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Chapter 5 - The Sage’s “Legacy”

A moment later, the scene inside the abandoned temple came into clear view.

The hunter had already dismembered the deer. A pool of blood, unnaturally crimson, was collected in the deerskin next to the chunks of meat.

The hunter was using the dead deer's tongue to dip into the blood, drawing strange symbols on the ground.

With every stroke, a thick stench of blood, mixed with the scent of ancient decay, wafted outwards.

A glint appeared in Alaric's eyes. He had a pretty good idea of what the hunter was doing.

Beneath this temple... there must be a demon from the Abyss, sealed away. And this hunter, tempted by the demon, is using a primitive blood ritual to slowly corrupt and weaken the temple's seal.

This realization made Alaric's eyes light up.

From the rumors he'd heard during his years as a vendor, he knew that places sealing powerful demons often had a holy relic from the Church left nearby to suppress it.

Or, sometimes, a magical material that naturally countered evil. These items were usually the core of the seal itself.

If someone could eliminate the sealed demon, the relic used to suppress it would become ownerless.

Besides that, a demon's body was a prime spell component. The Cult of Bones had secret arts for refining demonic limbs into flesh constructs.

The more Alaric thought about it, the more tempted he became. But he didn't dare act rashly.

A demon that required the power of the ancient Church to seal was no trivial foe.

Even weakened by the seal, it was likely far beyond what a mere apprentice-level mage like him could handle.

After a brief internal struggle, Alaric made his choice: simulate it first.

He retreated several miles, found a safe spot, converted sixty-four Lesser Mana Crystals into Points, and whispered, "Start simulation!"

[Day 1: You observed the temple from a distance for an hour. You judged that the demon was beyond your current abilities and quickly fled.]

Alaric's mouth twitched as the first line of text appeared.

His plan was to use the simulation to see his chances of winning an all-out fight. He never imagined his simulated self would just turn tail and run!

He realized the simulation defaulted to the path his subconscious was most likely to take, not the path he wanted to test.

Before he could dwell on it, more text scrolled through his mind.

[Day 2: You continue to flee south. Having learned your lesson, you do not head rashly towards the Sunfire Knights.]

[Day 8: After wandering for a few days, you decide to settle in the town of Millian.

You rent a courtyard near the market to focus on your training.

Because you watched the full recording of the 'Liliana incident,' you have indirect experience using potions, making your training with the Potent Mana Potion far more efficient.]

[Day 16: You consume the entire potion and break through to Level 8 Magic Apprentice.

Thrilled to have saved a dozen crystals, you stroll through the market.

A mage named Feren, impressed by your aura, strikes up a conversation. You find him quite knowledgeable and invite him to your home for tea.]

[Day 23: Feren visits again and reveals his true identity. He's an external member of the Sunfire Knights stationed here.

He approached you simply to ensure you weren't a threat. You just smile and say you'd already guessed.

You take the opportunity to speak of your hardships as a wandering mage and express your desire to join the Knights.

You talk late into the night, but he leaves without offering a recommendation.]

[Day 36: Feren is recalled to the Knights to report. Trusting your character, he asks you to help maintain order in Millian. You gladly accept.]

[Day 50: Looking at the bustling market, you're sometimes tempted to start collecting protection fees.

But you suppress these unworthy thoughts and diligently maintain order, driving out all troublemakers.]

[Day 51: Feren returns. He seems to have already learned of your performance through some means and praises you repeatedly, gifting you a potion as thanks.

You realize you may have just passed a test.]

[Day 93: You've used up all your resources, but still haven't broken through to the next level.

You find Feren and ask for a job that pays in crystals.

By now, you are good friends, and he offers to recommend you for a position as an outer member of the Sunfire Knights.]

[Day 94: With Feren's letter of recommendation, you head to the Knights' headquarters.

After a series of trials, you successfully become an outer member.]

[Day 135: For over a month, you earn a meager income of crystals by taking simple quests.

The pay is low, but the life is stable and peaceful. For the first time, you feel the pure joy of practicing magic.]

[Day 300: Your training continues. Life is comfortable and quiet.]

[Year 2, February: You've been with the Knights for a full year.

Your peers think highly of you, but your talent is unremarkable. Your hope of becoming a core member is slim.]

[Year 2, September: Using your quest earnings, you finally advance to Level 9 Magic Apprentice.

After stabilizing your rank, you decide to venture out again to prepare for the breakthrough to a true "Novice Mage."]

[Year 2, October: While traveling nearby, you come across a familiar abandoned temple. You realize it's the one you fled from when you escaped the Cult's territory.

Now a Level 9 apprentice with dozens of magic scrolls, you feel a surge of confidence and step inside to investigate.

The moment you enter, you are engulfed by a crimson halo.

You are horrified to find that while the demon is still suppressed, the power leaking from its seal is overwhelming.

You fight with all your might and manage to escape, but your very mana core has been damaged.

Without a miracle, you will likely never become a Novice Mage in this lifetime.]

[Year 2, November: You return to the Knights, broken and dispirited.]

[Year 3, January: Unable to accept that your future is gone, you leave the order.

While wandering, you run into your friend Feren. He persuades you to settle back in Millian.]

[Year 3, September: After nearly a year of despair, you pull yourself together and begin searching for a way to heal your mana source.]

[Year 4, June: After months of desperate searching, you find a glimmer of hope in a black market. A legend speaks of an ancient "Sage" slumbering in a lost secret realm.

In life, the Sage was known to have healed a damaged mana source.

In death, his sanctuary became overgrown with magical plants, mutated by his radiant power. It is a place of immense danger, but it also holds the Sage's legacy.

Many powerful mages and even Elders from the Knights have ventured there, only to perish.]

[Year 4, August: Unwilling to accept your fate, you risk everything. After a harrowing journey, you find a magical codex left on a stone wall deep within the sanctuary: the Codex of the Restoration School.

You are ecstatic. But before you can study it, you realize with horror that you are surrounded by mutated vines.

The codex was never a treasure. It was bait. A moment later, the vines easily grind you into a pulp.]

[You are dead!]

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