Chapter 16: The Cranky Wizard

The Village of Stonehenge was surprisingly busy, with many young people in robes bustling through the stone-paved streets. These magic users all chatted amongst each other happily while forming small cliques. However, regardless of their faction or background, they all gazed at the rage-tag pair of Elf and Half-Elf with baffled curiosity.

The duo looked half dead in their tattered clothing, their skin covered in scratches, and small branches sticking out of their hair. The question people kept asking them was, "What happened to you guys?"

To which they playfully responded, "We took the long way."

This didn't make much sense, but the players just went with it. Unlike most people, the first thing the duo did was visit an Inn to get a hot bath and a hot meal. After this, they caught up on the gossip around town, which was quite enlightening.

The two learned that the Village of Stonehenge was considered a holy land for new players who chose magic-based classes. This was because visiting the nearby monument could grant a rather unique blessing that could increase one's Mana Stat.

There were very few ways to increase one's Mana Stat in the game of Eden. There was leveling, which was limited by one's race. There was the Mediation skill; however, unless one was mad enough to practice it for years, its benefits were considered not worth the time invested. There were obscure skills like Magic Transcribing, which one needed luck or insider information to acquire. There were also rare titles like the Fruit of a World Tree and expensive equipment, but these were all hard to come by.

Most of these opportunities were too difficult for most people to pursue or bet on, so they could only depend on leveling, improving their Class, or pursuing mainstream quests. One such quest was the blessing of the Stonehenge Momentum. By pouring Mana into the structure, one would receive a permanent boost to their mana stat proportional to how much they poured in. This opportunity was limited to those below level 15 and could only be performed once; however, it was rumored a wealthy user, with the help of Mana Stones, managed to get an entire 500-point increase to their Mana Stat.

Such a chance drove all the young magic users in Britania wild, and thus, they flocked to the village in droves. However, to use the monument, one first needed a Stonehenge Keystone, which could only be acquired through special quests offered by the villagers. In order to gain these quests, people would team up and investigate for opportunities, creating an incredibly polarized atmosphere even at the best of times.

Alexander found this interesting, but his main priority was his current quest to learn more magic. He was still a ways off from reaching level 15, so the monument could be saved for later.

Like so, with calculating eyes following them, he and Nathaniel made their way to the edge of town to a building that even the quest-crazed players avoided. As the two young men approached, they were silently laughed at by the collective, who were eager to see the two end up like all the others: electrocuted and tossed far away.

Neither youth knew of this fate and thus knocked on the door without fear.

From within, a cranky voice called, "What must a poor wizard do to get a little privacy! Just leave me alone, you damn foreigners!"

Alexander and Netahniel exchanged looks before the former called back, "Brother Stormbeard, my name is Alatar. Brother Balin of Camelot told me I might be able to learn magic from you."

To everyone's surprise, the words the Elf called, which they could not hear, enticed the house's resident to actually open his door just a crack. The wizard inspected the Elf with vibrant yellow eyes, taking in his appearance and "Wise Hermit" Title. Squinting, he grumbled, "So what? Balin is a good dwarf, but I don't owe you anything."

The Elf coughed into a fist, leaned in, and added, "I hear Senior's mastery of Lighting and Darkness magic is unrivaled. It also so happens these are the last two elements I need to form Symbols for before I've learned all nine elements. Once I progress in my future studies, I'll be sure to repay the favor."

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The hidden wizard's eyes widened, and he snapped, "Mastery of every element, impossible!"

Alexander blocked the door with his body and held up a hand. He rapidly cast magic from the various elements he had already learned while responding, "I try to remain humble, but my teachers all call me a prodigy."

The yellow eyes grew calculating as he grumbled, "Your talent amazes me, but my time is still valuable. Every second I waste teaching is time I could spend studying. After all, being a wizard is not easy... or cheap."

Hearing this last bit, the Elf coughed into his hand while retrieving five of his seven mana stones and responded, "I admire your devotion to the study of magic. Pioneers like yourself will rebuild the world of magic so it can be rebuilt from before the War of the Gods. I hope this small offering can show my gratitude."

The yellow eyes grew pleased, and a pale hand shot out from the house, grabbing his shoulder, "Talented, Witty, and Wealthy. Now I can make a great wizard out of you." Glancing at Nathaniel, he snapped, "Get lost, foreigner. You lack the qualities needed to be my student."

In the following moment, Alexander was pulled inside while a burst of electrical energy blasted his friend out of the man's yard, leaving his body covered in static and twitching on the road. Some people laughed at this, but most were amazed and soon swarmed Nathaniel, hoping to learn the secret to entering the Cranky Wizards' good graces.

Once inside, Alexander discovered his host to be a full-blood Tiefling with a long flowing beard and large horns raining from his head. The man was older and grumpy-looking, but Balin had confirmed he was also a member of the Order of Merlin. He had been warned the wizard could be eccentric and now knew what his dwarvish mentor had been talking about.

Stormbeard took a few steps into his messy abode, eyeing the Magic Stones he had collected, and remarked, "Not much Mana, but very pure. Definitely synthetic, not from a monster." Eyeing the Elf with a calculating gaze, and snapped, "Elfling, where did you get these?"

Alexander smiled, intrigued by the crazy space around him, and responded, "Ah, I made them."

The Tiefling's eyes flashed as he blurted, "You're no Alchemist. How did you make them?"

The Elf shook his head and confessed, "You're right. I got the spell for Mana Stone Creation from a Forgotten Ruin."

Stormbeard scowled at this and grumbled, "Why Eru favors you damn foreigners is beyond me." Glaring at the young Elf, he complained, "If I could conquer such ruins and receive their blessing, I'd be a High Wizard by now."

Alexander didn't quite know how to respond, so he just rubbed the back of his head and commented, "Sorry, it is rather unfair."

The Tiefling snorted, eyeing the foreigner once more. He let his frustration fade before becoming curious and asking, "Elfling, even if you have the spell, this Mana Stone Creation is magic far beyond the abilities of a Magi still forming their Magic Symbols."

The Elf smiled impishly and responded, "Due to some good luck, my Mana Pool is larger than most, and I learned mana manipulation earlier than normal."

Stormbread raised an eyebrow and ordered, "Prove it."

Alexander held out a hand and focused on the spell, willing the Mana of his body to flow out of him and change shapes. From large to small, the collection of magical energy shrank into a ball before he began to form runes on its surface, arousing the spell that had been hardwired into his mind. There were some three dozen runes he needed to form, which was the hardest part and why his success rate was still so low. At the same time, if he wanted to make larger Mana Stones with more Mana, the number of Runes he would need to form would increase. If not for his Mana Shaping skill, such fine craftsmanship would have been much harder, and his success rate would, in turn, be much lower.

In accordance with probability, the Elf failed in this attempt. However, he formed the stone almost to completion before a poorly drawn rune caused the spell to lose its stability. Luckily, this was enough for the youth to prove his skills. The Tiefling nodded, slightly impressed, and used his tail to grab himself a chalice of wine, which he took a swig of before responding, "You definitely have talent…" In a surprisingly nonchalant manner, he offered, "How about you spend some time learning Alchemy with me…" Rubbing his jaw with a greedy expression, he added, "I'll put my lesson fee on your tab. I'm sure you'll be able to pay it off."

Alexander considered this carefully. Alchemy was essentially the art of Magic Crafting and focused on creating different kinds of magic material. The Class of Alchemists was rare, even at its most basic levels. He already had invitations to learn Magic Smithing and Position Making, both of which required Magic Materials, so learning Alchemy would be beneficial. The Tiefling was surely going to charge him significantly, but in exchange for such a valuable skill, the Elf was willing to invest.

A glint appeared in the youth's eye as he inquired, "Sure, but it'll depend on your going rate for teaching and syllabus."

Being a tutor himself, Alexander knew how to look for a good teacher and not get scammed. Likewise, his caution caused Stormbeared to smile with approval as he commented, "Very good, let us negotiate."

The two began to discuss teaching fees, living conditions, down payments, and interest rates. After half an hour, they arrived at a tentative deal. However, Alexander anticipated future communication from the wizard trying to upcharge him at every possible turn. Still, their relationship seemed to be deepening as they soon dove into a brilliant lesson that lasted long into the evening.