Midnight gently caressed the leather-bound cover of the book and smiled. It was smooth and well-maintained. Obviously, despite her nasty character, Helene was diligent when she took care of her goods.

Naturally; the old hag adores to see coins entering her pockets. And this particular book is so expensive. Fifteen large copper coins! There is no player, no, villager in the whole of Lesotte, that is able to purchase it!

Midnight rolled his eyes in understanding and ridicule and took a deep breath. He could smell a slight acidic nuance whiffing from the cover. Besides, there was no scent of mold typical for such antiques! With his lips twitching, he mumbled underneath, She regularly dusts the leather, occasionally airs and sun dries the pages, and she even uses aromatic oils to keep the cover smooth and fragrant...This is already at the level of a mild OCD! Yes, I bet she loves this tome more than her grandchild...

Pressed by time, he suppressed all of his emotions, and carefully flipped the cover open. Then he started leafing through the book. His expression was diligent, his gaze dancing on the pages.

|What is magic?

The semantics of this word originates from distant history, a period more ancient than time itself. A period when olden deities ruled the land and mystery was omnipresent. And although nowadays the provenance of this idea is forgotten, the meaning still remains. Magic is to do, to be able to achieve. It is a miracle that shapes reality according to your knowledge, willpower, and imagination...|

Skipping through the introduction, Midnight concentrated on the main concepts.

To put it simply, magic was a natural phenomenon. It used mana - a ubiquitous, primordial, and unblemished energy as the power source. This energy permeated anything and existed everywhere in Euclex. The only difference was the quality and quantity it had.

The first step in using magic is to sense the mana. This shapes the greatest difference between races and individuals as well. Some races are naturally talented in this aspect and often produce powerful mages in their mids. Elves, fae, half-lings, holy, demonoids, and some monstrosity subspecies are fine examples. In contrast, humans, dwarves, and beast kin aren't very sensitive...

The difference in the inborn mana pool and the difference in training and studying varies for every individual. Heh, equipment can probably affect this matter too...

And to cast a miracle, having raw energy was not enough. The mage had to mold this energy and order it to take a specific shape, translating the illusory idea into a reality.

This is where the mythic language comes into play. It is the sole language that can stir that power according to your will.

It consists of runic symbols, numbers, and magical labels. These can be compared to sounds and letters in linguistics. By combining the basic shapes you create the 'words' that hold a meaning. But in the mythic language those 'words' are three-dimensional, illusory, and abstract. They need to be 'written' in your mind, using mana instead of ink...

Yes, this explains something I have already seen in a different book. Magic requires initial mana to create the spell, and then needs more to feed into the spell and converge the imaginary meaning into a material effect...

Midnight rubbed his chin and tried to illustrate the problem in more simple words.

The initial amount of mana is the 'ink' to draft the structure. This way the structure can take shape and sustain itself, but it can't affect reality and translate its meaning into a tangible phenomenon. To do so, a secondary amount of mana is required. This is similar to an activator or a booster dose and a fuel.

And according to the way the mage provided this secondary power into their structure, spells could be roughly divided into two.

The first type was spells with burst effects. For example, creating an explosion or freezing something in an instant. In this case, the mage would inject the secondary dose at once and break their connection with the spell. Depending on the amount injected the result varied; from a tiny bang to a huge explosion laying waste to everything...

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The second type was spells with continuous effects. In this case, the mage had to add symbols to sustain their connection to the structure and constantly feed the spell with mana. This way the spell would stay active until the mage was sucked dry, died, or their concentration was interrupted by an enemy.

Both have their pros and cons. It heavily depends on the situation and your current conditions and energy reserves. Heh, besides in the second point, the connection between the made and the spell structure can be used against the caster. Such an example is the mental pollution that results from the spreading of curses or mental effects throughout this pathway.

Furthermore, a language doesn't contain only sounds, letters, and words. There are still sentences and paragraphs of text. These refer to very complex spells. They tax your mana and mental capacities and can lead to instant death or mind break...

The more Midnight read the more he understood how complex and profound the magic system of Euclex was. Besides, it was dangerous as well. The caster had to constantly remind themselves. They were not to overestimate their current capabilities!

One wrong move could lead to serious negative effects.

Leafing further, Midnight memorized the common symbols, numbers, and labels, as well as some basic structures of word-like spells. And he understood. It was impossible to study magic by yourself!

The structures in the mythic language are three-dimensional. They can't be fully recorded and expressed on paper. Sigh, I will need to find a teacher. Yes, it's enought to be taught at least one basic structure. With it, I can grasp the basic positioning of the elements and then I can practice on my own. With enough trial and error, I can slowly learn other elements and create even more complex structures with multiple effects.

But where can I find a teacher? Hmm, Lesotte should have at least one mage. Otherwise, there is no way for the players to learn magic before they choose a city-state. And without magic, all mage-inclined races will face a disadvantage. At worst, we won't be able to receive permission to escape the village. This forms a vicious cycle...

Analyzing this far, Midnight finished the book, closed it, and carefully placed it back in its original position on the shelf. Normally he could finish a couple of books in a single hour. However, this time the book was too complicated and he had to memorize a lot. Without my Sage, I wouldn't have achieved so much. Heh, I pulled one on the owner of this store. Serves her good for being such a miser.

"Your time is up, scram." As a clockwork, Helene spoke behind his back. In her hands was a small sand watch that could measure precise one hour in Euclex.

Sighing in his heart, Midnight turned around to face her. Once again he couldn't help but lament this elderly store owner. She was in her eighties, but even so, she was shrewd, cunning, cheap, rude, and didn't show a speck of love for children.

Glancing at her wrinkly face covered in yellowish age spots, he forced a smile, "Madam, can I please have just a few more minutes? I need to find the whereabouts of Lesotte's mage." He was already certain that there was a mage, somewhere in the village, but he didn't know his or her precise location.

"Pay or scram. Two coppers for an hour. It was your suggestion. And you should be grateful that I accepted this ridiculous fraudulent deal to let you read, instead of buying..." Helene stretched her palm facing upward and gestured with her eyes for him to spit the coins.

"..." Instead of answering, Midnight touched the three tiny coins left inside his pocket, and his expression crumbled. He already had spent 6 copper coins to browse her books. With one coin wasted on apples to fool his empty stomach, he was only left with three. Helene had ripped off three-fifths of all his money! His heart was bleeding, but he couldn't cry...

That damn hag! She was so elated when I suggested this idea and now she is acting as the victim. Heh, she must have pushed countless players into the pit of poverty by now...

If this wasn't the only Bookstore in Lesotte and the prices weren't so exaggerated forcing him to propose such a disadvantageous deal as his last solution, Midnight would have never even considered fattening this granny.

"Not paying?" Helene smirked and ridiculed the outsider. She was grateful for his smart suggestion, but she would never give him any benefits!

"Then scram this instant!" With the power befitting of a wrestler, she pushed him out the door. Then shut it close.

Bang

"Damn it!" Midnight took it in and cussed. Then with slumped shoulders, he turned around the corner. He had to save the last few coins to buy supplies for his imminent adventure in the wild. Without a destination in his head, Midnight slowly walked and muttered, I can only find another way to search for the magician. But what am I to do if he or she demands some coins as a tuition fee?

Suddenly he felt his heart fall into his stomach. He had always thought that he could grasp some magic on his own and never considered this simple possibility...A foolish oversight. Is this a result of the Clumsy skill I have? For a moment he was baffled and worried for his future. If the blame was in his skill, he had no idea how to guard against it!