The night had passed, and when Ye Chui woke up on a clean, tidy bed, it was already afternoon.
Yawning, he climbed out of bed, looking around the spotless wooden cabin. He subconsciously thanked the thief with a cleaning obsession. But thinking of the lost Dark Magic Book, a trace of worry crossed his face. Who knew whose hands it had fallen into? It might cause trouble later. He’d have to ask Cass to investigate thoroughly.
Splashing his face with water from a basin, Debbie came down from the attic, rubbing her stomach and complaining, “I’m starving, Ye Chui. Let’s go eat. Ross said he’d treat us to celebrate, and with such a big event sorted, the rewards must be huge, right?”
They had returned to Stan Town for a five-star mission from Old Merlin. Killing a Dark Magic Mentor earned ten gold coins, and Dragon Treasure had taken down at least a hundred last night, all credited to Ye Chui and Debbie. Thinking of the rewards, they couldn’t help but smile. Since teaming up to make money, they had finally hit the jackpot.
With “we’re rich” grins, they stepped outside.
“Wade… Mr. Wade, hello.”
“Miss Debbie, you look lovely today…”
On the street, passersby no longer looked at them like they were thugs. Their gazes were filled with gratitude and awe.
The events of last night had terrified Stan Town’s residents. Though this world had magic, sword aura, dragons, and monstrous beasts, most people were ordinary civilians. In just one day, Ye Chui and Debbie had become near-mythical figures in their eyes.
The reputation of the casually named Magic Guild’s leader far surpassed that of the Bullhead or Goddess’s Kiss guild leaders, leaving Ye Chui and Debbie both flattered and overwhelmed.
However, being called Wade still irked Ye Chui. When he first arrived, he felt detached, a transmigrator unbothered by the name. But after everything he’d been through, he had grown to accept this world. The name Wade now felt jarring.
“I need to fix this name issue soon,” Ye Chui thought. Another problem nagged him. “My iPad magic book is too unique. When I was weaker, no one cared, but now with some fame, people will question what it is. I need to disguise it somehow.”
Soon, they met Ross on the road.
The swordswoman, unusually not in her revealing skirt-armour, wore a red dress that softened her tough demeanour. The burly, honest-faced Gayton walked beside her, carrying recently bought goods. Ye Chui and Debbie had long suspected their relationship was more than professional, and their date-like appearance confirmed it.
“You’re finally awake, great,” Ross greeted with a smile. “Thanks to you, we made a fortune last night. I’m treating you to a big meal later.”
“No, no, we’ll treat,” Debbie said grandly. With their earnings, no one could outdo them. She leaned closer to Ross. “Where’s Cass?”
“The mayor’s handling the town’s aftermath,” Ross replied, smiling. The previous night’s events had caused many deaths, and numerous homes and shops were destroyed by Dark Magic Mentors, many of whom were already rogues, their behaviour worsened by the magic books’ influence. “The town hall was wrecked, so Mayor Cass and Mr. Merlin are working from the Magic Book Tower for now. You can find him there.”
“Alright, Ye Chui, you go get the rewards from Cass. I’ll head to the mercenary guild to prepare a feast,” Debbie said, licking her lips. “I’m starving. I’m going to eat well this time!”
“Got it,” Ye Chui replied with a smile, then parted ways with Ross, Gayton, and Debbie, heading toward the Magic Book Tower outside town.
Despite its name, the Magic Book Tower was a domed building. Ye Chui retained Wade’s memories of entering it, so it felt familiar. He soon arrived.
“Mr. Wade, you’re here,” a guard at the tower greeted. In his thirties, with one eye bandaged from the previous night’s battle, he showed deep respect for the young man.
“I’m here for Mr. Cass,” Ye Chui said to the one-eyed guard.
“The mayor and Mr. Merlin are waiting for you. Please wait a moment, I’ll inform them,” the guard said, hurrying inside.
The Magic Book Tower was a revered place, usually off-limits except to Old Merlin and youths awaiting awakening. Today was an exception. Ye Chui followed the guard inside, passing through a corridor to a small courtyard at the back, their temporary office.
Opposite the entrance was a room with huge bookshelves, its door ajar. Thousands of pristine magic books, made by the Magic Guild from special materials with white covers, lined the shelves. Called blank magic books, they held no power but could bond with a Magic Mentor, awakening and merging into their body as their unique magical tool.
Waiting for Cass and Merlin, Ye Chui’s curiosity led him into the room.
“On their sixteenth birthday, every youth enters here, and a magic book senses them, flies off the shelf, and merges with them, awakening them as a Magic Mentor,” Ye Chui mused, imagining the scene he’d never experience.
But then, his fantasy became reality. A blank magic book from the left shelf suddenly flew out, its pages flapping like wings, and, to Ye Chui’s shock, merged into his body.
“What!?”
Ye Chui was stunned.
What was happening?
He hurriedly sensed his body. Moments later, with a thought, his iPad magic book appeared before him, followed by a second book with a white cover.
He had awakened a second magic book!
Ye Chui was beyond astonished.
Wasn’t it said that a person could only have one magic book? What was this second one?
Staring at the white-covered book, he suddenly realised something.
The iPad magic book… it probably didn’t count as a magic book.
At least not like the ones in the Magic Book Tower.
When Wade couldn’t awaken a magic book here, it was because he already had a Dark Magic Book. When Ye Chui transmigrated, bringing the iPad, he effectively had two magic books, a rare situation. Now, with the Dark Magic Book removed, he was like Wade entering the tower for the first time, so he awakened another.
The optimal time for awakening was one’s sixteenth birthday. Missing it affected the quality, and since Ye Chui had previously had a Dark Magic Book, this was his second awakening, resulting in the lowest-quality white-covered magic book.
“This white magic book doesn’t conflict with the iPad. This is perfect!”
Joy sparked in Ye Chui’s eyes. He had just been thinking about hiding his strength, and this second magic book was the ideal cover for the iPad.
With a thought, the slim iPad floated above the white-covered book. To outsiders, magic books appeared as vague outlines of varying sizes. Like this, it looked like one book, hard to tell it was two, reminiscent of sneaking a phone inside a book at school in another world.
As he marvelled, a rustling sound interrupted. A large money bag was tossed his way. He caught it, heavy with gold coins.
“Your reward. I didn’t forget,” Old Merlin said cheerfully, entering the room. “You took down 122 Dark Magic Mentors last night, ten gold coins each, so that’s 1,220 gold coins. Plus 500 for defeating the First Apostle, making 1,720 gold coins. The church will likely add a few thousand more, I’d wager.”
Merlin glanced at Ye Chui’s magic book, not noticing anything odd about the layered books. Though larger than usual, their blurry forms made it hard to spot unless closely inspected.
Half-joking, he added with a hint of envy, “My entire fortune’s barely 1,000 gold coins. Your guild’s made a killing.”
Holding the heavy coins, Ye Chui’s excitement was palpable. After all this time, he was finally rich.
“Oh, and more good news,” Merlin said with a grin. “Your guild fully resolved this five-star mission, so its rank will rise. I’ve contacted the Magic Guild’s headquarters. You’ll jump to at least a three-star guild.”
Magic guilds and mercenary groups had star ratings. A three-star guild was impressive. Most guilds in Stan Town were unranked, with Bullhead and Goddess’s Kiss at two stars, and Blue Horn at one. Ye Chui’s guild reaching three stars was remarkable.
Merlin continued, “Three-star guilds get better treatment, priority on high-end missions, discounts at auctions and shops in big cities, and the prestige of the rating itself.”
Ye Chui’s joy grew. “When can we change our name?”
“Change your name?” Merlin paused. “Why change it? Magic guilds are solemn organisations. Names are fixed unless exceptional circumstances allow it, usually for seven-star guilds or higher. To change it, you’d have to disband and reform, but you’d lose the three-star rating.”
Ye Chui: “…”
What a scam!
