A loud bang was heard as they approached Sage Tower. Caster ran inside to see where the sound had come from.When he came inside, he noticed the whole place seemed scattered. It was ransacked.‘What's happening here?’ Caster questioned himself with his left hand placed on his chin.As they stood there observing the ground floor of the Sorcerer’s Guild, Solon approached them holding scrolls and a pen in his hands.“Sifa Spellbound, nice to see you so soon. Raymond, you're welcome also,” Solon said to them.“The library is temporarily closed if that's what you're here for,” Solon spoke while dropping the scrolls on the table before him.Caster wondered about what was going on as he had gotten a letter inviting him to come urgently. He could sense some foul play but he felt he was well able to handle any problem that tried to raise its head over him.Placing his handle into his dress, he pulled out the scroll he had received and handed it over to Solon. On seeing the scroll, Solon notic
“Where did you get that from?” These were the words that came out from Sikoa’s lips the moment he saw the letter.“Give it to me, I need to run a confirmation on it. It can’t be, it just can’t be,” Sikoa muttered as he moved further, stretching his right hand toward Caster to receive the letter.“Mage Spellbound, wait here for me. I’ll be back in a few minutes. Solon, come with me.”Caster watched as Solon followed Sikoa into the room before them. He had always wondered what was inside the room and why it was always heavily guarded. It seemed like a room of deep magic secrets. Caster had thought it must have been the storehouse of the forbidden letters. He had gotten that as he went through Sifa’s memories. Sifa Spellbound had always wished to hold on to the forbidden letters. It was said to hold some high-level magic spells, and even holding the scrolls could make one receive strange magical powers.Sifa had held that myth within him, but now Caster stood here with a chance to pro
“Stop right there, you’re a chosen one in the days to come,” Sikoa said, stopping Raymond in his tracks.Uncertain if it was Caster or himself who had been addressed, Raymond turned around, looking them in the face. “Chosen one for what days to come? Who are you talking about?”Solon, not wanting to see Sikoa lose his temper because he knew how much Sikoa hated repeating his words, pointed at Raymond and said to him, “You are part of those who have been chosen as stargazers and light bearers to defeat the great evil that draws nearer.”The young men could not understand what games Sikoa and Solon were playing on them. Raymond had only accompanied Caster to the tower, not even knowing what brought him there. He was simply doing it since his father was employed by Spellbound Enterprise.In the magic realm, they were stargazers, lightbearers, and watches, alongside demon sorcerers and soul snatchers. These were the ones that were revealed to those who had become ranked above the 9th-leve
As Caster opened his mouth to speak, a man ran into where they were sitting and screamed.“They are coming, They are coming. Fierce warriors are heading down to Sage Tower.”Caster stayed calm and composed, but Sikoa was worried. The last time an invasion had happened at Sage Tower was twenty-five years ago. It was when a misguided young mage had cast an unbinding spell, and had torn open two deadly planes and created an open bridge into this world.“Sifa Spellbound, you’ve brought this upon us in this trying moment,” Sikoa spoke as he grinned his teeth. Sikoa had just recovered from a deadly illness that had him coughing all along, and his mana pool was low, not enough to face demonic warriors. He hoped it wasn’t the army of the undead that had found their way here. If it was then he would need to summon all the masters who heralded the affairs at the Sorcerer’s Guild.The center of their world, the seat of magical power, was in great threat. But there was still some peace within Sik
As Solon turned behind him, he saw one of the invaders swing its claw-like hands at him. It was by sheer luck that the invader missed Solon’s head; it only tore off some of the hair off his head.‘Shit, this rubbish just spoiled my fine hair and my hairline. Does it know what it costs me to keep this beauty together?’ He said this as he threw a fiery spear at the invader, decimating it in seconds.Meanwhile, at Sage Tower, Sikoa was concerned about Caster, he didn’t know if he was prepared for the battle that lay ahead of him. Sikoa had sensed that Caster had unlocked a hidden power. But he didn’t know it was the Mage God-Level Nether System.“I can see you have unlocked a system within you. Do you know how to handle it? Have you learned how to use it?” Sikoa asked Caster, who stood there shocked, as he had wondered how such a secret of his had been found out without uttering a word.“How are you sure that I have a system? Maybe you’re confusing me for someone else,” Caster said, try
Raymond was cut up in a quick attack as Solon had a handful of monsters to deal with. The monsters were basic level monsters which were easy to kill off.Raymond forged ahead and pulled out the sword from his enclosure at his back, ready to deliver a killing punch. The other monster at his right side was rather slow, he wondered what had happened. Quickly realizing it was Solon who had cast a delayed spell, he struck it with his magical sword.Raymond had won the sword in a competition and that was his winning prize. He had used it occasionally, as there had been little to no fighting requiring his interference. But now he had an invasion that required his intervention, and so he could test the limits of the sword and harness its full powers.As he struck the monster, it gave out a scream and collapsed to the ground. Roland immediately jumped high and did a backflip, causing the attacking monsters to hit each other headlong. He moved his sword mid-air and struck both of the monster
“Mage Spellbound, it's over twenty-four hours and you're still seated there,” Sikoa said as he watched Caster buried into the five-hundred-volume Star Path incantation manual.Caster was engrossed in the rules that guided the system he had acquired and what he had become.He learned that he had become a half-system, half-human, half-magic god in the making.Once he completed the final volume of the Star path incantation, he saw a status appear on his screenNEW SKILL POOL ALERTSpeed reading: 21Mage Absorption: ActivatedTelekinesis Star Power: 15Fire Balls: ActivatedCaster was shocked by what he was seeing. He knew he had read about these in the Star Path incantation manual, he had learned that there were two ways to activate new skills and upgrade his system which were—knowledge and practice.‘I never thought it would come this soon. Hmm, I need to learn some more and put these to practice,’ Caster thought as he finished reading the last page and flipped the book close.He hadn'
"Sifa Spellbound, there’s only one way you will leave here, you must win me in a pure magical fight. Otherwise, there's no leaving here for you.”Caster's head was bent down with his hands over his head, he didn't want to get into a brawl and he didn't seem to leave Raymond all by himself. Raymond's dad had served the Spellbound family all his life and had devoted the past forty-five years working with them. Caster knew how heartbroken he would be to hear such news as the loss of his only child.“I have to go Master Sikoa, we don't have to end things this way. I know you are a man of peace and so am I. Please let me go. I promise I'll be back in no time.”Sikoa wasn't buying into Caster's words as he felt he only sought an excuse to run away from impending danger.Sikoa had seen all kinds of characters in his lifetime. At over eight-four he was as strong as a youth and knew the ways of men. “You want to take after your father Flint, as much of a great mage as he was, he always love
Caster was mature enough to see the world as it was. He understood that most younger folk saw it through a lens of hope and ambition, their dreams of treasure and fame setting them apart from his more grounded approach. Some were from humble beginnings: sons and daughters of farmers; young people from families that were better off but that had fallen on hard times and now were boy or girl determined to claw back some of that perceived lost respect, no matter the price."My jaw twisted into a small smirk as I imagined their wide eyes and wide, baseless plans and all they think is, ‘Get some gold, a shiny sword, you’ll be a hero.’" It was the same story, time and again: things that were often only dreams, rarely aligning with reality.Lowfield had been a deliberate choice despite what she had become. Knowing full well it wouldn’t be clear, he took the fast route but he took the fast route. The road taught him about its steep hills, its rocky passages and on occasion, the unfriendly tra
The early morning breeze bit into the cloak and the underdress at Caster’s shoulders as he walked the narrow cobblestone path into Lowfield. Today he had gotten rid of his imposing helmet and heavy armor. Dawn's fresh smell of its own earth together mingling with the familiar taste of his workshop on his clothes. He wasn’t hiding his identity, or painful silence had been left behind, today. Today was about remembering the life that kept breathing after his magesmith-tools stopped.The caravan had added liveliness to the town which reminded me of festival time, the town was waking up. Some of the faces settling onboard Caster recognised—newcomers amongst the adventurers. With fresh ambitions and none of the resolve yet tested, they walked on their own journey wide eyed and reminded him of the person he used to be. He watched the newcomers with a kind of quiet amusement, catching snippets of eager chatter about dungeons and imagined battles, bravado thick in the air.A young man, prob
Casting his small treaty of provisions, a load of stale bread crusts, some wrinkled fruits, and a hard wedge of cheese that once lived on a more hospitable broke surviving clunk to clunk. He made a gagging noise as he peered at the dried meat again and poked it with distaste. "Wouldn't it kill the fates to give me a real meal?" Just once. Something hot, even." He sneaked a look over at where a stove should be, the ones that made his mouth water when a hearty stew bubbled away. For a moment he smirked, "No stove yet … maybe I could conjure a magical pan up." "Oil might be asking for a miracle."Peering out the window he squinted at the city in the early light. Carts creaked along cobbled paths and vendors hawked fresh fish and newly baked bread in the place I had walked into, even now. He’d done a lot with the house in the week that he’d been there, turning it into something livable, barely. "What the hell?' he murmured, 'Doors actually close now' he concluded feeling a bit more proud
Caster adjusted his grip and took a close look at his work, scrutinizing every line and angle of the newly crafted weapon handle. The wood was tough but carefully sanded, bearing faint, meticulous patterns he had engraved over hours of work. "Alright," he muttered, almost to himself. "Let's see if this holds up."He lowered his gaze to the small, rough-edged mana stone beside him. Its surface shimmered faintly, a testament to the raw energy that pulsed within it. With precision, he made a tiny opening at the base of the handle, using one of his tools to keep the gap just wide enough for the stone to fit snugly. Holding his breath, Caster slid the stone into place, his hand steady even as he felt the twinge of nervousness in his gut. One wrong move, one crack, and the handle would split, and the entire effort would be wasted. He exhaled, the pressure off his shoulders as the stone was secure. He picked up a little hammer and taps the opening closed, sealing the stone.Caster was co
Caster’s gaze shifted between his rough tools and the iron-cast walls around him. The dim, flickering light from a lone torch cast dancing shadows on his workbench, where the worn mace lay, waiting. Each scuff and nick in the wood handle held a tale of its own; it wasn’t just a tool but a companion, a weapon that had been through as much as he had. And here he was, weighing its life and usefulness like a weary healer judging the last pulse of an old patient.He ran his hand over the handle one last time, tracing the grains and grooves with a practiced eye. “Adding a stone’s one thing,” he muttered. “But what it needs is stability.” His fingers slid to a small crack, an old fracture that hadn’t yet spread but threatened to. “If that widens… this thing’s done.”His hands worked without thought, reaching into the assortment of stones, metals, and powders he had scavenged over time. His fingers found a small, rough mana stone, and he rolled it between his fingers, feeling its faint warm
Caster knocked metal hard on metal, the sound reverberating in the almost pitch black workshop. With every hook an aura of magical energy was discharged providing brief glimpses of light on the roughly completed stone walls. It smelled of hot metal and a low, tense buzz, which seemed to say that the room itself had tensed to watch him.Caster, still young but hardened by the trials of his craft, stood poised over his latest project: a shield, its shape still raw but which is already starting to look graceful. Though not tall and still somewhat thin, he seemed to possess good illating strength, every punch he landed being calculated. Each movement was accompanied by complex magical ripples, which Indragni had seen on the surface of the shield before a layer of runes he more or less sketched with great detail. In addition to a frown a look of intense concentration took over his face only to be interrupted the occasional lean back to examine the painting.After several more strikes, he
Caster climbed the winding stone stairs leading upward from the basement of Lamba fortress as the red rays of the morning sun spread across Lowfield. He sighed as he breathed in the crisp morning air and hours spent wading through dim and damp caverns had taken a toll on him. The bustle outside was a stark contrast to the quiet gloom below. Merchants, hawkers, and small-time dealers filled the open area, all eager to cater to the steady stream of adventurers drawn to the dungeon.“Potion for mana, sir?” called a nearby merchant, brandishing a small flask that shimmered faintly in the sunlight. Clearly, the man wasn’t going to miss any opportunity to sell.He gave her the distinct pleasure of a faint smile and a polite shake of his head. “Not today, but thanks.” The merchant glanced up as he passed saying “As he passed his gaze fell on a young boy standing beside the merchant with his hands outstretched each palm held small stones of different colors.”“Lucky charms,” the boy put out
Caster climbed the winding stairs stone leading upward from the basement of Lamba fortress as the red rays of the morning sun spread across Lowfield. He sighed as he breathed in the crisp morning air and hours spent wading through dim and damp caverns has taken a toll on him. The bustle outside was a stark contrast to the quiet gloom below. Merchants, hawkers, and small-time dealers filled the open area, all eager to cater to the steady stream of adventurers drawn to the dungeon.“Potion for mana, sir?” called a nearby merchant, brandishing a small flask that shimmered faintly in the sunlight. Clearly, the man wasn’t going to miss any opportunity to sell.He gave her the distinct pleasure of a faint smile and a polite shake of his head. “Not today, but thanks.” The merchant glanced up as he passed saying “As he passed his gaze fell on a young boy standing beside the merchant with his hands outstretched each palm held small stones of different colors.”“Lucky charms,” the boy put out
Caster met them along the way quite often, which slowed down his progress. As he fought, he had to wait for them to finish before he could move on. “Hey, Caster! Need a hand?” one adventurer called out, swinging a sword at a monster.“No thanks! I’m good,” Caster replied, keeping his eyes on the battle ahead. He knew he could be accused of stealing if he forced his way through. Caster wished to avoid conflict with others, at least for now. He didn’t want to risk incurring their wrath or losing potential allies. “Once I get a silver-grade card, things will be different,” he thought. With higher levels, prestige wouldn’t be far behind, and the dynamics of encounters would shift dramatically.The level wasn’t that large; if someone knew the way, they could stroll past most dangers and quickly descend to the second level. Caster recalled hearing about hidden paths that only seasoned adventurers were aware of. These shortcuts could be the difference between life and death, especially dee