Chapter 40: The Reason I Must Prove Myself #1

Humans are creatures that charge toward their goals. From short-term objectives to the ultimate long-held dreams. Goals stimulate the desire for challenge and draw out a person's drive for self-improvement.

Just like the message floating before Lawrence's eyes right now.

He scanned the text etched into the corner of his retina.

'Can't ignore this one.'

Draksha. The red dragon, known as the most ferocious of them all. Perhaps an ancestor of the Montemer family. The unique ability she possessed...

This was something he had to achieve.

Lawrence vowed to himself. There was no letting this slide.

"I'll definitely win and prove how amazing Iron Tower is."

"Ooh—! As expected of the little bro! Reliable as ever!"

"Montemer young master! Please become a monster for our Iron Tower!"

Everyone pinned their hopes on him. Lawrence nodded with a small smile.

The real training would start tomorrow. But first, there were things he had to do.

"Tower Master, may I have some personal time after dinner?"

"Mm. Go ahead. Our training starts at dawn, so get some good rest."

"Understood."

Lawrence secured his time and could handle his tasks. The seniors didn't demand anything from him anyway.

Not as rigid a culture as I thought, he mused as he finished eating and stood.

"I have some things to do, so I'll head out first. Sorry about that."

"No worries. First day and all—you must have a lot on your plate. Go freely."

"Thank you."

With that, Lawrence began wandering the tower.

The first thing that caught his eye was the training ground. At a glance, it was a physical training room for body conditioning. That's what they called it in the military.

"This is straight-up a PT room. How is it so familiar?"

The sight stirred memories of his army days, almost giving him PTSD.

But that was that, and this was this. Lawrence examined the equipment and plates.

He had no idea how they processed them to such precise weights, but it must be magic.

"Heave-ho... Whoa, these are ridiculously heavy. How many kilos is this thing?"

This is insane. Even modern gyms max out at 20kg plates, right? But here, 30kg was standard.

He shook his head instinctively. As he pondered how to work on it, a guiding message appeared.

Lawrence read the popup guide carefully.

'Whoa, intense.'

So far, things had been relatively low difficulty. But this was different. The size was enormous, and parts needed dense magic circle fillings.

Even back on his previous life's Earth, filling spaces without gaps had been the toughest.

Still, it looked fun.

'Let's test with just one.'

Would the difference show? Lawrence stored the plate in his subspace, took it to his room, and picked up his pen.

A very special pen for engraving magic circles.

Scritch-scratch. Every time he started with pen in hand, a surge of emotion welled up.

Breaking through the blankness, line by line, the frame took shape, the object's outline emerged. From that moment, his imagination flowed endlessly, an unstoppable drive.

This time was no different.

"Yeah, this is always the most fun part."

For now, he was just copying. But someday, he'd analyze these patterns and create his own magic circles.

As he traced, Lawrence imprinted the patterns in his mind, dreaming of crafting artifacts without extracts.

By sunset, as the clock hit 10 p.m., his first completed artifact.

After sneaking it back to the PT room, he checked his gains.

'Whoa, just one and it's already this much?'

Maybe he could shed his hatchling stage here. Lawrence smirked meaningfully.

The place was crawling with plates, barbells, and equipment. Grinding was king for fast leveling.

"Ha... This is getting exciting."

As he grinned and left the PT room, he bumped right into the Tower Master.

He bowed politely, and Iron Hanma chuckled before speaking.

"If you're not sleeping yet, follow me a bit. Was gonna give it tomorrow, but sooner the better."

"Understood."

What could it be? Lawrence curbed his curiosity.

"Do you know the principle of iron magic?"

"Vaguely. Refining the earth's materials once more, right?"

"Correct. Normal earth attributes use the ground itself. Iron attributes take ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it a step further, filtering only the toughest, strongest substances from the earth."

He added that it could be used anywhere, but was far more potent with actual ground present.

Lawrence nodded, listening intently.

They arrived at the library on the top floor of Iron Tower. Compared to Montemer's, it was humbly small and shabby. But it held the essence of Icaller, the creator of iron magic.

"Hmm... Yeah, this'll do."

"Basic manual, huh."

"That's right. Read it when you have time. It's what you'll learn going forward."

The Tower Master handed over two thick books. Lawrence took them, pondering briefly.

Best to reveal his ability now?

"Tower Master, actually, I have something to tell you."

"No mana road?"

"Yes. You knew?"

"Heh, think the Tower Master of all people wouldn't notice? Knew from the start."

He hadn't pried to avoid making things awkward. An eleven-year-old was still just a kid, noble blood or not—a person, a child.

When else would he play the adult if not now?

"Whatever your unique ability, you can learn and use magic. This book will help even more."

"Understood. Thank you for your consideration."

"But don't stay up all night obsessing."

Lawrence bowed. The thick hand patted his shoulder a couple times.

Somehow, Lawrence didn't mind the touch. Even a mentally adult guy needed someone to lean on sometimes.

He wasn't completely numb to it.

With a bright smile, Lawrence trotted off. The Tower Master watched his back for a long while.

#2

"Didn't know about this."

Iron Magic Grimoire. Basic theory books containing Icaller's essence. Everyone in Iron Tower had to read and learn from these.

He decided to resume theory study tonight, which he'd shelved.

Before regression, he'd always thought he'd never touch them again.

But that was foolish. He needed this magic theory now more than ever.

'Even with artifacts, there's plenty of ways to apply it.'

Using non-standardized magic was the path to top-tier magehood, or so someone had said once.

He couldn't recall who, just an offhand remark he'd overheard.

"Let's see..."

He sat at the desk and slowly opened the book.

An elegant preface in flowing script.

Lawrence chuckled at that point. A glimpse of Icaller's personality.

"Still, nothing to lose by trying, right? I'm pretty special anyway."

Everyone probably thought so. Worth a shot.

Half-joking, Lawrence placed his hand on the grimoire.

And then—

An astonishing event. A raspy voice echoed, and Icaller's form materialized in the air.

Lawrence's eyes widened, mouth agape.

A muscular man with long golden hair tied back. A monstrous build that could bench a ton easy.

So that's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a dragon.

What a rebel. Lawrence just listened quietly.

That explained it. Why iron magic was dismissed as inefficient.

Authority. Swift movement and no-incantation instant-kill attacks.

Icaller drove it home with a final nail—one that fulfilled Lawrence's hopes.

"Jackpot—."

A scholar's dream come true.