"So, everything's going according to plan?" A calm, unknown voice reverberated from the crystal ball suspended just inches above the wooden table.
"Pretty much. The boss has been on point, considering everything. We've taken over the entire Outer City and about seventy percent of the Lower City as well. If we keep at this pace, we'll meet our quota soon…"
Zeth was the one speaking. He lounged on a couch in a room that looked like a VIP area in a nightclub, minus the flashy neon lights. Within the crystal ball across from him, a shadowy figure dressed in black could be seen, their face hidden beneath a dark hood.
"You don't seem as confident as usual, Zeth. What's the problem?" The hooded figure probed, causing Zeth to fall silent for a moment before he exhaled heavily.
"Things are stable for now, but I'm not sure how long that's going to last. We're still growing, taking in new members, and changing our structure from just a group of criminals into a real organization. But while the boss still trusts me the most, the other executives are starting to raise complaints. They think I'm getting too much control over operations, our path forward, and our general finances." A hint of annoyance tinged Zeth's words, and his gaze darkened with intensity.
"Humans are naturally greedy and selfish, Zeth. You know this better than anyone. We picked you to be our face to the world, not because you lack these traits but because you understand their boundaries. We've healed your injuries and produced the tonic you kept asking us for. Now, it's up to you to keep your side of the bargain," the hooded figure responded, as the image in the crystal began to fade.
"Use whatever means necessary. The subjects who tested the tonic initially should be adjusting to their enhanced abilities by now. We'll expect a more positive report next time." With those final words, the image vanished, and the orb's glow dimmed, settling back onto the table. After a quiet moment, Zeth muttered to himself.
"So I should just use force to resolve my issues?" His contemplation was interrupted by a knock on the door. Glancing over, Zeth picked up the crystal ball and strolled to a safe concealed in the wall. It was open, stuffed with various papers, money, and odds and ends. He placed the orb inside, shut the safe, and camouflaged it with a painting that had been propped against the wall.
As another, more insistent knock sounded, he called out.
"Come in, you noisy brute!" The door swung open, revealing a tall, burly man—not someone you'd peg as a messenger.
"Sorry to disturb you, boss; I know you wanted some quiet. But we've just located the kid you were looking for," he announced.
Zeth halted, his irritation giving way to a flicker of something different.
=====================================•=====================================
"This must be the place." Glancing around, Magnus saw that the seamstress Jerel had recommended to him was in a livelier area than his own shop. The familiar bustle of citizens filled the air, the result of countless people living their lives all at once. The shop was one of many that lined the street.
Its sign depicted a thread piercing a ball of yarn, with the store's name, 'Hisel's Needle Nook,' plastered above the entrance.
As Magnus walked inside, he was immediately greeted by a familiar smell—the scent of new clothes. The moment the door swung open, a bell announced his arrival. The next second, the voice resembling that of an older woman shouted something down from behind the counter. Her voice echoed from the stairs leading to the second floor.
"Hold on a second; I'll be down in a bit!"
Huh, I never heard an accent like that before in this world. It almost sounds a bit... southern?
Taking a look around, Magnus saw all kinds of clothes, from casual to formal attire. Even though there was no specific theme, just by looking at them, he could tell they were well-made. When he reached out to touch them, this fact became even clearer.
Some of the outfits hung on racks, while others adorned mannequins, all in full view of the window for any passersby to see. In Magnus's opinion, this world was a lot more developed than Earth's medieval era. For example, they had a proper sanitary sewer system as well as clean, flowing water and drainage.
He believed he could tolerate a lot, but the horrible hygiene of the Middle Ages was one thing he was glad he didn't have to experience.
Still, the world was lacking in a few key areas that took some getting used to. For instance, the clothes normal people wore weren't very well-made. Even the stuff Magnus got to wear at the Major General's Villa wasn't particularly comfortable compared to stuff back on Earth. So far, only the Takerth Academy uniform felt anywhere close to modern Earth in terms of quality, and he had to assume that was because magic was used.
As Magnus continued to look around, he eventually heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs, and a woman came into view.
"Sorry 'bout that. I knocked over a bunch of my fabrics and had to reorganize," the woman said as she turned to look at Magnus. Both of them seemed to share a moment of surprise when they saw each other.
So far, from what Magnus had seen, Batisians, the name of the people who lived in the Batis Kingdom, had fairly light complexions, with the same colored eyes you would commonly see back on earth, with a few exceptions here and there. But the woman in front of him now had a seemingly flawless, darker skin tone with dull greenish-blue eyes and a voice that contrasted with her clothes.
Though her voice had sounded older when she yelled down from the second floor, she was clearly in her twenties and surprising tall; even her dark brown hair only reached halfway down her back. The only other woman Magnus had met who was taller was Eveline, although he questioned whether she was even human in the first place.
After realizing they'd been staring at each other for a good minute, Magnus was the first to break eye contact.
"My bad, I didn't mean to stare," Magnus said, causing the woman to snap out of her own daze and reply.
"Eh? Oh, right, sorry, didn't mean to stare at ya either. It's just I've never seen someone with blonde hair outside of the old stories about elves. Plus, you look... uh, never mind." Magnus's eye twitched as the woman's gaze landed on his face when she spoke those last few words.
His training had inadvertently given his body more definition, but it hadn't had a major impact on his facial features. So, from time to time, he still got mistaken for a girl, especially if people just gave him a quick glance. At the very least, they would immediately assume he was a noble.
I swear, is this damn curse ever going to go away? Do I need to get some battle scars or something?
"Anyway, no hard feelings. I know it's rare to see an Aurin around the Batis Kingdom. I'm Hisel, by the way." As Hisel introduced herself, Magnus followed suit.
"I'm Magnus. I came here because Jerel recommended this place to me. Oh, and he gave me this." He reached into his clothes, pulled out the piece of paper Jerel had given him, and handed it to her. As Hisel took it from him and started to give it a quick read, Magnus pondered what she had said.
So she's an Aurin? If that's the case, she must be from the Golden Curena Kingdom. I wonder how she ended up all the way over here?
"Oh, so you're 'that' Magnus? The one who blew a hole in Zeth and wiped out his crew? And here I was thinking Jerel was just blowing smoke out his ass," Hisel said, chuckling as she finished reading the paper.
"You know me," Magnus replied, a little surprised.
"Of course! Things get slow every once in a while, so Jerel, a few friends, and I go out for drinks pretty often. We usually chat about boring crap, but his story about you was the highlight last time, though we didn't really believe him," Hisel explained with a frustrated sigh.
"I guess we all owe Jerel some cash next time we hit the bar... Anyway, you're here because you need me to whip something up for you, right?"
Magnus nodded and explained, "Yeah, I just need a few sets of clothes made. I've got the designs here." He reached into his pocket, pulled out multiple folded sheets of paper, and handed them to Hisel. Taking a look, she saw that each piece of paper showcased two to three technical drawings of various types of clothing.
Immediately, Hisel's expression changed as she looked over them carefully.
Man, I'm glad I spent so much time looking at random shit on the internet; otherwise, there's no way I could've made these.
Thanks to the fact that Basker was able to access his memories and bring them to the forefront of his mind, Magnus realized he knew a lot more than he would normally. All the random facts he'd discovered over the years, the various methods of crafting he'd seen in documentaries, and everything else he had forgotten.
All of it was fully available to him. If he put it all together and spread the information far enough, he could bring a mini-industrial revolution to the people of this world—an incomplete one, but a revolution nonetheless. Of course, Magnus had no plans to do that, though.
This kingdom was run by a monarchy that was content to keep its people in the dark about magic, even if it meant hiding minor discoveries that could help the general populous. Clearly, they liked the status quo and weren't keen on any changes, so Magnus had no intentions of challenging them, at least not until he was strong enough to deal with the consequences.
"Hmm, I've never seen clothes like this before. Did you come up with these?" There was a clear hint of intrigue in Hisel's voice when she asked.
"Uh, sort of. Back at home, everyone wears these types of clothes," Magnus explained.
"Intresting, that explains the designs." Hisel took a moment to think to herself before she nodded and spoke.
"Alright, so, to put it simply, yes, I can make these clothes; you included your measurements, so there's no problem there. However, this is going to cost you quite a bit. The kind of fabric I'll need to meet your requirements is top-notch stuff. Heck, I might need to order more. Normally, this would set you back at least sixty silver crowns..."
Magnus winced at the price.
"But… since you helped Jerel out and he asked me to give you a discount, I'll cut it down to fifty." Even Hisel hesitated to say these prices. She'd handled big orders before, but that was a matter of quantity, not quality. Over all, this was one of her most expensive requests. Meanwhile, Magnus was having an inner struggle.
Well, fifty is better than sixty, but still, it's like a quarter of my current wealth...
Sighing to himself, he decided to just bite the bullet and reached into his pocket, pulling out one golden mark.
"Do you have enough to break this?" Magnus asked with a weary smile.
Fifteen minutes later, Magnus found himself back on the streets of Arlcliff City. In one of his pockets, he carried a bag containing fifty silver crowns and one golden mark. The idea of having just spent the equivalent of more than two thousand dollars in one go left him feeling somewhat weak.
She said it'll take her nearly a month to finish my entire order, but she should have the first batch of clothes ready in a week or two, so I guess I'm stuck sleeping naked for a little while longer.
Sure, he could buy clothes in the meantime, but as things stood, Magnus had no interest in spending any more money right now, no matter how little it was.
"Well, what's done is done. I should head back; that took longer than I thought it would." Following the mental map in his head, Magnus turned to take a shortcut that Basker had discovered.
Hmm, I wonder if Celia and Jerel managed to talk things out.
As he cut through an alleyway, Magnus's peaceful stride began to slow, and he suddenly frowned. Glancing behind him, he heard the clinking of heavy metal as three towering figures came into view. They were each nearly seven feet tall, with bodies that seemed to be sculpted from pure muscle. The metallic sounds Magnus had heard came from their protective gear.
Their spherical helmets and metal collars encased their heads and necks, while other plates of metal covered other vital points, all held together with heavy leather straps. They even wore brass knuckles, leaving Magnus with a single word on his mind: juggernauts.
Turning his attention ahead, two more hulking men appeared, accompanying a masked figure. While the masked man was fairly big in his own right, he seemed almost average-sized compared to the behemoths beside him.
"Zeth sends his regards and suggests you savor your parting gift," the masked man said in a confident voice. These words confirmed Magnus's suspicion. He had noticed that the masked man was wearing the same outfit that Zeth's goons had been wearing back when he encountered them at the smithy.
As Magnus stood there, his heartbeat picked up, thumping louder with each moment. Magnus had never considered himself brave; if anything, he was a self-admitted coward. This was a truth he had faced time and again—whether it was handling the bullies back on Earth, when he was confronted with those bandits in the forest, when he dealt with Zeth and his crew, or right now.
Fear was the constant in all these moments.
Yet, having lived with this fear for so long, Magnus had cultivated another trait: the ability to act despite his fear. He learned to put on confidence, to be snarky, and to adapt any demeanor that would help him stay calm and handle the situation at hand, even if it meant tricking himself. His fear would simmer and boil just below the surface, but he would never let it take over him completely.
So, as he found himself encircled and heard Zeth's message, Magnus didn't run. Instead, he let out a chuckle.
"Wow, your boss must really be a mind reader after all. Here, I was about to venture out into the forest in order to do a few experiments, but instead, he conveniently delivered a bunch of test subjects right to me. He's almost too nice to be a criminal." The masked man's concealed smirk disappeared as he heard Magnus's calm response. Even the juggernauts, trained brawlers, sensed the shift in tension.
"Tch, don't try to bluff. We know exactly what you're capable of. You won't get away, even if you're a mage. Kill him; don't give him a chance to use his weapon!" The masked man ordered, and with only a hint of hesitation, all five juggernauts charged at Magnus.
They were surprisingly fast, despite their size and all the metal they were wearing. If Magnus really had to rely on Rokshaata in this fight, he would definitely get tagged before he could take them all down.
"Too bad for you, though. I don't plan on using Rokshaata at all during this fight," Magnus said as he raised both hands and mana began to gather in stands above his palms.
After his first time replicating the Mana Sphere Spell, he no longer had to go through the whole debugging analysis process and wait for the loading bar. Now it was a simple matter of the Command Console creating a report and him choosing which option he wanted to go with.
So, in less than a second, two mana spheres materialized in Magnus's palms, each as big as a person's head. They appeared like wisps or the remnants of a dying flame, yet strangely devoid of presence or heat, almost soothing in an odd way. This strange calmness even reflected in the faces of the two closest juggernauts, although they were about to learn appearances could be deceiving.
Before the juggernauts could react, the mana spheres in Magnus's grasp acted as if they had a will of their own. Both of them flew off in different directions, leaving faint trails of fading mana as they rocketed towards their targets. With no prior experience with magic, the two juggernauts quickly raised their arms, using the metal on their forearms as if to shield themselves, thinking the mana spheres would act like just any other kind of projectile.
Yet, upon the moment of collision, they experienced an overwhelming force unlike anything they'd ever felt.
The instant the mana spheres struck them, they turned unstable. The force keeping them in a spherical form was unleashed, and they erupted. Waves of pure white mana strands shot everywhere, their raw, condensed power causing the air to tremble and the entire alleyway to shake as the two juggernauts were sent flying back, their bodies banging across the ground as they came to a stop.
They let out pained groans as they lay there. The force from the mana sphere explosions had fractured the bones in their arms, and even the metal plating they had used to defend themselves had clearly warped.
"Oh, you guys are still conscious after getting hit with mana spheres of that size? Well, I guess it is just Apprentice Class Magic," Magnus remarked casually, while the other juggernauts stood there in shock.
After witnessing Magnus's attack, they had stopped their charge entirely. They had been told that their target was likely only capable of two types of magic, but clearly, that wasn't the case. Not only that, but a single one of his spells was enough to fully thwart their attempts to get close to him.
"Hmm, let's see what smaller ones can do, then." Magnus held out his hands again, and ten mana spheres quickly formed at the ends of his fingers, this time only the size of rocks. When the three uninjured juggernauts saw this, their hearts immediately sank.
He can use spells like that without any refractory period!?
Without giving them a chance to react, the ten mana spheres at the tips of Magnus's fingers shot off into the air, homing in on the juggernauts like heat-seeking missiles.
"Crap!"
"Defend yourselves!"
Yelling at one another, they covered their bodies as multiple mana spheres rained down on them. Although smaller than the two from before, they still packed a punch. After all, they were balls of raw mana.
The juggernauts felt like they were being hit from every angle. A mana sphere would slam into their chest, another would bash their back, and yet another would strike their leg. Each impact tore through their bodies, sending explosive shocks that rattled their bones and tossed them about.
"Oh, the smaller ones might be weaker, but they're definitely quicker. Now, let's see what twenty can do," Magnus muttered to himself. As he raised his hands again, ten mana spheres materialized above each palm.
The five juggernauts, still sprawled on the ground and writhing in pain, widened their eyes in alarm at his words and the sudden appearance of more mana spheres. Their strength depended heavily on their thick armor and incredible durability; after all, their physical prowess far exceeded that of any ordinary person.
But right now, their durability didn't matter. Magnus was looking at them as if they were nothing more than practice dummies. As such, what happened over the next ten minutes could only be described as a live experiment.
Magnus tried various sizes and quantities of mana spheres, from ones as small as pebbles to ones bigger than basketballs. The entire alleyway echoed with their yells, and it shook multiple times, with white flashes occasionally dispersing the shadows.
What the hell... Zeth said he was an unranked mage; shouldn't he be weak then? The Titan Soldiers have enough strength to match an ox after taking the tonic. Is there really that big of a gap between a normal person and a mage?
The masked man's thoughts raced as he watched the destruction unfold before him. The armor on the juggernaut's bodies shattered as they were sent flying in every direction, striking them all over repeatedly. Normally, an unranked novice mage wouldn't be capable of what Magnus was doing.
Typically, they wouldn't have enough mana or control to continuously cast spells like this without a break. But for Magnus, such distinctions were irrelevant because he wasn't a mage to begin with. His powers transcended traditional magic; his mana spheres were generated by a script embedded directly in the world's source code.
Mana Drain?
For Magnus, that concept was nonexistent. The mana he used was conjured from nothingness.
A Cooldown?
He didn't have that kind of limitation. As long as his imagination didn't get overloaded and he wasn't mentally exhausted, the only thing determining his 'casting' speed was the speed of his own thoughts.
This was the insurmountable difference between magic and the Command Console.