Florida Man in Magus World: Unleashing Liberty and Freedom

Felix and Garudeer sat across from each other in tense silence. Felix's face glistened with sweat while Garudeer gazed at him with a complex mixture of emotions.

"I can explain," Felix began, his eyes darting around as he searched for an excuse. But as his gaze fell on the charred remains of the jungle and the trembling monsters huddled in the lake, his mind went blank.

Garudeer let out a deep sigh, shaking his head. "No, it's my fault. I underestimated your abilities. I thought you'd struggle a bit, but instead, you burned the entire place to the ground and traumatized the monsters..."

His mind trailed off, his voice heavy with regret. Garudeer blamed himself for choosing the wrong approach in teaching Felix. "Since you're strong enough to overpower third and fourth-tier monsters, the practical exams should be easy for you. We'll focus on the written exams for the time being."

As he spoke, Garudeer began explaining the classification system for monsters in this world. Local monsters were categorized into nine tiers, with the highest tier being world-ending calamities and the lowest posing only mild threats.

"The first tier consists of herbivores—mutated rabbits and other small creatures. These monsters won't attack humans unless provoked. They're manageable for local militias or strong farmers."

Garudeer paused, then handed Felix a picture book.

Felix opened it, revealing hand-drawn images of rabbits, weasels, raccoons, and squirrels, all with sharp fangs. Beneath each picture, the caption read "First Tier Monster," but as usual, Felix couldn't decipher the text.

Garudeer continued, "Mutated pets and livestock fall into the second tier. Animals like dogs, cats, cows, pigs, and chickens regain their wild instincts and will defend their territory if threatened. However, they generally won't attack humans unless they're starving. A team of professional soldiers, a first-circle mage, or a one-star aura knight can handle them."

Felix flipped through the pages until he reached the second tier category. The illustrations of dogs and cats resembled dire wolves and caracal cats from the modern world, but their tails emitted a terrifying black aura. The text detailed their weaknesses and methods for subjugating these monsters.

As usual, Felix secretly asked Jessica to record the text and translate it for him. Jessica recorded the texts and kept the information in a log.

Garudeer moved on to the third tier. "The next class includes general monsters that average adventurers can take on, like trents, man-eating flowers, and giant insects. But not everyone can fight them without preparation. A second-circle mage or a two-star aura knight might defeat them, but it won't be easy."

Felix glanced at the group of cowering trents in the distance and compared them with the illustrations in the book. The drawings looked far more dignified and terrifying than the pathetic trees before him, who couldn't stop crying.

"The fourth tier is different," Garudeer said with a hint of seriousness, "This rank is known as 'The Wall.' Monsters in this category possess intelligence. They can organize, ambush, and use tactics. Soloing them is not an option. A team of well-trained third-circle mages or three-star aura knights is necessary to subjugate them.

These monsters are the dividing line between the talented and the commoners. Only those who can defeat them alone have a chance at greatness."

Felix listened intently as Garudeer described the more dangerous monsters in the higher tiers.

"At these ranks, monsters are capable of using unique abilities, magic, and aura like humans. A fifth-circle mage or a five-star knight is usually deployed, along with a team of fourth-rank mages and knights, to subdue them."

Felix recalled a recent encounter with a fifth-tier monster, a four-armed bear. He had managed to kill it while it slept, but he knew that the next encounter might not be so fortunate.

Garudeer, sensing Felix's thoughts, warned him about exceptions to the ranking system. "Some monsters defy categorization. For example, the Lamia Queen isn't just graded by her combat prowess. She represents an entire country of monsters, which is why we classify her under a special category—'Demon Lord.'"

Felix's curiosity was piqued. "How strong is she?"

Garudeer hesitated before answering. "From my experience, she's somewhere between the seventh and eighth tiers."

"But you fought her and survived, right? Doesn't that make her more like a sixth-tier monster?" Felix asked.

Garudeer deeply sighed. The memory of his past with the Lamia Queen weighed on him. He pushed the thought aside and continued, "If she were only sixth-tier, our archmages would have captured her by now. But she possesses a power we can't quite define. It's hard to explain."

"Try me," Felix urged.

Garudeer paused, recalling the years he had spent with Diana, the Lamia Queen. Finally, he summarized her special ability in one word.

"Luck."

Felix blinked in surprise. "Luck?"

"Yes," Garudeer confirmed. "She's incredibly lucky. Every time we were certain she'd be captured or killed, something or someone intervened. Like the first time when I managed to corner her, a random lightning bolt struck me, and she escaped."

"…"

Felix nodded slowly, thinking of the Earth Fate Crystal in his inventory. Its description suggested it might be the source of such luck. He discreetly opened his inventory menu and reread the crystal's description, wondering if it held the key to understanding Diana's mysterious power.

…

Earth Fate Crystal

Description:

Fate crystals contain a mysterious energy that grants great luck to their owners. Rumor has it that possessing a fate crystal guarantees life success.

The Earth Fate Crystal is an incomplete artifact with three utilities: boosting one's luck, granting a random minor fortuitous encounter, or destroying an earth-grade ability of a fellow fate crystal owner.

Effect 1: *Push the crystal into your chest to get the following effects:*

- Grants one random earth-grade unique talent or pinnacle skill.

- Grants a small chance of unlocking a system.

Effect 2: *Absorb the crystal's energy by using any breathing method to get the following effects:*

- Permanently boosts your luck by one level

- Grants one life-changing opportunity to owner.

Effect 3: *Crush the crystal to get the following effects:*

- Removes one ability, skill, or system from every earth fate crystal user other than you within a 100-mile range. Does not affect fate crystal bearers of a higher grade.

…

'I wonder what kind of fate crystal that snake has,' Felix thought before returning his attention to Garudeer's lecture.

The class continued until noon. Garudeer shifted topics, focusing on public etiquette and general knowledge instead.

Felix endured the lecture while fighting his heavy eyelids and sleepiness. He inwardly cried and wished for a smoke break.

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Afternoon of the Same Day

After the theory class, it was time for the practical session. Garudeer tasked Felix with creating an elemental weapon using the mana emission and compression techniques they had covered earlier.

Felix quickly manifested a fiery stick in his right hand—though it looked suspiciously like a dildo. Despite its wobbly appearance, the mana remained contained within the object, a sign that Felix had grasped the basic technique.

Garudeer inwardly sighed at Felix's odd choice of weapon. He decided that today's lesson would be spent fine-tuning his technique.

"Try making something practical for battle. You can't defeat your enemies with that," Garudeer advised.

Felix, however, had other ideas. "I think it'll be extremely effective against Lamias. Just wiggling this around would make those perverted snakes lose the will to fight. If I throw it into a horde, they'll start killing each other to get this toy."

Garudeer shook his head, dismissing Felix's suggestion. "Create a weapon normally. Stop being ridiculous for once."

"…Okay," Felix pouted, pausing to think of a more suitable creation. Upon closing his eyes, an image of an M4 rifle suddenly came to mind. Inspired, Felix snapped open his eyes and focused on bringing that image to life.

He began by concentrating on creating individual gun parts rather than molding the entire rifle at once. Mana gathered at his fingertips, bursting out and condensing into small, oddly shaped objects that puzzled Garudeer.

Eventually, Felix ran into a problem. He struggled with the accuracy of the shapes and sizes. He glanced at Jessica, silently asking for her help.

Understanding his thoughts, Jessica quickly browsed the system shop and found a guidebook titled 'Modern Rifle Assembly Bible'. The book, which boasted comprehensive instructions for assembling and disassembling the M Rifle Series, cost a steep 10 years of lifespan.

Felix gave Jessica a thumbs up and purchased the book without hesitation. The item appeared in his inventory, but Jessica converted it into a PDF file, allowing Felix to access the information without drawing attention.

Felix opened the file and browsed it through his system window. With the guidebook's images as a reference, Felix continued shaping the gun parts. He finished the smaller components first, testing their durability as he went.

Garudeer watched with a deep frown, unable to understand what Felix was creating. "What are you doing? I asked you to create a proper weapon, not a pile of blacksmith's scraps."

Felix smirked confidently. "Give me an hour. You'll see what I'm up to when I'm done."

Garudeer remained silent, his curiosity piqued despite himself.

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.

An hour later, Felix completed crafting all the gun parts. The springs proved more challenging than usual since it was his first time creating them manually. After fumbling with the pieces, he managed to assemble a rifle using his own power.

However, a new problem emerged. The SCAR rifle's magazine didn't fit the handmade M4. Felix realized he needed to create a new magazine specifically for this weapon.

Running out of time, Felix hastily loaded a round through the bolt and tested it. He pulled the trigger.

*BANG*

The sound was normal, but the bullet didn't come out. It misfired, with the round getting stuck in the chamber due to a miscalculation in its size.

"Are you done?" Garudeer asked, arms crossed as he waited.

Felix lowered his head, admitting defeat. "I'm sorry. My weapon doesn't work as intended. I wasted your time."

Garudeer, however, offered some encouragement. "Well, you got to practice creating objects with your mana. To be honest, I had prepared a week-long schedule to teach you mana object creation techniques, but you ended up learning it without my help. You did well."

Felix forced a bitter smile, appreciating the consolation. He vowed to practice at night and create his own weapon without relying on the system for once.

Garudeer then gave him a new instruction. "Stop playing with that odd thing for now. I want you to create a longsword next. I won't leave until you finish crafting your first mana longsword."

Felix sulked as he molded the broken M4 rifle into a mass of stick. The stuck bullet was ejected from the mass, while the leftover gunpowder dissipated into the hot mana lump.

The private class continued for ten days.

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Days passed quickly.

The promised date arrived. Today was the first day of the Royal Magi Academy's examinations.