Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 02
Chapter Title: Prodigy of Magic
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I always tried to act calmly whenever danger came knocking.
I firmly believed that mindset would protect me.
And in reality, it had. Staying calm had gotten me out of danger every time.
In short, this was the moment I needed to be calmer than ever.
I calmly looked around before speaking.
“……Where is this place?”
A pitch-black sky without a single star.
A solitary purple moon floating in it.
A body that wasn’t mine.
A language of unknown origin spilling from my mouth.
That alone was enough, but then the old man’s response piled on.
“This is Asteron District 7. Or in other words…….”
“……The Trash Heap.”
“That’s right. It’s where people like you and me live.”
In the end, I had no choice but to accept it.
I had entered the world of [Devil Fantasy].
I didn’t know the exact cause, but I had my suspicions. Hadn’t I seen that strange message right before losing consciousness?
[The usage conditions for ‘Call of Destiny’ have been met.]
[‘Call of Destiny’ activates.]
‘No wonder it was a grade I’d never seen before…….’
It seemed that item was responsible for this situation.
Possession, reincarnation, or something similar.
“Is your head feeling better?”
At the old man’s words, I lightly touched my forehead.
A rough surface met my fingers.
It felt like dried blood hardened over time.
‘I must have hit my head.’
If this really was [Devil Fantasy], it made perfect sense.
The game started in the body of an NPC on the brink of death.
‘High chance it’s possession.’
Acknowledging that possibility had risen, I calmly replied.
“I’m fine.”
“You recover fast? You looked like you’d die any second.”
Of course. The body would heal the moment the player entered.
“……Yeah, whatever.”
“Hmm, lucky anyway. I didn’t fancy sleeping next to a corpse.”
I silently watched the old man chuckle for some reason.
His matted hair and grimy sackcloth made him look every bit the beggar.
But I didn’t feel repulsed.
My own situation wasn’t much different.
‘……This sucks.’
As I mentioned earlier, [Devil Fantasy] players started by possessing the body of an NPC about to die.
That made luck crucial in the early game.
The difficulty of the opening depended on where the possessed NPC lived, their status, and their circumstances.
From that perspective, I was screwed.
Anyone could see I was a beggar right now.
‘Damn it.’
Normally, you’d remake the character. No reason to start as a beggar in an already tough game.
But not now. I couldn’t even delete, let alone figure out how to leave this place.
Well, having received perks, it was a game in name only anyway.
Either way.
‘……Stay calm.’
I was in a precarious state.
If this was the world I knew, demons could pop out anytime, anywhere.
No time for self-pity.
I steadied my troubled mind and sought a way forward.
‘First, sort out the situation.’
Possessed into the game. As a beggar in Asteron District 7.
Putting it all together, the body I possessed was likely the character I’d created right before blacking out.
Which meant.
‘Perks.’
The perk rewards I’d earned should still be here.
I immediately searched my body, confirming my hunch.
Tucked away deep in my bosom: a single white card.
The Trait Selection Ticket.
Deciding I needed it now, I tore it without hesitation.
Then.
Drip-.
An eerie silence descended.
The cool breeze, the scurrying rat pups, the old man staring at me.
Everything but me froze, as if all function had ceased.
Time had stopped.
“So it works like this.”
Muttering in admiration, I stared straight ahead.
Flutter flutter.
Soon, cards with various illustrations fluttered before my eyes.
All gleaming with radiant golden light.
Swipe.
I gestured as if pushing through empty air, and the cards smoothly slid aside.
Around thirty in total. A lot, but I pushed them aside without pause. I already knew what I wanted.
Soon, I found the card with the desired illustration.
In the game, a message like this would’ve appeared.
[Prodigy of Magic (Trait/Mythic Grade)]
-‘Enlightenment’ state is permanently maintained.
-Magic learning speed, mana regeneration, and mana sensitivity each increase by 300%.
-Magic calculation ability is maximized.
-Maximum mana increases in proportion to magic growth.
-Magic growth limits are removed.
A blatantly overpowered trait, no matter who looked at it.
But when it came to actually picking it, I hesitated.
Was this the right choice for my current situation?
If it were a game, no question.
‘……This isn’t a game.’
I’d spent a year perfecting the build. The resulting mage was near perfection.
Confident enough to delete characters worth thousands or even millions.
But possession changed everything.
‘Too much risk.’
My build was high-risk, high-reward. Aimed at explosive late-game power, not early survival.
Solely for catching Baal.
But now, survival took priority over Baal.
No point in Baal if I died first.
Sure, death might send me back to reality…… maybe. But I couldn’t bank on such optimism.
In the end, I held off on the card and sorted through my tangled thoughts.
“How do I get back?”
First idea: reuse the item that brought me here, [Call of Destiny].
But it was a perk reward. No telling if I could get it again.
So, table that for now.
Next up……
“The ending, probably.”
Catch Baal and see [Devil Fantasy]’s ending. That seemed most likely now.
Problem was, it wouldn’t be easy.
“……Can I even do it?”
Honestly, I doubted myself.
How was real-me supposed to catch a boss I couldn’t in the game?
But if beating Baal was the way back and I failed, I might be stuck here forever.
“…….”
A crossroads.
Prioritize survival, or chase the slim chance of returning home?
Pick the former, grab a trait for immediate strength. Survival odds skyrocket.
The latter……
Countless brushes with death.
Roaming regions, hunting demons, facing legion commanders, scrambling for growth.
Dealing with relationships, quests, hunger, physical exhaustion. And finally, Baal.
Could I do it? Endure that grueling path?
Then, a conversation with my friend flashed in my mind.
-……Well, you seem dead set, so I won’t stop you. But…… can you actually catch it?
-Catch it for sure.
Back then, I brimmed with confidence.
Backed by 10 years of playtime, a year of build planning, massive perk rewards, and Baal patterns memorized from hundreds of attempts.
Ironically, nothing had changed now.
I had the play experience.
The build in my head.
The perk rewards.
The patterns memorized.
Even possessed in the game world, my ability to catch him remained.
Yeah, screw it.
“Let’s catch it.”
Resolving myself, I reached out.
Fwoosh!
The card burst with light. Soon, a powerful force seeped in.
From my fingertips to my heart. My eyes flashed open, and the world looked different.
New sensations bloomed.
I could see the mana flowing around me.
A thrilling shiver ran through me.
Like gaining enlightenment after centuries of patience.
‘……This is.’
Enlightenment.
Mana particles floating lazily in the air. No lessons, but I somehow knew I could control them.
Unfounded confidence welled from deep within.
Silently, I extended my hand.
Sss.
Faintly, but the mana moved toward me bit by bit.
About to pour in more will—
Time resumed.
“……Y-You?”
I quickly withdrew my hand. The old man stared at me, face full of bewilderment.
Did he see something?
Then.
“Aaang? What’re you guys doing!”
A burly beggar appeared out of nowhere. Reeking of booze, clearly plastered.
He alternated glances between me and the old man, then bellowed.
“Don’t you know this is my spot? Get lost! Now!”
And just like that, we were chased off.
***
“Huff……! Huff……!”
The old man panted heavily. We could’ve just walked out, so why run like that?
I approached, wondering if he needed support, but he flinched.
“Oh, it’s you! Where to now?”
“Still thinking.”
“Good for you!”
The old man grinned, baring yellowed teeth.
“If you’ve got nowhere to go, come with me?”
“Where to?”
“A great spot for folks like us!”
“Then why were you there instead of going from the start?”
“Ah, it costs a bit to get in…… but now it’s sorted!”
Rummaging in his sackcloth, the old man pulled something out.
A pouch. Shaking it side to side made coins jingle.
“What’s that?”
“Money! Stole it from that beggar who chased us off!”
The old man roared with laughter.
Ah, so that’s why he ran. Snatched it in that brief moment. Quite the deft old man.
Was that the goal all along?
“So, coming? I’ll cover your share!”
“……You’ll pay for me? Why?”
“You’ve grown on me.”
Suspicious. Money was a beggar’s lifeline.
No such thing as selfless favors, especially for the desperate.
“Of course, not for free. Promise to pay double back later, and it’s yours!”
There it is. Money was the goal.
Fair enough.
“Is it safe?”
“Absolutely. It’s a gathering spot for ex-mercenaries. Pay up, and they feed you, house you, everything. Security’s top-notch! Even demons won’t come near.”
‘Like a temporary shelter.’
Not entirely trustworthy, but no reason to refuse.
Better than the streets, wherever it was. Once I learned magic, money would flow.
Then I could escape this so-called Trash Heap, District 7.
“Let’s go, then. I’ll pay double.”
“Bit of a walk, so watch your step.”
After about 30 minutes.
The old man stopped before a large plank building.
Worn, but signs of sturdy repairs.
“This is it. I’ll go talk inside—wait here a sec.”
“Sure.”
The old man shuffled in.
I confirmed no one around and turned my gaze.
My hands had been itching since earlier.
“Think it’ll work.”
I cautiously reached for the mana particles. A little focus, and I could do it.
But contrary to expectations.
Pop.
The particles scattered into dust at my touch and vanished.
‘Not that easy, huh.’
Still, I was getting the hang of it.
What was needed now: repetition.
Pop. Pop! Pop……!
How many tries later.
“Oh, got it.”
Sss.
Finally, the mana particles obeyed my will.
Seizing the moment, I gathered surrounding particles into my palm.
A round orb formed.
Woooong!
In the game, called [Mana Compression]—simply compressing mana particles into a sphere.
A basic skill for casting magic, but far from easy.
‘……Took a week before.’
My previous swordsman character had learned it too. Needed basic mana control for Aura.
That took a full week.
Even after gifting an NPC master mage for favor and tips to speed it up.
Now? Maybe 5 minutes. Incomparably faster.
Definitely the effect of boosted magic learning speed and mana sensitivity from [Prodigy of Magic].
‘Mythic is mythic, alright.’
My lips curled up involuntarily.
I was certain.
At this rate, learning magic would be a breeze.