The sound of birds echoed from various corners of the forest. The wind blew, knocking dry leaves from the trees. The long shadow from Rian's sundial stick began to appear, the shadow's length thickening from the opposite direction of the newly risen sun.
Sunlight entered the cracks of the cave and shone on Rian's sleeping face. The stone room felt silent, only the rhythm of his steady breathing filling the space. Rian woke up with a cheerful face, signaling he was really looking forward to practicing magic as he wished. All night, he had imagined becoming a hero who could control swords and magic, just as he had read in the panels of his dream comics.
Rian got up from his sleep and sat. He painstakingly lit a fire to cook his hunted game and ate the roasted meat after it was cooked to replenish his energy. The boar meat was tough but savory, traces of charcoal sticking to his fingers.
After Rian finished eating, he hurried to the front of the cave, looking at his stick clock. The shadow showed 9 AM, and Rian still believed it was nine o'clock, even though his gut wasn't so sure it was an accurate clock.
Rian opened the "Jampe Jampe" book. He opened it, page by page. He flipped through the pages that felt fragile and smelled musty. He wanted to try all the magic elements; he really wanted to be able to use magic.
Okay, I'm ready now. Let's see, first the book says I have to focus the mana flow to the path I want to use.
What I mean is, if I want to release magic from my fingertips, I have to focus the mana at my fingertips.
So the question is... How do you feel the mana flow? This is really ambiguous, I really can't imagine what mana flow is like?
Wait a minute, give me time to figure out how to feel mana, okay?
Not long after...
Now I can feel the mana flow.
Why could I feel mana so quickly?
I don't know either and I'm not sure if what I'm feeling is mana. But according to the book, the larger my mana vessel, the easier it is to feel the mana flow.
What does it feel like?
It feels like the blood flowing in our bodies. The difference is that it feels warmer if we feel it more carefully. The controlled mana flow will follow our thoughts on where to center it.
Let's try. I'm currently thinking of mana centering at my fingertips. And right now, the warm mana flow is streaming and swirling at my fingertips.
Weird? Yes, it's actually weird.
But we have to accept this strangeness, because this is a fantasy world.
Next, we read the spell. The language is so strange, and I suspect the language used for spells is the magic language of this world.
Let's see what the spell is.
"Seneu anu buleud, seneu anu hurung, Fireball!!"
As Rian focused his mana at his palm, a round ball of fire was created. Rian released it toward the cave stone, but the fireball just fell straight down without launching, hissing softly on the cold stone floor. The fallen fireball split and hit his foot. The smell of burning and a stinging pain immediately hit him.
Ehh.. a.. a.. Hot!
Why didn't the fireball launch? Is it because I only imagined the creation of the fireball in my hand?
I should have imagined a spring in my palm so the fireball would be thrown as I wished.
Let's try.
"Seneu anu buleud, seneu anu hurung, Fireball!!"
Rian did the same thing, but imagined a spring launching the ball from his palm in the direction he wanted. After Rian released it, the fireball shot toward its target, the cave wall.
The fireball flew quickly toward the wall and shattered, spreading out. A scorched fire mark was visible where it landed. The heat could still be felt from several steps away.
Waa!!! Cool... Cool... I love this!
But actually, I don't really like using magic for attacks. It's too troublesome to read spells. I want magic that, once the spell is read, can be used multiple times.
I remember the hero in the comic holding a sword whose blade was covered in fire. But the Jampe Jampe book doesn't explain that.
I opened the book again and read it more closely, page by page.
At that moment, I was shocked to see an arrangement of words explaining the letters and words that can be used in spells. Each word can be combined and become a. meaning, then that meaning will be realized in the form of magic we will use.
"'Seneu anu buleud' means Fire that is round. 'Seneu anu hurung' means fire that is burning. So, a round and burning fire becomes Fireball. But this explanation is really brief.
So if I want to master magic or create magic, I at least need to know the magic language. Is there a book like a dictionary? I don't know. I give up on creating magic.
I'll just learn what's in the book first.
I saw a spell on one page, explaining that this spell would drain a lot of mana when used and would constantly absorb mana. And this magic is rarely used because it's a waste of mana.
This magic is called Blade Fire. Fire magic that will stably cover a sword blade, and will burn anything hit by the sword covered in this fire. This is a blue fire where mana usage will be very wasteful.
This is perfect for me. I also want to try to exhaust my mana, which has such a large vessel I can even hold my breath for a full day.
I took my sword out of the Storage and focused mana in my arm, imagining fire coming out of this sword. I also flowed mana into this sword.
Rian got ready and took a swordsman's stance, holding the sword with both hands.
"Moal aya seneu anu nempel kawas kieu, geura hurung geura kuat… BLADE FIRE!"
Blue fire began to ignite from the sword's sharp tip, spreading across the entire blade, and then spreading down the blade and burning his hands. The sword hilt, which should have been safe, also heated up.
Aaaaaa.... Hot... hot... hot!
Rian threw his sword. The fire immediately went out, and Rian suffered burns on his right arm.
Ah, damn it! Why did the fire spread to my arm? It seems I have to think about the fire stopping right at the border of the blade and the hilt so it doesn't hit my arm.
I healed myself with my healing spell. I have plenty of mana, because the vessel I trained is so large, my magic experiments aren't hindered.
Tried once, failed. Tried twice, failed. Tried a third time, failed again. I corrected every failure, from my way of thinking, my visualization, and how to flow mana into the sword more efficiently without hurting myself.
Every day I did the same training and tried other magics, from fire, water, ice, wind, light, even darkness. I tried everything in that book.
Week after week, I never gave up. Every failure, I would revise and try again. Try, try, and try. Failure always happened.
Without giving up, month after month, eight months passed. I succeeded in mastering all the magic elements. And of all the magic, the one I like most is Blade Fire. It's the most suitable for me.
Some time ago, I managed to balance that magic's power for hunting. The magic proved very efficient.
"Moal aya seneu anu nempel kawas kieu, geura hurung geura kuat… BLADE FIRE!"
A blue fire ignited perfectly on Rian's sword blade. The blue fire danced stably, casting a light that was both terrifying and beautiful in the dark cave. Then Rian raised his sword.
"This is the magic sword technique I like the most!" Rian shouted, celebrating his success in mastering the magic.
You know, the result was amazing. The boar that hunted me when I was meditating and training my breath, I got my revenge. I chased it and slashed it with Blade Fire, and it turned into roasted pork. It's very practical and great, you know.
Suddenly, it's been a whole year that I've lived in this cave. And for one year, you all have accompanied me. Thank you for accompanying my training. I want to continue my adventure, do you want to come? Come on, I'm sure my adventure won't be boring.
Back to the story.
I packed all my things, brought the two intact books, and I will head to the Fulakmi Kingdom. Hopefully, I'll get new knowledge there and become a great hero.
As I passed the cave mouth, leaving the cave, I looked at it. There was the rock where I sat cross-legged all day, and in front of it, the stick still stood, intact but dry, which witnessed the beginning of my life in this world. The scratches on the sundial were still clearly visible.
It's hard to leave, actually, but I think this is for the best.
The training was not easy, but Rian endured. A full year of struggle, he had transformed himself from a survivor afraid of death into a resilient fighter. Unfortunately, those two books were his only legacy of knowledge. Both tomes only contained basic spells, not advanced techniques.
Before leaving, he put the valuable books into his Storage, the magical cabinet unaffected by time. Then he hummed softly, staring at the cave mouth wall.
I'm really curious. Who made that secret room? Are they really still alive? Or...
Ah, whatever. These books are more valuable than my curiosity. If I meet the creator someday, I'll return them.
He was confident: the magic foundation he had was mature enough.
He had no idea that the cave was the safest fortress in the forest, the only sanctuary from hordes of vicious monsters. Goddess Bodas watched through a hologram, the corner of her lips raised in a mischievous smile.
"Can he live his new life well?" she whispered softly, her eyes sweeping over Rian's retreating form. "He doesn't know the troll he defeated earlier couldn't even go far from the cave. That troll wasn't a true warrior, but a victim of a deadly virus that suppressed its regeneration."
"Unknowingly, Rian defeated the weakest of the weak. In legends, a troll in prime condition can close wounds in an instant, its muscles strong enough to shatter stone, and its rage like thunder shaking the heavens."
"If this is just a small shadow of their power, what awaits Rian out there?"
The shadow of Rian's previous death flashed by. A loud laugh echoed, filling the eternal, illusory space of Goddess Bodas.
Rian's steps grew distant, navigating the forest corridors filled with whispering winds and the scent of danger. In the distance, a faint roar was heard, as if nature itself was warning of the trials ahead.
Behind the undergrowth, a pair of glowing red eyes lay in wait, marking the beginning of a battle that would test the limits of Rian's strength and conviction.
Honestly, at that time, I really didn't know. Look forward to the next adventure, thank you.