I groggily woke up, feeling someone shaking me gently. Slowly, my vision cleared, and I saw Zelut, his face etched with relief.
"Chief... chief... thank goodness you're awake," Zelut uttered with a hint of worry.
I struggled to sit up and asked, "Where are we? What happened?" My memory was hazy, and I needed answers. As I looked around, I noticed that we were inside a square wooden cage, and it emitted a faint, magical glow. The situation was becoming clearer, we were captured, and I couldn't shake the feeling the danger we were in.
Zelut's somber words confirmed our predicament. We were indeed trapped within a cage reinforced with magic, rendering our own magical abilities useless against it. The realization sank in that we were captives in an unknown location.
I tried to access the system interface, and it opened to reveal a peculiar village that seemed strangely familiar, though I couldn't quite place it. The options were limited; I could still use some functions like messaging, but beyond that, the system offered no further insight into our current situation.
Checking the clan message, I discovered that I was the only one who had experienced this unexpected attack. The mystery deepened, leaving us with more questions than answers. If it is realitization why is only me is affected.
A small goblin approached us, offering a plate of food that appeared normal and seemingly free from any poison or danger. However, Zelut exercised caution, using his magic to ensure that the food was thoroughly sanitized before we considered consuming it.
"There is a magic like that?,'" I asked as I ate the food containing apples and pears.
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Zelut replied, "There is a lot of magic. If I teach you more, you can become stronger and supply more energy, rather than using and consuming elixirs to perform magic."
I said, "Then teach me right now. We are trapped here, and there is nothing to do."
Zelut continued, "It's not simple. You need to consume a lot of elixir and then push yourself to exert the energy. The more elixir you consume, the greater the energy you can exert, and the larger your mana supply will become. This process will also grant you your first mana level." He provided a detailed explanation of the requirements for the process.
I remembered that I had already undergone this process unintentionally in the last battle . For I had consumed a significant amount of elixir and expended a great deal of mana while fighting against the goblin army.
"I already did," I said
"How?" He asked confusely
And then explained to him how I had consumed too much elixir and expended too much energy on the battlefield before.
"Well, since you've already undergone the process, let's move on to the next step. Allow me to assist you in your breakthrough," Zelut said.
He then told me to do a meditative posture, placing his hands on my shoulders. With his guidance, I concentrated and focused on creating a mana supplier and mana level within my body, shaping it into a tangible form as he instructed.
I attempted to create the circles, since it is common practice I had seen in anime, I pushed myself to form not just one but two circles. I was on the brink of attempting a third when my body began to tremble and weaken, as if it were about to break and crumble under the immense strain. I was pushing my limits to the extreme, but at that critical moment, Zelut intervened.
My body was drenched in sweat, and I was panting heavily, resembling someone who had just run a marathon. To make matters worse, I had coughed up blood due to the intense exertion.
"To think you reached level 2 so quickly; it usually takes weeks to achieve that, and even longer for level 3," Zelut remarked. "You're truly genius."
Just as we were celebrating my success, a group of goblins, including some larger and more formidable-looking ones wielding giant axes, suddenly appeared. It seemed like this is it, it is now the time to know why they captured us.