NOVEL WEB Chapter 2
“It’s magic hypertrophy.”
Ojo said. I struggled to lift my inflated body, which was so swollen it was hard to breathe. I woke up and my body had puffed up to nearly four times its normal size.
I couldn’t move at all, so I sent a caretaker to tell Ojo, and he came over laughing.
“You’ve absorbed more magic overnight than you’ve accumulated so far, so your body had to bulk up to cope. It’ll shrink down over time, although it’ll be hard to get back to how you were.”
Mages don’t easily change their physique. They have already fixed their bodies into an optimal state. Ojo chuckled while adding that.
What? So you’re saying this chubby body is going to last for a lifetime? I glared at Ojo suspiciously.
“You’re still in the early stages, so if you want to lose weight, you’ve got to get moving as quickly as possible. Exercise and cut back on food. Otherwise, you’ll be rolling around like this forever.”
As Ojo said that, he let out a little bit of magic. Following the flow of that magic, a book slipped out of his arms. Ojo tossed it next to my head, and I conjured my magic to catch it. Cautiously checking the cover, it read ‘Basic Magic.’
“I’ll be teaching you for the next ten years. It’s a contractual relationship, so just call me senior.”
Ojo went on to explain the levels of magic.
Everyone holds a seed in their heart.
Only those who can sprout it are qualified to be mages. Hearing that many succumb to pain and die in the process made my heart shiver. Didn’t I almost perish too?
“So, Senior, why didn’t you tell me this before?”
I asked, infused with a bit of resentment from my near-death experience.
“Well, is there a need to explain that to a weed that can’t even become a mage?”
Ojo replied.
“Only one in a thousand or ten thousand can become a mage. Among countless weeds, just one gets to grow into a tree. There’s no need to worry about all those other weeds.”
I felt a bit uncomfortable. Yet, a greater excitement filled my heart. Weeds, weeds. It finally hit me that I was becoming a mage.
“The level you’ve achieved in sprouting is the beginning and foundation of a mage. The book I gave you contains techniques and basic magic you need to master. If you perfect this foundation and build enough magic power, you’ll have the chance to advance to the next level. Like a sprout becoming a sapling. Many fail and try again in this process.”
Ojo looked thoughtful as if recalling that pain.
“A sapling becomes a young tree. The young tree eventually becomes a full-grown tree. It spreads branches, grows lush leaves, and forms flower buds. These flowers bloom, bear fruit, and you must immerse yourself in them completely to mature. And if you pick and eat that fruit, people often say a mage becomes immortal.”
Ojo explained that this was the twelve levels of a mage.
Sprouting, sapling, young tree, full tree, branching, lush leaves, flower buds, blooming, fruiting, nesting, maturation, harvest.
Was he using the growth of a tree as a metaphor? No. This time, I felt the seed splitting and taking root firsthand. It must have been named so because that’s how trees actually grow.
Then what stage was Ojo at? I felt a moment of curiosity but held back. It might be something you shouldn’t ask a mage.
“I mentioned earlier that I’m distinct from weeds. That was related to this level. Every time one surpasses a stage, their lifespan extends as well. We create magic based on trees, so our lifespans follow that as well. I’m branching out, and I could live for another thousand years.”
A thousand years?
For a moment, I thought I misheard.
That was an unimaginable span of time.
Is it possible for a person to live that long?
My eyes widened in surprise.
“However, not many mages enjoy such a lifespan. A mage is a caretaker of the tree, and they struggle to elevate the tree until they perish. If there’s a chance to elevate the tree—through rare monsters, unique herbs, or mystical energy—then that’s what a mage fights for.”
Ojo said, drifting deep into thought. Was he recalling his past? Eventually, Ojo came back to the present and sighed softly. He continued talking about the magic realm.
And so, a day passed in a whirlwind. After Ojo’s teachings ended, I immediately opened the book to check the new technique. ‘Nutrient Accumulation Technique’; as bleak as the title sounded, it was a technique for efficiently stacking nutrients at the foundation.
Checking its contents revealed a significant connection to the existing Rooting Technique. It’s all interconnected, I guess. Once I understood its implications, my breath naturally changed. I could feel the foundation becoming weightier. Had it not been before sprouting, the seed might have crumbled within that foundation.
Then there was Basic Magic, which explained how to create fire and water. The magic was a bit different from what I had in mind. It wasn’t just a vague wish that could be manifested; there were specific rules involved.
The book referred to this as a circuit. The basic of magic was drawing magical circles through the circuit to transform magic power into magic forms. I couldn’t grasp it at all. Magic was just too hard. Time to practice again.
And so, a year passed.
In the midst of fervently honing my magic, vague bizarre memories began to surface.
In some unknown battlefield, I manipulated a drone-like bug to kill a person on the other side of a screen.
As that memory first appeared, my understanding of magic leaped considerably. Circuits, magical circles. From the remnants of that recollection, I managed to unearth a bit of knowledge.
I told Ojo about these strange memories. His eyes widened in surprise.
“Hmm, memories. What kind of scene is it?”
I searched my mind and shared a few snippets.
Me existing on a battlefield, a drone bug, gigantic explosions happening everywhere.
“That might be Ebron, your past life. Don’t tell anyone about this from now on.”
“May I ask why?”
“Few recall their past lives, and most mages covet that kind of uniqueness.”
Ojo swallowed hard. He then continued speaking with his eyes closed.
“Recalling a past life means that life was something special. Even if their souls have faded and lost strength, they hold immense potential within. Many mages are willing to risk death for that potential.”
Ojo hesitated a bit, then added, “I am one of them.”
Ojo provided numerous examples.
Some amalgamated the body and soul of a past life to create a special elixir. They received certification for elevating their level, causing this tale to spread.
Another threw away their own exhausted body and transplanted their soul and magic into that of their past life. Through such grafting, they claimed the past life’s talents.
There were more tales. In every story, those from past lives were all dead, becoming fodder for level elevation. A mage is a resource in itself and thus always covets other mages.
Ojo kept his eyes shut. I was utterly terrified, almost unable to breathe. Ojo admitted he was one of those mages.
He could die at any moment.
After a long silence, Ojo finally opened his eyes. He shook his head with a slight wry smile.
“If I weren’t bound by this contract, I’d have devoured you. Advancing to the next stage hinges on such a slim possibility.”
That was a confirmation that he saw me as prey. Beyond terrified, I turned pale as Ojo chuckled. He stroked his chin, pretending to savor the thought. Seeing that, I rolled backward.
“Yeah, I should tell you about the contract too.”
Ojo showed me his wrist. Hidden under his coat, I hadn’t noticed before, but something was inscribed there. It was written in dense magic, connected to Ojo’s tree.
“In return for saving my life, I’ve committed to serve your family for 200 years, and unless attacked first, I won’t harm you for life.”
“This was a deal made a hundred years ago. Your father, the lord of the island, saved my dying self, and we formed this contract. Because of this, I can’t lie or harm you guys.”
Ojo withdrew his wrist, letting out an exhausted sigh.
“Had my life not been on the line, I wouldn’t have made this contract.”
Ojo spoke at length about the dangers of such contracts, seemingly pouring out the bitterness inside him.
The more I listened, the more my fear dissolved, and my half-dead mind began to awaken. Then maybe there’s little to fear? I relaxed and felt myself sagging.
Did he bring up the contract because I was half-dead? Was it some kind of method to reveal his greed, making me terrified, and thus it counted as causing harm?
Ojo explained that once a mage is bound by a contract, even if they die, they must fulfill it. If unable to keep it, the tree rots.
It sounded plausible.
But I couldn’t fully believe it. From then on, every time I went for Ojo’s lessons, I occasionally felt him looking at me with regretful eyes. With such eyes, how could I feel at ease?
And thus, five years passed.
At 18, the age where one loves to doubt everything.