Present day, in the kingdom of Sylvaris.
Jamie sat in the carriage, carefully reading a newly printed book. Its crisp pages were still stiff, and he took great care not to wrinkle them.
The words jumped as the carriage hit a bump, and he lost his place.
Annoyed, he quickly found it again— only to lose it a second time when someone spoke.
"Is that one of the magic books you were talking about?"
Jason leaned in slightly, peering at the pages over Jamie’s shoulder.
Jamie shook his head. "No, this is a history book on Sylvaris. They haven’t given us much information since we got here, so I thought I’d take the initiative."
He pointed to a few words at the beginning of the page.
"It says here that Sylvaris rose quickly to replace Celetharion. Apparently, Sylvaris is only a few hundred years old."
Jason narrowed his eyes, leaning closer to get a better look.
Jamie flipped a few pages back, quickly finding what he was searching for. He tapped the section with his finger.
"And it says here that summoned heroes are one of Sylvaris’ main exports. According to the book, Sylvaris can summon heroes three times as fast as any other kingdom."
His grin widened. "Do you know what this means?"
Jason’s expression darkened slightly. "It means we’ll be sold to the highest bidder."
Jamie pulled back, his grin slipping.
"I was gonna say there's more humans out there."
He let out an awkward chuckle, his gaze shifting toward the others in the carriage.
Alex snored softly, arms wrapped protectively around his axe.
Sedrick stared out the window, eyes wide, mouth slightly open, as if entranced by the passing scenery.
Across from him, Laura watched him with an amused smile, her hands folded neatly in her lap.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Jason said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Does it mention anything else about other kingdoms? Or do you have any more books?"
Jamie relaxed slightly, the tension in his shoulders easing.
"This book only covers the history of Sylvaris," he admitted. "But I did pick up another one that should explain how the system works. If you want, you can borrow it. I haven’t had a chance to read it yet."
He reached toward his bag, but Jason held up a hand to stop him.
"Keep it. I'm not much of a reader." Jason flashed his usual disarming smile.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
Jamie nodded and returned the smile before closing his book.
He had only learned one spell so far, but he’d been studying it diligently. He wanted to check if his proficiency had increased.
CLASS: MAGIC INITIATE
TIER [1]
LEVEL [1]
MAX HP [15]
MAX STAMINA [5]
STAMINA REGENERATION [0.01]
MAX MANA [80]
MANA REGENERATION [0.5]
STRENGTH [3]
AGILITY [4]
ENDURANCE [3]
INTELLIGENCE [9]
WILLPOWER [8]
PERCEPTION [5]
LUCK [2]
ACTIVE SKILLS [1/5]
TIER 1
GRIMOIRE [3/100]
STUDY DELIGENTLY TO GAIN ACCESS TO SPELLS.
EFFECT: CAST SPELL WITH 5.1 PROFICIENCY. [30% OF INT AND WIL. 10% × SKILL LEVEL.]
LEARNED SPELLS: [1/9]
ICE SPIKE: DAMAGE, 2.5 [50% PRO] COST 5 MANA
PASSIVE SKILLS [1/5]
STUDIOUS [2/100]
INCREASE READING SPEED BY 4%.
BLESSING [1]
BLESSING OF THE CROW: ALLOWS YOU TO SPEAK AND UNDERSTAND ANY LANGUAGE YOU'VE HEARD.
Jamie exhaled softly and smiled. His Intelligence had increased by one, and both of his skills had leveled up.
Excitement bubbled inside him—he couldn’t wait to read through the other spells in the book he’d bought. But a new curiosity nagged at him: How did the system really work?
Was there a max level? Could he gain more blessings? How powerful could he become?
The carriage slowed slightly before coming to a complete stop.
"I think we're finally here!" Sedrick said as he got to his feet, fumbling to open the door.
"Huh? We're what?" Alex mumbled groggily, stretching his arms.
"I think we've made it to the dungeon, sweetie," Laura responded with a soft chuckle before following Sedrick out.
Alex’s eyes lit up, and he immediately grabbed his axe. "Finally! Let's go, Jaim!"
Before Jamie could even react, Alex had already hopped out of the carriage.
Jason chuckled, watching them. "After you." He motioned toward the door.
Jamie smiled back and nodded, stepping out into the open.
The clearing stretched around them, framed by towering, oversized mushrooms with faintly glowing caps. But Jamie’s eyes were drawn to the entrance ahead—a set of ancient stone doors leading underground.
He joined the others near the entrance, taking in the sight. "So this is the dungeon?"
Before he could say more, Alex leaned in close, pretending to whisper something—then stuck a wet finger straight into Jamie’s ear.
Jamie jerked back, horrified. "Ugh! Gross! Why would you do that?!"
Alex doubled over in laughter. "Because it’s funny."
Sedrick frowned at the two, crossing his arms. "Stop messing around." His voice was firm, serious. "This place could be dangerous. We all need to focus."
Alex’s grin faltered, and he kicked at the dirt. "Sorry... I was just messing around."
Sedrick’s features softened slightly. He had to remind himself—they were still basically kids.
"It’s okay," he said with a sigh. "I just don’t want either of you getting hurt."
His gaze drifted back toward the carriage, where Jason stood speaking with two of the Sylvarians. A thoughtful expression settled on Jason’s face as he listened to them.
"I'll be able to heal anyone if something happens," Laura said quietly. Concern shadowed her face. "It shouldn’t be too bad, right?"
Sedrick shook his head. "They wouldn’t throw us to the wolves like that... Or at least, I hope they wouldn’t." He flashed a crooked smile, trying to reassure her.
Laura relaxed slightly, though worry still lingered in her eyes.
Jamie punched Alex lightly on the arm when Sedrick wasn’t looking.
Alex grinned despite himself, giving Jamie a small nod in return.
Jason and the others approached the group, his expression twisted into a grimace.
"I hope none of you are afraid of spiders."
Both Alex and Laura visibly paled.
Jason gave them a moment to process before continuing. "We'll be clearing this place over the next week or two. It should give us a lot of experience, and there's supposedly a decent amount of treasure in there."
His eyes scanned their expressions, gauging their reactions.
"If we run out of supplies, someone will deliver more," he reassured them. "And after this, we’ll get scouted by other kingdoms. If we play our cards right, we should be able to stick together."
A small smile crossed his lips, but Jamie and Alex exchanged a worried glance.
"What if we do get separated?" Alex asked hesitantly.
Jason raised a calming hand. "We get to choose whether or not to take the other kingdoms up on their offers, so we shouldn’t have to worry about that."
The group visibly relaxed at his words.
Sedrick cracked his neck, rolling his shoulders before turning toward the dungeon doors.
"Is everyone ready? I'm excited to see what the big deal is." A grin stretched across his face as he stepped forward.
The others hesitantly followed behind him.