Return of The 8th Class Mage

 ­ Break The Limit (1)

‘Never touch this staff.’

That was the last warning given by Ian before he fainted.

“Urgh…..”

Ian woke up four days later.

With a little bit of moaning, he opened his eyes quickly.

An intolerable pain shook his head.

‘This place……?’

After waking up, Ian quickly looked at his surroundings.

There was no luxurious decorations, but it was quite neat and clean.

‘It seems I’m in the province castle.’

Ian acknowledged the area with haste. There would be no other place clean like this in the Pieric Province at the moment.

‘It seems like I made it.’

When Ian arrived at the valley, He used up every single mana and health he had. He had literally ‘fainted’. Did he faint because the King of Shamans had resisted roughly? No. He was an easy opponent. The problem was the staff. ‘The staff of the Great Grass Field’, which was scripted with formulas.

‘I never expected it to cause hallucinations.’

The formula on the staff wasn’t an incantation that controlled the monsters’ minds. It was a ‘hallucination’ that caused a specific ‘vision’, which Ian also suffered from.

‘It was the vision that the Great Grass Field was burnt by a great flame like hell.’

Precisely, it was the hallucination that a meteor devastated the Great Grass Field. The king of shaman kept his incantation, and those monsters attacked the border lines to run away from such disasters.

‘Monsters are easily manipulated by hallucinations.’

Their survival instinct was great. It united every monster as one group, which hadn’t occurred in history, but also helped form order to plan schemes to invade us.

‘I better deal with the staff first……’

The formula on the staff wasn’t removed, yet. He had just paused its power for a moment; he had barely managed to run away from the monsters which had lost their vision.

“Sir Ian?”

Someone entered Ian’s room.

It was the conducted mage, Mcgedie.

“You’re awake!”

He, I mean, she ran into Ian.

She was holding a water bucket and towel.

“How long I have fainted for?”

“For four days straight.”

“Four days….”

After hearing the answer, Ian looked up and down at Mcgedie. He had no idea why the conducted mage was nursing him, but he had another thing to take care of.

“Where is the staff?”

“Ah, the other mages concealed it for you. They said it is in a container which is similar to a mana prison. That……”

At the centre of the room, there was a container.

Mcgedie pointed.

“Nice treatment.”

It was outstanding treatment.

It must’ve been done by the 3rd class mages.

Satisfied, Ian stood up.

“Y, you still need to take more ……..!”

“I am okay.”

Then he approached to the container and opened its cover.

*Screeee…..*

After opening the long container, a birch staff was exposed. When seen in the light its surface was black, and the all of its body’s surface was filled with a tiny formula.

‘I better deal with the hallucinations first.’

It was impossible to remove a formula once it was scripted. However, Ian could try to change it to another. It could be done by overwriting the script with another formula, or swapping it to a whole new formula.

‘It’s not an easy job.’

It wasn’t an easy job at all. Not only did he need to deal with the original formula, but he also needed to choose the proper formula that synchronized with the artifact. If Ian chose a bad formula, then the artifact would lose its power and became a waste. A waste that had nothing special about it.

‘That’s sad, isn’t it?’

Ian liked the staff for various reasons. Especially because it had a branch on its head which would let Ian mount a communication orb onto it. That was the important part of it.

‘It is the only staff that may be able to fit the communication orb.’

(ED Note: Jeezus that moment when you realise he went all this trouble to get a mobile phone-stick so he can talk with his mum….)

Ian possessed various artifact staffs in his former life.

And this was why he chose to find this artifact among those staff he once had.

‘Let’s start.’

When Ian raised his left index finger, soon a tiny ice shard was formed. It was the perfect size for as an ice pick for scripting formulas.

*Scratch scratch…..*

Sounds of scripting a formula on the birch staff filled the quiet room.

It seemed it would take a while.

Scratch, again and again…

‘I should leave quietly like the dead.’

Ian was focusing on his job deeply. Thanks to that, Mcgedie missed the suitable time to leave the room, so she just watched Ian without interrupting. She even had to breathe quietly so as to not interrupt Ian.

‘What is he doing anyway?’

His action stimulated Mcgedie’s curiosity.

She had graduated only 1 year ago.

She couldn’t dare to guess what Ian was doing.

‘Hmm.’

She enhanced her eyes with mana.

Then, she started to investigate the staff, from its appearance, to the details of the formula on it.

‘Nope. No idea.’

That was her evaluation.

Knowledge extends one’s understanding.

She just saw Ian’s face.

His focused face was quite impressive.

“……”

When she saw him during the academy course, he was a young boy. In addition, since he had titles with ‘the youngest’ or ‘boy’, he looked even younger to her.

‘He is not a young boy at all.’

But now, he had grown up and become a young man.

Most of all, her first impression of Ian was when he came with the blizzard,

‘He’s not bad lookin……’

“Sir Mcgedie.”

“Ehk!”

(ED Note: eh? possible waifu?)

Mcgedie made a weird sound.

Ashamed, she turned her head.

“Please stand there.”

“P, pardon?”

“Behind there, near to the window.”

But Ian seemed to not care about her at all.

He just ordered her.

“Y, yes sir!”

Mcgedie quickly followed his order.

It was an order from an Archmage.

She moved near the window quickly.

“So what should I do now…..”

“Just for a second.”

Soon, a new formula was scripted on the Staff of the Great Grass Field. If it synchronizes well with the formula, it would oscillate with the mana. Otherwise, it would be no more than a useless wooden staff. Ian was about to test it.

‘Just a little bit.’

As he injected mana into the staff, it started to glow dimly. Not a bloody dark aura of hallucinations, but a clean transparent grey light.

‘Good.’

Firstly, the formula replacement was successful.

The grey light which he intended had occurred.

In addition, the staff didn’t lose its power.

It could be proved since it oscillated with mana.

Now the next step was testing its effect.

And the proper target was there.

“Sir Mcgedie.”

“Yes?”

Ian stood up. Then he aimed his staff at Mcgedie’s face, while injecting sufficient mana to operate the new scripted formula.

*Wooooom*

A grey light from the staff tangled Mcgedie. Soon surprising things happened. A few spells on Mcgedie, such as ‘Face Off’ which changed her face to be like a male’s, and the ‘Voice Change’ spell, etc disappeared.

“Eh…… huh?”

She started to turn into a female.

Her body and voice started to turn back to her original status.

“Why this…. Hik!”

Mcgedie quickly blocked her mouth after hearing her voice. She quickly checked her face. Her smaller nose and thinner chin answered her instead. Every magic that she used to change her appearance was cancelled.

“Cancelation?”

She had learned of this magic as well. Although she couldn’t use it, she knew some famous high tier spells. And this spell was one of them. It was the spell that ‘Dispelled’ a target’s ‘supportive magic’ by high chance. It must be ‘Cancelation’ magic that was scripted on the staff.

(ED Note: Yugioh anyone?Dispel?)

“S, sir Ian …..?”

She looked at Ian with round eyes. She was requiring Ian to explain this situation.

‘It works well.’

However, Ian couldn’t answer her. His head was full of his staff. He wasn’t listening or looking at Mcgedie.

‘Now it would be perfect with the communication orb.’

With Ian’s single swing, a communication orb came out from his bag and flew to his hand. Its size and appearance was perfect as the final decoration for the top of the staff.

“Bite it.”

Soon, the staff’s branches started to tangle the communication orb as if it could listen Ian’s order. It grabbed it solidly.

“That’s right. Good boy.”

Ian petted the staff as if he were dealing with a dog. Soon, he looked at his surroundings. Naturally, his eyes met with Mcgedie’s.

“Where is the great land lord?”

“…… What?”

Mcgedie was full of embarrassment.

On the other hand, Ian was calm.

“I better return …..”

“W- wait a second, sir Ian!”

Mcgedie blocked Ian’s path. She was a little bit worried so she dared to block her senior’s path, but she had to listen his answer.

“H- how did you know?”

“What are you asking about?”

“T- that I disguised as a male….”

“Ahh.”

Ian nodded his head with a dry expression.

“I knew it since the very beginning.”

“D- did you?”

“There is a full detailed report about the conducted mages on the Ivory Tower’s report, of course. I checked it all before, Mcgedie…. I mean, Mary.”

That’s right.

What Ian said was natural.

Ian was one of the heads of the Ivory Tower.

He must have known about it.

Mary, which was her real name, started to turn red in the face.

“T, then why didn’t you tell……”

“I just thought you had a personal reason. I think the great land lord also knew about it already. The personal details of the conducted mage is always handed to the land lord as well.”

It was also quite natural. However, Mary’s face was getting more and more red; it seemed like her face was going to blow up. Although it was common sense for the conducted mage, she hadn’t thought about it.

“Then…..”

She started to recall all her past actions. She acted as male in front of Ian, furthermore, to the land lord as well. She recalled from one to ten.

‘I- I am stupid…….’

She started to blame herself.

“T- then what about soldiers…?”

“No. They don’t know about that. Me and the land lord, ah, and other conducted mages as well. We’re all the people who knew about you.”

Mary thanked God that at least the soldiers didn’t know about it. If she found out they also had known her identity, it would shame her so much.

“I thought you would know about it. But, I apologize if I offended you.”

“N, no. You don’t have to. It’s just…..”

Mary moved to the side unnaturally. She was confused, and wanted to calm down. She didn’t block Ian’s path to receive his apology.

“T- then do your business!”

At last, she ran out the room.

“Hmm.”

Ian felt he did something wrong.

However, he couldn’t understand her feelings perfectly.

Ian wondered.

‘Doesn’t she just need to disguise herself again?’

No idea.

While scratching his head, Ian left his room. He had to report to the great land lord before leaving the place. Ian finished his mission.

‘Let’s go back to my home.’

It was a much more pleasant thing to have a home to return to than Ian had imagined.

*Beat! Beat!*

Even thinking of his home made his heart beat.

It beat really fast….

“…… Huh?”

But it seemed much greater than normal. Although he had been looking forward to going back home, this was way too much.

*Beat! Beat! Beat! Beat!*

Literally, the beating sounded as if it would explode soon.

He had never experience such beating, including both his former and current life.

Even drinking multiple half elixirs, which stimulated a mana heart’s activity, wouldn’t cause his heart to beat like this.

“Ergh…..!”

Now he started to feel pain.

He had thought of every possibility.

Was there something wrong with his body?

‘Suddenly, why?’

The heart started to beat faster and rougher.

His mana heart started to release mana.

Ian started to feel dizzy.

‘Perhaps.’

Suddenly, there was one possibility that struck Ian’s head.

He realised the state of his mana heart, which was still immature.

“Maybe…..”

It might be a sign of his mana heart’s growth? It wasn’t for sure, however, it was worth checking. Ian sat down quickly to mana breathe.

“Phew……!”

While tolerating the severe pain from his heart, Ian started his mana breathing. Although every single breath of his was quite painful, he endured it again and again.

‘If this is what I expect.’

His mana pool hit the limit 5 years ago.

But this time, he might able to break his limit.

Then, he might overcome the level of 5th class master.

‘Becoming a 6th class beginner.’

(ED Note: So I never realised that in between classes there were subclasses as well because bloody Ian is breaking through too quickly. Apparently in each class there is beginner and a master. Not too sure if there is intermediate or middle yet but maybe we’ll know once he actually gets stuck again or something.)

Blood flowed in the opposite direction and leaked from his lips nose and ears. It was blood that was dead and dark. Whoever saw Ian’s current status would be shocked. It was fortunate that he wasn’t at home at the moment.

‘If my mother saw this…..’

She would faint.

Even in the pool of pain, Ian smiled.

His mana breath was reaching its end.

Re-edited by FlawFinder, for you foos