CHAPTER 10 — World of Magic and Swords
Rewards: +10 Free Stats | +1 Free Roulette Spin | +1 Ring of Veiled Anima
The ring was what I was most curious about. As I thought about accepting the ring, a flash of light appeared before me, so blinding that I closed my eyes.
When I opened them I saw floating in the air a ring. It was a simple, silver ring.
The Ring of Veiled Anima.
I reached out to grab it.
It was simple—thin, silver, almost colorless toward the center. No flashy gems, no runes etched into the surface. Ordinary enough that it felt out of place in this world.
The moment my fingers touched it, a faint line of text flickered in front of my eyes.
[Ring of Veiled Anima]
Type: Bound Accessory
Effect:
– Conceals user's true race and bloodline.
– Allows user to project a chosen "surface race" within plausible limits.
Warning: Illusion breaks under intense soul inspection or overwhelming emotional upheaval.
"A Surface race…" I muttered, thoughtfully.
I slid it onto my finger.
Instantly, the air around me rippled.
The long rabbit ears on my head felt… different. Like they were still there, but behind a thin film. If I reached up, I could touch them, but visually they blurred out of existence.
In their place, my elf-like ears sharpened. My reflection in a patch of ice nearby showed a boy with silver-white hair, pointed elven ears, pale skin, and clear grey-blue eyes.
No more rabbit features. I didn't show a hint of Snowhare.
Just a pretty elf boy.
I stared at my reflection and sighed.
"…I don't want any trouble."
If what Garron sid was true then I didn't want to cause issues by being a Snowhare, and wandering like I was a lost country bumpkin. Now I only looked a lost Elf country bumpkin... Still, it was better than walking into a city where people hunted my kind to eat and stuff.
I lifted my hand and tested the ring with intent.
"Show me as human?"
Nothing changed, except my ears rounded slightly and my features dulled a little. The illusion snapped back to the elf-like version almost immediately afterward, like that was the "default" it preferred for me.
"Alright, alright. Elf mode it is."
I closed my fingers into a fist and let my hand drop.
My heightened perception told me that something shifted in the snow behind me.
I turned, instincts kicking in, and a space ripple left my body in a short, controlled wave.
It traveled out about 30 ft (10m), brushing against the structures of the world.
No threats. No predators. Just trees, snow, and the quiet forest.
The ripple faded.
Mana dipped slightly, from 10 to 9, then slowly began recovering.
"That's… so much smoother than before," I whispered.
Before evolution, using space perception had felt like forcing too much water through a tiny crack. Now it moved like breath. Still tiring, but not catastrophic.
I tightened the robe around my waist, adjusted the satchel on my shoulder, and exhaled into the cold air. My breath drifted away in a thin plume. The forest was silent again, but not in the suffocating way it used to be.
This time, the silence felt like possibility.
I tapped my fingers lightly against my hip.
"…Okay. Let's see what else I can actually do now."
Space magic.
Before my evolution, every spell felt like trying to steer a car with the wheels missing. Now I had the mana—like my body finally had enough power or strength to handle the load.
I reached out with my will, focusing on the idea of folding a corner of reality inward. A small twist, like pulling fabric between two fingers.
My mana stirred.
The air in front of me wavered—subtle at first, then slowly deepening into something more defined. A thin seam appeared. Not a visual crack, but a pressure — the sense of something opening.
Like a pocket.
"Spatial storage…" I whispered.
With a gentle pull of intent, I widened it. The seam stretched, revealing a hollow fold of space. Empty. Cold. Breathless. A place nothing alive should ever enter.
And yet… it waited obediently for whatever I placed inside.
I lifted the satchel, deciding to test something small.
"Alright, don't eat my stuff."
I slipped a single berry inside the fold. It vanished soundlessly. No flash. No shimmer. Just—gone.
I held my breath, then called it back with a tug of will.
The berry reappeared in my hand exactly as it went in.
"No decay… no temperature change…" I inspected it. "It really is separate from this world."
It cost me 5 mana, and the drain felt solid—like a muscle being flexed too hard.
[Mana: 9 → 4 (10)]
"That's… scary useful," I muttered.
But I didn't put the whole satchel inside. Something in my instincts — or maybe the magic itself — warned me that any living thing entering that fold would simply… stop being.
I didn't need a system warning to tell me not to stick my arm in there.
I closed the pocket with a flick of will. The seam sealed shut, vanishing without a trace.
Mana slowly ticked upward.
[Mana: 5 → 6 → 7…]
I walked while waiting for it to recover, letting my body adjust to the rhythm of two-legged movement. My stride became smoother as I went, less awkward with each step.
Eventually my mana hit maximum.
[Mana: 10]
"Teleportation…" I murmured. "Let's try the fun one."
I scanned ahead, pushing my perception as far as it would go. Through the trees, past a slope, toward a cluster of boulders nearly half a mile away. (1km)
It wasn't far by normal travel, but magically? It was perfect.
I took a steadying breath, mana wrapped around my body as it bent space with careful intent—
—and felt the world tighten.
Like invisible fingers gripping the edges of my form.
My mana surged.
Space folded.
My stomach dropped—
BLINK.
I hit the ground in a skid of snow, tumbling onto my back with an undignified gasp.
"—oh shit!"
I lay there panting, staring up at the sky as white flakes drifted lazily down toward my face.
[Mana: 0/10]
My entire body tingled, like every nerve had fired at once.
Then I laughed.
It bubbled out of my chest uncontrollably, steam rising from my breath as I cackled like a lunatic alone in the snow.
"I— actually— teleported!"
I slapped the snow beside me like it owed me money.
A half-mile jump in an instant—no precast circle, no chant, no sigils.
Just willpower and space folding around me.
Eventually, the adrenaline faded and I pushed myself upright, brushing powder off my robe.
"Okay. Note to self: teleport AFTER checking mana costs."
Still grinning, I stretched my arms overhead, feeling the strange mix of exhaustion and exhilaration wash through me.
Then I tightened the satchel strap again and kept walking, mana slowly beginning to regenerate.
The path ahead felt limitless now.
I adjusted my grip on the satchel, feeling the weight of dried meat, berries, bread, and the unfamiliar heaviness of the sealed letter.
Oh.
And something else.
I almost forgot about the other quest reward.
"Fate's Roulette," I murmured.
The familiar interface slid into view.
[Fate's Roulette]
Available Spins: 1 (Quest Reward)
Spin Now?
[Yes] [No]
Last time I spun it, I got space magic and a migraine that could've killed a lesser rabbit.
But there was no point in hoarding it.
"Alright," I said under my breath. "One more gamble."
I focused on [Yes]
The wheel appeared—huge, spectral, covered in unreadable symbols. It spun, faster than sight. The world around me seemed to dim slightly, as if paying attention.
Then after what felt like an eternity it started to slow.
Slower, and slower.
The ticking decelerated one notch at a time until finally—
Ding.
[Reward Acquired: Frostedge Short Sword]
A weight dropped into the snow beside my foot.
I glanced down, and saw a short sword. It was a simple in design, with no sheath so the bear blade was in the snow.
It wasn't glowing. It wasn't crawling with runes. It didn't even hum with power or radiate light.
It was just a sword.
A short sword, to be specific.
I bent down and picked it up.
The blade was about as long as my arm from elbow to wrist. The metal was a pale, almost white steel with a faint bluish tint, both edges were clean and sharp. The hilt was wrapped in dark leather, and the crossguard was simple, functional.
It felt weird comfortable in my hand.
No flourishes. No jewels. But a weapon all the same.
Just… good work.
"Not bad," I said softly.
I gave it a cautious swing.
It sliced through the air with a low hiss, smooth and balanced. Not too light, not too heavy. The kind of weapon that wouldn't get in your way.
I checked the window again.
[Frostedge Short Sword]
Type: Weapon (Short Sword)
"Perfect," I muttered. "Exactly the kind of boring, reliable thing I need." I wasn't sure if is would be upset that the system wasn't more helpful or just glad that I had a system. I decided I would be both.
"Magic and swords, huh...." a murmur slipped out as my thoughts strayed to liking in this new world.
I slid the sword into the satchel. Garron had sewn in a narrow diagonal pocket inside, most likely for a dagger; the blade slid in snugly, the hilt sticking out just enough that I could draw it quickly if needed.
I looked up through the trees.
The sky was growing brighter. Cloudy, but the kind of bright that meant the sun was somewhere above the horizon, even if you couldn't see it.
Time to move.
I took a deep breath, feeling my new stats settle into my body.
I felt…
Good.
Not invincible. Not unstoppable.
Just… good.
Like the world wasn't actively sitting on my throat anymore.
I smiled without meaning to.
"I really… get to live this time, huh."
The thought felt strange in my head. Not bitter, not resigned—just quietly amazed.
I adjusted the satchel strap, tightened the robe sash, and started walking.
This time my steps were steadier. My body responded like it had begun to accept itself.
I walked through the Coldwood forest as the day grew older. I didn't run into predators. Maybe they sensed Garron's presence still, lingering like a warning. Maybe I was just lucky.
When I grew hungry, I ate some of the bread and berries. When I grew tired, I sat on a fallen log and let my mana slowly recover, occasionally sending out small space ripples to get used to the feeling.
I didn't rush.
I just… moved forward.
That alone felt like a miracle.
By the time the sky began to dim again, turning from gray-white to a darker slate, the trees finally thinned.
The ground sloped downward.
And ahead—
Stone.
A wide road of pale, packed stone cutting through the snow like a frozen river.
Lantern posts lined it at intervals. In the distance, faint shapes moved—carts, riders, travelers bundled in cloaks.
The Frostroad.
Beyond that, far on the horizon, through the haze of distance and drifting frost, I could just barely make out the faint silhouette of walls.
Winterreach.
I stood there for a moment at the edge of the trees, robe billowing softly around my legs, ring hiding my true race, letter heavy in my bag.
For the first time since I woke up in this world, I wasn't running from anything.
I was heading toward something.
"Alright, Winterreach," I whispered. "Let's see what you've got for me."
And with that, I stepped off the snow and onto the Frostroad. Excited to be in this new world of magic and swords.