Immediately, the Book of Heroic Spirits unfurled in his consciousness, and the follow-up quest for the "Initiation" series slowly surfaced.
[Quest Update: Find high-quality, stable food and shelter, and make a true "heart-to-heart" friend.]
Shane silently read the mission details. The conditions were still technically simple—just an extension of the previous trial—but in this hellhole? It was a fantasy. A pipe dream.
He shook his head and turned his attention back to the reward he had just earned.
The dark gold card was hovering quietly in his mind, emitting a faint, ethereal glow.
A gentle stream of warmth flowed from it, mixing with the calories from the bread he had just eaten, slowly driving away the cold and fatigue that had settled deep in his bones.
In just a few seconds, Shane felt his lead-heavy body lighten up significantly. At the very least, standing up quickly didn't make him black out anymore.
This is good stuff, he praised inwardly. He casually pulled his sleeve down to cover his wrist. He called out in his mind, and the next moment, he felt a warm, smooth sensation in his palm.
The card wasn't metal or wood; it felt more like warm jade.
Shane hid it in his sleeve, rubbing it gently with his thumb. A strange sense of connection welled up inside him.
He intuitively understood that this card connected him to the entity the book had summoned—the Heroic Spirit whose true name was still a mystery.
Through this card, he could borrow a portion of that spirit's power.
For example—a Noble Phantasm!
Along with this understanding, information about "Heroic Spirits" flowed into his mind.
Heroic Spirits are beings sublimated from legends and anecdotes, possessing power beyond human imagination. Their Noble Phantasms are "crystallized mysteries," armaments forged from their core legends—the ultimate manifestation of their strength.
And now, if he wanted to, he could use the card to manifest this legendary weapon and wield it!
The reward from the Book of Heroic Spirits was incredibly generous. Shane couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from twitching upward.
The illusion of the snow mountain I saw earlier must be related to this spirit's identity... I wonder what kind of Noble Phantasm I can summon?
He was itching to try it out, like a kid with a new toy.
But after glancing at the others sitting or lying in the cell, Shane suppressed the urge. There would be time to test it later.
Just then, he noticed an old man with white hair looking at him. Their eyes met, and the old man smiled kindly. "Was it good?"
Shane paused, then realized he was talking about the bread. He grinned. "Cold, hard, and nearly choked me to death. But... for me, it was the best meal I've ever had."
"Haha! Honestly, I've always thought that stuff tasted like garbage, too." The old man seemed to find a kindred spirit, the wrinkles around his eyes softening.
"Hey! Grandpa Rob saved that food for you, you know. Show some gratitude!"
The guard had left, so the atmosphere in the cell had loosened up. Sho, the boy with the chestnut hair, scooted over familiarly and nudged Shane with his elbow.
Shane looked at the old man—shirtless, withered, ribs clearly visible against his skin. He stopped smiling and nodded seriously. "Yeah. I'm truly grateful."
His answer was so solemn that it made Sho feel a bit awkward. The boy scratched his head and mumbled, "Cough... well, you don't have to be that serious. I believe you."
"It's fine," Rob waved his hand, his smile peaceful. "I'm old, my appetite isn't what it used to be. Don't worry about it."
"Grandpa Rob is the senior here; he looks out for everyone. When he was young, he was a Mage in one of the Kingdom's top guilds," Jellal added, having composed himself.
"A Mage?" Shane's eyes lit up, and he leaned forward instinctively. "Old man, you know Magic?"
"Of course!" Rob turned around proudly to show Shane the guild emblem on his back. Branding his thin, bony back was a uniquely shaped creature. "I am a Mage of Fairy Tail! Of course I know Magic!"
But his voice quickly dropped, tinged with loneliness. "However... I've lost my Magic Power now. I'm embarrassed to shout about being from Fairy Tail in this state."
Shane stared at the emblem. It felt incredibly familiar, though he couldn't quite place where he'd seen it.
He pushed the thought aside and looked at the old man with anticipation. "Then... Grandpa, can you teach me Magic?"
"Magic isn't something you can learn that easily," Rob shook his head.
"Without grimoires, without systematic study... trying to master Magic in an environment like this is impossible. Unless you're a natural-born genius who awakens it instinctively... otherwise, there's no way."
"Is that so..." Shane lowered his head. He was disappointed. It was rare to encounter a supernatural power system, yet he couldn't learn it.
But then he thought about the Heroic Spirit Card he had just received. Wasn't that just another form of Magic? His mood brightened slightly.
"How could a genius like that get caught and thrown in here?" Sho interjected, his tone shifting to worry. "Anyway, forget about Magic for now. Look at your size—the real question is whether you can survive work tomorrow. The overseers' whips don't show mercy."
Sho wasn't exaggerating. People died on the construction site every day, either from exhaustion or from angering the guards.
"I'll do my best."
"Forget it, I'll keep an eye on you and help out," Sho patted his chest loudly. He liked this new guy's direct way of talking.
Shane looked at Sho, who wasn't even as tall as he was (in his original body), and found it funny, but he nodded earnestly. "Thanks."
"Make sure you don't draw the guards' attention. If it gets bad, you can come to me, too," Jellal added seriously. The workload was obviously no joke.
"Got it. I won't be shy about asking," Shane replied. He wasn't the type to be falsely modest. Even with the Book of Heroic Spirits, he hadn't figured out its full capabilities yet, so there was no point in acting tough.
Jellal then introduced two other friends: Wally, nicknamed "Mad Dog" (likely referring to his blocky/rough nature), and the youngest among them, Millianna.
Shane chatted with them briefly and was surprised to find that, despite being in prison, everyone was simple, kind, and easy to get along with.
During the conversation, he learned a key piece of information: In this tower, aside from the Dark Mages ruling over them, no slave could use Magic.
This made Shane realize just how special the Book of Heroic Spirits was—it could hand out Class Cards comparable to Magic at will.
Perhaps the day's labor had drained everyone, because the conversation didn't last long. One by one, they fell asleep, and soon the cell was filled with the sound of breathing.
Shane wanted to ask for more intel, but seeing how exhausted everyone was, he realized the importance of rest. Their warnings hadn't been a joke.
He lay down gently on the straw mat, closed his eyes, and planned to find a chance tomorrow to test the card.
Sleep came quickly. In his haze, he saw a vision.
He saw two armies clashing on a barren wasteland for decades, a war that seemed to have no end.
He saw common people struggling to survive amidst iron and fire.
He saw people condensing their hope into a single Bow and a single Arrow.
He saw a ruler personally hand these weapons to a man.
Finally, he saw that snow mountain again. The man, carrying the bow and arrow, began an endless climb into the wind and snow.
---
---
A piercing whistle drilled into Shane's eardrums like a chisel, dragging him violently from his sleep.
Shane woke with a start, his eyes still heavy, as if he hadn't fully emerged from the story in his dream.
Those images... were those the Heroic Spirit's past experiences? He focused on the card in his mind, feeling a mix of shock and curiosity.
As a history student, he was naturally drawn to such epic, historical scenes. It made him even more curious about the identity of this unnamed spirit.
Class: Archer... A widely known archer... Shane rubbed his chin unconsciously.
The scenes in the dream vaguely matched a legend he knew, but was this dream a projection of Earth's history or another world's? He couldn't be sure yet.
Whatever. I'll watch more, observe more.
Shane stood up thoughtfully. By now, he no longer rejected these uninvited visions. In fact, he was starting to look forward to the next "dream."
Next time, I'll definitely figure out his identity!
"Time to go." Jellal, who was already awake, gave him a gentle shove, urging him in a low voice.
Shane snapped back to reality. Looking around, the others had already gotten up in silence, forming a line quickly and calmly.
"Move it! Move it! You damn lazy pigs!"
Outside the bars, several overseers in robes with vicious expressions were waving whips and screaming.
Shane noticed everyone kept their heads down, avoiding eye contact.
Don't draw attention!
Remembering Jellal's warning, Shane quickly followed suit, lowering his head and blending naturally into the line.
The column of prisoners began to move, leg irons clanking against each other. As they stepped out of the prison block, the blinding sunlight made him squint instinctively.
After a moment of adjustment, the sight before him made his breath hitch.
It was a tower.
A stone tower so massive it defied imagination, looking as if it intended to pierce the heavens.
It was built from rough, dark stone, already reaching a staggering height. Countless people, looking as small as ants, were scrambling over the tower and the surrounding scaffolding.
The clanging of hammers, the grinding roar of massive stones, the cursing of guards, and the crack of whips all mixed together into a deafening wall of sound.
"So this is... the Tower of Heaven we're building?" Shane muttered to himself, recalling the information from the night before.
Rumor had it that the Dark Magic Cult was building this to resurrect the Dark Wizard they worshipped.
It was a forbidden Magic construct—the R-System.