The next morning, I woke up with a headache. It wasn't the dull ache of fatigue I was getting used to, but a sharp pounding throb right behind my eyes. It felt like a hangover, but for my soul. The System, ever so helpful provided a diagnosis.
[ Status: Mana Depletion Sickness (Minor). Intelligence and Wisdom attributes are temporarily reduced by 1. Effects will fade as Mana regenerates.]
"Fantastic," I groaned, rubbing my temples. So, running my mana pool completely dry had consequences. It was another rule of this world's magic, one the System was teaching me the hard way. It made sense; you can't run a marathon and expect to feel fresh as a daisy the next day. Magic, it seemed, was a muscle, and I had strained it to its absolute limit.
I checked my mana pool. It was a pitiful sliver, maybe like, 10% full. My Wisdom stat of 7 clearly didn't provide a very fast recharge rate. This was going to be a problem. I couldn't practice if I only had enough juice for one or two explosive fireballs a night.
The solution was, as always, grinding. I needed levels. More levels meant more attribute points, which meant more Intelligence and Wisdom, which meant more magic. My path to magical godhood was an endless, looping staircase of XP.
I dragged myself downstairs, the tavern's morning clamor doing nothing to help my headache. Elara gave me a look as I stumbled to the bar.
"Rough night?" she asked, already sliding a mug of what I hoped was some kind of coffee substitute towards me. It was a dark, bitter-smelling brew made from roasted roots. It tasted like dirt, but it was warm and jolted me awake.
"You have no idea," I said, taking a grateful sip. "Let's just say I learned a valuable lesson about pacing myself."
"A lesson most young people learn after a cask of cheap ale, not a quiet night in the attic," she observed, her eyes lingering on me for a moment too long. She knew something was off about me, but thankfully, she seemed to chalk it up to me being a weirdo from the mountains. It was a cover I was more than happy to hide behind.
My day in the kitchen was… slow. The Mana Depletion Sickness made me feel sluggish and unfocused. My `+0.01 XP` notifications felt less like rewards and more like a sad, monotonous drip-feed of progress. Borin, thankfully, was preoccupied with a shipment of meat that had failed to meet his high standards. He spent most of the morning in a heated, one-sided argument with a pork chop, which he eventually lost his temper with and reduced to a small pile of sizzling ash. I made a mental note to never be a pork chop.
It was during the midday lull that Leo bounced into the kitchen, his usual cheerful energy a stark contrast to my throbbing headache.
"Maddox! Good news!" he chirped, dodging a cleaver Borin had embedded in a cutting board out of sheer frustration. "You're getting a field promotion"
I looked up from the sink, suds up to my elbows. "A field promotion? Am I the new Head Pot Scrubber? Does it come with a raise?"
"Even better! Elara needs some pies delivered to the EP university campus. The usual delivery boy is sick—something about a bad clam. Since you're the newest and have the most expendable limbs, you're up!"
My heart skipped a beat. The university. The public university of Elemental Powers. My ticket to the big leagues "Me? Go to the university?"
"Just to the main gate," Leo clarified, dashing my dreams of waltzing into a lecture hall. "Professor Albright puts in a standing order for a dozen of Borin's meat pies every week. Says they're the only thing that can get him through grading papers. You just drop them off with the gate guard. It's a nice walk, gets you out of the grease for an hour."
This was an opportunity. A chance to see the place, to get the lay of the land. And a quest had just popped into my vision.
[ New Quest Received!]
Special Delivery
Objective: Safely deliver the box of meat pies to the main gate of the EP university.
Rewards: 25 XP, 5 Copper Pieces (Tip).
Bonus Objective: Observe a mock battle between students.
Bonus Reward: 50 XP.
A bonus objective. The System was encouraging me to be nosy. I loved this game.
"I'll do it," I said, a little too eagerly.
Borin, overhearing us, let out a mighty grunt. He wordlessly pointed to a large, flat box on a prep table. It was warm to the touch and smelled divinely of baked pastry and savory meat. "Don't drop them," he growled. "They are masterpieces. To drop one would be a crime against cuisine."
"I'll guard them with my life," I promised, carefully lifting the box. It was heavier than it looked.
Elara gave me directions—"Follow the cobblestones till you hit the big stone walls, can't miss it" and with that, I was on my way. The walk was a welcome change of scenery. The Grinning Griffin was in a more common, working-class part of Oakhaven. As I walked, the buildings gradually became larger and more ornate. The streets were cleaner, the people better dressed. I saw more open displays of magic here: a woman using a gust of wind to dry her laundry, a man levitating a crate of books, a child making a small water fountain dance in the air, 'Even the kid is better than me'. It was casual, everyday magic, woven into the fabric of the city.
After about twenty minutes, I saw it. The EP university wasn't just a building; it was a fortress. High, grey stone walls, patrolled by guards in smart blue-and-silver uniforms, enclosed a sprawling campus. The main gate was a massive iron portcullis, currently raised to allow people to pass through. It was imposing and impressive.
I approached the gate, and one of the guards, a stern-faced woman with a nasty scar across her cheek, held up a hand.
"State your business."
"Delivery," I said, holding up the box. "Meat pies for Professor Albright. From The Grinning Griffin."
Her stern expression softened almost imperceptibly. "Ah, Borin's pies. The Professor will be pleased. Leave them here. I'll see that they get to him."
I handed over the box, my main objective complete. The `25 XP` and `5 Copper Pieces` notifications chimed in my head. But I wasn't done yet. The bonus objective was still active.
"Excuse me," I said, trying to sound like a curious local. "I hear the students practice out in the open sometimes. Is there anywhere a person could… watch?"
The guard sized me up. My plain, slightly grease-stained clothes clearly marked me as a commoner. "The main training grounds are for students and faculty only. But…" she paused, then gestured with her thumb towards the right. "If you follow the outer wall for a bit, there's a small rise that overlooks the dueling pitches. We don't mind if folks watch from there. Just don't cause any trouble."
"Thank you!" I said, beaming. "No trouble from me."
I followed her directions, my steps quick with anticipation. The rise was a small, grassy hill that offered a perfect, unobstructed view of several large, circular arenas marked out on a vast lawn. In two of these arenas, students were currently engaged in what were clearly mock battles.
My jaw dropped. This was it! This was what real magic looked like.
In the nearest arena, a tall, lanky boy with fiery red hair was locked in a duel with a shorter, stockier girl with a determined expression. The boy was a Mono-Fire, just like Borin, but his control was on a different level. He wasn't just making explosions; he was shaping the flames. He launched precise fireballs, which the girl deflected with solid shields of stone that erupted from the ground. He created whips of fire that cracked through the air; she stomped her foot, and the ground beneath him turned to thick, grasping mud, slowing his movements.
It was a classic Fire versus Earth matchup. The boy was all aggression and speed, while the girl was patience and defense. I watched, mesmerized, as she anticipated his next move, raising a stone wall just in time to block a torrent of flame. She wasn't just reacting; she was reading him.
*Ding* A new notification.
[You are observing a battle between two Elementalists. Your [Wisdom] is high enough to analyze their techniques.]
[ New Skill Gained: [Observe]!]
[Observe] (Active): Allows the user to gain detailed information about a target. The amount and quality of information depends on the user's Level and Wisdom compared to the target's.
I blinked, stunned. A new skill, just from watching? This was amazing. I immediately activated it, focusing on the girl. A blue screen of text appeared in my vision.
Name: Petra Stonehand
Level: 12
Title: Earth-Shaper Adept
Elemental Affinity: Earth (Adept)
Analysis: Petra displays a high degree of control and patience. She relies on strong defensive techniques and environmental control to exhaust her opponent. Her movements are economical. She never wastes energy on an unnecessary gesture. Her foundation is solid.
I switched my focus to the fire-wielding boy.
Name: Caden Flamesong
Level: 11
Title: Fire-Weaver Novice
Elemental Affinity: Fire (Novice)
Analysis: Caden is aggressive and relies on overwhelming his opponent with raw power. His technique is flashy but lacks precision. He telegraphs his powerful attacks, leaving him open to counters. He is expending mana at an unsustainable rate.
The System wasn't just showing me their stats; it was breaking down their fighting styles, their strengths, and their weaknesses. It was like having a super-powered coach whispering in my ear.
As the System predicted, Caden began to tire. His fireballs became smaller, his movements more sluggish. Petra, seeing her opening, slammed both her hands on the ground. A wave of earth rippled across the arena, knocking Caden off his feet. Before he could recover, stone tendrils erupted from the ground, wrapping around his arms and legs, pinning him.
"Yield!" Petra called out, her voice clear and strong.
Caden struggled for a moment before slumping in defeat "I Yield," he grumbled.
A proctor in a grey robe stepped forward, made a few notes on a clipboard, and the stone tendrils receded back into the earth. The two students bowed to each other and walked off the pitch, Caden looking dejected and Petra looking quietly satisfied.
I was buzzing. I had learned more about magic in those five minutes than I had in my entire life, both this one and the last. I understood now. It wasn't just about raw power. It was about control, strategy, and efficiency. My one-shot, uncontrolled fireball seemed laughably crude in comparison, though the kid with the fountain had already humbled me, this was definitely worse on my self-esteem.
I turned my attention to the second arena, where a battle that was even more intense was taking place. A young woman with sleek black hair and an arrogant smirk was fighting two other students at once.
I used `[Observe]` on her first.
Name: Seraphina Valerius
Level: 18
Title: Storm-Born Scion
Elemental Affinities: Air (Adept), Lightning (Adept)
Analysis: A Dual-Element user of considerable power and skill. She seamlessly blends her two elements, using Air for mobility and control, and Lightning for devastating offensive strikes. Her confidence borders on arrogance, but her power is undeniable. She is toying with her opponents.
Seraphina was a whirlwind of motion. She used gusts of wind to propel herself around the arena, making her an impossible target. Then, she would summon crackling bolts of lightning from her fingertips, forcing her two opponents (a Mono-Water and a Mono-Earth) onto the defensive.
The Water user tried to trap her in a vortex of water, but Seraphina just laughed, creating a miniature cyclone of air that dispersed it. The Earth user tried to pin her down with stone spikes, but she simply danced between them, light on her feet.
She ended the fight with a flourish. She leaped high into the air, buoyed by a column of wind. "Let's see you handle this," she called out, her voice ringing with power. She brought her hands together, and a blindingly bright ball of crackling lightning formed between them. It grew in size, humming with terrifying energy. She hurled it down, and it struck the ground between her two opponents, erupting in a shower of sparks that sent them both flying out of the arena.
The proctor rushed over to check on the two fallen students, while Seraphina landed gracefully, not even breathing hard. She brushed a piece of imaginary dust from her shoulder and walked away without a backward glance.
I let out a breath I've been holding by the pure shock that display and level of skill caused me. That was power. Real, terrifying, awe-inspiring power. That was the level I needed to reach. That was my goal, personified in a single, arrogant duelist.
[ Bonus Objective Complete! You have observed a mock battle.]
[Reward: 50 XP!]
The notification barely registered. My mind was racing, replaying the fights, analyzing the techniques. I had a long, looong way to go. But now, I had a clearer picture of the path. I needed to do more than just make fire. I needed to control it. Shape it. Master it.
I walked back to The Grinning Griffin, my head full of fire whips and stone shields. The world of magic had just opened up to me, and I was determined to devour it whole. My headache was gone, replaced by a burning, singular focus. The grind wasn't just about washing dishes for XP anymore. It was about preparing for the arena.