Marcus looked at Fanzell, curiosity and eagerness written on his face.
"Magic Knights are warriors who protect the kingdom from threats, whether external or internal," Fanzell began.
"They have ranks, rewards, and, more importantly—fame. Many great figures in history started their journey as Magic Knights."
"I'm not saying this is the only path, but it's the one I strongly recommend. You can save people and fulfill your promise."
Fanzell observed Marcus, who was now deep in thought.
"Where?"
"When?"
Marcus asked without hesitation, his focus unwavering.
"Well, it's in Castle Town Kikka, in three days. You can reach it in time if you use your broom," Fanzell explained.
"Whoa, then I'd better get ready now. But first... how do I use magic on a broom to fly to the town?"
"What?! You don't know how?!"
"Yes. Is that a problem?"
Fanzell slapped his face with his palm.
"I'll show you."
"Okay."
Fanzell began teaching Marcus how to ride the broom.
"Feel the mana around you and slowly transfer it into the broom. Imagine you're giving your energy to it. Use your mana to lift it, then start controlling it," Fanzell instructed.
"Okay," Marcus replied, focusing the mana in his hands and channeling it into the broom.
"Don't think about any attributes or activating your grimoire. Focus all your thoughts on raising the broom."
Marcus nodded and concentrated solely on raising the broom with his mana. On his first attempt, it lifted into the air.
Fanzell was impressed.
"Now hop on the broom and stabilize yourself. You need to move your mana to your lower body—feel the mana around your bottom," Fanzell instructed.
Marcus followed Fanzell's directions. At first, he felt like he might fall, but as the mana settled beneath him, he became more stable.
"Now, move it with your mana. It's all about control from here," Fanzell continued.
Marcus, having experience riding various things on Earth, had decent control. He lifted off the ground and soared into the sky.
He began flying around the area, ascending to a higher altitude, and experimenting with turns and circles in the air.
Whether it was his vast mana reserves, his sharp comprehension, or a natural gift for riding, Marcus mastered broom flight within minutes—even managing to balance on the broom with just his legs.
He started riding the broom, balancing on it with his legs.
"Wow, I've never seen anyone learn to ride a broom on his legs that quickly, " Fanzell said, amazed.
"And I've never seen anyone teach it that quickly," Marcus replied with a grin.
They exchanged compliments before Marcus spoke again.
"What should I do with it?" Marcus showed the horn to Fanzell.
"I don't know. You're the victor; you can keep the spoils," Fanzell replied.
"Well, it doesn't have any liquid left. I have no idea how I handled it all before. I didn't even know how to regenerate the liquid." As Marcus was lost in thought, his grimoire suddenly levitated into the air.
In a flash, it swallowed the horn.
"Brrp!!" It burped out the air and returned to its holder, as if nothing had happened.
"What the—" Marcus quickly opened his grimoire, but there was nothing wrong with it.
"What the hell's wrong with your grimoire?" Fanzell asked, still shocked by the scene he'd never seen before.
"I don't know," Marcus replied.
"Well… um… you should be careful," Fanzell said.
"Okay."
"Then I'm off."
He took off on his broom, but before leaving, he circled back around to Fanzell one last time.
"I have a request. Can you please go to the goblin's hideout, retrieve any money or valuable items you find, and share them with the all of the prisioners caught by them?" Marcus asked, bowing politely.
"Why don't you do it yourself?" Fanzell questioned.
"First, I don't have time. And second, I'm not interested in money right now. I've lost something far more valuable. Money was part of the reason for my loss, so while I'll use it if needed, I don't want more of it,it lost its value" Marcus explained firmly.
Fanzell nodded and tossed a bag of money to Marcus.
"You may hate money, but consider this a gift from me. Use it for supplies and don't overthink it. I'll take my share from the goblins' treasure," Fanzell said with a smirk.
"And remember to improve your mana and read some books to gain more knowledge," he added as he slowly walked back toward the village, waving at Marcus.
"Don't worry about me. I have some things to take care of. We'll meet again someday."
Marcus smiled, then took off on his broom.
The journey was long but fruitful. Marcus bought some supplies in a nearby town and also asked for directions to the capital.
This world is beautiful. Peaceful air, magical places—a fantasy world. I dreamed about this many times in my past life.
He steered the broom through several places along the way to enjoy the scenery.
Marcus also practiced the death spell. It was a troublesome spell; it drained all of his mana in an instant.
Sometimes, he even struggled to move his body due to the lack of mana.
But he was slowly gaining control over the spell.
I have to control the flow of the spell. Then I might have a chance.
"Necro Magic: Death-Ball!"
A black-colored orb materialized in front of his hands. It released with incredible speed and struck a tree, which was obliterated upon impact.
Marcus wiped the sweat from his forehead with his hand.
"Well, time to go."
Three days passed in these activites, and Marcus now stood at the entrance of Castle Town Kikka, ready for the Magic Knight Exam.
He took a deep breath.
"Let's begin my journey to greatness."
As he began to step inside, a loud scream caught his attention.
"I will become the Wizard King!"
Marcus turned his head toward the commotion. Two figures at the entrance were making quite a scene, scaring everyone in their path.
One was a short brat with messy, spiky white-hued hair, bright green eyes, and a muscular build, yelling at the top of his lungs.
Beside him stood a lean kid with dark, neatly combed hair, calm light blue eyes, and an embarrassed expression, slapping his face with his palm.
Marcus stared at them for a moment, something clicking in his mind.
"Aren't they...?"
"Protagonists?"