Reader Mage-Stubbing August 10! Chapter 1: 1-Open, Merlin Tyrrell

Read chapter 1 of Reader Mage-Stubbing August 10! by A_Random_Turtle on NovelPedia.

Analyzing and deconstructing spells, Merlin would claim that there were probably only a handful of people better than him at it. Three years of his life he had devoted to doing just that. He had studied and broken down every comprehensible spell possible, becoming well versed in what each entailed to function and what disturbed their resonance. However, despite his unwillingness to hang up his boots, his favorite novel, Singularity Mage, written by The Sleeping Jacket, had come to an end, and with it his participation in crafting the protagonist’s system. In other words, the reason he’d had to engage in such an act was gone. A thousand and three hundred chapters of my life… Merlin glanced at the homepage button visible where the next button should have been. It really has ended . He sighed, almost despondently. It wouldn’t be absurd to say that he was feeling empty at the moment—which was honestly weird. For one, he was the only reader who had followed the interactive novel past chapter five, which was a testament to the work’s quality. It was concerning that he had enjoyed it so much. But he had. And to the point that he sometimes wondered why readers had given up on the work. What was there not to love? A protagonist from a hick-town that had so little mana pool that he could barely cast spells, and his rise to becoming the greatest Mage ever. And the readers were given free rein to decide what skills he could gain. It made up for the perfect journey. Sure, Merlin wouldn’t say the beginning chapters weren’t rough, but that was to be expected of a webnovel dependent on the input of readers. It would take some time for the author to balance it all. Well, I’m glad that I gave it a chance. It was a good way to see things from a different perspective. Ah! I should post a comment. Merlin wanted to become a Mage, to be able to cast spells, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy reading from the viewpoint of a protagonist who couldn’t. He’d loved the experience, and he made sure it showed in his comment. “Woah! Look at him go! Hacking his life away at his screen. At this rate you might just win the global prize for the most devoted reader of a web novel,” Nora, his twin sister, and the most insane woman he’d had both the pleasure and displeasure of knowing, bickered. Her headphones sat atop her head and she tapped away fiercely at her phone’s screen. It was Tower Raider. What a hypocrite, considering what she’d just said. “It’s that novel again, right?” she continued. “Piss off,” Merlin sneered at her, subduing his urge to pull her hair. He instead clicked the send button for his comment and leaned backwards on his seat. They were seated in the Consortium Guild’s waiting area, all around them people with varying emotions, stemming from what the results of their Mage Class evaluation had been, that it all felt so disorienting. Merlin could only take a deep breath and exhale, seeking anything at all to prevent his mind from spiraling into negative thoughts. It had only been twenty years since the cataclysm came to earth, bringing Dungeons, Towers, monsters, and most of all, magic. Humanity was still adapting to the sudden change in the world. Guilds were created to take control of such situations, as well as Mage Academies, in order to train the Enkindled—those who had awakened mana—on how to control their powers. This way they could join in protecting the world from the dangers of the Dungeons and Towers. One would have thought that humans would be scared of tampering with something they had no idea about, but it was otherwise. Everyone wanted to become a Mage, even if it meant they would risk their lives fighting monsters. As long as they could create fireballs out of thin air, or blast water from their palms, it barely mattered. Well, that and the riches that came with it. An average Mage could earn as much as a renowned cardiologist. That was dependent on their Guild, though. Merlin wouldn’t lie, he was one of them. But his reason