A young man gazed at his reflection in the frozen pond. That young man was Marcus.
"The money for the clothes was really worth it," Marcus said, adjusting his new attire.
He had a new look: no torn clothes, no messy hair.
His haircut was neat, and the fresh clothes enhanced his appearance.
Even though the clothes are not expensive, they did a good job of erasing his rough, dirty looks.
He even had a small bag attached to his side, holding the grimoire and other essentials.
He began his journey in a random direction leving the village, not particular about his next destination.
He only believed in whatever fate would bring him on this path.
"Maybe it's because I got my magic back or something happened to my soul."
"My mind is clearer now, free from the fog I had, I am free of the headaches"
He opened his grimoire.
"Necro magic, well, it is cool magic."
He tried to study the language in the grimoire, but it was incomprehensible.
"An unknown language. Is this common to all grimoires, or is mine special?"
"Generally, necro magic is known for bringing back the dead."
Could it bring back my mom? He raised the grimoire high in the air.
Who knows may be one day I can
He flipped through the grimoire, noticing one page that stood out from the others filled with unreadable, cryptic text.
This page was different—it was filled with intricate diagrams.
A large circle encompassed the page, with six distinct points evenly distributed along its circumference.
These points were connected by lines, forming a perfect six-pointed star.
In the center of the star, a smaller point was drawn, making a total of seven points on the diagram.
One of the star's points contained an image Marcus instantly recognized: Icy Wind, one of his spells.
At the top of the page, something was written in bold,
Level - 0.
Marcus touched the page, and a strange sensation coursed through him.
It seems I have seven spell slots, including the middle one. When all of them are filled, I advance to another level with an ultimate spell.
He closed the grimoire and cast a contemplative glance at its cover. The star shape stood out vividly.
"Every grimoire I've seen has a clover on it. I even know of the legendary four-leaf.But this star-shaped one... what does it mean?"
And I only watched one episode of Black Clover, that too forgotten long ago.
He sighed.
Like any shounen story, the protagonist would have an overpowered ability and rise through the ranks, fulfilling a grand dream with an incredible journey.
I did not fucking know about the protagonist or even his dream.
Shaking off the thought, Marcus continued his walk. The forest rustled with a soft breeze.
Suddenly, a noise caught his attention. He turned and saw a march of horrifying creatures.
They were numerous. Their grotesque appearance with green skin wasn't what made them dreadful, but their vicious shrieks, cunning nature, and savage hunting instincts.
With their long ears, they could hear you. With their crooked noses, they could smell you.
With bitter nails and drooling mouths full of uneven, sharp teeth, they could devour you.
They were small in stature but gifted with innate magic—wild Goblins.
Marcus quickly hid from their sight, occasionally peeping at them.
I heard goblins live in the northern lands, near the Spade Kingdom. What are they doing here?
The next thing Marcus saw explained why they were here.
A horde of a hundred goblins marched, with a dozen humans as slaves in tow.
It seemed this group of goblins had migrated and hunted some prey.
As Marcus silently tried to hold his breath and wait for an opportunity to escape, a group of small green creatures surrounded him from behind.
They began muttering in the goblin language, while pointing iron spears at Marcus.
Though these savage wild goblins were blessed with innate magic, their bodies were fragile and weak.
So, they wore armor and carried spears and knives for protection.
Marcus prepared to strike and escape the situation without making a sound, but then his gaze fell upon the humans marching alongside the goblins.
But... the promise he made to his mother—to save everyone he could and become a great person.
He sighed and raised his hands in surrender. Everything happens for a reason.
The wild goblins bound him with their magic. They were blessed; they didn't need a grimoire for advanced magic. They simply used their hands to cast, with more power fueled by their emotions.
They dragged him to the human prisoners marching alongside the goblins.
Marcus observed the humans around him. They were all shackled with the same magic cuffs as him.
The goblins walked beside them, muttering and roaring in their language.
There was a large goblin, different from the others, who seemed to be the leader of the group.
He scanned the humans—about ten or fifteen—captured by them.
Whenever a human cried or rebelled, the goblins cast offensive spells at them, subduing them with injuries.
But Marcus's attention wasn't on them—it was on someone else: the red-haired man.
Marcus slowly moved forward and walked alongside the red-haired man. The man had a handsome face and a mature look, but something was missing. His clothes—he was bare-chested.
"hey , " red haired guy cast his eyes on marcus , "how did you get caught?" marcus asked ,
"Well, I was alone in the forest. Some thieves stole everything from me while I was sleeping… and then these goblins caught me."
"Oh… by the way, my name is Fanzell," the red-haired man explained his story.
"Shut the crap."
"You're strong. How many of these wild goblins can you take on?" Marcus asked with a serious expression.
"What do you mean, 'I'm strong'? I was caught—"
"You have refined muscles. You move with the rhythm of a disciplined, seasoned soldier. And most importantly, I didn't see any trace of fear in your eyes."
"Interesting. And?" Fanzell smirked slightly.
"I sensed a high amount of mana from you."
"You have great sensing talent, kid."
"Now tell me, why exactly did you get caught?" Marcus asked.
"No, I should be asking you. Why didn't you escape? You had a chance. I can clearly detect your movements from here." Fanzell was now intrigued by Marcus.
"Fair enough. I made a promise. I'll help as much as I can and become a great person."
Fanzell looked at him. "Well, you could've run and gotten some help, you know."
"They've already infiltrated deep into the kingdom. No hesitation in marching here. I think someone of higher authority is behind this."
"And help? I'd probably get arrested on false charges," Marcus laughed inside at the irony.
"Well, unlike you, I'm not kindhearted. As you guessed, I'm a seasoned—no, a heartless soldier. I'm here for a clue for an important pers—thing."
Fanzell with sadend face turned his head to marcus.
"And It's a secret. I'll tell you later. But I want a man who was captured by them and held in hideout"
"So, you surrendered yourself to reach the goblins' hideout?"
Marcus got Fanzell plan.
"And if I help you now and save the humans trapped here, I may not make it to the hideout for the clue."
"Plus, I can't understand the goblin language to interrogate anyone of them for hideout path."
"Even if I did that , I did not this kingdom terrain here so well"
"So, sorry, I can't do anything for now." Fanzell shrugged.
"It's okay. I can save all the captured people in the hideout and become even greater."
"You may not know, but goblins are good at making magic items. Not as good as humans or dwarves, but they can."
"And in their hideouts, the prisoners are alwalys shackled with special cuffs. With the master key, they can control the lives of anyone wearing them " Fanzell warned Marcus.
"I have a plan."