Chapter 25: The Orc's Path to Magic
Ghaz woke to the blinding glare of the morning sun streaming through the window, searing into his eyelids. With a groggy groan, he lifted his head, feeling the rough texture of parchment against his cheek.
Falling asleep on books had become a habit in this world—just like in his previous life when he was a college student.
He blinked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, when a sudden thought jolted him fully awake.
The rat.
Where was it?
His heart skipped a beat as he frantically scanned the room, his gaze darting from the desk to the floor. If he lost the damn rat after one day, what would he even tell Nila?
Then, finally, he spotted it.
Pebble was very much alive, tied to one of the bed legs with a small rope. The little creature twitched its whiskers, watching him with wary, beady eyes.
Ghaz exhaled in relief. "Thank God." He knelt down and carefully loosened the makeshift leash.
As he worked, he muttered, "Alright, System. Gimme the reward."
A familiar hum resonated in his mind.
[Scanning…]
[Status: Alive.]
[Remark: Well, well, well… you actually kept it alive. Congrats.]
[Reward: Lo and behold! A Beginner Magic Book for Orcs.]
[Maybe ask me for help next time, heh?]
Ghaz froze. He stared at the system message, reading and rereading the words.
A beginner's magic book for orcs?
His eye twitched.
Are you serious?
"Wait—wait—" He ran a hand through his hair, trying to control his frustration. "All the time I spent researching spellcasting methods for orcs, and now you give me this?"
[You should've asked sooner.]
Ghaz took a long, deep breath, holding it for a few seconds before releasing it slowly.
Calm. Stay calm.
"Fine," he muttered through gritted teeth. "Give me the reward."
The moment he accepted, a wave of raw knowledge crashed into his mind.
Ghaz clenched his teeth as searing pain lanced through his skull, like a hot iron branding his thoughts. If he hadn't already been researching magic theory, the flood of information might have been unbearable. Even with his preparation, it still felt like someone was drilling knowledge into his brain with a rusty chisel.
"Mm…hmm," he grunted, gripping the edge of the desk as he processed the influx of data.
Lines of ancient script, diagrams of orc shamans casting spells, and precise muscle-control techniques flashed through his thoughts, each concept clicking into place like a puzzle finally completed.
Then, the system chimed again.
[You have unlocked 7 basic spells.]
Fireball
Waterball
Electric Spark
Wind Push
Stone Toss
Soothe Pain
Ghaz exhaled, blinking rapidly as the lingering headache faded.
And suddenly—it all made sense.
Humans, elves, and dwarves were like high-capacity batteries—powerful but dangerous. They required a mana network to channel their energy safely. Without it, their raw mana would fry them from the inside out.
Orcs, on the other hand, were low-capacity batteries. Their mana reserves were much smaller, eliminating the need for a dedicated circuit. But then—how did shamans cast spells?
The answer was muscles.
Instead of meridian pathways, orc muscles acted as conduits for mana.
They sent mana impulses through their bodies like binary code—on or off, strong or weak, fast or slow.
Humans and elves crafted spells like a programming language, using structured commands through their circuits to manipulate mana.
Orcs?
Orcs brute-forced magic with raw muscle control.
Ghaz closed his eyes and extended his right hand.
Mana flowed through his palm, and then—he interrupted the flow in a specific pattern. The time between each pulse was less than a second.
On. Off. Strong. Weak. Fast. Slow.
It was like flexing a muscle in just the right way—except the muscle was mana itself.
After about three seconds, there it was.
A waterball floated in front of his right hand.
The system chimed again.
[Guess who just went from being dumb to just stupid? Ding ding! It's you! Congrats.]
Ghaz groaned. "Screw you, System. Show my stats."
[Race: Orc]
[Class: Orc Nerve-Stitcher]
[Level: 8]
[Mana: 5/7]
[Strength: 20]
[Dexterity: 17]
[Intelligence: 16]
[Wisdom: 12]
Thanks to the system's random quests, he had managed to level up from 3 to 8 in a short span of time, significantly boosting his stats.
Ghaz studied the screen. "This should be enough... at least for the time being."
Just as he was thinking that, a knock sounded at the door.
Probably Nila.
Ghaz scooped up Pebble and opened the door.
Nila stood outside, which wasn't surprising. But behind her was another orc—a tall, broad-shouldered warrior with an iron right tusk.
The orc's sharp gaze flicked from Ghaz to Pebble.
"Sorry for interrupting your meal," the orc said with a tinge of apology.
Nila's eyes widened. "TEACHER, ARE YOU EATING PEBBLE?!"
Her voice cracked, her eyes already brimming with tears.
Ghaz choked on air. "NONONONO! I am NOT eating Pebble!" He shook his head frantically.
The orc scratched his chin. "Ah. My mistake, then."
He gave a short nod. "I am Zaer. Gorrock sent me to take you to your clinic."
Ghaz calmed himself, adjusting Pebble in his grip. "What about the instruments?"
Zaer turned, motioning for them to follow. "They're already at the clinic. The arm will take some time, though."
As they walked, Nila's gaze kept shifting between Ghaz and Zaer.
'why is the floor wet?'.She thought to herself
Ghaz exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "Well, guess we're moving up in the world."
Zaer smirked as he walked alongside Ghaz. "Join the Iron Bone officially, and you can move up much faster."
Ghaz scoffed."I don't like being part of anything."
Without waiting for a response, he started toward the stairs.
Zaer shrugged but didn't back down. "You promised to heal Gorrock's jaw. I hope you will. It didn't end well for the healers who tried in the past."
That made Ghaz pause mid-step. He turned slightly, eyeing Zaer with mild curiosity. "How many tried?"
Zaer's expression darkened. "Four."
Ghaz raised a brow. "And?"
"The only reason he gave you a chance is because you're an orc."
Ghaz exhaled sharply, rolling his shoulders. "Great. No pressure."