Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: 1st Circle Mage
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The thrill and ecstasy of surviving an undead wanderer.
A powerful rush of dopamine and adrenaline surged through me.
My hands were still shaking.
Until now, I'd only ever avoided the undead wanderers.
Killing one was a first in my five years of survival.
I'd always prayed never to cross paths with them, dodging them at every turn. But now, having slain one with my own hands, the sense of accomplishment was overwhelming.
I couldn't just let this slide.
I wanted to brag about my kill right away.
I immediately uploaded the video I'd just recorded to the gallery.
It was only a three-minute clip.
But it captured the charging undead wanderer and me burning it to death perfectly.
Come to think of it, they wouldn't know my face or voice.
Our connection in the Sage Time Gallery was just text.
Did Flame Burst require chanting?
Mine was chantless by default.
No, even if it did.
Chanting would give away my position, ruining any chance of a surprise attack.
In this ice age world, every battle started with an ambush.
Either I spotted and struck first, or I got ambushed.
No fair fights or duels existed.
Avoiding combat altogether was the best strategy anyway.
This was a matter of survival.
A hard-earned lesson from five years on the edge.
I stamped out the flames on the ghoul as Potion Addict instructed and harvested the materials.
She said these could be used to make glow potions and mana herb growth solution.
Butchering a corpse was gross, but I pushed through.
A little disgust now could pay off big later.
Somehow, I ended up learning alchemy from Potion Addict too.
Not a bad deal.
Alchemy seemed useful anytime, anywhere. Worth learning.
"All done?"
I left the dead wanderer's corpse and stood up.
Adjusting my night-vision goggles, I wandered the abandoned underground mall.
I rummaged until I found what I wanted.
Checked inside shuttered shops.
Looked for anything not yet looted.
After a long search, I found a body.
The freezing world had preserved it, barely decomposed.
Luckily, it hadn't turned into a wanderer.
No reaction even when prodded with a steel pipe.
'How long has this guy been dead?'
I opened the bag strapped to the man's corpse.
Inside: a broken flashlight, a dull kitchen knife.
And a tattered magazine.
"A magazine?"
An adult mag.
So worn from use.
Maybe a relic of our civilization? Cosmic Dust might like it. I'll keep it.
'What's he clutching so tightly?'
As I grabbed his bag to leave, his right hand felt off.
Even in death, it was clenched tight.
Traces of desperate resistance against thieves.
I pried it open to see what he held.
"Numbers?"
Nothing in his hand.
Just "48859279" scrawled on his palm.
Definitely a password.
Like for a safe lock.
'Died trying to get inside. Something's in there.'
I kicked away the broken glass and entered the shop he'd aimed for.
Nothing left inside.
Already looted clean.
But if my guess was right.
Something still untouched.
'Found it.'
Pushing aside a display rack revealed an odd floor tile.
Smashed it with the steel pipe—a safe, as expected.
Entered the code on the keypad lock. Opened.
Unexpected contents inside.
Textbooks filled the safe.
From elementary to high school.
Real ones, like from a classroom.
Perhaps someone's precaution against a future where all books burned.
Educators gathering them to preserve human civilization.
Kids still born even in an ice age.
Cosmic Dust was pleased.
Selling books meant for humanity's future to secure my own.
Couldn't be helped.
The living must live.
Back at base, I shipped the textbooks to Cosmic Dust and caught a quick nap.
When I woke, a gift from her awaited.
Her gift: a pitch-black slate.
No idea what it was or how to use it.
Extremely tough and light.
Cosmic Dust explained the Onyx Plate simply.
Basically, an indestructible writing pad.
Write on it, rub to erase—like a notebook.
Also had save and load functions, like a smartphone notes app.
Perfect for ice age mages who burn any paper they see as kindling.
Electronics, huh.
Broken ones? I could find plenty.
And exceeding quotas earned bonuses like this.
She's stricter about business than I thought.
Hearing about the Onyx Plate thrilled Firepower Enthusiast. She resumed magic lessons.
I'm still on the absolute basics.
Just learned to make fire.
To cast Fireball, weave one ring.
Circulate mana naturally through mana breathing into my body.
While forming an artificial mana circuit to accept it.
I jotted Firepower Enthusiast's formula on the Onyx Plate.
No need to open the gallery now—just check the slate.
"Like this?"
Inhale, feel the mana.
Guide it to my heart, circulate with blood. Repeat.
Thought the abstract instructions would be tough...
"It worked?"
An hour of meditation, and the ring formed naturally.
Does it usually come this easy?
Title: Reached 1st Circle
Writer: Apprentice Mage
(Fireball flying video)
Did as instructed.
Is this 1st Circle?
Yep, I'm abnormal again.
Reactions showed my magic learning speed was insanely fast.
Now even suspicions I'm a sage cosplaying weakling.
Really not.
It just worked when I tried.
"Hungry."
Casting magic worked up an appetite.
I munched fruit, enjoying the gallery fuss.