Chapter : 14
Fateful Encounter (2)
At first, he thought it was a mistake. But even after opening his eyes, he saw a blue light in the distance. Suhyeon straightened his posture from tension. There was a saying on the planet Cameron:
“If you see something, assume it’s a monster.”
A monster that lived in caves and emitted a blue light… Suhyeon didn’t recall ever seeing such a creature. He approached slowly.
It wasn’t a monster.
It was just a lump of blue light. Mesmerized, Suhyeon reached out his hand. Slowly, carefully…
“?!”
The moment his fingers touched it, he felt as if he were being pulled somewhere and lost consciousness.
By his own reckoning, he had experienced some strange things on this planet, but this was entirely new. When he woke up, Suhyeon first checked where he was.
It was a cave similar to before, but definitely not the same place. The air smelled different.
Suhyeon realized the cave was already bright enough that no external light was needed. He had arrived in a massive, circular hall.
There was no entrance or exit in sight. All that was visible was an altar at the center and a chair.
“What is this…?”
He would have preferred if whatever was coming at him had been obvious. Being thrown into a situation with no explanation was unbearable. Suhyeon scanned the area again.
No matter how he looked, there was no entrance or exit. Ultimately, he gave up and approached the center.
On the altar was a single book. Bound in black leather, it exuded a strange aura. In the chair in front of the altar sat a corpse.
‘This doesn’t look human.’
It was clearly a very old corpse. There was no flesh left—just a skeleton. Yet Suhyeon could distinguish the species from the bones alone. The skeletal structure resembled that of an elf.
‘Was it attacked?’
Suhyeon thought so because the elf’s skeleton was incomplete. The bones corresponding to the arms and legs were missing, clearly cut off by some accident.
Feeling a sense of camaraderie, Suhyeon sympathized with the remains of the elf, having once lost limbs himself. He dusted off some of the dirt on top and straightened the skeleton in the chair.
—Excellent.
“?!”
—You have passed the second test.
“Wha—what…?”
Suhyeon immediately put some distance between himself and the skeleton, scanning the surroundings. Yet, no one was in sight.
“Where are you!”
—I am the Archmage Ravenfeld. I have been waiting for someone like you.
Suhyeon realized the voice wasn’t coming from anywhere around him—it was directly in his mind.
‘Archmage?!’
An archmage—essentially a powerful wizard. While individuals with psychic abilities occasionally appeared on Cameron, wizards were only ever mentioned in legends. None had ever actually been discovered. Not because magic was impossible, but because wizards were so extraordinarily rare.
If psychics were those who awakened innate abilities, wizards were those who, through effort and training, honed their abilities and awakened a second, learned power.
Psychics could intuitively use mana to employ their abilities, but these were fixed, innate powers. Wizards, however, weren’t limited to one ability—if they learned how to use them, theoretically, they could wield countless different powers.
If not for the records discovered through interactions with other species, humanity might never have imagined that psychics could awaken a second ability.
Even psychics with innate talent were rare, and those who honed their abilities to manipulate mana were rarer still.
Suhyeon had never actually seen a wizard. The only rumors were whispers among deep-dwelling species that wizards might exist.
Psychic abilities were already a field under active research. Magic, being a higher-level discipline, had not been studied at all—there were simply no wizards among humans.
—First, I tested your aptitude. Without innate ability, you would never have come here.
“!”
The blue lump of light—Suhyeon realized it was that very object that had transported him. That blue light had been a test of his abilities.
“You mean innate ability… psychic power?”
But the voice didn’t answer his question.
—Second, I tested your character. If you were impudent, you would have gone for my grimoire rather than my body. Had you done so, you would never have heard my voice.
Suhyeon felt a chill run down his spine. In other words, if he had touched the book first, he would have been killed. A careless move out of curiosity could have ended his life.
“This bastard…”
Since he was human and had been in accidents before, he had looked at the corpse first. But other species would have immediately recognized that this was a wizard’s cave. For them, the archmage’s trap was designed to filter the curious.
By luck or character, Suhyeon passed the test. Grateful just to be alive, he asked:
“Hey, if I passed the test, shouldn’t you answer some questions?”
—You may have many questions. I understand. Mortals cannot stop their curiosity. However, I cannot answer your questions. These are words I left before my death.
“…You’re not listening in, are you?”
The timing of that remark made him uneasy.
—I awakened my abilities and, after decades of training, finally mastered magic. Since then, I’ve continued to explore the world of magic. It is boundless. Those who have never stepped into it cannot imagine…
Ravenfeld clearly lacked humility. Suhyeon understood; even among psychics, there were countless arrogant individuals. Becoming a wizard would only magnify one’s pride in their own abilities.
—After creating and exploring countless spells, I realized my end was near. Even an archmage cannot escape death. While I am unafraid of death, I cannot allow the achievements of my lifetime to vanish. Thus, I prepared this test. If you possess ability and character, take my grimoire without hesitation!
The voice faded. Suhyeon stood frozen.
‘Take the grimoire?’
Having heard about the trap, he didn’t move immediately. The grimoire wouldn’t disappear if he waited a bit.
The grimoire. From Ravenfeld’s words, it surely contained all the spells he had created in life.
Magic was essentially artificial psychic ability. If a psychic with a non-telekinetic power learned to use telekinesis, they would become a wizard.
So possessing the grimoire would increase the number of abilities he could wield.
His mouth watered at the thought. With just telekinesis, he could already fight monsters with bare hands. What could he do with even more?
Suhyeon carefully approached and picked up the grimoire. Instantly, it flared with intense light, burning in his hands.
“?!?!?!?!!”
The pain made him try to drop it, but he couldn’t. Something powerful flowed through his hands into him.
‘Passing out again…!’
Thinking that, Suhyeon lost consciousness again.
When he woke, Suhyeon realized he was back in the original dark, narrow cave—not the strange glowing hall.
‘I didn’t dream this, did I?’
The alien sensation in his chest told him it wasn’t a dream. Closing his eyes, he focused on it, as he would when using telekinesis. Concentrating his power on this foreign presence…
“!”
Unexpected visions appeared. Suhyeon floated in midair, surrounded by countless books flying around him.
—I will teach you the path of magic, but mastering it will require your own strength!
Ravenfeld’s voice. Suhyeon realized he was using the grimoire correctly. He grabbed a passing book. Opening it, the information poured directly into his mind.
[Spellcraft]
Ignition Herb: 0/5
Karras Flame: 0/2
Essence of Salamander: 0/1
“This… this is…”
Suhyeon immediately understood what it represented: the ingredients needed to learn these spells! He knew the Ignition Herb—a famous medicinal herb—but he didn’t know Karras Flame or Essence of Salamander.
‘Mastering magic requires my own strength?’
Even just looking at the ignition spell, the required items were formidable.
‘Then I should start with what I need most.’
Suhyeon had no intention of becoming an archmage. Mastering magic for its own sake was meaningless. To him, psychic powers and magic were like guns or swords—convenient tools, nothing more.
If learning a spell required great effort, he needed to focus on the most practical and necessary ones first. He already knew what he wanted most: the ability he had always desired—healing.
‘Found it!’
[Healing]
Troll’s Blood: 0/10
Troll Heart: 0/1
White Blossom Herb: 0/1
‘Looks like I really have to go hunt a troll.’
Two of the required ingredients came from trolls. He hadn’t planned to hunt one, but now he would have no choice—even if it meant taking down an old troll.
Healing. The ability he truly wanted when injured. If he could gain it through magic…
Suhyeon shook his head to focus. It was amazing luck, but other pressing matters remained.
‘How do I get out of here?’
