NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5
005.
Nature, Manufacturing, Combat, Contract, Scholarship.
These are the five attributes that make up the broad framework of modern magic.
Nature is literally nature.
The aim is to draw magical forms resembling nature and manifest them in the world.
Things like fire, water, the sky, or the earth.
It’s the most fundamental, closely resembling the 1st Rank, and therefore, the largest number of mages correspond to the Nature attribute.
Manufacturing is rooted in alchemy.
It combines the original alchemical methods that existed in the world with magical materials or processes.
Sometimes, it results in far more powerful magical weapons, or convenient tools that bring magic into everyday life.
Combat is the most intuitive.
The ultimate goal is to kill.
It’s the attribute closest to the original use of magic.
Compared to other attributes, Combat stands out with superior lethality and destructive power.
Contract is exclusive to spirit mediums.
It involves communicating with spirits from the spirit realm and forming a pair with them.
The spirits accompany their contractors to experience the world, and in return, the contractors learn spirit magic.
Scholarship is the most theoretical.
It aims at contemplation and continuous research of magic.
It’s the attribute that gradually unravels the mysteries of ‘magic’, which still have many unclear aspects.
Each attribute begins to solidify its form from the 2nd Rank, and the higher the rank, the more pronounced the characteristics become.
This was what Blamia had mentioned when Kalen attempted 2nd Rank Combat magic.
Of course, there are associated risks, and generally, the order is spirits, scholarship, manufacturing, nature, and combat.
Sina was attempting to progress from the 1st Rank to the 2nd Rank.
This is when the Contract attribute first becomes prominent: it’s the first spirit contract.
“…I’m shaking, Kal. Can’t you hold my hand?”
“That was you persuading me just now.”
“That’s different… I’m still nervous, though.”
“…”
It was certainly peculiar how Sina could be bold in some moments and fearful in others.
Kalen absentmindedly recalled the first time they met Sina.
“Huh? Puhaht! We don’t speak politely as friends, do we? You’re silly.”
Declaring friendship upon meeting—it was then that Kalen realized how unique Sina was.
But now, even this side of Sina felt somewhat familiar to Kalen.
Without saying a word, he quietly held Sina’s hand.
“Hmm.”
“…Focus.”
Kalen turned away after glancing at Sina’s smiling face, feeling slightly awkward.
This was because memories of the sunset kept coming back to him.
He quickly shook off the thought and focused on something else.
The procedure of the “Contract” attribute.
It’s more complicated when examined closely, but certainly, the world of magic is vast.
When a Contract attribute user attempts to manifest the 2nd Rank, their consciousness temporarily disconnects.
However, unlike regular fainting, the body does not collapse.
It’s only the spiritual aspect that connects to the spirit realm.
There, they can meet spirits that approve of the caster’s mana.
It’s usually guided by an instructor or happens instinctively with the spirit they resonate with most.
“Sina.”
Recalling this, Kalen softly called out Sina’s name.
He wanted to ensure she had calmed down and check for anything unusual.
Indeed, there was no response from the hand he held, and her closed eyes remained shut.
This meant her consciousness had firmly settled in the spirit realm.
“I wonder what kind of spirit.”
Blamia had mentioned that entering the spirit realm with one’s consciousness was simple.
The success of entering the 2nd Rank is determined by the symbol appearing on the wrist.
When consciousness returns and the symbol glows clearly, it signifies the mastery of the 2nd Rank.
Spirits are said to take the form of adorable animals.
This was why Kalen had thought Sina would suit this attribute well—lively Sina would surely match well with an adorable spirit.
So, Kalen quietly waited for Sina to awaken.
It was a moment neither boring nor dull.
*
“Sina!”
“…”
“Sina!!”
Something was wrong.
Kalen felt it not long after.
The apprentice and granddaughter of Great Mage Blamia.
At first glance, they seemed like names that couldn’t lack in magical abilities.
Indeed, Kalen and Sina excelled in theoretical aspects.
To both of them, attempting the 2nd Rank Contract attribute didn’t seem risky.
But there were only two of them.
Two young boy and girl.
The world doesn’t flow as expected.
On the path, unexpected obstacles appear.
Unforeseen variables always exist.
This was the situation Kalen and Sina found themselves in now.
A situation Blamia had never mentioned.
During the Contract attribute lessons, Blamia hadn’t explained Sina’s current situation.
Kalen desperately called Sina while holding her shoulder, but he didn’t dare wake her.
Sina only furrowed her eyebrows and was sweating cold sweat.
She didn’t wake up despite keeping her eyes closed.
Was it just taking longer than expected?
If so, the ominous aura emanating from around Sina didn’t make sense.
Spirits were supposed to be sacred beings.
It was absurd for such ominous energy to arise when making a contract with them.
“Symbol…”
This was the moment when a flicker of unease escalated.
Kalen grabbed Sina’s wrist to check.
Tszt-
Instead of the sacred symbol, a dark single line faintly appeared in its place.
Kalen was a prodigy, recognized by Blamia for his remarkable talent despite his young age.
Still, considering his age, he could merely use a single 2nd Rank magic.
Moreover, he dealt with a different attribute, making him ignorant about contract magic.
Maintaining calmness in such an unexpected situation was not easy.
Fortunately, his calm personality helped with situation assessment,
but a solution still didn’t emerge.
-Listen carefully. Especially Sina. The Contract attribute magic must never be interrupted. Not only is great strain placed on the body, but a mistake could result in forever losing the ability to use magic.
Blamia’s teaching was deeply etched in his mind.
It was a hope far beyond reach in the past.
The hand that reached out from the abyss of despair belonged to an old man.
Kalen could never defy the teachings of Blamia, his benefactor and mentor.
Was the trembling he felt coming from Sina?
Or was it from Kalen himself?
The teachings left by Blamia, his benefactor and mentor,
and Sina, Blamia’s granddaughter and Kalen’s only friend,
were gnawing at his mind, caught between two extremes.
*
This seemingly eternal moment was ended by—
Drip—
The stream of blood flowing from Sina’s nose and mouth.
And simultaneously,
Kalen’s trembling stopped.
*
“Huff… Huff…”
Was it hyperventilation?
Kalen clung to his mind, feeling squeezed yet numb, trying to retrieve memories.
-Master, didn’t you say I don’t have any mana? Does that make me special?
-Not really. People without mana are more common than you think.
-Then…
-Among non-mages, that is. Kalen, no mage exists without mana. While it can be minimal, there isn’t a case where a mage uses magic without mana like you.
Meanwhile, his hand moved toward his body,
recalling when Blamia had stimulated mana.
-So, to be a mage, we absolutely need mana, right?
-Of course. Magic cannot exist without mana.
Magic cannot exist without mana.
In other words, magic necessarily requires mana.
Kalen mumbled this as if it were divine revelation.
The mind’s world is no different from the proof of being a mage.
He also knew his mind world was different from the norm.
There’s another difference from the norm.
Using magic without mana.
Though it was without any real basis, what if there was a connection between the abnormal mind world and mana?
Could the mind world be used to forcibly cut off someone else’s mana?
The stuck contract of Sina was magic too.
According to Blamia, normal magic cannot manifest without mana.
“Forever unable to use magic…”
The warning lingering in his mind.
Life and magic.
There was no need for comparison.
Kalen took a deep breath and prepared the 2nd Rank Combat magic ‘Explosion,’ his hand still directed toward his own body.
A body with a peculiar trait where stimulation of mana triggers the emergence of a mind’s world.
Kalen didn’t know how to stimulate mana.
He also hadn’t learned how to bring out the mind world.
But he remembered what Blamia had done.
Ultimately, all that’s needed is to rip the body with magic.
Blamia also used magic to stimulate mana.
Given Kalen has no mana to stimulate, the magic would instead expel the mind world from his body.
Kalen’s gaze was terrifyingly calm.
It was a phrase often heard and simultaneously an inadequate reason for the absurd act he was about to do.
Kalen still vividly remembered the crater engraved in the backyard training ground.
As Kalen gripped Sina’s hand tightly, he said,
“Let’s make a bet, Sina.”
Blamia had once taken Kalen around to experience various things.
One day, they went to a casino where strangely, bets suited well.
For a while, due to being addicted to gambling and bets, Kalen reacted whenever a bet was mentioned.
Although Blamia tried to restrain him, the habit of saying “Let’s make a bet” had already stuck around for a long time.
“Will I succeed at this absurd act or fail?”
Kalen couldn’t even notice the hollow laugh seeping out unconsciously.
Would he survive the 2nd Rank magic on his own body?
Would Sina not suffer during the process?
Could the connection between the mind world and mana not be just a personal illusion?
Doubts filled his mind as he muttered the habitual phrase.
To do nothing meant Sina would be in trouble.
Blood was flowing from her nose and mouth, making it clear.
It would be better to take a small chance rather than wait for Sina to die.
Therefore, he’s willing to risk everything on this absurd hypothesis.
Kalen had long since developed a peculiar betting addiction.
“-!!”
Finally, 2nd Rank Combat magic ‘Explosion’ manifested from Kalen’s hand.
Kwaang!!
With a loud explosion, the surroundings began to turn dark.
Sina opened her eyes and collapsed right away.
“Huff… Huff…”
Her legs went limp.
“Kalen… Kalen…!”
Looking around, everything was pitch black.
But it was slightly different.
While a moment ago it was a terrifying darkness,
this shade of dark wasn’t unfamiliar.
“Kalen!!”
Only then Sina could stare straight.
Kalen had collapsed, still holding her hand.
Serious burns and torn flesh were visible all over his body.
Had he used the 2nd Rank magic on himself?
Sina recalled stepping into the spirit realm for the contract.
The scene was completely different from what she’d heard from her grandfather.
It was full of ominous darkness, and the so-called spirit rather resembled a monster.
The monster, appearing to smile while staring at her intently,
caused her to repeatedly call out for her grandfather or Kalen out of fear.
She was completely alone.
There were no sacred spirits.
It was an experience where she felt she might die at any moment.
When she was almost about to give up, her vision inverted, and this dark world came into view.
Her legs going limp might have been from relief.
It was clear that Kalen had done something.
“Kalen…?”
The power in the hand gripping Sina’s soon returned,
and Kalen lifted his head with his usual calm expression.
“Are you… okay?”
“Kalen!!”
At the same moment,
she saw the monster she had seen in the spirit realm behind Kalen.
How could a spirit appear without a contract?
Despite her bewilderment, Sina’s body instinctively reached for the summoning magical tool given by Blamia in case of emergencies.
The monster, seemingly aware, slashed out with claw-like hands.
The target was the magical tool, but Sina was also in danger of being pierced.
That moment,
With a wrenching sound,
The monster’s hand pierced through Kalen’s back.
Almost simultaneously, Blamia arrived.