My body screamed with bone-shattering pain as I tumbled down the stairs. My spine slammed against the wall at the landing—a sledgehammer blow that nearly blacked out my brain from oxygen deprivation.

Gritting my teeth, I swallowed the metallic tang rising in my throat. Trembling, I pushed myself up. Every bone felt pulverized, on the verge of collapse.

*So much pain…*

But there was no time to feel it.

I lifted my head. From the hall above the stairs, a beast’s head emerged—crimson fur matted with gore. Its gaze swept the shadows, then locked onto me. Moonlight spilled over its frame, igniting a bloodthirsty gleam in its brown eyes.

*Two more beasts…*

This narrow stairwell was death for ranged combat. I couldn’t stay.

I bolted down to the next floor. Eunice’s mission card flashed in my mind: *Retrieve an old wooden chest from the mansion’s basement—the heirloom of Lady Macalina’s grandfather.*

*Could this be the basement?*

Survival came first. That was all that mattered now.

Scraping claws echoed above—closing fast.

I raced downward, weaving nearby elements into formation as I ran.

Two seconds later, I burst into the space below the stairs. The moment my foot hit the final step, I whirled around and spat two guttural syllables:

"*Xu Lai!*"

**Magic—Frostpath Barrier!**

A thick wall of ice erupted at the stairwell exit, blasting frigid air.

*THUD!* The pursuing beasts crashed into it instantly. Through the semi-transparent ice—twenty centimeters thick—I saw two blurred silhouettes snarling. They clawed and slammed against the barrier, enraged by the obstruction.

Relief washed over me. This spell lacked offensive power, but its stability was absolute. They wouldn’t break through quickly.

I leaned against the ice wall, wiping sweat from my brow. My body throbbed, but the tension in my chest eased.

*That was too close…* My ribs ached from ragged breathing.

My mana pool had expanded again. Beyond the Magic Cube’s runes, I’d cast three first-tier spells today: Frost Arrow, Rune Barrier, and Frostpath Barrier.

*Unbelievable. I’ve studied magic less than a week…*

*If only my mana were stronger…*

*THUD. THUD.* The beasts pounded the ice. I forced myself to ignore it. This wall would hold—for now.

I stabilized my stance and cast a support spell on myself: **Pain Suppression**.

A formal-tier spell, usable on anyone. It dulled physical agony like a supercharged analgesic. In practice, it worked even better than I’d imagined.

I rolled my previously aching shoulders, then focused on the two shadows beyond the ice.

The barrier would melt with time. I couldn’t dispel it with mana. To escape, I’d need to blast through it—or wait.

*I’ve locked myself in.* But safety was safety. I had no intention of facing those Crimson Lions head-on.

Darkness swallowed the basement. Only faint moonlight seeped through the ice near the stairs. Elsewhere, blackness reigned—a starless night choked by storm clouds. A primal chill crept up my spine.

*I need another exit. A way around those beasts.*

I stepped deeper into the gloom. The air turned damp and biting, a stark contrast to the dry hall above.

*Typical basement rot.*

Time for magic.

Night-vision spells existed—like the third-tier **Night Hawk’s Eye**—but that was two tiers beyond me. Instead, I cast my very first spell: the non-formal **Radiance Spell**.

Blue light bloomed in my palm, carving a one-meter sphere of visibility from the dark.

I levitated the glowing orb, feeding it mana from my Magic Cube. The spell drained apprentices heavily, but as a Formal Mage, I could spare the cost.

The basement stretched vast. My light barely scratched its secrets. I advanced slowly, the blue sphere bobbing ahead like a will-o’-the-wisp.

*I wish I still had Rosalynd’s White Rose Badge.* Its glow rivaled streetlamps back home. But I’d returned it long ago—to Miroa Aranxiene, in Eunice’s body.

*Body-swapping…* It had happened so abruptly. One moment I was practicing magic behind Moors Manor; the next, my vision flipped. Eunice stumbled—and we switched back.

*Why then?*

A theory flickered. *Could it be linked to me forcing a second-tier Tempest Hammer into storage?*

I shook my head. *Later.* Survival first.

*Living is the prerequisite for everything.*

After minutes of searching, I halted before a wall opposite the stairs.

A black stone door stood embedded in the masonry. My blue light glinted off thick dust coating its surface.

*How long has this place been abandoned?*

I reached for the iron handle—then froze. My eyes caught something at my feet. I stepped back and plucked an object from the dust.

I levitated the Radiance Spell overhead, brushing grime from the item.

A silver ring. Tiny crimson gems circled its band. Though dimmed by time, they pulsed with a faint, persistent red glow.

*That glow…* It had pierced the dust, stopping me from opening the door.

*No ordinary ring.*

I examined it—and jolted. Magical resonance thrummed from within.

*Magical resonance?!*

One thought exploded in my mind: *An Arcane Conduit?*

Arcane Conduits amplified mages in countless ways. In a mundane’s hands, they were useless—like using a pistol as a brick. Crucially, only Alchemists could forge them. Raw magic alone couldn’t create one.

*Finding one here…?*

Conduits ranked across seven tiers. This ring’s faint resonance suggested Tier 1—likely a simple attribute boost. Still, luck smiled on me. Many first-tier Mages owned no Conduit. The Church tightly controlled their trade; most were bought from Alchemists or looted from ancient ruins.

I scanned it thoroughly with mana before sliding it onto my finger.

Coolness spread from the band. A subtle shift hummed through me—unplaceable yet undeniable.

I closed my eyes, sinking into meditation. My internal scan triggered pure elation.

*It amplifies mana!*

The boost was modest, but for my depleted reserves, it was transformative. With this, I could cast more second-tier spells—and accelerate my first-tier incantations.

I took a steadying breath, quelling my racing heart. Glancing back, the Crimson Lions still prowled beyond the ice wall, slamming against it intermittently. Meltwater pooled at its base; ice chips littered the floor.

*Time’s running out.*

I gripped the stone door’s handle and heaved. It groaned open a sliver—too narrow to see through.

*Right. Physical strength. The mage’s eternal weakness.*

I cast **Rage Blood**—a support spell boosting strength by twenty percent for three to seven minutes, depending on exertion.

Grunting, I pulled again.

*SCREEEE—*

The door yielded with a joyous, rusty shriek, breaking decades of silence.

Beyond, darkness retreated under the Radiance Spell’s glow, unveiling what lay hidden.