3: Chapter 3 I Want to Learn Magic

Zhang Mu stepped out of the swirling light gate, and the light gate immediately closed and disappeared.

It was still the same street. Looking around, the pedestrians passing by didn't notice him; he estimated this was likely a function of the game panel.

Only when the light gate closed could he be considered to have completely arrived in this world.

This way, Zhang Mu didn't have to worry about his secret being discovered by people from either world.

Clutching three buckets of instant noodles, he stood by the stone road, turning his head to look left and right.

The old man had run off too fast earlier, and he hadn't had time to ask for his name or address; now he didn't know where to find him.

After a moment of contemplation, Zhang Mu decided to wander around.

Although the doctor had said that day that he only had three months left, that was only a high probability, not an absolute; it was very possible for the symptoms to flare up earlier.

Therefore, every second was precious. He didn't want to waste time waiting here; walking around, he might find that old man or, with luck, run into another mage.

The town wasn't large. Zhang Mu walked through every street and alley in about an hour, yet he didn't find the old man, nor did he encounter anyone else dressed like a mage.

It seemed that even in a magical world, mages weren't a common profession; they were probably all concentrated in the big cities.

The scorching sunlight gradually softened, and the sky grew dim.

Dragging his somewhat exhausted body to a roadside bench, Zhang Mu's expression turned heavy.

Could that old man have just been passing through? Had he already left?

If that were the case, it would be troublesome.

He had just asked a passerby, and the nearest city would take two months to reach even by carriage.

With such a long time, if his luck was bad, he might die on the road.

What should he do?

Just as his spirits sank to rock bottom, a voice that brought him a pleasant surprise rang out.

"Guest from a foreign land."

He snapped his head up. The old man was walking toward him from across the stone road, saying, "I've been looking for you all afternoon, and I finally found you."

Zhang Mu suddenly realized; the man had also been searching for him all over town. The two had simply missed each other, and it wasn't until he stopped that they finally met.

Trying his best to keep his expression calm, Zhang Mu stood up and said, "Is there something you need?"

The old man stared at the three buckets of instant noodles in his arms, his Adam's apple bobbing with a gulp. "I hope you can sell me another portion of the food in your hands, guest."

After a moment of silence, Zhang Mu didn't say whether he would or not, but instead asked, "How should I address you?"

"You can call me Potter; all my friends call me that."

Nodding, he continued, "Mr. Potter, I can give you a bucket of instant noodles, and I don't want gold coins."

Zhang Mu wasn't so generous as to say he'd give him all three buckets. Rare things are precious; if there were too many, they wouldn't be worth as much.

Hearing this, the eager Potter didn't look particularly happy. He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Guest, the most expensive things in this world are always free."

"I think," Zhang Mu smiled, "what I want should be very cheap for you."

"Tell me."

"I want to learn magic."

Potter tilted his head, his expression looking somewhat puzzled. "To learn magic, just find any city with a Mage Guild and buy a Meditation Method."

"I like this town," Zhang Mu replied vaguely.

Without delving into the truth of that statement, Potter said, "My Meditation Method isn't some cheap common version, and I won't teach it to just anyone, unless..."

Zhang Mu's heart tightened, hoping he would be able to fulfill the condition.

"Unless you give me all three buckets of... what was it called? Instant noodles. Yes, give me all three buckets of instant noodles!"

Resisting the urge to complain, Zhang Mu pretended to hesitate for a moment before handing over the three buckets of instant noodles. "Deal."

Happily cradling the instant noodles in one arm, Potter leaned his staff against his side and pulled a blue-covered book from beneath his mage robes with his free right hand.

"To learn magic, you must first learn to sense mana, absorb mana, and use mana.

That greedy bunch of bastards at the Mage Guild split those three abilities into three volumes—beginning, middle, and end—and sell each volume separately.

The price is three times more expensive!

Mine is different; all three abilities are included."

Seeing the joy on Zhang Mu's face as he took the book, Potter warned him, "Whether you can become a mage depends entirely on your talent. If you lack too much of it, no amount of hard work will help."

Zhang Mu's smile faded. "How do I judge my talent?"

"Successfully mastering the three abilities within five years—that's the most basic requirement."

"If you exceed that, you'll never be able to become a mage in this lifetime, because it means you can't possibly understand the contents of the magic book."

Five years?! How could I have that much time!

Zhang Mu hurriedly asked, "What's the fastest someone can learn it?"

"The fastest I know of was the Grand President of the Mage Guild; it only took him two and a half years to complete the study of the Meditation Method."

Potter picked up his staff. "I live at 18 Hatton Street. Come find me once you've successfully learned the Meditation Method."

He said this, but in his heart, he didn't think the boy would ever come looking for him.

Just now, Potter had quietly checked Zhang Mu's magic talent; he had some, but not much.

If he was even a little lazy, he could forget about ever sensing mana in this life, let alone the two abilities after that.

Potter felt he had made a huge profit, exchanging a single Meditation Method for three buckets of delicious instant noodles.

With a happy smile on his face, he turned and walked away.

"The fastest is two and a half years?" Zhang Mu's face was blank as he slumped back onto the bench, muttering to himself, "You've got to be kidding me. You just gave me hope only to kick me back into the abyss..."

It wasn't until dusk faded and night fell, leaving the street deserted, that he snapped out of it.

"Whew—" He let out a breath and looked down at the Meditation Method in his hand.

On the blue cover were words drawn with lines, seemingly written with a quill.

He didn't recognize them, but he could understand the meaning; it should be the panel's built-in translation function.

"I have to try."

Encouraging himself, he opened the Meditation Method.

[Skill detected. Do you wish to learn?]

A mechanical voice suddenly rang in his mind. Zhang Mu seemed to realize something, his voice trembling slightly. "Yes!"

[Learning successful. You may view it on the character panel.]

"Open!"

[Character: Zhang Mu]

[Race: Human]

[Class: None]

[Rank: None]

[Skills: Meditation Method—Mana Sensing (Level 0), Mana Absorption (Level 0), Mana Control (Level 0)]

[Functions Unlocked: inventory, Revive on Spot, Revive in City (City not yet bound)]

Zhang Mu felt the massive influx of information in his mind, and his mood was beyond words.

Things had taken a turn for the better.

After absorbing the information flow, he closed his eyes to test it out. Sure enough, he "saw" dense spots of light floating around him.

With a slight thought, the spots of light surged toward him frantically.

After about half an hour, Zhang Mu felt a sensation of being "full" in his body before he opened his eyes.

He raised his hand, and a stream-like, translucent mana surged from within his body, forming a thin membrane on the skin of his palm, flowing incessantly.

After staring at it for a while, the mana membrane suddenly flickered and then dissipated.

The mana he had spent half an hour absorbing was exhausted.

Zhang Mu lowered his hand, pondering in his heart.

Although he was still a bit unskilled, as long as he increased the skill level, the total amount of mana his body could hold would increase, and his absorption speed and control ability would also improve.

Opening the Meditation Method, Zhang Mu quickly read through the preface. "According to the book, being able to see mana light spots, absorb mana into the body, and control mana to manifest means one has mastered the three abilities."

As for raising the upper limit of his abilities, he could take that slowly later. What mattered now was becoming a mage and learning magic that could cure cancer.

Zhang Mu put away the book and stood up to find Potter.