One week later.
Morning sunlight spilled through the cracked windows of the small, dilapidated house. A warm beam fell across Ur's face as he slowly opened his eyes.
Compared to a week ago, he looked like a different person.
The hollowness in his cheeks had faded, and his eyes were no longer dull but clear and sharp. Though still thin, his body no longer looked like it was on the verge of collapse.
And most importantly…
His stats had changed.
Invincible Passive System
Host: Wei Yi (Ur)
Passive Ability:Void Hunger
Health: 9
Magic Power: 11
Mental Strength: 15
Magic Resistance: 0%
Armor: 0%
Thanks to the combined effect of the passive Void Hunger and the basic meditation method, his body and mind recovered at an astonishing rate. Ur was certain that his magic power had grown slightly, possibly a side effect of the earlier magic recoil.
"With my current condition, I should be able to attempt drawing a magic circle."
Though still thin, his body had undergone a fundamental transformation. He was finally ready to take the next step: casting magic.
According to the notebook, the original Ur learned three basic water spells: water control, water bullet, and water shield. These were entry-level spells that nearly every beginner mage started with.
Before starting his training, Ur headed to the cafeteria and devoured 7-8 servings of food. As his body grew stronger, Void Hunger was beginning to show its true, terrifying appetite.
After his meal and a hot shower, he changed into clean clothes and returned to his room.
Only once everything was in order did he sit down, calm his mind, and begin the process of channeling his mental strength to draw his first magic circle.
He chose to start with the Water Control spell, the most basic of the three. It was simple in design and easy to learn, ideal for someone casting magic for the first time.
In this world, a mage's power was primarily determined by two things: mental strength and magic power. The higher your mental strength was, the more efficiently you could manipulate your magic power. Even with the same amount of magic power, a mage with stronger mental strength could cast more powerful or more refined spells. Magic power was the foundation of all magic. A person with overwhelming magic power could still unleash devastating power, even if their mental strength were a bit lacking.
And raw magic? That was the bedrock. No magic power, no magic.
In that regard, the best example from the Fairy Tail universe would be that orange-haired, walking natural disaster of a man.
The guy was a walking disaster. With too much magic and not enough control, every spell turned into collateral damage. His attacks caused more destruction than necessary, either from poor control or possibly… Too many women are draining his other stats.
Ur didn't mind assuming the latter.
Men like that were public enemies, after all.
Back to reality.
Right now, Ur's stats barely exceeded a normal adult's.
For beginners, casting magic often required a simple hand gesture to help stabilize the mental image. Over time, this crutch would fade away, except for certain specialized spells. For now, though, Ur chose to press his palms together, like a prayer, to better focus his thoughts.
But learning magic turned out to be harder than he expected.
His first two attempts? Complete failures. He couldn't even finish the magic circle before running out of magic power.
It went something like this:
Ur: "Just finish the magic circle, and the spell will work. Got it?"
Magic Power: "Got it!"
Mental Strength: "Wait, what did you say?"
Yeah. Not exactly a dream team.
On the bright side, Ur discovered one unexpected benefit of having low magic reserves: It recovered fast.
Thanks to the basic meditation method, he was able to replenish his energy within minutes and prepare for another attempt.
And failed.
Again.
"This is what happens when your magic power and mental strength are garbage…"
This world wasn't a fantasy power trip. It was real. And in the real world, raw effort wasn't always enough.
Still, Ur didn't give up.
After all, he had a system on his side.
He didn't need to rush. He just had to learn these few spells, join a Mage guild, accept missions, earn money… and then use that money to top up his account.
Because in his world now, money equals power.
Use money to buy strength.
That was the plan.
Eventually, Ur's determination paid off.
After who knew how many failed attempts, the next time he drew the magic circle, something finally changed during one attempt.
The moment the magic circle took form, a pattern lit up with a gentle blue glow, a swirling stream of water, thin and twisting like a serpent, coiled into the air before him. With a thought, Ur controlled its shape, and it began to twist and dance in midair.
"Magic... is pretty amazing."
The water flowed freely in front of him, responding to his will. The scene was beautiful and surreal. For a brief moment, Ur felt a childlike wonder.
But only for a moment.
Truth be told, now that he'd cast a spell... it wasn't as thrilling as he'd imagined.
"Is that it?"
"I really am a man who gets bored too easily…" he sighed, shaking his head at himself.
Still, this was a huge step.
Successfully casting a spell officially made him a D-Class Mage.
In this world, mage rankings were assigned by individual guilds. Evaluation was based on the standards set by the Magic Council, taking into account magic ability, mission completion rate, and overall contributions.
Mage ranks weren't exactly about power levels. They were just performance evaluations.
This meant it was entirely possible for a lower-ranked mage to defeat a higher-ranked one. And it happened often.
But none of that mattered right now.
Because D-Class was the lowest rank of all.
To qualify? All you needed to do was cast a single spell.
And now that he'd succeeded with Water Control.
Ur rolled up his sleeves.
"Time to learn the other two."
With renewed determination, he began training the remaining two basic spells: Water Bullet and Water Shield.