“Old man……?”
He wasn’t there.
He wasn’t in the underground laboratory, nor was he in bed, nor in the vegetable patch.
All that could be seen was the blaze rising in the distance.
It was only natural that Hio’s hurried footsteps turned toward that place.
“Seriously… No way, right?”
No way. No way.
No matter how many times he repeated it to himself, no matter how much he tried to reassure himself, the anxiety only grew stronger.
He simply… had no room to worry about Berga.
There was no time to consider the anxiety that Berga, suddenly left alone, must have felt.
No, even if he had the time, there would have been nothing he could do.
Who would have thought he would fail to clear the 1st floor of the Abyss, or that he’d be dragged back to Earth the moment he failed?
“When I see him, I’ll apologize and beg for forgiveness… So please, don’t do anything reckless. Old man.”
Without Berga, who would teach him magic?
Every magic book he could buy from the Point Shop was written entirely in the ancient language.
Hio’s level was only just above being able to recite the alphabet.
There were no other magicians besides Berga, and of course, there were no textbooks for magic education, so Berga was an indispensable existence for Hio.
Surely… that must be the reason.
The reason he felt so anxious, the reason cold sweat dripped down his back.
The reason his frantic running felt so dizzying.
It was because Berga was the last person from whom he could learn magic.
So, please.
“Please…….
Let it be nothing.
Let nothing have happened.
Hio’s two legs finally crossed into the Kobold’s Domain.
***
Berga closed his eyes and quietly waited for the pain that was about to come.
But what came to him was the soft, brittle sound of something easily crumbling—
“Good grief. What’s an old man like you doing, getting yourself into danger like this?”
A stranger’s voice.
“Are there still people living out here in the mountains these days?”
“Grandpa, are you all right?”
At the critical moment, the ones who miraculously saved him were nameless mercenaries.
Of course, it was a rescue Berga had never wished for.
“Weren’t we planning to ambush at night anyway? What a lucky break!”
“Hey, was it you, old man, who set this fire?”
Whether they were monster-hunting specialists or not, they dispatched two Kobolds in an instant and headed for the cave entrance.
As the Kobolds, coughing and panicked, tried to escape the cave, the mercenaries steadily killed them one by one.
“This is so easy, I’m about to yawn.”
“I was suspicious since they said this was a request from over ten years ago.”
“See, I told you we shouldn’t take this job. We probably spent more money just getting out to the sticks like this.”
“Hahaha! Just think of it as a vacation. Things are getting weird these days. My gut tells me so.”
“…Your gut is garbage, though.”
Berga, stunned by their sudden appearance, finally snapped back to his senses.
“Y-You fools. Stop! Those creatures, they’re… they’re…!”
The enemies of his master and the enemies of his disciple.
A revenge he’d harbored for decades.
Revenge he was willing to stake his life to achieve—yet they had accomplished it so easily, so effortlessly.
Waving his arms wildly, he hurried toward the cave.
“Whoa! That’s dangerous!”
“Let go of me! Those guys, they’re after my one and only disciple—”
“Hey, hey! I said it’s dangerous, old man, what are you doing?”
“Let go! This is something I must do! If anyone has to die, it should be me!”
He shouted, coughing up blood, and thrashed madly toward the cave, but his aged body was easily restrained.
And then, suddenly, a familiar voice rang out.
“Old man……?”
He paused, thinking he was hearing things, but quickly realized it wasn’t a hallucination.
“H-Hio?”
His quick glance landed on someone he’d thought was dead—his own disciple.
“Old man. What are you doing here?”
“…Hah.”
Seeing that carefree face, he felt both relieved and utterly empty.
“Ah. Is this your grandfather, kid? Hurry up and take him away!”
“It’s dangerous! Quickly!”
Kobolds came rushing out of the cave, coughing, only to be cut down without hesitation by the six mercenaries.
And Berga, for some reason, wore a hollow, defeated look.
Hio, not quite sure what was going on, grabbed Berga’s hand and led him away.
“…Let’s go back, old man.”
Berga looked strangely weak.
“I thought you… had fallen to the Kobolds.”
“Well… something unavoidable happened all of a sudden… Sorry.”
“As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters. It’s fine.”
On the way back home, an awkward silence lingered between them.
It was Berga’s somber voice that finally broke the silence.
“I tried to die.”
“…What?”
Hio was at a loss for words at Berga’s sudden confession.
Regardless, Berga continued.
“I tried to die. I lost my master, and thought my disciple had also been taken by the Kobolds.”
“Haha… Your disciple is sturdy. Don’t worry.”
Even though he put on an exaggerated gesture, Berga’s gloomy expression hardly changed.
“This is all that comes of risking my life. All I did was set fire to the entrance, make them breathe some smoke, that’s all.”
He let out a deep sigh, as if spitting out the words he could no longer hold back.
“This… is the reality of magic.”
The mage, once overflowing with pride in his craft, had finally admitted it in front of his disciple.
Monsters that could be defeated so easily by anyone with even basic weapon skills.
A lifetime spent honing magic was utterly useless.
“How empty my life has been.”
But to Berga’s lament, Hio responded as if it was nonsense.
“Aw, come on, that’s not true, old man. You’re being too harsh on yourself.”
He smiled and took Berga’s wrinkled hand, leading him forward.
“Don’t say weird things. Let’s hurry up and eat together. And tomorrow, you have to teach me my second spell, remember?”
…Right. Right, let’s go.
“Yes.”
“Hahaha…….”
Behind the two of them, black smoke and the shrill screams of the Kobolds echoed into the distance.
***
He hadn’t realized it when they met, but after arriving home, it became clear that Berga’s condition was worse than he thought.
His already frail body seemed to have been pushed too hard; he was burning with fever.
“Hang in there, old man. You have to get better soon.”
Hio nursed Berga with all his heart.
Surely, part of the reason Berga was bedridden like this was Hio’s own responsibility.
Day and night, he stayed by his side, changing cold towels and making soup at mealtimes, and when he had spare time, he studied ancient language and inscriptions.
After about a week of this, Berga finally got out of bed.
“Ahem! Come here, boy.”
Having recovered some strength, Berga led Hio to the underground laboratory.
As they descended, Hio couldn’t help but feel a hint of anticipation.
There could only be one reason to head straight for the basement together.
A Skillbook.
It had to be to show him the Skillbook that Berga had researched and successfully created.
That’s what he was sure it would be…….
But after descending to the third basement floor, and receiving two books from Berga, Hio’s expression turned sour.
“What’s this……?”
No matter how he looked at it, the two books Berga handed him seemed nothing like a Skillbook.
“I’ve compiled all the knowledge I know. Read them whenever you have time.”
[Ancient Language Summary for the Unskilled Apprentice]
[Inscription Summary for the Clumsy Apprentice]
“And take this as well. I inherited it from my own master, but I never really had any use for it.”
What Berga handed over was a pouch.
[Pocket of Subspace – Small (Rare)]
A space-expanding artifact imbued with subspace magic, and one of Hio’s original goals upon coming here.
Artifacts related to space were rare and expensive in the Point Shop, so this was something he truly needed.
But even though he’d achieved one of his goals, Hio’s expression was far from bright.
“Why are you giving me this……?”
‘Why was he suddenly giving these things, as if he was about to go somewhere?’
Seeing Hio’s uneasy expression, Berga chuckled.
“I’m retiring, that’s all. Passing things down to my disciple—what’s wrong with that?”
“No, that’s not what I meant……. So, while you said you were researching Skillbooks, is this what you were making?”
“Skillbook, my foot…….”
Berga’s laughter turned into a bitter smile.
“I knew it was impossible, but I still put on airs for no reason. How could a mere human create a book of the gods?”
“No, but that can’t be right……?”
Then what about the two Skillbooks he’d gotten in the game?
He’d spent his whole life researching, determined to prove it was possible, but this was the conclusion he reached. Skillbooks were not…
“…Within the realm of magic.”
Berga spoke as if it were nothing, but Hio’s expression only darkened.
It felt like he’d learned something he never wanted to know.
“Let’s go upstairs. From now on, I’ll teach you all the magic I know.”
Outside, the weather was quite chilly.
***
Dead leaves were piled thick on the ground, and only a few still clung to the branches.
Autumn was well on its way out.
“It’s pretty cold today, are you all right?”
Despite Hio’s worried question, Berga simply gave a short snort and began explaining magic.
“Watch closely with your excellent mana sensitivity. See how the inscriptions are combined.”
Mana gathered around Berga.
He moved the mana delicately, forming inscriptions.
Those inscriptions formed patterns, and the patterns came together to create a Magic Circle.
A beautiful miracle made of mana.
“Haste.”
At Berga’s word, the Magic Circle activated, and a gentle wind began to swirl around him.
“This spell harnesses the power of the wind to increase movement speed.”
As he explained, Berga’s steps did indeed become slightly quicker.
Of course, the effect wasn’t significant, and it was obvious the mana cost was high for what it did.
“Um… I’ll try it.”
Still, Hio recalled the structure of the inscriptions and reproduced it just as he’d seen.
It wasn’t difficult.
Thanks to his Genius of Mana Resonance, mana was as clear as day to his eyes.
“Haste.”
A breeze swirled gently from the Magic Circle.
It wasn’t just ordinary wind—his body felt lighter, but that was about it.
[Wind Attribute Magic – Haste has been successfully cast]
[Would you like to register Wind Attribute Magic – Haste as a skill?]
Even so, he was able to acquire that rare skill with ease.
[Wind Attribute Magic – Haste will be registered as a skill]
[Skill: Haste]
[Summons wind that lightens your body]
[The magic formula is incomplete. Its power will be limited.]
“Hahaha… The kid really is a genius, after all.”
“Aww, you’re making a big deal out of nothing.” “So, can you learn the next spell right away?”
“Huh? Right now?”
“Of course, boy. Aren’t you a genius? Is that too much for you?”
“Wait, didn’t you used to say to take it slow and start from the basics…….”
“I don’t have many spells left to teach, so let’s get them all done today.”
At Berga’s words, Hio couldn’t help but grin.
It was music to his ears.
“You look pretty happy about that.”
“Well, it’s not that I’m happy, but… you know, you gotta build a solid foundation.”
“Try saying that again with that grinning mouth of yours.”
“Hehehe.”
The next spell Berga taught was Aqua, the spell for creating water.
[Water Attribute Magic – Aqua has been successfully cast]
[Water Attribute Magic – Aqua will be registered as a skill]
[Skill: Aqua]
[Gathers moisture from the air to create water]
[The magic formula is incomplete. Its power will be limited.]
Next was the spell for freezing moisture—Ice.
[Ice Attribute Magic – Ice has been successfully cast]
[Ice Attribute Magic – Ice will be registered as a skill]
[Skill: Ice]
[Freezes moisture to create ice]
[The magic formula is incomplete. Its power will be limited.]
All of them were basic spells with little offensive power, only occasionally useful for daily life.
But combined with Hio’s trait, they would surely become something great one day.
“Hahaha… I didn’t expect you to get them all at once… You keep surprising me.”
“Come on, I’m your disciple. Of course I can do it.”
Despite his words, Hio could feel his mana had dropped to less than half.
His mana stat was just that low.
“Boy… Well, I’d better head in now.”
With that, Berga turned away.
“Huh? That’s it?”
“Cough…….
Go and rest.
Really, boy. I’m going inside to rest, so don’t push yourself and end up like me.”
“Old man, what are you talking about…….”
“That’s enough. I’ll go in first.”
Coughing as he went inside, Berga was clearly a changed man.
His body was thinner, his face lacking energy.
Even two months ago, when they first met, his health hadn’t been good, but back then he’d had a strength that couldn’t be explained.
A will that said he wouldn’t die until he achieved his goal.
‘But what was he now?’
An old mage at the end of his rope.
A pitiful man who’d lost his purpose and waited only for death.
“Old man…….”
A single leaf, clinging desperately to a branch, finally lost its strength and fluttered down behind Berga as he walked away.
Perhaps it didn’t cling any longer because it knew its end was near.
It had finally realized that no matter how hard it tried, it could never become a tree.
When autumn ends, winter always comes.
Just tell him the truth. The magic is weak because it is incomplete. When you learn it , you can convert it to a skill. You are a trsnsmigrator and goes to other world without your control. Don’t let him die without hope. Or if you tell him he might gain the will to live. Just tell him damn it. This is so annoying. Just shitty writting
He does next chapter. And it’s not bad writing, your just impatient.