NOVEL NEXT Chapter 16
Energy Bolt.
It was a magic that could be considered the basic attack of a Mage.
The method of use was simply to swing the staff, the Mage’s weapon.
Swinging the staff consumed mana and shot an energy bolt straight ahead.
Whoosh—whoosh—
“Looks like there’s a cooldown.”
As Sweet was hunting the black snail in the Dark Devouring Forest, she muttered to herself.
Just a moment ago, she had swung her staff twice to quickly catch the black snail.
But the energy bolt only shot out once and hit the black snail.
“I need to aim better too.”
The shell of the black snail was tougher than expected, making it hard to deal significant damage.
Thus, it was better to target the tiny gaps or its eyes.
“I might be getting the hang of this?”
Drawing on her multiple battle experiences, Sweet summarized her information about being a Mage.
The mana cost of Energy Bolt was 15, and the cooldown was 1 second.
Currently, Sweet’s maximum mana was 130, and it recovered 7 mana per second.
“So essentially, the cooldown is about 2 seconds.”
If she used Energy Bolt when her mana was empty,
she had to wait about 2 seconds to use the next Energy Bolt.
The cooldown was 1 second, but in certain situations, it applied for about 2 seconds.
“Still, it’s pretty reasonable, right?”
The advantage of being able to hunt stably from a distance.
The benefit that even those with little combat experience could easily learn it.
Considering these factors, Sweet concluded that the early specs of a Mage were quite reasonable.
―――
[Wooden Staff]
Affinity +5
Bonus +1
―――
[Affinity]
– For each point in this stat, +1 mana regeneration, +5 maximum mana, +1 magic damage.
―――
“I guess just maxing out Affinity is the way to go.”
Attack power raises physical damage, while Affinity increases magic damage.
Durability and Agility simply make you tougher and faster.
“If Bonus enhances actions, then there’s no need to allocate points to it for a Mage, right?”
―――
Yeah, there shouldn’t be, right?
I mean, it’s a Mage, let’s just go all-in on Affinity.
Full Affinity, let’s go!
―――
Following the audience’s suggestions, Sweet allocated her stat points gained from leveling up to Affinity.
Then, she shot an Energy Bolt at a passing black snail.
“Wow!”
The Energy Bolt hit the shell, but the black snail just dropped dead.
“That’s kind of OP, though?”
Sweet swung her staff every time she spotted a black snail passing by.
―――
What’s OP about that?
These days, the RPG meta is kinda casual.
If it was a Warrior, they’d be getting pwned.
Free loot, free thrill—lol.
Whoops!
―――
“I want to rush through the main story and meet up with others.”
They say Mages are foundational, but she was genuinely curious.
Unlike how she thought she’d made a good choice picking Mage,
she was very curious about the feelings of those who chose different professions.
[Level Up!]
“Let’s level up quickly!”
***
[Indie Miner Game Gallery]
The beta test has begun.
A selected 1,000 players have accessed Akare’s world,
while those who weren’t chosen remained stuck,
having to enjoy Akare only through broadcasts.
―――
[Title] Sweet’s recent state after owning the Warrior class.jpg
(A gif of smashing a Dark Wolf’s head with a staff)
This kid who was hunting just fine with Energy Bolt suddenly goes,
“There must be a reason why the Director carries a sword.”
And then gets up close to fight with her staff.
666 upvotes, 13 downvotes.
―――
[Comment 497]
Warrior whiners collectively lose it—lol.
N (You’ll find out too, Con).
N Sweet? I’m seeing this person for the first time, it’s hilarious.
N Just look, they’re pure insanity incarnate.
Low attack power, and how’s that even working?
N After hitting the Dark Wolf’s head 10 times, it went down.
N Even a real person would be knocked out after 10 brain-rattling hits.
N (It’s always been this weak, Con).
―――
[Title] Real-time) Sweet’s wooden staff is smashed due to durability drain.
(A gif of a broken wooden staff in half)
(A gif of Sweet wailing her heart out)
This crazy kid—lol.
591 upvotes, 10 downvotes.
―――
[Comment 362]
Raven looks on like it’s pathetic.
N This is just hilarious.
N Seriously, killer moment.
If they chose Warrior, they would have been so successful.
N Acknowledgment from a Warrior lol.
N Intelligence-wise, they definitely have got that.
―――
[Title] Sweet discovers the first hidden piece in the world, no way.
While using her broken staff to hunt…
(Achievement unlocked for grotesque mastery)
Sweet has unlocked the first achievement in Akare.
Achievement conditions were to hunt a monster 10 times dealing only physical damage as a Mage.
Achievement reward: +1 Attack Power—lol.
(Gif of Sweet howling)
She’s so happy—lol.
485 upvotes, 6 downvotes.
―――
[Comment 294]
Officially acknowledged dumbass lol.
N “Sweet, you’re more suited for the Warrior than Mage.”
N Warriors also have their own intelligence, you know?
N Then let’s shoo the enemy to the side!
Was there even achievements in this game?
N I just found out too.
N Everyone is here experiencing everything for the first time, damn it.
N Master Kim, what the hell have you been doing for a week?
―――
Sweet was currently in a serious situation.
The basic starting weapon, her wooden staff, was broken.
Because of that, the stat-boosting option had vanished.
“Guys, what do I do?”
―――
Why would you ask us?
You’re the player here.
We’re all just stuck here—lol.
You unlocked an achievement, have a drink!
Normalization of the Mage.
―――
Currently, Sweet’s level was 9.
She had completely skipped the main story, and aside from the Black Illusory Rabbit,
any monster she encountered wasn’t a danger.
If she fought alongside her NPC companion Raven, they could hold their own pretty decently.
“I want to hit level 10 before arriving at the capital.”
But Raven didn’t seem to be in great shape.
She had a lot of wounds from battles and looked extremely fatigued.
“Sweet.”
“Did you call?”
Sweet glanced around at Raven’s call.
If she wasn’t a useless Mage who just broke her staff,
they would definitely arrive at the capital in decent condition.
At this point, it wouldn’t be shocking if Raven stabbed Sweet with her treasured sword.
―――
Gulp!
So scary.
Raven is getting really mad.
―――
“Is there a problem with your magic use?”
“Uh, yeah. My staff is broken…”
Sweet honestly answered as per Raven’s question.
“I’m not very knowledgeable about magic, but I believe all Mages use ‘mediums’ to cast spells.”
Sweet listened to Raven’s words in silence, feeling like a criminal.
“The medium for Mages can be replaced by any object, whether it’s wielding a staff that assists in casting or chanting your unique spell. Something like that.”
In other words, it meant that she could use Energy Bolt without a wooden staff.
“If it’s chanting…”
Sweet recalled the records she had seen in the Hall of Heroes.
Do I really have to say this out loud?
Conflicting thoughts crossed her mind, but there was no other choice.
If she didn’t change, she would remain a burden.
Reaching out her arms, spreading her palms, and after a deep breath,
“Pierce through, Energy Bolt.”
…She chanted the spell, but nothing happened.
―――
Raven: What a clown—lol.
How embarrassing, eh?
That was a legendary moment of stupidity—seriously.
―――
“It didn’t work.”
Sweet looked at Raven with accusing eyes.
Raven let out a soft laugh, then suggested to Sweet.
“Before we rest, would you like to have a talk with me? There’s something I want to tell you.”
[Main Story – Conversation]
[Main Story – Skip Camping]
Sweet fell into contemplation upon seeing the system message before her.
If she chose to converse here, there was a chance she would encounter the Black Illusory Rabbit.
In fact, Master Kim had to face the rabbit after selecting the conversation option.
But skipping the camping felt crucial as she was curious about what Raven would share.
‘After all, I already skipped it when I watched Master Kim’s stream.’
It seemed like there was a vibe of discussing “magic” ahead.
After a moment of thought, Sweet managed to make her decision.
[Main Story – Moving to Conversation.]
Fwooosh—!
The campfire ignited.
Sweet sat on a fallen log that Raven had brought.
Raven sat comfortably on another log a bit further away.
“Do you know who the greatest hero in history is?”
“The hero, Aurora.”
Raven’s eyes widened, clearly surprised she knew the answer.
“You know, huh? Then do you know about the master who taught that Aurora?”
“No, I don’t know that much.”
Raven smiled with satisfaction at Sweet’s answer.
It seemed Raven really enjoyed enlightening others with knowledge they didn’t know.
“Aurora’s master was a great wizard named Occult, who first spread ‘magic’ to the world.”
There was a time when magic was regarded not as a discipline but as a mystery.
During that time, magic was called ‘Mado,’ and Occult was the battle mage of that era.
As years passed, once he aged and retired from the front lines,
Occult began to unravel the questions he’d kept hidden inside him for so long.
Is magic a mystery that ordinary humans cannot dare to touch?
Is magic merely a phenomenon that exists without any laws?
Occult instinctively knew the answer.
He recognized that there are laws in magic, and if one understands those laws, even an ordinary person can wield it.
This understanding was not simply because Occult was a genius.
For centuries, the high-ranking classes across various countries had monopolized this knowledge,
controlling it through information suppression and historical distortion so that only the ‘chosen ones’ could practice magic.
Many who had discovered this hidden truth had perished or were fated to die so as not to reveal the truth to the world.
Thus, those who faced the truth mostly chose silence.
Or they would rise to the upper echelons to gain the benefits of being one of the chosen.
“For centuries, this structure of monopoly held by the high-ranking classes endured. Occult single-handedly shattered that structure.”
On the day that Occult eradicated the high-ranking classes that were festering the world and spread ‘magic’ to this world,
history recorded that day as ‘The Day of Liberation,’ achieved by a great wizard.
“That Occult, now made Aurora her disciple.”
―――
It’s more fun than I expected!
Hey Sweet, don’t fall asleep now.
Is this guy seriously napping?
Naw, just half-squinting.
This guy does this during all the games—
―――
“The reason I wanted to tell you this story is simple. Even the legendary Aurora struggled to handle magic at first. One day, in her desire to wield magic better, she asked Occult this question.”
Master, I can’t cast magic without my staff.
How can I use magic without a staff?
“Sounds a lot like your situation, Sweet. Apparently, the young Aurora also broke her staff during her practice.”
―――
Breaking the staff is a common law!
The Director was also brain-dead then.
Look at those wide eyes!
Found a fellow race member! Lol.
Magic-user average is truly a mess!
―――
“Occult answered Aurora’s question like this.”
Aurora, why do you say you cannot cast magic?
When you cast magic using your staff, what do you feel?
…I felt my body’s mana stretching out into the world through the staff.
“Occult smiled joyfully at that answer and said.”
You already know the answer to your question.
The way to cast magic without a staff is already…
“Within you.”
*gulp*—
The sound of Sweet’s gulp was blatantly resonant.
“Numerous Mages have gained enlightenment from these five words, breaking free from the limitations of depending on their staffs and moving on to the next level.”
As Raven pushed more wood into the campfire, she continued.
“In order for a Mage to wield magic, a medium is necessary. While previously, that medium was strictly a staff, that isn’t the case anymore. Now, any invocation, breath, motion, or imagination can be a medium for using magic.”
However, the most commonly used medium has always been chanting.
“Nothing is more intuitive than chanting.”
A Mage was a being that communicated with the world.
In exchange for mana, they brought forth corresponding magic.
Originally, all magic belonged to the world itself.
“That’s why Sweet’s chanting itself isn’t wrong.”
The challenge and correct answers lie within you.
As Raven made her concluding remarks, Sweet opened her skill window.
―――
[Energy Bolt]
– This is the basic magic of a Mage. When used, it consumes a fixed amount of mana.
– It cannot be used without a medium.
―――
“…”
Unlike Warriors, the basic attack of a Mage was a skill.
Thus, even without awakening, she already had a skill.
The drawback was that to use this Energy Bolt, a medium was necessary.
‘And that medium is within me?’
Even after hearing Raven’s words, Sweet couldn’t comprehend it.
She had never felt anything when she first used Energy Bolt.
Nor while hunting afterward.
She felt absolutely nothing.
‘What does it feel like to have the mana from my body stretch out into the world through the staff?’
While using magic, Sweet had only felt one thing.
The tremor in her hands caused by her long-term struggle with essential tremors.
To her, the periodic shaking of her hands felt as familiar as daily life.
“Watch out!”
Sweet, lost in her thoughts, turned her head at Raven’s shout nearby.
“Uh…?”
Right in front of her face. Within an arm’s reach.
The black rabbit had its mouth wide open, seemingly ready to swallow Sweet’s head in one bite.
Sweet, unable to react, closed her eyes, not wanting to witness her approaching demise, but—
“Stay alert…”
“Raven…”
When she opened her eyes, the scene before her was very brutal.
In the mouth of the gaping black rabbit hung a bloodstained arm.
Why… is there an arm there?
No way, no.
She had seen the truth, but she wanted to look away.
She didn’t want to acknowledge it.
So she dropped her head, gazing down at her own arms.
There was no pain. Both arms were intact.
The gruesome sight she had just witnessed wasn’t an illusion.
[BOSS Black Illusory Rabbit Lv.10]
A swordsman who lost an arm.
A Mage unable to use magic.
The Black Illusory Rabbit grinned a devilish smile towards them.
[Engaging in battle with the field boss ‘Black Illusory Rabbit’ in the Dark Devouring Forest.]
The boss battle has begun.