《The Magic Academy's Returnee》 Prologue Life can be unexpected. No matter how much you plan, how hard you work, or how determined you are, life has a way of throwing you into chaos just to see if you¡¯ll sink or swim. I learned that the hard way. One moment, I was just an ordinary student, juggling exams and part-time work, dreaming of a stable, predictable future. The next, I was thrown into a world of chaos and magic, fighting for my survival. I looked ahead at the giant buildings of Evergarden Academy. It was a massive city-like structure that stretched all over the mountains yet the place felt pretty warm as if it was the middle of summer. I observed the students of my age walking around in groups, laughing and talking. Some were dueling with all kinds of magic and weapons, while others walked alongside creatures that looked to be ripped out of a fantasy novel. And there I was, standing in the center of this city, contemplating my life choices. Let me sum it up for you. My name is Adrian Thornebrook. I used to be a regular guy: anti-social, with decent grades, and obsessed with anime and video games. But all that changed when I was forcibly ripped from my dorm room one night and dumped into a strange, medieval fantasy world called Arcadia. Sounds clich¨¦, right? Arcadia was basically your typical D&D world. It had swords, magic, kingdoms, and an impending doom hanging over everyone¡¯s heads. But instead of a demon lord or evil empire, there was something else an eldrich being called the ¡°Great Calamity.¡± Now I had no idea how I got there or why I was able to read and speak their language. Hell, no one even knew I was from another world. But one thing was crystal clear. Arcadia was shit.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. No Wi-Fi. No video games. No manga. Not even a decent toilet! That place was my worst nightmare In all those fantasy stories, the protagonist becomes overpowered, surrounded by a harem of hot and sexy women, and lives like royalty. Me? None of that shit! I was thrown into a war the moment I arrived with no cheat-like abilities or divine blessings, hell, I wasn¡¯t even given a system! I had to climb to the top of this world¡¯s food chain with my blood-covered hands. Yeah, I learned I had a knack for magic but so what? It wasn¡¯t like I was given spells on a silver platter. I had spent years learning how to refine my magic and how to use it best. It took time and effort and I meant a whole lot of effort. Over time, I grew strong. Strong enough to slay dragons and unlock even greater power. Yet it was all gone thanks to¡­this thing. Looking at the small ball of fire that was floating which only I could see I let out a sigh. It was The Great Calamity. Dimensional magic was almost unheard of and every spell I managed to find and stitch together was a gamble. But there was something I was lacking and that was a giant magic supply. A supply that could hold the portal long enough to make sure I could pass through and reach the other side. The gods weren¡¯t a help so I turned to the next best thing. My best hope was to kill the Great Calamity itself. I was going to use it as a battery however, he decided to off himself which led to our current situation. Most of my cultivation was gone and I couldn¡¯t use any of my complex spells. And it was all thanks to this bastard! ¡°Human! Hurry and let¡¯s get some food!¡± I looked deadpan at the purple fireball And that wasn¡¯t even the worst part! When I was successfully able to get home I thought I could peacefully live my life. Oh how wrong I was¡­ Turning toward the other direction I saw a small humanoid creature floating in the air. She had pale skin and long white hair. On her back were black angel-like wings however, they weren¡¯t moving which did raise the question of how she was even floating in the air. She then glared at the small fireball ¡°Would you shut it, I¡¯m trying to watch Chasing Butterflies!¡± This woman was known as the ¡°Queen of Calamity¡± and was responsible for causing mass destruction in ancient times. Her power was so great that she had to be sealed away as nobody was successful in killing her. However, thanks to my actions my soul had become her permanent residence where she watched some of the shitty rom-coms I had watched when I was bored. ¡°Fuck off you bitch!¡± Hearing the argument between these bastards I looked to the sky imagining all the ways I could end myself. Not that they would work. ¡®Why couldn''t I just live in peace?¡¯ Return (1) It was a tiring day, I remember that much at least. I had come back to my dorm room when suddenly I wasn¡¯t there. I had just layed on my bed before the next second I found myself lying under a blood-red sky, surrounded by chaos. Monsters roared, villagers screamed, and the air smelled like smoke and death. ¡®This is a dream right?¡¯ That was my first thought. Maybe I was lucid dreaming or something but how the hell do I wake up? Before I could think of something, I was hit by a flying piece of debris causing me to fall on my butt. Touching my head I felt something warm and wet coming down from my forehead. Looking at my red-soaked hand that was trembling I started to breathe heavily. It was blood. My blood. There was no way for me to deny it¡­this was real. But how? How could it even be real? This stuff looked to be ripped out of some sort of fantasy novel. However, I was forcibly dragged out of my thoughts as my shoulder was roughly grabbed before someone yelled ¡°Move, Boy!¡± I didn¡¯t resist and I was able to get a good look at the old man. He seemed old maybe late to mid-50s? However, I also noticed the giant sword on his waist. After a few minutes, we stopped and I collapsed to the floor. With my already exhausted state, there was no way for me to even crawl any further. As I was panting I looked around to see many other people. They all seemed to be sad and a few were even crying. Slowly getting up I looked at the blood on my hands before I wiped it away. ¡®Well this isn¡¯t a dream¡¯ It was a simple conclusion that raised many questions. Where the fuck was I? There was no way this was earth or maybe it was? But then what the hell were those creatures? Recalling the monsters I had seen, they seemed to be creatures from fantasy games like giant spiders, wyverns and even what looked like giant three-headed snakes. ¡®Guess I could ask one of these guys¡¯ ¡°Um excuse me,¡± I looked at the man who had dragged me along ¡°Where are we?¡± He squinted his eyes at me ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°Uh no,¡± I then remembered my clothes. I was wearing my work uniform, which stood out from the rest of the people. ¡°I¡¯m not from around here,¡± I said trying to sound as convincing as possible Then the old man then looked at my clothes before letting out a sigh ¡°You¡¯re on the outskirts of the empire of Reawigon,¡± ¡®Guess that confirms it¡¯ There was no way that this was Earth. While I did have my doubts, as legends of dragons, giant snakes, and creatures like that did exist on Earth, the empire of Reawigon was something I had never heard of, which meant I probably wasn¡¯t in my world. ¡®so now what?¡¯ What exactly was I supposed to do now? In the stories I had read, there was something that all of the main characters had in common and that was some type of system. ¡®System? Status? Open?¡¯ Trying a couple of the different phrases in my mind I couldn¡¯t help but frown. Nothing¡­ Are you fucking kidding me!? How the hell was I supposed to survive here? However, I then let out a breath before I started to think about the current situation. If monsters were attacking that must mean that the demon king or something was here right? But considering where I was I doubt I was some ¡°great summoned hero who was destined to save the world¡±. ¡°Where are you from?¡± hearing that I turned to the old man ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°What kingdom are you from?¡± he repeated the question causing me to sweat I don¡¯t think I could just say, ¡°Oh yeah, I¡¯m from another dimension, and I have no idea how I ended up here.¡± Hell, what if people from other worlds were like witches on earth? Would I be burned at the stack? I decided to stop overthinking ¡°Just a small village,¡± I replied I knew the answer was vague but I then got an idea and squinted my eyes ¡°But I don¡¯t remember where,¡± The old man gave me a look of pity ¡°I¡¯m sure one of the healers would help you when you join the army,¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Army?¡± The old man shook his head ¡°With how things are turning out the seven demon lords must¡¯ve failed to stop the Abyss from fully opening,¡± ¡®The Abyss?¡¯ ¡°Sooner or later the empire will make an army making everyone join whether it be commoner or noble,¡± I listened to the explanation and took all the information I could. But that didn¡¯t answer the question of how I got here. ¡®Could it be due to the Abyss?¡¯ From what the old man was talking about it could be thanks to that abyss that I was probably brought here but I guess that was a theory for now. But this now possessed a bigger question. What the hell do I do now? If what the old man was saying was true then I¡¯d probably be conscripted into this war, right? But I couldn¡¯t fight! The closest thing to fighting I¡¯ve done is waving a stick around like a sword! Now you''re telling me that I might have to fight¡­those monsters! Remembering the creatures my breath became heavy. But soon I then calmed myself down. If that was the case then I would probably die even if I was trained. I was just a simple high schooler not some hunter with special powers. The best course of action would be to try and hide from the war or try and find someplace where the war wouldn¡¯t affect me. However, that plan was quickly tossed in the gutter as when I arrived at the next city I was forcibly brought into what I could only describe as a boot camp. But the training was brutal and if I was being honest I was the only one getting my ass kicked and don¡¯t get me started on the food! That shit made instant noodles look and taste like a three-Michelin star meal. But that being said, I guess there was one pro to all of this, and that was I was able to discover my magical talent, or rather my ability to use magic. I was then brought into a magic tower, where I learned how to cast magic and a few spells. Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, it had already been 15 years since I had been transported here. Yet my appearance didn¡¯t really change all that much, other than me growing a little taller and my hair growing longer. In the 15 years I was trapped in this god-forsaken place, I tried to figure out how I was transported here, but I had no luck. This led me to try and find a way back home, which did make it a bit harder. Transportation magic was experimented with due to the war; Dimensional magic was on a whole other level. But I tried and eventually was able to make an experimental spell. However, there was one issue that kept coming up no matter how hard I tried and that was the mana supply. To put this into perspective think of spells as cars and mana as the fuel source. The more mana can dedicate how long a spell can last and how strong it can become. But there was no mana battery in this world that could be used. Not even the so-called ¡°gods¡± of this world. Thus I was left with the next best thing. The Great Calamity. The only thing I had heard of was that it had immense power, like something that wasn¡¯t from this world. Thanks to that, I thought about using it as a battery. That¡¯s why I started to climb the ranks of the military. After I was able to climb high enough, I made my own army and challenged the great calamity. *** Looking ahead I saw a giant black crack in the sky. They seemed like something you might find on a TV, however, the crack also had a strange black hue around it. I could practically feel the mana around me vibrate. Looking down from the cliff I was standing on I saw lots of creatures that seemed¡­corrupted. Turning around I looked down at the massive army that I had brought. Thanks to my magic barriers the beasts hadn¡¯t realized we were here. These were some of the best soldiers or rather the rest of the human army. Thanks to my efforts I was able to help claim back almost all of the human territories. Looking over the army again I made out some elves and dwarves. Considering that I had already given my speech in the capital, I decided that I might as well start this battle. Turning my attention back to the monster I waved my hand in the air I could feel the mana around me move. The next second a giant circle appeared in the sky. In the circle, a lot of different symbols were spinning around one another. The next second a bright blue pillar of light descended in front of me. Once the pillar disappeared dust filled the air. However, it didn¡¯t last as the next second 5 flying creatures appeared heading toward where I was standing. One looked like a wyvern however, it was black, and not only that its horns were curved and it also seemed to have more muscular arms than normal wyverns. Raising my hand in the air, five magical circles the size of my head appeared, and the next second, arrows made of pure lightning shot toward the creatures. In an instant, the lights pierced through the creatures like paper. The arrows pierced through the monsters like paper causing them to fall out of the sky. I then snapped my fingers causing giant portals to appear. I heard a few battle cries before I saw the soldiers charge into the portal. I then turned toward the mountain, and the crack was above it. My eyes started to burn a little, but before my vision changed, I was able to see the particles floating in the air of different colours. Focusing my sights on the black ones, I saw that there were many of them congregating around the mountain or rather a certain part inside the mountain. But then my heart started to beat faster, causing me to take a step back. Letting out a breath, I calmed myself down. ¡®I guess that¡¯s where you¡¯re hiding¡¯ Blinking my vision turned to normal and I looked down seeing the carnage that had started to unfold. Despite my attack earlier, it seemed that there were still hundreds of creatures that were pouring out of the mountain. With a breath, I leaned forward allowing me to start falling. Making sure my feet were pointing downward a white hue started to surround them. A loud boom was heard as I landed however, I didn¡¯t feel the impact nor did I feel anything else. Once I landed a few magic circles appeared behind me causing bolts of mana to fire. The bolts moved around the battlefield like locked-on missiles however, the spell would help these guys not that I cared. Tensing my legs I dashed around the battlefield extremely fast. I slaughtered any monster that was coming my way. Once I arrived in front of the cave I saw a bunch of monsters running out. Taking a deep breath I tensed my core before a radiant bright gold aura surrounded my fist and just as the aura condensed around my hand it started to vibrate rapidly. I then punched the air with all of my might. The next second a giant boom followed by a shockwave happened. The monsters that were standing in front of me were then ripped into shreds causing blood and guts to cover both the floor and walls. The sight didn¡¯t bother me as I had already grown accustomed to this stuff. I quickly ran past the corpses before I sensed the mana around me again. After I knew where I had to go I channled my aura to my legs causing a white hue to cover them and I started to run. After a bit, I reached the end of the tunnel and slowed down my pace to a walk. Once I exited the tunnel, I was greeted with an open area. Looking up, I saw a giant hole showing the black crack. But then I looked down at the center of the room to see a figure sitting. Its skin was jet black and its long white hair stretched down to its back. ¡°So you¡¯ve arrived,¡± I was caught off guard a little bit but stretched out my hand. ¡°Guess that surprise attack wasn¡¯t going to work,¡± I commented. The Great Calamity then started to rise, and as it did, the mana around me started to vibrate violently. With a deep breath, I moved the mana around me causing a few magic circles to appear. ''Let''s get this over with'' Return (2) A transparent blue sword made of pure mana appeared in my hand and I dashed forward. Cladding the blue sword with my white lotus aura I swung my blade when I appeared in front of it. However, the thing raised its hand and when my mana blade made contact it shattered like glass. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Before I could react a giant fist connected with my stomach and I was launched back. I slammed into the wall hard but that wasn¡¯t the major issue. The major problem was that my ribs were broken and my organs were basically wrecked however, right after I could feel my body start to heal itself. This was my unique physique, as people liked to call it here. It was called the ¡°Immortal Body Physique.¡± The physique was able to regenerate anything, whether it be a lost arm or a few broken bones. Looking at the Great Calamity in front of me, I tried to breathe but couldn¡¯t. But this did give me a look at it. It was tall with an intimidating figure while its body was chiselled like a Greek god. Its skin was a dark black however, there were also what seemed to be purple runes on its right arm. Raising my outstretched hand dozens of magic circles appeared in the air before bolts of golden lightning shot toward it. A loud explosion followed, and I quickly stood up as the last of my ribs fell back into place. Before I could attack, a black spear made of pure mana headed toward me. Reacting instantly, my body started to take on a golden hue before a transparent golden sword appeared in my hand. Swinging my blade, I split the spear in half before I charged forward. Channelling most of my holy power into my sword, I then swung it, causing an arc of pure holy power to launch toward it. Seeing the arc head toward it, it raised its right hand filled with black mana before it shot forward colliding with the blast of holy power. As it collided a loud explosion occurred causing me to jump back. ¡®What the hell?¡¯ From what I gathered this guy wasn¡¯t using demonic energy like the other humanoids I faced but rather something more powerful. With a deep breath, I dispersed all the holy power around me and in my body. The next moment the great calamity appeared from the smoke. Beams of black mana headed toward me but before they hit me a dark blue transparent barrier appeared blocking the beams. Soon a dark blood red aura covered my body before a blood-red transparent blade appeared in my right hand. Raising my left hand a blood-red sphere appeared before I pointed at the barrier and a dark red beam shot toward it. Breaking through the barrier it connected with the beams and shattered right through it. The beam rushed toward the Great Calamity but it simply raised its right hand and slammed the red beam like a bug. When the fist made contact it witht he beam shattered like glass much like my sword. ¡®What the hell is that arm?¡¯ Using my white lotus aura I strengthened my legs and combined it with my demonic energy creating a pink hue that surrounded my legs. Dashing forward with tremendous speed I quickly appeared in front of the great calamity and swung my blade. At the same time, the black mana quickly gathered in the Great Calamity¡¯s palm before a large black blade was created. Our blades collided however, no sparks were created nor was there a metal sound. Raising my hand a small magic circle appeared from a bolt of crimson-red lightning shot toward the great calamity. Backing away at the same time I heard a loud boom as the bolt connected with the great calamity. I was about to attack again, but suddenly, a crushing force descended on me, making me get on my knees and causing my mana blade to disappear. I tried getting up, but I couldn¡¯t due to the pressure that was pinning me down. ¡®Gravity Magic?¡¯ I had encountered a lot of mages in this world some even with the gravity attribute. However, I hadn¡¯t faced anything like this before! ¡°You¡¯re starting to annoy me,¡± Hearing the voice I looked up to see that the great calamity was heading towards me. ¡°Fu-fuck,¡± Raising its hand a purple glow filled the space before a few giant rocks started to float in the air. It then clenched its left fist and the giant rocks suddenly headed toward me. As the mana congregated around me, I activated one of my spells. My vision shifted, however, I still felt the pressure, but I wasn¡¯t on the floor anymore. I was in the air above the great calamity. Creating a red mana blade, I fell downward thanks to the spell. The next moment, though, more sharp rocks surrounded me. Using my teleportation magic again I appeared behind the great calamity and stabbed my sword straight through its chest. Yet there was no reaction. Suddenly I felt a warm feeling from its back which was followed by a golden glow. ¡®Holy Power!?¡¯ Using my teleportation spell again I quickly appeared a few feet away from the great calamity. The next moment a giant burst of holy power decimated where I was. Before I could do anything else I was suddenly in front of the great calamity. The only thing that separated us was a couple of inches of air. The next thing I knew I was hit and sent flying into the wall.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. I started to cough violently and soon I was just coughing up blood. I was breathing heavily yet I could understand why my body wasn¡¯t healing. Looking at the great calamity I saw that its right hand was pulsing in some sort of purple energy. That right hand was some sort of armament or something. From what I observed, it had the ability to cancel out all sorts of magic. But that didn¡¯t seem to be all it could do, as I couldn¡¯t regenerate, meaning it did something to my body. ¡®Damn I really didn¡¯t want to use this¡¯ As holy power accumulated in my hand and my injury was healing I saw the calamity''s shadow get bigger. As it did tendrils made of pure shadow started to coil and grab at it. However, it simply started to tear its way through the tendrils. Then those tendrils started to turn into hands. Suddenly a figure made of pure shadow appeared behind the great calamity wielding a giant sword. Noticing this a beam of black mana suddenly was shot from the back decimating the figure before penetrating deep into the wall. However, more and more figures made of shadows appeared around the room before they charged toward the great calamity. Necromancy. It wasn¡¯t exactly a ¡°lost art¡± but rather it wasn¡¯t considered to be real magic which is why no one here really practiced it. However, I had learned it through some means and it did help. That being said necromancy wasn¡¯t as useful as I thought it would be. Yeah, I resurrected a bunch of undead but they can basically be killed with one strike and would need my mana to regenerate which wasn¡¯t an option. So I decided to do the next best thing. The Great Calamity kept attacking using the black beams however, soon he stopped and I could feel the pressure of the gravity increase. Cladding my body in my white lotus aura I fought back against the pressure. However, my shadow soldiers were then whacked to the side by a giant rock. Slowly getting up I could feel that my body was starting to heal itself again. Taking a breath I was about to walk forward before I noticed a glowing rock that was beneath me. I quickly picked it up and after a few seconds, the rock changed shape. The rough edges changed to a comfortable grip and a handle appeared right above my fist. Soon a blade started to extend and when the process was finished I was holding a full-blown sword instead of a glowing rock. Looking up at the fight I saw my shadow soldiers suddenly on the floor writhing in pain before they simply just disappeared. Looking at the great calamity I was about to charge forward but I was then suddenly in front of it again. This time I reacted quickly and teleported beside it. Looking at its right arm I swung my blade hoping to sever it but when my sword made contact it shattered. Quickly teleporting out of the way I grit my teeth. ¡°Just what the hell are you?¡± *** POV: Glim Staditsk As I swung my sword another monster fell. The floor was covered in blood and corpses. I clad my body in my aura as I moved around. This aura technique was something the Staditsk had passed to every head of the family. This was one of the reasons why the Staditsk family was considered one of the strongest swordsman clans in the empire. Channeling most of my aura through my body I moved toward another monster and cut right through it. Every time I swung my sword another abomination died. Suddenly I felt the hair on my neck rise. Quickly turning I lifted my blade blocking a strike that was aimed at my head. Suddenly a shadowy figure appeared in front of me wielding daggers. The figure was wearing a hood that covered their face however, I could still see the black veins that stretched across their cheeks. When the abyss first opened up people were afraid however, they still believed in the empire¡¯s soldiers. That didn¡¯t last for long as the creatures from the abyss started to wage war on every race and started to push them back. Seeing how hopeless it looked people started to worship the abyss as some sort of messiah that came to liberate them. People who were granted powers by the abyss were considered traitors. Kicking the person back the white hue that surrounded me intensified as I ran forward. Swinging my blade I let out a short burst of aura which headed toward the figure. They raised their daggers causing a black hue to surround them. However, when my attack collided an explosion happened but using my senses I was able to see that they seemed to be fine. Lunging forward I swung my aura-clad blade through the smoke but the clang that I heard told me it was blocked. I quickly jumped back avoiding the dagger that was aimed for my neck. Raising my blade I quickly blocked the daggers before I counter-attacked by swinging downward which he dodged. We kept exchanging attacks neither of us taking a hit. I knew sooner or later that I was going to run out of stamina so I tried to think of a way to end this quickly. Squeezing more aura out of my core I enhanced my muscles and wrapped most of it around my sword. Just as I was about to release one of my stronger attacks as the guy was about to lunge toward me a magic circle appeared where he was standing before a bunch of spikes made of ice pierced right through him. I was surprised and released some of my aura. ¡°Seems like you lost an edge,¡± Hearing the familiar voice I turned to see a beautiful woman with brown hair. Rolling my eyes I prepared my stance ¡°yea, yea,¡± I then quickly appeared beside swinging my blade and decapitating the person that was going to stab her. ¡°I knew he was there you know,¡± ¡°Of course you did,¡± I commented before I faced the army ¡°Watch my back,¡± This woman was someone I knew back in my academy days. We both joined the knights and the mage core of the empire. The mage core was the empire''s elite team of mages and had the best mages from all over the contient. That being said most mages were nobles which was due to the empire''s law that commenors couldn¡¯t practice magic. Thanks to ¡®him¡¯ that law was abolished when the emperor was killed. It was thanks to ¡®him¡¯ that the world even had a fighting chance. It was a miracle one day he just appeared out of the blue. He then quickly rose through the ranks and was able to single-handedly push back the abyss and its forces and help gather forces to finally end this war. Looking at the people fighting I couldn¡¯t help but finally see the light at the end of this tunnel. Swinging my sword I killed a few more monsters and looked around to see that we were pushing the monsters and people back. However, the next moment the earth began to shake as a giant pillar came out of the mountain reaching toward the sky. It was a mix between black and white. The pillar rose so far that it reached the black crack in the sky. Before I could do anything else the crack started to close and the monsters started to writhe on the floor. After we finished executing the monsters we started to head inside the mountain. We passed a bunch of corpses of monsters and made it inside a giant cavern with a giant hole on top where you could now see the bright blue sky. Looking around my eyes fell on a sword that was shattered into pieces. My eyes shot wide open and I rushed toward the sword. While I hadn¡¯t ever seen this sword before I had sensed this type of energy. I closed my eyes and bit my lip. I then started to hear something behind me and saw that everyone was kneeling. I then followed suit and kneeled on the floor. Today the great war had finally ended. But today was also the day a noble sacrifice was made¡­ ¡®Rest in peace¡¯ I prayed ¡®Artorias¡¯ Return (3) Slamming my fist in the Great Calamity¡¯s face I felt a rush of excitement. ¡°Take that you piece of shit!¡± I shouted We were at it for a while now and I was dead tired but so was this thing. However, what irritated me was its stupid arm! It basically cancelled out anything be it magic or not! With those conditions, there was no way for me to use my spell otherwise it would be cancelled out! So I had to find some way to separate its arm so I just fucking blew off the side where his arm was! "Argh! You damned-" Before it could finish I punched him. ¡°W-wait we-Argh! Stop hitting me-AH¡± I didn¡¯t stop until I was satisfied However, I then let out a breath and stopped hitting. I had vented out my frustration enough and my body was hurting all over. I was already tired and if this guy died it would be a hassle. ¡°Ugh finally, now can-¡± I smacked his face ¡°Shut the fuck up!¡± However, I then felt something change. The mana started to move toward the great calamity and a slight white hue grew from it. It took a few seconds to realize what was happening but when I did a curse escaped my mouth. ¡°Shit! Stop it, you suicidal bastard!¡± ¡°Fuck you!¡± Gritting my teeth I tried to think of a few ways to stop it but all of them were immediately thrown out the window as he grabbed me with its remaining arm. ¡°Damn it!¡± Channeling my remaining mana I decided to use my spell. Teleportation magic was new here thanks to the war so there wasn¡¯t much about it. That also meant higher dimensions weren¡¯t exactly something I could achieve. This spell was just one of many by some abyss creatures and the gods. At first, I wanted to capture it and see if it would work; however, it didn¡¯t seem that I had a choice. A bright white ring appeared around us, absorbing my mana along with the mana in the air. However, suddenly, purple flames started to erupt from where his right hand was. The next second, I was blinded by a bright light, and my vision was then black. *** Darkness covered my vision for a while until I started to regain some sort of sensation. Feeling my soar body I slowly opened my eyes to see that I was staring at a familiar ceiling. It was a ceiling I had recognized for a while. It was the ceiling of my dorm room. Quickly getting up I patted my body seeing that every limb I had was in tacket. Letting out a breath I then pulled out a phone that was in my pocket. Looking around I found a charger before I plugged my phone. After a minute my phone turned on causing my heart to go into overdrive. Looking at the date I let out a breath of relief. 5 days. That¡¯s how long I had spent in Arcadia. Realizing that a bitter smile crossed my face. In reality, I had spent over 15 years in that place trying to survive but it turns out I wasn¡¯t exactly gone for long. But that was all thrown out the window. I was home. That realization filled me with so much joy that I started to dance around my dorm room. That, however, was short-lived as I tripped over something causing me to fall on the floor. ¡°Ah fuck,¡± Turning around I tried to figure out what I tripped over but when I saw what I tripped on I froze. A body. A giant body was lying on the floor. But it wasn¡¯t just any regular body. White hair down to its shoulders, ash-grey skin, one black arm covered in purple lines, and a body that looked like a greek god¡­ Yup, there was no mistaking it¡­other than the grey skin this body was the body of the great calamity. Quickly getting up I prepared a few spells and created some barriers around the body. ¡®Did this bastard also come here!?¡¯ It made sense that we were in the spell when I activated it, but I didn¡¯t expect him to come here! After a bit of no movement, I then formed a finger using my mana and started to poke yet there still wasn¡¯t any reaction. I then slowly tried to approach the body but I quickly froze due to a voice. ¡°Ugh, the hell?¡± I looked around trying to locate where it was coming from I then locked on to a small floating willo-whisp. Looking at the small red fireball floating in the air, I was stunned. I couldn¡¯t speak for a moment, my mouth just opened and closed like a fish as I tried to process what was happening.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡®There¡¯s no way this is real, right?¡¯ Moving my hand toward the small will o-wisp I thought my hand would pass right through it but instead, I felt a little resistance. ¡°Get your hand off of me you bastard!¡± Clenching and unclenching my hand with disgust I looked at the will o-wisp. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I groaned. ¡°Please tell me this is just some kind of illusion,¡± ¡°You piece of shit! This is all your fault!¡± I guess I¡¯m not hallucinating, but... Ignoring him cursing I looked down at the giant body that was basically covering half of my dorm room before I looked back at the crimson will o-wisp Why the hell was it here? Not only that but why was its soul out of its body? Before I could start asking questions I sensed something or someone coming Panicking, I looked at the corpse of the Great Calamity in my room. Thinking quickly, my shadow started to expand before tendrils of shadows wrapped around the Great Calamity¡¯s body. It quickly dragged the body into the shadow and returned just as the door creaked open, and a woman with glasses entered. She looked around before frowning and settling her gaze on me. ¡°Mr. Thornebrook, what are you doing?¡± Following her gaze, I realized she was looking at my clothes, which were torn and dirty like I had been through hell, which I technically had. But I couldn¡¯t just say ¡°Yeah sooo I got trapped in another world and to survive I learned magic and had to kill a giant monster to get back home¡± Worst case, I¡¯d be put in a psych ward. So I quickly came up with a lie. ¡°Cosplay,¡± I replied plainly ¡°There was a convention downtown so I thought I¡¯d post some pictures on Instagram,¡± At this point, lying had become a habit. In Arcadia, I lied about my identity countless times to avoid being hunted down. ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t look like you¡¯ve packed, so instead of...¡± she gestured toward my clothes, ¡°playing dress-up, you should start packing.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± When she closed the door, I let out a sigh of relief, grabbed my phone again, and looked through my messages. ¡°What a primitive artifact,¡± Hearing the great calamity speak I decided to ask my question. ¡°How the hell are you even here?¡± There was silence for a moment before it answered like I was some sort of idiot, ¡°Because of that spell you used.¡± Remembering my final spell, I frowned. ¡°It was just a teleportation spell, so how are you here?¡± ¡°Thanks to that spell, me trying to off myself didn¡¯t go according to plan. Rather than exploding my body or soul, it seemed to merge my soul with yours,¡± it explained I froze. ¡°Wait...fused!?¡± If that meant what I think it meant, then... ¡°We¡¯re stuck together.¡± ¡°...¡± I stared at the wisp in silence before sighing deeply. ¡°Just great.¡± I was now stuck with a crazy demonic entity that could probably take over my body at any time. And with my magic¡ª Wait...my magic! Smiling I walked over to my desk and put my hand on it. When I did that a slight white hue surrounded the desk before it disappeared along with my computer. Turning toward my closet I rifled through my clothes until I found a black shirt and some pants. The shirt was something I got at a science convention I remember it because I had won second place. Taking off my other clothes I then put the rest of my clothes in my dimensional storage. I then headed into my bathroom and entered the shower. Feeling the warm water run over my body felt¡­ relieving. After washing myself I put on my clothes and stretched. ¡°Time to go home,¡± I then activated my teleportation spell. Or tried to at least¡­ However, the next moment I felt extremely tired before I felt my legs fall asleep causing me to face-plant on the floor. Groaning I was met with laughter causing me to glare at the small fireball. ¡°The fuck are you laughing for?¡± ¡°haha when you faceplanted haha¡± ¡°You son of a-¡± Reaching for it I then tried punching it causing it to move away ¡°Oi what was that for!?¡± ¡°Explain now,¡± the words escaped through my lips raspy like I had just run a marathon for 2 days without water. ¡°You don¡¯t have enough mana,¡± Panicked, I realized my mana reserves were low. Worse, the mana that remained was impure. The quality was nowhere near what it should¡¯ve been. I quickly checked my body and cursed. ¡°Damn it,¡± Gone¡­ My magic cultivation...gone. Remembering the nights I trained I couldn¡¯t help but scrunch my face All those nights of training were just...gone. It had all reset. ¡°Did you do this?¡± I glared at the fireball. It stayed silent for a moment. ¡°It seems your magic weakened due to the fusion.¡± ¡°Oh, come on!¡± Cursing I then got up before I grabbed my phone. Going through my messages again I saw that there wasn¡¯t a lot which was expected. It wasn¡¯t like I was surprised though as I didn¡¯t have any friends before I got transported or any guardians for that matter. These messages though were from a few tenants that were renting my house. Reading the messages I let out a sigh of relief and put my phone in my pocket and exited my dorm. Making my way to the elevator I ignored the things that bastard was spouting. After handing my ID and other things to the campus security I then headed toward the bus stop. I was hoping to walk in peace but that seemed like a dream at this point. ¡°Human, what is this place?¡± ¡°Human, what is this thing?¡± ¡°Human!¡± ¡°Human¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± I finally snapped. This thing was getting on my nerves. ¡°How dare you! Do you know who I am!?¡± it protested. ¡°I am Zelsar, King of Dreams, The Eternal Flame of Chaos, burning all who dare oppose me-¡± ¡°Yet you lost to a high schooler,¡± I shot back, which earned me more yelling. It floated in front of me ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not here by choice! You dragged me here!¡± ¡°Me? You¡¯re the one who decided to blow yourself up!¡± But at that moment I noticed people staring at me strangely. As if reading my mind, the wisp said, ¡°No one else can see me.¡± My brow twitched Couldn¡¯t have told me that earlier? I pulled out my phone and pretended to be on a call ¡°Can you like separate us?¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± it said, sounding annoyed ¡°If I had my full power then I would¡¯ve easily devoured you,¡± hearing that a shiver went up my spine however, he ignored it and continued ¡°Your soul had overpowered mine and if it wasn¡¯t for my quick thinking I would¡¯ve died. But thanks to that my powers are weakened¡­unless, of course, you surrender your soul to-¡± ¡°Never gonna happen buddy,¡± I replied plainly as I sat on the bench waiting for the bus. ¡°...Can I then go-¡± Seeing where this was headed I cut him off¡°No,¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even finish!¡± After I denied him a second time he kept badgering me. ¡®Wasn¡¯t this guy supposed to be one of the strongest beings? Why was he whining like a child?¡¯ Shaking my head I then thought about my future. I guess I could live with this guy, however, I needed to level up a little bit. Just as I was thinking that the bus had arrived. I boarded a bus, scanned my pass, and sat down. ¡°So, what does that mean for us?¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s impossible to separate our souls in my current state,¡± it stated plainly ¡°If I try anything, I¡¯ll probably die,¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound that bad,¡± I commented. ¡°Damn brat!¡± it cursed but the next thing it said caused me to frown ¡°If I die your magic will also disappear,¡± Hearing that I couldn¡¯t help but sigh and lean back and close my eyes. I could feel the mana in the air. I had noticed this earlier but I was a bit wrapped up in the situation from what I could sense it was much purer and thicker here than in Arcadia. Thanks to that, it seemed like I didn¡¯t have to hunt animals for mana. But my magic was still much weaker, due to our current state. If we tried to separate our souls, it would kill him, but it was likely that my magic would disappear as well. In other words, we were stuck together. And we had to deal with it¡­. ¡®Just great. I get home, and I¡¯m already stuck with a world-ending calamity¡¯ What a homecoming. Homecoming (1) Looking at my reflection through the bus window, I couldn¡¯t help but scratch my hair, which stretched down to my shoulders. Despite my appearance not changing and me not aging my hair grew pretty long. Considering that the barbers in Arcadia were basically butlers for nobles I figured it would be a waste of time to hire one. But now that I¡¯m back I might as well get a haircut. ¡°This world is strange,¡± Turning toward the red fireball floating around the bus, I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Strange how?¡± I mumbled. There was silence for a bit before he replied, ¡°It seems familiar.¡± This caused me to frown. ¡®Familiar?¡¯ ¡°Have you been here before?¡± With the amount of mana here, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if higher-dimensional beings had visited this place. ¡°No¡­Ah,¡± floating in front of me he started to speak again ¡°The Spirit World!¡± *Cough* I choked on my spit causing me to cough violently. After finishing I took a deep breath and seriously looked at the Great Calamity. ¡°What about it?¡± ¡°It seems that the spirit world is closely intertwined with this world,¡± My vision immediately shifted. The world around me changed and different coloured particles were everywhere. I started to look around however, I still saw mana particles and nothing else. ¡°I don¡¯t see any spirits,¡± I commented ¡°That¡¯s due to the barrier,¡± I tilted my head ¡°Barrier?¡± It didn¡¯t reply, but I got the sense it was looking at me like I was an idiot. ¡°Tsk, how¡¯d I lose to you?¡± Calming myself down with a breath I returned my vision to normal and he started explaining, ¡°There is a barrier that is separating the spirit world from this plain. Although I believe we can access it if you perform a ritual,¡± Thinking about it I decided to leave it ¡°Nah,¡± ¡°What!?¡± Looking out the bus window, I realized where I was, tapped the button to stop the bus, and quickly got off. As I walked, a smile spread across my face as I saw the familiar neighbourhood. I was finally home. No more monsters, dealing with gods, or even trying to hide I was from another world. I was free from all that shit. ¡°I just want to live a relaxing life,¡± I said simply. A peaceful life, that¡¯s all I wanted. If I was being honest I didn¡¯t want to rule the world or even create some sort of secret organization. And if I were being honest most of the spirits were annoying and I didn¡¯t want to deal with them. ¡°Hey, are you crazy? Do you know how much strength you would possess if you tried to regain your power?¡± ¡°I just want enough power to make my life easier,¡± I wanted to live a peaceful life where I didn¡¯t need to worry about food or losing my house. Something comfortable that didn¡¯t require too much labour and allowed me to spend most of my time at home doing nothing. ¡®Ah, what a dream¡¯ Besides, more power did not necessarily translate to an ¡°easier life.¡± In those novels I read, when the main characters got stronger, it was either to save their family or get ¡°revenge¡± on someone who ruined their life or something like that. I, on the other hand, didn¡¯t really have anyone else to care about or any particular motivation. But as I was walking, the yelling that guy was doing started to annoy me. ¡®Can I even live a peaceful life with this guy?¡¯ If I was being honest, I didn¡¯t like him. Based on what I¡¯d heard and seen about this guy¡¯s powers, he was undoubtedly strong close to omnipotent even. However, in my current state, there was no way for me to kill or even seal him. That being said, I also didn¡¯t know how much strength the guy had left, but I knew he was weaker than me. For now, at least. ¡®I guess I should probably find a way to get rid of this guy¡¯ However, I then realized something. Stopping myself I tried to hear his voice but what I was met with was silence. I looked around to see that the small fireball had disappeared. I then closed my eyes I felt a weird feeling as I examined my soul. The human soul was something I hadn¡¯t gotten a full grasp on yet. However, this was still some of my strength but now it''s most of my strength. As I was examining it I found what I was looking for.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. A small dark insidious aura was floating in my soul or to be more accurate a certain area of my soul had this dark insidious aura. It didn¡¯t seem to expand or really do anything. ¡®Should I cast something?¡¯ However, at the moment there wasn¡¯t anything I could cast and there was also the fact it could probably adsorb my magic and expand its influence on my soul. That wasn¡¯t even touching the fact of what it could do to my magic. With a sigh, I continued to walk and made it in front of a regular-looking house. There wasn¡¯t much I could really use to describe it besides its brick exterior and lack of a balcony. Approaching the door, I lifted the rug to find a key. Grabbing it, I inserted it into the keyhole and twisted, hearing a satisfying click. Opening the door, the familiar hallway greeted me. ¡°Ah,¡± I took a deep breath and smiled. ¡®Home Sweet Home.¡¯ Closing the door behind me, I kicked off my shoes before making my way to the living room. Everything was already set, meaning there wasn¡¯t much for me to do¡ªwell, other than bringing in my bed and sofa, that is. I had rented this house to a nice couple, which helped me pay off the mortgage and stuff. The agreement stated that they had to leave once I graduated high school and started university, but they didn¡¯t complain. This house was where my parents raised me before they passed away. From the memories I could recall, they were a happy couple. My father worked for the government, while my mother stayed at home. It was safe to say we were middle class. I didn¡¯t think we were rich until I saw my inheritance. That¡¯s why I could go to a boarding school and still pay for my university. I didn¡¯t really have that much left. Excluding university costs, bills, and other expenses, I could probably survive for a month without working, giving me time to focus on university. This meant I needed a job. But then a certain idea hit me. I have read my fair share of web novels and some of them even of the returnee genre. When the characters returned to their original world it would¡¯ve changed as things like dungeons appeared and people with powers called ¡°Hunters¡± explored these dungeons to earn money and kill monsters. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I checked every news source for any articles about strange phenomena, like glowing portals in the sky. However, after I started to read it, I realized that I couldn¡¯t find anything. There nothing! No strange murders, no glowing portal sights, and no monsters. It was just people complaining about the current economy. It was safe to say that I was disappointed. Now some might wonder, hey if you wanted to get home and relax why the hell did you want there to be a dungeon break? And to that, I say¡­money. But it seems that wasn¡¯t the case meaning I had to go back to plan A. ¡°Shame,¡± With that mutter I got up. After all, there was something important to do. Something I could not put off any longer. Getting up from the couch I went upstairs to where my room was located. When I opened the door there wasn¡¯t anything there as most of my stuff was in storage. However, when I waved my hand, my PC appeared, along with the wires and my monitor. Grabbing the power strip, I plugged it into an outlet and started to connect the cables to my PC. Most of them were already attached, so it wasn¡¯t super difficult. Opening a browser I then waited before I launched a game that I always played. ¡°Hey, human-¡± I heard the voice again, but I quickly cut him off. ¡°Shut it I¡¯m trying to do something here,¡± After the game loaded I quickly pressed ¡°quick play¡± and was put into a game. I could sense the great calamity staring at my screen but I didn¡¯t care. Since I was back I was going to play my video games to my heart¡¯s content. *** Rolland Greinvil¡¯s POV Taking the glass of whiskey, I quickly downed the liquid before feeling that burning sensation at the back of my throat. Despite drinking almost three bottles of whiskey, I didn¡¯t get drunk¨Cwhich was expected, considering that normal human drinks didn¡¯t exactly affect me¡ªbeing a spirit contractor and all. ¡®Fuck my life.¡¯ ¡°Be a teacher they said, the pay is great they said, Damn bastards!¡± Taking another swig of the glass I slammed it on the floor. ¡°Those damn kids are menaces, I tell you!¡± I took the academy job because I thought it would let me escape the succession race¡ªwhich it did. However, dealing with these brats was something I hated! And don¡¯t even get me started on the pay! ¡°Fuck I should¡¯ve kicked their asses in the succession race,¡± I muttered ¡°Sir,¡± Looking up at the bartender ¡°Is there anything else you would like?¡± ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± Putting down a few hundred dollar bills I got up ¡°Keep the change,¡± I commented before I headed out of the bar. Looking at the afternoon sky I couldn¡¯t help but sigh ¡°I guess I have to greet the freshmen,¡± muttering I was about to head toward my home but I quickly froze. I felt a sudden burst of mana fill the air. ¡°What the hell?¡± The sudden burst probably would¡¯ve made normal mages go dizzy or even have a hard time breathing however, I quickly regulated my mana flow to suit my body. Looking around I tried to see what caused that sudden burst. ¡®Is it a ritual?¡¯¡¯ No, it can¡¯t be. There was no event that corresponded to any nearby rituals. That didn¡¯t rule out rogue cults, but this felt different. The mana felt so¡­afraid as it was running away from something. ¡°Damn¡± I could feel my entire vision shift before I appeared above the city. From up here, I could see many things, and I could also sense many things. Closing my eyes, I tried to figure out where the disturbance came from. Turning toward a certain direction I quickly moved toward that direction. I then stopped as I looked at the building in front of me. ¡®A private school?¡¯ There was no doubt about it. This was where the disturbance originated from but I quickly realized a big problem. I didn¡¯t know exactly where this disturbance came from. All I knew was that it was in that dormitory. I quickly descended to the ground and walked toward the dormitory increasing my senses. I quickly used illusion magic to hide my appearance and make it seem like I went to this school. Entering the building I looked around trying to figure out where that burst of mana originated from. After not finding anything in the lobby I headed toward the elevator and clicked the button. With a chim, the door opened allowing me to enter. I pressed the button on the top floor and when the elevator started to move up I tried to sense weirdness on every floor, however, I then found something. On the third floor, there was a small presence. However, that presence seemed to be linked to another strange presence. ¡°Was it a ritual performed by some occultist?¡± It wouldn¡¯t be a surprise as there were many people who weren¡¯t mages that did rituals. While most of them were fake there were still a few that were real which caused a lot of problems. But this one seemed more powerful meaning it could be related to a more powerful being. ¡®Damn, another one? How many is that now?¡¯ Returning to the third floor, I headed toward where I sensed the presence. I felt it approach the door. Bracing myself, I prepared for something monstrous to appear. However, what exited the room was just some regular kid. He seemed to be annoyed as he was walking toward me. ¡®Crap, did he sense me?¡¯ But then, he walked past me, leaving me confused. Focusing my eyes on him, I noticed something floating around him. ¡®Did something latch onto him?¡¯ Deciding to follow him, I changed my appearance again. Trailing him to the elevator, I observed him carefully. He seemed to be a resident here, which probably meant he had rich parents. However, my focus was on the entity around him. I couldn¡¯t fully make it out, but it resembled some sort of spirit. ¡®Is he a mage?¡¯ Looking more closely, I saw that his magic pathways were better than the average person¡¯s. While it was possible, this particular spirit felt off. ¡®Let¡¯s observe for now.¡¯ I¡¯d have to see what this guy actually was. If he was a threat, I would kill him. If not, then¡­ Maybe I could use him. Homecoming (2) Adrian Thornebrook¡¯s POV Gasping I quickly shot up from the floor and panted heavily while I felt my heart beating. I quickly looked around with my hand raised and noticed I was in a familiar room. My room. This caused a smile to appear on my face. ¡®It wasn¡¯t a dream¡¯ I was actually home. Turning toward the side I saw my PC and my busted-up mouse. Seeing that made my mouth twitch. Yesterday as I was playing somehow I wasn¡¯t able to control my strength or that¡¯s what I thought. Magic didn¡¯t just enhance my senses but it also made my body stronger. However, I thought that would have faded as I didn¡¯t exactly have my magic. But I guess I was wrong. ¡°Now I need a new mouse,¡± I stretched and looked at the floor where I had laid a mattress and a blanket. I hadn¡¯t gotten my bed out of storage yet. ¡®Should get that done today¡¯ I grabbed my phone and made my way downstairs. Going into the kitchen, I opened the fridge only to be met by nothing. Sighing, I slammed the fridge door closed and grabbed my wallet. ¡°I need groceries too¡­¡± Opening my wallet I saw 3, 10 dollar bills. ¡°I need a job,¡± I did have a job before; however, I had quit because I wanted to study for finals. I had gotten a scholarship; however, it wouldn¡¯t help as much as I thought it would. With another sigh, I waved my hand, and a new pair of clothes appeared in my hand. I then headed upstairs. I then headed toward the bathroom before I started to take a shower. Feeling the warm water hitting my body I got some soap and started to scrub. ¡°Good morning human, ¡° ¡°Son of a-¡± Hearing the voice I instinctively covered my crotch. Glaring at the red fireball that had appeared in front of me I noticed that the water that was falling was going right through it. However, it didn¡¯t seem to mind or care just looking at me. ¡°The fuck are you doing!?¡± I shouted The fireball pulsed in the air as if it was rolling its eyes ¡°Relax would you? Not like there much to see,¡± My mouth twitched when I heard that. ¡°What. Do. You. Want?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just greeting you,¡± it replied simply. I pushed it out of the shower and started to finish up. I then heard it talking however, I tried to ignore him. After finishing my shower I put on my clothes. Heading down stairs I put on my sweater and headed toward a breakfast food chain near here. ¡°Human are we going to get some food now?¡± ¡°There is no ¡®we¡¯ here,¡± I commented ¡°Besides it isn¡¯t like you can eat,¡± ¡°No, but I can taste the food you eat,¡± ¡°Of course you can,¡± I let out a sigh. As I walked, I looked back for a second however, I didn¡¯t see anything out of the ordinary. ¡°I guess I¡¯m just being paranoid,¡± ¡°So what are we doing,¡± ¡°Food,¡± I said simply. However, I then asked something that I had been questioning for a while. ¡°What the hell were you doing anyway?¡± I asked I doubted he needed to sleep as he was just a soul and he didn¡¯t have a body. ¡°N-nothing,¡± it bobbed up and down causing me to narrow my eyes. However, I decided to let it go for now. There wasn¡¯t much we could do to each other at the moment, he was just a soul while I barely had my magic. Thinking about my magic my brow twitched. ¡®So much more living the easy life¡¯ I thought countless times about how easy my life would be if I had magic. How I could cheat on my tests, how could easily earn money all that jazz. But it seems that most of my plans went down the drain. At the moment there wasn¡¯t much I could do.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Thinking about that I couldn¡¯t but grit my teeth. ¡®Fuck you, bastard,¡± ¡°Bastard!? I have a name you know! I am Zelsar the-¡± ¡°Yea, yea eternal flame, the demon king of dreams and all that,¡± but the next second I froze before looking at the fireball ¡°D-did you just¡­read my mind?¡± ¡°Why are you shocked? We share the same soul it''s only natural,¡± he stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. ¡®Seems I need to do more research on the soul¡¯ Despite thinking that I doubted there was much here. There wasn¡¯t anything ¡°magical¡± in this world, the things we called magic were just some cheap parlor tricks that used redirection and could be done by anyone. The stuff I could do was only seen in video games or movies. It was something that couldn¡¯t be explained by the logic of people here. Although I have to admit I am a bit surprised that people haven¡¯t discovered what mana is. With its large abundance, there should be at least a few mages in this world. Thinking of the stories that existed here I wouldn¡¯t say it wasn¡¯t impossible but¡­ ¡°Whatever not like I want to meet any of them,¡± When I made it to the front of the restaurant I opened and heard the chime of the bell. Noticing that there were a few customers here but not a lot. There was also an old lady at the register who was ordering. Standing behind her I looked at the menu and decided the things I wanted. ¡°Human can we have this delicacy,¡± The crimson fireball flouted toward a certain image of some sort of croissant sandwich. Ignoring his badgering I then noticed that the old lady had finished ordering. I was about to approach the cashier, however, I noticed something weird. I hadn¡¯t noticed this before as I was trying to figure out the magic stuff. I had recognized this smell¡­it was the smell of a vampire! In Arcadia, vampires did exist and had a¡­ cordial relationship with humans. If I was being honest if the Aybss didn¡¯t open there was probably going to be a war with the humans and the vampires. That being said the relationship did improve a little bit once the war started. I even had a vampire join my party. ¡®I wonder what that bastard is doing nowadays?¡¯ Approaching the counter I started to order my coffee and bagel and thanks to that bastard badgering I got the croissant sandwich as well as some pancakes. ¡°Hey human get this-¡± ¡®No, This is all you¡¯re getting¡¯ I thought firmly. Handing my money and receiving the change I stuffed it into my pocket and started to wait for my food. As I was waiting I decided to see where that smell was coming from. Looking around the restaurant I saw a few people. One was the old lady who was in front of me. Another was what seemed to be a middle-aged man going through his phone. While the rest seemed to be college students doing work. ¡®hm¡¯ Despite using my senses on each one I couldn¡¯t find out who exactly was the vampire here. However, suddenly a tray of food was placed in front of me and a waitress greeted me with a smile. Returning back the smile I then turned toward the food. ¡®Well I guess I figured out who the vampire is¡¯ Looking at the brown-haired girl who was smiling I thanked her with a smile. ¡°Human! there are more vampires in the back!¡± Taking a bite of the bagel I looked at the floating fireball. ¡®You¡¯re kidding¡­Did I just stumble upon some sort of vampire layer or something!?¡¯ However, I made sure no sweat appeared and my heartbeat was steady. Taking a sip of my coffee I couldn¡¯t help but let out a breath after having the taste of the warm coffee. ¡®How sweet~¡¯ To this day I couldn¡¯t understand people who drank black coffee. Coffee itself is pretty bitter, the only thing I found appealing about it was its smell. Even though coffee was a thing in Aracdia it was mostly served to the nobility as coffee beans were surprisingly rare. However, the only thing they added to it was cream no sugar. Thinking about it now made me shiver. Taking another sip I started to devour the bagel before I moved on to the sandwich. It was pretty good although I couldn¡¯t say it was worth the surprise. Glancing toward the fireball who was looking at the sandwich I couldn¡¯t help but think how I should proceed. ¡®Could the vampire¡¯s sense him?¡¯ But I decided to wave that thought away for now. I had to focus on trying to regain my power and separate my soul from his. Finishing the sandwich I then moved on to the pancake. ¡°Human what are you putting on those cakes,¡± the fireball floated toward the bottle of syrup in my hands. ¡°Syrup,¡± I commented. Using my knife I split the pancakes and shoved some in my mouth. ¡®Yes these delicacies are worthy for this king¡¯ ¡®King my ass¡¯ ¡°You dare mock me?¡± Ignoring his comments I quickly finished my food and grabbed my coffee exiting the restaurant. ¡®Guess I¡¯d have to find another place to get breakfast¡¯ If the vampires existed there was no doubt that mages existed here. With the spirit world and all, I first thought it was a high possibility but with the confirmation of vampires, mages also must exist. However, if they had the same relationship as they did in Aracadia then it wouldn¡¯t be wise to continue going there. Reading my thoughts the fireball chimed in ¡°They probably know you¡¯re a mage,¡± Hearing that made cold sweat down my back ¡°How would that be possible?¡± My mana was flowing like a normal human and I made sure not to increase my heartbeat or reveal my nervousness. ¡°Because my body is your shadow,¡± When I heard that, I was facepalmed. It did make sense. Despite not being able to smell it the amount of mana and pure choes energy it was emitting would alert any newborn. ¡°Damn it! I totally forgot,¡± I then started to run toward my house. ¡®Shit, Shit, Shit!¡¯ With my inhuman speed, I was able to make it back to my house in no time. Quickly opening and closing the door I headed toward the garage. Once I entered the garage I looked at the empty garage before a light blue glow surrounded my hand. The next moment a blue barrier surrounded the garage. Feeling my mana rapidly deplete I clenched my teeth. Once the barrier was complete my shadow expanded before the body of the great calamity rose. Looking at its body that was sprawled on the garage floor I thought of what to do. There was no way for me to have a barrier around this guy¡¯s body 24/7 as I would need to move the barrier around me as well. ¡°What happens if I just leave you in the garage,¡± I commented. The fact that he wasn¡¯t bothered by my comment did trouble me a little but the next part he said made me shiver ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, some spirits will be attracted here,¡± ¡°Fuck,¡± I knew what he meant by ¡°some spirits¡±. Most spirits were created by the elements like air, water, or wind. However, those aren¡¯t the only things that exist here. There are things called ¡°Currpoted Spirits.¡± They were born of miasma, which is a negative emotion. They did exist in the spirit world; however, they were feared by many due to their strength. If something like that appeared here there was no way for me to take it in. Looking at the body I then thought about the other thing I had. Waving my hand a giant stump of white wood appeared on the floor. Wood from the World Tree. It was something that possessed a large amount of magic. ¡®It should be enough right¡¯ I received this after I helped the elves regain their territory. The world tree had an immense amount of mana and elemental energy. Thanks to this it would be a great deterrent and should cover up the body¡¯s mana signature. Stretching out my hand I used the remaining mana I had to shape the food. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°What does it look like?¡± I said simply ¡°I¡¯m making a coffin¡± Familiar Faces (1) Standing up, I stretched before looking at the big coffin. It was pure white and smooth. However, there was one thing left to do, and that was the runes. Despite being basically a corpse, the body still held immense power. Even if the world tree had some power, I doubted it would be enough. Taking a breath, a pen-like object appeared in my hand as I poured my remaining mana into it. This was a runic pen, essentially a pen for drawing runes. Runes, to put it simply, were the ¡°language of mana.¡± Well, that¡¯s what the dwarves said anyway. Runes actually resembled circuits. Inside a rune was a program¡ªa spell that ran through the circuit, which was the rune itself. I added many defense and restriction spells, hoping this would work. If it didn¡¯t, I¡¯d basically be screwed. Well, not entirely, as I had one last option, but it wasn¡¯t something I wanted to risk. Once I finished the coffin, I grabbed the body. It was way heavier than expected, but I managed to place it inside the coffin. As soon as I did, the change was immediate. The once-white coffin turned an inky black, causing me to panic. Soon, the entire coffin turned jet black. ¡®What the hell is this body?¡¯ Before I could stop it, the crimson fireball suddenly entered the corpse, making my heart race. ¡°Ah, fuck¡ª¡± I quickly reacted, channeling my remaining mana toward the corpse. To my surprise, the runes began glowing red and changing. The wood of the world tree had been fully corrupted, and that wasn¡¯t all¡ªthe runes had transformed. As I touched the body, I was about to cast my spell when a purple fireball hit me in the face, knocking me on my ass. ¡°What just happened?¡± I muttered, looking at the corpse. It didn¡¯t move, but the crimson fireball floated there. ¡®Wait, wasn¡¯t it purple before?¡¯ ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°I helped you,¡± it said proudly. ¡°Now you see that even in this state, you¡¯re no match for me. Haha!¡± ¡°God, I wanna kill you again,¡± I muttered. Taking a deep breath, I grabbed the white lid, tossed it onto the coffin, and watched as it turned black as well. Looking at the coffin I observed the different runes that were now engraved on it. I tried sensing the body, but the coffin did its job, letting me store it back in my shadow. Looking at the fireball, I asked, ¡°What exactly did you do?¡± ¡°I changed the structure of your runes,¡± it said simply. ¡°Changed how?¡± No matter how many times I asked, I couldn¡¯t understand what it did. So, I asked something else. ¡°How did you even manage that? You don¡¯t have arms or legs.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t doubt me, you weakling,¡± it replied smugly. Dispelling the barrier, I made my way back inside the house. ¡®Well, I guess I might as well get my stuff together.¡¯ I needed my bed and a table, not to mention groceries. Thinking about it, I sighed, trying to remember my bank balance. *** Sirens filled the air as people dressed in white ran around. With swords in their hands, they sprinted through the hallways toward a large door at the end. Slamming it open, four figures in white entered the room. What alarmed them wasn¡¯t the two cloaked figures standing in the center of the room, but the empty, unchained platform behind them. A golden glow surrounded the men dressed in white. ¡°Where is the staff!?¡± one of the knights shouted. The cloaked figures seemed surprised as they heard that but came to a conclusion. ¡°Seems that you bastards don¡¯t know where it is either,¡± one of them remarked Then a black insidious and sinister aura surrounded the 2 figures. Seeing this, the four holy knights charged at them. One knight swung his sword, its blade glowing with holy light, but one of the cloaked figures simply raised a hand and grabbed the weapon. The knight was shocked but then the next moment dark red lines appeared all over his body before he fell to the floor in pieces of flesh. The insidious black energy quickly converged in his hand before causing a giant explosion to happen in front of the man. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Once the smoke dissipated the man saw the rest of the mangled corpses of the knights. The man turned to his companion ¡°Hurry up and set up the artifact,¡± Nodding other individuals brought out some sort of circular device. However, both of them quickly turned and saw the imposing figure of a man. He was wearing silver armour which fit nicely with his blonde hair. However, his face showed his incredible rage as he looked at the 2 individuals. ¡°Shit hurry!¡± The black energy quickly surrounded the man again as he charged forward. Drawing his sword he quickly swung it but the next second he was sent flying backwards. Coughing up blood the man felt his broken ribs that were slowly falling into place. ¡®Damn, what the hell was he doing here!?¡¯ That man was one of the paladins of the Holy Emporer, a person so great that not even their God dared to challenge him. However, their main base was in North America, and while they did operate all over the globe it wasn¡¯t to the point where a strong force like his personal paladin would go. In fact it would violate one of the agreements that was signed with Europe. So why was a servant of such a great lord all the way in Europe? The cloaked figure stretched out a hand, sending a barrage of black beams toward the paladin. But with a simple flick of his wrist, the beams were destroyed. The next second, the paladin appeared above him, ready to strike. But before he could, the cloaked figure grabbed him, and a bright flash filled the room. *** Bluebell Le Doux¡¯s POV Getting up from my seat I looked grabbed my case which was above me. After I grabbed it I quickly started to exit the plane. After getting to the airport I then sat in a chair catching my breath. Looking at the long guitar case, I opened it carefully. Instead of a guitar, inside was a long, thin magic staff like the ones you¡¯d see in movies or TV shows. The staff was made of a dark blue metallic material, and at the tip was a large pink gemstone. Quickly closing the case, I leaned over it and groaned. ¡°What have I done?¡± This magic staff wasn¡¯t exactly¡­ normal You see this staff was considered a ¡°Sealed Relic¡±. This was because it held the ¡°Queen Of Calamity¡± In ancient times, a witch had caused havoc on the land. Her powers were so great that they in fact revealed that of the Holy Emporer at the time. Left with no other choice he had to seal her away. Thanks that her soul resided in this staff making it extremely dangerous as people could easily be able to let her loose if that gemstone was shattered. To make it even more secure it was placed in a staff that regularly drained its magic power. ¡°You seem to be in distress,¡± hearing the voice I looked up and saw no one not that I was surprised. ¡°Oh, I wonder why? Maybe it''s because I stole an artifact holding the thing that could probably end the world!?¡± I hissed ¡°Nobody forced you to steal me,¡± hearing that I let out a sigh While she wasn¡¯t right she also wasn¡¯t exactly wrong. I stole this staff because I needed to otherwise it would¡¯ve landed in the wrong hands or so I was told. And that wasn¡¯t even the worst part. The worst part was that I was going to be framed for causing the destruction of an entire country! Now you¡¯re probably wondering how I knew this. Well¡­ it was because of a fortune teller. Most fortune tellers are frauds, but some witches take up fortune-telling as a side job. It¡¯s not well-regarded among witches, though; those who do it are considered ¡°lesser witches.¡± However, I was interested in mysticism which revolved around rituals and stuff like that. So I thought seeing how real witches did stuff would help. I knew a few witches so I went to them but one recommended another witch. So I went to where the witch was. But when I was learning she used me as an example. She basically told me that I was going to be framed for three things and I was even told how I could prove it and that I should steal this staff on a certain day. Honestly, the details are a bit fuzzy now but what she said was true. I was almost framed for murder, and then violating the rules of the academy. However, this hit a boiling point when my best friend tried to kill me. So in self-defense, I killed her which was proven. This caused me to remember what that witch said. Thus I stole it. ¡°Ahhh, I¡¯m so regretting this,¡± I muttered My goal was to meet to give this to the Magi Association but I didn¡¯t exactly know how to go about this as I didn¡¯t know where it was. ¡°I¡¯m screwed,¡± ¡°You should run now!¡± hearing the panicked voice I got up and looked around. However, I then found a man looking around. He was wearing some sort of suit however, the energy rafting off of him made me shiver. ¡®It¡¯s like hers¡­¡¯ Remembering the time when I almost died due to my best friend caused me to shiver. Quickly getting a cap, I put all of my hair in the hat before putting it on. Using the other exit to leave the airport, I looked at the city around me and then tried to find a train station. After I found one, I bought a ticket. While I was waiting for my train I looked around trying to see if I had been tracked. ¡°You know there is an easy solution to this,¡± hearing that I froze ¡°What? What is it!?¡± ¡°Release me,¡± hearing that a shiver went up my spine. ¡°No,¡± I replied instantly Remembering all of the stories I had read about her I knew that once she was released chaos would consume the world. And the rumors that the Holy Emporer disappeared didn¡¯t make me feel any better. I took a deep breath ¡°I¡¯m sure I can think of something¡­right?¡± *** Adrian Thornebrook¡¯s POV Closing the door of my storage unit in frustration, I couldn¡¯t help but think about how I would have to assemble my bed. There weren¡¯t any instructions meaning I had to find a video or buy a new bed which was something I wasn¡¯t willing to do. Besides how hard could it be? As I was about to leave, my gaze fell on another storage unit nearby. Remembering what was inside, I walked over and opened it, revealing a sleek black car. It was something my dad had bought, and I¡¯d kept it stored here. Entering the unit I shuffled through the keys until I found the right one. Unlocking the car I sat in the driver seat and started the car, adjusted the settings, and got everything ready. Once I drove it out of the unit and locked everything up, I headed back home. Feeling the cool breeze coming through the open window, I let out a sigh. ¡®Now I remember why I hate driving.¡¯ Even though I had my driver¡¯s license, I didn¡¯t enjoy driving. It was pretty stressful for me as I always thought of the ¡°what if¡¯s¡±. But now it felt like a waste of fuel when I could just teleport. But remembering that I couldn¡¯t teleport right now, I slumped in defeat. When I arrived at my house, I parked the car and locked it. Entering my room a bunch of wooden structures appeared on the floor along with some bolts. Tossing my screwdriver onto the floor, I sat down and picked up a piece trying to organize it and also trying to figure out which piece should connect to which. ¡°Human, someone¡¯s at the door,¡± the Great Calamity said, breaking my thoughts. Listening carefully, I realized he was right as the doorbell rang. Getting up from the floor, I started heading downstairs when the Great Calamity spoke again. ¡°Human, be careful. Something feels¡­ off.¡± ¡°Off?¡± ¡°I sense a strange energy,¡± he replied. ¡®A strange energy?¡¯ Cautiously, I opened the door and was met with the sight of a familiar woman in a suit. ¡°Aunt Katherine!¡±