SomaRead | The Incompetent Mage’s Infinite Regression

Chapter 1

"This is your last chance, young Ethan."

At the words of Professor Rebilton, Ethan replied that he understood and returned to his seat.

Failing to use magic in the Basic Magic Practice lecture results in failure. Everyone knows this. Students entering the Yurmus Magic School learn the level of magic required for Basic Magic Practice from their family mages or magic teachers. Ethan is the only one who hasn't been able to use magic in this lecture yet.

After class ended, other students whispered towards Ethan as he returned to the dormitory.

"I heard he failed again this time."

"So he's going to fail the course?"

"He will be soon."

Failing the first semester of the first year means expulsion. Ethan knew this too. Ethan walked among the students who were ridiculing him, pretending not to hear. Fortunately, enduring scorn was something Ethan was used to.

Ethan Dora Charasen. Ethan's second name, 'Dora', was a name given to a child born to a lover, not a legal wife or a concubine. Though Dora is a member of the family, they are not recognized as nobility. Scorn was a fate Ethan had to endure.

Ethan turned his head towards a familiar shadow.

"You failed again, Ethan."

She was a beautiful girl. Following her burning bright red hair, one found bright red eyes that seemed to be their source. A mocking smile hung at her lips, but it was impossible to tell if she was trying to suppress her laughter or forcing a smile. It was Ethan's older sister, Arka Wiz Charasen. 'Wiz' is a name given to those born to the legal wife and indicates an influential person with succession rights to the family.

"What is it, Sister?"

"I wanted to let you know that my offer is still valid."

While Ethan suppressed a sigh, Arka continued.

"Your decision to attend a magic school, especially Yurmus, was a mistake from the start. If you drop out now and become my attendant, I can take good care of you. How about it?"

"I'll decline."

"Even if you somehow manage to pass Basic Magic Practice by luck, are you okay with the tuition? Father only allowed the entrance fee, and with the assets you have, it would only cover one semester's tuition."

"You don't need to worry."

As Ethan replied instantly several times, Arka pouted slightly.

"Anyway, think about it a bit more. I think an attendant who knows their place is more valuable than a foolish attendant who's been expelled. If you're a member of the Charasen family, you should know how to make a valuable deal, shouldn't you?"

Ethan returned to his room and mulled over the conversation he had with Arka. In truth, there was nothing wrong with what Arka said.

An illegitimate child of a typical noble family might enter religious life, learn a trade under a craftsman, or be used as a political tool between families. Becoming an attendant for a relative is also not unheard of. However, for an illegitimate child of a mage family, there was another option: becoming a mage.

In various countries and regions, including Yurmus and Charasen, mages are treated as quasi-nobles, similar to knights. While different from nobles who gain territories, they are talented individuals sought after by various countries and organizations, and their value varies depending on their ability and school of magic. Excellent mages are useful. The fact that one's status is determined by ability rather than bloodline is attractive. Even if not Ethan, many illegitimate children of mage families seek to prove their abilities in various magic schools and research magic to obtain the title of mage.

'The problem is that I have no talent.'

Magic required a total of three talents.

'The first is Mana Sensitivity.'

Mana was the energy that formed the basis of magic. Mana was spread throughout the atmosphere as well as within the body, and a mage should be able to sense this Mana. But Ethan was so dull at sensing Mana that he couldn't even feel his own.

'The second is Magical Power Operation.'

Even if one can sense Mana, they cannot use it directly as magic. One must inhale Mana through breathing, and properly control, condense, and transform the inhaled Mana within the body. In this process, Mana becomes Magical Power. For a mage, this process of creating Magical Power is essential, but Ethan's flow of Magical Power was completely blocked.

'The third is Magic Composition.'

When Magical Power becomes magic, various rituals, mystical rules, and arcana are required. Besides this knowledge, imagination is also needed. If one cannot envision the specific form that turns Magical Power into magic, no matter how much Magical Power they have, it cannot become magic. But, as expected, Ethan lacked the imagination to create magic.

Lacking even one is insufficient qualification to become a mage, but Ethan lacked all three. This was something his family already knew, but after entering Yurmus Magic School, Ethan received confirmation once more.

But Ethan did not give up.

In the roughly 10,000-year history of the world Damarat Yuma, Ethan wasn't the only one without magic talent. There were those who tried to find a solution somehow. And among them, some found meaningful answers.

If one cannot achieve magic themselves, they can borrow the power of other beings.

'Black Magic.'

There have always been beings from the outer world constantly trying to interfere with Damarat Yuma. Such beings dare not transgress the world's causality, but conversely, within Damarat Yuma, one could transcend that causality to communicate with beings from the outer world, and even make contracts.

In that respect, he was fortunate. Ethan was from the Charasen family, famous for contract magic, and had the opportunity to find and study magic that could make contracts with beings from other worlds without the knowledge of other family members.

'There is a minor problem, though.'

Black magic is forbidden magic.

Black magic corrupts mages. The reason beings from other worlds lend their power to this world is solely to interfere with it and increase their influence. And what the beings from other worlds ultimately desire is to dominate this world.

In fact, many black mages have become threats to the world. From the 'Oath of the Empty Throne', at a council attended by all the kings of Damarat, black mages were defined as enemies of the world.

'But if a student who is about to be expelled from magic school can become a mage capable of threatening the world, isn't that actually a good thing?'

Ethan spent the entire first semester searching for materials and tools to use for contract magic. When money was scarce, he didn't hesitate to do anything from running errands for gangs in the back alleys to collecting debts for loan sharks. Fortunately, thanks to his efforts, he was able to finish his preparations just before the last Basic Magic Practice session.

'The problem is what to use as a medium for summoning.'

In this type of contract magic, the medium is an important object that selects the contract target. Sculptures that were summoned to this world in the past and left traces, or were used as objects of worship, and indirectly even the bloodline of a black mage could serve as a medium. And naturally, such mediums can be connected to black magic and are therefore strictly managed. If a mere magic school student like Ethan possessed one, they could face punishment beyond mere confiscation.

'That's a story for if I get caught.'

In Ethan's hand was the aforementioned medium. It looked like a grey stone fragment, but perhaps because it was a medium, a thin bar-like piece of metal was strangely embedded in it. Ethan had never seen this style of design before. To acquire this object, Ethan had to pay almost all the money he had, and through a first appraisal, he confirmed that it could be used as a black magic medium.

'But I don't know exactly what I can make a contract with.'

To know that, he would need a second appraisal from a high-ranking mage, but Ethan didn't have that kind of money. And there was also the thought that it didn't matter what entity it was, as long as he could make a contract with a being from another world.

After locking his room door, Ethan prepared the ritual inside, trying to estimate which beings he could make a contract with.

'Could it be the Dark God, Oer?'

He was the invader who contributed the most to the terms black magic and black mage. He was well-known by the alias Dark God, as an Outer God of conspiracy, betrayal, and deception. His frequency was the highest, and although it varied by region, in some places, a black mage was synonymous with an Oer black mage.

'Or perhaps the Tentacle God, Musa Musa?'

He was well-known as the invader who had the greatest influence 2000 years ago, having nearly brought the world to its end. Fortunately, there is no history of him being summoned since then, but he was known as the most feared Outer God solely due to the impact of that single instance.

'It might be the Banished Dragon, Rorancherion.'

Rorancherion is an ancient dragon who lived over 5000 years ago, whose records are faint. He was a dragon of Damarat Yuma, but after pursuing tyrannical power, countless kings, mages, and adventurers united to banish him from the world. However, it is said that on the continent beyond the sea, there are still tribes that worship Rorancherion and seek to summon him.

It wasn't until the morning of the exam day that Ethan, who had finished his preparations, placed the medium in the center of the magic circle he had drawn with chalk and chanted in the ancient language. The ancient language spell, which changed differently each time according to the movement of the stars and the trembling of the earth, had to follow perfect rhythm and pitch. Fortunately, Ethan had quite a talent in that regard.

A bright white light rose from the magic circle.

'Success.'

Ethan was both happy and regretful. If he could just show that he succeeded in this contract magic, Ethan would be recognized as a mage, but he would naturally be treated as a black mage and dragged to the underground prison. Ultimately, to be recognized, he needed power. Power that no one could ignore him for.

It was a monotonous and cold voice resonating in his head.

It was a being that Ethan could not have predicted at all, but the fact that it already knew his name before he introduced himself was proof that it was not an ordinary being.

"Who are you?"

<Greetings, Ethan. I came from Terra and was called Demi here.>

"Demi of Terra?"

<Yes.>

Fortunately, it wasn't an unidentified invader. It was a name Ethan knew.

Just about 20 years ago, a dimensional gate opened in the far north of the Empire, and iron-clad mechanical devices poured out. The Empire suffered tremendous damage and barely succeeded in closing the gate. The dimensional gate was connected to a world called Terra, and it was known that those machines were controlled by a being called Demi.

"...You are the Machine God, Demi?"

<Yes.>

Demi said.

Ethan nodded, thinking that he would never set foot in the Empire for the rest of his life.

"What's the price?"

"That can't be. What do you want from me?"

<Survive.>

For Ethan, this was too good to be true. He was fully willing to give up an eye or an arm if the Outer God from another world asked for it.

'And because the greater the price, the greater the gain.'

Ethan continued with his next question, worriedly.

"If I survive, what can you give me?"

Demi said.

<Power.>

"Specifically."

Something bounced up from the magic circle.

Ethan lightly snatched it. It looked like a bent metal bar that could be held in one hand.

<'Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.' Arthur C. Clarke said that.>

Ethan's attention was fixated on the object in his hand.

"What is this?"

Demi said.