; border-radius: var(--radius-md); border: 1px solid var(--border-dim); background: none; color: var(--text-muted); cursor: pointer; flex-shrink: 0; transition: color var(--t-base), border-color var(--t-base), background var(--t-base); }
   .sec-action-btn:hover:not(:disabled) { color: var(--text-secondary); border-color: var(--border-strong); }
   .sec-action-btn:disabled { opacity: 0.35; cursor: default; }
diff --git a/src/lib/imageCache.ts b/src/lib/imageCache.ts
index 5cdfb67..012aad6 100644
--- a/src/lib/imageCache.ts
+++ b/src/lib/imageCache.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import { store } from "../store/state.svelte";
 const cache    = new Map<string, string>();
 const inflight = new Map<string, Promise<string>>();
 
-const MAX_CONCURRENT = 6;
+const MAX_CONCURRENT = 14;
 let   active         = 0;
 
 interface QueueEntry {