Staring at the scrolls in my hand, I was scared to open them up. This path could only make me equal to a high mage even when I was a Grand Mage. At that level, your sheer presence of mana alone should be enough to scare off anyone two tiers below you.

I was confused as well. Surely some of the neutral spells output would at least be somewhat comparable to some of the same level spells involving elements.

Yet that would be impossible if what Wiro said was true. I couldn't reconcile my hopes with reality. Sitting on my bed in the wreck of a house, I left behind so long ago. I was left to struggle with the weight of my decision.

Yet it was no decision. I had little choice. I wouldn't be able to gather the necessary elemental power for any spell above the Adept level. Thus it was my only path. To perfect and go beyond what these people have already left for me.

With newfound resolve that I still wasn't sure was entirely heartfelt, I broke open the seal to the first scroll. They were near-identical to one another. With no outside clues as to who the legacy may belong to. Only the fact it was a neutral power structure lead it to be within the towers store anyway. Otherwise, it was only the legacies with unique spells and archetypes that would merit a place within the tower below the level of Royal Mage.

The script was easily legible of coming from a mage hand—the precision of the strokes beyond any mundane hands accomplishments.

The text was equally brief and disheartening.

It listed a series of spells that managed to keep them alive until the Grand Mage level, yet that was all his build was good at. Escape, not speed or power, but maximizing the chances to escape with each level and against each level. No wonder it was so cheap. The information was pretty much common knowledge.

The only interesting thing about the mage who had written their legacy was that he had no elemental affinities whatsoever. His power came from his combination of several neutral elemental spells that built into something stronger. Yet even then, he could only fight a High Mage on equal footing as a Grand Mage, just as Wiro said.

This would be a problem. I would hope that the other scroll had a slightly more reasonable path to strength by following the neutral path.

Still, the scroll wasn't without merits. Some of the escaping spells were truly potent, and if used correctly and slightly changed, may allow a fighting style focused on one-directional speed, backed up by pure magic power.

It would mean cultivating my mana far more than anyone else and lending it to abundance and potency far higher than average. Yet that was a long and arduous path, and I wouldn't step on it lightly.

The next scroll might give me other options. Even though I knew my future might be reliant on a combination of the two.

Unrolling it brought me some more excitement. I had to have hope for this scroll that I wasn't alone in the reach for power, even with only a neutral affinity.

His story was similar to the previous mages. He had never been tested for his affinity but lived like he had none. This scroll was different as it began with the biography rather than just the useful spell list. That filled me slightly with hope. Hope that only rose as his biography unfolded.

The man's life had been one filled with strife and struggle, born into a mining town that went under attack when he was only a teen. His only weapon was some pickaxes and a single spell. Imbue Power. From there, he managed to use that combination to escape from the town. He continued to train while living off the land. At the same time, he was growing as both a mage and a fighter.

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After a few years, his pickaxe became attuned to his magic, and his mana was naturally imbued into the pick through one of the longest enchantment processes. It was only pure luck that he managed to pull it off.

With that newfound strength, he decided to return to his home to see what he could save. By that point, his town had already been reclaimed by the local lord.

Seeing that, he decided to travel the lands, helping out other people that may have been put into that situation. That was the extent of his strength using his mana to empower his body, plus a single neutral spell that he became so intimate with that he managed to imprint it on both himself and his pick.

That was how he grew to Grand Mage after a long life. Even then, he never got his affinity checked.

Both legacies were near worthless. It would take an extremely long time and single-mindedness devotion to a single spell to reach the latter scroll level. The former didn't even bear mentioning.

I was undoubtedly devoted to getting stronger. Yet the methods my forefathers created while they struggled with similar afflictions as myself wouldn't be near enough to pull off what was necessary.

I had to research and think outside the box. Yet, the second scroll brought out a new path that I had begun to tread without even realizing it. Items, especially enchanted, would be able to bridge the gap. I had the theoretical knowledge to make some potent weapons. It was only the fact that that path was far from the powerhouse I had imagined that had stopped me from thinking of that path alone.

I had to stop pitying myself and get to action. It was clear I would be limited to lower-level attack spells until I could get my hands on some more powerful neutral powers. Yet I could now be confident in escaping all manner of situations if I followed in the footsteps of the former scroll.

Still, I was left with little resources to continue.

That brought my mind to the capitals Dungeon.

It was a prime opportunity to both temper myself and to earn some more coins. Generally, with my low circle spells, I wouldn't be able to venture far into the depths. Yet, with the amplification of my powerful enchanted gear, I would be able to wreak havoc on many of the deeper floors without any significant issues.

For the moment tempering myself was the priority.

My footsteps outside the house were slower. I was still caught up in thoughts about the future. I hadn't seen my father in quite some time, which was strange. While it wasn't unusual for him to be gone for the day, it was a rare occasion where he didn't spend the night at home. He refused to pay the extra coin to stay anywhere else in the city.

Putting it out of my mind, I made my way to the middle ring once again. It would be far quicker than trying to move through the outer ring and its many unofficial tolls, that even a native of the outer rings found challenging to get past without paying.

The middle rings didn't have as many delusional brigands trying to cling to any measure of authority they felt they had.

The Dungeon was on the other side of the city. I had only visited the area once before in my past life. The King had ruled a mandatory gathering for all in the Capital to send off the prince on his first dive into the Dungeon. The fop had descended with some of the most powerful mages and warriors around.

The path was quite simple, and I was soon cutting through a section of the inner ring that led right below the imperial fortress that protected the Capital's center. The behemoth filled the surrounding area with shadows, making the Dungeon's entrance all the more mysterious. This area was filled with stores whose purpose was to buy objects collected from the Dungeon. Surprisingly enough, many were name after the floor they would buy from. I supposed it sped up the process after the delve.

A shrine had been built around the entrance long ago. The guards that stood at attention outside the entrance to the building were no weaklings. Anyone of them would be equal to a battalion of ordinary soldiers.

They merely looked me over as I went through the door, indeed expecting another corpse to join the army of the dead down below.

I was confident I wouldn't be another statistic for solo diving. Even still, I would have to be careful.

The delve would be no joke. Yet, I was ready to face creatures who were far from the humans I had battled so far for the first time in this life. They would have far less respect for my life.

This would also be a chance to go all out. I was excited.