Black String of Fate

Xavier stopped sensing the mana in his surroundings for now. It wasn't that he was getting tired, but the sensation itself was pretty difficult to get used to. It was like being submerged underwater but still being able to breathe. He decided to train it later properly, under proper instructions.

'Now, I need a basic magic guidebook and start swinging my sword 1000 times daily. Damn, even though I've gained a lot, I'm now somehow weaker than when I entered… I guess my first priority should be building the perfect foundation to get started on my pathwalker journey.

Now that I think about it, I initially came here to complete a D-rank quest. So much had happened that it completely slipped my mind…

Ruins of Salazar should have something good in them, right?'

Xavier got up and checked his surroundings. He still had rations for a few days, along with a decent sword. He picked the sword up and tried swinging it a couple of times.

'...Yup, feels like I've picked up a sword for the first time. Even muscle memory is not there due to this being my regressed self.'

He put the sword back into his sheath and picked up the blue chalk which he had initially written his answers with. He remembered the positions on the circle that had been marked by the shadows of the torches, and made the symbols of the elements in ancient language instead of that mysterious primordial language he wrote his own answers in.

'Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Light, Dark, and… Space.'

Xavier stepped and watched the magic circle light up once more in an ethereal blue light. He confidently stepped inside, feeling the mana the teleportation circle was made up of.

'It's pure space mana. I guess that makes sense.'

He closed his eyes and felt himself being warped away. It wasn't a new feeling now, as he had experienced that multiple times by now due to the trials.

When he opened his eyes, he was greeted by a simple room with a table and chair along with an almost empty bookshelf. There was a chalice lying on the table, with some notes put under it.

Xavier walked over and picked up the chalice, confirming it was the same one that the adventurers in his past life found. He then picked up the note and started reading it.

**********

Dear Challenger,

Those trials must've been too much already, trust me, I know. Here's a chalice that might be worth some money and a few books on basic magic kept on the bookshelf. This is not a trap. Since you made it out alive from those ungodly trials, you have already proven your worth. I'm not someone who can judge the one who cleared them.

You can leave after opening that door, there's a teleportation circle that connects back to the cave. I have a lot more I want to say, and a lot more to sit down and converse about. If fate allows us, may we cross paths.

-Salazar Agonis

***********

'...I guess he also went through the trials in his time. Clearly he's a good, understanding man who doesn't make things difficult. I apologize for cursing you earlier.'

Xavier folded the paper and kept it inside his back pocket. There was a thin carpet lying on the floor, so he took that and wrapped up both the chalice and all the books kept in the shelf. He checked out the books that were present, and even a person with no magical background like Xavier could tell that they were precious.

'Introduction to Magic, Basic Mana Theory, Introduction to Elements, Insights on Magical Initialization, Theory on Elemental Harmony, Theory of Perfect Magic Foundation…

All these seem geared towards newbies. They will be incredibly useful to me, who knows nothing about magic. Also, while these may be basic magic books, the ones labeled with "Theory" might be more advanced concepts, and that "Perfect Foundation" looks attractive.

Since I already know how to awaken as a warrior with my physique, I should be able to Initiate myself for real this time."

Xavier smiled as he packed the books and the chalice and slung the sack on his back. He took one last look at the room and opened the door which supposedly leads to the exit.

*whooosh*

Beyond the door was a similar ethereal blue aura covering the whole frame. Xavier stepped through, and once again, he found himself back in the cave.

'...That's it, I guess. I'm done. Finally, let's report the completion of the mission.'

Xavier, who once struggled inside this maze-like cave, tried sensing the mana present in the walls. He saw that some of the walls were laced with mana, and they were the ones Xavier had already scratched.

'Hmm, looks like this was the trick needed to solve this maze. Sigh, I spent hours upon hours just blindly sticking to a wall, yet some above-average mage could've done it in minutes. Life's unfair to warriors.'

He soon made it out of the cave within minutes and saw that it was nighttime now. Even before the trials, he had spent close to 7 hours inside the cave.

'It's better to stay inside and not risk it… I should read some of the books I got from that place.'

Xavier took out all the books and decided to read the Theory of Perfect Foundation. Out of all, it was simply the most interesting to him.

'Hmm, it talks about creating the perfect base to begin your magical journey. It's awfully similar to impurity cleansing, the difference being that it only talks about cleansing your mana veins and mana heart, instead of your fleshly body and blood.

Though, I've never heard of anyone cleaning their mana veins. The purity of the veins has been considered a natural-born talent since time immemorial in the mage community. Has Salazar broken through that notion? It's quite a big deal…

Then again, he was an Archon. It's nothing surprising for someone of his caliber to be able to do such things.'