First Steps

At a loss for words from the realization and the memories and knowledge that were now seeping through his body, Rui wondered why the artifact had chosen him and not Rin. Why had it made a contract with him, even though he had neither knowledge nor power?

"How long have I been asleep, and were you the one influencing my actions to go to the room and make a contract?" Rui hadn't decided on what to do yet, and all he could do to pass the time was ask questions.

"It has been three and a half days since you slept. As for the other question, yes, your actions have been influenced," replied the voice of the artifact. This time, it was that of a middle-aged noble.

Why had it said 'Your actions have been influenced'? Why didn't it say 'I influenced your actions'? Could it be someone else was controlling the artifact? And why would it teleport them to this cave with an altar? There could have been many other safer and better options. He wanted to think about more, but didn't know if it could read his mind.

"What is your power? You have used multiple types of magic and are capable of causing unknown events." Rui didn't hold back his questions, knowing it wouldn't harm him.

"I will give a partial answer for now," the artifact said, using a different voice than it had before. Rui realized it was due to magic—specifically sound magic. It could send vibrations and sound through the air capable of communicating, injuring, paralyzing, or even killing. It was formidable at everything.

"The texts you see are the desires you wish to see. You see what you are looking for, as long as it isn't out of reach." The artifact gave the answer that would satisfy Rui.

Rui wondered what else it could do other than using magic, answering his questions, and absorbing power and knowledge from humans. He also thought there might be a price for each written answer—it now communicated through voice ever since the contract, whereas before it answered by writing out replies to spoken or mental questions.

It was quite powerful. He would classify it at a five-star level, maybe even six—the first of its kind. Rui thought this without hiding his expression.

He felt changes in his body—calmer, more experienced, more mature. He looked toward the artifact, ready to ask more questions.

"Is this one of your powers—to gain the experience of the past people who touched you?" He knew from the memories he had received how Rin interacted with the artifact, how she died, and that she didn't sign a contract.

The voices appeared again and said, "Yes."

"What do you want me to do as of now?" he asked, one of the many more questions he had.

"Go and find a way to earn money and buy necessities you need in addition to items and weapons before you do anything else," the voices said again before quickly dispersing. Rui was getting tired of hearing and speaking in different tones. Then, once more, the voice spoke, "Train your magic and swordsmanship to be able to face any danger."

Rui looked at it and at himself. All he had were the clothes on his back, his shoes, and the artifact.

He stood up, looked around before staring at the altar while holding the artifact, and then looked toward the crack of sunlight. He walked toward it. The opening was small; he could barely squeeze through. Clutching the artifact tightly, he pushed through.

After a short while of squeezing through, he saw that the area was surrounded by many trees and lush ground. This kind of environment could only be found on the southern continent. There were five continents in the past—three in the north, one in the east, and one near the southeastern region. The eastern continent was filled with mana that caused mutations in animals, making it full of mystical monsters. It was very dangerous; even the strongest didn't approach it carelessly. As for the northern continent near it, most of it had been destroyed, making it uninhabitable. The rest had already sunk into the ocean. The cause was unknown, but it was believed to have occurred during the era when the originator of human magic appeared.

Before monsters had strange powers—like mermaids influencing humans with their voices or dragons breathing elemental magic—humans thought such things were exclusive to monsters. But everything changed. Humans gained the same powers as the monsters they faced, along with access to many items and weapons to aid them in battle.

Looking around while walking as if searching for something, Rui noticed there were no animals in the area. That meant there likely wasn't a water source nearby; animals always lived near places that had everything they needed to survive. He decided to wander until he found signs of animal life.

He still hadn't felt hunger or thirst, but he didn't want to wait until the last moment. He walked for hours, staying alert against reptiles, plants, or monsters that could cause injuries or worse if he wasn't paying attention.

After three hours, he arrived at a flowing body of water fed by a waterfall. As he got closer, he saw his reflection. Where once an eye had been, there was now darkness. The area surrounding it was burned and scarred. It had healed, but the once beautiful face was now disfigured.

"So this was the burning feeling I felt." Rui looked at the portrait reflected in the water with a look of disappointment. It was clearly caused by an abnormal force—the eye and everything connected to it was gone, though he could still control his eyelids.

He thought of asking the artifact how to hide it and went through with the question, hoping it could provide an answer.

"Do you know how I can hide this scar, as well as the empty eye socket? If you have the power to do something, do it."

He waited, but no answer came. As he was about to leave, he saw his reflection in the water change. The left side of his face returned to how it looked before the contract. He was puzzled until a voice spoke.

"This is a high-tier spell of illusion magic. Most won't realize magic is in use, but strong opponents will feel a sense of puzzlement, and the strongest among them will know an illusion is active, though not where."

Rui smiled and said, "I never expected you to be this helpful in unimportant matters. I thought you would ignore my request." He felt a happiness he hadn't known in his life.

He then remembered something: what happened to the people of the town? His disappearance had been sudden, and so was the artifact's. He knew he wouldn't receive an answer unless he offered a sacrifice or activated the writing.

He chose not to try it, as he didn't yet understand the artifact's consequences. But he knew the stronger the power, the greater the cost. He decided to shelter near the water, train his mana flow, and reorganize his thoughts before going to sleep. As for tomorrow, he would decide when he woke up.

At dawn, Rui woke early, as he couldn't do anything in the dark and had gone to sleep early. He was now hungry, so he decided to catch some fish to eat.

It was fairly simple to catch fish with magic. All he needed was to cast an air slash spell and aim at the fish he saw, then direct the spell to split it in two. He felt proud of the idea that worked. He gathered some sticks and rocks and formed a simple campfire. He ignited the wood using a fire spark spell; it didn't need to be strong—just enough to start the fire.

He stuck sticks through the fish parts and held them above the fire until they were cooked. He then took a bite and made a strange face. The fish tasted terrible. He hadn't cleaned the guts, and there were no seasonings. He could only eat silently until he found a town or city, where he would look for a job.

Jobs weren't particularly hard to get. Kids around ten to twelve were considered young adults, free to choose their own actions, and by sixteen, they were expected to live independently.

He could lie about his age easily, since he had knowledge that children his age wouldn't have, along with memories of his soon-to-be master.

He decided to walk down the river, believing there had to be a town eventually. He didn't mind if it was far. He walked until he couldn't walk anymore.

Looking up, he saw the sun was high—afternoon. He gathered sticks and rocks again to prepare a campfire for lunch.

After catching and roasting more fish, they tasted better than before. Rui didn't know which fish were edible or not; he just caught whatever he could.

He decided to bathe in the river and wash his clothes, as he likely smelled awful. Stripping down to his underwear, he carefully washed his clothes and hung them on a tree branch. He hid the artifact in the grass but kept it in sight.

After his bath, he had no way to dry himself, so he relied on the sun to dry both his body and clothes.

Once fully dry, he wore his underwear and trained his mana flow, keeping one hand on the artifact.

A few hours later, he picked up some rocks and began target training with magic while attempting to master new spells. He continued until nightfall. Then he dressed and caught fish for dinner.

He hugged the artifact tightly and went to sleep, as there was nothing else to do in the night.

At dawn, he again felt bored by the repetition, but there weren't many options. He repeated the process of fishing and eating, then decided to walk farther than the previous day. His intuition told him to.

By afternoon, he was on the verge of collapsing when he finally saw buildings. He stopped resisting and fell, clutching the book tightly.

He heard the sound of children nearby and then lost consciousness.

The children who were playing in the forest were laughing joyfully until one of them stopped and shouted. There was a young boy lying there, wearing good clothes and hugging a book tightly.

The leader of the group, no older than eight, told the others to call for help. Two of them nodded and ran. The rest—five in total—stayed to guard him from animals, thinking he was dead.

Soon, an adult man arrived. Nodding at the children, he carried the boy in his arms and rushed back.

In an old-looking building, the child began to regain consciousness. He saw the strange environment and then a man with glasses before asking in confusion, "Who are you, and where am I?"

The man turned to look at him and replied, "I am the doctor of this village, and this is Rockhill Village, to the south of the Caston Empire." The man smiled. "Your book is on the table. You suffered a heatstroke. What is your name, young boy?"

Rui thought for a moment and gave an honest answer. "My name is Rui. I am a mage." He used his real name because he was in another continent, and few people knew his face.

Rui stood and gave a polite smile and bow. "Doctor, where can I find a job that pays well?"

The doctor looked at him, dazed. "You could escort caravans or gather rare materials from strong monsters." As Rui prepared to leave, he added, "I wouldn't recommend going anywhere until you're fully recovered."

He looked at the child in concern, seeing he had almost nothing but his clothes and book. He felt pity.

The doctor checked his pocket and pulled out three copper stags and one silver stag—all he had. He handed them to Rui. "With this, you can afford food and rent for a week."

Rui thanked him repeatedly. He didn't refuse the money, as he truly needed it.

In the evening, before leaving the clinic, he asked for directions. After receiving them, he thanked the doctor again and went to the inn.

He paid the fee for a week's stay—fourteen copper stags—using a silver stag, and received one copper stag in change. He now had four.

After confirming the door was locked, he jumped onto the bed, artifact in hand. He decided to eat river fish to save money. As his thoughts drifted, he grew dizzy and fell into sleep.