《The Magic Man (Very Dead)》


 Prolouge - Getting Started

    The day started like any other. I woke up, got dressed, brushed my teeth, put on my shoes and my mask, and went to the nearby animal shelter to volunteer. Oddly enough, I didn''t pass anybody on the way. I found out why when I walked through the door.  The instant my foot hit the floor, a screen popped up.


    Choose a skill cluster. Any following skills must be earned.


    Skirmisher Skills


    [Acrobatics] [Stealth] [Daggers (General)]


    You will receive two daggers upon selection.


    Swordsman Skills


    [Swords (General)] [Sword (Specialized)] [Sword Maintenance]


    You will receive the sword you have chosen to specialize in and a whetstone upon selection.


    Knight Skills


    [Swords (General)] [Shields (General) [Riding]


    You will receive a sword and shield upon selection. You must find your own mount.


    Archer Skills


    [Archery] [Stealth] [Arrow Making]


    You will receive a bow and three quivers, each with 30 arrows. Once you use all of your arrows, you must make or find your own.


    Mage Skills


    [Mana Manipulation] [Mana Sense] [Magic Missile]


    Healer Skills


    [Heal] [Diagnose] [Sedate]


    Crafter Skills


    [Smithing (General)] [Tailoring (General)] [Engineering (General)]


    I would like to say that I remained calm, but all I was thinking was: holy fuck, it''s a system apocalypse. I knew it wasn''t a dream; I didn''t have lucid dreams. I went further in; there should be people inside. Even in an apocalypse, somebody needs to take care of the dogs and cats.


    I was right Stacey, the owner of the shelter was there. She saw me and asked, "what are you doing here, John? Haven¡¯t you seen the screens? Cuomo sent out a shelter-in-place order."


    ¡°It just showed up when I got here, and my phone is still being fixed. I haven¡¯t seen the news. Should I go home?¡± I was uncertain; this wasn¡¯t like any system apocalypse I¡¯ve read. For one, there were no monsters, and we had yet to be teleported to a tutorial. There was no mention of levels, nor of other worlds. If I ignored the screens, I could almost pretend it wasn¡¯t happening. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°No, stay here. It might be dangerous outside; prisons aren¡¯t exactly designed to handle criminals with magic powers.¡± She said, raising a valid point. Crime would likely spike in the coming weeks.  Hell, prisons would need to be redesigned. ¡°Choose a cluster, and acquaint yourself with it here before you go out.¡±


    A bit calmer, I nodded and walked to a bench deep in thought. I smelt an opportunity. If I could stay on top of the system, learn all I could, I could make millions.  No, I could make billions. I knew what class I had to take. Healer would provide a safety net, guarantee access to magic, and would mesh with a veterinary career, what I wanted to do pre-system. Perfect for my needs.


    The system said that this was a one-time thing and that skills could be learned. That meant that it could be taught. And there lied opportunity. If I could learn mana manipulation, I could teach it.


    You have selected the healer cluster.


    You have gained the following skills:


    Heal - convert mana to vital energy and pump it into a target¡¯s body.


    Diagnose - release a pulse of mana into a target¡¯s body to receive information on what ails them.


    Sedate - pump soporific mana into a target¡¯s body to induce sleep.


    <hr>


    I huffed in frustration. Manipulating my magic was proving to be difficult, even more so than I expected. I could shape it and use my skills, but I couldn¡¯t get it outside of my body. So I decided to ask for help. Stacey had mentioned that she chose the mage cluster, meaning she had the mana manipulation skill. I looked through the shelter for her and found her in the kennel filling up water bowls amongst barking dogs. I ignored them with practiced ease.


    "Hey Stacey," I called. ¡°I chose the healer profession, and I don''t know how to get my mana out of my body.¡±


    "Try pushing it outside your body.  I can''t help you if I don''t know what you are doing wrong.¡± She said, looking up at me.


    ¡°Sure,¡± I replied. I closed my eyes and focused on my core. It was in the middle of my sternum; and ¡°looked¡± like a bright blue ball. I drew out a tendril of mana and managed to get it up to my skin, but it wouldn¡¯t pass any further, just like the last time.


    ¡°Your problem is that you aren¡¯t separating the magic from your core, do that and try again.¡±


    I nodded, thanked her, and left the room. Dogs aren¡¯t good for concentrating; they are too cute.


    <hr>


    I smirked in satisfaction. Thanks to Stacey¡¯s tip, I had managed to push my magic outside my body. Now I was attempting to shape it into an oval, and it was going well. I had just shaped it into a sphere when I heard a ding.


    Through continuous effort, you have learned the skill mana manipulation.


    It disrupted my concentration, and I lost control of my mana, but I wasn''t angry. How could I be? My hours of effort had paid off. Giddily I tried again and shaped the mana. I almost startled myself with the difference. Before shaping the mana was like trying to divert a river with my bare hands. Now? Now it was clay, and I, a sculptor; an unskilled one, but a sculptor nonetheless. I molded the mana into an oval with ease, and with a flex of my will, fired it. It broke the linoleum floor with a loud crack.


    You have earned the skill magic missile. As you now have five skills you may check your skill list.


    ¡°John! I heard a crack; are you okay?¡± Stacey shouted, and I could hear her running.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I shouted back. When she rounded the corner and saw the crack. I grinned sheepishly. ¡°Sorry about the floor. I just learned mana manipulation and got excited.¡± I clapped my hands together and bowed my head. ¡°I¡¯ll pay you back I promise.¡±


    Stacey sighed and said, ¡°it¡¯s fine, you don''t have to pay me. Linoleum isn¡¯t that expensive.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, but I''ll pay you back.¡±


    She gave me a look and said, ¡°seriously, don¡¯t worry about it. A linoleum tile is less than ten dollars. I¡¯m not going to lose a volunteer as hardworking as you over that.¡±


    I smiled at her, ¡°I should be going now.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye, John.¡±


    ¡°Bye Stacey,¡± I said over my shoulder, already walking out the door. Once I was out of sight, I started running. She couldn¡¯t return the ten I left behind if I wasn¡¯t there.

 First Videos

    When I got home, I beelined to my computer. For my plan to work, I had to be fast. I had to corner the market before people even realized there was a market. I booted up my bleeding-edge gaming computer - I splurged on it - and got to work. While it was doing so, I opened my blinds, turned on the lights, and put on a thin, white shirt. When it finished booting up, I went to youtube and created a new channel named The Magic Man, which, surprisingly, wasn¡¯t taken. Then I got to work on my first video. The screen counted down.


    3.


    2.


    1.


    ¡°Hello. My name is John, and today I will be teaching you the mana manipulation skill. Now, you may be wondering, how can I learn mana manipulation? I didn¡¯t choose the mage cluster. Well, the system said, ¡°All further skills must be earned,¡± which means that there must be a way to earn skills, and as the name implies, they are like skills. They are learnable. To prove it, I will show you that I chose the healer cluster and that I am capable of mana manipulation.¡±


    I held up my arm and pointed to a large, ugly scar that traced a line from my shoulder all the way to my wrist. A glass shard had given it to me during The Accident.


    ¡°I will now heal this scar.¡± I drew mana out of my core and infused it with the concept of vitality, life, and healing. I then enveloped the scar in it. Before my eyes, and more importantly, the camera, the scar disappeared in a flash of soft green light.


    ¡°Next, I will prove that I have mana manipulation.¡± I pushed mana out of my hand and created a floating ball of light. ¡°Now that I have proven that skills are learnable, I will begin.


    First, you must feel your core. It is located in your sternum or right here.¡± I pointed to my core and raised a small amount of magic above my skin, just enough for a soft glow visible through my shirt. ¡°This is where mana is stored and should be the easiest part, as your core is new to your body. Please pause the video until you have found your core.¡± I waited a few seconds and then resumed.


    ¡°Now that you have found your core, I will explain how to feel it. First, you must imagine a placid bright blue ball within a dark void. This is your core. Next, imagine a finger within that void. Now poke your core using that finger. You should feel like you have just been poked. If you don¡¯t, try again, but this time poke harder.¡± I waited another moment or two so that they could pause the video. ¡°Once you feel a poke, you have felt your core. Feeling your core when learning to use mana is as vital as feeling your legs is when running.


    Now I will teach you how to draw mana out of your core. First, imagine a tendril of mana reaching out of your core. This is the first step. If you have succeeded in drawing out mana, you will feel a warm sensation in your chest. Using this method, you cannot draw mana outside of your body. To do that, you must detach the tendril from your core.¡± I waited so they could pause.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Once you have detached the tendril from your core, push it outside of your chest. You should see a faint light, just as I used to show where my core is. Repeat this process, but this time maintain control over the mana as it leaves your body. If you are successful, the light will not dissipate, but instead, remain.¡± I demonstrated by lighting up my chest again, but this time it stayed bright. I left it there for a couple seconds before letting it dissipate.


    ¡°What you want to do next is shape the mana into a ball. If you succeed, you will earn mana manipulation. In my next video, I will show you how to make a magic missile.¡± I turned off the camera and sighed.


    That was terrible! I sounded so weird! I can¡¯t redo it either, I only have two scars, and even if youtube allowed it, I am not willing to post a video of my own inner thigh. It would have to be enough. I posted the video under the title ¡°How to earn the skill mana manipulation.¡± My next video would require a bit of preparation. I would need a tripod for one.


    <hr>


    I gave everything a once over; it looked good. Getting a tripod when the stores were closed was surprisingly easy. All I had to do was borrow one from my neighbor. I pressed record for the third time today and took a deep breath.


    ¡°Hello, and welcome back. Today I will be teaching you how to make a magic missile. This is fairly simple as long as you have mana manipulation. If you do not, refer to my previous video. There will be a link in the description. For those of you who have, I will now demonstrate a magic missile. If you are wearing headphones, I recommend you take them out.¡±


    I pointed my palm at the dirt a good ten feet away. I channeled mana to my palm and made an oval in front of it. I then launched the missile. It impacted the dirt of my backyard with a cacophonous bang. Kicking up a cloud of dirt that reached as high as my hips.


    ¡°The skill is deceptively simple looking. There are multiple moving parts to it. First, you must create a shell of mana. This holds the missile together. If you skimp on it, then the missile will fall apart. Next, you must create the body of the missile. This is what determines the penetrative ability of the missile. Too little mana and the missile will do nothing. Too much mana and the missile will fall apart. Finally, you create the propellant; this determines the speed of the missile. Once again, too little mana means the missile will not do anything, and too much mana and the missile falls apart.¡±


    As I explained the steps, I created each part of the missile in turn. Once I formed the propellant, I let the missile fly.


    ¡°To create the shell of the missile, create a hollow ovoid, or a three-dimensional oval. Then, in the middle of the ovoid create a barrier. This will separate the body from the propellant.


    To create the body, simply fill in the frontal cavity will mana. The greater the mana density, the harder the missile will strike.


    To create the propellant, fill in the back cavity with mana. This mana will be unique in that it is loose, do not anchor it to the missile itself.


    Finally, to launch the missile, open a small hole in the back cover. The propellant will rapidly decompress and push the missile forward.¡±


    While explaining, I created half of a magic missile. This allowed for each component of the spell to be seen. This video wasn¡¯t that bad, so I decided to use it.


    I transferred the video file to my computer and uploaded it as well. However, unlike the first video, I monetized this one.


    I got ready for bed and used sedate to put myself to sleep. No more melatonin for me!

 Consequences

    When I woke up, it was to a screen.


    For successfully teaching someone, you have earned the skill teaching.


    For successfully teaching two people, teaching has leveled up.


    For successfully teaching four people, teaching has leveled up.


    For successfully teaching eight people, teaching has leveled up.


    For successfully teaching sixteen people, teaching has leveled up.


    .


    .


    .


    For successfully teaching 134,217,728 people, teaching has leveled up.


    How many views did I get? I thought incredulously. I quickly booted up my computer and checked. I had 103 million views on my magic manipulation video, and it was on the top of trending. I had 84 million views on my magic missile video. I had also gained roughly a million subscribers.


    Nobody can prove I fell off my chair. Nobody


    This was beyond even my wildest expectations. I had hoped for a couple million views and maybe a hundred thousand subscribers. Instead, I had a hundred times the views and ten times the subscribers. It had even got me a ton of teaching levels. Speaking of, how many did I get?


    ¡°Skill list.¡± It was the first time I had used the command. With all the excitement yesterday, I had forgotten about it.


    Skills


    Heal LVL 1- convert mana to vital energy and pump it into a target¡¯s body.


    Diagnose LVL 1- release a pulse of mana into a target¡¯s body to receive information on what ails them.


    Sedate LVL 1- pump soporific mana into a target¡¯s body to induce sleep.


    Mana Manipulation LVL 1 - allows the user to better manipulate mana.


    Magic Missile LVL 1 - create a destructive magic bolt.


    Teaching LVL 26 - To show or explain something to educate.


    Level 26? From teaching 200 million people? I know the requirements exponentially increased, but that¡¯s brutal. I suppose it''s to stop people like me from gaining millions of levels while still allowing regular people to level. Just because it¡¯s sensible doesn¡¯t mean I have to like it. Where are my exploits? Can¡¯t I have a cheat skill? Where are my protagapowers?If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    I should stop fooling around and actually finish making my channel. I don''t even have an avatar yet, for christ''s sake! But what do I want it to be? Preferably it would have something to do with magic. Maybe a wizard?


    Where would I get a picture of a wizard that isn¡¯t 5,000 years old? No, something else. I scrolled through my photos hoping for inspiration and struck gold. Sitting in my hard drive was a picture of a stage magician¡¯s hat and wand. I faintly remember using it for a home ec presentation. That class was a joke; we never actually cooked anything.


    Anyway, I decided to create an introductory video for my channel as well, just to explain what my channel is and what I plan to do. It would be the video that starts autoplaying when you click on my channel. I created a script and got started.


    ¡°Hello and welcome to my channel. I am John, The Magic Man, and I teach magic and what I know about the system. Whenever I learn something new, I will make a video and share it.¡±


    It was short, but those videos are supposed to be short. I started to make a new video, but I paused. I¡¯ve yet to check the news.


    I quickly googled mysterious screens. Instantly, a billion results popped up. I clicked the one on top; it was a news report. The title read ¡°Mysterious Screens Appear, Martial Law Declared.¡± The article then mentioned that due to large-scale prison breaks all over the country, martial law had been declared. People were urged to stay inside, and many states had issued shelter-in-place orders.


    I then checked international news, and unsurprisingly it was much the same. What stuck out to me, however, was that there were mass riots. Most articles attribute this to magic missiles, even blaming me. I felt some guilt, but not much. Even if I did nothing, magic missile would still be available. The type of people who would seek out the skill are the type of people to download the Anarchist¡¯s Cookbook. Even if I didn''t upload it, they would still hurt people.


    I nodded to myself, this wasn¡¯t my fault, and I shouldn¡¯t blame myself. Though I should figure out a way to defend with magic, maybe a barrier or something.


    My stomach rumbled.


    Maybe I should make some food first.


    <hr>


    I spread my mana into a thick sheet. I threw the rock I had grabbed for this very purpose, and it passed through without disturbing the mana. I grimaced, I hadn¡¯t expected it to be easy, but it would have been nice. Next, I tried condensing the mana, similar to what I did to make the body of a magic missile. The rock passed through once again. Then, I used the method I was avoiding. I tried to infuse the barrier with the concept of hardness but failed.


    I blinked in surprise. Why didn''t it work? I can infuse my magic with concepts; it''s how I use heal and sedate.


    Then it struck me, heal and sedate are system-granted skills; it only grants the ability to infuse those specific concepts. I would have to learn to infuse concepts the normal way for anything else. While it would slow me down personally, it would also let me teach it, so it wasn¡¯t that bad.


    I would just have to knuckle down and work.


    Unlike mana manipulation, I have infused concepts before, so I had a lead. I had to imagine the concept as vividly as I could. Then I would have to blend it into my mana. I began with hardness, it was simple, and I was already working on a spell for it.


    I imagined the durability of steel, the tensile strength of hair, the hardness of diamond, and the compressive strength of concrete. I knew I was on the right track; I could feel the idea, resilience, alongside my core. But when I tried mixing them, they violently repelled each other.


    It felt like there was an explosion inside my chest. I coughed up blood, just barely managing to cast heal before passing out.


    That¡¯s enough magic for the day. I thought I¡¯ll put out a community post warning people later. For now, I¡¯m going to sleep. I staggered to bed and collapsed without undressing.

 Chapter Three

    I woke up feeling like a used rag. My head pounded, my throat was dry, and worst of all, my chest felt like it was on fire. I gently prodded my mana; that was a mistake. That gentle brush was agony; it was as if thousands of red hot knives drove themselves into my core.


    I passed out.


    When I woke, I felt better. Better being the operative word. Instead of feeling like someone was taking a jackhammer to it, my head just felt like someone was taking a hammer to it. Instead of feeling like the Atacama, my throat felt like the Sahara. My chest hadn''t gotten any better either. I wasn¡¯t going to repeat my mistake and touch my core again.


    I needed to go to the hospital.


    I tried to get up and, predictably, failed. The pain was overwhelming; I just barely managed to hold onto consciousness. I couldn¡¯t pass out again. There was no telling when help would come. I lived alone, and even if school wasn¡¯t canceled, they would hardly send someone to my house for missing one day.


    I just needed to get to the phone, then I could call an ambulance.


    Just I thought grimly. I only had one landline, and it was downstairs. I was more likely to fall down the stairs than to walk down them. I have to do it. The realization struck me like lightning. I had no friends; I had alienated them after The Accident and had never gotten around to reconciling with them after I had recovered mentally. I had no guardians or roommates; I lived alone.


    If I didn¡¯t get to that phone, I would die. I had never felt so alone as I did at that moment. But I was desperate, and desperate men can do fantastic things. In my case, I got out of bed without passing out. The pain was like countless knives stabbing into my chest, my head thundered, and my knees almost gave out. But I soldiered through. Drawing on reserves of willpower I never knew I had, I took a step. And another. And another.


    I staggered until I reached the top of the stairs. What was I thinking? I thought bitterly. Why did I walk upstairs? I knew the answer though, I wasn¡¯t thinking. The stairs loomed menacingly below. They had never looked so steep. I began to gulp, but I had to stop because of the pain.


    I took the leap of faith, I descended a step. Stars burst behind my eyes, knives forged of agony embedded themselves within me, but I dug deep into that well of inhuman willpower, and I persevered.


    I descended another stair, but this time I was prepared and could take another shortly.


    For persevering in the face of agony, you have earned the skill pain tolerance.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Not now! I disregarded the screen with a snarl - noting somewhere in the back of my mind that I had not been able to gulp earlier, much less snarl. I took the next step, and the step after that. Soon I was taking a step each second.


    I had been so focused, I was almost confused when I reached the bottom. But I quickly adapted, and walked to the landline. Walking on flat land was almost easy after the stairs, and I quickly reached the phone. I dialed 911 and waited for a half-second.


    ¡°Hello, this is 911. What is your emergency?¡± The female operator asked.


    ¡°Am--¡± I was cut off by a cough. Even if I could power through the pain, it wasn¡¯t like I was miraculously healed. ¡°Ambulance.¡±


    ¡°What is your address, sir?¡± She asked, admirably calm.


    ¡°348 Byrant Street.¡± I managed to delay the coughing fit until I finished speaking. I grimaced; I could make out some specks of blood on my lip.


    ¡°What is your phone number, sir?¡± I almost balked at the thought of speaking that much.


    I started to give it to her but coughed, and this time it wasn¡¯t just a speck of blood, but a glob of it. It got on the phone, and the entire thing sparked violently. I reflexively dropped it, and it broke into pieces when it hit the hardwood floor of my kitchen.


    I stared incomprehensibly at it for a while. I was broken from my reverie by a knock on the door. I gathered my will for one last hurrah and shouted, ¡°Come,¡± it was barely loud enough to be heard, but it was enough.


    Two male paramedics opened the door. I gave a faint smile before passing out.


    <hr>


    This time when I awoke, it was to the rhythmic beeping of a heart monitor. I opened my eyes to a featureless ceiling. I felt much better, the pain was replaced by fuzziness, and when I poked my magic core, I didn¡¯t explode.


    I collapsed with relief and went back to sleep.


    <hr>


    A doctor was in the room with me when I awakened. He noticed me looking at him; and said, ¡°Awake, are you? Don¡¯t give me that look; you¡¯ve been comatose for a while now.¡± I started to speak but was cut off, ¡°Don¡¯t speak, have some water first.¡±


    ¡°How long was I out?¡± I asked once I had finished.


    ¡°Just two days. You were lucky; if we hadn¡¯t thought to use magic, we would have no clue what was ailing you. How did you manage to rupture your core?¡±


    ¡°I was experimenting with magic. I was trying to infuse my magic with a concept. It turns out that you can explode if you do it wrong.¡±


    He nodded, ¡°That sounds about right; another young man came in here with a similar injury - a ruptured spleen - caused by trying to strengthen himself with magic.¡± I could hear him say that today¡¯s youth was too reckless under his breath - I probably wasn¡¯t meant to catch that.


    ¡°Just get some rest; you should be fine by tomorrow.¡± With that parting remark, he made to leave, but I stopped him.


    "Can I borrow your phone for a second? It''s important." He gave me a questioning look, but he seemed to like what he saw and handed over an iPhone after unlocking it.


    I opened safari and logged into my youtube account, careful to decline the offer to save my password. I didn¡¯t want to share my account. I then posted the following community message:


    I am in the hospital right now. I was experimenting with magic and managed to blow myself up. Telling you all not to experiment would be hypocritical and shortsighted; instead, I¡¯ll tell you to have a healer or two nearby. If I hadn¡¯t managed to heal myself, I would have died. Even then, it only bought me a few hours.


    I signed out of youtube and closed the tab. I handed the man¡¯s phone back to him and thanked him. I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

 Two dudes chilling in an elevator, two feet apart because its cramped.

    I blinked, ¡°So let me get this straight, you want me to go to a research center periodically for tests, and if I agree to do so, you are willing to waive my hospital fee?¡±


    Dr. Kalnest nodded, ¡°If we receive patients with magic-related injuries we are supposed to offer this deal.¡±


    I sat back in my hospital bed, ¡°that seems oddly generous.¡±


    He gave me a look, ¡°a nosy one, are you? Well, you¡¯re right. It was government-mandated they cover the cost.¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± that was awfully fast. This seems like such a minor issue too. ¡°How do I sign up?¡± My insurance plan doesn¡¯t cover magic.


    ¡°Just sign this form,¡± he said while handing me a clipboard. It was remarkably thin, only one page. I guess they didn¡¯t have time to make it 50 pages long.


    I skimmed it quickly. It seemed pretty straightforward; in exchange for going to a research center once a month, the government would foot the bill. I saw no reason not to sign.


    ¡°Is that all?¡± I asked, eager to leave.


    ¡°Yes, it should be. You are free to go; just remember to hand the form to the receptionist when you sign out.¡±


    I thanked the man and stepped into the hallway. It was just what you would imagine when thinking of a hospital. White tile floors, white walls, white popcorn ceilings. White everything.


    In the hallway to my left was an ancient man who looked more like skin stretched over bones than a living human. Surprisingly, he was walking with a spring in his step, showing no signs of his advanced age. To my right was a family of three, the mother chastising the son for something or other.


    I walked to the elevator with a spring in my step. I definitely took it because I was too lazy to walk down the stairs, not because I was a bit scared of stairs. Nope, that would never happen.


    Inside the elevator with me was a guy who looked to be my age. He was blond, tall, and corded with lean muscle, the type you get from playing sports.


    The elevator dinged as it descended, both of us content not to speak. Well, I was; he seemed to be lost in thought. The ride felt like it was taking forever! I was only on the fourth floor! How long could it take to go down three stories?


    Eventually, I had to admit that the elevator wasn¡¯t descending. I hadn¡¯t heard a chime in a while, and I didn¡¯t feel like I was sinking.


    ¡°Hey dude, I think the elevator is stuck.¡± He startled and looked at me as if he hadn¡¯t noticed my presence. How much of an airhead is he?


    ¡°Holy crap! You almost gave me a heart attack there.¡± He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. ¡°What were you saying? I was lost in thought.¡± The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    I gave him a singularly unimpressed look. ¡°I think the elevator is stuck.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, it does seem to be taking a while, doesn¡¯t it?¡± He inspected the buttons, ¡°are we supposed to hit the phone or the alarm button?¡±


    ¡°The phone, it calls the technicians. Tells them that the elevator isn¡¯t working.¡±


    He hummed, ¡°then what is the alarm for?¡±


    ¡°It''s for when the call button doesn¡¯t work,¡± I replied half-heartedly, already debating whether I should just use a magic missile to blast my way out.


    ¡°But if the call button isn¡¯t working, why would the alarm button?¡± He seemed determined to pump me of everything I knew.


    ¡°Don¡¯t quote me on this, but I¡¯m pretty sure that the call button only alerts the technicians, while the alarm button bothers everyone in the building.¡± We stood there awkwardly for a while before I spoke up.


    ¡°Did you hit the call button?¡±


    ¡°No, I thought you did it.¡±


    I huffed in amusement, today really was not my day. ¡°Then we forgot to hit the button.¡±


    He guffawed, ¡°we had an entire conversation about the damn buttons, and we never actually pressed them!¡± He leaned over and pushed the button. ¡°There, that way we don¡¯t forget again.¡±


    I opened my mouth to object, but I closed it without saying anything. ¡°We¡¯re both idiots, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Yup,¡± he agreed cheerfully. ¡°Say, I never caught your name. Mine¡¯s Patrick.¡±


    ¡°John, I¡¯d say it''s nice to meet you, but we are stuck in an elevator.¡±


    Patrick guffawed again, ¡°likewise,¡± Patrick gave me a strange look, ¡°hey...do I know you from somewhere? You look familiar.¡±


    ¡°You ever heard of The Magic Man?¡±


    He gasped, ¡°holy crap! You¡¯re The Magic Man! I can¡¯t believe I didn¡¯t notice before. You even said you were in the hospital!¡±


    I was a bit unnerved by his reaction. I wasn¡¯t used to so much¡­exuberant attention. ¡°Yeah, I was experimenting with aspecting magic, and I blew myself up. I¡¯m lucky I chose the healer cluster.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been curious, how did you manage to figure out magic manipulation and magic missile so quickly?¡±


    The tone of our conversation had shifted completely. Before it was stilted, we didn¡¯t actually know what we wanted to talk about. Now it felt natural, like a real conversation. It was¡­nice. I haven¡¯t had someone to talk to in over a year, not since The Accident.


    ¡°It was a combination of luck, me being a nerd and me being an idiot. I¡¯m a massive nerd, and this type of thing, the screens, and whatnot? It''s a genre of books, and I¡¯ve often thought about what I would do if I was in one. Admittedly they are usually a bit more¡­apocalyptic. I was lucky enough to be with a mage cluster that could help me learn mana manipulation. As for the stupidity, well,¡± I chuckled nervously.


    ¡°Learning magic missile isn¡¯t as hard as I made it out to be. When I got the skill, it brought with it the knowledge of a better way of casting it. All you really have to do is for an oval with your mana and push it.¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t what I expected,¡± he said dumbly, a bit shocked by my speech.


    ¡°What did you expect?¡± I was a bit curious; I had no clue what my viewers thought of me. I was so busy I had never gotten around to checking the comments. I felt a bit bad about that.


    ¡°It sounds a bit stupid in retrospect, but I expected you to just be really talented or something like that.¡± He rubbed the back of his head and smiled sheepishly. I had noticed him doing that quite a bit; a nervous habit, perhaps?


    ¡°You¡¯re right; it does sound stupid.¡± Patrick deflated a bit at that. ¡°But enough about me, why were you in the hospital?¡±


    He rubbed the back of his head again. ¡°I was experimenting as well, trying to enhance my muscles. That didn¡¯t work out, and I kinda sorta tore them into bloody pieces.¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± I thought about it for a second. ¡°You want to work together?¡±

 Chapter Four

    Patrick''s eyes widened in shock.  ¡°Really?  You want to work with me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I replied earnestly.  ¡°You seem like a good person, and you seem to be experimenting already.  It makes more sense to work together.¡±


    ¡°Sure!  Let¡¯s do this!¡±  He beamed at me and held out his hand for a high five.  Me, being the awkward human being that I am, I decided to try and shake it.


    After an uncomfortably long time fumbling around like fools, we gave up.  I fidgeted.  What are we supposed to talk about now?  I¡¯m not good at peopleing!


    I was saved by Patrick¡¯s phone ringing.  He looked at the name and picked it up.


    ¡°Hello, mother,¡± he said.  His mother¡¯s words were just loud enough for me to know something was being said, but not loud enough to hear.


    Patrick winced.  His mother didn¡¯t seem too happy.


    ¡°I am in an elevator.  It broke down, and I am now stuck.¡±  Why is he speaking like that?


    He paused for her to reply.  He nodded, not that she could see him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for not telling you sooner.¡±  This conversation was practically screaming at a rocky relationship.


    She replied.


    ¡°I will, mother.  Goodbye.¡±  He hung up.  He looked at me and said in a cheery voice, ¡°now then, where were we?¡±


    Are we just going to ignore that?  I guess I should change the topic then.  ¡°How long do you think it will take for us to get out?¡±  By the look on his face, he knew what I was doing and was thankful for it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, ten minutes?  An hour?  I haven¡¯t exactly been in many broken elevators.¡±  He had a slight grin, a great contrast to his conversation with his mother. ¡°You could, in fact, say that this is my first.¡±


    ¡°Hoh,¡± I gave him a sly grin. ¡°Does this mean that I am your first?¡±  He groaned.


    <hr>


    It took two hours for the door to finally open.  In that time Patrick had to convince me not to blow it open, I had to convince Patrick not to experiment with magic before we got out, and we alternated convincing the other not to hit the alarm button as fast as possible.


    It was to our great relief when the blasted thing finally started moving.  I definitely didn¡¯t fall.  Don¡¯t believe Patrick if he tells you otherwise.  He¡¯s a filthy liar.  If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    When the doors finally opened, a technician was standing in front of them.  He started, ¡°Hey, it to--¡± but we didn¡¯t care enough to listen.  We rushed out as fast as we could, and Patrick whooped and hollered.  I was more restrained, but I was only better in that I was less vocal.


    When I asked for his number, Patrick gave it to me.  He called his mom, and we parted ways with a promise to meet up later.


    I looked around with interest.  So much had changed during my stay in the hospital.  While there was still a lesser amount than usual, people were more willing to go out.  More interestingly, the crowd was more colorful.


    There was the old man from the hospital.  He was jogging now, and he looked to have been at it for a while.  His t-shirt was covered in sweat, and he looked to have settled into a rhythm.


    Two entertainers practiced on a corner. One of them looked to have gone the path of magic; he used raw mana to make floating animals. They were a bit off; the elephant¡¯s nose was too thick, the giraffe¡¯s nose comically long, but it was interesting nonetheless. His partner seemed to have gone a more physical route; he was performing mind-boggling acrobatics. He would run and kick into a diagonal flip, then land in a roll, then somehow spin in such a manner that it propelled him upwards and onto his feet. Some people were watching, but it wasn¡¯t a large crowd. I lived in the suburbs of Long Island, there wasn¡¯t exactly a surplus of foot traffic.


    Amusingly, a man was trying to learn to unicycle on the sidewalk. I don¡¯t know what gave him the idea that it would be a good place to learn, but as a unicycle myself, I can confidently say that it is terrible.   In the beginning, you need a flat place with something to hold onto. Getting onto a unicycle is a nightmare for the untrained.


    The walk wasn¡¯t short, but it wasn¡¯t long either. I lived a scant mile from the hospital, and throughout my walk, I had noticed a trend. The system seemed to have inspired people to work on themselves. Along with the unicycler, I saw a woman trying to walk on stilts, a man try rollerblading, and an absolute unit, I¡¯m talking a 500 pounder, jogging.


    I guess the gamers were right. A numerical representation of your skill level does motivate people to improve.


    Eventually, however, my walk had to come to an end. I reached my house and looked up at it. It wasn¡¯t anything special; it had two stories, a basement, and an attic. It was my childhood home, and I had inherited it after The Accident. And just like after The Accident, almost dying in it had given it a new light in my eyes.


    I unlocked the creaky front door, stepped into the sunroom, painted a god awful orange by my colorblind dad last year, and smiled.  It was good to be home.


    I wasn''t going to do anything strenuous for the rest of the day. In fact, aside from finally getting my phone, I wasn¡¯t going to do anything productive for the rest of the day! I would just ride my unicycle, flex on that loser over by the hospital, and enjoy the day. Breaks are vital, even if you like your job.

 Aspecting

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 Chapter Six

    ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± Patrick asked me for the umpteenth time. I was starting to get annoyed.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I said exasperated. ¡°Just shoot me already. Even if the armor doesn¡¯t work - which it will - we both have heal. If you aim at my arm, I¡¯ll be fine.¡± He still looked uneasy, but I looked to have gotten through to him. Hurray for peer pressure.


    He aimed his hand at me and braced it with his other. With my new mana sight, I could ¡°see¡± the mana travel from his sternal core up to his shoulder and down his arm. Once it reached his hand it was then expelled and shaped: shell, body, and propellant, all. He fired.


    The missile streaked toward me; too quick for my eyes to follow, but my mana sense was up to the task. It struck my mana-armored arm and sunk into it. There was no bang, no cacophonous impact. The only evidence of the missile¡¯s existence was the absence of a quarter of my reserves; less than it took to create a missile.


    I don¡¯t know if that is universal, if it''s easier to defend than attack; but if it is, it¡¯s a game-changer. It means that I wouldn¡¯t need to fight fire with fire.  I wouldn¡¯t need to be an arms dealer.


    I beamed with pleasure and laughed in delight. ¡°Patrick!¡± I said reverently. ¡°That took less than a magic missile!¡± Patrick looked at me oddly, but I didn¡¯t care. I was too excited.


    ¡°Umm,¡± he didn¡¯t know how to reply, ¡°why are you so happy about that?¡±


    ¡°Patrick, can¡¯t you see? Defense is easier than offense!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­good?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± My hands seemed to have a life of their own as I spoke. ¡°Picture it! You are accosted in an alley by a mugger. But! But! You have spent a couple days learning to defend yourself; you watched a Magic Man video. You have nothing to fear. You cast an armor spell, and suddenly they can''t touch you. Guns are weaker than magic missiles; the mugger will run out of mana before you do. You¡¯re golden!¡±


    His eyes widened. He understood. This wasn¡¯t two guys dicking around in a backyard anymore. This was a route to small-scale world peace.


    ¡°And this is just the beginning,¡± he breathed. ¡°We''re just getting started. Imagine when we can weave multiple aspects into a spell. Imagine when we can use a permanence aspect. A storage one. A selective one. We could create a permanent armor, one capable of storing mana. It would draw on the reserves of the caster throughout the day. It would only stop harmful things. It would be an Aegis, an impenetrable shield!¡± He got more and more worked up as he spoke, by the end he was shouting.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Yes!¡± I exulted along with him. ¡°If we let light through - as long as it was below a certain amount - it would be invisible! It wouldn¡¯t be noticeable until it was needed!¡±


    We spent the rest of the day spitballing. We got nothing else done. It was one of my fondest memories; we were no longer acquaintances, but friends.


    <hr>


    Everything was ready. We had rehearsed the script countless times, the fire pit was lit, and we had two bottle rockets ready. One we would use, and the other a spare.


    I gave Patrick the go-ahead, and he pressed record. I had decided that this was to be a livestream. Why? Because of the importance of this video. I had to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that this wasn¡¯t faked.


    Patrick gave me a thumbs up; thanks to the premier function sending out a notification an hour ago, the stream started with a hundred thousand viewers. Perfect.


    ¡°Hello, and welcome back. You may have seen the community post two days ago, or you may not have. Regardless you have heard me use the term aspecting. Now, because I was hyped up on painkillers the first time I used it, I had neglected to mention what it was.


    Aspecting is imbuing mana with purpose. Vital for any significant spell casting. With it, you can cast heal, you can cast sedate, or you can cast this.¡± I smirked as I cast mana-hardened armor. Mercurial mana swirled around my feet, steadily rising. It crawled up my legs, up my chest, down my arms, until it encased my entire body neck down. It wasn¡¯t usually that slow of course; I was showboating.


    But I wasn¡¯t just showing off for the visual appeal; no, I was showing off for the message it sent. This was the first man-made spell; this was the sign of human ingenuity; this was the proof that mankind can conquer magic. And I was the one to make it.


    If Patrick¡¯s manic grin was any indication, I was heard loud and clear.


    ¡°This,¡± I said positively radiating smug. "Is a simple armor spell. It can protect against magic.¡± Patrick took his cue and shot me with a magic missile - slowed so that it was visible - and it sunk into my armor harmlessly.


    ¡°It can protect against physical impacts.¡± Patrick hit me with a baseball bat, careful to stay out of frame. It didn¡¯t even ripple.


    ¡°It can protect against fire.¡± I stepped into the fire pit. Flame licked my armor, steadily draining my mana. Not that it mattered; at the rate, it was going, it would take an hour for me to run out.


    ¡°It can protect against explosives.¡± Patrick lit a bottle rocket and I raised my armor to cover my face, blocking my vision. Nevertheless, I could hear the whistling of the rocket as it zoomed toward me. I definitely heard it go off. Ow.


    I walked out of the smoke cloud, no doubt looking dramatic as all hell. Lowering my helmet, I said, ¡±I will be teaching you all how to aspect, and how to use this armor in my next video. Until then stay tuned.¡±

 Not a chapter

    To be honest I lost interest, don''t count on another chapter.


    Chapter must be 500 words long


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