Labyrinth Exploration 101 - L.E Chapter 2 (Part 1): One Day, Magic Grew in My Head (1)

　Strength　│　2(-5)　│　F　
　Stamina　│　2(-5)　│　F　
　Agility　│　2(-5)　│　F　
　Durability　│　2(-5)　│　F　
　Magic　│　10　　│　D　
　Perception　│　9　　│　B　
　Mental Strength　│　9　　│　B　
　Appearance　│　6　　│　C+
　Luck　│　6　　│　C+

─Magic. The ability to summon mana. People usually call it the ‘power of will.’ In other words, it’s the power of the mind. It’s easier to think of what you learn at magic schools as mostly related to mind control.

Mana. Such a mysterious force. Around the year 1900, this “particle that isn’t a particle” first appeared and completely overturned the world.

─To put it simply, it’s about thinking very intently. Concentrating on what you want and imbuing it with your desire. Like this… Fire!

On the screen, the YouTuber sparked magic at their fingertips. The blue flicker burned the paper like a torch.

“Wow.”

This is it.

─I use ordinary paper, but you can dip yours in a bit of oil if you’d like.

“Soak it in oil…”

I nodded and jotted it down in my notebook.

*If it’s difficult, use oil.*

─If you’re somewhat talented, you should be able to do it in about a month. Honestly, if it takes you more than a month, you might as well consider yourself hopeless…

A month.

My interview is tomorrow, and it’s supposed to take a month.

For the record, I’ve already passed the document screening. I poured my heart into that self-introduction letter, after all.

My life story, scribbled out in a single eight-hour burst, feels pretty solid even to me. Born into a rough family, served as a special forces soldier, crippled in a mission, somehow survived and overcame it—minus the left leg—a living testament to human resilience.

Well, that’s that.

“…Think seriously.”

I stared at my finger. I stared so hard it felt like my eyes would bore a hole through it.

Magic, come out.

Magic, come out.

Magic.

Come out.

Like in the YouTube video.

Come out of my body.

─Ah, Chanting works too. It’s about focusing your will through words. That’s why mages chant incantations. It might feel a bit embarrassing, but it increases efficiency by 20%.

Incantations. Globally known as “Aria,” a mage’s self-suggestion.

I faithfully followed the YouTuber’s advice.

“Magic, rise up.”

I chanted the incantation while staring at my finger. I stared so hard it felt like my eyes would burst. I stared until the blood vessels in my eyes nearly popped.

“Magic…”

Magic. Magic. *Suri suri magic.*

At some point, while calling out to magic like a toad, *pop!*

A burning sensation shot through the back of my neck. Then, a small flicker of magic rose from my fingertip.

It wasn’t as vivid or elongated as the YouTuber’s, but it was definitely there.

“Oh!”

I hurriedly grabbed a piece of paper and swiped the magic across it.

“…What the heck.”

I rubbed it like I was grilling meat, but it didn’t catch fire at all.

It meant I needed to focus more.

“Ugh…”

Getting the magic out of my body was step one; infusing it with heat is step two.

I muttered another improvised incantation.

“God of Fire. Primordial Fire… humanity’s greatest discovery, O Fire…”

A hymn praising fire. It was nonsense, just whatever came to mind.

“Fire, grant me strength… Ah, my eyes hurt.”

My eyes felt like they were about to burst, so I closed them.

Plain paper was still too much. I should’ve soaked it in oil.

I opened the kitchen cabinet to get some cooking oil.

“…Oh, right.”

Then it suddenly hit me.

“Random Box.”

I opened the 「MoMo」 system.

—

【Random Box】
■ A box containing mysterious items.

—

The gift package I bought for 300 diamonds before my regression contained 2 stat points and 4 random boxes. I’m still confused about how items purchased before regression remain after regression, but…

[ Would you like to open it? ]

I opened all four at once.

*Thud thud thud!*

Four boxes appeared on the system screen. Their lids clattered, emitting a faint glow.

“Oh?”

Three were just blue, but one was purple. That meant it was a rare item.

I checked that one first.

—

【Mysterious Staff】
■ Grade: Rare
■ Overview: A black staff made from mysterious wood. It seems helpful for mages.
■ Requirement: Recognition Level 1 or higher
■ When equipped: Magic +0.5
■ Recognition Acquisition Rate +10%
■ Movement Speed +5%

—

“What? The info window is fully unlocked?”

n 「MoMo」, the info window varies depending on the character who owns the item. In other words, the grade each character can appraise varies greatly, but this level of detail means it’s almost fully unlocked.

I was puzzled for a moment but quickly understood.

—

【Good Ears, Good Eyes】
■ Grade: Intermediate
■ The character’s vision and hearing are exceptionally sharp. All actions performed with the eyes and ears are superior.
■ Allows for more accurate assessment of people and sensitive observation of unseen things.
■ Makes it easier to appraise the value of objects.
■ If you can see it, you can hear its sounds.

—

It must be because of the third line: “■ Makes it easier to appraise the value of objects.”

Anyway, it’s a good item. A rare item that boosts stats.

But the reason I’m not thrilled is… I don’t use staves.

Of course, my leg is messed up. The reason a staff came out of the random box is probably because I’m a cripple.

「MoMo」 has that kind of character-specific design in its gacha system. Mages get magic items, warriors get close-combat items, and so on. It’s a thoughtful system.

This 【Mystic Staff】 is, of course, an item that suits the character “Seol Ha-woon,” but I’ve never used a staff before, even though I limp when I go outside.

Yeah, it’s petty pride.

But.

“…It’s annoyingly good.”

When equipped, it gives +0.5 Magic. At this point, pride doesn’t matter.

I checked the other items.

—

【Blue Lemonade】
■ Overview: Three packs of lemonade with a blue glow. Looks sweet.
■ When consumed: Increases the character’s Magic stat by 1 for 1 hour and enhances all magic-related functions.

—

【Cozy Blanket】
■ Overview: A soft-looking blanket. Feels like covering yourself with clouds.
■ Increases sleep efficiency by 10%.
■ Increases the chance of deep sleep by 5%.

—

【Lucky Coin】
■ Description: A coin with identical front and back sides.
■ When carried: Luck +0.2

—

“…Why do they all look so good?”

It’s strange. By 「MoMo」 veteran standards, most of these are trash-tier items, but thinking about using them in real life makes them seem incredibly useful.

Even the【Blue Lemonade】seems like it’ll be a huge help in tomorrow’s interview.

But how do I take these out?

I clicked [Inventory].

—

【Mystic Staff】,
【Blue Lemonade】,
【Cozy Blanket】,
【Lucky Coin】.

—

The four items were arranged in a grid. When I stared at them, a message popped up: [ Would you like to withdraw? ]

Easy.

“Yes.”

I withdrew all four.

First, I spread the blanket on my bed, put the coin and lemonade in my bag, and held the staff, gazing at it.

“…Tsk.”

I might as well use it since moving around is hard anyway. It boosts magic, Perception acquisition rate, and even movement speed.

“Alright.”

I muttered with a sigh.

I’ve lived like a shut-in long enough. My body’s broken, not my mind.

Let’s prepare for tomorrow’s interview.

I opened my palm again.

“Hup!”

Fortunately, the magic I had drawn out earlier came out easily, and I quickly grabbed the oil-soaked paper.

Dangun

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