"Found it. Just as I thought."
Inside the shabby little room, Ur flipped through the worn-out notebook in his hands, eyes narrowing slightly as he scanned the final page. His suspicions had just been confirmed.
This was the same notebook he'd discovered earlier. Most of its contents focused on magical knowledge and personal observations. The final page, however, was different. It contained a few heartfelt lines, penned by the original Ur to encourage himself before attempting to become a true mage.
That single page told him everything he needed to know.
The original Ur died from a failed attempt to become a mage, killed by Magic Recoil.
"Tch. Was he trying to get himself killed?" Ur muttered under his breath, shaking his head as he closed the notebook.
Still, the notebook had finally cleared up one of the biggest mysteries for him. He finally understood the basics of magic in this world.
Everyone possessed magic power to some extent. But not everyone could become a mage. That title had two specific requirements.
First, one needed an aptitude for magic. This was ranked from S to D, with S being the highest, and D the lowest. Only those who reached at least D-Class aptitude could be considered potential mages.
Second, one had to possess mental talent. Casting magic wasn't just about having energy. It required the caster to focus their mind, construct magic circles, and channel that energy precisely. Without sufficient spiritual fortitude, it was impossible to execute even the simplest spells.
It was no wonder the manga never explained this.
After all, the original story of Fairy Tail focused almost exclusively on a small group of powerful protagonists. Most background characters were glossed over. Normal people with barely enough ability to light a candle, let alone cast spells. Every main character had at least S-Class magical aptitude, if not higher…
"Tch. Real life is so much worse than the anime." Ur cursed silently, absorbing the full weight of this reality.
According to the notebook, this body only had D-Class water affinity and just enough spiritual strength to qualify. In short, the bare minimum qualifications to become a mage. Any lower, and he wouldn't even be allowed to try.
Honestly? If not for the cheat-like system he now had, Ur might've given up right then and there.
Coming from a modern world of science and brutal logic, Ur knew better than to rely on delusional dreams. He'd lived in the age of information overload back on Earth; he knew full well how devastating it could be to chase dreams built on false hope. Sometimes, you had to try hard to discover how utterly hopeless something was.
"Poor bastard. He'd already cleared the two most important hurdles: aptitude and spiritual strength, and yet he still died. All because his body couldn't take it."
Even though he technically had the qualifications, he still wasn't ready. And he'd thrown his life away trying to force a breakthrough his body couldn't handle.
"Guess that's why they say the body is the foundation of all revolutions…"
Normally, attempting to become a Mage wasn't supposed to be dangerous. You just had to successfully construct a basic magic circle and release a basic spell. That was it—pass the threshold, and you were in.
Sure, mages didn't need to be bodybuilders. But at the very least, their physique had to be stronger than that of an average civilian.
But the original body… had been far too weak.
Health: 4.
Ur still had no idea how someone managed to wear their body down that badly.
Still, if nothing else, this served as a valuable lesson.
Ur had no intention of attempting a breakthrough right now. The last thing he needed was to cross into another world just to end up having tea with the Grim Reaper, just days after transmigrating here.
Thankfully, the notebook didn't just contain warnings. It also included a basic meditation technique for improving mental strength and magic recovery, three basic water-element spells, and some scattered notes on daily life.
From those scattered notes, Ur could confirm one thing for sure: the previous owner was an absolute loner.
He didn't have a single friend.
Not even Natsu.
Ur had assumed they were close, based on Natsu's attitude—but in the notebook, the previous owner described him as "a loud, obnoxious idiot."
…Not wrong. Ur thought, lips twitching.
After flipping through the notebook several more times and confirming he hadn't missed anything, Ur sat down and began practicing the meditation method it described.
Both the meditation and the beginner-level spells were generic and widely available. Magic use here was relatively open. Aside from rare magic types or secret techniques guarded by guilds, most standard spells and training methods were traded like any other commodity.
Even if this was common stuff, it was exactly what Ur needed right now.
With this meditation technique, he could start restoring the magical energy that had been destroyed by the previous owner's failed breakthrough.
The technique's fundamentals were simple:
"Empty the body. Empty the mind. Let instinct draw in magic and temper the spirit."
To Ur's surprise, this process was far easier than expected.
Surprisingly, the process was much easier than Ur had anticipated.
It was too easy.
So easy that an entire afternoon passed before he even realized it.
By the time he blinked back to awareness, the entire afternoon had passed. And it wasn't even his mind that pulled him out of the trance—it was his stomach.
The Void Hunger passive had kicked in again. His body's recovery speed had indeed accelerated, but so had his metabolism. Food was processed almost as fast as it was consumed.
He glanced out the window. The sun was low on the horizon.
"Guess it's dinner time…"
Ur sighed with mild reluctance, then rose to his feet and made his way toward the cafeteria, quickening his pace as the familiar gnawing hunger set in.
He didn't know why, but the meditation hadn't been nearly as hard as the notebook made it sound.
"Could it be because the soul inside the body has changed…?"
It was a passing thought, but the idea made him even hungrier somehow.
His feet moved faster.
❖≔﴾═══════ﺤ
Before long, Ur arrived at the cafeteria again.
This time, he ordered five full meals straight up, then dug in like a beast.
Once he'd eaten his fill, he returned to his tiny room—no more hesitation, no more delay.
Back to training.
And so the days passed.
Day by day.
Night after night.
A quiet, relentless cycle of training and devouring began.