- Idris POV -
So it's been around a year and a half since I died and came to this world. I still have absolutely no clue how it happened though...
I mean, nothing special happened apart from coming here. No meeting with god, no demon contracts, there wasn't any system or super power with a shitty pop-up screen. This isn't even a game I've played or a novel I've read. It's like playing a brand new game, a beta tester if you will.
Naturally, I did what any good player would do: grind the lore and learn the mechanics. So, because of this, I've spent this entire time in the library like a hermit, doing nothing but reading up on the world's history, maps, and core mechanics like a pre-release info dump or a tutorial.
This world seems to have 2 main servers *Cough* continents separated by the ocean. Not much is known about the other continent that I'm not on. I'll consider it a Fog of War or a DLC map for now. The cause of this seems to be an agreement, whether spoken or not, not to interfere in each other's politics. As such, most of the information is about the economics and trading going on.
'I'll check out that place when I'm a higher level.'
As for my continent... the shape... well, it seems to me as if a child tried to make Asia from memory and then just rage quit halfway through... They just started freehanding it. And as for the religions, it seems to be polytheistic throughout the continent, with a separate "pantheon" dominating each major region. The eastern region, however, has two major pantheons due to the coastal areas' pantheon focusing largely on the ocean around them.
The southern subcontinent looks remarkably similar to India, and, go figure, it's mainly divided by a long, stretching mountain range.
'Err... This is literally the Himalayas...'
It has quite a bit of tropical climate, a lot of jungles, and a few wetlands and floodplains throughout it as well. It has a couple of large kingdoms, but a good chunk of it has warring duchies and city-states fighting over trade goods. It has strong trade due to its unique regions, focusing on our continent rather than trading with the other one across the sea, and apparently has a history with monsoons.
'As long as I avoid the monsoons, this looks like a good spot for early expansion. It's basically an early-game region.'
The eastern subcontinent has two major regions. The coasts are long and arching, with trade cities filling every crevice. Its climate is akin to Mediterranean regions on Earth. When you go away from the shores, however, it's a whole different story. It's full of temperate regions with high fertility and mild winters. Due to this, it's the most concentrated in terms of population density. As such, a good portion of the strongest kingdoms can be found here. Most trade routes end up passing through it, making it a core economic zone.
'You would think it's a great starting zone, but it seems to have lots of intrigue and power plays. I'd say it's a late-game region.'
The north has rolling grasslands that cover a large portion of the land. There's a decently large desert, and when you go north, it's just tundra wastelands where hardly anyone lives. With harsh winters as well as warring clans and tribes everywhere, it would seem that going there solely for trading would be... not recommended.
'The northern region is just a Mongolia reskin...' My eyebrows twitched
'For now, I'd say it's the mid-game region.'
And my region, the western region, is full of mountains and large swathes of forests. Rivers carve grand valleys throughout the land, creating grand vistas straight out of a movie. This region controls a good chunk of the continent's minerals, especially iron and coal.
'I'll probably supply equipment from this region, especially for any armies I may create...'
The coastal regions also trade with the other continent, though not as much as the eastern coast does. The western region has a few kingdoms but is mainly dominated by the only empire on the continent, basically granting it hegemony over the west.
'And that brings us to my family, House Abellon.'
My uncle is the head of the family and ruler of the Duchy of Abellon. Thankfully, those within the empire tend to use their dynasty names as the title of their land. "The Empire" is an exception and tends to leave out the dynastic name, probably to assert its dominance as the only empire on the whole continent.
My part of the family is in control of the Abellon Merchantry and handles a large portion of the duchy's money and resources, sparing those with military usage. Of those, we are only given the leftovers. Our duchy rose to power due to large mineral deposits in our mountains and an easily defendable landscape resembling Switzerland or the Alps.
'Big wallets are always a welcome newbie package.'
'With the duchy as a safe zone, a huge starter package, and little political pressure on me. This is clearly the starter region.'
In order to gain control of the merchantry and wealth, though, my father made an agreement with his brother, renouncing his claim to the land. This means I am barred from the succession race unless the rest of House Abellon dies... And no, I don't plan on doing that.
'So my current game plan after coming of age should be to stick in the empire for a while before heading to the southern region before the others.'
'It would be the easiest to get my hands in the field. I can't go north without combat strength, and the east is home to economic giants where I'd be crushed like an ant.'
'As for the other continent... I-'
My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the library door.
'Since they didn't waltz in, it's not a family member...'
"Enter."
As Wilfred opened the door, a butler took a few short steps in before bowing slightly.
"Young Master Idris, your father is requesting you meet him at the garden pavilion."
'Hmm? Is he finally going to complain about me not existing outside the library?'
As I thought about this, I realized I hadn't responded to the butler.
"Very well, I will be there shortly."
"Of course, Young Master."
As he turned and left, I turned my attention to Wilfred, silent as ever.
We'd grown closer over the past year. He may be silent, but he answers when asked. At first, he was surprised by my comprehension of complex texts and questions that were out of place for a child my age. He eventually grew accustomed to my unusual intellect and random game terminology mumblings. We came to have a silent, mutual respect for each other.
"Any clues as to what he wants?" I asked Wilfred
"I've heard from the maids that an imperial magician is supposed to arrive today. As to who it is, I have no clue."
I gave him a mischievous look at the mention of learning from the maids. He furrowed his brows at my insinuation.
"I'm married."
"Tch, can't a man get some drama around here?" I clicked my tongue.
"You're still a child, Young Master."
I stared at him deadpan.
"Bruh."
He smirked. Though he didn't understand why I used this odd term, he vaguely grasped its meaning.
"Haaa... Imperial Magician, huh."
I had read a bit about mages earlier. Using classic spells like flight or fireball came up often, it also has a decent conventional applications as well, for nobles at least.
'I heard your level as a mage is determined at birth... RNG-based mana cap is just crazy...'
I placed documents on the empire's economic status aside and stood to leave.
"Alright, let's go. We don't want Father getting impatient with Gandalf coming over," I said lazily, not wanting to leave the library.
Wilfred raised an eyebrow at this statement.
"Who is Gandalf? I thought you didn't know about the magician..."
*Cough*
"Don't worry about it..."
It took minutes to reach the garden pavilion and ensure I was presentable. The estate, though smaller than our uncle's main one apparently, was among the largest and most lavish in this part of the empire.
In the pavilion, pristine marble floors with dark brown parquet edges shone spotlessly. Two men could be seen sitting at the table with beverages, an empty third chair sat waiting.
As I neared, their conversation halted as both turned to me. One man was obviously my father, and it didn't take much to guess who the other was.
An older man, late 50s, with medium-length black hair slicked back and paired with sharp rectangular glasses, sat there. He wore charcoal gray robes lined with gold, and imperial sigils embroidered near the shoulders. The fabric itself seemed to emanate mana around it, a testament to the level of enchantments on it. His pale blue eyes, cold as winter frost, scanned me head to toe, assessing me in every possible way.
"Yeah, that's a wizard alright." I muttered, approaching the table.
"A what?" My father asked as both looked at each other in confusion.
'Seriously? Wizard isn't a word here?'
My eyebrow twitched.
"Don't mind it." I waved my hand.
"*Cough* Anyways, this is Alaric, an imperial mage and professor at the Magic Tower. I asked him to teach you magic personally, so be grateful."
"It's the least I could do. The Abellon Merchantry funds 70% of my artifact research. But my teaching requires... talent." His eyes remained fixed on me while addressing my father.
"Sit."
'Damn, this lad is cold. And that robe... It has to be epic tier at least, maybe even legendary.'
Nodding, I took the empty chair.
Reaching into a bag I hadn't noticed, Alaric pulled out a crystal sphere. It was a slightly opaque white but somewhat transparent. He also pulled out a book and some kind of pitch black stick.
"This is a mana core capacity measuring device. As its name suggests, it tests the limit of your mana core, which is fixed at birth." He said as he slid it towards me.
"Put your hand onto the sphere."
Complying with his request, I simply reached out and rested my palm atop the device.
The orb shone in rapidly changing colors, changing every second or so. After a short while, it returned to its original semi-translucent white color.
"Hmm. B rank mana core... Good, expected for a duke's family." He said while writing in his book with the black stick. It seemed to be an artifact that could produce ink or writing material.
After he finished writing, Alaric glanced at me before putting the sphere back into his bag. After which, he began to stare at me.
Slowly, he began to make a confused face, his cold demeanor melting slightly.
"What?" I raised an eyebrow.
"You're not upset? Most noble children whine if they aren't S-rank, as if destined for it."
For the second time today, I deadpanned as I stared at him.
"Bruh."
My father and Alaric exchanged confused looks yet again.
Wilfred began chuckling outside the pavilion. Which enhanced their confusion even more.
-- The next month --
In the estate's guard training courtyard, Alaric and I were standing off to the side, with Wilfred nearby talking to other guards.
Today is when we actually begin casting magic, after all that theory mumbo jumbo he's been spouting every day.
"Remember, magic is essentially imprinting your understanding and envisionment onto reality. Personally, I like to think of it as: Mana are threads, your core is the yarn ball, and spells are tapestries woven upon reality," Alaric intoned like a wise old sage.
"While your mana core is fixed, the efficiency of the mana isn't. Another example would be a master might create a fireball with 4 threads, leaving no loose ends. A novice would have to use 25 threads just to get the same size result. The novice would leave waste and fail to manipulate the mana in the best way, causing his inefficiency." He paused.
"So in conclusion, while talent is undeniable..." Alaric raised his hand, his gaze sharpening.
"Practice and discipline are equally vital. Observe!" As Alaric finished his statement, he turned back to where his open palm was aimed.
"Fireball!" He shouted.
A large flame appeared in front of his hand, roughly half a meter in diameter. He shot it towards a training dummy out on the field.
On impact, a small explosion enveloped the entire dummy as it collapsed, rapidly reducing it to ash.
"Your turn. Try casting a small flame in your hand. Chant 'Spark'." Alaric said, turning back to me.
Narrowing my eyes, I stuck out one hand, with my palm to the sky, while rubbing my chin with the other, deep in thought.
'My original world understood science better than this world. Will knowing these things affect it?'
'He said understanding AND envisionment, so it shouldn't hinder me...'
"Spark."
Thinking about the mechanics behind fire, I envisioned a lighter's flame in my hand, the spell began to activate. I felt mana deplete from me at quite a large pace, which made me frown.
A candle-sized flame flickered in my palm.
'Why is it so expensive? That was like 20 percent of my mana!'
Looking at the flame burning in my palm, I had a sour mood, which left Alaric confused.
"Why are you down, boy? Most fail their first ten attempts."
"20 MP for a damn candle? The DPS will be atrocious! This is not sustainable..." I mumbled my thoughts out loud without realizing, further confusing Alaric.
"MP? DPS? What are you saying? Speak clearly."
"AoE attacks have to be abysmal then... Damn, no mage build." I resigned myself, accepting fate.
'A skill tree has already been blocked for me.'
Alaric stood there without blinking, already confused and now absolutely lost.
'Build a mage? What the fuck is AoE!?!?'
"Hmm, guess I'll stick to passives, like buffs and debuffs for combat." I mumbled again before remembering Alaric was still here.
"Actually, Alaric... teach me a strength enhancement spell."
Alaric's eyes widened in shock at my sudden conclusion from what he considered chaotic jargon.
"...Body enhancement? At your age? That does indeed take less mana. Most kids beg for fire spells or lightning bolts. You know, one off spells... "
"Oh! Good point, Alaric! One off spells... Alaric, teach me utility spells like cleanse and cure as well. Hmm, illusion magic too!" I said while once again rubbing my chin.
'This is good, I'll focus on a melee build while stat buffing, and combine it with scenario-specific spells to keep me safe from things like poison.'
'And I bet I could recreate some things from my past life's games and novels as illusions!'
"As for lighting... meh, not my thing." I shrugged.
After that, Alaric's brain stalled, and a muffled snort could be heard from over in Wilfred's direction.
"Hey, why say 'Spark'? Does chanting boost potency? Is it required?" I asked.
Alaric smiled faintly.
"Very keen! Chants are not required. Words are guides. Tying a sound to the spell's form lets you subconsciously weave it faster."
"The only people who don't chant are battlemages. They fight up close, so it's better to stay quiet. Best not warn enemies of your next spell."
That statement made me scratch the back of my head.
'Ah Shit. That's me...'
As the day ended, I walked out of the guard's courtyard with a twisted smile on my face, unnerving Alaric and Wilfred on my way out. A smile too sharp for a child's face, the kind worn by exploiters.
Wilfred approached Alaric from the side as both of them stared at my back.
"He's an odd one, isn't he?" Wilfred said with a grin.
"He's... Interesting." Alaric turned to Wilfred.
"Deeply Interesting."
Unaware of their brief exchange, I entered my room, closed the door, and jumped onto my bed, rumpling everything up.
I couldn't contain my excitement as it overwhelmed me as I plotted combos, thinking about how to connect these skill trees.
Anyone seeing my face would think me mad.
'This! This is the character build!'