Her face darkened. "That brat... Did he intentionally book the cheapest room just to destroy it? Don't tell me he can already use Tier 3 magic?"
Her anger flared at the thought of being tricked, completely misunderstanding Casphian's real situation.
...
...
...
[ 10:18 AM ]
Casphian entered a nearby library close to the training ground. The library was empty, in contrast to the buzzing training center.
"Hello," Casphian greeted the librarian.
"Hello, welcome. What can I help you with?" the librarian replied.
"Where can I find some magic spell books?" Casphian inquired.
"There are magic spell books up to Tier 3 on the second floor."
"Thank you." Casphian immediately went upstairs.
He checked several sections until he found the fire-type magic books. He browsed for a while before collecting every available spell, also grabbing some utility spells as well.
He walked to a corner table and placed the books he had gathered.
[ Ding! ]
[ You have learned the Magic Spell: Mana Shield ]
[ You have learned the Magic Spell: Heightened Sense ]
[ You have learned the Magic Spell: Smoke Screen ]
[ You have learned the Magic Spell: Blazing Arrow ]
[ You have learned the Magic Spell: Flame Wall ]
[ Ding! ]
[ Quest Completed: +3 SP ]
[ You have received a Quest from the Magic System ]
[ Learn a new Tier 3 Magic Spell - 0/1 ]
[ You have learned the Magic Spell: Fire Lance ]
[ Ding! ]
[ Quest Completed: +3 SP ]
[ You have received a Quest from the Magic System ]
[ Learn a new Tier 4 Magic Spell - 0/1
Time Limit: None
Reward: +3 Unallocated SP ]
Within just a few minutes, Casphian had learned six spells-something that would normally take a mage an entire month to memorize.
He was about to test Mana Shield and Heightened Sense, but feeling a bit hungry, he decided to head out to buy some groceries.
'He just checked in a few minutes ago. Kids these days...' The librarian clicked her tongue and sighed.
[ 11:34 AM ]
Casphian returned home and decided to cook beef steak for lunch.
After eating, he took a shower and thought about what to do for the rest of the day.
After some consideration, he chose to head to the low level hunting grounds to test his spells in real combat. Before that, he finished reading the
Once he memorized the book, Casphian practiced his new utility spells.
[ Mana Shield -
Description: Surrounds the caster with mana, blocking a portion of magical and physical damage.
Affinity: Any
Mana: 50 (Initial Activation) - Consumes 10 additional Mana every 30 seconds afterward
Mastery Rank: F- ]
[ Heightened Sense -
Description: Increases one's senses and perception.
Affinity: Any
Mana: 75 (Initial Activation) - Consumes 15 additional Mana every 30 seconds afterward
Mastery Rank: F- ]
[ You've gained +2 EXP on the Magic Spell: Mana Shield ]
[ Mana Shield (F-) - Progress: 2/100 EXP ]
[ You've gained +2 EXP on the Magic Spell: Heightened Sense ]
[ Heightened Sense (F-) - Progress: 2/100 EXP ]
He tried multicasting the spells but only managed to maintain three layers of Mana Shield. He also attempted to stack Heightened Sense, but since 1x and 2x produced the same result, he abandoned the idea.
Even so, with these new spells, Casphian felt relieved-his survival arsenal was steadily improving. He decided to raise both spells to E- before heading out.
-
[ 2:48 PM ]
Casphian arrived at the hunting ground gates after another taxi ride.
He presented his ID and was granted entry but was reminded to stay near the gates in case of danger.
"Thank you." He retrieved his ID and walked toward the nearby grassland.
While heading to the edge of the barrier, he cast Mana Shield and Heightened Sense. After a few minutes, Casphian encountered his first monster.
[ Horned Rabbit -
HP: 50
Strength: 1
Agility: 3 ]
He decided to test his newly learned spell.
[ Blazing Arrow -
Affinity: Fire
Tier: 1
Mana: 10
Mastery Rank: F- ]
[ You've gained +2 EXP on the Magic Spell: Blazing Arrow ]
[ Blazing Arrow (F-) - Progress: 2/100 EXP ]
He aimed carefully at the rabbit's head, applying his earlier theory and-
Zap!
The burning arrow pierced through its skull, delivering a clean kill. Unlike Fireball, Blazing Arrow emphasized penetration and accuracy over area damage.
[ Ding! ]
[ You have successfully hunted your first monster. A new system function has been unlocked - Leveling System. ]
[ Leveling System -
You gain EXP by hunting monsters. Each Level Up grants +1 point to a random stat. ]
"Oh, that's fortunate. Now I don't have to overthink how to use my extra SPs, and I have more reason to hunt while practicing my spells." Casphian felt overjoyed and more confident about monster hunting.
[ You have gained +10 EXP ]
[ EXP: 10/100 ]
[ You have received a Quest from the Magic System ]
[ Hunt 250 Monsters - 1/250
Time Limit: 14 Days
Reward: +5 Unallocated SP ]
Soon after, Casphian tried his other spells. After some thought, he ventured farther into the grassland.
...
After walking for 20 minutes, and with the help of Heightened Sense, he managed to track down several monsters and find the perfect hunting spot.
[ Ding! ]
[ Quest Completed: +5 SP ]
[ You have received a Quest from the Magic System ]
[ Hunt 500 Monsters - 0/500 ]
[ You have gained +15 EXP ]
[ You have gained +10 EXP ]
[ You have gained.... ]
[ You have gained.... ]
[ ... ]
[ ... ]
After clearing the hunting spot, Casphian reached Level 9 and advanced all his newly learned fire spells to F+. Mana Shield and Heightened Sense also improved to E through constant use.
When he checked the time, it was already [ 4:36 PM ].
He decided to spam his skills in the area before nightfall.
[ 5:29 PM ]
By the time he returned, all his fire spells had reached mastery rank E, Mana Shield and Heightened Sense both advanced to E+, and his Fire Affinity had risen to D-.
The monsters he hunted dropped 3 rabbit horns and 2 wolf pelts, which he stored in his ring.
Once inside the barrier, Casphian deactivated Heightened Sense but kept Mana Shield active.
"Ah, a normal world after all that." Casphian let out a sigh of relief. With Heightened Sense on, he could faintly feel the world around him as if he had eyes everywhere. And with its mastery steadily improving, he wondered how much sharper it could become.
After passing through the gate, he immediately booked a taxi and went home.
Back at his place, he showered, rested briefly, and then cooked dinner-pork chops this time.
-
[ 6:27 PM ]
Casphian lay on his bed, checking his updated status window.
[ Fireball (E+) - Progress: 3850/5000 EXP ]
[ Fire Bullet (E+) - Progress: 3480/5000 EXP ]
[ Flare (E+) - Progress: 3285/5000 EXP ]
[ Heat Touch (E+) - Progress: 3155/5000 EXP ]
[ Mana Shield (E+) - Progress: 135/5000 EXP ]
[ Heightened Sense (E+) - Progress: 0/5000 ]
[ Smoke Screen (E) - Progress: 0/5000 ]
[ Blazing Arrow (E) - Progress: 0/5000 ]
[ Flame Wall (E) - Progress: 0/5000 ]
[ Fire Lance (E) - Progress: 0/5000 ]
-
[ Status Window -
Name: Casphian
Level: 9
EXP: 50/900
Title: None
HP: 100(+90)
MP: ∞ (EX)
Magic Talent: EX
Magic Affinity: $?#@#\$# (EX) - Sealed, Fire (D-)
[ Stats ]
Strength: 3 (+2)
Stamina: 8 (+3)
Agility: 4 (+2)
Perception: 7 (+2)
Unallocated SP: 12(+11)
[ Combat Skills ]
Tier 1 (Fire): Fireball (E+), Fire Bullet (E+), Flare (E+), Heat Touch (E+), Smoke Screen (E), Blazing Arrow (E)
Tier 2 (Fire): Flame Wall (E)
Tier 3 (Fire): Fire Lance (E) ]
[ Utility Skills ]
Mana Shield (E+)
Heightened Sense (E+)
-
[ Quest List -
Learn a new Tier 4 Magic Spell - 0/1
Time Limit: None
Reward: +3 Unallocated SP.
Raise any 2 Magic Spells to Mastery Rank (D-) - 0/2
Time Limit: 7 days
Reward: +2 Unallocated SP.
Hunt 500 Monsters - 12/500
Time Limit: 14 days
Reward: +5 Unallocated SP ]
Casphian practiced maintaining Mana Shield continuously. After an hour, he increased the layers from 3 to 4 and managed to sustain it indefinitely, thanks to his infinite mana.
"Four more weeks before the entrance exam. Let's do our best again tomorrow," he murmured as he drifted off to sleep.
...
...
...
The next day at the hunting grounds.
"We've been walking for 15 minutes and haven't encountered a single monster," a bulky man with knuckles complained, eager to break a sweat.
"Impatient muscle-head," a robed man remarked.
"Do you want to go, huh? Dickhead Mage," the bulky man threatened.
"Bring it on, motherfucker," the mage snapped back.
"HEY! Settle down," a man with a sword at his side intervened.
"Keep your guard up and shut up!" the swordsman, who seemed to be the leader, scolded the two.
After a few more minutes of walking, they found scorched grass and potholes scattered across the ground.
Following the trail, they eventually arrived at a bare grassland about 15 meters wide, with a 4-meter crater in the center.
"Holy shit. What happened here?" the bulky man exclaimed.
"Did a meteor fall here by any chance?" the mage speculated.
"Seems logical-unless an A-class mage decided to play around here in the low level hunting grounds."
The group continued to discuss among themselves, eventually deciding to find a new spot.
...
Ta! Ta! Tat!
Ta! Ta! Tat!
[ 8:00 ]
[ Ding! ]
[ Mana Shield mastery has increased to E+ -› D- ]
[ Quest Progress: Raise any 2 Magic Spells to Mastery Rank (D-) - 1/2 ]
[ Universal Roulette - 1x daily lucky draw is now available ]
-------------
The next chapter will be a timeskip covering the four weeks leading up to the entrance exam and school arc. Good night.