Spell 01 : The Awakening

The scan on your iris and vein has determined that you are an unregistered user. Do you want to create a new account?

'Yes. Definitely.'

Select the name of your avatar.

'Crow.'

Select your gender. Male, Female or Neutral?

'Male.'

Royal Road has forty-nine races. You may select your race. Please note that you have only 29 to choose from.

I know I'm gonna be a mage. I always end up playing that class in most games. Better choose a race that's more relevant...

'Elf.'

Which type of Elf? Night, Dark, High or Wood Elf?

'High Elf.'

You may alter your appearance as you wish.

An image of my avatar appeared in front of me. To be honest, I thought I could look like Orlando Bloom from Lord of The Rings, but man, I can't have Vanessa falling in love with a face that's not mine...

'Shorten the ears, but leave them pointed. Otherwise, everything else is fine.'

Your account has been activated. Your stats and class shall be determined while you are playing Royal Road. Please select a city and kingdom you wish to start in.

'The Forest of No Return.'

Welcome to Royal Road. A tutorial is available if you wish to go through it.

'Pass.'

We wish you all the best in your adventures. Fame and glory await you at every turn!

There was a bright flash of light and I closed my eyes...

I could immediately sense nature all around me. Opening my eyes, I exhaled deeply. This is beyond incredible, I thought to myself. Trees. Nothing but gigantic trees surrounded me. And all the trees were connected by thick branches. NPCs and players alike were making use of these branches as roads. You could see tree-houses as well as dens carved deep into trunks of many trees. Some of these dens were actually the homes of vendors selling wares. This wasn't just a normal forest. This was a civilisation made out of a forest.

'Off the path, newbie, or do you want to fall to your death?' A booming voice behind me said.

I took a step to the side, and looked behind me. An extremely high leveled Night Elf warrior stood behind me, judging from the equipment he wore. Without another word, he continued walking. It then occurred to me why I could actually die from falling. I only realised then I was standing on a branch, and I was so high above that I couldn't even see the roots of the tree I was standing on!

Honestly, the grandeur of the forest has made me feel really lost. I took a deep breath and considered my next course of action.

'Open Racial traits!'

One of the reasons why I chose High Elf as a race was because of their known affinity towards magic. Elves, compared to the other races, were more proficient with elemental magic and high elves, in particular, were the most adept at magic.

Racial TraitsMagic AffinitySpells deal 5% more damage.Nature's Blessing10% increased Nature Resistance.Mana Addiction15% increased recovery effect when consuming Mana regeneration items

However, Elves are very weak, considering they have very low HP stats to go along with high Intelligence and Wisdom. Elf mages are even weaker so, as they are only able to wear Cloth armor. Nevertheless, I believe, with enough training, I can make up for the shortfall of stats.

So where would a mage-wannabe go first? The library, of course. Having done my research, I found out that the head of the library here was an archmage. I should probably find a chance to talk to him first, and see if I can learn anything from him. Walking for the first time since I entered this world, I climbed down the branch into the entrance of the tree.

I found a patrolling guard and asked for directions. After listening to him, I found out that the Grand Enchantium (the name for their library here) was on Lydrassil, about three trees away. I gave my thanks and started walking towards the direction of Lydrassil.

As I was walking, I realised many things about my surroundings. First of all, the Elves were pretty open about what they do. They do not really make use of doors; most of the rooms here were alcoves. Entry and exit was pretty much free. Also, the Elves lived in most of the trees here. Having made use of the trees being partially hollow, they have built their homes and shops inside most of the trees. The only form of light source in the trees themselves were illuminated orbs, which I suspect are the work of enchanters. Scaling up and down of the tree was done with the use of stairwells, and there were many springs around. Truly, the Elves have never stayed away from tradition and are living their lives as different from the other races as possible.

After what seemed like forever, I finally arrived at the Enchantium. From the architecture of the library, I can tell the Elves are really proud of their work. The library was so splendid that one would feel like an aristocrat just by looking at it. Imagine the Lincoln Memorial. Now imagine the memorial being ten times grander. The marble doors were so well polished that they shone. The grand arches were supported by tall and square-flutted columns wrapped in ivy. All the windows were made of stained glass, and not to mention there was a nearby fountain that spouted crystal clear water, forming a rainbow against the soft light that escaped from the tree canopies above.

I climbed up the white-washed steps and opened the marble doors. The interior of the library was even more elaborately designed. Shelves were so tall that they reached all the way to the top floor. All staircases seemed to be made out of solid gold, and the floors were all well-carpeted. A harp seemed to be playing elsewhere, for I could make out the heavenly tune of gentle music playing in the background of the library. In the middle of the library was a desk, and seated behind was perhaps the assistant librarian. I walked up to her and cleared my throat. Perhaps a tad too loud.

'Yes? And keep your voice down please!' She said, looking annoyed.

'Sorry. I'm looking for the head of the library. Do you know where I can find him?' I asked.

'He's out for the moment. Do you have any business with him?'

'Not really. I just came here looking for a chance to talk to him.'

A smirk began to spread across the face. Pushing her glasses up, she lifted her hand and whispered something.

'Sorry?' I asked.

She said nothing. I looked at her with a blank expression, expecting something to happen. I did not have to wait long.

A book flew past my ear from behind me, and straight into her hand.

'Read this first. Come back to me when you have finished reading this book.' She said, handing me the book.

Still getting over the shock of the flying projectile, I nodded and took the book. I found an empty seat by the small fountain and sat down. I stared at the cover of the book, utterly dumbfounded. The title was 'Cleaning Methods | The Best Way to Have A Stain-free Home!' It was just a 15-page book about methods to clean up the house. I finished the book within 5 minutes, merely skimming through the pages. I stood up, and went back to the assistant librarian.

'Here. I finished it.' I said, giving her back the book.

'Excellent. That was rather fast. Let me ask you then. What was the reagent mentioned in page 9 that is second-most effective in removing mud?' she asked, with a faint glint in her glasses.

I looked at her. I obviously did not know the answer since I did not really read the book.

'Tut, tut. It's not really reading if you don't know what you read, right?' she said, handing me back the book.

I took it back, and went back to my seat. I tried to memorise every detail mentioned in the book. It wasn't easy, considering that books kept flying past the walkways, making rather annoying sounds. And I could not shake off this feeling that someone was spying on me. Shaking my head, I concentrated on the book.

*PING*

Intelligence + 1

Wisdom + 1

Gained new skill : Fast Reading!

'Open skill window : Fast Reading!'

[p=center]Fast Reading Beginner Level 1. 0%

Reads all texts 5% faster.

Manacost : Zero (Passive Skill)[/p]

Woah, I didn't know such a handy skill could come from such a mundane task like reading. I continued reading and memorising every detail in the book. When I was sure I had memorised everything, I took the book and went back to the assistant librarian.

'Back again? What is the third ingredient for cleanliness, according to Lady Del's Philosophy of Profound Cleansing?' She said, without even looking up.

'Determination, with a bit of elbow grease. To get rid of the stubbornest of stains.' I replied, nonchalantly.

'Alright. Take this book, and come back when you're done.' She said, handing me yet another book.

I took it, and without another word, went back to my seat to peruse the book. It was harder to concentrate on the book this time. Not only was the text slightly faded, there seemed to be more books flying around in the library now. It was really distracting, and when I finally finished with the book, I wasn't surprised to have gained 3 stat points each in Intelligence and Wisdom, as well as 2 levels in Fast Reading, making it level 3 now. I also gained a new stat, Concentration, which improves my ability to focus on anything.

When I went back to the assistant librarian, she was busy with her paperwork.

'You took only an hour. I doubt you really finished with everything. Recite Obsidian Wizard's 2nd Law of page 32, and explain how it can counter an anti-magic spell.' She said, without even looking up.

'The law states that magic, at its source and very essence, is still magic, no matter how one is to change its intent or inclination. No spell can be cast without the use of magic. This means that as long as you know the runeworks involved in the casting of the anti-magic spell, you can reverse its effects on the caster by casting a reversal spell using back the same runeworks.' I babbled off from my mind, surprising myself even that I can recite it so accurately.

She looked up, clearly surprised.

'Not bad, that was really beyond my expectations. Alright, next book please. Oh and, I have to tell you something. I have to turn off the lights in the library because some of the librarian's mangineers are fixing the lights in the basement. Here, I'll teach you how to summon a light for yourself.' She said, handing me yet another book.

[p=center]Gained new Spell: Luminous Light

Luminous Light Beginner Level 1. 0%

Creates a small ball of light near you. Use as a light source. Lasts 5 minutes.

Manacost : 10[/p]

At this point, I was getting really annoyed. I took the book, which qualifies as a tome now, looking at its size, and without even saying thanks, went back to the same seat.

'Cast Luminous Light!'

A ball of light, no bigger than the size of an apple, appeared right in front of me. I opened the book and started reading. It was even more difficult now; some of the books flying around the library were actually screaming. Yes, screaming. I was surprised how the Enchantium actually keeps these books around. I also had to keep recasting Luminous Light after every 5 minutes.

This must be some sort of test to see the archmage. No matter, whatever trials they have for me, I will overcome it!

So, this continued for a while. Occasionally, I left the library to have my meals, since eating was prohibited in the library. I only had the 10 pieces of rye bread in my inventory to deal with, seeing that I have not taken on any job to earn money.

Eventually, on the third day, I went back to the library assistant with not just one book, but 6 different encyclopedia-sized books, all on different topics. By that time, I had already gained an additional 25 Intelligence points, 40 Wisdom points, 35 Concentration points. My Fast Reading skill was already at level 9, and my Luminous Light Spell was at level 8. I could control its size and light power now.

The library assistant was, as I expected, still busy with her paperwork. But when she saw me coming, she at least looked me in the eye before she did her usual recitation tests. When I passed all her tests and answered her questions perfectly, I saw her smile warmly for the first time.

'It looks like you're ready to see him now. Congratulations, you have passed all the tests and trials set for you. I must admit, I was surprised you managed to pass this all somehow. You aren't the first one that came here asking to see the grand archmage; many before have come, and all failed to pass the first trial. Only a few survived the first day, but never came back the subsequent day. Only you, young traveller, have managed to pass everything. Do you wish to see the archmage now? He is waiting for you in his chamber.' She asked.

[p=center]Quest Received!

You have passed all the trials and tests the Grand Enchantium has set for you in order to see the head of the Enchantium. You are now ready to see the archmage. Do you accept?

Difficulty : F

Yes | No[/p]

'Yes!' I replied.

[p=center]Quest Accepted![/p]

'Alright then.' She said, waving her hand in a circular motion.

By the time I realised she was casting another spell, it was too late. As though lifted by some invisible force, I was levitated up towards the ceiling of the library. The assistant must have been a mage of at least level 300! No mage can learn the levitating spell before that level. The ceiling, as I suspected after spending 3 days here, was probably an illusion. I was right; I shot through the ceiling without so much as a crash and landed on a flight of steps that led to two gigantic doors. Behind me was a sea of clouds. I took a gulp of my own saliva, and faced the two doors.

This was it! The archmage's chamber!

My chance to see the archmage has finally arrived!

[p=center][/p]