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Chapter 4

Thump.

Just as I was getting used to the thick stench of blood, my racing heartbeat slowed down and a wave of intense pain washed over my entire body.

The ‘awakening’ granted by [The Former Master of Swordsmanship] had ended.

“This fucking body.”

When the body enters the awakened state it releases a massive amount of adrenaline to make my movements much more fluid.

According to the description it also heightened my focus and judgment.

It also dulled my sensitivity to pain, allowing me to fight quite well even with this frail body.

The problem arose after the battle ended—like now.

If I fought in a way that didn’t match my physical abilities, I would be hit with a barrage of debuffs for the next 30 minutes.

Enhanced pain, reduced focus, dizziness, stomach cramps, muscle aches, and so on.

The result was an overwhelming surge of agony, like a delayed aftershock.

Even my mind was exhausted, and I was on the verge of passing out.

“…Let’s sleep for now.”

I left my unfinished tasks behind and trudged into the next room.

It wasn’t as well-equipped as the room I was originally assigned, but I couldn’t exactly sleep next to a pile of corpses.

There might also be traps in this room, considering it was where they tried to ambush me.

Regardless of it I collapsed on the bed and let my body relax completely.

It felt like I was glued to the mattress. I was too tired even to move a finger.

I could fall asleep in an instant, but I forced my eyes open despite their heaviness.

There was still something I needed to do.

The magic that the slick-haired man had been casting. I needed to reconstruct it.

‘…What kind of magic was it?’

I had dismantled the spell before it could fully manifest, so I didn’t know what it was exactly. I could only assume it was some sort of offensive magic.

It didn’t seem particularly high-level.

But more than that, it was the first time I had witnessed ‘real magic’ since arriving in this world.

And just maybe, I thought, I could make it my own.

It would be better to try while the memory was still fresh, just before I fell asleep.

I mentally replayed the magic that the slick-haired man tried to cast.

‘I’ve got a rough idea.’

The part that bothered me most was the start of the spell. I hadn’t seen it because I’d been too busy fighting the brute.

By the time the battle ended, the spell had already reached its mid-stage.

I’d have to figure it out myself.

I slowly sharpened my focus. A tingling sensation spread as I visualized the scenario like a simulation in my mind.

The total amount of mana, its direction, its density and the overall flow.

I rewound everything step by step until I could picture the starting point.

At first, it seemed impossible, but soon enough, I started to get a feel for it.

‘Is this how it goes?’

I opened my eyes slightly and manipulated the mana that had gathered around me.

Soon, a small cluster of mana began to glow with a faint blue light.

‘Is this thanks to the “Magic Prodigy” trait?’

I instinctively understood what this phenomenon was.

It was the beginning of magic.

The starting point of magic.

Every spell begins with this small cluster of mana.

"...Now."

From that point on, I followed exactly what he had done.

The mana formed letters, then shapes, and finally a circle.

A spell formula came into being.

I closely observed the floating formula before me.

Soon, I began to understand its nature.

Its surface appeared calm, but its energy was volatile and aggressive and could turn on its caster instantly if mishandled.

With such a destructive nature, there could be only one type of magic it represented.

\'...Fire.\'

The slick-haired man had been casting a fire spell.

A subtle sense of accomplishment came from deep.

"...Ha, haha."

I had successfully recreated more than half of a spell, just after arriving this world for the first time

And I had done it without a spellbook.

Learning magic on your own is something even highly talented mages wouldn\'t dare to attempt.

Though it was thanks to the power of my trait, I felt like a true prodigy for the first time.

...Considering I’d been thrown into a game world, I figured I deserved to enjoy this feeling a bit.

With that thought, I let everything go and closed my eyes.

This was exhaustion beyond what any human could bear.

***

When I woke, the room was dark.

I instinctively glanced at the clock on the wall.

"It was around six when I fell asleep..."

The current time: 9 p.m.

I slept for 15 straight hours.

Guess I really was tired.

"...I slept a lot. Well, at least I feel fully rested."

Crack, crack.

I stretched thoroughly after sleeping so long, then headed straight to the shower.

I washed off the sweat that had drenched my body while I slept.

Only after finishing the shower and changing into fresh clothes did I start thinking about what to do next.

Though, there wasn\'t much to think about.

"First, I need to get out of Sector 7."

Sector 7, the slum of beggars known as the Wasteland. There wasn\'t much I could do here.

To fully make use of the build I had planned, I\'d need to at least make it to Sector 6.

And for that...

"...First, I need money. Then I’ll need money again... and after that... more money."

Damn it.

"No matter the world, living is the same struggle."

The plan was simple.

Bribe the guards to get into Sector 6.

Use a broker to clean my identity.

Obtain a spellbook, learn magic, and raise my value in society.

The problem was that all of these steps required money.

“Where am I supposed to get money?”

Originally my plan was to quickly master the magic to help the beggars and get paid in return. But now, I had changed my mind.

“I just don’t trust them.”

I did not want to depend on beggars for money, because they could stab me in the back at any moment.

So, I started thinking of alternative methods.

How could I earn money here?

While pondering that question, my stomach growled.

Grrrrr!

...Now that I think about it, I hadn’t eaten anything yet.

I headed straight to the communal kitchen to get something to eat.

There were round slices of bread with fruit jam spread on top.

“…This is kind of different, but pretty good.”

The sweetness exploding in my mouth sparked my appetite.

As the strong flavors jolted my brain awake, a sudden thought flashed through my mind.

“Wait, money?”

I glanced around and noticed how well-organized the kitchen was.

Stacks of premium ingredients and fully stocked kitchenware.

Everything from the tables to the tablecloths to the sink was high-end.

How did I not think of this sooner?

“Yeah, in a place like this…”

There’s no need to search elsewhere for money.

Tap tap tap!

I quickly searched the building.

Then, I came to a stop in front of a large steel door.

It was locked tightly, and the sight of it screamed ‘suspicious.’

If my hunch was right…

“There’s money behind here.”

With the wealth it would take to furnish a building like this, there was bound to be a stash hidden somewhere.

My heart pounded with the sudden thought that everything might be resolved in one go.

The problem was figuring out how to open the door...

Upon inspecting the steel door, I noticed a small hole.

A keyhole.

“Where would he have kept the key?”

Two things came to mind.

One, in the room of the slicked-back man who called himself the leader.

So he must carry important things on himself.

“He didn’t strike me first as the cautious type.”

Which meant the key was probably on him.

I headed straight back to where the corpse was and began searching his body.

His sleeves, pants pockets, inner pockets.

Eventually, I felt something jingle around his waist.

“Got it.”

A bunch of keys each having different shapes.

One of these had to unlock that suspicious door.

There was no need to agonize over which key it was.

“I’ll just try them all.”

I returned to the steel door and inserted the keys one by one.

Soon enough, click—the sound of the lock disengaging echoed.

“Alright.”

Creeeeeak.

The thick steel door swung open with a grating metallic sound.

Instead of a room, there was a dark space, and a staircase leading downward.

Was there some sort of basement down there?

I cautiously proceeded forward after grabbing a lantern from the wall mount.

Step by step.

After descending what seemed like an endless staircase and turning a corner, I found another door.

It had a small barred window and a latch that locked from the outside—much like a prison cell.

What could be behind this?

Creeeeak.

With my guard fully up, I unlatched the door and stepped inside.

The interior was pitch-black, no light whatsoever.

I waved the lantern around and scanned the room. Suddenly, I noticed a dark figure huddled in a corner.

Disheveled long hair, tattered clothing, shriveled body.

“…A woman?”

Her figure was in such a bad state that it wouldn’t have been surprising if she was dead, but I pushed aside my discomfort and nudged her gently with my foot.

The woman flinched and looked up at me with wide eyes.

She was alive.

“…Did they lock you in here too?”

“No.”

“…Then how did you end up here?”

“I was just passing through.”

“…”

The woman, who had been silent for a while, suddenly shifted her gaze toward one spot.

Her pupils began to tremble violently.

Her face had gone pale, as though she was terrified of something.

Her gaze was fixed on the stairs.

“Th-the ones outside…?”

I could piece together what had happened.

It seemed likely that those men had kidnapped her and locked her down here.

I said in a reassuring tone.

“They’re all dead.”

“D-dead…?”

Her eyes welled up, and then she burst into tears.

“Hicc… hic…”

The cries were getting clearer and clearer.

The heartbreak and anger in it was beyond my comprehension.

What on earth had she gone through?

I leaned against the opposite wall and waited until she calmed down.

It took a while before the tears stopped, and when they did, I gently asked.

“…What happened to you?”

The woman\'s eyes dropped to the floor and she struggled to speak.

“…I’ve been a beggar since birth. A beggar from Sector 7.”

Even in the slums, love can blossom.

She explained that she was born out of that love, the result of a fleeting moment of hope.

“I was always hungry, but it was okay. My parents loved me so much…”

Despite the harsh circumstances, she had a family, and that had been enough to help her get through each day.

“Then, one day, I awakened magic.”

She had thought it was a blessing, a divine message telling her that she could finally escape her miserable life.

“I told them right away. I said I could use magic now, and we didn’t have to live like this anymore.”

In this world, awakening magic could indeed change someone\'s fate, offering them the hope of a better life.

But instead—

“…Their eyes changed. They were no longer the people I knew.”

“….”

“And before I knew it, they sold me off to this place.”

Her story ended in tragedy. What she had thought was her salvation had instead plunged her deeper into despair.

“Isn’t it funny? The parents I trusted so much…”

I didn’t know what to say.

“…How long have you been here?”

“I’m not sure… about a week, maybe?”

“I see…”

I looked around the room.

A pitch-black basement with no light having damp air that made the place feel oppressive and small insects crawling across the floor.

She had spent an entire week here, abandoned by the only people she trusted.

The emotional torment she must have endured… I couldn’t even begin to imagine.

But what was more important now—

—I saw you… handling magic…

If I hadn’t killed those men, I might have been trapped here just like her.

“FUCK…”

The guilt that I had tried so hard to suppress finally dissolved completely.