I Refused To Be Reincarnated

After he left the boisterous arena, Shepard came to meet him, his smile bright and face flushed.

"I don't know what you want, but act your age, old man."

His sharp and snarky voice resounded in his excited mentor's ears.

"Nonsense, kid. Men never grow up. They only grow old!"

He chucked at Shepard's proud expression. Then he saw him narrow his eyes, a solemn glint flashing into their depths.

"Tomorrow is the last day. Do you feel confident?"

"I don't know."

He shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose and offering a fake smile.

If Shepard asked before this duel, he would have smirked and answered yes without hesitating. But now? After almost losing against Lena and Luke?

A bitter taste filled his mouth as his mind wandered.

Even with his powerful deck, he couldn't underestimate his future adversaries.

"Heh? What happened to the arrogant ghost who claimed he'd earn first place?"

Shepard's voice cut through his thoughts, forcing him out of his pondering.

"Nothing. It's just that confidence and arrogance are two sides of the same coin. As I'm right now, I can't guarantee victory."

His eyes sparkled with determination, and his usual grin returned.

"But after learning new boosting spells?"

He knew he didn't need to complete his sentence. Defeat had never been an option and that mythical material would be his at the end of the tournament!

"Hahaha. Well said!"

Shepard patted his shoulder in amusement, rocking his wooden body yet making him smile.

"We aren't like those pompous fools. Only the strong have the right to be arrogant, like the beast emperor. Because no matter what others whisper behind your back or think about you, a single word from you can silence them."

Then, he felt his mentor tug at his arm. Without question asked, he followed behind him as he continued.

"I can show you how to develop your own game spells. But you'll have to learn old languages or isolate the words you need for your chant."

His lips curled into a wry smile at the mention of languages, the only thing he didn't have to concern himself with.

"I can master them," he said, his voice dripping with confidence.

As their steps echoed in the castle's corridors and their discussion enlivened the empty place, the library's door greeted their eyes a moment later.

Once comfortably seated behind a desk, Shepard gathered language books one after another and placed them before him.

"Words have meaning and, therefore, power. By arranging them in specific orders and using languages attuned to mana, mages order their energy to take shape and imbue them with unique effects."

He nodded. That's what he had understood in the Riverwood manor years ago.

"The caster's proficiency plays an integral part. For novices, we add a lot of words to help their immature mana shape itself. In exchange, their casting time ranges from one to several minutes, making them as weak as commoners."

Shepard continued his explanation, his lips curling into a grin as he started the fascinating part.

"Once they become mages, they are proficient enough to use a few or just one word to manifest the basic effects, then guide the spell actively by commanding their mana themselves."

He nodded again, drinking his words like a traveller reaching an oasis of knowledge.

"But the last level is much harder to master. Only the archmages and the tenth arcanist can do it: wield mana without using words. That's amazing, right? They can control the entire process with their will alone!"

Shepard's eyes brightened, and a genuine smile stretched his lips, making him realise that he strived to improve, too.

A reminiscent light flashed in his eyes. He had followed this path ever since he started his magic journey. After all, he had needed to protect himself against horrifyingly powerful enemies too soon. A minute to cast? He could have handed his head instead.

"Mana control is the answer."

Shepard revealed, his voice solemn as if it were the world's biggest secret.

"You did well training it early. We don't share the method for a reason, though."

His eyes narrowed into slits as he interjected.

"To avoid countries building armies of adepts, I guess."

"Correct. With mana control, the adept rank is achievable as long as one's mana circuits aren't too terrible. I read that a few hundred years ago, we used to teach every noble equally, but the situation grew out of control, and wars ravaged the lands. From that time's more than three hundred countries, only forty-six remained..."

His eyes trembled at the shocking information. He knew the world was big, incredibly so. Yet, there were so few countries? Now he knew why...

"Anyway, let's focus back on spells."

Shepard shook his head, pushing the history aside and pointing at the books.

"What I want you to do is to learn those languages' most important words. For example, if you use the dwarven word for water, that's what happens. Thal."

As the ancient word echoed, Shepard's mana condensed on his palm, turning into a pool of fresh water the next second. Find exclusive stories on My Virtual Library Empire

"If you want it to be a water spear, you'll have to either condense it during its manifestation or add the word thargr."

As the word echoed in the silent library, the water roiled into a violent current, reshaping itself into an azure spear swirling with magical energies.

He nodded. He had done it seven years ago when he tweaked the mana arrow spell: repeat each word one by one, observe, analyse and replicate the mana's movements by himself until he could do it without chanting.

Creating a new spell altogether, however, wasn't something he was capable of. Therefore, he followed the lesson without interrupting the arcanist.

More than interest, yearning flashed in his eyes, making his fists and soul shudder in joy. He felt he returned to the old shop, stumbling in his discovery of alchemy with Theodor.

"Now, for the part that interests us, you'll have to build an elemental spell that can boost someone when cast. Upon using it during a duel, the desk's engravings convert it into illusions and apply the effects to your monsters. In truth, the real game breaker is those spells, not the cards."

Shepard's face turned somber, and a playful smile stretched his lips.

"If I use my spell to turn into smoke during a duel, my monster will become intangible and poisonous. With it, no matter its basic strength, I'll win the duel without sweating. Of course, that's without considering the adversary's monster effects."

"This game is crazy! It forces students to explore and helps them master proper spells!"

He slammed the table, shocked by the discovery.

Before he could recover, Shepard spoke again, yet only solemness remained in his eyes as shadows covered his face.

"It's more than just a game. But I can't tell you more. Even if I did, whoever invented it and his methods disappeared in the meander of time."

'The game comes from a destroyed path?'

His eyes widened as the thought resonated like a thunder strike.

'No. More than a game, it was an actual path to power. But how did they use it to fight? Could they summon the monsters for real?!'

One theory after another struck him. The worst part? They all seemed plausible in this world full of possibilities.