Five years later, Roman Lane.
Ning Busan waved the wand in his hand, and a complex magic array materialized beneath his feet.
Gentle ripples began to spread through the surrounding air. In that instant, space itself grew soft and elastic, shaping into a brilliant gateway.
Ning Busan pushed open the door. In the blink of an eye, he materialized at the very top of the Mage Association spire.
Saige, wearing reading glasses, was busy studying a letter in his hand. The sudden appearance of a full-grown person right in front of him gave him quite a fright.
Ning Busan could not wait to share his inner joy with Saige. “Teacher, I succeeded!”
After hundreds of failures, he had finally succeeded in casting Spatial Displacement, an Advanced-level spell.
Spatial Displacement had been the greatest obstacle he had encountered in his magic studies.
Even the slightest deviation would throw him off course, and not even he would know where the other side of the spatial gate led.
In his most embarrassing attempt, he had opened the door only to step directly into someone's home, catching a trysting couple red-handed.
To buy his silence, they had even given him hush money.
All in all, the hardships he went through along the way were too numerous to recount.
Fortunately, he had succeeded. This meant that he was now an Advanced Mage.
Saige set down the letter. Looking at the beaming Ning Busan, he said warmly, “Congratulations on your promotion to Advanced Mage.”
That Ning Busan would become an Advanced Mage was well within Saige's expectations.
Yet five years was incredibly brief. Seeing Ning Busan make such massive strides in so little time filled him with profound emotion.
As expected, someone who was both diligent and talented would never be overlooked, no matter where they went.
Ning Busan was incredibly excited.
Having become an Advanced Mage, he could now delve into more complex magic arrays.
As his research into magic deepened, he realized that if he grew just a bit stronger, constructing a magic array that connected to another world was indeed feasible.
In other words, his wish to return home might actually be within reach.
However, Saige's next words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly sobering him up.
“Ning Busan, although I do not know what you intend to do, I must warn you,” Saige said. “Time and space are taboos for mages.”
“All those who attempt to alter time and space are ultimately consumed by them.”
Ning Busan's smile stiffened. After a brief silence, he said, “Teacher, I understand.”
Returning home was his obsession, but Saige's warning served as a timely wake-up call.
Ning Busan knew all too well how difficult and dangerous time-space magic was. Without absolute certainty, he would not rashly attempt it.
Yet, the doubts buried deep in his heart continued to leave him uneasy.
How on earth had he come to this world?
Who exactly had created the game Xeno Invasion?
If this was all a conspiracy, what role was he playing in it?
...
The slums.
Ning Busan walked straight to a secluded little shop and closed the door behind him.
A young girl with twin braided pigtails and freckles on her face stepped forward to greet him. “Lord Ning Busan, you are finally here.”
Ning Busan handed her a ring set with a ruby. “Vinya, everything is inside. I've already sorted them. Have someone deliver this to Novalia.”
The ring had been enchanted to hold a space of about one cubic meter, and it was currently packed to the brim with amulets.
Over the past five years, Ning Busan had had no social life outside of studying magic at the Mage Association.
He kept such a low profile that almost everyone overlooked him, and even the nobles had gradually forgotten his existence.
No one would have guessed that he had been secretly providing medical logistics for Novalia all this time.
Novalia had achieved legendary feats on the battlefield, leading the invincible Thorns Legion, and his amulets had saved countless lives.
He said to Vinya, “Tell Novalia that I plan to go look for her. I have been promoted to Advanced Mage, so I can at least protect myself on the battlefield.”
Light-element mages with healing abilities were exceedingly rare. No matter the faction, they were always offered lavish treatment, so they were generally unwilling to accompany armies into active combat.
But Ning Busan was more than willing.
“I am afraid you won't be able to go,” Vinya whispered. “Her Highness the Princess sent word that she will be returning to the empire shortly.”
Ning Busan was somewhat surprised. “Wasn't she in the south fending off the xenos? Why has she suddenly decided to return now?”
Vinya said, filled with righteous indignation, “His Majesty suddenly summoned Her Highness back. Who knows what he is planning.”
Ning Busan frowned.
Why would the King suddenly make such a decision?
Ning Busan said, “I see. Send the items to Novalia first.”
After leaving the little shop, Ning Busan heard the sounds of a struggle coming from an alleyway on his way home, but he had no intention of getting involved.
The slums were home to all kinds of people, and nothing that happened there was surprising. It was impossible for him to manage everything.
His world was very small, and he only cared about the few people he valued.
Perhaps, deep down, he was a cold person to begin with.
The moonlight barely filtered through the dense, overlapping eaves, casting dappled shadows in the alleyway.
By chance, Ning Busan caught a glimpse of the two figures locked in combat.
One was an assassin clad in tight, black night-clothes, and the other was an armored knight.
That knight was Kaelan.
The very Kaelan who had saved his life when Ning Busan first crossed over to this world.
Ning Busan stopped in his tracks.
Without the slightest hesitation, Ning Busan cast an Immobilization Spell.
The assassin was instantly frozen in place.
Ning Busan walked over.
Suddenly, another assassin approached like a phantom. A dagger carved a silver arc through the air, lunging straight for Ning Busan's vitals.
Kaelan reacted instantly. With a sweep of his longsword, he precisely parried the assassin's strike for Ning Busan.
At this point, Ning Busan had no intention of leaving them alive.
Intricate magic lines channeled the power of fire. In an instant, raging flames erupted over the assassin's body.
He let out a bloodcurdling shriek and was quickly reduced to ash, leaving not even a trace of bone behind.
This was the first time Ning Busan had killed someone in the truest sense, and even he was surprised by how calm he remained.
Someone wanted to kill him; he had to fight back, or he would die.
Perhaps because he had seen too many corpses over the past five years, his emotions barely stirred as he took a life.
But soon, several more assassins surrounded the alley.
Grabbing Kaelan, Ning Busan cast Spatial Displacement and returned to his home.
Kaelan's lips were purple, a clear sign of poisoning. One of his shoulders had been pierced through, and blood was streaming down his armor.
Ning Busan applied a healing spell, and Kaelan's injuries quickly mended.
Ning Busan asked, “Uncle Kaelan, are you alright?”
Kaelan felt the young man before him looked familiar, but for a moment, he could not recall who he was.
After a long pause, he finally recognized him. “You are... Ning Busan?”
“Yes, it is me.”
Kaelan's feelings were somewhat complicated.
He had never expected that the refugee he had rescued from the Shadow Forest would turn out to be a powerful mage.
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