How to Raise a Transcendent Archmage

Chapter 4: Mana Unleashing, First Awakening

“Urghhh!”

Searing pain.

Elinore’s vines pierced into my body from behind.

It felt like a massive parasite writhing inside me, causing beads of sweat to pour down.

The burning pain spread from my back throughout my entire body.

“Focus on your breathing.”

“Hoo-”

I inhaled and exhaled steadily.

Deep, heavy breaths driven by the pain.

‘It’s hot.’

Too hot.

But to exact revenge on the demons, or even just to survive, I had to endure somehow.

I hadn’t realized it, but the intensity of the pain seemed to sharpen my focus.

The mana writhing within me felt vividly alive.

“Now it’s time to unblock your mana circuits. Relax your strength and feel your heartbeat. Pump the mana along with your blood! That will allow your mana to flow.”

Thump, thump, thump.

I focused on my heartbeat as he instructed.

And in that moment, I felt another surge of mana artificially flowing into me.

‘Elinore’s mana.’

Unlike his ferocious appearance, his mana was pure and gentle, supporting my own.

Shwaaaa-

The sound of the waterfall echoed in my ears.

My burning body gradually cooled.

Each time my heart pounded alongside Elinore’s mana, the impurities within me were washed away, and I could feel the mana spreading throughout my body in real-time.

I concentrated with all my being.

Thump, thump, thump.

My heartbeat quickened.

Thick mana mixed with the rushing blood, spreading through me.

And then.

Thump!

As I calmed my racing heart and took my final breath.

The pain finally subsided, leaving only a refreshing sensation tickling around my heart.

“Hooa-!”

Exhaling the breath I’d been holding, I opened my eyes to see an enormous amount of steam rising from my body.

‘What’s this?’

It felt like a fog enveloping my body had lifted.

With that sensation, the flow of mana within me was vividly clear to my eyes.

“Good work. Calming your raging mana and cleansing your mana circuits are done. With a bit of practice, you should now be able to use basic magic freely.”

Basic magic?

His words felt somehow off to me.

It was as if something more remained.

“This isn’t the end, is it?”

“…? Of course not. Did you think a single treatment like this would make you some grand archmage?”

“Then…”

“You’re only now standing at the starting line of becoming a mage, fledgling. Your understanding of magic, the amount of mana you have, and its purity are all woefully lacking.”

Elinore’s glowing red eyes narrowed.

“Everything has an order. Understand magic and keep using it. In time, you’ll be able to wield greater, more powerful spells.”

Elinore gazed at me intently.

“Of course, to reach that level, you’ll need to tirelessly strive and push your limits.”

“Mmm.”

“If you get greedy, you’ll fall back into the state you were in before. For now, try the 9th-tier spells written in the book, as they’re suited to your level.”

He stared silently at the waterfall for a moment before continuing.

“At your current level, you’d be lucky not to hold me back, so train here for a while. I need to make some preparations in the meantime. First-”

“…”

“Let’s eat.”

“Eat?”

“Now that we’ve met, Magridon won’t dawdle, but we still have time to prepare. Let’s eat and think.”

Elinore pointed to the base of the waterfall.

Large fish swam through the turbulent waters, and as I watched them, a sudden wave of hunger hit me.

Come to think of it, I hadn’t eaten a single meal today, just running from place to place.

No wonder I was starving.

“Is it okay to eat those?”

“Even if Magridon has reappeared, he can’t easily disrupt this vast ecosystem. Besides, it’s only been a short time since he crawled out of hell.”

“Then I need to fish-”

“Where’s a fishing rod around here? Catch them yourself.”

“Me?”

“Yes, with your mana.”

“…”

The atmosphere left no room for retreat.

As I hesitated, Elinore muttered quietly beside me.

“Picture the form of your mana in your mind and let it flow. Read the flow of mana in the environment and synchronize yours with it.”

“Yes.”

“When your mana synchronizes with the external mana, manipulate and move it as you envisioned. If you can do that, you’ve essentially learned telekinesis, one of the attributeless magic spells.”

I sat calmly, staring at the pond beneath the waterfall, focusing.

‘The form of mana I envision is a net.’

The net formed in my mind soon met the surrounding mana, slowly taking shape.

‘Not bad for a first try, right?’

With Elinore watching me closely, I couldn’t help but feel a bit smug.

Closing my eyes tightly, I could distinctly feel the mana flowing within and around my body.

I tried to move it as Elinore had described.

“Ugh.”

But when I tried to move it, my hands trembled.

There was no response.

How was I supposed to move this?

“Think calmly. The hint has already been given.”

Hint? A hint.

I closed my eyes and kept focusing.

I sent my mana into the air, forming the shape I envisioned.

And I tried to manipulate and move it as I pictured.

‘It’s not just my mana, so it doesn’t move as I want…’

Flow.

Instead of controlling it fully, I twisted the direction of the ambient mana with my own.

My head burned, and blood trickled from my nose.

Even just guiding the direction consumed immense mental effort.

“Argh!”

Pop.

I opened my eyes wide.

A strange sensation wrapped around my hand.

“Well done.”

In the invisible air, a net made of my mana was moving about.

“Never forget that sensation. Now catch a fish with it.”

“Yes.”

It didn’t move exactly as I wanted.

Rather than responding perfectly to my thoughts, it felt like it was roughly darting in the direction I set.

“It’s hard because you’re not used to it yet. Keep going.”

Elinore’s cold remark came from beside me.

“Huff…! Huff…!”

Crunch-!

I clenched my fist tightly.

As if grabbing the telekinetic net spread on the ground.

“Pull it up!”

“Grrrh!”

I pulled with all my might.

Not just the telekinetic net but also the fish caught in it made it feel heavier.

The net slowly rose.

Sweat poured down.

“Finish it cleanly!”

I pulled the net higher and placed it on the cave floor.

And so.

“Good work.”

“Ha! Ha! Ha!”

I caught two fish.

Barely enough for a meal.

***

Crackle, crackle.

I stared blankly at the fish roasting over the fire Elinore had lit.

Exhaustion overwhelmed my body.

Honestly, I didn’t even have the energy to eat.

I stayed put only out of a sense of duty to eat to survive and the thought, ‘I caught these fish.’

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

“My old nemesis, who always coveted my mana, has awakened.”

Elinore spoke, tearing into a raw fish without cooking it.

“We don’t know when Magridon will come for us. We need to prepare.”

“Elinore.”

I called his name softly, and he looked down at me.

From what I’d heard, the demon that awoke in our village wasn’t the only one.

It seemed not only the demon Elinore had fought in the past but others were waking and becoming active.

Not just Magridon, sleeping in this great forest, but even the one in the northern snowfields.

Elinore and I were being targeted by all these demons, so we had to find a way to escape their clutches.

“What exactly is this demon Magridon? Elinore, is he so powerful that even you can’t face him?”

“He’s one of the twelve direct descendants who inherited the Great Demon’s power. He breathes fire and can mutate all sorts of creatures into demonic beasts and monsters. His true body is hidden somewhere, and he’s a cunning one who primarily operates through his armies of beasts and monsters.”

“That-”

“It’s still okay for now. The gargoyles and shadow wolves haven’t been fully turned into his minions yet.”

Since it hadn’t been long since he awoke, Magridon likely hadn’t created many demonic beasts or monsters yet.

Clearing his throat, Elinore continued.

“Claude.”

“Yes.”

“You’re too weak right now, lacking both knowledge of magic and demons. You wouldn’t even be able to defeat their minions, let alone the demons themselves.”

“Ah…”

“You need to see and experience more, and learn various magic. For now, I can teach you some basic spells, but-”

At that moment, a rumbling sound echoed from afar.

Elinore let out a deep sigh.

“Now that he’s awake, it won’t be long before all sorts of monsters come rushing out of this great forest to hunt us. And that self-proclaimed master hunter will likely target you instead of me. Attacking you will make me show more openings.”

Elinore’s eyes rolled as he pondered, then, with a hesitant voice, he softly called out a name.

“Shukain, Shukain Tarutoro.”

“…What?”

“You should go to her. Her personality is a bit rough, but her skill as a mage is undeniable.”

“Wait, Elinore. What’s that all of a sudden-”

“She’s a lord with a formidable army in the north and a comrade who fought alongside us during the Demon War. Didn’t your father or mother ever mention Shukain?”

I rummaged through my memories and opened Father’s Book.

The name sounded familiar, but I couldn’t recall it clearly.

‘I think I’ve seen it…’

Ah, there it was.

Beneath neatly cropped hair, sharp eyes and a hollow gaze.

The cold, expressionless face of a woman, etched like a wanted poster.

And below it, my father’s handwriting.

‘Shukain Tarutoro, a woman crueler and more brutal than any demon. Even if another war with demons breaks out, we’ll never seek her help again.’

“…”

A chill ran down my spine.

This was his evaluation of a comrade he fought alongside?

Just how terrifying must she be for my father to write such a thing?

“Elinore… My father’s note-”

I looked at Elinore with anxious eyes.

But he just stared back at me.

“The only place you can safely learn magic right now is probably by her side. She may be a bit cruel by reputation… but she’s as reliable at killing demons as that evaluation suggests. If things go well, you might receive proper training to face demons.”

“Mmm…”

I nervously pursed my lips, looking down at the book.

It didn’t feel right.

Did I really have to go to this woman?

She didn’t even seem like someone who’d teach magic willingly.

“That’s just her outward reputation; she’s not a villain. If she were, would she have stood at the forefront of the war against demons? It’s all for your sake, so don’t worry too much.”

Boom-! Boom-!

No sooner had he finished speaking than a deafening sound of something pounding the mountain echoed.

“Tch, faster than I thought. Claude, get up. We don’t have time.”

Judging by the range of the cave’s tremors, it wasn’t an ordinary creature.

Was this one of Magridon’s minions Elinore mentioned?

“Let’s… go, Elinore.”

“…Right. I’ll show you the way.”

Elinore spread both hands.

Branches extended around him, slowly enveloping us. And then.

“A perilous journey lies ahead. May the god Gaimo watch over us.”

Crack-

“Whoa!”

We became a giant ball of branches and plummeted into the depths of the waterfall.

The rough current began to envelop my body in the deep darkness.