Sorcerous Wisdom

On the cold steel floor, the hulking, muscular body of the Bagula Demon lay stiffly sprawled in the center. Ryan studied the "lucky" visitor from the Abyss, his bright azure eyes shining with satisfaction and delight.

Ryan was very pleased with how the battle had gone. As a Mage, he needed to learn how to seize the moment and end a fight with a decisive blow at the smallest possible cost.

A wise Mage would never be a spell brute who did nothing but hurl fireballs. Sometimes, a simple low-level spell could change the course of a battle.

Yefalin had once taught Ryan that a Mage's battles tested his wisdom. Magic was convenient and useful, but it wasn't everything. Mages who pursued powerful spells too obsessively often fell into the abyss of destruction because of a pathological addiction to magic.

It wasn't the spell that was powerful, but the Mage who used it.

Of course, the blue-haired, unscrupulous mentor might have been more convincing if she hadn't kept casting Meteor Swarm while saying this.

In his previous life, Ryan had been a thoroughly patriotic citizen of Rabbit Country, and his fear of insufficient firepower was carved deep into his bones. He'd coveted his mentor's signature spell for ages, and while he lusted after it, he'd also taken her teachings to heart.

He'd spent only two third-level Spell Slots and a few bottles of holy water blessed by the church to obtain a precious specimen of a demon from the Abyss. Ryan considered it an excellent deal.

Everything in the world had its value. Even a sheet of toilet paper had its proper use, let alone the corpse of a demon, a symbol of Chaotic Evil from the Abyss.

In Waterdeep's chaotic, crime-ridden Dock Ward, even dead bodies had value. Small-time underground gangs made their living dredging the swift-flowing river for corpses—old people, women, children, and even adult men dumped in the water. The corpse of a healthy adult male could fetch a Gold Talon from evil Mages who studied necromancy.

These necromancers and liches hid in the cold underground and in deserted places, evading the Death Church's pursuit while desecrating corpses to improve their spellcasting abilities.

Ryan reckoned that, in the eyes of those eccentric Ghouls, this corpse was premium material too. In fact, given what he knew, a Bagula Demon could serve as the main ingredient for a lich or an abomination. The necromancers in Waterdeep's black market, always short on spell components, would clamor for it.

Jelona and the other two watched Ryan claim the spoils of battle without a hint of surprise. As the employer for this adventure, he was entitled to them—it was only natural, as far as the three adventurers were concerned.

Besides, this was a monster he'd summoned, and the Mage had played a key role in the fight. The three, who thought highly of Ryan, felt he was far more dependable than that bizarre employer who'd wanted them to catch Ring-eyed Lizards, a southern specialty, in the Northlands' forests.

The only thing the three envied was the Mage's ridiculously large storage gear. In Faerûn, adventurers often ventured into wilderness, deep forests, and ancient ruins, overcoming countless dangers and narrowly escaping death to defeat their enemies. Yet, hampered by their limited carrying capacity, they could bring home only the most valuable spoils, leaving piles of materials to gather dust in forgotten corners.

But when Ryan said that the adventuring team would receive forty percent of the spoils from this battle, all three—including Jelona—beamed with delight and eagerly began cleaning up the battlefield at his direction.

Once the ground had been cleared of the demon's blood, which was saturated with Abyssal energy, Ryan restored the damaged magic circle. Fortunately, the gold, silver, and other metals that formed its main components had survived the battle with the Bagula Demon unscathed, making it easy for him to repair the circle.

Once everything was ready, Ryan took out a second Myriad Changes Card. After hesitating for a moment, he resolutely walked to the center of the magic circle.

The Half-elf Ranger watched him, worry and tension flashing in her beautiful eyes. She opened her mouth, then hesitated, but finally spoke. "Ryan, do you really have to try something this dangerous again?"

The blond youth smiled brightly to reassure his friend. "It's all right. I'm prepared. Trust me."

Sure, his first draw had been a disaster, but hadn't things turned out pretty well in the end? He'd traded two third-level Spell Slots for the corpse of a demon from the Abyss worth at least several hundred Gold Talons. Ryan figured he'd made a killing. I really am a lucky guy after all.

Ryan silently reminded himself how important it was to draw a dud first, then convinced himself that the next card would definitely be a winner. After touching the card tucked against his chest, the lucky Ryan promptly tried again.

The world of sword and sorcery, Faerûn, had always been cruel and cold, nothing like the peaceful, comfortable country of his previous life. Defeat meant death, and Ryan couldn't be sure he'd get another chance to start over.

So every decision had to be made with care, but when it came time to act, he had to be quick and decisive. Ryan certainly wasn't lacking in decisiveness.

As if time had rewound and the scene were repeating itself, the three watched with anxious, worried anticipation as Ryan stood in the magic circle and did exactly as before, dropping a bead of blood onto the second Magic Omnipotence Card.

As always, the Magic Omnipotence Card absorbed Ryan's blood. Ripples of magic swept across its surface, and then an image began to appear in the vortex at its center.

The first thing to appear was an imposing old man with a head of white hair. His ornate Mage's robes, paired with a magnificent staff set with a huge gem, proclaimed his grandeur and authority. In those eyes, which seemed to have seen the vicissitudes of the world, Ryan could almost see his own reflection.

The old Mage stood in an endless, profound void, holding a staff in one hand and a book of gold in the other. His gaze seemed to pierce through the card and see Ryan. His eyes were stern yet encouraging, and a meaningful smile touched his solemn face. He looked like an elder watching a student with great expectations.

The instant he opened the Myriad Changes Card, the name of the card surfaced in Ryan's mind: "Sorcerous Wisdom."

Then a powerful, mysterious force surged into Ryan's body and mind, and knowledge surfaced in his thoughts. Unending pain assailed his mind. The blond Mage gritted his teeth, his face paling.

After the pain passed, Ryan felt a remarkable clarity and lucidity of thought, as if something had unlocked his mind. His thinking, reasoning, and memory had all improved. He went over the knowledge he'd just received. The arcane techniques were etched into his memory as deeply as if he'd studied them a thousand times.

The corner of Ryan's mouth curled upward. Inside, he was ecstatic. The Sorcerous Wisdom card had brought him an enormous surprise. The massive boost from +2 Intelligence had brought him halfway into the extraordinary realm, and the Mage had also awakened the ability to remember everything he saw.

"Hahahahaha! I really am the luckiest man alive! One draw, one miracle! One draw, one miracle!"

In Ryan's private daydream, the blond youth stood with his hands on his hips, laughing triumphantly at the sky.

After all, according to the records Ryan had read, cards that could directly increase an attribute were exceedingly rare. Anyone lucky enough to come across one was a rare find indeed.

The best card ever recorded, though, had boosted the body. A single "Champion Knight" had sent its recipient's Strength soaring to 20 and raised his Stamina to 18. It was utterly outrageous.

But fate was a curious thing. The lucky fellow had been a Sorcerer. Later, he'd resolutely taken the path of a brawling Mage, putting every talent point into Strength, muscle, and Constitution, and every skill point into charging, cleaving, and whirlwind attacks. Then he'd cast Light Spell, charged in, and that was that.

That Mage had made a formidable name for himself in the Northlands, earning great prestige and renown. Unfortunately, he'd eventually perished in the raging upheaval of the Time of Troubles.

As a proper Mage who'd practiced staff techniques and trained his body from childhood, Ryan had once mourned that senior's passing. Although the spell Tenser's Transformation let him catch a glimpse of what his predecessor had been like, spells had their limits. They still couldn't compare to genuine physical prowess.

The classic cases of Mages using Enlarge Person to spar with Succubi, only to lose because the spell wore off, made that point abundantly clear.