Become a Mage
"Become a mage."
Vincent's abrupt words, tossed out in the mage tower master's chamber, left Yoahim utterly flustered. He widened his eyes and swallowed hard.
Suddenly telling him to become a mage? He lifted his bandaged arm—the one wounded by a dagger stab—and said, "Um… what did you just say…?"
"Hey, you idiot! Are your ears blocked up to your skull too? I said become a mage!"
Ah, so he hadn't misheard. Yoahim nodded dumbly to himself. But the situation still made no sense.
This had all unfolded after he'd successfully repelled Alkados's clone and the attackers. Yoahim had saved Vincent's life from the clone's assault, and then Vincent had finished the clone off for good. Afterward, Vincent had fixed him with a terrifying glare and demanded to know his true identity.
At first, Yoahim thought his cover as an apostle of the evil god had been blown. But Vincent hadn't even waited for an answer—he'd just turned and dragged Yoahim back to the mage tower.
And now… this.
"I'm not quite following… Why do I need to become a mage?"
Vincent glared at him. "Have you ever studied magic?"
"Not formally."
"But you can sense mana, right? And manipulate it?"
"Well… yeah. To some extent."
No point hiding it, so he answered honestly. Vincent let out a massive sigh, then bellowed, "That's why I'm telling you to become a mage, you moron! Someone who's never studied magic can sense and control mana? Do you know what people call that? Genius!"
Gasp! No way… Was he a magic genius?
Yoahim felt a momentary thrill, like he'd just uncovered the secret of his birth… but nah.
'Nah, that's just a skill.'
Yoahim didn't know the principles of magic. He'd been able to feel and wield mana ever since getting trapped in this game world—it was instinctive. But to others, it must've looked downright unnatural.
Of course it did. Becoming a mage in this world was notoriously difficult.
"Aw, you don't have to call me a genius… That's you, Tower Master."
"Of course I'm a genius!"
Fun that he didn't deny it. Yoahim chuckled, then jumped at the sudden roar.
"But even a genius among geniuses like me couldn't handle sub-space magic at your age! Get it? Your talent is insane! Compared to our tower—not to mention Kalsara Tower mages—it's on another level!"
Sub-space magic? Yoahim tilted his head, then it clicked. Ah!
He figured out why Vincent mistook him for a magic genius. When attacking Alkados's clone, Yoahim had pulled the oak staff from his inventory. To onlookers, it looked like he'd summoned it from sub-space.
Leon and Sasha had made the same mistake before, pegging him as the Ashen Dragon Bellrallion.
"Tower Master, I think there's a misunderstanding… That wasn't sub-space…"
"Not sub-space? So you developed the spell yourself? Impressive! A true genius would do that much!"
The misunderstanding was snowballing. Yoahim sighed.
"What's your name?"
Come to think of it, he hadn't given it yet. "Yoahim."
"Yoahim, huh. Fine, Yoahim. Show me a simple spell—anything."
Yoahim's spell repertoire was limited. Magic Missile and Fireball were item effects, and he couldn't show black magic. That left one option.
"Fine by me, but here?"
"No problem. Our tower has spatial magic wards, remember? Any damage auto-repairs. Go wild."
"Alright, then…"
He had to cast if asked. Yoahim extended his hand, focusing at his fingertips.
"Lightning Bolt."
Crackle! Yellow light flashed, and a small bolt shot out. It hit a bookshelf, ricocheted off the wall, then zapped the floor again.
"Hmm…"
Vincent, arms crossed, appraised it. "Incredibly fast cast speed. But the power's weak. Hm… Great mana sensitivity, poor control? Unusual. Normally, good sensitivity means good control too."
That's 'cause I'm not a real mage. Yoahim bit back the retort.
"Makes sense if you self-taught. Better this way—no bad habits. Blank slate's easier to teach."
This was veering toward apprenticeship. Uneasy, Yoahim spoke up. "Tower Master, sorry, but I have no interest in becoming a mage."
"What? What nonsense is that? No interest in magic? With your talent? Say that to the mages in our research lab—they'd beat you to death."
Being a mage would have perks. Better than excelling in melee or magic alone—master both, and you're unstoppable.
But Yoahim had priorities. No time to leisurely study here.
'Unless she hands me a skillbook like Lilith.'
Vincent wouldn't know what a skillbook was. Useless to him.
"What, you already affiliated with Kalsara Tower? Damn it! Why come now? I could teach you better!"
What's with this old man? Yoahim shook his head. "No, I just don't have time—or interest—to train here."
"Not with Kalsara? Good. If not us, then not them either."
Sneaky little… Yoahim smirked inwardly.
"Fine, here's a deal. Register your name with our tower. Just the name—no need to study or stay."
"Register with the tower? Become part of Tolstone Mage Tower?"
"Yeah. Least I can do. It's a win for you too. Official mage status is hard to get. But once you have it, respect everywhere. Mages are rare."
A Steel-rank mercenary plate got respect, but a mage ID? Even better. Yoahim knew—clear pedigree beats shady merc.
"Accept, and I'll give you a Grade 3 mage certificate. Lowest rank, but it wards off most scum."
"Why go to such lengths for me? My talent?"
"Exactly. I want to make Tolstone the world's greatest mage tower. Need talent for that."
Yoahim pursed his lips. "So you're no different from Alkados. You praised your mages, but you covet talent too."
"Hmph, nonsense. Of course a tower master seeks talent. And we have no untalented mages. Listen up, idiot—ours all have the talent for effort. That's invaluable."
Can't hate this guy. Yoahim grinned. "What's the catch? Favors given mean favors owed."
"Catch? Giving a Grade 3 cert without a test is the favor!"
"But it doesn't appeal much. I can live without it—doesn't unlock magic."
"Urgh."
Vincent grumbled, unable to retort. Yoahim was right—Grade 3 was meh. Grade 2 got knightly respect, Grade 1 noble. Grade 3? Meh.
"What then? An artifact?"
A Tolstone artifact, personally from the master? Huge value—stats, powerful skills. Tempting.
"No, something else."
Yoahim shook his head. Vincent's face twisted. Rejecting an artifact? What then? How much is he gouging me for?
Yoahim smiled. "Just one magic tome. One."
"A magic tome? Easy… But many are tough to self-study."
"Fine. Just for reference."
Magic tomes were rare. Few shops specialized; towers hoarded them. Harder to get than artifacts, sometimes.
"Alright, take one. Plenty here—browse slowly."
"Thank you."
Yoahim bowed, scanning the room. Towering bookshelves lined the walls. Hundreds of tomes, if all magic books. Fitting for a tower master.
Amazed, he pulled one at random, skimmed it.
'…What the hell?'
Gibberish, as expected. He shelved it, wandered slowly.
He didn't inspect contents—just glanced at titles. Vincent frowned.
Can't even read tomes properly, yet wants one?
"Ah."
Yoahim ignored the stare, circled the room, stopped at the last shelf. Reached for one book.
"Found it."
A tome glowing only for him. Meaningful solely to Yoahim.
It was a skillbook.