Training Addict Magician in a Growth-Focused Story

Training Addict Magician in a Growth-Focused Story

EP.11 Secret Research Lab

The bookshelf split open, revealing a space blocked by an invisible barrier. Leon cautiously examined the area around the barrier without stepping inside. It wasn’t surprising that a dark mage would protect a hidden space with such a barrier. Leon couldn’t find a way to deactivate the barrier.

Ultimately, Leon entered the orb’s space and faced the old man’s corpse once again. The sight of the cold, lifeless body made Leon’s heart skip a beat, despite his resolve. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Leon searched the old man’s belongings.

The first thing he found was a smooth-textured pouch.

‘A subspace pouch!’

Leon immediately infused it with mana and emptied its contents. Fortunately, it wasn’t a high-grade subspace pouch, so it responded to Leon’s mana. Five items fell out: a bronze token, a green vial, a scroll, a book, and a black brooch.

First, the bronze token. Leon recognized it as a token held by the library head, which he had seen before when he was sent on herb-gathering errands.

Next, the transparent vial containing green liquid.

‘Is it poison…?’

The color alone gave off a sinister vibe.

‘Better not touch it carelessly.’

Leon transferred the vial to his own subspace pouch and picked up the scroll next to it. As he unrolled the scroll and skimmed its contents, his eyes widened.

It was a recipe for an E-rank elixir.

‘So the old man was gathering herbs to make an E-rank elixir!’

Leon had suspected as much. The herbs the old man had sent him to gather, except for one, were not used in F-rank elixir recipes. Although he hadn’t yet collected all the herbs needed for an F-rank elixir, having them on hand wouldn’t hurt.

Feeling that he had finally been rewarded for using all his magic scrolls, Leon happily examined the remaining items. The book, as expected, was a grimoire on dark magic. Its title was “Call of the Abyss.” The ominous title was fitting for the secretive nature of dark magic.

Lastly, there was the black brooch. Given that it was stored in the subspace pouch, it was obviously meant to serve a purpose, but Leon couldn’t discern what it was. Holding the brooch, he put the rest of the items into his subspace pouch and exited the orb.

Back in the old man’s study, Leon slowly brought the black brooch to the barrier covering the secret space. He extended only the brooch, avoiding contact with his hand. The brooch passed through the barrier effortlessly.

Gaining confidence, Leon boldly pushed his entire hand through.

‘It works.’

The black brooch was indeed a key to the secret place. Leon stepped fully into the barrier. Inside, he saw a staircase leading downward. He descended the dimly lit stairs and found himself in a vast cavern.

The reason he could tell it was a cavern was because of the faint lighting illuminating the space.

Tap—

Leon stepped off the last stair.

“Huh….”

His breath caught as he took in the massive silhouette dominating the cavern. It was about five times the size of a human, with a long beak and an equally long neck.

The massive wings enveloping the body were covered in dull gray feathers.

‘A bird…?’

It was the silhouette of a giant bird. The enormous bird lay sprawled on the ground, not appearing to be resting. Shackles bound its thin ankles, and bandages wrapped around its entire body. Thick blood seeped through the bandages.

Confirming that the bird’s eyes were closed, Leon cautiously moved forward. A desk stood far from the bird.

‘Was he researching the bird?’

On the desk, Leon found a scroll that seemed to be an observation log.

—————————————————

Observation Week 62:

No longer able to extract poison through bloodletting.

Noticeable decline in vitality.

Consistently administering E-rank elixir, but no changes observed.

Researching other methods to restore the monstrous bird.

A way to awaken mana alone? Elixir? If there is, it would help…

—————————————————

The last sentence trailed off, as if it were an unfinished thought. Leon took the scroll and scanned the surrounding area. The desk was connected to a metal plate, which held remnants of used herbs. Beneath the metal plate was a large box. Inside the box, Leon found numerous green vials, identical to the one in the old man’s subspace pouch. Another scroll lay atop the vials.

Upon inspection, it was the observation log for week 61. There were no significant differences from the week 62 log.

‘Were they gathering these to send somewhere else?’

Leon placed everything into his subspace pouch, leaving only one green vial on the desk. This was to ensure that when the mages came to investigate the old man’s disappearance, they would find it.

Leon intended to manipulate the situation to make it seem like the dark mage had left Widia alone and returned to his hideout.

‘Now, what to do with the bird…?’

It was strange that the researcher would leave this monstrous bird behind. As Leon pondered, the bird’s large eyes suddenly opened. Its vertically slit pupils focused on Leon.

“And who might you be…?”

The bird’s voice echoed through the cavern, sounding both hoarse and languid. Startled, Leon quickly masked his expression.

“I’ve taken over the old man’s work.”

“Hmm… I don’t sense any dark mana from you…”

The bird’s words paused briefly, as if mocking him, before continuing.

“Something must have happened to Forn, that wretch.”

Leon’s attempt to conceal his identity had failed immediately. Forn was the name of the old man.

“What do you intend to do with me?”

The bird’s voice was probing, as if testing him. Leon pressed his lips together, deep in thought.

‘Should I kill it? If a mage discovers it later, my actions might be exposed. It’s unsettling that it speaks like a human…’

Sensing that Leon’s thoughts were leaning towards a negative outcome, the monstrous bird spoke up.

“How about a deal?”

“Why should I trust you?”

Leon openly displayed his wariness, causing the bird to extend its long neck and face Leon directly.

“Isn’t it foolish to reveal your intentions without even hearing the terms of the deal?”

“Is that so?”

Leon inwardly scoffed but outwardly nodded, signaling the bird to continue. No matter what the bird said, the fact that Leon held the upper hand wouldn’t change.

“If you find and bring me my core, I will grant you one wish.”

“A wish? What kind of wish? Can you make me a grand mage?”

“Mockery won’t help in a reasonable conversation.”

“That just means it’s absurd.”

Leon shrugged. His deliberate provocation seemed to have an effect, as the bird’s eyes, which seemed to blink but didn’t, stared intently at Leon for a moment.

“Have you ever wanted to kill someone? Whoever it is, I can kill one person for you.”

The bird’s words had a chilling undertone, but Leon’s expression remained indifferent.

“I don’t want to kill anyone.”

“That’s unlikely. Even if you don’t have one now, an enemy can appear at any time.”

Leon silently shook his head. Even if he did have someone he wanted to kill, he would have denied it.

“If that’s not what you want, you can take something from my lair. It will surely aid your magical abilities.”

“I’m not impressed.”

“…Finding my core isn’t that difficult a request. Even if you find it, it won’t fully restore my current condition. So, I can’t grant anything beyond that.”

The bird drew a clear line. However, it was only then that Leon felt genuinely inclined to negotiate.

Despite rejecting the proposal, the bird’s refusal to make outrageous demands made Leon feel its sincerity. After a moment of contemplation, Leon asked abruptly,

“How can your body be fully restored?”

“If I can recuperate in a place dense with mana for a long time, it’s possible. But finding a place that can sustain the mana needed for my recovery is nearly a miracle. The mana concentration required is extremely high.”

Hearing this, Leon made up his mind.

“What if there’s a way to fully restore your body?”

The bird immediately scoffed.

“Do you think you can take me to such a place with your skills? With your current abilities, you can’t even break the shackles binding me. And even if you find such a place, it would take decades for me to fully recover. Can you wait that long?”

“Right now, you’re not in a position to be picky, are you? What if I really can free you and find a way for you to recover?”

Leon thought of a way to bring the bird into the space within the orb. He had never brought a sentient creature into the orb before, but he didn’t foresee any major issues. Of course, he had no intention of letting this unsettling monster in without precautions.

At that moment, the bird, seemingly exhausted, lowered its head back to the ground.

“I know my situation. But it’s absurd to even consider. If it’s possible, I’d even make a blood pact. I could serve as your familiar until your lifespan ends.”

“A blood pact?”

“It’s a magical contract made through my blood. Once the contract is made, it can’t be broken unless you wish to die.”

Such a definitive method. Leon nodded eagerly.

“Alright, let’s do it now.”

“…Did you not understand that breaking the contract means death?”

“I understood.”

The bird seemed unable to comprehend Leon’s confident demeanor but had no choice but to comply with his proposal.

“I cannot use magic in my current state, so I will teach you the ritual.”

Leon meticulously followed the ritual instructions given by the monstrous bird, casting the spell.

“With blood and soul, we bind this vow, transcending the eternal time. Soul Binding Oath!”

As he chanted, Leon’s mana rapidly drained. A hexagram magic circle appeared before him. Leon placed both his and the bird’s blood on the circle and recited the terms of the contract. In summary, Leon would provide a place where the bird could fully recover, and in return, the bird would serve as his familiar until Leon’s lifespan ended. If such a place existed, the bird couldn’t threaten Leon until it was fully recovered. Once fully recovered, the bird would become his familiar, and thus, no longer a threat.

During this process, Leon also learned the bird’s name.

“Kito.”

“…It’s been a long time since I’ve been called that.”

“The pact is properly sealed, right?”

Leon asked, even though he could feel the binding through a sense of connection.

“Yes… If you didn’t have a method, the pact wouldn’t have been properly sealed in the first place. It seems you have some idea.”

“Then I’ll release you now.”

With the pact sealed, there was no reason to hesitate. Leon placed his hand on Kito’s head and grasped the Orb of Time-Space with the other. When he opened his eyes again, both Kito and Leon were in the middle of a forest.

“Where is this…?”

“Wait a moment.”

Leon stepped out of the orb alone and re-entered a few seconds later. Kito extended his neck, looking around curiously.

“…How did you do that? You disappeared.”

“How long was I gone?”

“Only a few minutes, but…”

It seemed that living beings experienced the same passage of time within the orb, regardless of whether Leon was inside or outside.

‘I should avoid bringing people in here…’

If Leon spent just one day in reality, the person inside the orb would have experienced two months.

“Is there enough mana here for you to recover?”

Kito lifted his long neck and took a deep breath.

“…It’s sufficient.”

“Then focus on your recovery.”

Once Kito was fully recovered, Leon planned to make full use of him until the end of his life.

*****

Leon didn’t stop as he exited the old man’s study. He headed straight to the second floor of the magic library. It was a place the old man had forbidden him from entering since the first day, as it housed restricted grimoires.

‘A mage who isn’t curious about forbidden magic isn’t a true mage.’