Chapter 130: I Am Also a Mage

They say that when God closes a door, He opens a window for you.

Kyle did not know if this was a form of compensation from the Goddess of Fate. No sooner had he learned that his days were numbered than a foolish mage showed up on his doorstep, serving himself up like a gift-wrapped present.

It would have been one thing if the mage had simply arrived to flaunt his magical profession and sense of superiority, but he had chosen a fatal time to do so—the mage, named Bru, was currently lying unconscious in the Mirror Dimension, looking thoroughly pathetic.

"Let me see what kind of spellcasting abilities you've mastered..." Kyle rubbed his palms together, staring at Mage Bru with a gaze as intense as if he were looking at a naked goddess, his eyes shimmering with a faint green light.

His focus and intent locked onto the mage. In an instant, over a hundred white and green cards of varying quality manifested densely before him. Even more striking were the four blue ability cards that emerged, shimmering with a brilliant, interwoven glow.

"Four of them?!" Kyle was stunned. This was the first time he had seen someone other than himself holding so many blue ability cards.

Then, his eyes widened further. A purple ability card finally emerged from within Mage Bru’s body, radiating a brilliant violet light and hovering proudly above the four blue cards—

[Intermediate Mirror Dimension]: Enter the Mirror Dimension, another dimension. Purple ability card.
Using a Sling Ring, one can enter a dimension that coexists with the reality of the universe. While the Mirror Dimension exists, it remains imperceptible to others.
The environment of the Mirror Dimension is a mirror image of the real world, yet everything that occurs within it is disconnected from reality. Inside, one can secretly observe the people and events of the real world, avoid danger, and create a battlefield (with limited control over the environment of the Mirror Dimension).
Upon activation, the user can pull themselves and any creatures within a ten-meter radius (up to ten individuals, based on human standards) into the Mirror Dimension.
Cooldown: Three hours.
Note: If the Mirror Dimension sustains a certain degree of damage, it becomes difficult to maintain stability, and creatures trapped inside may escape back to the real world.
Current Status: Extractable. Requires a Sling Ring artifact.

"Pity, it's just a skill-based ability card." Kyle couldn't help but frown, though his expression soon relaxed.

There was nothing to regret; mages themselves did not possess physical ability cards above the green grade, otherwise, they wouldn't be called 'mages.'

The other four blue ability cards were all of the same type: magical technique ability cards.

[Portal Spell]: Opens a circular spatial portal. Blue ability card.
Using a Sling Ring, the user imagines a destination (with a mental clarity of at least 80%), draws a circle in the air for three to five seconds, and opens a small portal connecting two locations that lasts for ten seconds.
The transmission distance is limited to the scale of one planet (based on Earth); there are other constraints in outer space.
Current Status: Extractable. Requires a Sling Ring artifact.

"This spell..." Kyle's eyes lit up. With this portal technique, common modes of transport like cars and planes suddenly seemed low-level and useless.

Wait, there was more!

Kyle’s breathing hitched as he shifted his gaze to the second blue ability card.

[Fixed Portal Construction Mastery]: Mastery of the technology to construct a fixed portal. Blue ability card.
Mastery of the technique to create a permanently existing portal, providing a perpetual connection between two distinct locations.
Each fixed portal is permanently bound to only one location (limited to Earth).
The destination portal only opens when the primary fixed portal is activated. If the fixed portal is closed, the connection to the void portal is severed.
Current Status: Extractable.

"Mirror Dimension, Portal, Fixed Portal—is this a complete package of welfare cards for shrinking Earth's distances and spatial planning?" Kyle clicked his tongue in wonder. Looking at Mage Bru again, the man's arrogant, dark face now seemed much more endearing.

What a good man! Knowing he needed to accelerate his preparations for global planning, he had rushed over to deliver a whole series of space-related magical skills.

The other two blue ability cards were the fundamental mage spells [Magic Circular Shield] and [Artifact Usage Mastery].

"Your spells are all mine now!" Suppressing his excitement, Kyle sat down beside Mage Bru and began to extract the purple and four blue ability cards one by one.

The extraction distance for blue ability cards was limited to one meter, with a reading time of half an hour.

Kyle had never extracted a purple ability card before, but now he knew—the distance limit remained one meter, but the reading time for the extraction was a full three hours!

However, Kyle was more than willing to spend those few hours to get his hands on the transcendent spell that allowed entry into the Mirror Dimension.

During those long hours of extraction, Mage Bru used his impressive willpower to wake up several times, but before he could even open his eyes, he would take another punch to the back of his head and slip back into unconsciousness. By the time Kyle had finished extracting the five spell cards, Mage Bru’s head was covered in lumps, looking as if it had swollen to twice its size.

"Right, almost forgot the Sling Ring."

Kyle tapped his forehead and reached out to take the strange ring from Mage Bru's left hand. It was dark black, required three fingers to wear, and was five times larger than an average ring.

This object was like a switch for magic. It connected the user to nature, guiding the potential mana within the body; without it, even if one mastered the spells, they could not be cast.

"Time to go back." Kyle mused. Remembering something else, he crouched down to strip Mage Bru of his magical equipment.

Personal items couldn't be extracted, so he had to do it the old-fashioned way.

[Staff of the Living Tribunal], [Wand of Watoomb], [Boots of Vaulting]...

To Kyle, these artifacts had very little use, but fortunately, they could serve as sacrificial material cards of blue grade.

Five minutes later.

Mage Bru let out a painful groan. Feeling a strange, cold sensation across his body, he woke up with a start and sat up on the collapsed building. He looked down at his body in a daze, only to find that his artifacts and clothes had been stripped away, leaving him in nothing but his underwear.

"You're awake?" Kyle glanced at Mage Bru. He had just finished converting the last piece of loot, the mage’s robe, into a card and was rubbing his chin with satisfaction. "Let me think about how to deal with you."

He personally preferred to kill Mage Bru, but if the Ancient One found out, the relationship between the two sides would inevitably become strained.

"Got it." Kyle’s lips curled upward. He waved his left hand, and ten servings of canned rations materialized on the ground. "This is for you. Hopefully, the Ancient One notices you're in the Mirror Dimension and comes to pick you up before you finish the food."

"What are you talking about?" Mage Bru scrambled to his feet, panicking. "Without me, you can't leave this place at all!"

"Who says?" Kyle put the Sling Ring on his right hand. Under Mage Bru’s stunned gaze, he moved his hands in a circular motion. Sparks of brilliant fire began to emerge, spinning into a wheel in the air before him and opening a portal to the real world.

"How is that possible? You can use magic too?" Mage Bru was dumbfounded, doubting his eyes and his entire worldview.

"Sorry, actually, I'm a mage too."

Kyle smiled and stepped into the magnificent portal of swirling sparks.

Mage Bru was left in a trance, and by the time he reacted, Kyle had already completely exited the Mirror Dimension.