Industrial Mage: Modernizing a Magical World

08 - Danger(?) Approaches [Bonus Chapter]

Author's Note:

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Ethan took the book from Roland's hand.

"My lord, this is what I've managed to get. Though, a man named Derrick was also interested in meeting you, so you can likely get more detailed books later."

"Sure, thank you."

Bowing, Roland left Ethan's room. Ethan sifted through the book he'd secured about magic. It was written in a tongue that he somehow understood through [Myriad Tongue]. The magic in this world was rather simple. It's a damn RPG-lite... At age twelve, people would awaken their system—a ceremony called System Day was held every year. Everyone of age twelve would be in this ceremony. If you got bound by the system you'd be able to gain a Class, if nothing happened, you'd be branded with a marker indicating you lacked magic—somewhat looked down upon, especially among nobles.

Theodore had essentially failed to awaken, thus the interest in him from his father had practically vanished, and due to this, the old man had slowly pushed him out of the family. And now, Theodore ruled Holden—a Barony in name only. It was only because Ethan transmigrated that the system awakened and he could choose a class.

Ethan read through the long and boring description inside the book, and by the end of reading it, he understood more about how things functioned around here.

Most importantly, he knew now that [Basic Rune Creation] could get him in trouble if used irresponsibly. It wasn't possible to "create" runes...

Runes formed when magic in a certain area exceeded a threshold of sorts. If enough mana was circulated in one area for a long period, it could eventually form runes; however, runes were rare and elusive. To "create" a rune, the area needed had to be capable of holding enough mana. Thus, mostly, runes were formed inside the Great Dungeon. Great Dungeon—a dungeon sprawled beneath the earth. There were countless "entrances". Regardless, you couldn't simply "create" a rune yourself. Countless experiments had been carried out to understand runes and how to manipulate them, but none of it had ever amounted to anything.

So, all in all, Ethan would be playing with fire. If his skill was to be revealed... he'd undoubtedly be used as a lab rat, or worse, used as a rune generator.

Hmm... It's dangerous... but, if I could create tiny—very tiny—runes, or more like, rune motes, it wouldn't be a problem. Rune Motes were the middle ground between mana and fully made runes. And, there were a shit ton of them in the world. No one would suspect a thing. All he needed was for the Rune Motes to suck mana from their surroundings to survive. If he could get that working, Ethan's mind would be flooded with possibilities.

What can't runes do? Ethan grinned. Mana-compatible runes could manipulate and change the world itself...

"Okay, it's decided then," Ethan mumbled.

He slammed the book shut. Ethan rose, tensing his jaw, and sat cross-legged on his bed. He closed his eyes, focusing on the meager mana swirling inside him as a Level 01 [Mage]. Activating his skill, a mental image formed—a wisp of pure energy. A very small wisp. A mote. One that could be turned into a full rune if combined. But he would create them in such a way that they couldn't be combined—every set would be lacking a crucial piece.

[Basic Rune Creation] – Lvl 1 -> Lvl 2!

The image flickered, unstable. Sweat beaded on Ethan's brow. He pushed harder, picturing the mote condensing, solidifying. Why's it harder to create rune motes compared to runes?