Chapter 1: Dereck (1)
toOWq7tDereck’s first teacher was a shabby old man who begged in the slums.VyfTdW
GfDbEven in Ebelstein, a renowned metropolis on the continent, there were slums where the destitute gathered. At the entrance to a dark alley frequented by thugs and prostitutes, the old man would loudly proclaim to the empty air that he was a great wizard, as if he had lost his mind.fRtv
WDKK4z“In my prime, I was a grand wizard who soared through the skies in the Great Northern War!”iSvuZq
92NP“The famous Grand Duke Beltus even personally sought me out to deal with the monsters in the frontier! Haha!”wQx
qc618The few remaining strands of hair on his wrinkled head were filthy, and his worn-out leather shirt and pants were stained with dirt and leftover food. To anyone who saw him, he was nothing more than a mad beggar, so naturally, no one believed his words.0pN84
2lKZ0D“Ah, these fools… Tsk!”uGMXjVp
6z91753Hurt by their disbelief, the old man would occasionally shoot fire into the air or summon a gust of wind.k3ElMPb
N03MVbIn an era where magic was rare, even the most basic magic was an invaluable skill in these slums. Passersby would applaud or exclaim in awe at his magic, but those with a bit of knowledge would critically remark:8iLzA2
yEooCw“I understand you can use magic, but your scale is too small to call yourself a grand wizard, don’t you think?”SY8B
xW4TB“Hey, you little brat! Who are you to criticize me?”eEh1qe
Oi4“Well, it’s just that you seem capable of only basic first-level magic, which noble children often master before their coming-of-age ceremony.”4f4R
uK3The old man swallowed dryly at the criticism from a man in the crowd. He hadn’t expected anyone in this filthy slum to recognize the levels of magic.lhBm
U3td5RU“Of course, it’s impressive to use magic at all in this wasteland, but claiming to be a grand wizard from your past seems a bit much. Let’s be honest.”NTsP
bQ8xJThe man, who looked neat and well-dressed, made it clear that between him and the beggar, there was no need to debate who was more credible. The gathered crowd laughed and mocked the old man, throwing trash and dirt at him.4CczR
dwPd6oa“See? I knew it! That annoying old man always boasts about himself when he walks by!”1LZfAR
k0KvXia“He thinks he’s special, but he’s just a worthless bum who rationalizes why he doesn’t belong in this back alley!”DIOIkqa
TrR3Even the ability to use basic magic was admirable to the poor in the slums. However, the old man’s arrogant behavior and constant belittling of others had made him a target of ridicule. As a result, he was spat on and mocked whenever he lay on the street.7iANxkE
sA9“Fools. They don’t recognize true talent…”SiegO
wbTNThe old man would mutter to himself, trying to justify his situation as the only way to defend his pride.db8xQ
989wGyOne day, while sitting on the ground, angrily biting into a piece of oat bread he found in the trash, a small boy with a dirty appearance approached him.3jIfmb
0r3kBY5“Please teach me magic.”OvM0b
zL2sXThe boy, who looked no older than ten, with white hair covered in dirt and a malnourished face, was a typical orphan from the slums.FwnSuhs
QhlIt was clear that the boy was not in his right mind to ask a beggar known for his tall tales to teach him magic. Despite his serious eyes, it was a common look in this harsh slum where survival was a daily struggle.KiIuLml
eCPhzx“My name is Dereck.”5Ov
eyHm“…Very well.”IIN
8gQ0The old man looked at the boy and then grinned, baring his teeth.e2h0
RijBF3hThe old man was a braggart. He was not a successful grand wizard from his youth, but a mediocrity who wandered the magical world with unremarkable talent and grew old without accomplishing anything.LvX
Pje5BHe had no real ability or intention to teach magic properly. Sometimes, people who have accomplished nothing in life need someone to take their boasts seriously and admire them. The arrival of a naive boy was a great stimulus to his otherwise empty life.Toh5Yg
9h2“Haha, Dereck, consider yourself honored to have me as your teacher. Though I may be sitting here in the dirt now, in my prime…”LNR3
XHRThe old man filled his ego by giving lengthy speeches to the small boy. Passersby would click their tongues or look sympathetically at Dereck, but he listened quietly to the old man’s stories.tIPr
FJlO88Occasionally, the old man would reluctantly share basic magical knowledge, though it was elementary and exaggerated to seem profound. Dereck, whether aware of the old man’s nature or not, absorbed the magical knowledge silently.I2DS8
aZF67XTime passed, and the seasons changed like a flowing river. The colorful autumn leaves disappeared, the weather turned cold, and soon it was spring again.uItWE3
8ktiEBTThe boy and the old man sometimes slept by the river, stole bread from bakeries, and endured the cold in makeshift shelters. Despite the difficulty of understanding people’s true nature, the old man gradually realized Dereck’s exceptional talent.TrL
wtjvP“Are you a bastard child from a noble family?”d0RLzV
8a1J8ng“Not at all.”lKv1rwj
Mb6OzIn magic, bloodline was paramount. Even the old man could see Dereck’s extraordinary talent. He grasped concepts quickly and applied them skillfully.RWNc
kDKE0hVIn terms of theoretical knowledge, Dereck soon matched first-level wizards, a feat rare even for noble children with the best resources.nSdJtJs
swfl“I wish that were the case.”ROYJoX
Lt1Dereck answered indifferently, the steam from fresh bread wafting in front of him. It was a lucky day, having successfully stolen a lot of warm bread. The old man greedily stuffed some into his leather pouch and began to eat, pushing the rest toward Dereck.uNN
X1eU“Why you’re so eager to learn magic, I don’t know, but you understand that as a commoner, there’s a limit to how far you can go.”J4G
9lfv“Yes.”q7o
35p“Noble children beyond Ebelstein’s northern walls often reach the third level before adulthood. For someone of low birth, it takes decades of training to reach that level. Does that motivate you?”rNYM
hHo9OThe old man couldn’t help but offer some life advice to the boy who seemed prematurely world-weary. Despite needing a follower, Dereck’s old-man-like demeanor made him difficult to like.FKF6
LEJW8LStill, time spent together breeds attachment. The old man felt compelled to share his grim outlook.HBPF
a5NpB“Even if you feel exceptional now, you’ll eventually hit an insurmountable wall.”5oVwk
J8RfHThis wasn’t just a story. The old man recalled his younger days, when his hard-earned magical skills were effortlessly matched by a duke’s son in a week. The chasm between noble and commoner was vast.0IOK
fwmQN“Live selfishly and tenaciously, like me.”gVkFsRF
Tqm“I’m not harboring grand ambitions. I just need a way to survive.”hIyl
X2nyJIk“Ah, speaking like you know everything at your age… this butter bread is delicious. Seems we got lucky.”55Jib
AFX“My bread only smells of grains.”4voC
oPxBnNk“Haha…”LnopuG2
64Q1EADereck chewed his bland bread, watching the old man laugh with his yellowed teeth on display.HVFACX
l7ZVYf“I’ve already taken the good butter bread. A disciple shouldn’t eat better than his master.”7VWlwP
OYY“…”c8w
faL2“I told you, life is about being tenacious. If you’re upset, you should’ve kept the good bread for yourself. It’s all in my pouch now.”Nlth
X5CThe old man’s behavior of hoarding the good bread was typical of a beggar. Dereck, unable to muster even a bitter laugh, quietly ate his dry bread, vowing to secure the good butter bread first next time.2eQUb
GJ2kmWsThe next day at dusk, Dereck returned from practicing pickpocketing to find his teacher lying by the river, covered in blood.vauRC6W
FRGqAIThe old man had tried to steal from the northern wall guards and was beaten nearly to death. It seemed he attempted to steal a second-level magic book. No one understood why a man with no ambitions would do such a thing.PbMk2n
5gi8Touching Ebelstein’s guards was suicidal, especially for a despised beggar. No one would defend him.SI7Y744
uAIDXPs“Master.”coEyVDS
B36“Gah… ha…”jdn64f
RK3nWith broken ribs, the old man could barely breathe, trembling in a pool of blood, trying to speak. But no words came, only the struggle to breathe. His life ended with a trembling hand, true to his beggar’s life.8jiF
WnODereck silently observed the cold body, then used a broken shovel to dig a grave by the trash-filled riverbank. After placing the old man’s body in a modest grave, Dereck nodded a few times and returned to their usual shelter.btH
pDCdThere, he found the old man’s smelly leather sheets, a small wooden drawer, and some cloth used as pillows. Searching through, he found nothing of value except a leather pouch with leftover bread.t8D9jM
essdDereck took the pouch, wrapped a leather sheet around his shoulders for warmth, and headed towards the main street of Ebelstein.lqFz
tDyThe old man had said that as a commoner, Dereck’s magic training would have limited success. It wasn’t wrong; most would agree in this world where magic was a privilege.fVQmNF
DsZZkVHowever, the old man never realized that Dereck wasn’t originally from this world.kSjne4
h1NI[You have mastered the basics of magic. You can now access first-level magic.]Nzis
QuzacL[Choose your main school of magic. This choice is irreversible.]8YUN
GGs0Dereck only needed a teacher to learn the basics. For advanced magic, one would need a great master, but for the basics, anyone could be a mentor. In these slums, even such teachers were rare. The old man, with his exaggerated stories, was perfect for Dereck’s needs.94d
Vtvum8That was all there was to it.ZHqCuZU
IhLvoPADespite his pitiful life, the old man had tried to teach Dereck something. He wanted to impart his desperate tenacity to survive from the bottom.Crxoe
z40tN2CAs Dereck walked towards Ebelstein’s main street, he wore his usual old-man-like expression and bit into a piece of bread from the old man’s pouch. It contained no butter.m4J
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