Magus Supremacy

"How was that?" Grey asked as he shot up from his cross-legged position, a wide grin spreading across his face. He strode confidently toward Thalos, his hands tucked into his pockets.

"Big deal! You learned a basic skill and now you are getting cocky? Tch! My master had wind magic, and he was able to create living constructs out of thin air." Thalos scoffed, causing Grey to halt mid-step.

Not because of what the gargoyle said, but because another wave of memory flooded his mind. In this memory, he could see people using multiple affinities to create incredible constructs.

He couldn't make out the faces clearly, but the constructs were as vivid as day: lightning serpents, flamy dragons, towering metal golems, and water creatures, moving with terrifying grace.

As quickly as the memory appeared, it vanished, leaving him confused and with a raised eyebrow.

'Was I able to do something like that before? Was I really a powerful mage? Tch! No use speculating about the past. Let me just focus on the next step,' Grey thought with a sigh as he turned away from Thalos.

"You are just jealous you can't shoot wind out of your fingers," Grey mocked.

"Me? Jealous?!" Thalos asked, then burst into a short laugh. "I can move faster than your puny eyes can track. My fists can shatter mountains and crumble them to dust.

My sword can even split the earth in two, and if I wanted, I could annihilate a town or maybe a city on my own. And you say I'm jealous? Tch! Foolish human."

"But here you are, following this little human around like a lapdog. Tch!" Grey scoffed as he walked over to the book and sat down, leaving Thalos fuming silently with frustration.

'Now, what's next? Right! Now that I can perform Wind Pulse, I should move on to Flight next,' Grey thought as he skimmed through the instructions for the skill.

"Hmm! So it's basically flying in the air, huh? I wonder if there's a way to combine my magic and Ki to form something even more powerful. A special technique only I could use." Grey mumbled under his breath, shaking his head before focusing back on the book.

'For that, I need to be well-versed in both magic and Ki. Maybe when I become a stage 3 warrior… hold on! What even are mages' power levels? I wonder what their rankings are.' Grey sighed inwardly and continued reading.

"I want you to know, though, that all these skills are basic. Meaning they are the lowest of the low, what mages are expected to learn before advancing to something far more powerful. If you can't perform any of these, you are a lost cause."

'I feel like I can already picture Thalos' master. Cocky, arrogant, with a dash of mock kindness. Tch!' Grey thought, shaking his head.

"To use Flight, you need to flow with the wind and not force it to move. Keep calm, flow with it, then let it lift you off the ground. Simple, right? Alright, get to work."

'Wait! What? No further explanation? No diagrams or examples? How do I even start?' Grey muttered, flipping through the pages frantically. Seeing nothing, he angrily tossed the book aside.

"What happened?" Thalos asked with a raised eyebrow, noticing Grey's bad mood.

"Nothing. Just that your master was a fool," Grey spat angrily, his gaze darkening. He glanced up as the cave rumbled loudly, catching Thalos furiously glaring at him.

"Hey, wait! I'm sorry. That was a slip of the tongue," Grey quickly added, raising his hands slightly.

"Better. Your tongue almost cost you your head," Thalos scoffed, his black eyes narrowing. Another wave of blurry images slammed into Grey's mind.

He saw a hazy image of himself saying these exact words to someone else, and the person trembled in fear, shaking violently.

'Huh? Was I that feared then? Does that mean I was this powerful figure? But why can't I remember anything?!' Grey roared internally, facepalming himself.

'Hold on! I've gotten two or three memory fragments in the span of an hour or so. That's strange… I usually only get one fragment a week. Am I slowly regaining my memory, or is this some kind of fluke?'

"So… did that book also show a way for us to get out of here? Because I'm getting bored watching you practice while we're cooped up here like animals in cages," Thalos said, his tone betraying the exhaustion of remaining stationary for so long.

"It didn't show me anything," Grey replied as he stretched, flipping through the book and thinking of a way he could attempt Flight even without any diagrams.

"Isn't there something we can do? I'm getting bored. We need to find a way out of here. We can't spend the full two weeks Gunther gave us in this cave. What happened to exploration?" Thalos asked, clearly frustrated.

"Fine." Grey muttered as he rose. His pendant shimmered, and the pouch of pills appeared in his hands while the book vanished.

Dipping his hand inside, he pulled out a yellow pill. The pouch disappeared, and he walked toward the magic circle drawn on the floor. Crouching down, he placed the pill carefully and then ignited the circle with his mana, causing a portal to snap open with a flickering, crackling energy.

"What are you doing?" Thalos asked with a raised eyebrow as he strode over, curiosity and caution mixed in his gaze.

"Let's go hunt some beasts and find a way into the Noxarian faction," Grey said confidently. Without hesitation, he jumped into the portal, followed closely by Thalos.

In a loud snap, the portal closed behind them, leaving the cave empty and silent, the faint glow of crystals fading as the duo vanished.

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{A/N}

Hey Magus Legion! I hope we are enjoying the book so far? I just want to apologise for deviating from what the book should be about and delving into cultivation.

But I assure you all, if you keep on reading, you will understand where I'm headed. Thanks for understanding 🫶