Chapter 4 : Title
Lee Min-ho was perplexed by what appeared before his eyes. Despite using his Mystic Eyes, he was simply unable to analyze this strange text that had appeared in his field of vision. The countdown displayed a number of days equivalent to approximately 15 years.
Despite all his efforts, Min-ho was unable to define the exact nature of the thing. It did not come from his brain, yet it was not magic either. It was as if it were present in reality without being truly real, something truly paradoxical. It was much closer to a natural phenomenon than a supernatural one like magic.
Upon making contact with the window, more information appeared in his field of vision.
[You have obtained the Title Beta User ]: Title given to those who have successfully fulfilled the necessary conditions to open the user interface of the World End Game.
<Effect >: Possession of the user interface before the start of the game; time to prepare before the start of the game.
<Condition for obtaining>: Opening the magic circuit without the help of the system or any external aid.
[You have obtained the Magic Pioneer Title]: Title given to those who have discovered or developed a revolutionary method in the field of magic.
<Effect >: Increase in the effectiveness of training for any talent or skill related to magic by 100%.
<Condition for obtaining>: Discovery of a revolutionary method to open a magic circuit without any assistance.
Once he closed the window explaining the titles he had obtained, a new one opened before his eyes.
<STATUS >
Name: Lee Min-ho
Species : Human , Magus
Title : Beta User, Magic Pioneer
<TALENTS >
Almighty Key (EX): A thaumaturgic key that allows access to any type of magic from any school of magic without difficulty.
Magic Circuit (SSS+): An organ necessary for the use of magic; its quality defines the talent of the mage.
Mystery Analysis Mystic Eyes (S+): A supernatural talent in the category of psychic abilities that allows the user to utilize mysteries simply through sight. Their power enables the analysis and understanding of a targeted mystery or the composition of something, as well as detecting mysteries and magical energy normally imperceptible to the naked eye.
Perfect Vision Mystic Eyes (S+): A supernatural talent in the category of psychic abilities that allows the user to utilize mysteries simply through sight. It provides an extra-sensory vision of the general environment, with the ability to precognitively anticipate and efficiently respond to all variables and attacks from opponents. It enables perfect adaptation to all factors for maximum efficiency in offensive and defensive strategies, ensuring optimal results as long as there is even the slightest chance of victory and depending on the resources available. A simple glance can detect the nature, strengths, weaknesses, etc., of opponents or obstacles.
All Kind of Talent (A+): Talent in various domains such as martial arts, studies, manipulation, strategy, seduction, and even sexual matters. He can transform anything he has practiced in his life into a skill, at rank B or higher as long as his body permits it, and learns faster than usual, even if he has just begun something.
<SKILLS >
Magic Mastery (-) : Represents the mastery of magic.
While Lee Min-ho pondered the implications of what lay before him, he realized that this world was far more complex than he had imagined. The presence of magic called into question his previous assumptions about the nature of this reality.
He now needed to be cautious in how he wielded his powers. If there was an organization similar to the Holy Church in his world, he had to conceal his magic to avoid attracting the attention of religious authorities and their witch hunters.
He also wondered if there were other mages in this world, perhaps hidden like him. However, the absence of an organized structure like the Tower of Mages left him perplexed. Ley Lines seemed to be accessible to all, without control or regulation.
This meant he would have to navigate cautiously in this new world, exploring its possibilities while keeping an eye out for potential dangers. He would also need to remain vigilant regarding the mysteries lurking in the depths of this unknown reality.
if he had to describe Ley Lines simply, they could be likened to the planet's breath. They are like veins scattered throughout the world, producing mana that fills the atmosphere. The decrease in mana production is linked to the development of human civilization, or more precisely, an inherent ability in all humans. This ability is somewhat the basis of all magic. Simply put, humans somehow influence reality based on what they consider "true". Individually, this has no impact, but when done by a large group, it's a different story.
If one were to describe science, it could be seen as a kind of collective illusion created by humans as they make "discoveries". This influences their perception of the world: the more they perceive the world in a particular way, the more it becomes so.
However, this has a very harmful side effect for the planet, the world, supernatural species, and everything related to mystery in general. Mystery is not compatible with science, which aims to unveil all the secrets of the world.
Mystery and magic are somewhat akin to reveling in obscurantism: the less one knows about a natural phenomenon, the more powerful and difficult to actualize the mystery it contains becomes for a mage through supernatural means. However, this also means its power will be all the more significant.
While science revels in progressivism, the more discoveries made, the more it weakens mysteries and allows phenomena to be reproduced easily through natural and supernatural means. However, this is at the expense of mystery, which weakens and makes magic less powerful, as mystery loses power as science progresses.
In addition to degrading magic, this has the effect of decreasing the amount of mystery present everywhere around us, which in a chain mechanism reduces mana production by Ley Lines, making the atmosphere difficult to live in for supernatural species. Fortunately, the extent of this alteration is limited only to the world and not to the planet itself. In his world, Ley Lines had begun to migrate to small pocket dimensions located in remote places away from humans because they needed a high mana environment to live.
Furthermore, the planet's consciousness is gradually degraded due to these processes, to the point where it could die in the long term. The worst part of all this is that this consciousness cannot retaliate against beings using natural means to develop, even if its survival instinct dictates otherwise.
For all these reasons, in his past life, he had to resort to such radical means to stem the cancer that was developing. However, in this world, no one had yet taken such extreme actions, allowing the situation to deteriorate rapidly. Even with such drastic measures, the impact does not fade immediately; a total alteration of the world is a solution, but inaccessible for mages, or a large-scale reset of human civilization as he did in his past life, or even total extermination, are also solutions.
A significant reduction in the human population would allow the world to gradually recover, as the problem stems from accumulation over several generations. However, current population growth hinders this process by preventing the correction of the alteration deteriorating the mystery and consciousness of the world, thus progressing this process as time passes.
However, he could do nothing about it, and the situation could change quite quickly if the end of the world really came in 15 years, as indicated by this mysterious timer. For now, he had to quickly improve his mastery of magic as much as he could and consider what to do next.
As he lay on his bed, Min-ho thought about his future plans. In the near future, he planned to travel to investigate possible organizations. He should also take on students as soon as possible to teach them magic. He could also create certain substances like drugs to establish connections in the underworld. He should also create familiars or even summon one for more precision. Beyond students, he should also create either a cult or a sect, with hypnosis and suggestions, taking desperate people under his wing should be easy enough. That shouldn't be too difficult.
If he ever needed something from his father, he should place him under powerful hypnosis so he wouldn't ask questions about his motivations. However, he wasn't there yet. His priority was currently training in magic.