Pi’ve robed himself. He was quite naked he found as he looked down. The robe was long and flowing, and was supposed to be an outer garment covering his shirt and pants and other articles. It covered his whole body from shoulders down to his ankles. It looked a lot like the robes which he had seen on wizards around in Thergiam, in fact. He wanted a pair of pants though. And a shirt.

  Looking closer at the other items he had received, he saw that the pouch had two straps on the backside, and knew that the belt was supposed to be thread through it. As he did this, he also fastened the knife sheath to the belt, and put the belt on. It was a wider belt than he was used to wearing, as this was not only to keep his robe on, but also to keep his core stable. He inspected the belt by looking at it and focusing on the inspect skill.

  [Leather belt (basic)] - A belt made of sturdy, artificial leather. Made by the system to imitate a real leather belt. Though this belt is wider in the back than most belts, its function is to keep your body straight, as well as being something to fasten your articles.

  It was a great belt. It was new, and was made of what seemed like real leather. It felt somewhat weird for it to be so wide in the back, but he felt that his core was indeed strengthened significantly. It was no problem bending down with it either, as it even made it more comfortable.

  The pouch was nothing out of the ordinary. Leather. It could hold about three litres of liquid. Or four fist-sized rocks.

  The knife was sharp and made of iron, and had a plain wooden handle. It was average, or basic, as the inspect skill revealed its rarity to be.

  The rope was made of hemp and was basic rarity too. It seemed like that was to be expected when given items straight from the system itself. It seemed sturdy, and was very long. He placed it in his satchel, also of basic rarity, which was made of the same leather as the pouch, but was much bigger and had a long strap which went perfectly over his shoulder. It seemed like these items were specifically made for him in mind.

  He had already inspected the staff. It was the first thing he did after seeing it. But as he had put on all his stuff and that was the only thing left to grab before the timer went out—

  *The second phase of the tutorial is above to commence… Get ready to be teleported… Time left: 00:53 minutes*

  — he inspected it again, for that was the greatest item of them all.

  [Cherry tree staff with Titanite gemstone (Uncommon)] - A staff made of durable and hard cherry wood. Noted more for its beauty in carpentry, the quality of the wood is apt for staffs. Combined with a gemstone of pure Titanite, this staff is able to cast the most common spell types.

  Pi’ve stood shaking his head as he read it over and over. He already knew that a staff had to be of wood, and it must have a gemstone of good quality. He had learned this by asking wizards in Thergiam. He had never heard of Titanite, but now he had one, and it was good enough if the system gave it to him. And more importantly, he had a wizards staff!

  *The second phase of the tutorial is above to commence… Get ready to be teleported… Time left: 00:01 minutes*

  *Transporting Pi’ve [Human - lvl 1] to Barothron Island… Please wait…*

  In an instant a white sheen covered Pi’ve’s vision, like the sun resided inside his eyes. Though his first intuition was to panic as every part of his body seemed to soar and fall, a second later he felt as if he was on a meadow of soft grass, laying on his back, feeling the soft air.

  As soon as it had started, it ended. His aches and troubled body from his near fatal accident were gone. The system, he surmised, made him aware of this. He checked the status, and indeed, it was confirmed. His health had been refilled, if that was the right term, and so had his stamina. Mana still stood on 60 out of 60, but now he wondered what that was for. It was meant for the two classes of magicians. Maybe it is for the magic, or something.

  He was no longer standing in a sterile room with no apparent space, and the entity was gone too. The ground was indeed made of grass, so he wondered if he had really returned to the real world. But then again, how could he be— he was still in Gaudol’s house sprawled on the floor of his library.

  Pi’ve looked around, and saw that he was standing on a small grass laden area, with forest all around. The trees were massive; bigger than he had ever seen anywhere else. He had heard of big trees like this in the Deep Forest further North, to the East of the Great Pike Lake, and thought that he might have been taken there. But it was warmer here than it would be there. The entity said that he was not were he came from, or was that only the previous peculiar place? The prompt when teleporting had said he was being taken to Barothron Island, and that was not an island he knew. Maybe it was a small one down south…

  As Pi’ve kept looking around, he spotted a rather large stone in the clearing into the forest. He thought that this could not be random, as he was not placed here randomly. He was probably meant to go to it, so he began to walk. As he got closer, he saw that instead of it being a large stone, it was a flat stone standing up, and it had some inscription on it. On the face of the rock it said:

  Quest #1.

  As a magician you will face problems and challenges which will seem impossible for the layman to solve. To be a magician is solving that which cannot be solved by ordinary means, and answering questions nobody knew has yet been asked.

  Inside the forest there is a cave which is both concealed and shut with a spell. Your quest lies in finding this cave, entering, and to answer the question which resides at the Altar of the Forgotten King. Only by answering this question will you be able to proceed to your next quest.

  Note: Proficiency in corporeal manipulation is recommended before entering the cave. Straying from the order of the quest may cause a change in the difficulty of the challenge. Stay alert.

  After reading the text, a prompt popped up in Pi’ve’s vision.

  Do you accept the quest? Note that declining this quest will disqualify you from attempting all quests henceforth, and the tutorial will be ended. [Accept] or [Decline and leave].

  Pi’ve was dumbfounded. He did not know what to make of it. He knew nothing about a hidden cave, nor how to open a magically locked one. He had always been fond of puzzles and figuring out that which eludes others, but this seemed impossible to do. And what was corporeal manipulation? He did not know what corporeal even meant.

  He took a deep breath. It did not sound too bad after he had thought it through. He would probably follow some track over there, find some words of power on some sheet of paper and the cave will open. Then there was the question. He would answer it as well as he could, and who could ask more than that?. Would he forfeit the chance to becoming a wizard if he declined, or answered wrong?

  Pi’ve concentrated on the accept prompt, and selected it. The text disappeared, and suddenly, the entity from before appeared beside the stone.

  ‘Congratulation on accepting your first quest.’ It said non-ceremoniously. ‘I am here to guide you through the quest. If there is anything you wish to clarify before setting out, feel free to ask. If not, dismiss me and I will leave you be. If at any point further you need assistance, you need only to call upon me.’

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  Pi’ve went straight into questioning the entity. ‘Is the quest dangerous.’ Was his first question, and the entity’s answer was rather unhelpful.

  ‘Nothing is without risk.’ It said, and Pi’ve sighed and just stared at it. Maybe the question was dumb.

  ‘Where is the cave? How will I know where to search?’ Pi’ve asked, trying to see if the entity would give him a straight answer, and luckily it did.

  ‘As a wizard, your intuition for what you are searching for and where to find it is heightened. Just take the logical approach, and you will hopefully find it.’

  Great… what do I know about caves? He thought to himself despairingly. He would have to just scour the whole forest until he stumbled upon it.

  ‘What is corporeal manipulation? I guess it is some kind of magic, but how do I do it?’ Pi’ve said after a few seconds of thinking of caves.

  ‘It is magic. The corporeal is concerned with the physical; that which you can touch and feel. Corporeal manipulation is the ability to interact with the physical through magic, without having to actually touch it. To be able to interact with an object, a link must be placed upon the object through your staff, which is the mediator of the magic you possess.’ The entity said.

  ‘Right.’ Pi’ve said. He had wondered where the staff came in. ‘And how do I create this link?’

  ‘A wizard must visualise the object, and make it so the object can be influenced by your mana, as if you are holding it in your hand. It will feel like you have it.’ The entity explained. ‘The less complex the object is, the easier it is to link with and manipulate.’

  ‘What do you mean “feel like I have it”? Like I am holding on to it?’ Pi’ve asked.

  ‘Yes. I do not know how it feels specifically.’

  ‘Fine.’ Pi’ve said exasperated. After a few breaths while trying to figure out what he was about to do, and how foolish it would look, Pi’ve decided that there was nothing for it but to try.

  He would have to enter the forest anyways, and so, he dismissed the entity, for he had asked all he wanted, and wished to have his indiscernible face out of his way as he began to make a fool of himself. First he would rack his brain on what exactly he knew about caves, and how and where they formed. He thought that caves only formed in mountains, as they were usually pictured on the mountain in books he had read, but as there were no mountains in the vicinity, he figured that would be wrong.

  Caves are holes. What forms holes? Digging forms holes. Ah! Stupid— or, maybe there are over-large moles around. Dragons exist, so why not… He could shout into the forest and ask if there was anyone who had dug a hole lately, but that would, he thought, yield no answers. He thought about it some more whilst he wandered about in the forest. In the meanwhile, he looked about for some kind of object he wanted to try corporeal manipulation on, for that was recommended, the quest had said.

  The grass soon dissipated and the ground became brown and bare. The huge trees rose higher than he could see, and the canopy cast a shadow over the whole forest. Thick roots emerged from the ground like snakes, thick as 300 years old oaks under the dirt. It looked wild and desolate, though Pi’ve felt safe nonetheless.

  There was a small rock— not alone, but this rock particularly struck him— resting under one of these thick roots. It was about half the size of his fist, and weighed about a kilo he reckoned as he lifted it off the ground. This one would become his test subject.

  He inspected the rock.

  [Basalt rock] - An abundant type of rock found almost everywhere. Rich in magnesium and iron.

  He threw the rock a few paces away. It lay there immobile, but thought about the possibility of it moving without having to touch it. The entity had said that you did not need to touch it. Well, what would be the need for magic if he had to touch it. Either way, he stared at the rock, picturing the rock in his head. He even went around it to see it in full; to have it fully rendered in his mind.

  Then, he thought about the link, and as he did that, the entity appeared some feet away from the rock.

  ‘Ah, how nice of you to come. I was about to attempt the link.’ Pi’ve said, but the entity said nothing in return.

  With his staff in his right hand, Pi’ve took a few steady breaths and focused. Somehow, this stone would feel like he was holding it, or something. He had it envisioned, clear as day, and then he closed his eyes. It was gone. Pi’ve frowned, and opened his eyes again.

  ‘Let’s try again.’ He said, and stared at the rock. He had a hold on it now, he felt it. He lifted his left hand as if he had grabbed the rock. Nothing happened. He tried again. Looking at the rock, holding it firmly in his head, and then he lifted his left arm, willing it to rise above the ground, to no avail.

  This he tried some thirty times before he gave up.

  ‘So— how does this linking work again?’ Pi’ve asked the entity staring him down.

  ‘First you must form a link with your staff, as that is—,’

  ‘Ahh! Why did you not say that in the first place!?’ Pi’ve said, feeling kind of tricked.

  ‘I am not here to explain ever intricacy of the world to you, but be of assistance when you ask for it.’ The entity said. Did I notice a little attitude there?

  ‘I apologise. Keep going.’

  ‘First you must form a link with your staff, as that is the connection between you and the object you wish to manipulate. After having linked yourself with the staff, you will be able to more easily draw from your mana pool, which in turn will make it easier to form a link to other objects.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Pi’ve said. He did not quite understand, but he had listened, and now he would test what the entity had said.

  Pi’ve held his staff, and looked closely at it. It had a fine body with a slightly pink colour to it with a light green gem stone on top of it. It was rather nice actually. He took a breath, and closed his eyes. He focused on his hand touching the staff. He remembered the way it looked. The way it curved slightly as it went from his hand down to the ground. How it went straight from his hand up to where the gem was perched on a wider crown. He could peer into the titanite gem. He felt an attraction to it, as if he wanted it to be closer to him. Pi’ve relented. He let it come closer. They touched.

  Pi’ve felt it right away. They had linked. It was as if he had gained another eye, though he could not see through it. It was like he had gained another arm, though it could not grip. It was as if another mind had joined him.

  Now was the time to try to link with the rock. He was confident that he could do it now. He switched his focus back to the rock. He was one with the staff now, and he could feel it sense the environment together with him. He focused hard to picture the rock in his mind, and the staff followed suit. It too knew the stone as he did, and with a little effort, he felt that he had linked with the rock.

  ‘I have linked with the rock! What do I do now?’ Pi’ve practically shouted as the link got severed. He cursed. It had taken more effort than he thought it would, and now that he had lost it, he felt kind of dizzy.

  ‘Now you manipulate. Lift or push the rock.’ The entity said.