Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Fortuitous Encounter (2)
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At first, he thought it was a mistake. But even when he closed and opened his eyes, the blue light shimmered in the distance. Suhyun straightened his posture, tension rippling through him. There was a proverb on Cameron Planet.
“If you see something, assume it’s a monster first.”
A monster living in a cave, emitting a blue glow... Suhyun couldn’t recall any such creature from his memory. He approached slowly.
It wasn’t a monster.
It was simply a mass of blue light. Suhyun reached out toward it as if drawn by some compulsion. Slowly, cautiously...
“?!”
The instant his fingertips touched it, Suhyun felt himself being pulled somewhere, and his consciousness faded.
* * *
He prided himself on having had his fair share of bizarre experiences on this planet—enough to count on one hand—but this was a first. When Suhyun awoke, he first checked where he was.
It was a cave similar to the previous one, but definitely not the same place. The air smelled different.
Suhyun realized the cave was already bright enough that no additional light was needed. He had arrived in a massive circular hall.
There were no visible exits or entrances. Only a central altar and a chair came into view.
“What is this...”
It would have been better if it had just attacked him outright. He hated being dropped into inexplicable situations like this. Suhyun scanned the surroundings once more.
No matter how he looked, there was no exit or entrance. Giving up, he headed toward the center.
A single book rested atop the central altar. Bound in black leather, it exuded an eerie aura. And on the chair in front of the altar sat a corpse.
‘It doesn’t look human.’
It was clearly an old corpse. No flesh remained; only bleached bones sat propped up. Yet Suhyun could identify the race from the skeleton alone. This bone structure closely resembled that of an elf.
‘Did it get ambushed?’
Suhyun thought so because the elf’s skeleton wasn’t intact. The bones sat crookedly on the chair, missing the arm and leg bones entirely. They had clearly been severed in some accident.
A pang of sympathy hit him—fellow sufferer of lost limbs. Having lost his own in an accident, Suhyun brushed off the dust clinging to the top, straightened the skeletal remains, and seated them properly on the chair.
-Excellent.
“?!”
-You have passed the second trial.
“What...”
Suhyun immediately put distance between himself and it, scanning the area. But no enemy appeared.
“Where are you!”
-I am the Great Mage Lubenfelt. I’ve been waiting for someone like you.
Suhyun realized the voice wasn’t coming from anywhere external. It was being transmitted directly into his mind.
‘A Great Mage?!’
Great Mage. It meant a powerfully skilled magic user. Superpowers popped up occasionally on Cameron Planet, but mages only appeared in legends—they had never been confirmed in reality. Not because it was impossible, but because they were that rare.
If a superpowered individual awakened their innate ability, a mage was someone who, through acquired effort, honed that power and awakened a second ability.
Superpowered users wielded mana intuitively for their fixed, innate abilities. Mages, however, weren’t limited to one; theoretically, once they learned how to wield it, they could use any number of abilities without limit.
If not for ancient texts discovered through exchanges with other races, humanity wouldn’t have even dreamed that superpowered individuals could awaken a second time.
Superpowered awakenings were already rare talents, and refining that further to consciously manipulate mana required overcoming astronomically slim odds.
Suhyun had never seen a real mage himself. All he’d heard were rumors that some of the deep-dwelling other races might have one.
Even superpowers were still under intense research; magic, a higher realm, hadn’t even begun to be studied. Naturally so, since no human mages existed.
-First, I tested your aptitude. Without innate ability, you wouldn’t have reached this place.
“!”
The blue light mass. That’s what flashed in Suhyun’s mind. The blue glow that had transported him here when he reached out—had it actually been testing him?
“Innate ability... You mean a superpower?”
But the voice didn’t answer his question.
-Second, I tested your character. An insolent one would have gone for my magic book before my remains. Had you done so, you wouldn’t have heard my voice.
A chill ran down Suhyun’s spine. In other words, touching that book first would have killed him. He’d nearly died from a single curious twitch of his fingers.
“This damn...”
Being human, and having suffered an accident himself, Suhyun had checked the corpse first. But if another race had come here, they’d have recognized this as a mage’s lair immediately. To them, mage tales were lived experiences, not legends. This Great Mage’s trap was designed to weed out exactly those types.
Anyway, whether luck or character, Suhyun had passed the trials. Grateful to still be breathing, he asked,
“Hey, since I passed the tests, shouldn’t you answer my questions?”
-You must have many questions by now. I understand. Mortals can’t quench their curiosity to the end. But I cannot answer you. These are words I left before my death.
“...You’re not listening to this, are you?”
The perfectly timed response left him uneasy.
-After awakening my ability, it took over decades of training to awaken to magic. Even then, I continued exploring the world of magic. Its realm is endlessly vast. Those who haven’t stepped into it wouldn’t grasp...
Lubenfelt didn’t seem much for humility. Suhyun could understand. Even superpowered users brimmed with arrogance; reaching magehood on top of that must breed immense pride in one’s abilities.
-After long years of crafting and exploring spells, I looked back to find death approaching. Even a Great Mage can’t escape the end. Death itself doesn’t sadden me. But I couldn’t bear my life’s achievements vanishing. Thus, I prepared this trial. If you have the ability and the character, take my magic book without hesitation!
The voice fell silent after that. Suhyun stood frozen, rooted to the spot.
‘Take the magic book?’
Having just heard about the blatant trap, he had no intention of moving rashly. Suhyun paused to think. At least the magic book wasn’t vanishing anytime soon.
Magic book. From Lubenfelt’s words, it clearly recorded the spells he’d created in life.
Magic was ultimately artificial superpowers. A telekinetic superpowered user learning to wield other abilities—that made a mage.
So possessing that magic book meant expanding the number of superpowers he could use?
A tantalizing prospect. Telekinesis alone allowed him to fight monsters barehanded through clever application. What more could he do with additions?
Suhyun cautiously approached and picked up the magic book. Instantly, it blazed with intense light, burning in his grasp, pain searing his hand.
“?!?!?!?!!”
He tried to drop it from the agony, but it wouldn’t release. Something powerful surged through his hand into him.
‘Passing out again...!’
With that thought, Suhyun lost consciousness once more.
* * *
When he awoke from the blackout, Suhyun realized he was back in the original cave. Not that brightly lit space, but the dark, narrow tunnel.
‘It wasn’t a dream, was it?’
The alien sensation in his heart told him otherwise. Suhyun closed his eyes and focused on it, like when wielding telekinesis—channeling power to this foreign presence...
“!”
An unexpected vision appeared. Suhyun floated in empty space, countless books drifting around him.
-I will teach you the path to magic, but mastering it requires your own effort!
Lubenfelt’s voice. Suhyun was certain he’d used the magic book correctly. He grabbed a passing book. Opening it flooded his mind directly with its contents.
[Ignition]
Flame Grass: 0/5
Kallas’s Flame: 0/2
Salamander Essence: 0/1
“This, this is...”
Suhyun understood immediately. These were the requirements to learn Ignition! He didn’t know what Kallas’s Flame or Salamander Essence were, but Flame Grass was famous among medicinal herbs.
‘Mastering magic requires my own effort?’
Just from Ignition, the requirements looked daunting. Flame Grass was rare, but the others were complete mysteries.
‘Then, the most essential one for me right now.’
Suhyun had no intention of becoming a Great Mage. Spending a lifetime training in magic alone—what would that achieve? To him, superpowers and magic were like guns or knives. Convenient, simple weapons. Nothing more, nothing less.
If even one spell demanded such effort, he needed to prioritize the most useful and necessary. Suhyun knew exactly what he wanted most. A power he’d coveted since his injury, one he’d always envied.
Healing.
‘Found it!’
[Healing]
Troll Blood: 0/10
Troll Heart: 0/1
White Crane Herb: 0/1
‘...Looks like I really have to go hunt some trolls.’
Two of the requirements came from trolls. He hadn’t planned on troll hunting, but now he’d hunt even troll grandpas if needed.
Healing. The ability Suhyun had desperately wanted when injured. If he gained it as magic...
His mind swelled with dreams, but Suhyun shook his head, snapping back to reality. It was astonishing luck, but he had a more pressing issue now.
‘How do I get out of here?’