Chapter 2 - HTSC
Chapter 2
…What?
I held my forehead and tried to grasp the messages floating in the air.
No, I didn’t need to understand them; I already knew the phrases well.
They were the same as the final goal format that appeared for Yoo Suho.
Probably, this is what Yoo Suho would be seeing now.
[Final Goal: ??]
Save the dimension destined for destruction within the time limit.
If you fail, you will move to the next dimension.
Time limit: D-??
– Check the quest.
“…….”
But it doesn’t make sense.
Why is this appearing for me too?
Is it because I’ve transmigrated into a novel?
If I had transmigrated into the first dimension, it might make sense, but in the subsequent dimensions, only Yoo Suho saw the quest window……
“I don’t understand.”
No matter how you look at it, even though I’ve transmigrated, I’m just a minor villain who will soon disappear, so there’s no reason for a quest window to appear for me.
Why is this happening?
I stared into the air, clutching my head.
And at the same time, a doubt arose.
“This is a bit strange.”
‘Check the clichés.’
Not a quest, but a cliché?
What is this?
If my memory is correct, Damian’s death was supposed to happen about a year and a half from now.
The time limit written here roughly matches that period, but if this window is what I think it is, it means I will undoubtedly die in a year.
…Damn.
I felt as if my body was plummeting to the ground.
My head, which already hurt, felt like it was going to explode. I tried to pull myself together.
I couldn’t understand what was going on, but I didn’t want to die.
Anyway, it didn’t make sense to transmigrate into a novel in the first place.
…So, let’s stay calm.
I needed to check it out.
Whether I checked it or not, the fact that I would die in a year wouldn’t change.
Above all, the only certainty was that this situation wasn’t a dream.
As my thoughts settled, surprisingly, I became calm. Without hesitation, I pressed the cliché list.
The letters stretched out in the air, and I felt an overwhelming sense of emptiness when I saw them.
[Cliché List: Scoundrel, Terminally Ill, Count’s Firstborn, Magic Incompetence, Third-Rate Villain, Disowned, Mana Deficiency, Inferiority Complex, Sense of Qualification, Death, ??]
“What is this?”
…Are there this many?
The cliché list contained eleven items, with the last one being an unknown question mark.
‘What could this be?’
I let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.
As I expected, it must be content that can’t be revealed yet, hence the question mark.
In other words, it would reveal itself in due time.
I sighed.
‘Let’s set this aside for now… and think.’
There was no use worrying about something I couldn’t know right away.
I crossed my arms and stared back into the air.
“Scoundrel, Terminally Ill, Firstborn, Magic Incompetence…….”
They seemed to be keywords that could roughly describe Damian Draco……
‘The concept is too vague.’
I knew the words on the list referred to clichés I had to break, but their meanings were too broad.
For example, ‘scoundrel.’
In some web novels or webtoons I occasionally read, the protagonist, who was poorly regarded by those around them, would regress or transmigrate, and by living a new life, they would show a changed attitude, earning a reevaluation from those around them.
These kinds of stories were commonly called “scoundrel stories,” and this pattern was also known as a scoundrel story cliché.
Applying this here.
If my guess is right, breaking the scoundrel cliché means I have to reform Damian, who is notorious as a scoundrel, and prove it to the people around him.
The problem is.
Damian doesn’t really have anyone around him that could be called acquaintances, and if there are, I don’t know who they are, where they are, or how many people I need to prove it to.
Even now, I was alone in a room spacious enough for two people.
‘Could it be all the members of the Draco family?’
This was just speculation since there was no concrete explanation.
The other clichés were the same.
‘Can’t they appear as quests?’
Unless quests were given like they were for Yoo Suho, having just the cliché list felt frustrating.
“…Hmm.”
At that moment, another window appeared in the air.
“……!!”
[There are currently two main quests.]
[Incompetent? Genius!]
– Participate in the practical training at Aitis Magic School and achieve good results.
– Difficulty: High
– Reward upon completion: Break the Magic Incompetence cliché and 10 QP
[You weren’t a scoundrel?]
– Change the perception of ten major surrounding characters.
– Difficulty: High
– Reward upon completion: Break the Scoundrel cliché and 10 QP
[Proceeding with the Mana Deficiency Destruction Quest]
* QP: Quest Points
You can use Quest Points to increase your stats or use the system shop.
“Should I be thankful for this?”
Amusingly, the quest window appeared at just the right timing.
Just like in the original, the window appeared just by thinking about it, making the situation feel more real.
I slowly went through each one.
Since the ultimate goal was to break the clichés, the quests were related to that. Reading them carefully, the contents weren’t far from my deductions. To summarize, there are currently two clichés I can break.
Magic Incompetence and Scoundrel.
“After breaking the Scoundrel cliché, proceed with the Mana Deficiency Destruction Quest.”
In other words, there was a specific order for breaking the clichés.
Let’s take it slow, one at a time.
‘First, the Magic Incompetence.’
I wanted to deal with the mana deficiency first, but I had no information on Demian’s major surrounding characters.
Even in the original, Damian moved alone.
The most likely candidates were the people of the Draco family.
I stared blankly out the window.
The scenery outside the train window changed rapidly as the train picked up speed.
“It’s too far.”
The Draco family estate was in the opposite direction from Aethis Magic School. If I went back to the estate to break the Scoundrel cliché, the Magic Incompetence cliché would become tricky.
The practical training was about a month away.
If I missed this timing, I would have to wait another year to enter Aethis Magic School.
“I have to go to Aethis.”
Actually, heading to Aethis Magic School was a better choice than my plan before the final goal window appeared.
Most of the events happened within the school.
With that knowledge, I could handle things more smoothly and avoid dangerous situations.
‘And breaking the clichés will be easier.’
I initially postponed the magic school to avoid worsening the mana deficiency, but the situation has changed.
Failing to break the clichés within the time limit meant death, but conversely, it also meant I wouldn’t die from mana deficiency within the time limit.
So, using magic wouldn’t kill me due to mana deficiency. Of course, the symptoms would still appear.
“Let’s think positively.”
Maybe this is a good thing.
If I could destroy them one by one, it also meant I wouldn’t die as a terminal patient. Although there were ways to treat mana deficiency, they were all temporary solutions.
It was like pouring water into a broken jar, as there was a hole in the space where mana was stored in the body. The fortuitous encounter I was trying to obtain was no different.
…So, it might actually be good.
Whether to survive or to find out the reason for transmigrating into the novel.
I should use whatever I can.
“…Status window.”
The first step was the status window.
[Status Window]
– Name: Damian Draco (Shin Yuseong)
– Mana: D (Deficient)
– Health: F
– Strength: F
– Agility: F
– Intelligence: D
– Talent: –
– Trait: Transmigrator
– Achievement: None
…It really works.
Seeing the status window made me finally feel that I had indeed transmigrated into the novel.
But the amazement was brief, and I soon sighed.
I realized the reality I was facing.
Stamina, strength, agility—all F.
Surprisingly, the only decent stats were mana and intelligence, both at grade D. Talent was nonexistent.
The trait must be because I’ve transmigrated into a novel.
I expected these results to some extent, but seeing them confirmed made me feel more uneasy.
How was I supposed to survive with these stats?
The answer was simple.
Practice.
To increase my stats, transfer schools safely, and break the Magic Incompetence cliché, I needed to master all the basic spells.
In ‘Dimension Killer,’ luck was nearly non-existent. If there had been plenty of easy opportunities to gain power without effort, Yoo Suho would have saved a dimension at least once.
But knowing and not knowing are different.
‘I know all about the settings.’
Even though the dimensions might change, the settings were similar, which was a bit disappointing as a reader, but I never imagined it would help me.
I recalled the first dimension.
Most awakened individuals completed easy quests to earn points and increase their stats, but some grew by training and overcoming life-threatening challenges.
Only they could enter the tutorial mode and earn more points than others.
Yoo Suho was a prime example.
Of course, from the second dimension onward, the status window existed only for Yoo Suho, so I wasn’t sure if it applied to me.
But I couldn’t just sit idle.
I had become the son of a wealthy count, so I couldn’t just sit and wait to die.
There were about three days left until the train reached Aitis Magic School.
Time was tight.
“Let’s hurry.”
I took out the book titled *From Basic Mana Use to Basic Magic* that I found among Damian’s belongings.
I brushed my face once and turned the first page.
1. The First Step in Mana Usage
2. Dynamic Mana Usage
3. The World of Techniques Based on Attributes
4. Combining Magic (Basics and Applications)
Four main chapters, subdivided into detailed sections, reminded me of opening a densely packed SAT preparation book for the first time.
Would it take a long time to try all this?
With no real skill, I had to attempt everything to keep attending school. I sighed and sat down on the floor.
“…Phew.”
Then, I carefully read through chapters one to four.
Understanding wasn’t difficult. I had seen it all in the novel.
Before I knew it, I reached the final technique on the last page. I memorized all the techniques and reread them repeatedly until I noticed it was completely dark around me. A whole day had passed.
Could I do this?
I felt anxious, but I tried to calm myself.
“At least I’ve memorized it all.”
Now it was time to actually use magic.
[Mana Usage]
1. Feel the mana in your body and focus your mind.
2. Concentrate the mana within your body to one spot, such as the heart, head, hands, or dantian.
3. Refine the gathered mana and convert it into magical power.
4. Draw the spell you wish to use in your mind or in the air and infuse it with magical power to complete it.
* Using a wand or other medium increases power.
“…Let’s do this.”
I staggered a bit as I stood up suddenly, but I managed to steady myself. Then, before starting in earnest, I took a deep breath.
I could feel the mana, but it was elusive within my body. I felt cold sweat trickling down my back.
‘It’s harder than I thought.’
How much time had passed?
Groaning, I finally managed to grasp the mana and focus it in my mind.
It was definitely an insufficient amount of mana, but it was enough to use basic magic.
I refined the concentrated mana, making it small but precise and meticulous.
After several attempts, the impurities were completely filtered out, and pure, refined magical power was completed.
It felt like it took about three hours to reach this point. I hadn’t even begun to actually cast the magic, and I already felt something rising from within.
The speed at which mana was being drained was accelerating. My vision blurred, I was at my physical limit but I couldn’t give up.
Biting my lip, I recalled the simplest elemental spell.
As I channeled the magical power into the spell, I saw it being drawn unsteadily in the air.
Sizzle…
The strokes that were supposed to connect seemed to be misaligned at first but then found their proper places. The strokes that shouldn’t connect barely avoided each other as they were drawn.
And as soon as the spell was completed,
I felt a warm sensation in the air, and flames burst forth.
“…It worked.”
It looked better than I had expected. Feeling a sense of relief, I collapsed onto the floor.
“…Hah.”
I felt like I was going to die from exhaustion.
Using magic made me acutely aware of the symptoms of mana deficiency.
‘Damn body.’
I took deep breaths to steady myself.
Then, just as I was resting on my knees, the world suddenly spun around.
I wasn’t sure if the world was spinning, I was spinning, or I spun and made the world spin.
The answer was obvious.
I had fallen over.
Even in my dazed state, I laughed.
Because this popped up:
[Tutorial conditions met!]
[Would you like to start the tutorial? Y/N]
Mana deficiency was finally useful.
I pressed the button, and before the tutorial even began, I passed out.
Sizzle…
The surroundings started to change rapidly. The already spacious compartment expanded, and soon it was so large that the walls were no longer visible.
I was already low on mana, and this sudden change exhausted my mental strength completely.
I wondered if I’d wake up back in my original life, but that didn’t happen, of course.
The one fortunate thing was:
[During the tutorial, the mana concentration in the air will be higher.]
Thanks to it, my mana was fully restored while I slept.
Of course, as soon as the mana entered my body, it felt like it was leaking out again like grains of sand through my fingers, but as soon as I felt it depleting, it would immediately be replenished.
The symptoms of mana deficiency might still appear if I used magic extensively, but at least I wouldn’t collapse from it.
‘I should be able to manage without fainting.’
Now I needed to hurry.
From what I remembered, the first semester at Aethis Magic School was mainly theory, but the second semester combined theory with practical exercises.
It was now the second semester.
The students at Aethis would be well-versed in the basics of magic. Meanwhile, I had just managed to cast my first basic elemental spell.
So, I had to master the basics of elemental magic quickly before arriving at Aethis Magic School.
The light outside was beginning to brighten. It was morning.
The compartment had changed, but the light allowed me to keep track of time.
“Two days left.”
I needed to master all the basic elemental magic within that time.
Before starting the tutorial, I had left a sign on the compartment door instructing not to enter and had drawn the curtains, so I didn’t have to worry about interruptions.
I turned the pages again, starting from the beginning.