Back to the present…
It was already afternoon, and Alex could now stand up after resting a bit more.
'Two days left until the agreed time with Marc.'
With those thoughts in mind, Alex went out of the bedroom and greeted Susan and Evelyn. It seemed Susan was helping her with homework.
"Hello, I'm going to head out for a bit. I'll be back later," Alex said.
"Hello to you too. Sure, go ahead," Susan replied.
After exchanging greetings, Alex went out, carrying only his pocket watch with him.
The moment he stepped outside, a magnificent view met his eyes.
Susan lived on a hill not far from the actual village, and from outside her house one could see the village downhill, with the monument that gave the village its name standing in the center.
To his left was another path that led to the riverside — where Susan had probably found him.
Looking forward again, he started walking, admiring the houses of myriad forms and colors surrounding the central gate.
It was a tradition to paint the houses with vivid colors in Perrin's Gate, or so he had learned in school, but seeing it in person was something else entirely — it was beautiful.
It seemed that this village wasn't far from becoming a city altogether, since he could see some fancy-looking houses at the far right of the town center, with more being built.
The gate itself was crafted by one of the continent's greatest stonemasons — Perrin — hence the name. It had a gothic architectural style, with birds of all kinds carved along the pillars on both sides, from the base up to the middle, where the carvings shifted into mythical beasts.
It was said that Perrin was a castaway noble, though it wasn't specified from which family — which resulted in all kinds of rumors at the time, some even claiming he was royalty.
As Alex admired all the sights the place had to offer, he continued walking downhill toward the village center. After five minutes of walking, he arrived.
He had an objective in mind for these two days — to learn everything he could about the magic world. For that, he needed to find a library or something similar.
So he walked around the town, observing everything available.
One of the things that caught his eye was an alchemy shop.
He took note of it and kept walking, planning to return later to sell his plants and buy potions.
The only place he actually entered was a general goods shop. There, he bought some clothes, a book, a quill, and some ink — and sold everything he had "collected" from the mansion.
He pocketed another fifteen gold coins from the sold items. It was nothing compared to what he had stolen from the guards, but it was still money nonetheless. He emptied the pocket watch of all the extra luggage, leaving inside only gold, a knife, clothes, and the magic books.
He kept roaming until he finally saw what he was looking for — a library.
As he approached the entrance, there was a sign outside that read:
"Access costs 50 silver a day."
'Outrageous! That's totally insane!' thought Alex. Still, he opened the door and stepped inside.
Not far from the entrance was a desk with a man sitting behind it — probably the librarian.
Alex walked toward it and asked, "Hello, is this where I pay for the entrance?"
"Well, duh, there's no other desk, is there?" the librarian replied.
Alex's eye twitched at such blatant disrespect.
"O-okay… give me access for two days," he said, trying not to cause trouble the same day he arrived.
He took a gold coin from his pocket and handed it to the librarian, his hand trembling slightly.
The second he got his two-day pass, he marched in — determined to squeeze every dime out of that insane expense.
The first thing he looked for was Theory of Magic.
Skimming through the titles, he found one called Basics of Mana: General Understanding and picked it up.
Then he found another titled Mana Systems and Types and took that one as well.
He spent the next twenty minutes picking out books that could answer all his questions.
After sitting at a table, he opened the first book he had grabbed and started reading.
Mana is a substance present in the world, much like air.
It nourishes every being, either passively or actively.
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Mana also seems to be the pure source of the elements. More precisely, mana can become any element, and any element can revert to mana. This is why a person is able to open a core or mana arteries with any elemental type of mana — and then absorb another element altogether, even those of conflicting natures like fire and water.
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'I didn't know I could even have another element besides wind,' Alex thought and kept reading.
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Mana also nourishes those who actively absorb it in more specific ways, separated into two types — those who form a core, or "Mages," and those who open mana arteries and create their first Heart Ring, starting the journey toward forming a mana body, also called "Martial Artists."
A Mage's core nourishes primarily the mind, and secondarily the body and soul. A Martial Artist's mana arteries work in reverse — first the body and soul, then the mind.
The core also grants Mages more mana and mana regeneration than Martial Artists, as well as the ability to project mana outside their bodies. Meanwhile, Martial Artists, after opening their mana arteries — which grant an overall physical upgrade — receive a specific enhancement depending on their level. They are, however, mostly body-focused.
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After reading a bit more, Alex closed the first book.
Now he understood that Mages had the advantage of more mana, faster mana regeneration, heightened thinking speed, and better calculation abilities — besides being able to cast magic from a distance.
In contrast, Martial Artists gained a tenacious body in compensation, together with the ability to strengthen their organs as they advanced in rank