"This slab has a few simple magic symbols burned into it, and together they form a simple magic matrix. What the matrix does is draw the fire element out of the air and turn it into flame... it really is marvelous."
In the kitchen, Ye Chui stared at the stove before him, red flames licking up from it, and could not help but sigh in admiration.
It was called a stove, but in fact it was just a slab of stone set on a platform, its face carved with rows on rows of magic symbols. Those symbols formed a simple magic matrix, like a program, endlessly drawing the fire element out of the air.
Of course, a magic matrix couldn't be used just because it had been carved. It still had to be activated with magic power.
Magic power was another essential ingredient in becoming a mage—a strange energy. The way Ye Chui understood it, if the slab carved with a magic matrix was a machine, then the magic matrix was the program, or the circuit board, and magic power was the electricity; only once the power was connected would the machine start up.
A small blue crystal was set into one side of the stove slab, and the magic power stored in that one little crystal could keep the flames burning for months on end. By controlling how much magic power was fed out, you could control the size of the flame; it was as convenient to use as an induction cooktop.
Magic power was a strange energy that everyone could produce inside their body. How much a person had depended on their constitution, and its name depended on the profession they chose—mages called this energy magic power, which was also the general term for it, while swordsmen called it sword qi, acolytes called it the power of faith, and knights called it the oath.
The people of this world had also discovered all kinds of crystals, from which the magic power they contained could be drawn out and used.
"Magic is applied so universally in this world that almost every everyday tool is magic-driven... no wonder this is a world ruled by magic."
Ye Chui's gaze shifted from the stove to the other fixtures in the kitchen: the hanging lamp overhead was a flame matrix combined with some glasswork; against one wall stood a device that used a wind matrix to stir up a breeze, doing the same job as an electric fan; there was even a simple box for storing food, chilled inside by an ice-cold matrix, exactly like a refrigerator...
And the main business of Anthony's Magic Cottage was selling magic household goods of precisely this sort.
Ye Chui was full of amazement, and more than that, thoroughly intrigued, because when he looked over the magic matrices in these objects, he found he could actually make sense of them by combining his programming knowledge with those thirty-two magic symbols—only the simple matrices, of course. This was thanks to his peak-level hacking experience, which had given him a powerful, almost instinctive ability to parse any string of code.
"To think my hacking skills could actually be put to use on magic..."
Looking at the wondrous fixtures in the kitchen, Ye Chui could not help but voice his feelings, and a look of anticipation surfaced on his face.
"According to Hammerhead's memories, the deeper spells in this world are all programmed together out of those thirty-two magic symbols. The difference is that a simple spell's template is fairly short, while a high-level spell's matrix is much more complex. An important way of gauging a mage's rank is the depth of their spiritual power—the higher your spiritual power, the more complex a magic template you can hold in memory, and the more powerful a spell you can unleash."
The 【Lightning】 spell Ye Chui had used earlier had needed a magic matrix of only twelve lines of magic symbols.
But the highest-level templates were said to require thousands, tens of thousands, even hundreds of millions of lines of magic symbols—spells like that held the power to lay waste to heaven and earth.
Never mind how much magic power it took: fully inscribing that many magic symbols in memory was absolutely not something an ordinary person could do. Only the superhuman spiritual power a mage was born with could bear the burden.
"And these magic symbols are even more profound and unfathomable than the programming languages I learned in my last life. Program them together, and you can combine all kinds of wondrous effects..."
Ye Chui kept turning it over in his mind, and his eyes grew brighter and brighter.
He was already deeply interested in this world of magic.
The pressing matter, of course, was raising his own strength. He was only a second-rank mage, and mage ranks could be roughly divided into beginner, intermediate and advanced: ranks one through three were beginner, four through six intermediate, and seven through nine advanced.
But reaching advanced mage was not the end of a mage's road.
You could even say that only then had it truly begun.
At that point a mage had to enter their own field of specialization and delve into deeper magic elements...
It was said that above the field of specialization there was an even higher Sacred Domain.
None of that was anything Ye Chui needed to worry about for now.
In Stan City, the town where Ye Chui lived, the highest-ranking mage was only rank seven.
Even in the Matan Empire, to which Stan City belonged, there were only eight specialization mages of rank nine or above.
Ye Chui savored the wonders of this world of magic while he boiled a pot of noodles on the magic stove. Once they were done, he went outside to call Debbie in to eat—and the moment he stepped out of the kitchen he saw her in the courtyard, ceaselessly swinging her greatsword, drilling one move after another, that greatsword bigger and heavier than she was.
Watching that greatsword whirl gave a person the illusion that Debbie would be flung away the very next moment, and yet her small figure stood as firm as Mount Tai. It was breathtaking to watch.
On the Aigendas Continent, people could choose from four professions: mage, swordsman, acolyte and knight.
Of these, mages needed powerful spiritual power and magic power to qualify. The requirements were so harsh that even in a magic-ruled world like this one, very few people could become mages. The other three professions had looser requirements—a swordsman, for example, needed only one thing: the ability to rouse the sword qi in his body. As mentioned before, almost everyone carried this energy inside them, similar to magic power, though it varied with each person's constitution. Debbie's sword qi leaned toward raw strength, which made the greatswordsman the path best suited to her...
Debbie could swing that greatsword, heavier than her whole body, with such ease because of her sword qi.
"Debbie, take a break. It's time for lunch," Ye Chui called.
The little girl finished with an overhand chop, then casually leaned the greatsword against the magic water pump beside the well in the courtyard. Wiping the sweat from her brow, she walked into the kitchen, served herself a big bowl of noodles and wolfed them down.
Ye Chui looked at the greatsword propped by the well, and something stirred in him; curious, he walked over to see whether he could lift it...
And the result proved that he, a full-grown man, could not budge the thing at all!
In the end he gave up, crestfallen, and consoled himself that when a real man fought, he won on brains—brains...
Glancing at Debbie bent over her noodles at the kitchen table, Ye Chui turned to look at the gate at one side of the courtyard. He had been reborn into this world without yet seeing what it looked like out there. Why not take this chance to go out and have a look around?
With that thought, he set off toward the yard gate.
But in a flash a figure appeared before him—Debbie's slender form had already planted itself in his way, a single strand of noodle still dangling from the corner of her mouth. She looked at Ye Chui. "Hammerhead, where do you think you're going?" Then, with a slurp, she sucked the noodle into her mouth.
"I'm just going out for a walk..."
"No!"
Debbie planted both hands on her hips. "Busca is ruthless and utterly shameless. You only just scared him off with magic this morning—if he spots you out there alone, he might jump you from behind. So from now on, you're not setting one foot outside!"
"Come on, I can already cast an attack spell. Do I really have to be afraid of him?" Ye Chui said, somewhat helpless.
"As if I don't know your attack spells work one time and not the next!" Debbie looked at him with utter disdain. "This morning was pure luck. Run into him again and it might not go off at all, so you stay right here. Leave everything else to me—don't worry, if he dares come back in three days, I'll give them a proper thrashing. Today I held back one of my ultimate moves because I was afraid of smashing up the stock. If they dare show up again, I won't be scared of them!"
"Then isn't there something I can do?" Ye Chui felt he ought to be able to help.
"There is." Debbie actually nodded.
"What?" Ye Chui brightened.
"Just stay alive. That's all you have to do." Debbie's expression was perfectly serious.
Then, looking for all the world like "I'll take care of you," Debbie patted Ye Chui on the shoulder. She did not believe for one second that Ye Chui could now cast 【Lightning】 whenever he pleased.
Ye Chui's body was two years older than Debbie, but because he was a frail mage, in daily life Debbie still took it upon herself to play the protector... and in fact, Ye Chui did seem to need looking after by this Little Shimei of his.
Mages were formidable, but physical frailty was their weak spot, and the limited number of times they could cast spells was another.
"Fine, I'll stay alive and well these next few days..." Ye Chui had no choice but to nod. Inwardly, though, he was thinking, That Busca swears he'll be back in three days. Debbie's full of confidence, but she definitely can't handle him on her own. Should I get a few things prepared in the meantime?
Chapter two, delivered. The revised sections earlier seem to be displaying wrong on the app client—I'm speechless. Let's see if I can get that fixed after a while~~~~~ The book's first big climax is arriving very soon, ha—watch how Ye Chui uses his hacking skills to run wild with magic~~~~ Of course, don't forget your recommendation votes and bookmarks, thank you~~~