Learning Magic

Dust filled the section of the library that housed magic items and artifacts. After the loud explosion echoed through the library, the place slowly returned to its previous calm and tranquility.

Tyler stood in stunned silence, watching the dust settle. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He had never heard of an orb exploding during a magic potential test. As far as he knew, even legendary heroes hadn't experienced such a thing. Various theories swirled in his head.

Was it too old? No, no, no, that's a magic item we're talking about. It wouldn't deteriorate over time unless the magic inside was depleted. What do I do now? You'd think there'd be an instruction manual here somewhere. It's a library, after all.

Unsure of what had happened, Tyler decided not to stress over the strange phenomenon. Instead, he resolved to find another way to determine if he had any magical abilities.

Without the orb to guide him, he wouldn't know where to start his studies or which aspect of magic to focus on. The only way to know if he could use magic now was to try casting a spell. Of course, this wasn't as easy as it sounded. He had no tools, no teacher, and no idea where to begin. He would have to learn a spell and attempt to cast it. If he had mana but still couldn't cast spells, he'd need to find another way to gain strength from the library.

With his path seemingly determined by fate, Tyler retraced his steps to pick up a book he had seen earlier: Magic Fundamentals. Although he had learned the basics of magic before, he wanted to refresh his memory.

He took the book off the shelf and noticed there were twelve other volumes lined up beside it. "This is going to take a while," he muttered. Scanning the other books on the shelf, he slowly sat down on the floor, leaned against the wall, opened the book to the first chapter, and began reading.

The basic theories of how magic worked were explained in the first few chapters. After reading half of the book, he had only learned one new thing—but it was something that shocked him to his core.

"There are nine Tiers in magic. I thought there were only seven."

Tyler frowned slightly. He remembered that in the Ruz Kingdom on the Human Continent, he had only learned of four Tiers, and most people could only use up to Tier 3. It was rare to see a Tier 4 mage, wizard, or sorcerer, though Tier 4 Magic Swordsmen were slightly more common. Magic Swordsmen were specialists who could only use a handful of spells, typically powerful ones that complemented their weapons and fighting style, along with secret techniques.

Back when Tyler was an adventurer, there had been only one Magic Swordsman considered above the Tiers. He was a hero among heroes, having fought on the frontlines of the war. Tyler had assumed this man was the one who killed the Demon King—or so he thought. Even if the Demon King couldn't use up to the Ninth Tier, Tyler knew demons could match heroes and even surpass them (Tier 5). So the Demon King had to have been far stronger. How did they win? It had been over a thousand years. Even if he wanted to know the truth of what had happened, it was probably too late. Shaking his head, he refocused on the present and continued his train of thought.

Unlike Magic Swordsmen, who were essentially sorcerers with swords, mages could use any form or aspect of magic they studied, limited only by their magical potential and affinity.

Tyler flipped through the book, then picked up the next volume, and the next, and the next. He read so quickly he became a blur, moving back and forth between the shelves and his spot on the floor. He read all twelve volumes and then moved on to other books on the shelf:

History of Magic

Crux of Mana

Mana Body

Magic Runes

Magic Circles

If he had read like this in college, he might have been the top student in his school. He learned about the basics and history of all nine Tiers of magic, the formations of magic circles, and how to read basic magic runes. He decided to revisit runes later, as they were complicated and expansive. He also learned about the different forms of magic: Elemental Magic, Control Magic, Necromancy, Spirit Magic, Astrology Magic, and Arcane or Bizarre Magic.

After more than ten hours of reading, he finally stopped and picked up a book titled Elemental Basic Spell Book - Tier 1.

He had tried researching other ways to test magic potential, but the only spell for that was at the 7th Tier—something far beyond his current capabilities.

He also hadn't noticed his abnormal reading speed. He had lost track of time, engrossed in the feeling of understanding what he was reading as he read it. This was a stark contrast to his school days, where he had to study things repeatedly to grasp even a fraction of the material.

Scanning his surroundings, Tyler noticed an open area in the center of the columns. A massive engraved magic circle was etched into the floor, though he couldn't decipher it. It looked like some kind of protective barrier.

Tyler walked over with slight hesitation. There was enough space to try a spell, but he felt uneasy. The library had revealed itself to him by accident, and he wasn't sure it would remain accessible. Something this good felt too good to be true, and he feared that if he left, he might never return. This was likely his only opportunity in the library, so he had to seize it.

"Hmm, I should be extra careful. I can't damage anything in here, now can I? So, what should my first spell be?"

He forced himself to calm down, focusing all his attention on the task at hand. He was excited to test magic but couldn't let himself get carried away.

He flipped through the book, stopping at a page containing a spell. Up to seven basic spells could be contained in a single book, as they didn't require much explanation. Tier 2 and above spells would each have their own books, becoming increasingly complex.

He considered various spells to test but dismissed most of them, as he was in a special place and couldn't risk damaging anything. He decided to try a basic defense spell he had seen before to increase his chances of success. After deliberating between his top two choices—Magic Barrier and Earth Wall—he settled on the latter.

This wasn't a perfect test, as he might still be a Tier 1 Magic Swordsman with an affinity for a different element. If he failed, he planned to try the safest spells in all the other elements.

He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. The anxiety he thought had left him came rushing back like a tsunami. Taking a few more deep breaths, he opened his eyes and stretched out his right arm, attempting to cast the spell. The moment the words left his mouth, his voice—strangely deeper—filled with a confidence he hadn't felt moments ago.

"Earth Wall."

The magic circle, composed of runes, began to form around his open palm. This was the final step in learning magic. Once the circle was fully formed, it would fuse into his mana body, allowing him to cast the spell instantly in the future. As each rune fell into place, he felt vibrations in the ground.

Tyler grew more excited by the second as the runes aligned before his eyes. This was a feeling he had never experienced before. Using his innate ability, Potential Break, didn't require much mana or a magic circle. It worked more like a skill, similar to how monsters' abilities functioned.

The entire library began to vibrate as the magic circle neared completion. In that instant, Tyler felt a massive surge of energy leave him and flow into the circle. He felt slightly drained but quickly recovered.

The library shook violently, as if a high-magnitude earthquake were about to strike. What in the world? Tyler thought, alarmed. He had only performed a Tier 1 spell. Such a reaction shouldn't have been possible.

In that instant, a giant wall over three meters wide shot up from the ground beneath his feet. It was so large and wide that it nearly hit Tyler in the chin as it rose. The wall stood more than six meters tall, resembling something built for an ancient giant's temple—not for humans.

BOOM!

Before Tyler could react to the wall's size, the library's shaking intensified. In the same moment, the wall shattered in a massive explosion. The shockwave sent him flying over 60 meters toward the door, which had opened at some point.

Whoosh... Bang!

Tyler was hurled out of the library and slammed into the wall on the opposite side of the door. "Ouch... what the... what happened?"

The pain in the back of his head brought back his headache, and he felt dizzy. He slowly got up, massaging the back of his head to ease the pain. The speed at which he had hit the wall should have killed him—or at least severely injured him—but his attention wasn't on that. He was focused on something else entirely.

He stared blankly at the spot he had been ejected from. "What happened? Did I mess up a basic spell? No, no, no, that's not supposed to happen. Even if I messed up, at most the spell should fail and not activate. That was even in one of the books I read." Tyler was deeply confused by the sudden turn of events. One moment, he was casting a Tier 1 spell; the next, he was literally kicked out of the library.

He cautiously approached the library door, step by step, trying not to let his emotions overwhelm him. When he reached the door, he placed his hands on the doorknob and turned it.

The door didn't open. He tried again and again, pushing and pulling, but nothing worked. He attempted to break the door, but it felt like steel. His punches and blows made loud impacts that reverberated through the massive room, but he didn't pay attention to his own strength.

His heart beat faster by the second.

Calm down, calm down, calm down, CALM DOWN, YOU FUCKING IDIOT!

Thinking back to what had happened before the library revealed itself, Tyler forced himself to calm down. He walked out of the room and out of the castle, retracing his steps.

Play by play, he spent another few hours repeating everything he had done earlier before returning to the library door, which hadn't hidden itself but remained firmly shut. Despite his efforts, he couldn't regain access.

With no way to re-enter the magic library—the one place that had given him hope of survival—he was devastated. He stared at the tightly shut door with red eyes and a red cheek, a bundle of emotions swelling within him.

There wasn't much hope of surviving the Demon Continent as a human. Humanity had made enemies of almost all non-human races in this world. Their only allies were the dwarves, and he wasn't even sure that alliance still held. He hadn't realized it, but the library had given him hope. Yet, in his greed, he had blown his one chance to get stronger in this crazy world. Tyler fell to his knees, his expression somber. At that moment, the reality of his situation hit him like a ton of bricks.

He had been remarkably calm since waking up underground, treating everything like a movie playing out before him. But this was reality. He was in the Demon Continent—the heart of it, no less—in the Demon King's castle.

Even if he were somehow a Tier 5 Magic Swordsman or mage, there was no way he could walk out of the continent alive without help. Not only that, but he had nowhere to go. If he tried returning to the Human Continent, he'd be killed the moment he set foot on the border. After all, some demons looked exactly like humans—most demon races, in fact. He had heard there were a few.

He had no information about this era, no idea about the relationships between the races. He was alone in a strange world, in enemy territory, with no help and no strength to fight back.

A torrent of emotions burst forth: sadness, despair, confusion, pain, sorrow. A single tear slipped from his left eye as the weight of his situation crushed him.

He slowly sat down on the ground, his back against the door, and stared out the window with a melancholic expression. His one chance at survival was behind that door, and he had let himself be kicked out of it. His greed had overtaken him, and he had wanted to stay in the library until he had extracted everything he needed. In the end, he wasn't any better than the people who had used and betrayed him.

What was the point of surviving for so long? Why had he awakened in this place if he was just going to die soon anyway?