Chapter 2 : A Fate Written in Cubes

Mage Doesn’t Hide Their Power 2nd Chapter < Next Chapter >

[# Warlord Mage] 
 
[# The Warlord Mage is a legendary class.]  

[# The Warlord Mage does not require mana to use magic.]  

[# The Warlord Mage does not need a skill book to learn magic.]  

[# The Warlord Mage’s casting method is the Twisty Puzzle.]
  
[# The Warlord Mage is the only class that can be inherited by just one person.]

Information about the Warlord Mage poured in like Instagram hashtags.  

Levan, after checking all the information, blinked his eyes as if he had seen a ghost.  

He went over the explanations about the Warlord Mage once more.  

But no matter how many times he checked, the content remained the same.  

“What is this…?”  

At first, he doubted his own eyes.  

Then, as he understood the explanation, chills ran down his entire body.  

Before he could even process it, his instincts triggered a transmission.  

It was as if fate itself was calling.  

Levan felt like he was dreaming through every moment.  

“This is definitely meant for me…”  

Especially because of the casting method.  

No wonder—because the Twisty Puzzle casting method used by the Warlord Mage was exactly the same “cube matching” that Levan had been practicing every day for the past seven years to improve his skill.  

Levan’s hands began to tremble.  

“J-just a moment. Log out.”  

[Are you sure you want to log out?]  

“Yes, quickly!”  

[Playtime is being recorded] 
 
[Logging out now.]  

With a sinking feeling, Levan—no, Seongwoo—immediately logged out.  

Then clutching his pounding chest, he stopped by the nearest pharmacy near his room to buy a 10,000-won pack of Cheongsimhwan and swallowed it all at once.  

“Huff, huff, huff…”  

He didn’t know whether the medicine went through his mouth or nose, but as the Cheongsimhwan trickled down his esophagus, his pounding chest finally calmed down.  

Seongwoo collapsed onto the stairs of his one-room apartment and muttered.  

“Damn it… a Warlord-level stroke of luck like this comes to me…”  

No matter how many times he thought about it, it was hard to believe.  

In a world where mage classes don’t require mana or skill books, and the casting condition is to solve 33 cubes in under 7 seconds—a feat Seongwoo could achieve—this was a golden opportunity.  

And one handed by the heavens!  

Clutching his finally settled chest, Levan closed his eyes.  

Then, with the clear mind of a college student, he began imagining the pink-hued future awaiting him.  

Come on, Seongwoo, think about it. There aren’t even 100 proper mage users in this game.  

And among those, most are children of conglomerate families—the heirs of the wealthiest, basically third-generation chaebols.  

But… I can stand shoulder to shoulder with those guys and make it into the rankings? 

Countless mages who can’t even clear the first level are treated like cattle by others.  

But ranking mages who have somewhat made their mark are nothing less than celebrities within the Warlord community.  

It makes sense—whether for dealing damage or support, or other unique mage-exclusive content, ranked mages are worth a fortune.  

Proof of this is that the Warlord pro team, which was officially added as an esports title six months ago, is rumored to be desperately scouting mages to strengthen their lineup.  

Of course, even if one doesn’t want to become a pro gamer, there are endless ways to make a living.  

Take, for example, WOTube, a video platform run by Warlord, where many of the hottest streamers are mages.  

In other words, the money-making opportunities are endless. >  

Seongwoo smiled widely like a marshmallow melting on a heater.  

The happiness circuits in his brain were overclocking, about to melt from overload.  

Snap!  

He tapped his bread and muttered.  

“Now’s not the time.”  

He was right.  

No matter how great the conditions, if he didn’t act on them, it was like dried fish hanging by its tail—useless.  

Seongwoo chased away the sleepiness like a driver fighting drowsiness, biting into his bread multiple times before returning to his room.  

“Hah, this place won’t last much longer now.”  

Seongwoo’s parents had paid for his enrollment at Haneul University, including the Warlord capsule and account fees, as well as the security deposit and first semester tuition for his one-room apartment.  

Anyway, since he got into Haneul University, he intended to live normally from here on out.  

But instead of paying the tuition with the money from his parents, Seongwoo took out a student loan and paid the tuition himself.  

He then took a leave of absence immediately and used the money his parents sent as living expenses, pouring nearly two semesters’ worth into Warlord.  

As a result, he reached a level where he could cover his monthly rent, living expenses, and account fees with the student loan.  

But only just.  

Seongwoo’s character was a tanky melee warrior, a blunt sword fighter who could dish out close-range damage.  

Though his luck had allowed him to reach triple-digit levels in under a year, many users were in similar situations, so unless he got rare drops, there was a clear limit to his income.  

“On top of that, I couldn’t invest in better gear or skills because I had to stretch my living expenses.”  

It was a vicious cycle.  

That’s why recently Seongwoo had been feeling the limits of being a blunt sword warrior.  

He had to make big money as a Warlord to confess to his parents and pay them back properly, but if things went on like this, he might even be forcibly enlisted in the military with no words left to say.  

“But I, Seongwoo, a man chosen by the gods, knew that day like this would come someday.”  

A stubborn smile crept onto his lips.  

Back at home, Seongwoo chuckled and lay down on his capsule bed again.  

“Logging in. From now on, only flowers will line the path!”  

~

Logged-in Levan picked up the Rubiks’ Golden Cube from his inventory.  

He quickly gathered the scattered symbols on each face into matching groups in seconds.  

Done!  

“This much is nothing.”  

Seven whole years.  

Levan had spent seven years solving various cubes to improve his focus, so the 33 Cube was a piece of cake.  

As soon as Levan completed the Rubiks’ Golden Cube, golden light began to scatter from it.  

[You have successfully solved the Rubiks’ Golden Cube.]  

[The hidden class inside the cube, Warlord Mage, is now available for job change.] 
 
[Would you like to change your job to Warlord Mage?]  

[Changing to Warlord Mage will reset all character information.]  

He froze.  

It was nice to complete the cube with such momentum, but resetting his character info?  

Suddenly, Levan recalled a post he had seen on the official Warlord site, written by a user who had changed to a hidden class.  

* Ah, right. You have to level up all over again when you switch classes… *  

Why did he only remember this now?  

But it was already decided.  

A man who draws his sword must swing it without hesitation.  

Levan resolved not to back out.  

“I’ve never seen anyone fail after getting a hidden class.”  

So Levan forced through the job change.  

He had saved enough money to focus on the game without worrying about money for the next few months anyway.  

[Would you like to change your job to Warlord Mage?]  
[Changing to Warlord Mage will reset all character information.]  

“Yeah, I’ll do it!”  

[Congratulations. You have been reborn as the one and only Warlord Mage in the world.]
  
[Resetting character information.]  

[Level reset.]
  
[Stats reset.]
  
[Achievements reset.]  

[All skills deleted.]
  
[Items currently equipped but not meeting conditions have been moved to inventory.]  

Countless system messages filled the screen!  

And numerous electronic sounds filled his head!  

All of it felt like a celebration for Levan’s new journey down the flower path.  

And then.  

[Moving to the Starting Village.]  

Beep!  

The moment Levan’s vision flashed golden, he returned to the Starting Village, accessible only to beginners.  

~

There is no name for the Starting Village.  

Countless Starting Villages exist throughout the Pantinel Continent.  

Warlord had put entry restrictions based on level to prevent high-level users from bullying beginners in the Starting Village.  

Of course, nowadays there were many cruel people far worse than devils, so bullying could happen even outside the Starting Village.  

But thanks to Warlord’s policy, many beginners could play with peace of mind.  

And now.  

Levan, a seasoned user who had entered triple-digit levels, appeared again in the Starting Village.  

* Long time no see, huh? Even here.*  

Levan looked at the beginners with a gentle smile, like an uncle visiting his alma mater.  

He thought he’d never come back here, but he hummed the unique 861/ tune of the Starting Village and checked his character information window.  

“Checking status window.”  

[Levan] 
 
[Level: 1]

[Deity: Rubiks]
  
[Class: Warlord Mage]
   
[Strength: 1]

[Agility: 1] 
 
[Intelligence: 1]
  
[Dexterity: 1]
  
[Remaining stat points: 10 ] 

The info window had been simplified.  

Levan chuckled at the simplicity, but there was no regret.  

This was the path he had chosen.  

Then.  

[Rubiks, your sole Divine Follower, presents a gift of support to you.] 
 
[You have acquired the Rubiks’ Skill Cube.]  

[You have acquired the Rubiks’ Growth Cube.]  

[You have acquired an empty Cube Frame.]  

“Oh, a gift from my deity.”  

The Deity is the god that supports a user’s chosen class.  

Like a sponsor.  

All users need to impress their sponsors well.  

Only then will the sponsor bestow great blessings upon their Divine Followers.  

Levan happily checked the gifts from his sponsor, Rubiks, who would now watch over him.  

Oh, blue color. Nice feeling from the start.  

Among the items in his inventory after reset were many items he had worn as a warrior, but there was also a blue-bordered item he had never seen before.  

It was the Skill Cube bestowed by the deity Rubiks.  

[Rubiks’ Skill Cube]  

[Grade: Rare, Unique, Bound.] 
 
[Option: When the cube is completed, you acquire one skill from among those contained within.] 

To give a rare-grade skill from the start—this is amazing.

Just as items have grades, skills naturally have grades too.  

From what Levan knew, ordinary mages started with one basic non-elemental magic, like Energy Bolt or Magic Arrow.  

So their skill books were naturally colorless.  

But Levan’s Skill Cube proudly shone blue.  

He clicked on the tagged skill words to see what kinds of skills he could get right now.  

[Skills]  

[Dya Fireball]  

[Ice Arrow]  

[Wind Spear] 

[Earth Shield]  

[Hold] 

“Is this real?”  

Levan doubted his eyes.  

To give elemental magic from the very first skill?  

It was almost unbelievable.  

Elemental magic of this grade was usually rare and only given when a mage reached a certain growth level and the deity decided to grant it.  

“Plus, even the debuff magic Hold…? This is no joke.”  

Equally rare as elemental magic were debuff skills that could hinder opponents.  

Of course, he didn’t need them much now.  

Without a main damage skill, all he could do was melee fight monsters.  

After confirming the contents of the Skill Cube, Levan folded his hands and prayed to his deity, Rubiks.  

“Thank you, Rubiks. If anyone calls you a nobody deity, I’ll run over and shut their mouth. So please, just hold back on giving me Hold.”  

Is there a more sincere prayer than this?  

After his brief prayer, Levan happily held the Skill Cube.  

The cube was the common 33 Cube type. Matching it was easy with his eyes closed.  

Excited to see what would come from the Skill Cube, Levan tightened his grip and twisted it.  

Then suddenly.  

[Your strength is very insufficient.]  

…An unexpected message popped up in front of his eyes.