Chapter 3

By the fourth day, the combination of insomnia and physical fatigue had started to darken Renok's face. Now, the other workers were hesitant to approach him. The supervisor deliberately placed Renok in a corner of the parts room where he was barely visible and completely ignored him. It seemed the supervisor wanted to ensure that Renok, whose body was in such a state that he could die at any moment, wouldn't interfere with the work schedule.

For Renok, who had been trying to cause a disturbance to escape, this was actually a good opportunity. He fiddled with some parts and then quietly got up and moved towards the corridor. He made eye contact with a worker who had been working with a haggard face, but the worker only turned his head as if he had seen something he shouldn't, without saying a word.

While the supervisor, with a beet-red face, was swinging a whip, Renok quickly slipped out of the parts room. The stuffy air cleared, and a cool breeze blew, making it easier to breathe. Stopping in place would soon expose him, so Renok, staggering, pressed himself against the corridor wall and moved stealthily.

The corridor was lined with old frames and broken window frames. The dirty wooden floor and a noisy ventilation fan on one side... There were no distinctive features, but that made it even stranger. The game WORLD that Renok had played was, up to version 2.0, a typical medieval fantasy world. If this world was different from the WORLD he knew, the situation would become even more complicated. If he couldn't use his game knowledge, it would be as if one of Renok's hopes had vanished.

Although thinking about it made his heart restless, there was no other method to consider right now. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Renok continued down the dirty corridor, trying to memorize the route. Fortunately, Renok's memory was far above average, so retracing his steps was not difficult. Beyond mere memorization, he could accurately gauge the moments when the corridor turned, adjust the distance, and construct a 3D space in his mind. By the shape of the corridor, he could predict the direction and size of the factory.

Although Renok hadn't walked for long, just by moving through the corridor from the parts room, a map of the factory was forming in his mind. As he continued down the corridor, a pungent smell suddenly hit his nose. It was not just a bad odor but a smell that strongly stimulated his sense of smell and brain. It was the scent of highly addictive cigarettes or similar narcotics.

Renok quietly moved a bit more, and at the end of the corridor, a small side door leading outside the factory became visible. Through the slightly open door, a pungent smoke and muffled voices could be heard. Renok found a spot where he wouldn't be seen even if the door suddenly opened and listened to the voices.

"These new guys are too slow. I don't know if we can meet the delivery deadline."

"What can we do? We're using the rejects from the city. We have to beat them to make them faster. If we don't keep up, the boss might burn your forehead with a cigarette."

"Fuck... I can't take that. Last time, it hurt so much I almost cried."

The man's coarse swearing was followed by raucous laughter. From the conversation, it seemed the men on the other side of the door were supervisors similar to the burly one.

"Why are the union members so picky about time? Every time they come and complain, the boss gets angrier at us."

"Haven't you heard? The things we make here, the union sells them to black mages."

"What? Why would mages need grinders?"

It turned out they were making grinders. Renok, who had been stuck in the parts room all day, didn't even know what he was making.

'So, magic does exist in this world. That's a relief.'

In an already unfamiliar world, the existence of magic would have rendered Renok's talents meaningless. Renok let out a sigh of relief and listened to the supervisors' conversation again.

Another voice, lowering its tone, replied to the man's incredulous voice.

"If black mages buy grinders, what else would they use them for? ...On corpses, of course."

"Damn... I suddenly feel sick. I need another smoke."

"Put it in your mouth. I'll light it for you."

Through the door, a thick hand holding a lighter was visible.

"Nice lighter, how much did it cost?"

"I bought it from Calvin & Cubs recently. It runs on magic power."

As he spoke, he pulled the thumb, and a blue flame rose from the end of the lighter. Watching this, a massive upheaval occurred inside Renok.

It felt like someone had pulled the trigger in his mind. A new sensation he had never known before suddenly stimulated his body and mind. It was a sixth sense beyond the five senses, a third eye, and a second self. Renok realized that this was the fundamental power that formed this world and the driving force that defined existence. It had always flowed through the world, and he had just been unaware of it until now.

The previous Renok had never even considered having such talents, and his spirit, crushed by despair and pain from spending a long time in the factory, had suppressed his awakening. But the current Renok was a completely different person, fully aware of the magical power and mental talents within his body.

All he needed was a small trigger, like the flame of the lighter. Shocked by the awakening of his magical power, Renok stopped all his thoughts and savored the moment of awakening. The power flowing through his frail body was his most important asset, weapon, and hope.

Bringing his thumb and index finger together, Renok whispered softly.

"Light."

Whoosh!

The incantation formed in Renok's mind, and the blue flame appeared, breaking through the realm of ideas and concepts into reality. It was magic.

Fwoosh!

Seeing the blue flame rise in his hand, Renok shivered slightly. The same flame that had been visible through the door was now dancing on his fingertips. Everything around him had changed, but the magic he knew from WORLD remained the same. For some reason, this fact gave Renok a small sense of comfort.

Drugs

Renok continued to eavesdrop on the supervisors' conversation and slipped away before being caught, returning to the parts room. The supervisor in the parts room noticed his absence and raged, but fortunately, it ended with a few blows.

From the workers' conversations, it seemed a rumor was spreading that Renok was looking for a place to die. After finishing a bottle of cheap alcohol, he lay down and fell into thought.

'The union will come to collect the products in four days.'

The supervisors continued to chat for a while after lighting each other's cigarettes, and Renok gathered useful information. 'When the union members come, the supervisors' vigilance will naturally weaken... This is the only chance.'

If he delayed any longer, Renok's weak body wouldn't hold up. Maintaining a clear mind in such a harsh environment was only possible due to the mental abilities he had invested in. However, no one knew if he could maintain his judgment and sanity after his body was completely broken.

Time was not on his side, but there was a way out. Renok carefully pulled the blanket over his head, turned to the wall, and curled up. Just like before, when he brought his fingers together and visualized the blue flame, a small light appeared, gently illuminating the inside of the blanket.

"......"

Perhaps because he had used it once before, he no longer needed an incantation to use magic. Renok stared at the magical light, trying to bridge the gap between his knowledge of magic and reality.

In fact, Renok knew nothing about the sensation of moving magic or the techniques of using it. His character in the game simply recited incantations and performed hand signs as he directed, then fired magic from a gun. The magic Renok was now raising with willpower alone, without incantations or hand signs, was a type he had never experienced before.

The only possibility was that it was due to the magic-related abilities he had maxed out when creating his character. If this was true, Renok was using his talent to manifest the vague magic in his mind in reality. The ability to use magic without knowing hand signs or incantations was something Renok realized was both absurd and incredible.

If he could combine this talent with the various game knowledge he had, rapid growth in a short period of time was not impossible. However, there was one problem: even if the magic system of this world matched that of WORLD, the magic knowledge Renok had was incomplete. The character he played in version 2.0 was a magic gunner, limited to using the common magic system 'Dexter' among the various spells.

He only knew rumors about the unique magic system 'Sinister' used by real mages, similar to other players. But even this was enough. There were plenty of useful spells in the common magic 'Dexter.'

'The true value of magic is not in its splendor or destructive power.'

If he couldn't awaken his magic, he would have had to think harder, but the difference was clear the moment he could use even a small spell. The only thing left was to steadily prepare from tomorrow.

Clasping his fist to extinguish the flame, Renok straightened his body and closed his eyes. The severe insomnia continued to torment him, and he had been repeatedly falling asleep and waking up for four days. He had already given up on getting a good night's sleep in this room filled with snoring and stench.

Renok, who had almost spent the night awake, continued to practice using magic and moving his magic power until the other workers woke up. If he couldn't get used to this sensation, he had no future. The runway given to him was only one, and he couldn't even consider other possibilities.

And the one who had made Renok this way was himself.