Chapter 9: Pass, You Shall Not!

Player: George James

Race: Human

Level: 1

Party: AlphaPhiOmega3

I used [Observe] on George to see his level. I tried to use [Observe] to others and I could see their race, level and party name but I couldn’t see their names. I tried to use it on my group and it has additional info like HP, SP, MP and Status. It’s probably because we’re in the same party.

“I never thought you’d make it alive…” said George.

“Yeah, we were just lucky I guess…”

“Lucky? Nah… Dianne told me that because of you, your group survived.”

“Oh?” I was surprised that Dianne thinks very highly of me.

“Come on in.”

We took off the cloths filled with zombie guts before we entered. The truth is I couldn’t wait to take them off because the scent was stuck in my nose. I needed a bath.

We followed George and his group inside the building. My heart was beating like a rolling snare drum. I hope we’re not walking into a trap.

I scanned the hallways to search for clues and to confirm my suspicion. The place was a mess, like there was a riot that occurred. The building’s structure wasn’t damaged by the earthquake as I expected. Maybe the existence of the Shop saved the place from being ruined.

I couldn’t see much at first because it was dark but one of them has magic. I don’t know his name but he created a flame out of thin air and held it in his hand. This guy can be a serious threat to us. I better watch him more carefully.

“You see, my son is here with us and he was starving when Dianne came here. She saved us by bringing a lot of food. I didn’t know how she did it but I’m really thankful.” George said as we walked through the corridors.

“You have a son?” Eric asked.

“Yup... He’s five years old.” George nodded.

George led us into a room where the others stayed. I counted twenty six people including George. They have three children with them and one of the children was very young. It must be George’s son.

“Papa!” A small boy rushed towards George and jumped towards him.

“Hey!” George caught the boy into his arms and embraced him.

He carried his son and walked towards us.

“This is my son, Ethan. Ethan, say hi to Papa’s friends.”

“Hi!” Ethan waved his hand.

“Hello…” I waved my hand as I gave him my best smile.

I calmed myself down when I saw the cute little boy smiled at me. I don’t think these guys are the murderous and thieving bastards I expected them to be. They’re just like us trying to survive in a harsh apocalyptic world.

“Let me introduce you to everyone… Guys!”

George called everyone and introduced us one by one. I couldn’t actually remember all their names except for George, Ethan and the Robert the flame guy.

Player: Robert Palomares

Race: Human

Level: 7

Party: AlphaPhiOmega3

“You guys must be tired and hungry. Come on let’s eat…”

After the introduction, the group gave us food and we ate dinner with them. There were a lot of chattering, smiles and laughs.

Our group joined their conversation and they were laughing with them. Me? I was just pretending. Even in the face of apocalypse and certain death, it was surprising they can still see positivity in life and they can still laugh. Unlike me, I always see the negative and the ugliness of the world.

Perhaps it’s because the sudden realization of how important little things can be when it becomes scarce. All that we had in the past, we took it for granted. I mean, when you face starvation, you’d probably be the happiest person on Earth if someone gave you food.

You might think that what’s happening between our group and the others was weird and unnatural. But it really wasn’t. We Filipinos have something called Utang na loob. Its literal translation is debt of gratitude. When you do something good to a person, that person will be in your debt. It is hard to quantify that debt so it isn’t something to be repaid in money. Most will be offended if you try.

This value is deeply embedded to our culture. It is both good and bad, depending on the situation. Utang na loob is also related to Hiya which means shame. Hiya is something of a code of honor among the Filipinos. When you have Utang na loob to a person and you repaid it with rudeness or foul deeds then that means you are Walang Hiya which means you are shameless or without honor.

It is a good thing that George’s group have Utang na Loob and Hiya because of Dianne’s charity. I’ve watched too many episodes of Walking Dead and zombie movies to forget these values. However, not all Filipinos adhere to these values especially the politicians.

After I ate dinner, I went to a corner to be left out in peace and meditate as they continue their chit chat.

“What’re you doing?”

My mind was distracted as I opened my eyes. George sat next to me carrying a six pack of beer. He opened the bottle and handed me the beer.

“Meditating…”

“Meditating? Like Gandhi?”

George laughed as he chugged his beer. I also took a few gulps of beer. He offered me a stick of cigarette and I gladly took it. Oh god, how I miss cigarettes. Surprise, surprise? Well, I wasn’t a chain smoker; I only smoke whenever I feel like doing it.

George lit his cigarette as he blew out the smoke. He handed me the lighter.

“So? How did you get pass the horde?” He asked.

“We took a cloth and pour zombie guts on it…” I said as I lit my cigarette. “It worked. The zombies didn’t attack us on the way.”

“Where were you when it happened?”

“We were having lunch in a restaurant when it happened.”

“I see…”

“How about you? What happened to you?”

George took another puff of smoke as he looked up staring at the ceiling.

“We were in the apartment. Samantha, Ethan and me.After the messages appeared, there were a lot of screams… I looked outside and I saw how the ogres massacred all those people. I locked the door but ah… an ogre saw us… It broke the door and we ran…”

Tears slowly fell from his eyes as he looked down. “It killed Sam… That thing killed my wife… I saw how the ogre tore my wife into pieces and I was… I was scared so… I took Ethan and run.”

I felt bad asking about it. The apocalypse hit him and his family really hard and we had it easy. I wish my family is okay. Even though the chances are low that they’re still alive, I wouldn’t give up on them. I patted his back trying to comfort him. After he wiped his tears, he continued.

“I ran as fast as I could. I didn’t know for how long but I saw other people running towards this building for safety…. I followed them and here we are…”

“Only 26 of you made it alive?” I asked.

“No, we were at least a hundred…”

“What happened to the others?”

“After two days, the ogres were gone… We didn’t have enough food so we decided to leave… When we got near EDSA, all of the corpses rose up… We tried to fight back but they were too many… The city is in ruins and the only safe place is this building so we didn’t have a choice but to get back here. In the end, only 26 of us survived…”

“I’m... sorry for your loss...”

George nodded as he puffed the last smoke before putting it out.

I didn’t know what to say so I kept silent as he told me the story on how he met his wife. It was like any plot that you’d expect from a romantic movie. Basically, it’s like this: They met, they dated, and they got married. No plot twists, no schemes, just love.

I was kind of jealous of him. About how he described his wife. Of course, nobody is perfect but from what he described, his wife was an ideal woman. It’s amazing what love can do to a person. It makes you blind from all the ugly and focus on what’s good. I was jealous because I never felt that way to others. I wish I could... Someday...

I knew that I wasn’t qualified to give advice since we didn’t have the same experience in life but I understood people who are grieving so I listened to whatever he said to at least help him move on.

“You should rest... I know you’re tired but thank you for listening...” George said.

“You’re welcome...”

George took the empty bottles of beer and left. After a long day of running, my group was exhausted and decided to check the Shop tomorrow and sleep for tonight. It was very tempting to join them but I wanted to test how long I can go without sleeping and with just [Meditate] as my way of rest.

I asked George where to find the Shop. He told me that it was at room 409, 4th floor of the building. He was a bit drunk and sleepy because he finished five bottles of beer while I only had one. I took a candle and went to where the Shop was located.

As I reached 4th floor, I noticed a strange blue light coming from the room. The first thing that came into my mind was aliens. The light looked like it came from E.T. abduction or something. I opened the door of room 409 and saw a familiar blue screen floating in the middle of the room.

Welcome to the Shop.

The blue screen wasn’t floating in front of my face like any other blue screen I’m used to. It looked like a hologram from Star Wars but there seemed to have no power source. But then, why would I be surprised of this world’s logic? It must be magic.

I approached near the blue screen and as soon as I stood in front of it, the blue screen changed and a Ding sound echoed the room.

*DING!*

The ShopWeaponsArmorsAccessoriesSkillsMisc. Items

The first thing I checked was the skill books. I expected it to be… more? There were only four skill books available and all of them were ‘Mage class’ type skill.

The ShopWeaponsArmorsAccessoriesSkillsMisc. ItemsWater Manipulation2 GInspectBuyFire Manipulation2 GInspectBuyEarth Manipulation2 GInspectBuyWind Manipulation2 GInspectBuy

Dianne said that there were a lot of skills that can be bought but it seemed that only four skills were available for me. Maybe it’s different for every player because the skills available for me were all basic spells. I have to ask the others tomorrow morning.

I decided to look at other tabs before buying anything because I only have 15 Gold Coins. I realized that this is the new meaning of ‘Window shopping’. Get it? Window shopping? Whatever...

The ShopWeaponsArmorsAccessoriesSkillsMisc. ItemsSwords and KnivesBlunt WeaponsSpears and Polearms

The ShopWeaponsArmorsAccessoriesSkillsMisc. ItemsSwords and KnivesIron Sword25 SInspectBuyIron Dagger15 SInspectBuyBlunt WeaponsSpears and Polearms

I looked at the weapons tab and there were three sub-categories of weapons available to me: Swords and Knives, Blunt Weapons and, Spears and Polearms. I looked at the swords and knives tab. There were only a few available but I was disappointed that my current weapon Bolo Knife was much better than all of it. They were just plain weapons made of iron and their durability was worse. There were no bows and arrows. It makes sense since I never wield a bow before.

The ShopWeaponsArmorsAccessoriesSkillsMisc. ItemsSwords and KnivesBlunt WeaponsCudgel10 SInspectBuyOak Rod7 SInspectBuyOak Staff15 SInspectBuySpears and Polearms

I looked at the next tab: Blunt Weapons. Unlike the other weapon tabs, this tab only contained three weapons. I clicked [Inspect] to see more details.

Cudgel

Attack Damage [Physical] 9-10

Durability: 30/30

A cudgel made of sturdy wood

Oak Rod

Attack Damage [Physical] 6-7

Durability: 20/20

Mana Control: 20%

A rod made of oak used by novice mages.

Oak Staff

Attack Damage [Physical] 7-8

Durability: 25/25

Mana Control: 25%

A staff made of oak used by novice mages.

As I clicked [Inspect], there was a hologram of the weapon floating near the blue screen. The first difference I noticed between Wooden Rod and Wooden Staff was their length. Obviously, the staff was longer than the rod. The second difference was both of them have [Physical] damage but the Staff has higher damage and Mana Control.

Next, I checked the Armors tab. There were four sub-categories: Heavy, Light ,Cloth and Shield. I checked each of the tabs and again, my choices were limited. There was only one set of armor per category.

The ShopWeaponsArmorsAccessoriesSkillsMisc. ItemsHeavyIron Armor Set:Iron Helm80 SInspectBuyIron Shoulderguards70 SInspectBuyIron Breastplate1 G 20 SInspectBuyIron Riveted Chainmail1 GInspectBuyIron Wristguards70 SInspectBuyIron Shinguards70 SInspectBuyLightLeather Armor Set:Leather Cap50 SInspectBuyLeather Shoulderguards40 SInspectBuyLeather Chest Piece90 SInspectBuyLeather Gloves40 SInspectBuyLeather Shinguards40 SInspectBuyLeather Boots40 SInspectBuyClothNovice Mage Set:Novice Mage Hood30 SInspectBuyNovice Mage Robes70 SInspectBuyShieldsRefined Iron Heater Shield1G 50 SInspectBuyBuckler30 SInspectBuySmall Round Shield50 SInspectBuy

I checked the Accessories tab next and the sub-categories were Amulet, Rings and Bracelet. I checked each tab but there were only one item per tab: Copper Necklace, Copper Ring and Copper Bracelet. As you’ve already guessed, all of them were worthless and didn’t have any stats. It didn’t even have Armor Rating. Well, I guess it makes sense because these were not armor. Perhaps these accessories can be enchanted? But how? I guess I’ll figure it out later.

The ShopWeaponsArmorsAccessoriesSkillsMisc. ItemsCopper Necklace50 CInspectBuyCopper Ring10 CInspectBuyCopper Bracelet30 CInspectBuy

The last one was the Misc. Items tab.

The ShopWeaponsArmorsAccessoriesSkillsMisc. ItemsLarge Mana Stone70 SInspectBuyMedium Mana Stone35 SInspectBuyMana Stone10 SInspectBuyBeastiary of Earthland by Finn Mertens (Book)1 GInspectBuyBiology and Culture of Races of Earthland by Bonnibel B. (Book)1 GInspectBuyMagical Laws and Theories for Dummies (Book)3 GInspectBuyRunes and How they work for Dummies (Book)3 GInspectBuyAlchemy for Dummies (Book)3 GInspectBuyBlacksmithing and Metalworks for Dummies (Book)3 GInspectBuySurvival Guide for Dummies (Book)3 GInspectBuy

There were a lot of books in Misc. Items tab. Even if they’re not skill books, these books might contain knowledge that could help us survive in this world. Most of the books have a title of “For Dummies”. I’m familiar with these kinds of books but I don’t think there are books like these in the old world. Maybe these books were written by God Himself. Better ask him.

Hey God! Did you write these books?

*DING!*

Yes, most of it. Why do ask?

I see… But isn’t it “For Dummies” books have copyright?

Should I be worried?

What would they do?

Sue me? Pfft…

The authors and the publishers are dead anyway. I don’t think they would mind.

That makes sense. Can I get a discount?

Do I look like a merchant who can be bargained with?

I enjoy our talks but I don’t like giving favors for twats like you.

Now, would you like a little smiting?

A thunder sounded from a distance.

Chill out! Don’t smite me for asking a question… Anyway, thanks... for answering.

You’re welcome…

I shouldn’t push my luck asking Him more questions. I should find answers by myself.

After I bought the 4 skill books, I also bought “Magical Laws and Theories for Dummies” and “Beastiary of Earthland”. The purchases I made left me with 3 Gold Coins. It’s tempting to buy one more book like the “Survival Guide for Dummies” or the “Alchemy for Dummies” but I should have enough gold for equipment.

The items appeared on the table near the Shop and I used the four skill books immediately. I stored the rest of the books in the inventory.

Water Manipulation [Active] Beginner Lvl. 1

Effect: Summon and/or Manipulate Water according to the will of the Caster. MP Consumption and Control depends on the mastery of this Spell and WIS.

MP Cost: ???

Fire Manipulation [Active] Beginner Lvl. 1

Effect: Create and/or Manipulate Fire and Heat according to the will of the Caster. MP Consumption and Control depends on the mastery of this Spell and WIS.

MP Cost: ???

Earth Manipulation [Active] Beginner Lvl. 1

Effect: Summon and/or Manipulate Earth according to the will of the Caster. MP Consumption and Control depends on the mastery of this Spell and WIS.

MP Cost: ???

Wind Manipulation [Active] Beginner Lvl. 1

Effect: Summon and/or Manipulate Wind according to the will of the Caster. MP Consumption and Control depends on the mastery of this Spell and WIS.

MP Cost: ???

I wanted to test these badass spells as soon as possible but I felt that I needed to read the book about magical laws first before doing anything.

I wondered why these spells have unknown MP Cost. Perhaps these spells have a variable MP cost and the formula for MP cost have many variables to consider. I should read the book on magical laws before using these spells.

I bought Oak Staff instead of Oak Rod because I can still wield the Staff with one hand and a shield on the other.

Oak Staff

Attack Damage [Physical] 7-8

Durability: 25/25

Mana Control: 25%

A staff made of oak used by novice mages.

About the shields, I didn’t buy anything since my current Shield was better. The Refined Iron Heater Shield has much higher Armor Rating and durability but was too bulky and heavier for me and the Buckler was too small. The Small Round Shield was lighter and smaller but it has lower Armor Rating than my shield.

It’s very tempting to buy the Iron Armor set but I didn’t have enough money to buy the entire set because I now have 2 Gold Coins, 92 Silver Coins and 12 Copper Coins. I could buy Iron Armor piece by piece and go Leather for the rest but the Mage set was there for a reason. I decided to read “Magical Laws and Theories for Dummies” first before buying armors. The book may have a clue on why Mage should wear Cloth rather than Heavy or Light armor.

After shopping, I went down to the second floor where the rest of my group sleep. Claire took the side near the windows, followed by Dianne, Melissa and Eric. My only choice was the one farthest from the window beside Eric. As you can see, nights can also be like hell in this country. Even in rainy season, humidity makes the body feel uncomfortably hot so sleeping near a window felt like heaven. Especially, when there’s no electricity for electric fans to work.

I was in the bad mood for not getting the best spot but I knew that it was my fault. I should’ve saved the spot earlier.

There’s a small space between Claire and the windows so I took out two folding chairs from my inventory; one for seating and one for the candle. I lit up the candle with the lighter that George gave me. I also took one cigarette from my pocket and lit it up.

I took out a book from my inventory and start reading “Magical Laws and Theories for Dummies” while smoking. I know that it’s rude to smoke indoors especially when there are people sleeping in the same room but I don’t care. The smoke would go outside the windows anyway.

As I read the book, I noticed that my reading speed much faster than before. The book was at least 500 pages thick and I could read an entire page in just 15 seconds. Not only that, my reading comprehension seemed to improve drastically too.

After only a few hours of reading and smoking while meditating in breaks to maintain my rested state, I finally finished the book.

I started to write down notes on my notebook about what I learned and discovered. I had a bunch of new notebooks and pens with me when we left the university for lunch. I’ve only used a few pages from the boring history lecture so I tear it down because it’s useless.

I write notes so in case of my untimely death; this knowledge would be imparted to others for the greater good of humanity - Just kidding. I was just taking notes so it would help me remember my findings and if the world somehow recovers even with the monsters still littering around, I would have a future career as a professor.

Professor Miguel Arevalo, Bachelor of Science in Magic Science, Master of Arcane Arts and Doctor of Alteration School. Headmaster of Hogscunt School of Wizardry and Badassery. How cool is that?

Anyway, here’s the summary of what I learned about magic:

1. Mana has two forms: Immaterial and material. Its immaterial form is an energy that can be found everywhere and in every living being. It is one of the essential energy that makes up life.

2. Mana in material form is a condensed and pure substance that can be used to power runes and other types of magic. It is formed by a natural phenomenon which the book didn’t quite explain. That phenomenon is the reason for the formation of Mana Stones in all living beings including monsters.

3. Mana manipulates matter and other energies like invisible little hands. In my conclusion, the mana used in [Heal] manipulates the regeneration of cells. Maybe if I could be more specific on how mana manipulates cells would make healing more efficient and effective. Hell, I could even do a reverse. I have to test it out later.

4. There are four known schools of magic: Arcane, Illusion, Alteration, and Summoning. Arcane is the most common school while Summoning is the rarest and the hardest to learn. There are also undocumented and unknown schools of magic.

5. Arcane school’s core spell is the manipulation of the four elements (which doesn’t make sense since there are a hundred). Mages in the arcane arts form another spell by manipulating these elements. This is called Melding. For example: Given that you pulled it off, Earth + Fire + Wind would form the basic fireball spell.

6. Illusion school is the manipulation of the target’s senses and/or the mind. For example, you can be invisible by manipulating the light that enters the target’s eye. Some spells of illusion school specializes in hypnosis, like Claire’s [Charm].

7. Alteration school is the manipulation of an organic body. For example, mana can be used to harden skin, reinforced muscles, regenerate cells and etc. It’s basically a Buff skill.

8. Summoning is the manipulation of the energy of the Spirit Realm. Usually in a form of a gate to summon beings from the Spirit Realm. A summoner may form a contract with these beings into their service in exchange of mana.

9. Leathers and Metals such as steel (With the exception of copper, silver and gold) have some degree of magic resistance. It greatly hinders the flow of mana of a spellcaster thus all mages are advised to wear ‘light’ clothing for more efficient spell casting. That means, the skimpier a mage outfit, the better. Obviously, I don’t want to be in my underwear in battle but it would be interesting to see a sexy female mage in skimpy clothes.

10. Mana flows better in organic materials and this is the reason why most staffs and rods are made of wood. Also, the sturdier a material, the better the flow. Does that mean I can have a staff made of bones? I wonder if I could have a staff made of dragon bones. I also read from the book that a staff can have crystal core (but not required) on its end to strengthen the effect of spells. Of course, these crystal cores should also be of organic material.

So far, these are the things I’ve learned from the book. I closed my notebook and stored it back to my inventory. My party was still sleeping soundly as I left the room tiptoeing to prevent them from waking up. I went downstairs and went outside to test my new spells.

The zombies couldn’t enter the barrier surrounding the building. I made sure that I was still inside the protection of the barrier so I can do some test in safety.

I casted [Fire Manipulation] and created a small flame in my palm. I could feel my mana being sucked out of me and dragged into the flame. I maintained the flame as I counted. It’s surprising that the flames didn’t hurt me as I tried to stick my finger in it. After ten seconds, I checked my Character Screen to check how much MP was consumed. It seemed that I consumed 36 MP from casting a small flame for ten seconds.

Next, I brought out my Oak Staff to see how much MP I’d consume when I cast the spell. After ten seconds, I found out that the MP consumed was 28 which were roughly 25% less of the original MP consumption.

I had another idea. I tried to focus on the whole process of creating fire while casting [Fire Manipulation]. I imagine my mana manipulating the molecules to vibrate to create heat while consistently adding oxygen and mana as fuel. As the flame flickered on the top of the staff, I counted ten seconds before I put it by depraving it of oxygen and fuel. I checked my MP again to find out that I only consumed 14 MP! It’s 60% less MP consumption. Holy shit! I’m a genius!

You think so? Actually, there are at least a thousand players who've already figured that out.

Anyway, for figuring out how magic worked by yourself, the SYSTEM rewarded you with the following:

Reward(s):

Perk: Mana Affinity

Effect: Increase in Mana Control and +10% MP

2 INT

2 WIS

Whoa! Four attribute points?! I guess figuring things by yourself is rewarding. It wouldn’t hurt if I milk more from the SYSTEM. I should try the other spells to get more attributes.

You've already figured out how magic works. The reward system doesn’t work that way, jackass.

I was just glad that all my hard work as a student paid off. Who knew?

Anyway, I tested [Water Manipulation] next. I didn’t know how summoning works and I felt that it has something to do with advanced physics. You know, black holes and stuff. But what I knew was the chemistry behind it. I found a 1.5L Coke plastic bottle container to test out how much MP I consume per liter.

As the water came out from my staff and into a container, I imagined the source would come from the sewage. I also imagined the molecules of water that has hydrogen and oxygen atoms in it. I didn’t change its state so I kept it in liquid form. The water was surprisingly clean and pure even if it came from the sewage. Maybe the spell could only pull out pure water from the source. After I filled the container with roughly one litre of water, I found out that I consumed 13 MP. I kept note of the MP consumption as I moved on to the next step.

The water I summoned was at a room temperature so I tried to freeze it by having my mana absorb the heat from the water molecules. This heat transfer is part of [Fire Manipulation] because the spell could also manipulate heat. After a few seconds, the water was frozen. My MP consumption from freezing the water was 6 MP. After that, I transferred the heat to the ice to melt it and it the mana consumption was 12 MP.

Next, I tested [Earth Manipulation]. As the zombies wandered aimlessly outside the barrier, I went out to see how much damage I can do. I pulled out a chunk of rock from the ground and lifted it up in the air. I hurled it to the head of the nearest zombie.

-61 HP Critical Hit!

Target Died

The zombie fell down to the ground as its head was crushed by the impact of the rock and died in one hit. I checked the MP consumption and it was 23 MP. My knowledge about geology was lacking. Perhaps I should get a book about the subject to make [Earth Manipulation] more efficient and effective.

I tried shaping the wind like a blade a throwing it to the zombie. Unfortunately, [Wind Manipulation] doesn’t work that way. The wind blade passed through like a breeze and leaving the zombies unharmed. I tried to make a tornado but I didn’t have enough mana to sustain it.

[Wind Manipulation] wasn’t totally useless. One of my ideas was to make a tailwind to make arrows more deadly. I can also use it with [Fire Manipulation] in order to make the flames hotter and things go burn faster.

I casted [Fire Manipulation] on a zombie and used [Wind Manipulation] to feed the flames with oxygen. Once the fire spread throughout the zombie’s body, I stopped fueling the fire with my mana. Its body is enough to fuel the flames and the only thing I needed to do was to intensify the oxidation. It only took a few seconds before the zombie turned into ash.

Target is Burning!

30 HP Burn!

30 HP Burn!

Target Died

I repeated the same thing to a nearby zombie and passed on the fire to another and another creating a bunch of burning zombies in the process. This way, the spell turned into a semi-AOE spell without a waste of mana and with minimal collateral damage. I call this spell [Chain Hellfire]. That sounds cool.

*DING!*

You have gained a new skill.

Auto-Cast [Passive] Beginner Lvl. 1

Effect: You can instantly cast melded spells from your memory. Each level of this skill increases Spells that can be auto-casted by 1. If another spell is memorized when the limit was reached, the new memorized spell will overwrite the oldest memorized spell. To set a spell on auto-cast, say ‘Memorize: Spell name’ while thinking of the combination.

Current Limit of Spells: 1

Spells Memorized:

· [Chain Hellfire]

In my knowledge, by combining different elements, an arcane mage can cast different kind of spells. There’s no shortcut in making fireball, earth spike or water ball. A mage would need to undergo the same process of combining elements for melding. This skill is totally OP. It gives me an advantage to other mages by reducing the effort of casting a melded spell.

I repeatedly use [Chain Hellfire] again and again to the zombies until my mana was exhausted. My MP was increased by 5 in doing so. All of the zombies near the building were turned into pile of ashes as I collected their loot. I didn’t count how many zombies I killed but I think there were at least 50 of them. My new perk [Mana Affinity] greatly decreased my mana consumption.

The loots were kind of disappointing though. I only get 4-6 Copper Coins per kill and sometimes nothing.

I activated [Meditate] to recover my mana as I intend to clear the surrounding area of zombies. That way, I could level [Fire Manipulation], [Wind Manipulation] and [Auto-Cast].

After resting, I went back inside the building to buy the Mage robes. I quickly went to room 409 in the 4th floor and buy the Novice Mage Robes and Novice Mage Hood. I was very excited and used [Observe] on the items I bought and wear them.

Novice Mage Hood

Armor Rating: 1

Durability: 15/15

Mana Control: 5%

A blue colored hood used by novice mages.

Novice Mage Robes

Armor Rating: 2

Durability: 15/15

Mana Control: 10%

A blue colored robes used by novice mages.

After I changed my clothes, I went downstairs and killed more zombies as I experimented with my new spells.

A group of zombies headed straight to my way. I held my oak staff with two hands and tapped it to the ground as the flames devoured their flesh.

“YOU SHALL NOT PASS!”

I’ve always wanted to do that. I felt like I was Gandalf doing all kinds of badassery. “POWER!!!”

After a few hours of zombie killing, [Auto-Cast] became level 7. I could now memorize up to 7 spells. I also levelled up twice and my MP increased by 10 after I cleared the streets surrounding the building.

Auto-Cast [Passive] Beginner Lvl. 7

Effect: You can instantly cast melded spells from your memory. Each level of this skill increases Spells that can be auto-casted by 1. If another spell is memorized when the limit was reached, the new memorized spell will overwrite the oldest memorized spell. To set a spell on auto-cast, say ‘Memorize: Spell name’ while thinking of the combination.

Current Limit of Spells: 7

Spells Memorized:

· [Chain Hellfire]

· [Quagmire]

· [Rock Bullet]

· [Earth Spike]

· [Earth Wall]

· [Chilling Wind]

· [Tailwind]

Of course, I didn’t just burn the enemies with [Chain Hellfire]. I also tried creating new spells and memorizing them as my [Auto-Cast] levelled up.

I made a basic [Fireball] spell by covering a chunk of rock with flames and hurl it to an enemy. It wasn’t as effective and efficient as [Chain Hellfire] though so I didn’t memorize it. But one flaw with [Chain Hellfire] was the smoke it creates. I made another spell which I called [Tailwind] so I wouldn’t die of asphyxia because of the smoke.

I also tried to make a spike made of ice and throw it to enemies like a spear. It’s flashy and looked very cool (literally) but it wasn’t that great. The ice spear breaks easily and doesn’t do much damage.

[Quagmire] and [Rock Bullet] were inspired from my favorite novel, Mushoku Tensei. Basically, [Rock Bullet] is just a simple hurling of a chunk of rock to an enemy. It requires me to aim and set the speed and size of the bullet. Of all my spells, [Rock Bullet] was the least mana consuming and with the least collateral damage. I’d probably rely more on this spell.

[Quagmire] is a combination of [Water Manipulation] and [Earth Manipulation]. It creates a soft boggy and muddy area. It’s my best crowd control spell but this spell also consumes a lot of mana. Right now, it’s impractical to use it since I didn’t have enough MP.

[Chilling Wind] is the least mana consuming crowd control spell I have right now. By summoning water vapour near the enemy, I freeze the water vapour and use the wind to encircle the enemy creating a chill effect. Although it wasn’t enough to freeze the enemy, it was enough to slow them down.

Zombie Ogres were hard to kill because of their high HP when they were just regular ogres. After I use [Chain Hellfire] on them, they’d charge at me. I summoned [Earth Spike] from the ground to impale the charging Ogre but it wasn’t enough to kill them. I protected myself by summoning [Earth Wall] while the flames do the rest of the damage. Killing one Zombie Ogre takes a third of my MP.

I could probably do solo now but I still wouldn’t risk it. If I ran out of mana in middle of the fight, I’d totally be screwed. I would need at least 7 minutes to recover from 25% to 100% MP even with [Meditate]. It’s good to have someone to watch my back as I watch theirs.

As I scanned my surroundings and awed at the destruction I caused, I didn’t notice that it was already morning. I stretched my arms upward as I burn the last zombie walking towards my direction.

“M-miguel?” A voice called me.

The voice was coming from my back. I turned my head to see who it was and found out that my party was already awake. Their jaws were hanging open in shock as they saw hundred patches of ashes on the ground.

“You did all of this?” Eric asked as he walked towards me.

“I did...” I nodded.

They were silent as they came closer towards me. Dianne touched the bloodied earth spike on the ground while Claire and Melissa inspected the ashes on the ground.

I grinned with pride as they looked dumbfounded at the results of my experiment.

This was the day I became a total badass... Or so I thought... *Sigh*