Mastering the Tongue of Mysteries

Ian passed Eredis's test with flying colors.

"Alright, Ian? What about this one?"

"Om. The om of circulation."

"Correct! You're keeping up great!"

Eredis clapped in delight, thrilled that her lesson hadn't been a total waste. Riding the momentum, she fired off a few more quiz questions.

"Kar. The kar of the sky."

"Ham. The ham of the earth."

"Uno. The uno of the world."

Clap clap clap!

"Excellent! Our Ian is one smart cookie!"

Eredis jumped to her feet, genuinely overjoyed, and ruffled her disciple's hair without mercy. After five straight hours of intensive lecturing that had her all fired up, her student had delivered a perfect finale. The chronomancer recommended him, and damn if he isn't the real deal! Ugh, this hits the spot! Eredis was buzzing with what she called 'disciple high.'

"See? Not so bad, right? No need to freak out!"

"Mm. Yeah. Sure."

Ian's response was lukewarm by comparison. He'd been too busy checking his Status Window to care.

Every time Eredis asked a question, a powerful sense of déjà vu washed over Ian, dredging up the lesson's memories. Thanks to that, he breezed through the quiz.

I... didn't get it wrong.

It was the conviction he'd harbored ever since the Status Window first appeared: that he had an isekai cheat ability, and one day he'd awaken it fully. That unshakeable belief had endured the cold winters and dark nights, finally blooming like a vibrant flower.

Isekai cheat player. Descending upon this world. Me.

"Heh heh..."

Lost in his thoughts, he suddenly started grinning like a fool on meds. Eredis worried a bit about her emotionally volatile disciple but quickly brushed it off. Of course he's thrilled—he aced the first lesson's test!

"I'm starving! Ian! Your master will whip up something delicious for dinner tonight!"

"Yay! Tasty food!"

For entirely different reasons, master and disciple were in high spirits, sharing a warm and fuzzy evening.

With his isekai cheat ability awakened, Ian feared nothing in the world. He kept up effortlessly with Eredis's daily 100-character lessons. The only hitch was summoning the Status Window—it drained his focus like dredging up old memories, and overdoing it could leave him exhausted.

Thus, even with the Status Window, Ian wasn't invincible. When he was off his game, he'd slip up occasionally. But Eredis never found it odd. Ian's scores hovered between 90 and 80—exactly matching her own from when she'd studied magic.

That's curious.

Every time she watched Ian sweat over his studies, Eredis felt a strange nostalgia. Seeing him was like peering at her younger self. Sure, disciples take after their masters, but matching childhood grades? A bit weird. Still, she didn't dwell on it. Time to call in the universal cheat key: that chronomancer. He recommended the kid, so any quirks are on him.

Ian would have been horrified if he'd known her thoughts. Him—with cheat-assisted scores—matching bare-bones Eredis? To reiterate, Ian wasn't dumb. He'd gotten into a decent college and major. But Eredis operated on a whole other level: Seoul University grad, Harvard for fun, Caltech pit stop, papers flowing like water. A true intellectual monster at the forefront of knowledge.

That was Eredis.

So cute.

Her brilliant mind aside, her sensibilities were pure middle-aged mom: kids were just adorable, no questions asked. He followed lessons well, studied diligently, no whining. He even liked his master. Ian was a flawless disciple.

"You mastered the basics last time, right? Now for the real lessons."

"Whoa, Ian, you're actually keeping up?"

"Alright! Today's adjective special! Memorize these 100 essentials!"

Year 1, 2, 3, 4. Ian tore through three books a year. From year 3, it was five. Year 5 onward, six.

Ian 'Eredis' Raven, age sixteen. Mastering a book every two months. On par with—or exceeding—med students infamous for killer workloads.

From dawn till dusk, Eredis stuck to him like glue, drilling study after study. No wonder.

"Master..."

"Hm?"

"I feel like I'm dying..."

She gave rest days every five days, but it wasn't enough.

"Almost there. Just a bit more."

"Really?"

"Yep! Two more books, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and you've mastered Maronius Language!"

"..."

Indeed. For six straight years, Ian had studied nothing but Maronius Language.

Ian had digested a vomit-inducing volume of material. Without the Status Window cheat, he'd have bolted ages ago.

Mages... are insane...

If he with a cheat struggled this much, how much effort did normals need just to enter magic? Only geniuses—or madmen—became mages. The creepiest part? Ian was still a total newbie who barely grasped magic's basics. In game terms, he'd just finished the tutorial.

The Maronius Language course wrapped up sloppily, and Ian turned seventeen. From that day, Eredis spoke only in Maronius Language—no human tongue.

"Tzabel, lus?"

"Gog. Hina."

Maronius Language: the universal magical tongue devised by grand mage Maronius. Master it, and you could enter any magic school. Each school used its own magical language—for fire, you needed fire's tongue; it did zilch for water. Multi-school mages had to master ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠multiple languages. The study load was insane—lifetimes poured in for meaningful progress.

Then Maronius upended it all. Once schools had unique tongues as standard; he unified them into one system, codified in books. That's Maronius Language. Advanced stuff bypassed it, sure, but the unification? Pure genius.

"Excellent."

Ian's fluency was flawless. No way he'd botch it with magical entities.

"Ian."

"Yes, Master."

"My teachings end here."

Eredis smiled, closing the book. Their final lesson was done.

Mages were self-realizers. You needed a push for entry, but afterward? Forge your own path. Harsh, but Eredis wanted Ian as a true mage: not a mimic, but one questing his own mysteries.

"Your mystery is yours to find."

"Master..."

"You've worked hard. Now you're a mage."

"..."

"Walk your path."

Ian was speechless. Eredis was saying goodbye.

"Isn't it... too soon?"

"Heh heh. You're too sharp; nothing left to teach."

"Master..."

"You're an explorer now. Be proud."

Explorer: the honorific mages used for peers. Ian realized: today was their private graduation.

"I'll help with basic school entry. After that? Your road."

Ian had perfected the grand mage's tongue. But wielding it for magic made you real. Now Eredis would guide his school initiation—then bow out.

"Let's head out."

Six—no, seven—years in their cozy Golden Mountains home. Leaving stirred a melancholy in Ian as he gazed back.

Where one goes, another comes. Memories layer over old ones. That's life.

Whoops.

His wandering-born master strode off without a backward glance. Ian hurried after.

"Which school first?"

He'd asked while walking. Magic branched endlessly—nearly ten by his count.

"Aerokinesis to start."

Eredis had a full entry curriculum planned. Wind's Aerokinesis, earth's Geokinesis: easier than others by miles.

They were easy to learn!

"Start with easy Aerokinesis and Geokinesis, then Cryokinesis, Hydrokinesis, Pyrokinesis."

Initiation got tougher later. Ian—magic newbie across lives—couldn't judge, but he trusted her.

"Aerokinesis is a breeze; we'll wrap it quick and move on."

"Yes, Master."

Eredis led him mountaineering up the Golden Mountains. Seven years at the foothills, but never the peaks. The hike was tiring yet fun.

"Hm. Perfect."

Crack.

The summit: wide open, clouds like a sea below. Breathtaking.

Wish I could snap a pic.

While Ian gawked, Eredis prepped her spell.

"Ian! Stand here!"

"Yes!"

He took position. Eredis shouted,

Magical tongue spell. The ground quaked, hurling Ian's footing skyward!

"Gaaaaah!"

Atop a thin disk, he rocketed up. The sudden flight left him reeling.

"M-Master!"

Trembling, he peered down. Master looked ant-sized. Everything did.

"Ah."

Gleaming sun. Drifting cloud parade. Snow-capped peaks...

Beautiful. The world from the sky was stunning.

...But no time to ponder. What rose must fall. He plummeted!

...?

Then it hit—as he began falling, familiar words whispered in his ear. Maronius Language, natural as his native tongue.

Huh?

Ian felt the wind around him. The wind's voice. Gale from the peak chattering in Maronius.

Simultaneously, the Status Window popped up.

This is the wind?

Cool breeze brushing his ear. The mystery's whisper.

"Ah."

Rookie mage Ian. Hearing the wind's voice.