Chapter 121

It was no easy feat to bring the knowledge gained through magic into everyday life.

If combat was about wielding a sword, magic began with the resolve to handle mana. By caressing wavering colors and dyeing them as my own, I stepped into the world of magic. The goal of magic was to create one’s own color and spread it across the world. Of course, each mage pursued different aspirations, but when focusing on manifesting the phenomenon of magic in reality, this became the essence.

“Hmm, this is fun.”

Refreshing information like reading a book was an enjoyable task. Feeling familiar facts seem strange was due to my unfamiliarity with them. Perhaps that’s why magic seemed even more alluring. It also stemmed from the initial romantic desire to learn magic.

There was still one more renovation left for the basement of the house, but I thought it would be fine to set it up as a laboratory. A magician researching underground might give off a sinister vibe of secretly controlling something from the shadows, but the content of my research was quite solid—fundamentally dealing with healing-related matters.

I hadn’t mentioned to Jack or Evangelin about restoring Jack’s voice because I didn’t want to instill false hope without knowing if it would succeed. There was also a small greed to surprise them with the success for greater emotional impact.

Day 13 of Winter.

With our departure scheduled for the morning of the 15th, the travel days were quickly approaching. While there’s joy in facing the journey itself, I believe savoring the anticipation leading up to D-day is also part of the pleasure of traveling. Imagining the experiences we’d encounter on the trip made me smile faintly—it promised to be an interesting adventure indeed.

“Time to focus.”

I lightly slapped my cheeks to regain concentration. The dusty air around me wasn’t exactly refreshing.

Holding a pickaxe, I searched for veins to mine. It had been a while since I last did this.

I came here to gather materials needed for crafting equipment while leveling up my mining skills. Though I had enough basic materials and metals, deeper mines yielded high-grade resources that only I could extract due to the miners’ limitations.

Sending miners into such unstable environments wasn’t safe, so maintaining the current state was the best option. Alternatively, selling mined materials for money to buy higher-tier ones was possible, though less efficient. Time often comes at a cost.

“Huff.”

Now, fatigue no longer hindered my work. It was surprising how less than a year ago, I’d collapsed from exhaustion after swinging a pickaxe. Picking up dropped minerals by hand felt unnecessary now; telekinesis powered by abundant mana effortlessly sent them into my bag. From these small improvements to larger achievements, a sense of pride naturally arose.

Already at level 100, I entered a passage leading to the desert. Stepping onto the sandy wasteland unconsciously stirred an odd sensation.

A scorching land ruled by dryness beckoned me from somewhere beyond the edge of perception. Deep underground, something called out to me. Beneath the blinding sunlight reflected off the sand lay something buried.

Pulling out a shovel from my bag, I stared at the sand flowing like liquid. Scooping it away revealed nothing. Biting my lip, I summoned more mana.

“Let’s do this.”

Breathing deeply, the air transformed into swirling mana. A vivid blue streak continuously flowed into me.

Magic has no form unless given a clear image. Thus, vivid visualization is key to manifesting it fully.

Fireball. Speaking words aloud carries immense power because they evoke strong imagery. This method bypasses mentally constructing the spell step-by-step, making it far more efficient.

I hadn’t done this before simply because it wasn’t necessary. Whether calling it talent or system-specific characteristics of magic, knowledge and experience shaped my abilities. As this ancient heritage became second nature, magic flowed freely like extensions of my limbs.

This time was slightly different.

“Anti-gravity won’t work. My mana can’t support the weight of the sand.”

Flipping through options like pages in a book…

“Explosion? No, the sand will just refill.”

“Should I melt it? Not enough mana.”

“Using wind to blow it away takes too long.”

My head heated up, white steam rising—a sign my body was under strain.

Then inspiration struck. A myth about parting seas came to mind. Whether it actually happened mattered little; what mattered was vividly imagining the act of parting. Having a relatable reference helped.

What I desired was a cliff formed by parted sand. Driven by curiosity, I wanted to uncover the hidden Atlantis beneath. Opening my eyes, I directly manipulated the flow of mana etched in my mind.

“…”

It felt like I muttered something, but the intense flow shattered those words. Recalling Moses’ miracle, his story stood out vividly despite not being religious.

Mana drained from my body like ebbing tides. The surroundings turned gray as rapid mana replenishment couldn’t keep up with its loss. The ground remained calm and steady.

Though tempted to waver, faith in my magic kept me going. My heart throbbed painfully, tingling sensations spreading through my fingertips. Questioning whether this effort was worth it crossed my mind…

But sometimes men chase romance, diving headfirst into inefficient curiosity for pure enjoyment.

This was one of those times. When logic bows to romanticism and curiosity reigns supreme, the possibility of defying nature electrifies the heart.

SWOOSH!!

The change happened in an instant.

A black waterfall formed, shadows plunging endlessly without light. Golden cascades of sand split apart, revealing a hidden structure between them.

“Haa…”

Exhaustion overtook me as mana rapidly depleted. Collapsing onto the spot, I gazed at the sheer cliff created right before me. A human-made defiance of nature.

Sand trickled down, enhancing the grandeur. Despite my shaky body, I felt proud.

“Something’s definitely here…”

A faint whisper escaped my parched throat, revealing the fruits of curiosity. A great spell splitting sand unveiled the ruins beneath the desert.

Throwing myself down the steep path, windswept sands brushed against my skin. Falling air currents enveloped me chillingly until I halted mid-air using mana, standing firmly before the colossal ruin.

Exploration would take considerable time, but with travel imminent, exploration would have to wait till after the banquet.

Still, missing out on checking inside after putting in so much effort felt regrettable. Approaching closer, the overwhelming scale hit me.

[Petra]

A place defined by a single name. Holding the warp device in hand, I pressed forward. Pain lingered from the massive spell, but healing magic gradually restored me.

The stifling desert air vanished, replaced by cool spaciousness. Cutting off the mana flow caused the cliffs to refill with sand, yet none entered the ruins, likely due to some protective mechanism.

Descending the familiar staircase reminded me of mines and dungeons. Hiding the warp device in a corner, I ventured further. The atmosphere shifted subtly, hostility seeping in alongside vast fields of rare veins—an amalgamation of dungeon and mine, expansive and grander than usual.

“Grrr…”

True to the desert theme, a mummy shuffled toward me. Previously, I’d have slashed and burned it, but now magic flowed freely through me after recent feats.

“Consume it with fire.”

As stated earlier, verbalizing spells proves more effective than mental calculations. Flames engulfed the bandages, a fiery pillar consuming the mummy instantly.

An odd sensation lingered in my hands as the undead turned to ash, retaining heat.

Far ahead, stairs led downward to another floor. Just discovering this felt rewarding. An unnatural ruin amidst the natural desert hinted at systemic influence unrelated to games.

Suppressing rising curiosity, I returned to the entrance.

Am I becoming like Gilbert since becoming a mage? Or is this just what mages are like? Curiosity keeps asserting itself lately, though suppressing it logically isn’t difficult, so it’s not problematic.

Starting with mining, this journey led me deep beneath the desert. Now, I wondered what other secrets lay beyond the 50th floor of dungeons. Investigating that would wait till after the banquet, left as delightful anticipation for later.