Chapter 18
Rian could feel the lost mana flowing back into his body as he breathed.
At first, while learning the breathing technique, he only felt that his fatigue was easing and that his body was becoming healthier.
But now, he could clearly feel not only the Mana Heart beside his heart but also the flow of mana circulating throughout his body.
Even more astonishing was that he could now sense the flow of mana scattered in the air around him. Although the range was still limited, he had a feeling it would gradually expand.
Rian closed his eyes and focused on his breathing. Today, he intended to challenge a new spell he had long wanted to try.
It was a spell one level above the ones he had trained with so far. He wasn’t certain of success, but his determination to succeed was stronger than for any other spell.
It didn’t take long for his Mana Heart to fill. Yet even after it was full, Rian continued to focus intently, maintaining his breathing.
When he felt ready, he drew up the mana and shouted:
“Blink!”
He opened his eyes, and golden light spilled from them. In that instant, his body vanished from its original position.
A moment later, Rian reappeared in midair about four or five meters away.
“Ugh!”
Startled, he couldn’t even think of using his Fly spell and fell downward under the laws of gravity.
Thud!
Luckily, it wasn’t from a great height, so he wasn’t seriously hurt, but he landed hard on his backside. The pain made tears well up.
Frowning, Rian got to his feet. He hadn’t expected to succeed on the first try anyway. He steadied his breathing and quietly opened his mouth once more.
“Blink!”
Rian disappeared in an instant. Just as he might have been about to celebrate a successful cast if someone had been there, a dull thud accompanied by a groan escaped him.
“Argh!”
Of course, he had reappeared near a protruding decoration on the wall in the vast training hall.
Grabbing one leg, he rolled on the floor, groaning from the pain in his thigh.
“Ugh…”
Though there was no visible injury, the sharp pain was intense. After a while, he finally got back up.
According to the magical knowledge Seifried had given him, using long-distance teleportation magic like Warp required absolute coordinates—coordinates that would never change, no matter how much time passed.
By contrast, short-distance teleportation magic like Blink relied on relative coordinates, generated based on the caster’s current position and used instantaneously. Mistakes like the one he had just made were inevitable.
Soon, it would be time to return to the territory he was visiting. He had secretly come to Rare while everyone was asleep, so he had to return before dawn.
Rian steeled himself and called the incantation again.
“Blink!”
Thanks to his determination and effort, Rian reappeared about ten meters away.
The moment both feet landed firmly on the ground, he was about to cheer in triumph.
“Whew…!”
Just as he was celebrating, his body suddenly trembled violently as if struck by lightning. Golden light radiated from his eyes, hair, and entire body, reminiscent of the first time he had absorbed dragon magic.
Seifried’s voice flowed into Rian’s mind once more:
*First, thank you for keeping your promise. And congratulations. The fact that you are hearing my voice now means you have surpassed the beginner level of magic.
I couldn’t be sure if you would follow my instructions exactly. Since I cannot convey everything to a successor without knowing of their existence, I had to impose some restrictions.
If you surpass the level I have set, you will experience a situation like this again. I made this decision to prevent you from neglecting magic in pursuit of greed. That is why, despite being a dragon’s Rare, it seemed devoid of treasure.
Consider this my gift to you for your advancement. I recommend exploring new places.
Although it is unfortunate that magic is no longer exclusive to dragons, I am pleased that it has not been lost. I hope you continue to strive and grow.*
Seifried’s message ended. The golden light gradually faded from Rian’s body, and his consciousness returned.
Unlike before, he did not faint and felt fully aware. Yet one thing had changed: new knowledge had entered his mind, leaving him momentarily bewildered.
Rian took a deep breath, sitting down to steady himself, then began organizing the thoughts in his mind.
“Ah…”
As he sorted through them, a small exclamation escaped him. He had suddenly realized a way to access a location he had long forgotten.
Rare contained hidden areas that could only be reached via teleportation. He had almost given up, unaware of how to get there, but it seemed Seifried had orchestrated this all along.
Rian immediately got up and ran toward the new location. No special method was required to enter.
Once his Mana Heart contained a certain amount of mana as designated by Seifried, he could pass through naturally.
With the successful Blink, Rian’s Mana Heart had advanced one level.
Previously, it had felt like it was filled with air, but now it felt heavier.
It was like a mist. Still gaseous, like air, but distinctly different in sensation.
“This must be it.”
What had once appeared to be a solid wall was only so because of magic. Now, a door just big enough for a person to pass through was visible.
Rian did not hesitate and stepped inside. Seifried had said he had prepared a gift for him.
“Even though this is a dragon’s Rare, it seemed devoid of treasure as a test for me?”
Rian chuckled at the thought, remembering Seifried’s words.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t considered it before. Rare didn’t contain enough treasure to buy an entire small kingdom.
But there was enough to acquire a decent estate, so he hadn’t thought it strange. That Seifried deliberately made it appear empty—it was just like a dragon.
From a dragon’s perspective, such an amount was nothing.
“I wonder what it is.”
Receiving a gift always felt good, and this one came from a dragon. Rian’s face lit up with anticipation.
The room was surprisingly small, roughly the size of his bedroom. Not that his bedroom as a lord was small, but everything in Rare was so large that this seemed small in comparison.
“Is this a lab?”
Rian’s first impression as he looked around. The room was filled with familiar magical instruments, books, and strange tools he had never seen before.
He approached a display case along one wall. Looking closely, it seemed to hold necklaces, earrings, rings, and other accessories.
There were about ten in total, and each had a name tag.
“Queen of Tears, Flame of Fire, Hayrdal’s Will, God’s Grace, Afternoon of Spring…”
Even for someone like Rian, who didn’t know much about gems, they seemed expensive, but he found it amusing that each piece had a name. The names somehow didn’t match the gems.
“What kind of gift could this be?”
No matter how much he looked, there was nothing resembling a traditional gift—just magical tools and accessories.
Disappointed, Rian pulled a book from the shelf. Though written entirely in runes, it was now nothing to him after learning dragon magic from Seifried.
“What is an artifact?”
As the title suggested, the book explained artifacts. Simply put, an artifact is any magical item imbued with magic.
It was a difficult and complex field, one few mages attempted due to the skill required to create them.
Artifacts were typically made from solid, shock-resistant materials, because the magic imbued within constantly released energy. Fragile objects would crack or break. Common materials included minerals, metal weapons, and gems.
Though magic had declined and new artifacts were rarely made, famous artifacts from the past still existed but were extremely rare, mostly seen by royalty or high-ranking nobles.
Rian skimmed the book and closed it.
“Huh?”
Just as he was about to replace it, he noticed something odd.
“Gemcraft, Metalwork, Enchanting, Artifact Identification, taught by dwarves…”
All the books on the shelf were related to artifacts. Most were aimed at beginners, teaching the fundamentals of artifact magic.
‘Wait, is this the gift…?’
Seifried, being a dragon, couldn’t be a beginner. That meant everything here had been prepared for Rian. He hurried back to the display case he had seen earlier.
What had seemed like expensive jewelry now seemed potentially to be artifacts. The unusual names now made his heart race with anticipation.
But no matter how much he stared, Rian couldn’t tell which were just expensive accessories and which contained immense magical power.
If magical inscriptions were present, it would be obvious, but none of the ten gems had markings.
After staring for a long time, Rian returned to the shelf and pulled out another book, titled Artifact Identification.
He settled on a sofa and began flipping through the thick book. The first page explained what an artifact was.
After skimming that, he moved on to the main section on identification.
The easiest way to identify an artifact was by the level of magic imbued. An artifact containing third-circle magic could only be identified by a mage of third circle or higher.
For example, a fourth-circle artifact could only be recognized by fourth-circle or higher mages; lower-level mages would not detect it.
At this point, Rian had to ponder.
“How many circles am I?”
