Arthur

Dane just stood still with a dark expression for over 5 minutes. He was mumbling blasphemies against god and the system. He was asking himself who in their right mind would create a wand like this? It was that thought that threw him to the rabbit hole.

He did not remember programming this wand in the game, and the content created by the other writers and designers had to be approved by him before being implemented. He just had no idea how it got there. He just stood there and, a few seconds later, he jumped up in fright.

"No way… It was the AI?" Apart from being a very beautiful game, one of the things that made Zeryann so popular was it's godlike artificial intelligence. Let's say you program an in-game book that lists the most powerful 100 magicians of all times. You happen to include a very specific name, Darwin, placed in the top ten. But that was it, the name isn't included in any other content until 5 dlcs later. You include another book in which it is stated that Darwin was the founder of a secretive organization that emphasises pranking other people.

Those were the only two mentions of Darwin in the canon Zeryann, so of course Dane would not remember. The amazing thing is that the AI took those two mentions and developed them to the point where, in the real Zeryann, that magician Darwin created such an ill-shaped wand. Right now, Dane felt that the AI system of Zeryann was both his greatest and worst idea.

Right then and there, another thought surfaced in his mind. He remembered almost everything that was ever implemented to the game, but he did not and could not know the derivations the AI would make based on isolated facts. That was a huge problem for Dane since he was planning on relying in his knowledge to stop the catastrophe. As Dane was thinking of this, he unconsciously gripped his wand. After a few seconds, his face got filled with black lines and once again mumbled to himself.

"System, show me the best wand I can buy with my current inventory points."

[Wand of the Diligent – 230 points (common)

Casting speed increased by 10%.

Power increased by 10%.]

"Exchange it. And I swear to god, if it is any different from a standard wand I will find a way to destroy you."

[Beep! 230 points deduced. Wand of the Diligent successfully exchanged.]

"God, can you not be a little more, you know, quiet? A "Item exchanged" would've sufficed."

[In response to player. The dialogues were programmed that way. By you. There is no use complaining.]

"Stupid… In the game I can mute you though, here you don't even have a command bar." Dane said while storing Darwin's wand in his ring and receiving the wand of the diligent. It was dark brown in colour and was about 1 cm in diameter et the tip and about three at the base. "Well, it is not a good wand, but is inconspicuous."

[Beep! Alerting the player. A very powerful lifeform is approaching. Chances of victory are near 0%. Player is recommended to flee for his life.]

"What the…" Dane could not even listen to the end of the message before a cloaked figure appeared in front of him. It was wearing a black robe with the image of a thunder sewn to the left part of his chest. After staring at each other for about 3 seconds, the figure took off his cloak, revealing an aged face. He had white hair and white beard. His face was wrinkled all over, but even then, his grey eyes were deep, and seemed to be brimming with endless power. But, the most striking characteristic he had, was that the right side of his face was covered by a wooden mask. After a few seconds, he kneeled to Dane.

"Guardian mage Randwen reporting to the great one. Please bestow your orders, my lord." Randwen said without even opening his eyes.

"Randwen, how did you recognize me? I don't look or feel like I did in the past." Dane asked, with a good amount of confusion.

"Sir, I still feel your soul. That's how I could identify you. No matter how different you looked."

"Well, that's great, saves me a lot of trouble. I presume you have a report of the condition of the tower, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Well, go on, please."

"Yes." Randwen said and stood up. "Last night, the tower was moved of it's last location. We are no longer located in the Agras Mountain Range, now we are located about 300 km north of here, near the Blackrose Magic Academy. Although the structure of the tower itself remains intact, the surrounding buildings and exterior defences have all disappeared, including the living quarters. I noticed that all of the guardians, warriors, and servants have entered a state of false death, and it is impossible to heal them with magic. I tried. I am the only one who remains unaffected."

"Don't worry too much about them. I will solve it. I just need some time. What about the internal and external magic defences of the tower and the vaults and storages?"

"Sir, it is very strange. The magic defences still hold, but the vaults and storages are in mayhem. All the weapons and armour have disappeared and instead been replaced by ores and ingots of metal, leather, and some other materials. The same with scrolls, potions and almost every type of item. There are several things that remain unaffected, such as unique items and the books, but apart from them, there is not much to be said. All the gold and silver in the vault, likewise, got reverted to chunks of metal, but the gems and precious materials maintained their form." Randwen was very diligent when obeying orders. Almost everything Dane wanted to know was laid out for him.

"There is just one serious problem, though. While the tower appeared near the academy, there was a high ranking wizard nearby. He detected the magic fluctuations and got near to investigate. I activated the concealment formations, so he gave up. But earlier this morning, he arrived once again with a lot more magicians." Randwen didn't seem to be very concerned about the matter, but Dane immediately frowned.

"Did you left the formation activated?"

"Yes. I also left five transcendent elementals guarding the immediate perimeter. So, even if they find it, they should not be able to breach our defences." Dane frowned.

"Transcendent? Randwen, how powerful exactly was that wizard you found last night?

"Not much. He was a transcendent elementalist, probably around level 130."

"130? Randwen, you need to know something. Right now, we were not just transported to somewhere different. I myself got stuck into this body, that should be a clue. We went back in time. Right now, based on that wizard you found, we should be in 4279 of the third era, a year before the attack on Windhall Academy. That man should've been Heresis, the second in command of the East Alliance. He is one of the strongest around." Dane frowned and started making calculations. If things are indeed how he thought, there would be a lot of trouble near the academy the following months.

"Listen, tonight you will handle it. As you can probably see, my strength is completely gone. That was the price I had to pay to keep the tower and you guys alive. Right now, the thing we need the most are resources, and it so happens that they are right over there." Dane said while pointing with his chin to a wall that was completely covered with tree roots.

"Inside, there are a lot of thing I need to get, but you must come with me in order to get them. I am too weak to do it on my own."

"Yes, my lord". Randwen once again kneeled.

"By the way, did you bring the books I asked you to?" This was one of Dane's biggest concerns. He needed to learn spells, and he could through spellbooks. He didn't know if it would be the same as it was in the past, but he at least needed to try.

"Yes, my lord. I brought three elementary spellbooks, as per your orders. They are sparks, icy wind, and wind burst."

"Great, hand them over, I need to study them." Randwen just swiped his hand and three books appeared floating in the air. These were just the most basic of all the spells, the library of the Thunder Tower probably had around three copies. But out here, in Zeryann, each of them would cost a small fortune.

Studying magic was, without any room for doubts, the most expensive thing in the world. One needed money to buy spellbooks, equipment, materials, etc. And if you wanted a specialization, prices would get way higher. Luckily, after today, Dane would not have any money issues. He extended his hand and grabbed the first book he saw, sparks.

[Beep! Spellbook detected. Spell points unlocked. Spell points are used to learn spells quickly as well as exchange spellbooks stored in the system's inventory. Spell points are gained by mastering spells, modifying spells, completing quests related to magic and converting quest points. They can be converted in a 1:100 ratio.]

That was a sound Dane really wanted to hear, so he just jumped around in happiness. "How much spell points do I need to spend in order to learn spells?"

[Depends on the level of the spell. Level 0 spells cost 10 points. Level 1 spells cost 20. Level 2 spells cost 30 points. So on and so forth until level 9 spells, which cost 100 points to learn. The system remembers player, this is only a basic knowledge of the spell so you can execute it, but you would still need to study and practice it before attaining mastery in it.]

To Dane, who was just listening to the system and reading his hud, this was a very happy moment. But for Randwen, who was just staring from the side, it was kind of worrying. His master just stayed still for over a minute after reaching to grab a book. He was starting to worry when Dane finally opened the first book, sparks.

[1 Quest point converted to spell points. 100 spell points available. Learned spell "Sparks", 10 spell points deducted. Learned spell "Icy Wind", 10 spell points deducted. Learned spell…]

Dane just opened the three books before he could form the model inside his mind. He now was, officially, an apprentice-level magician. He was just experimenting with the model in his mind before he heard the system again.

[Beep! Achievements unlocked: Fast Learner. Heavy spender.

Fast Learner: Augments your learning speed by 500%. A racial trait of the Ancient elves.

Heavy Spender: Allows you to buy items at a reduced price.]

"What the… Achievements aren't supposed to do this…" Dane was once again conflicted over the differences between his game and this world, but he didn't have much time to do it. Before he could react, there were 2 earth elementals at his side and a thunder elemental behind him. Meanwhile, Randwen was standing in front of him.

"My lord Jadar, someone is running towards us." Randwen didn't beat around the bush and just told him the reason for his summons, but he said nothing more.

It was a personality trait programmed into him. He would never do or say unnecessary things unless ordered. He was one of the most powerful npcs of the Thunder Tower and the most direct one. The fact that he was a magician was the reason why Dane decided to unseal him instead of anyone else. Never underestimate a wizard's capability to make money.

As Dane was thinking of this, the vague sound of footsteps was becoming clear. It wasn't long before the figure of a young man could be seen running towards Dane. Randwen just let his mana circulate and was ready to attack.

"Help! Help me! Please!" As the young man saw Dane and Randwen, he started running even faster towards them while begging for help.

"No freaking way… Is that… Arthur?" Dane asked in a muffled voice seemingly recognizing the tattered young man who was running towards him for help. It was at that moment the system sounded again.

[Beep! Quest Received: Save the young Arthur and make sure he arrives safe and sound to Blackrose Magic Academy. Reward: 5 Quest points.]

"So it is him… Who would've known. It is a small world after all." Dane said while smiling, apparently pleasantly surprised. It was because the identity of that young magician was something special.

Arthur Pendrake, level 190 magician. General of Zeryann's Wizards Alliance and one of the three Magic Protectors. Of course, that would be in the future. Right now, he was just Arthur, a young man asking for help.