'But before I start practicing Witchcraft, I need a good rest.'
"Aaaah..."
Leaving the basement, Isaac stood in his bedroom and gave a long, satisfying stretch. He then took off his Wizard Robe and Wizard Hat, collapsed onto the bed, and fell into a deep sleep.
In his sleep, specks of Magic Power emanated from Isaac's spine, silently transforming his body...
DONG... DONG...
The next day, the morning bells from the village church woke Isaac from his sleep. He struggled out of bed, walked to the window, and pulled open the curtains. Raising his right hand to shield his eyes from the sun, he scanned his domain.
Yes, his domain.
Although he had no right of inheritance, as a scion of the Nobility, he wasn't left with nothing. After he struck out on his own, Old Solomon still granted him the title of Baron and a fiefdom. He could have easily coasted through the rest of his life in comfort.
Though it was called a fiefdom, in reality, it was just a village of two or three hundred people, a few plots of land, and a small castle. He was less of a Lord and more of a landlord.
He should have received a larger domain. The Solomons Family was a newly risen house of Nobility with plenty of land left to grant. Carving out a proper barony would have been a simple matter.
But being a new house was a double-edged sword.
The Solomon Clan had great momentum and a chance at ascending to the rank of Count. Therefore, it was impossible for them to splinter their holdings at such a critical juncture. After all, one must concentrate their power to achieve great things.
Isaac, however, wasn't dissatisfied. He had no such ambitions to begin with. A small domain had its advantages—at the very least, it was safe. Located in the heartland of Solomon's Domain, it was both poor and difficult to conquer, giving Isaac ample time to build up his strength.
Isaac was well aware that in this Extraordinary World, personal strength was paramount. Once he had power, status and influence would naturally follow.
What he needed now was a stable environment where he could slowly accumulate strength with his Golden Finger. 'Just lie low and survive!'
That being said...
Looking at the medicinal fields that belonged to him, Isaac couldn't help but grin. The land here was all planted with Silver Moon Grass, a primary ingredient for the Knight's Secret Medicine. Demand was high and the price was steep, making the profits quite substantial.
Suddenly...
"Hm?!" Isaac's pupils constricted. To the left, outside the castle, a patch of... Forest Land?
[Cabin in the Woods: Dedicated to serving all Wizards. Founded by the great Little Witch in the Forest. We buy and sell all Wizard-related items and Knowledge. Where there are Wizards, there is Forest Land. Where there is Forest Land, there is the Cabin in the Woods.]
As the information flooded his mind, Isaac narrowed his eyes. He glanced around and noticed something even stranger: the Forest Land had clearly just appeared today, yet bizarrely, no one seemed to have noticed it.
To be more precise, it wasn't that no one noticed, but that the very Concept of the Forest Land had been implanted into their minds, as if it had always been there. He could tell from the patrol routes of the castle guards. The spot where the Forest Land now stood was originally a medicinal field they were supposed to inspect.
Now, however, they simply patrolled the perimeter of the Forest Land before turning back. The original medicinal field had vanished without a trace. The loss was considerable—a full one-thir... Huh?
Suddenly, the grave look in Isaac's eyes softened. Upon closer inspection, he realized that most of the vanished medicinal fields were outside his own domain. They were the Solomon Clan's fields, which, nominally, belonged to his older brother.
In that case...
...it wasn't his problem.
After staring at the Forest Land for a moment, Isaac quickly washed his face, changed into his Wizard Robe, and hung his Wizard Hat from his belt. Pushing open the door, he decided he would study Magic first, then go check out that Cabin in the Woods.
"Young Master Isaac."
As he stepped out of his bedroom, an elderly man in a black suit was already waiting. His name was Smith Hank, a long-time retainer of the Solomons Family. Like the ten guards patrolling outside, he had been assigned to Isaac when he came to his new domain—one of the few additional assets allocated to him.
"Is something the matter?" Isaac asked, confused. Smith was the bodyguard assigned by his family, but there was no need for him to be a constant shadow within the castle walls. With his strength as a Knight Tier, he could rush to Isaac's side from any corner of the castle in an instant if an assassin were to appear.
Knights in this world weren't the powerless figures he'd read about in the fantasy novels of his past life. The Path of the Knight was an equally powerful Path of the Extraordinary. And though it was originally a creation of Wizards, it was now by no means inferior to them.
Unfortunately, Isaac was born with a frail constitution. The rigors of a Knight's training would have literally killed him!
'Otherwise, being a Knight would have been a good choice.'
'Of course, being a Wizard is better. Especially a Legendary Mage—the synergy with my Golden Finger is off the charts!'
"You... you really became a Wizard?" Smith asked, looking at Isaac in astonishment. When Isaac had told him yesterday that he was going to perform the ritual, it had scared him half to death. The mortality rate for aspiring Wizards was absurdly high, especially when using some ritual he'd dredged up from who-knows-where.
"Mhm, I made it." Isaac smiled and raised his right hand. A pea-sized green "Flame" flickered to life on his fingertip. This was his Magic Power.
GASP! Smith drew a sharp breath, then a relieved smile spread across his face. He bowed deeply and said with heartfelt sincerity, "Congratulations, Young Master."
"Mhm, I told you I would succeed," Isaac said confidently.
Smith nodded, then asked, "Young Master, should we report this to the Old Lord?"
"Not yet," Isaac shook his head. "Let's wait. We have to go back in a month anyway. Let's give them a surprise then."
Smith nodded, said no more, and just silently followed behind Isaac.
'A surprise was in order, but his main goal was to wait until he became an Official Wizard. It never hurts to be cautious.'
Besides...
Isaac discreetly glanced at Smith behind him. 'Even he hasn't noticed anything strange about the Forest Land. This thing is really something else...'
On the way to the dining hall, Isaac wasn't idle. He opened his personal panel to see if his Golden Finger had changed after he became a Wizard. He was already extremely satisfied with its ability to provide an infinite margin for error, but if it could become even more powerful, that would be fantastic.
Unfortunately, the Golden Finger was the same as before, with no major changes.
—
Demonized Heart Transplant Surgery (14%) +
Blood Essence Potion (51%) +
Divine Hand (42%) +
—
The first two were the Witchcrafts Isaac was currently learning, with the percentages representing his level of mastery. The "+" symbol wasn't for adding points, but for expanding the entry.
Expanding it would display the aspects of the Witchcraft that Isaac didn't yet understand, helping him to identify and fill the gaps in his knowledge.
The third entry was for the Magic Pet and Talent Witchcraft he was Nurturing after the ritual. Every new Wizard receives a unique Magic Pet and Talent Witchcraft upon their initiation. His had progressed by forty-two percent in a single night from natural Nurturing alone, which was quite efficient. If he studied a little Magic, he estimated he could complete the Nurturing process by tonight.