Sleeping Player (Project Chrysalis Book 3) by John Gold (novel24 TXT) 📕

I head on another ten meters before stopping. LJ taught me to look at life differently—the cat was able to appreciate valuable things, which was why he lived the way he did. Azami only came because he thought the cat worthy of being a god after checking his qualities, belief, and thoughts. “Prayers are gestures of the heart. In the heart, feelings take form. In the heart, feelings bear fruit.” He said so much in those little phrases, said exactly what he wanted to say. I take a bow and mean it from the bottom of my heart. There’s nobody in front of me; the bow is meant for the magic that has let me do so much. It’s my prayer to the strength that will take form and allow me to reach my goal. And I will pray to that strength no matter how crazy that sounds.

The administration building is to the left of the entrance to the mages’ quarter. There’s a person sitting at the counter who looks like a kolobok rolled up in a life mage’s mantle. He’s short, he has a large stomach, and his arms are stubby. His bald head sparkles, catching my eye as I walk in the door. You’d be forgiven for thinking he was a saint if you saw him from the doorway at noon with the sun beaming off his dome.

“Good afternoon! I’d like to pick up a mage class. Who should I talk to?”

The kolobok’s glance slips to my clothes, and he smiles. I like the emotions he is expressing—far from looking down on me, he views me impassively regardless of the way I look.

“I recommend starting by listening to an introductory lesson on the general theory of magic. They’re given in the large lecture hall, in the building across the way, at six in the evening. Afterward, if you’re sure of your choice, you can speak directly with the instructor mage for the specialty you pick or just ask the lecturer for the class.”

With two hours left until the start of the lecture, I decide to walk around the quarter. All the roads, the houses, and the plants are infused with magic. The buildings are reinforced with it, the amount of strength spent on them is considerable. The walls also sport magic paint that glimmers in the dark. The effect is shared by the stones used to pave the road as well as the signs on every door, meaning that the whole area lightly shines in the dark. You always know where to go.

There are quite a few players around. Most of them are mages bedecked with jewels and bright clothing, though there are also some master swordsmen wearing light armor. They’re killer mages, an elite class you need an invitation for. You can tell who they are by the obsidian dagger in their belt.

The lecture is held in a well-lit auditorium. There are about thirty people there, from new to high-level players. The latter are presumably rerollers there to try again with the mage class. I sit down at the last desk in a spot where nobody can see me. With my advanced perception I can see the dust on the far wall, not to mention the speaker stepping up to the podium.

“Good evening, my friends. Today’s lecture is going to be on the general theory of magic. Many of you, I imagine, are already practicing mages here to pick your specialty and decide how you want to develop. So, let’s begin.”

For the first time in my years of playing the game, I see players using a pen and paper. Most of the time, nobody needs anything more than the chat and video recording programs.

“There are nine primary magic elements: Light, Dark, Fire, Air, Land, Water, Life, Mind, and Space. Some researchers think you can add a tenth: divine energy, or prana. For now, we’re going to talk in depth about each of those elements. Light fills space with magic energy, creating the matter within it to light up, as well. In large concentrations, it can be used as a combat spell. In small concentrations over a large area, it can be used to drive the dark out of that space—purification or sanctification. It is one of the strongest first elementals for fighting, and a favorite among the divinities. The primary element Dark stands in contrast to it.” The lecturer creates a spear of darkness and brandishes it. “Its magic sucks energy out of spaces, resulting in emptiness, and it’s that emptiness that does damage to mental bodies. If we think back to the resent demon attack on a city right here on our continent, they used Dark Magic due to the fact that we don’t have much magic energy in our world. Creating emptiness was simpler for them than making their usual spells. It’s all about the biological foundation of each creature—that’s the Inferno for demons, fed with the auras of different kinds of suffering and an overwhelming amount of energy. They try to use Fire Magic in the Inferno world, preferring Dark Magic in ours. Dark has a poor reputation thanks to its association with necromancy, blood magic, malefism, and chimerology. You will receive an introductory course on how to defend against Dark Magic while here at the academy.”

There were several people in the auditorium wearing dark clothing, and they all get up and head for the exits. The speaker waits for them to go.

“Well, we’ll just wish those gentlemen good luck in their search. The elementals are Earth, Water, Air, and Fire. Earth Magic can be offensive or defensive. It, for example, is what’s used to reinforce building walls.” The speaker hurls his spear of darkness at the wall, though it isn’t so much as scratched. “Stone armor, all kinds of shields, and boulders are all