The dorm was just a short distance from the guild hall.
On the city's outskirts, tucked even further into a corner, lay a shantytown of small shacks clustered together.
This was where the rented lodging was located.
It was a space that couldn't be called decent even as a compliment—just barely enough for sleeping.
"Did you come after basic training by any chance?"
A guard with the neutral zone insignia emblazoned on his chest spoke up.
Without much explanation, I pulled out the lodging key I'd received earlier. He examined it briefly before guiding me deeper into the shantytown.
"Free rentals last one week. Exceed that, and you'll face a fine, so please keep that in mind."
"Thank you."
Creak.
The old wooden door swung open to reveal a tiny room.
A creaky wooden bed, a small table, and a single window—that was all.
At least it seemed regularly maintained; there wasn't any dust buildup.
A sparse setup fitting for a free rental.
Well... it'd be stranger to expect more from something free.
But right now, that wasn't the priority.
⚙ System Notification ⚙[1st Circle Shop has been unlocked.]
"...It's here."
The corners of my mouth curled up on their own.
I dove straight into the shop tab.
A category that had been grayed out until now greeted me with a radiant glow.
1st Circle Shop — Available for use [ 1st Circle Item Draw ] — Price: 1,000 Cash per draw That was it for the shop's offerings—just the item draw. It used to sell packages and other convenience items, but it looked like that had been changed. A little disappointing, sure, but it didn't matter. I bought a generous batch of draw tickets. [ 1st Circle Item Draw ] — Would you like to purchase 100,000 tickets? 100,000,000 Cash will be deducted. Purchasing 100,000 draw tickets deducted 100 million Cash. [ Single Draw ] [ 10x Draw ] — All drawn items are soulbound. Draws were limited to a maximum of 10 at once. Judging by the soulbound note, selling them to others for profit wasn't an option. That meant I'd have to head into the dungeon and farm magistones by force. Well, that could wait. I moved my hand to the 10x Draw. Then—flash! My vision flickered, and a cluster of small icons floated into the air. Basic Vitality Recovery Rune x4 1st Circle: Fireball Magic Scroll★ x2 Basic Mana Recovery Rune x5 — All results can be checked in the Item Storage tab. "Hmm." The first draw was basically a bust.Item Storage3 / 100
The Item Storage had 100 slots total.
Items bought with paid currency were stored here first.
Same-type items stacked up to a certain quantity.
Take this Vitality Recovery Rune, for example.
When I hovered over the rune, it popped out of storage.
Basic Vitality Recovery Rune x4 Runes came in all varieties—not just ones that restored stamina or mana, but also those that awakened spells or skills. These were stored separately in the Rune Page, which held up to five slots. I pulled all the runes from the draw out of storage and opened my Rune Page.Held RunesBasic Vitality Recovery Rune x4
Basic Mana Recovery Rune x5
None
None
None
Next up: the scrolls.
1st Circle: Fireball Magic Scroll★ x2 Scrolls were one-use items that let you cast spells without spending mana. Ripping them activated the spell, so stocking up was always smart. Hovering over the scroll pulled it from storage into my inventory.Inventory3 / 5
But scrolls had one special trick.
I hovered over the Fireball scroll in my inventory.
Then:
Combine the scrolls? "Combine." 1st Circle: Fireball Magic Scroll★★ The two scrolls merged into one, gaining an extra star. Power doubled too. Normally, scrolls had cooldowns when used, so people picked based on cost-efficiency. But with unlimited paid currency, combining them for more punch made sense. Still, scrolls weren't spells I cast myself. Which meant no EXP from enemies killed with them. "Just backups, after all." Scrolls were for emergencies—too inconsistent for main use. The real prize was drawing a Magic Awakening Rune and learning a spell properly. "Alright, time to draw some more..." [ Single Draw ] [ 10x Draw ] — Remaining tickets: 99,990 Outside, night had already fallen. Not particularly tired, though. I hit the 10x Draw again. Flash! Basic Vitality Recovery Rune x3 Basic Mana Recovery Rune x5 1st Circle: Light Magic Scroll★ x2 Similar results. I hit it again without batting an eye. Flash! Basic Vitality Recovery Rune x6 Basic Mana Recovery Rune x2 1st Circle: Heal Magic Scroll★ x2 Again. Flash! Flash! Flash! I mechanically spammed the 10x Draw button. Dozens, hundreds of draws flew by.⚙ System Notification ⚙[Item Storage is full!]
Soon, the 100-slot storage filled up.
I opened it and sorted through the junk runes and scrolls.
⚙ System Notification ⚙[Soulbound items cannot be traded.]
[Delete items?]
"Delete them."
Space cleared, I resumed drawing.
How much time passed?
The faint noises from beyond the shanty's thin walls had all died down.
In the silent room, only the rhythmic system chimes from my draws echoed steadily.
— Remaining tickets: 87,450
Over 12,000 draws already.
My inventory and storage brimmed with 1st Circle scrolls and basic recovery runes.
I'd merged scrolls as much as possible, but limits applied.
1st Circle: Fireball Magic Scroll★★★ — Maximum grade. Scroll merges capped at three stars. Inventory space was tight at five slots, storage at 100—so most draws got trashed. Still, what I wanted hadn't dropped. 'Were the odds always this bad?' Memory was fuzzy. I numbly hit 10x Draw once more. As always, a plain white light burst before my eyes... That was the moment. Kwaaaaaaaa—! "It's here!" A blinding radiance unlike any before, filling the entire room. Dazzling light poured from the status window, nearly blinding me.⚙ System Notification ⚙[Congratulations on your first Legendary item!]
The golden glow faded slowly, leaving one icon among the ten results shining gold.
With trembling hands, I checked it.
1st Circle Magic Awakening Rune "...Finally." It was here. I selected the glowing golden rune from Item Storage right away.1st Circle Magic Awakening Rune[Grade: Legendary]
[Awakens one 1st Circle spell matching the user's mana affinity and potential. Spell grade fixed at Legendary.]
Spells from Magic Awakening Runes matched the rune's grade.
Since draws yielded Legendary runes, the spell would be Legendary too.
There were three Legendary 1st Circle spells total.
Lowest tier, but highly versatile—great to have.
Using it was simple.
Press it to the body part with the strongest mana flow and focus your mind.
Usually the heart or forehead.
I perched on the bed and placed the rune against my chest.
Closed my eyes and concentrated.
Woooong—
The rune vibrated, dissolving into my chest with a soft light.
The instant it did—
"Gh...!"
A torrent of information flooded my mind like a storm.
How to channel mana, shape it, manifest it.
Like long-forgotten memories resurfacing, every detail of the spell etched itself into my brain.
I felt the mana circuits in my body writhing, carving new pathways.
How long passed?
After a long-yet-short span, all sensations vanished as if they'd never been.
I slowly opened my eyes.
Body felt a bit languid, but no issues otherwise.
⚙ System Notification ⚙[New spell awakened!]1st Circle: Chain Lightning[Grade: Legendary]
[Fires lightning at the target. Struck targets have a chance to chain lightning to nearby enemies.]
"Oh."
Chain Lightning was a farming specialist among 1st Circle spells.
Perfect for clustered enemies—chains between them for instant mass kills.
An excellent first spell.
"This'll do for now."
Drawing the Awakening Rune had been more hassle than expected.
The 100-slot Item Storage forced constant cleanups, dragging things out.
Call it here for today—rest up for tomorrow.
To make money, I'd need to hit the dungeon.