He has spent the past year learning about his surroundings, this world, and the magical pen and glove that appeared in his mind.

  This is Lonest City under Viscount Bloodhound. It was awarded to him by the King of Azurea for his outstanding accomplishments during the war against the Mistwood principality.

  However, despite being a skilled warrior, Viscount Bloodhound's ability to govern falls short. During the five years Lonest City came under his rule, living standards have greatly dropped. This can easily be seen from the increasing number of beggars and poor people in the eastern district.

  Even the people living in the western district have had a much harder life in the past few years due to the constantly rising taxes.

  ‘My mother’s skills might have allowed us to live decently in the past, but life is still getting harder.’

  Ren thought as he twirled the pen in his palm.

  ‘It’s imperative to participate in the incoming guards' selection, not only to ease our financial situation but to also start the plan.’

  He didn’t waste the past year playing around. He constantly wandered through Lonest City, gathering information about his surroundings. He also frequented the library quite often, learning to read and write the language of this world. His predecessor left him with a certain knowledge foundation, upon which he built and expanded.

  ‘All of this is to stand up in this world and master extraordinary power.’

  Through his investigation in the past year, Ren discovered that this is not an ordinary world. He had personally seen a knight under the viscount split a man in half with a wave of his sword. Not only that, the sword wind left an obvious gash on the ground. This happened a few months ago in the eastern district during a small uprising.

  This world has knights that harness the power of battle energy. Truly extraordinary beings with the power to easily destroy an army of hundreds of soldiers.

  In the beginning, Ren planned to join the guards, perform outstandingly, then get selected to join the knights under the viscount and get access to the method of harnessing battle energy, thus becoming a noble knight.

  However…

  “Knights and battle energy are no longer of interest to me,” Ren muttered with a smile.

  He has a new path to follow—the path of a wizard.

  Ren looked at the pen with gleaming eyes. The pen and glove that appeared along his transmigration are undoubtedly the cornerstones of his future path as a wizard. He calls them the pen of destiny and the celestial glove.

  These two items are undoubtedly amazing artifacts, especially the pen. With it, he is confident enough to embark on the path of a wizard, even though he is a commoner, and climb to a very high level.

  [Cole Bloodhound]

  Ren wrote this name on the parchment paper using the pen of destiny.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Letting go of the pen, it magically stood on top of the parchment paper, autonomously sliding across the paper and leaving many words behind.

  [Viscount Cole Bloodhound, the lord of Lonest City, walked through the corridors leading to his basement. The usually majestic and cruel lord looked nervous as he approached his basement. He was about to meet with a legendary wizard after all, even though it was only an apprentice.

  But… He doesn’t know this. This is the only wizard the proud noble has ever met, after all.

  He opened the door of the basement and walked in, respectfully greeting the figure in the depths of his castle’s basement. He repeatedly assured the figure that he would order the guards to bring him more prisoners for his experiments, then nervously asked whether the potion for eternal life had been prepared. The wizard…]

  Ren grasped the pen, preventing it from writing anything further. He already has enough information about the wizard apprentice and the Viscount. Now, all he needs to do is participate in the guard test in three days.

  ‘Revelation Script’. This is the name he gave to the ability of the pen of destiny to query information. As long as he writes the name of a person, place, or event, the pen will automatically start writing information about said subject, including past events, present occurrences, personal comments, and possible future events.

  However, this ability is quite draining on the mind. As the pen writes more and more information, Ren will get more and more tired. Moreover, as the pen writes information about subjects that he has no previous knowledge about or that are vastly stronger to him, the mental drain will dramatically increase.

  He’s oftentimes left tired or with a headache after using this ability. Sometimes, when he queries information far beyond his knowledge and reach, he’ll directly faint.

  This is why he directly stopped the pen when it was about to write information about the wizard. He knows enough for now. He needs to enter the castle and gather more information about the wizard, especially his name, before his plan proceeds to the next stage.

  Ren stretched as he stood up. He looked at the setting sun through his window with deep eyes, a slight smile hanging on his face.

  …

  At the same time, in the depths of the Ironfort castle. A red-haired man in a bloodstained black robe was gradually perfecting a mysterious ritual. He ignored the bloodcurdling screams of the man tied to a white bench as he continued to engrave runes on his bones.

  “Boom!”

  The man’s body suddenly exploded, splattering blood and pieces of flesh on the red-haired man and the surrounding area.

  “Another failure.”

  The man muttered as he swiped the blood on his face.

  “But it’s getting close. In one year at most, the ritual will be perfected, and that will be the time for my promotion to a full-fledged wizard.”

  The man said with a wide grin on his face, his eyes flashing with madness.

  “I’ll have to urge that idiotic Viscount to send me more people.” Thinking of that daydreaming moron, the man smiled sarcastically. In another year or so, after his plan comes to fruition. That guy will lose his value, and that will be the time to get rid of him.

  “But for now, let’s entertain that idiot.” The red-haired man muttered with a smile as he started cleaning the bench. Another guy will be sent here soon, so he needs to prepare to continue the experiment.

  …

  “Honey, did you play with your friends today?” Susie asked while looking at her son softly.

  “No, I went to the library, mom. I need to prepare for the guard test.”

  Ren said as he drank the soup his mom prepared for him before chewing on a piece of bread. Their expenses have been tight recently, so this is their dinner.

  “Do you have to participate? It’s dangerous.” Susie looked worriedly at her son. She didn’t want him to follow his father’s path.

  "You're aware of my decision, Mom, so there's no need for concern. I’ll be very careful.” Ren calmly said.

  His father, or rather, Ren’s father, was a guard. It’s a pity that he died during the hunt for a ferocious beast a few years ago, leaving his predecessor and his mom devastated. This is why his mother was against him becoming a guard.

  Fortunately, he managed to convince her last month. Although he doesn’t want to make this strong and caring woman worried, becoming a guard is vital for his future plans.

  “Sigh… Be careful. Don’t recklessly charge forward like your father. No matter how much glory or merit you get, they’re not as important as your life.” Susie sighed, then gently said.

  “I know, Mother, you’ve said it many times, and I don’t want you to always work so hard to support us. I want to be of help to you.” Ren solemnly said to his mother.

  Susie looked at her strong and mature son with a look of distress. If she could, she’d rather help her son find a simple and honest job than be a guard like his father, but she knows that she can’t change his decision.

  He has greatly changed since that incident last year. Although she’s gratified with his growth, she’s also distressed that she can’t support her son through these difficult times, so much so that he has to participate in the guards' test to support them.

  “Be careful, sweetie; no matter what path you choose, your mom will always support you.”

  Susie said this as she picked up the dishes and went to clean them.

  “...Thanks, mom.” Looking at her back, Ren strengthened his resolve to proceed with his plan. He can’t allow anything to happen to this gentle woman.