The Basement Mage’s Chaotic Practice Sessions - Chapter 11

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※ This work contains high-intensity, hardcore elements and scenes that may polarize readers. Please be advised before reading.

She quietly scanned her changed form.

“Then what exactly…?”

What had changed? What was different that, without even returning to how she was before, her body had become so vibrant in the blink of an eye?

This overflowing energy was a first since her imprisonment.

Perhaps because of it, she found herself pondering deeply over a matter that, just minutes ago, she would have simply lain down and ignored. Out of habit, Jeina twitched her fingertips and carefully examined her body.

“I don’t get it, hmm… No matter how I look… Huh?”

Her eyes, which had been rolling around busily, suddenly stopped.

“Mana?”

Her fingertips, which had been moving slightly on their own, also froze. The rounded tips of her fingers were enveloped in a halo of white light, as if it were a lie.

That clean light, slowly spreading from her fingertips, was unmistakably her mana. Even after not seeing it for so long—or perhaps because she hadn’t seen it for so long—she could tell for sure. It was as if mana was flowing from her body just like it used to.

“Mana is…”

…flowing.

Jeina swallowed hard and slowly moved her gaze, which had been fixed on her fingertips. But the gaze that had been drifting slowly didn’t last long before it had to stop again.

“It’s gone…”

It was gone. The restraint that had clung to her so tenaciously, as if it were part of her own body, was nowhere to be seen.

Why hadn’t she noticed this immediately?

Jeina stared blankly at her empty wrist.

There had been times during those fleeting, empty days when she couldn’t bear the weapon-like lethargy weighing down her body. In those moments, she would inevitably try to tear the restraint off, gripping it so hard it left raw marks on her slender wrist. But the more she tried to pry it off with her feeble strength, the deeper it dug into her flesh, making it impossible to remove.

And now, that restraint had disappeared.

She touched her bare wrist and muttered.

“It’s really gone…?”

Then, does that mean I can get out of this damned place? Maybe this is a dream.

‘Is it a dream…? Ah, f**k it, so what if it is?’

Without hesitation, Jeina moved her foot. Her steps toward the firmly locked iron door quickened. She scattered her magical power toward the door, and the door she thought would never open yielded easily.

* * *

“My magic shall be used for pleasure alone?”

Jeina tilted her head and swiftly flipped the page. Hmm… Then she read aloud the phrases written in ancient script.

[You who read my book, you have finally opened your eyes to the true world.

I care not who you are. Simply think of this as an opportunity granted because the time has come.

An opportunity to appreciate the great achievements of this splendid mage.

Engrave these words, which will become your very blood and flesh, upon your soft heart, and try to make the know-how I impart your own.

If you remain true only to your instincts and carry on my magical spirit, a world of pleasure and ecstasy will await you.

P.S. How is it? Don’t you want to read it? Tempted, aren’t you? Don’t you feel like you’ll totally regret it if you don’t? You will surely become immersed in this world. You will…]

“What the… Why did it stop mid-sentence?”

A strange, unsettled feeling made her quickly flip through the remaining pages, but she couldn’t find any continuation. Yet, as the pages turned with a swish, she almost found herself getting drawn in by the glimpses of text and images peeking through.

“Ahem…”

She snapped the book shut and cleared her throat. Then, squinting her eyes, she glared at the red cover.

It was happening exactly as this insane author said it would. She felt an irrational sense of defeat and didn’t want to open the book again, but…

“So… you’re saying this one person wrote all these books?”

How am I supposed to resist when I’m this curious? It was as if her past self was whispering to her.

With eyes alight with curiosity, she looked around the room filled with what seemed like a thousand ancient tomes.

When she opened the door she thought was an exit, what appeared was just another room. Another underground secret room with no way out, not even a single window. But her disappointment was short-lived; her heart swelled inexplicably at the sight of the red books lining the walls.

How could she not be tempted…? It was true that her body and mind were stirring with excitement from the stimulation she hadn’t felt in so long.

The escape she had so desperately longed for was effectively pushed to the back of her mind. Satisfying her curiosity came first.

‘If worse comes to worst, I’ll just smash my way out, whatever.’

So, without a thought for the consequences, focusing only on what was right in front of her, she opened the book. Still, her eyes scanned the pages with a mix of skepticism and fascination.