Training Addict Magician in a Growth-Focused Story

Training Addict Magician in a Growth-Focused Story

EP.1 Escape

As a reader who loved novels, I dared to say that the essence of a novel lay in the protagonist’s growth.

The joy of following along as they progressed step by step. How enjoyable it was to watch the protagonist overcome any difficulties and become stronger in the end. It could be seen as vicarious satisfaction. After all, such consistent growth was impossible in reality.

A trivial reason, my mistake, someone else’s mistake, someone’s malice, the limits of my talent. Too many factors frustrated us under the name of reality’s wall, while the protagonist in the novel somehow overcame them and moved forward. That anticipation was so delightful.

In my case, I committed the ‘mistake’ of drinking and driving, which left me unable to use my legs for the rest of my life. That was why it became my daily routine to stay holed up in my room, reading novels on my phone.

After reading a certain amount of novels, I developed a preference and even had favorite authors. The novel I was following this time was the third work of an author I really liked.

“Wow…”

This author wrote growth-focused stories so well. I couldn’t help but exclaim as I read the scene where the final boss was defeated, just before the conclusion.

Savoring the satisfaction, I opened the comment section, but contrary to my expectations, long complaints were receiving overwhelming recommendations and were positioned at the top.

“Ah…”

In fact, it had been like this for a few days. As the final chapter approached, a very powerful enemy was depicted, and since then, comments criticizing power inflation began to appear one by one.

The characteristic of growth-focused stories was that they had to keep making the protagonist grow, so they couldn’t avoid the power inflation that flooded in the later stages. I thought it was inevitable, but apparently, others didn’t.

Feeling that the author might be hurt, I decided to leave a comment.

—————————————————

[Growth Lover]

: I really enjoyed it. The process of the protagonist’s growth was crafted so well that I was satisfied once again. Author, keep up the great work. I will definitely follow your next work!

——————————————————-

I didn’t intend to refute the critical comments in detail. That would only make the comment section messy. Satisfied with this, I was about to close the novel app when a comment notification popped up. A reply was posted under my comment. It was from the author directly.

——————————————–

[Hoebinghwan-uibing (Author)]

: Thank you^^ The protagonist of the next work is you.

——————————————–

????

My mind was filled with question marks. My vision went dark. When I opened my eyes, it was a new world. But I just left a supportive comment?

***

As soon as I opened my eyes, what I saw was a semi-transparent window floating in the air.

——————————————————

[Growth Assistant]

-Information

▶ Name: Leon

▶ Rank: –

▶ Mana Quality: –

▶ Attribute Constitution: Single Attribute (Earth)

General Quest

▶ Please choose your reward before receiving the quest.

——————————————————

Growth Assistant…?

No, more importantly, have I been transmigrated…?

Leon blinked blankly. From the moment he opened his eyes to the moment he finished reading the entire semi-transparent window, he hadn’t moved a muscle. This was his habit. Since he had lost the ability to move his legs, his movements had become very passive. As he lay there, habitually organizing his thoughts, he suddenly realized a new fact as if someone had hit the back of his head.

‘Can I move?’

Leon immediately tried to put strength into his legs.

“Wow, damn…!”

They moved. He even used both legs to lift himself up. His legs stood firmly on the blanket spread on the ground. He immediately knelt back down.

“Thank you, author…!”

The fact that he had been transmigrated was not important. The fact that he could walk properly on two legs filled him with overwhelming emotion. After offering his prayer and opening his eyes, he saw a thick book titled “Introduction to Basic Mana” and another book titled “Basic Earth Attribute Magic.” Alongside them was a black orb, all neatly placed in front of him.

Leon, suddenly placed in a new environment, was filled with questions that began to surface.

‘I can figure it out slowly.’

From the moment Leon’s legs moved, his mind cleared up. He approached the books and the orb. The thick book was clearly titled “Introduction to Basic Mana,” so he had an idea of what it was. What piqued his curiosity more was the black orb. On its pitch-black surface, the number ‘0’ was written in white.

‘What is this…?’

Leon picked up the orb and turned it around, examining it from different angles before putting it back down. There was nothing he could discern just by looking at it. He then picked up the book. First, the “Introduction to Basic Mana.”

‘Is this a world where magic is used?’

Leon looked around. Wooden floors with an old blanket spread on top. Modest furniture placed in a corner of the room. A ceiling without any electric lights.

‘Is this a medieval setting?’

Since the author had commented that he would be the protagonist of the next novel, it meant that even if it wasn’t a novel he knew, it was still a world within a novel. A medieval world where magic was used. It had to be a fantasy setting.

He summoned the Growth Assistant again and only checked the quest window.

General Quest

▶ Please choose your reward before receiving the quest.

When he clicked on the part that said to choose a reward, a new window appeared.

Please choose your reward.

▶ Attribute Constitution

▶ Artifact

▶ Elixir

▶ Magic Book

Seeing the list of rewards, Leon was convinced. This was indeed a fantasy world where magic was used. He didn’t hastily choose a reward and closed the assistant window. Given that he was provided with the “Introduction to Basic Mana” and the “Basic Earth Attribute Magic” book from the start, it seemed like he was supposed to learn magic. It wouldn’t be too late to choose a reward after thoroughly reading the books and figuring out what would be most helpful in learning magic.

A week passed.

During that time, Leon skimmed through the “Introduction to Basic Mana” while focusing on understanding his situation.

Leon had awakened in an orphanage. The orphanage was modestly run by a kind-looking headmaster and housed six children, including Leon. Leon realized he was younger than he thought. He figured out he was 12 years old when one of the children, who considered him a friend, mentioned it.

“…?”

A girl, who was Leon’s friend, looked puzzled as he stared at her. Every time he saw her, he couldn’t believe it. Originally, he was twenty-six years old. But he knew he had to adapt to this situation as well.

“Sigh…”

“…?”

The girl sitting next to Leon looked even more puzzled. As she tilted her head, her short gray hair swayed.

“Ria.”

“Yeah?”

“Shall we go in?”

“…Yeah.”

Seeing her nod, Leon turned his body. Although he felt a moment of doubt, Leon found Ria to be the most comfortable to be around. The other kids were too noisy and had an unusually high baseline of energy that he couldn’t adapt to. Just a few words of conversation with them felt draining. In contrast, Ria had a quiet and calm demeanor, making her easier to deal with. It was also convenient to ask her various questions under the guise of ignorance.

Perhaps because Leon was her only friend, Ria didn’t push him away. So lately, they had been taking short walks just before bedtime.

Back in the room, Leon waited until the other kids sharing the room had fallen asleep before summoning the assistant.

Please choose your reward.

▶ Attribute Constitution

▶ Artifact

▶ Elixir

▶ Magic Book

Over the past week, Leon had made up his mind. By thoroughly reading the “Introduction to Basic Mana,” he had gathered a rough understanding of the world’s magic. The most important factor in learning magic, in a word, was ‘talent.’ Mana quality and attribute constitution were the most crucial, with attribute constitution being the most important. Attribute constitution was vital for awakening mana and quickly advancing one’s level.

The single attribute constitution Leon currently possessed was a common talent. It was said that everyone had an affinity for at least one attribute. Leon’s talent was that of the average person.

The “Introduction to Basic Mana” repeatedly emphasized that it was nearly impossible to awaken mana through self-study with such common talent. After much consideration, Leon decided to choose the attribute constitution as his first reward. He didn’t know what the quest would be, but he clicked on the attribute constitution.

The quest window changed.

General Quest

▶ Study the “Introduction to Basic Mana” (0/10)

Reward

▶ Attribute Constitution (Change)

Study the “Introduction to Basic Mana”? Could the reward be changed whenever he wanted? Various questions arose. He was also curious about the number next to the study progress. Unable to contain his curiosity, Leon secretly lit a candle and began reading the “Introduction to Basic Mana.”

Honestly, he had skimmed through it once, but the content hadn’t fully settled in his mind. The volume was too vast for that. It was difficult and extensive. However, it was also fascinating. Who would have thought that Leon would have a serious opportunity to learn such magic?

Despite having seen the content before, he didn’t lose focus and read the book for an hour. By the time the candle had burned out, Leon put down the book and opened the quest window.

General Quest

▶ Study the “Introduction to Basic Mana” (1/10)

It was indeed a matter of time.

“Hmm… Leon, what are you doing up?”

The boy who had been sleeping rubbed his eyes and asked Leon. Startled, Leon quickly extinguished the light.

“It’s nothing.”

Leon hid the book under his pillow and closed his eyes. His heart was pounding with anticipation.

***

Leon recalled his life as Park Hyunsoo, a twenty-six-year-old before he transmigrated. Back then, he was a voracious reader of growth-focused stories, but there was one thing that always bothered him. He would inwardly frown whenever the protagonist wasted time on trivial matters instead of focusing on growth.

‘This isn’t the time for that, is it? You’re at a stage where you can get stronger just by breathing, and you’re wasting time? You should be holed up, focusing solely on growth, even if it means eating nothing but wall-gourd pills!’

He never posted such comments, but he felt that way inside.

What this meant was that Leon didn’t have the luxury of focusing on growth right now. It was too difficult to have pure study time while hiding his magic learning in an orphanage where group activities took up most of the day. In two days, he had only managed to accumulate five hours of study time. That meant he was studying for only two hours a day. Moreover, just opening the book and skimming the text without genuine effort didn’t count towards the quest’s time.

‘Let’s escape.’

That was the conclusion Leon reached. The orphanage wasn’t treating him unfairly; it was a decent place that provided food on time, even if it wasn’t abundant. However, it didn’t align with his goals.

‘I need to find a secluded place and live a reclusive life.’

To be honest, after seeing the quest window, Leon’s mind was fixated on fulfilling the quest time. That night, he immediately put his plan into action. He waited until all the kids were asleep, packed a few clothes, and carefully sneaked out of the room, making sure not to wake the light sleepers. Relying on the moonlight streaming through the window, he navigated the hallway and finally stepped outside, letting out a deep sigh.

“Goodbye, everyone. Thank you.”

Just as he finished his solitary farewell and turned to leave, a voice startled him.

“Where are you going?”

“Gasp.”

Leon’s heart sank at the voice coming from beside him. He quickly turned his head to see Ria. Her yellow eyes shone quietly under the moonlight.