Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse

Chapter 2: The First Steps Into Magic

In front of the bluish dimensional gate, Nether Magus stood hesitating for a moment. Since the gate first appeared, he had spent thirty minutes testing it in various ways. When he extended his hand toward it, his hand passed through without any resistance. Even his clothes followed smoothly, but everything else was rejected.

Electronic devices, in particular, were vehemently rejected, as if the gate insisted that only his body could pass through.

Taking a deep breath, Nether Magus realized that his options were limited. There was no room for retreat or hesitation. Although he didn't know what awaited him on the other side, staying put wasn't a reasonable choice.

He recalled the message he received from the game's management, which mentioned that "the end" would arrive in three days and that the dungeon would only be accessible for that limited time. While the meaning of this "end" was unclear, it was obvious that the dungeon was designed as a preparation for whatever catastrophe was coming.

More importantly, Nether Magus was one of the few players granted access to the dungeon. Ignoring such a rare opportunity out of fear didn't seem rational. If the true "end" began three days later, he might deeply regret not taking this chance.

After a moment of hesitation, he decided to act. He extended his hand toward the oval-shaped gate. As he passed through it, he felt a strange sensation, like moving through a light liquid. Soon, his entire body was pulled to the other side.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself standing on solid ground. He raised his gaze to survey the surroundings, realizing he was in a dark underground prison. The hallway stretched straight ahead, dimly lit by candles embedded in the walls. Rusted bars of old cells lay broken and scattered on the floor.

Nether Magus thought to himself, "Could this be an ancient, ruined prison?" The scenery around him closely resembled something he had seen before in the game.

He was standing inside a dungeon similar to those in World Breaker, specifically the tutorial dungeon that taught new players how to develop their characters.

Nether Magus had to memorize so many details that he had repeated the tutorial several times. He carefully advanced, examining his surroundings. According to his memory, the thing he was looking for should be nearby.

"There it is."

Nether Magus's eyes gleamed as he spotted a large circular platform on the ground. The platform had three symbols engraved on it: a warrior, a mage, and an artisan. It was a structure used to choose the character's initial profession. Standing on this platform would allow one to select the initial job class of the corresponding category.

He still remembered this mechanism because the effects that accompanied the selection were particularly impressive.

"It was a bit disappointing that the game later replaced this platform with instant card selections."

As he approached the platform, holographic-like illusions appeared. For a moment, he flinched, but the illusions spoke emotionlessly:

"If you wish to walk the path of the warrior, come to me.""If you seek to peer into the abyss of magic, come to me.""If you desire the skills of an artisan, come to me."

After the illusions finished speaking, they disappeared simultaneously, and the engravings on the circular platform began to glow, as if beckoning him to step on.

"What will happen if I stand on the platform? Will I really obtain a profession?"

In the game, standing on this platform granted players both a profession and skills. Could Nether Magus also obtain a profession and gain magical abilities now? Suppressing the mix of excitement and anticipation, he pondered. In the game, he could choose a new job each time without much thought, but this wasn't a game that could be restarted after a loss.

"There it is!"

Magic. In the game, this was simply a few clicks to attack an enemy. But if this world was truly World Breaker, that meant he could now use magic in reality.

"But how do I actually cast a spell?"

Would he have to say it aloud, like he did with the dimensional gate and status window? He decided to give it a try:

"Magic Missile."

Nothing happened. Maybe that wasn't the correct method. Looking at the skill window again, he noticed it was labeled as a "single-target attack magic." He realized that he hadn't designated a target yet. Perhaps he needed to choose a target first before casting. He pointed his finger at a nearby brick and said:

"Magic Missile."

Suddenly, sparks flew from his fingertip, and a bright blue beam shot out, striking the brick and chipping off a part of it. Nether Magus stared in awe at the crumbling debris and dust. He hadn't expected that he would actually be able to cast magic.

"This is amazing!"

The faint tension and fear that had lingered were now completely washed away, replaced by excitement for what lay ahead. Although he wanted to cast more spells, he decided to hold back after noticing that the available uses had decreased:

"Current available uses (9/10)."

"I've got nine uses left."

In World Breaker, every spell had a limited number of uses. The only way to recover those uses was through meditating for a certain amount of time. The problem was that Nether Magus didn't know how to meditate in this world. In the game, it was a simple command, but here, in the real world, it seemed different. With no way to restore the uses, he felt hesitant to experiment more.

"I better save them. If my memory serves, right after getting a profession comes..."

Suddenly, another translucent window appeared, interrupting his thoughts:

Prepare for your first battle

Type: Tutorial Quest.Description: Eliminate three goblins inhabiting the ruined prison.Reward: 1 point to be allocated to your stats.

"Yes, this is it!"

Nether Magus smiled broadly at the sight of the quest, knowing that such moments were essential in any game.