Baston woke before the morning bell rang.
Strangely, it was not the hunger that woke him out of sleep at the moment. Instead, it was an unfamiliar sensation that got him up. He did not feel it yesterday, but somehow, that feeling poked him this morning.
The day was still quiet and cold. Amidst the atmosphere, something moved within his body.
This thing felt weird because the first impression that he could sense was just like a biting cold of winter. This cold was calm and refined. It was something that had settled inside him and made itself at home.
He lay still on the narrow bed with opened eyes and slow breathing.
The room did not change. It was still the same as before. The cracked ceiling, the thin blanket, and the faint smell of dust still accompanied him. Nothing about his living space looked different yet, he could feel the change. The sensation he felt upon looking inside his body couldn't be a lie.
He lifted his hand. The moment he did, the mana around responded.
He had happened to see some other students to manifest their magic. It was always started from converting the surrounding mana into anything that the caster wished.
He never thought that someday, he could also wield the same power.
There was no resistance on the surrounding energy. Unlike before, the mana obeyed him completely. It circulated inside him before a tiny frost was manifested. Eventually, he could deploy ice magic at present.
Baston sucked in a breath and clenched his fist. The frost vanished instantly and his heart began to pound.
"This is the result of my hard work…"
The old book lay beside him on the bed. It was closed silently just like any other book.
Its surface looked no different from before. There was no glow and no message of triumph. If not for the sudden change in his chest, he might have believed that he imagined everything.
All of this was just a dream and he was still sleeping soundly.
Slowly, he hugged the old book. The moment his hands touched the cover, he started to remember how much he suffered.
He was very confused after getting thrown here. There was no other people he could ask. He must survive in this one academy. Somehow, he wondered what would be happened when he got thrown to the outside.
It was such a terrifying experience. The anxiety was holding him near his sanity. Any moment now, he might go crazy by himself. Thankfully, everything had already gone better.
The path he sought was the correct one.
After reminiscing over the hardship, he opened the old book. The last page was no longer empty.
There was no request anymore. Perhaps, since he already finished the so-called quest, it disappeared within the result he earned.
He never thought the old book had weighed his actions. It didn't judge whether he was right or wrong. It didn't judge whether he was cruel or kind. It only judged for the quest to be completed.
As the result, it had been finished well. The old book deemed it as his successful effort before the reward was issued. It might not be much yet it was already changing the direction of his life.
"Unknowingly, the last page has changed from the initial sentences…" he whispered.
The old book had evaluated him and his performance was excellent. It was written at there, glaring at whoever could read it.
Not only that, the old book also wrote the reward for him. Such excellent performance demanded the same reward with the same excellence. That was why the ice magic was written on the last page.
Previously, he didn't know much. He just thought something was different on his body. At first, he felt he had a cold. Getting sick in here would be unbearable, but upon further examination, he found something more amazing.
That was the first time he could control mana and converted it into ice magic.
The mana did not just surge suddenly. His body was collecting it before processing the matter into any elemental magic that was fated to be him. With this new ability, he could say that he successfully became a wizard.
Even though he was quite happy, he wondered whether it would result another implication in the future. After all, it was granted to him as a reward.
Most students spent several years of learning how to circulate mana without harming themselves.
Even the nobles who was blessed with resources and tutors had been struggling to refine their control beyond the crude manifestations.
As for him, he eventually did not need such effort.
The unfolded knowledge in his mind was just like an encyclopedia. It provided everything he needed from the casting into the manipulation.
He did not need to memorize it from the beginning. The magic could be just deployed anytime he wanted. It was as if the ice magic itself had accepted him and whispered the secrets directly into his brain.
"Is this thing safe enough…?"
Unexpectedly, some thinking came up in his mind. The power that was gained too quickly should be never free.
The book had not told him the price and that worried him more than anything else. After all, he believed in logic and there must be a balance.
At the moment, he was rewarded with minimal effort. He wished to gain more strength, but at the same time, he was afraid of the future price.
The old book he held looked very kind, but once he depended too much on it, the consequence might rush into him unexpectedly. Even though he hesitated, he tried to forget the matter.
Just with his poor status, he couldn't even guarantee what would he eat for tomorrow.
*****
The morning passed quietly while the future problem was quickly forgotten.
After getting dressed, Baston started his activity as usual. His walking was more careful and his thoughts were quite restless than before. Toward this newfound strength, he couldn't help but to take care of it carefully.
Even though he was wary of his new magic, his stomach unexpectedly reminded him of the reality soon enough. Apparently, the old book did not fill the empty bellies.
He wanted to eat more but he still lacked the money to buy even a simple breakfast.
As he stepped into the corridor, several students streamed past him. Their voices were loud as usual.
Nothing had changed for them, but for him, something had changed. The same also happened toward his victim. Halfway down the hall, he saw Panto.
The boy's posture had changed overnight.
The boy didn't become the careless swagger like before. Also, the boy didn't utter the loud laughs and cocky gesture.
Panto walked like someone who was afraid of the shadows. His eyes were looking around constantly as if he was expecting something to emerge from behind every corner.
When he noticed Baston ahead, something unexpected crossed his face. It was a relief since inside his mind, his savior was here. Finally, someone who would be able to protect him from any harm came to the scene.
He then quickened his pace, arriving near the fat boy.
"Baston…" he said quietly, stepping closer than usual.
Baston frowned, "What?"
"Is… Is someone still watching me?"
The question was whispered silently, barely audible over the noise of the surrounding.
Baston felt strange over what the boy was asking. He looked at him to see what had happened in one day.
The dark circles were framed on his eyes. His hands twitched slightly at the sides and he looked like someone who had spent the entire night to convince himself that everything was safe.
"No… There's no one watching you…"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes…"
"How can you be so sure?"
That question made Baston pause. He could have laughed it off and he could have brushed him aside.
However, something in Panto's expression explained everything. It was raw and fragile fear, making the boy looked weak and meek in front of him.
Without thinking, he grabbed Panto's hand to follow him. The place where they stood had too many people. After they came up to secluded spot, he then lifted his hand.
The new ice magic manifested instantly. A faint shimmer of frost formed along his fingers, making it subtle enough for just Panto to notice. Holding it for a moment, it soon vanished just as quickly as he manifested the miracle.
Panto saw it and he believed such thing in front of him was magic.
"You're… You're a wizard? You could control magic from the beginning. Not only that, you have an ice magic."
Baston lowered his hand, "Don't tell anyone…"
The single sentence sealed the words instantly.
Panto's mind soon ignited while his imagination did the rest. Everything that Baston had endured from all this time eventually was a deliberate patience.
His strength was hidden beneath the layers of restraint. He held back his power for his own reason.
There was no way that the fat boy had a status as a poor person.
The magic and the pressure was real. He did not know what other strengths that Baston hid but he believed someone like him wouldn't be fated to be an ordinary person. Unbeknownst to everyone, Baston's first impression successfully fooled him.
"Are you a noble?" Panto asked slowly, choosing each word with care.
Baston blinked and he only replied with his smile. Somehow, the answer only deepened the mystery.
By the time they got back to the classroom, Panto had already decided something important.
Baston was dangerous and it was better to stand beside him rather than to stand against him.
*****
In the meantime, the class unfolded as usual.
The nobles filled the front rows, displaying their confidence loudly and shamelessly. The merchants occupied the middle, trying hard to gain as much as they could. For the back seats, everything was left to the poor and the commoners.
Once again, Baston was forced to be invisible just because of his poor status. There was no other way since it was a hard truth.
He had to accept this situation whether he liked it or not.
Meanwhile, Miss Pashan stood at the front and her voice was calm as she explained the lesson. She demonstrated the magic control effortlessly, shaping her mana with elegance.
The students followed her example and the orbs of light formed across the room. Some were bright, some were unstable, and some were barely visible.
On the other hand, Baston didn't move.
It was not because he didn't have any magic. He only wanted to stick toward his role. Even though he could already manifest his magic, it did not mean he wanted to display such miracle to everyone.
Just by doing this, it could also give a fake signal to Panto that the secret was still exclusive to him.
It was understandable yet Miss Pashan noticed his stillness as ignoring her teaching.
"Why aren't you practicing?" she asked, coming closer to him.
Baston was startled, hurriedly bowing his head slightly, "I lack talent, teacher. Because of this, I thought it was better for me to observe the others first."
She looked at him briefly, and then, she nodded before moving on as expected.
Once again, he was invisible. The relief washed through him silently.
From his seat, Panto watched secretly. He alone knew the truth and Baston's restraint only confirmed his suspicions further.
Strangely, he believed that the fat boy could challenge any of the student here if he wanted. The only thing that could restrain him for showing the truth was the matter of the cult.
If only everyone knew the real Baston, all of them must be shocked silly. Such moment must be cherished if he could experience it in the future.
He chuckled for a moment before he continued with the lesson.
As the teaching continued, Baston leaned back in his chair while his thoughts were drifting.
The book had rewarded him. It was not with gold and status but with the possibility. Such thing was the only way he could develop himself at the moment.
His thought stayed on the old book longer than it should have. He began thinking about several possibilities.
He wondered how he could change his poor fate. After all, he didn't plan to stay inside this situation.
The poverty itself was a quiet and patient disease. It was one that starved slowly and pressed gently. Such disease could control his fate, making his life becoming very pitiful. It was disheartening and excruciating at the same time.
Fortunately, the old book had given him a great blessing. Even though he was grateful, he wondered about the future.
The old book had already issued its first quest. It wasn't wrong to expect that the second one would be coming soon.
He wondered would it be getting harder or still easier like the first one. Whether the same type of reward would be given or not, he could only hope for the best.
At first, he wanted to wait patiently like everyone had told him to. He would remain invisible until the day he was quietly discarded.
After all, the academy did not care about the effort since it cared about the outcomes. The results unfortunately favored those who already had everything.
Fortunately, the book offered him a new choice.
Even if that choice was sharp-edged in the future, he could only accept it.
The given possibility was dangerous but the stagnation was certain if he did nothing.
Around him, several students laughed and gathered their belongings after the bell rang.
He rose with them, walked quietly, and being forgotten once more. As he stepped into the corridor, the faint smile appeared within his face.
Whether the book was a guide or a trap, it was no longer mattered. As long as it continued to open doors, he would keep walking through them.
Even if one day, the price it demanded could no longer be ignored.