Chapter 36: The Path of the Mage IX
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John closed his eyes, letting the fire crackle and the forest murmur. His body relaxed, but his mind remained alert. The last mana particle pulsed faintly in his awareness, somewhere southeast, calling to him in the darkness.
Tomorrow, they will continue. Tomorrow, he would step closer to unlocking the black hole inside him.
But for tonight, the world was still. And for once, even Fizz went quiet.
The fire crackled softly, throwing orange light across the rocks and branches. Smoke curled lazily upward and was swallowed by the night sky, where a scattering of stars peeked through shifting clouds. Fizz was already snoring on John’s chest. His fluffy and furry belly was rising and falling with each absurdly loud breath. Every few seconds he muttered nonsense in his sleep, things like "mushroom die" and "I am the king of roasting."
John stared into the flames for a long while, letting the forest sounds sink in. Crickets sang their steady chorus. An owl called once, then again. The wind whispered through the trees, carrying the scent of damp earth and pine.
Hoot!! Hoot!!
He exhaled slowly, his thoughts circling back to the question he had held in his mind since the first day he talked to the ring. Since the day of death on earth and reincarnation to this magical world. Tonight felt like the right time to ask the system.
He whispered in his thoughts.
"System. What exactly is an abyss class artifact? I have wanted to ask this for a long time. I searched in this world’s books and the highest grade I could find was legendary. Common, uncommon, rare, legendary. That is all I know and find out about the grades. But you told me before I died that you are an abyss grade artifact. In my world, Earth had no magic, no magic grades. I need to understand it."