Lin Feng stared at the floating screen, his mind whirring with possibilities. The system was real. His stats were set. And now, his inventory had proven functional. Everything was falling into place.
But the real prize lay ahead—the [Newbie Package].
He opened his inventory once more, his gaze locking onto the faintly glowing box sitting in one of the slots. Without hesitation, he tapped on it.
_____________
[ Ding! Newbie Package opened. ]
[ Rewards Acquired: ]
-Skill: Mana Sense (Lv 1)
-Element Unlocked: Curse Magic
-1x Basic Healing Potion
___________________
Lin Feng had no sooner comprehended it than a surge of something unnatural swept through him. His entire body clenched, nerves igniting like a bonfire as an unusual, potent energy rushed through his veins. He caught his breath, and for just a second, his vision was hazy.
Then it was gone just as quickly.
Lin Feng pulled himself up, panting a little. He felt... not quite the same. There was a new awareness, as though some veil of hidden majesty had just been lifted from the world around him. His glanced down at his hands, and nothing had changed psychologically.
Then, instinctively, he felt for it.
A pulse. A whisper. Something dark, crawling at the edges of his senses. It was subtle, yet unmistakable—a thick, oppressive energy that clung to his very being. Unlike the pure, flowing mana he had read about, this… this felt wrong. Twisted. Unnatural.
A slow grin spread across his lips.
"Curse magic, huh?" He exhaled, leaning back against the wall.
Lin Feng narrowed his eyes, focusing on the new magic he had just unlocked.
[Curse Magic]
He had heard about this before, tucked away in the further reaches of magical theory. Curse Magic wasn't very commonplace—it was thought to be the most cursed of magics, and the most forbidden. It was a terrifying degree of magic, specializing in the use of hexes, afflictions, and evil effects that could weaken, torture, or efface its victims with time.
Unlike fire, or lightning, which focused simply on destructive force, or earth, wind and light, which focused on utility and speed, curse magic was different. While it could be thought of as magical, or similar to magical, it was more insidious. Instead of embracing a victim from outside of their person it penetrated the victim's very being, gnawing at them from the inside. It could create pain, rob vitality, disrupt, flow of mana, and leave behind long-term afflictions that perpetuated suffering from time to time. Many cursed people would not even know they had been cursed, and by the time they work it out it is too late.
But that wasn't the most shocking part.
Lin Feng clenched his fists, feeling the dark energy coil around him like a living thing. Curse Magic wasn't a basic element. It was classified as an Advanced Magic—a level of power only obtainable after a mage had already broken through a primary element and reached a significant level of proficiency.
So how the hell did he, a novice with zero prior magic training, awaken it right from the start?
The system had no answer for him. There was no message explaining why. No hint as to why he had skipped the natural progression. But honestly? Lin Feng didn't care.
If anything, this was the best possible outcome.
Others would have to waste years climbing the ladder, refining their control over basic elements before they even touched something like this. But him? He had been handed a power that could rival those far above his level. This wasn't a mistake—this was a gift. A cheat that would set him apart from every other mage crawling through the ranks.
His lips curled into a smirk. Good.
Why struggle through the weak stages like everyone else when he could start ahead of the pack? Let those idiots waste their time throwing fireballs and ice shards. He would be the creeping shadow that rotted them from the inside.
Lin Feng exhaled, finally regaining full control of himself. His hands still tingled with the sensation of power. Alright, he thought. Let's see what I can really do.
Lin Feng inhaled deeply, extending his fingers as he concentrated inwards. He had gained the ability to use magic, therefore he was now prepared to see what he could do.
"Let's give it a go."
He commanded the mana inside himself to shift towards realizing Curse Magic. In theory, every mage had to align their stars—the fundamental requirement for spellcasting.
In this world, magic wasn't as simple as snapping your fingers and making flames appear. No, it was a precise and demanding process. When someone awakened their element, they gained a connection to a Star System.
Each element had a constellation of seven stars, and to cast a spell, a mage had to mentally align those stars in the correct order, forming a complete Star Path. Only then would their magic activate.
For novice mages, this was a grueling process. Aligning even a single star took time, let alone completing the entire path. It was said that talented individuals could take weeks to cast their first spell, while others struggled for months before even getting a flicker of magic to work.
Still, Lin Feng wasn't the type to sit around and wait. He forced his will onto his newly awakened Curse Magic, trying to drag the stars into alignment through sheer determination.
Nothing happened.
His brows furrowed. He concentrated harder, feeling the mana churn within him. He could sense the stars floating in his mind, but the moment he tried to connect them, they refused to obey, slipping apart like scattered beads rolling off a table.
Still nothing.
A muscle in his jaw twitched. He clenched his fists, irritation bubbling beneath the surface.
"Tch. So it's not gonna just work because I want it to, huh?"
It made sense. Even those prodigies in the Magic Association took weeks of meditation and practice to align their stars. He had literally awakened his magic minutes ago—expecting instant results was delusional.
Still, it pissed him off.
Lin Feng exhaled sharply, leaning back against the wall. He wasn't discouraged, just annoyed. This city wouldn't last long. He knew that much.
Bo City, a place most saw as just another ordinary town, was sitting on a ticking time bomb. A crisis was coming, something that would wipe this place off the map.
He had no intention of dying alongside the clueless masses.
"I need to get stronger. Fast."
Magic wasn't some game where he had the luxury of slowly grinding levels while enemies patiently waited. If he didn't adapt, he'd die. Simple as that.
Lin Feng's gaze darkened. His first attempt had been a failure, but that was fine. He had failed before, in his past life, when he first learned to fight, first learned to kill. He had adapted then, and he would adapt now.
Failure doesn't mean a thing if you refuse to stay down and get up repeatedly to go beyond those shortcoming.