Chapter 59: Magic Net

Chapter 59: Chapter 59: Magic Net

Early the next morning, Lorin was jolted awake by the short man’s snoring, which sounded like a pig being butchered. He lay in bed for a while, feeling completely dead inside, and resigned himself to the fact that he wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep. With a helpless sigh, he rolled over and got up.

The sun outside the window hadn’t fully risen yet; only the faint, hazy glow of dawn could be seen floating above the city walls.

The tavern was mostly empty in the early morning. Only a few traveling merchants sat huddled together, listlessly eating their breakfast. The old bartender, Gustav, had gotten up even earlier than him. He was meticulously wiping away the mess left behind by the previous night’s drinkers. Seeing Lorin come down the stairs, he greeted him, "Good morning."

"Morning. One breakfast, please. Thank you." Lorin yawned and found a relatively clean seat.

"Just a moment." The old man nodded at him in appreciation, returned to the kitchen, and brought out a plate of breakfast. He set it on Lorin’s table and said, "Enjoy your meal."

The meal consisted of black bread, a fried egg, cheese, and a bowl of piping hot thick soup. Lorin quickly devoured his food while pondering his plans for the day.

Erin had ultimately, albeit reluctantly, allowed him to come learn casting in the morning. After his studies, he planned to head to the Adventurer’s Guild to get his long-desired Tier assessed, and then see what kind of work was available here. As for the Divine Hall, someone had delivered a message yesterday evening. Anya said that she had many Church matters to attend to recently, so there was nothing they could help with for the time being.

Since he was about to become a Formal Warrior, aside from learning casting, searching for new Combat Skills had to be put on his agenda. Lorin planned to visit the Market District when he had free time to see if he could dig up any Combat Skills manuals, or perhaps issue a bounty at the Adventurer’s Guild to find a teacher. Frost Valley wasn’t a small place like Shallow Beach Town, so he believed that Professionals like Warriors—who were the most numerous—would be easy to find. It was just a pity that Rain, who looked incredibly fierce, simply couldn’t talk much with strangers and thus couldn’t mentor him.

Thinking about it, there were still so many things to do. Each task would likely cost a considerable amount of money, not to mention his future accommodations... He rubbed his temples, feeling that his meager savings of less than fifty Gold Coins were just a drop in the bucket.

After finishing his breakfast, Lorin ordered an extra portion. He carried the tray upstairs and stopped in front of Erin’s room.

He thought, "This should count as morning now, right?"

Glancing at the sun that had fully risen outside the window, he hesitated for a second before freeing one hand to knock on the door.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.

There was no response.

He wondered if she was still asleep. Bracing himself, Lorin knocked twice more.

"Mmm..." A vague mumble came from inside, followed by a series of rustling noises: blankets being thrown off, bare feet stepping onto the floor, and a Magic Staff accidentally knocking something over...

CREAK.

Erin opened the door with sleepy eyes, one hand still rubbing them. She wore a loose white cashmere nightgown with the collar hanging slightly open, revealing a glimpse of her collarbone and fair shoulders.

"I told you to come in the morning, and you come this early?" Her brows knitted together slightly as she glanced at the tray in his hands through half-closed eyes. She grumbled, "...Come in."

Lorin followed her inside with the tray, set the breakfast on the table, and took a look at the room’s layout. It was similar to his own, except for a few spread-out sheets of parchment and a thick tome on the desk. The open pages of the tome were covered in numerous ink markings, giving off the distinct impression of a dedicated scholar.

Erin walked over to the window mid-yawn and pulled the curtains open. The morning sunlight poured in, completely bathing her in its glow. In the light, her long red hair seemed to catch fire, with every single strand clearly illuminated. She narrowed her eyes slightly, as if adjusting to the brightness. Reaching over to the table, she picked up a hairpin and bit it between her lips, then used both hands to gather her loose hair behind her head and efficiently pinned it up in a bun.

After quickly freshening up, Erin looked much more awake. She turned back to the table, picked up a piece of black bread, and took a bite. Chewing twice with a frown, she washed it down with the thick soup.

"Sit down. Why are you staring at me?" she asked, pointing to a chair.

Lorin withdrew his gaze from her face and obediently took a seat.

Erin sat down opposite him. She tossed the heavily annotated tome in front of him and pointed to the words on the cover. "Can you read it?"

"’Malcolm’s Basic Spellcasting Guide’. I just don’t understand casting; it’s not like I’m illiterate," he retorted in annoyance.

"For a Caster, is there any difference between not understanding casting and being illiterate?" Erin teased him lightly. She then asked, "Do you know what Magic is?"

Lorin originally wanted to share his own understanding of Magic, but upon looking down at the densely packed notes on the pages of the thick tome, he honestly shook his head.

"A few simple tricks can be cast relying on a person’s own stored Mana, but the Mana Value required for most Formal Magic is massive. Even for the simplest One-Ring Magic, very few can cast it relying solely on their own Mana, so people must rely on something else," Erin explained.

Her slender fingers gently brushed through the air, as if touching something invisible to the naked eye. She continued, "There is a net made of Magic Power in this world. It is invisible and intangible, but it definitely exists.

"Those who can perceive this net possess the talent to become a Mage and can use it to complete casting. Its name is the Magic Net.

"Of course, with so many people in this world, a few lucky ones are bound to be born. They possess an innate ability for casting. Perhaps it comes from their bloodline, or perhaps they just treat weaving the Magic Net as a... instinct, just like a newborn baby knows how to cry.

"They are collectively known as Sorcerers. However, most Sorcerers are like the former, Bloodline Mages who rely on their bloodline for casting. Talented Mages who can innately mobilize the Magic Net are exceedingly rare."

This "lucky one" guiltily pursed his lips. He weighed his words for a few seconds before asking, "What if... I can’t feel this Magic Net?"

"Then either you are one of those one-in-a-million Talented Mages, and mobilizing the Magic Net is simply so easy for you that you don’t feel a thing." Erin glanced at him, recalling what the pudgy man had said yesterday. "But that is obviously impossible. In that case, you would have quickly displayed your extraordinary abilities and wouldn’t have been reduced to working as a porter."

"And the other possibility?" Lorin asked humbly.

"Your bloodline is too thin. It might grant you a few little tricks, but it’s not enough to cause any changes to your physical appearance."

Lorin rubbed his forehead as a headache came on. He thought, "Did the original owner of this body really have some kind of bloodline? But in my previous memories, there wasn’t a single trace related to a Sorcerer..."

"Don’t worry, a Bloodline Mage can also mobilize the Magic Net, and it will be easier for them than for an ordinary Mage. Try closing your eyes and feeling your surroundings," Erin said nonchalantly.

She didn’t show any signs of envy or jealousy. Having grown up in the Royal Capital, Erin had long seen countless geniuses of all shapes and sizes. An aptitude like Lorin’s—one that would make most Mage Apprentices green with envy—merely meant that he could spend a few fewer years perceiving and understanding the Magic Net, or that he was born knowing a few little tricks.

And for her, mastering all of that had only taken a single month.