Mage Talent

Xia Lin rubbed his nose and shifted awkwardly in his seat. "Ahem, well... I'm twenty-six."

Emily sprang up from her stool as if she'd been stung by a manticore's tail, nearly flipping the rickety old wooden table. "I was tossed into the Mage Tower to make little glowing orbs when I was eight! Listen, big bro, communicating with the Magic Net is just like bones—softer is better! Under twelve, you're in the golden years. Your brain's like fresh sponge bread, and the Magic Net's energy soaks right in! Once you're past fourteen, your brain's like dried-out old cowhide. Forget communicating with it—even if the Magic Net threw a party right next to you, you wouldn't feel a thing!"

"Sounds like the Goddess of Magic is a bit of a pedophile," Sera said languidly, wiping a nonexistent smudge of grease from the corner of her mouth. A glint of amusement passed through her dark red eyes.

"Pfft... Hahahaha!" Emily stared for a moment, then burst into loud laughter, pounding the table in delight. "Your friend—hahaha! The Goddess of Magic, a pedophile? If those old fossils at the temple heard you say that, they'd tie you to a stake and purify you with Holy Flame for seven days and seven nights!"

Xia Lin watched his little sister double over with laughter, then glanced at Sera, who wore a blank expression but might have been holding back a laugh. His temples throbbed.

Still unwilling to give up, he pressed on with one last sliver of hope. "Emily, is there... really nothing I can do?"

Emily finally managed to stop laughing and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.

She sighed helplessly and spread her hands. "There is a way... in theory. But it'd be about as difficult as you challenging an adult red dragon to a duel right now. All right, all right, you look so determined not to give up..."

Her eyes rolled as an idea struck her. "How about this? Finish your meal, then come with me. I'll let you experience firsthand just how 'unbreakable' the wall of talent is."

The three of them left the smoky alley where the Dwarf Stew Pot stood. Emily led them through several of the Lower City's characteristically narrow, bustling streets, and they eventually stopped in front of a rickety-looking wooden building that seemed old enough to fall apart at any moment.

"Here we are—my cozy little nest." Emily pointed to a creaking staircase that led up to the attic.

The attic was small and dim. The air held a peculiar mix of old books, dust, and cheap incense.

A plain wooden bed, a desk piled with all sorts of parchment, ink bottles, and knickknacks, and several nearly collapsing bookshelves took up almost all the space.

"Don't mind the mess, big bro." Emily casually moved a few pieces of clothing off the bed. "You can make do here. It's a little messy, but at least you don't have to worry about a drunken Dwarf or a horny Goblin kicking down the door in the middle of the night."

She went over to the chaotic desk and pulled a rough-textured slip of paper, about the size of her palm, from a pile of parchment.

Her name—"Emily"—was scrawled across it in a special kind of silver ink.

Emily laid the slip flat on the desk, took a deep breath, then extended her index finger and gently touched the silver runes.

She closed her eyes and moved her lips, as if murmuring something.

A few seconds later, the three letters spelling "Emily" on the slip began to glow faintly.

The light was as weak as a firefly's tail, yet it stood out clearly in the dim attic.

"See that?" Emily withdrew her finger, her face showing a mix of pride and familiar nonchalance. "This is the most basic test for an Apprentice Mage—the [Rune Glow]. As long as you can sense the Magic Net, draw a tiny bit of energy from it, and channel it into these specially made runes, you can make them glow. Basically, you're just turning on a little light bulb. Anyone with even a little talent can do it after a few days of practice."

She paused and looked at Xia Lin, a teasing note in her voice. "Come on, big bro, give it a try. Maybe you're one in a million, born with extraordinary talent and unusual bones, some hidden powerhouse the Goddess of Magic secretly stamped on the forehead!"

In this world, all things were immersed in an invisible sea of energy that mages called the "Magic Net."

It was like a vast web covering the entire world, with pure Arcane Energy flowing through every strand.

Casting spells meant using one's Mental Power to sense, understand, and manipulate these strands of energy, weaving them into specific "spell constructs" that could work all sorts of wonders in the real world.

For beginners, the first step—and the most crucial one—was to "sense the Magic Net."

That required intense mental focus and an almost instinctive resonance. Children's minds were pure, like an unpolluted lake, and more easily reflected the Magic Net's fluctuations.

As they grew older, worldly distractions and ingrained thought patterns formed a barrier between the mind and the Magic Net, like a thick layer of grime coating the surface of a lake, making it exceptionally difficult to sense.

Even if someone managed to sense it, drawing energy from it and controlling that energy was harder still.

That was why most mages began their training in childhood. Anyone who missed that golden period found entering the world of magic almost impossible.

Xia Lin took a deep breath and stepped up to the desk.

He extended his finger and, imitating Emily, gently touched the slip of paper bearing her name.

He closed his eyes and tried to recall the vague descriptions in Old Green's notes: "Empty your thoughts and feel the flow of the aether..."

A minute passed.

Then two.

The slip of paper didn't move. It remained just as lifeless as before.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Xia Lin's forehead. He could feel Emily's and Sera's eyes on him. It was a little like being a clown at a circus, trying to swallow a sword and getting it stuck in his throat instead.

"Ahem." He opened his eyes and forced a smile. "Looks like... I'm not cut out for this."

His voice carried a trace of disappointment he hadn't even noticed himself.

"Just like I said," Emily replied with a shrug, looking exactly as if things had gone as she expected. "Don't be discouraged, big bro. Being a capable adventurer is pretty good too. At least you won't starve. Magic is all about luck—uh, I mean, talent."

"Hmph. Some people just can't face reality," Sera said, folding her arms and leaning against the doorframe, her voice laced with her usual sarcasm. "They think they're some chosen one who can conjure up a forbidden spell just by wiggling their fingers. And what happens? They can't even pass an apprentice's entrance test. How... pitiful." The tip of her purple tail swayed gently behind her, as if silently mocking him.

Xia Lin felt his cheeks grow warm and was about to fire back, but Emily suddenly cried, "Ah!" as if she'd just remembered something important.

She whirled around and rushed to the messy desk, frantically searching through a pile of musty parchment, quills, dried-up ink bottles, and a half-eaten loaf of hard bread.

"I remember... I remember seeing it somewhere..." Emily muttered as she searched, kicking up dust and scraps of paper in every direction.

Xia Lin and Sera watched her in bewilderment.

At last, Emily let out a cheer and pulled a thin, slightly worn booklet from the bottom of a pile of old papers. Its cover bore a picture of a comical wizard wearing a pointed hat.

The title was written in fancy lettering: Arcana of the Mage · Issue 421 · Special Supplement.

"Found it!" Emily held up the booklet as if presenting a treasure, her face flushed with excitement. She flipped through it quickly, the pages rustling.

"Wait... not this page... not this one either..." she muttered as she turned pages, until she finally stopped at one.

She spread the booklet open and pointed to a headline printed in striking red ink. "Big bro, look at this!"

Xia Lin leaned closer. The headline read:

Break Through the Shackles of Age? Latest Research from Seven-Ring Mage Sri Lanka: Fragment of the Ancient Magical Empire's Alchemical Formula, "Touch of Enlightenment," Deciphered—May Greatly Improve Adults' Efficiency in Connecting to the Magic Net and Their Affinity for Arcane Energy