For once in his life, Nick was completely in the dark. Not only had he never read about anything called Worldcraft before, but he couldn't even draw on his old world's knowledge to explain what it might be.

This must be a magical art unique to this world. Something they could only develop because of the abundant mana.

The only thing he could infer from the name was that Worldcraft probably required harnessing the power of the World itself, but the one magical practice he knew that did that, leyline manipulation, was so incredibly complicated and risky that he seriously doubted even an Archmage could handle it.

Entire covens of hundreds of witches had set themselves ablaze from the inside out while attempting to channel the power of a leyline. He couldn't see how a single mortal like him could do the same.

Well, there's whatever the hell dungeon cores are. That's probably Worldcraft, since they are born from the surfacing of a leyline, but again, I couldn't even begin to think about how to craft such a thing myself.

Fortunately, he didn't have to stumble around in the dark. He had a master of the craft he could trust to teach him.

"Worldcraft isn't like any other kind of magic," Lasazar said, still gazing distantly at where the demonic Vermin had been. "It demands immense arrogance to believe oneself worthy of wielding the planet's power, but also complete humility, because trying to control it will only lead to immediate death. It's about accepting your place in the circle of life, as the instrument through which the World can act, and as a means to remove the pestilent wounds that demons are."

Nick blinked, processing the explanation with all his not-inconsiderable brain power. He wouldn't be able to draw conclusions until he had a more thorough understanding, but so far, it sounded like divine magic, in a way. "Is this like what priests do when they call on their patron god to help them? I know sometimes they can cast spells they shouldn't be able to."

Lasazar wiggled a hand. "Yes and no. It wouldn't be wrong to call the World a divine being, as it's certainly powerful enough, but it doesn't have the same unified will or the same constraints. I won't go into the weeds of the nature of gods here, but suffice it to say, they have a specialization for a reason. The World isn't so limited, nor does it follow the same rules."

Alright, so maybe I won't have to suffer an attempted possession again. One time was enough for me, thank you very much.

"So, how does it work?" He asked.

"Well, the first thing we need to do is attune you to the World's energies. I doubt it will be difficult, considering how easily you wield the colors of the ether, but it's an important step nonetheless." Lasazar explained, gesturing for Nick to take a seat.

Tentatively, he did so, and after a few instructions, he settled into what he knew as a lotus position. I hope this isn't just going to be a meditation session. I know that's the stereotype, but mages do surprisingly little of it, and I don't want to be a monk.

"Now then. Normally, this would be a lengthy journey, during which I'd help you get used to sensing, until we finally reached a place where the World's energies feel closer to the surface, but luckily for both of us, the Tower sits on a leyline, and you already know how to sense mana, so we don't need to waste time," Lasazar said as he kneeled behind Nick, placing his hands on his back.

They were large, very warm, and surprisingly rough, even through the fabric of Nick's shirt. He hadn't thought a battle mage would need to use weapons, but clearly, beneath all that fat, there was a substantial amount of trained muscle.

Then, something began prodding at him. Initially, it was just a faint tickle, like a shadow flickering at the edge of his awareness. Even turning [Empyrean Intuition] toward it revealed only swirling patterns in the atmospheric mana.

But within a few seconds, that sensation intensified. It was coming from Lasazar, but not. It was everywhere, yet also highly localized.

The contradiction threatened to scramble his senses, but Nick was experienced at analyzing complex, obscure data, so he focused and opened himself up to this new power.

The dichotomies only increased as he looked deeper. It was syrupy, moving languidly all around him, yet it filled every corner and crevice. No space was free of it, even though he had been completely unaware of its presence before.

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Nick was tempted to describe it as another layer of reality, something like the ether, where mana and emotions swirled in dense clouds, but that wasn't it.

No, this was something much more tangible. A force existing entirely within the material layer, only noticeable to those who knew where to look.

How can so much power be so subtle? I probably have the best sensory spell below Prestige, and I never knew this existed!

But that was not entirely accurate. He had experienced something similar for brief moments before—when the dungeon core cracked and the world burst with power, or when That Which Corrodes was expelled from reality and the tear between dimensions was closed.

It had been easy to dismiss it then as something inconsequential or even the work of a divine being. There had certainly been enough of those around.

But now he knew it wasn't. No, this was the breathing pattern of the World itself, and he was just like a fish unable to grasp the idea of a world without water around it.

His eyes opened, and he felt Lasazar pull away. "Felt it, did you?"

"I did," Nick muttered, still trying to come to terms with what he'd sensed.

When thinking about the power of a World, he'd pictured something similar to Nature magic. The Green Ocean extending in all directions; the shimmering seas with their mysterious depths; tall mountains, reaching high into the clear skies.

And there was some of that. Those things were part of the World. But not the whole of it. No, it was so much more, and he knew for a fact he'd only scratched the surface.

"How is it even possible to use that to cast any magic? It felt like I wouldn't even be able to interact with it."

Lasazar chortled, "Well, it won't be easy, I can tell you that much! There is a reason why people tend to turn to divine intervention to deal with demons. Worldcraft is usually considered an art reserved for Prestige classes, but nothing about it is necessarily off-limits, and something tells me you won't let a little difficulty stop you."

Nick nodded. Yeah, he wouldn't. Not if he could learn to wield even a hint of what he'd just felt.

"Now, the thing to keep in mind is that Worldcraft isn't something you will ever be able to use in regular battle, at least not at your level," Lasazar said, standing back up. "Even someone of my caliber needs time and effort to call upon the World to act, and I still wouldn't dare turn it against something as mundane as another mage or even a monster. No, those are all things that belong to this reality, and as such, wouldn't be considered acceptable targets by the World. Only beings that don't belong will trigger enough of a reaction from it to let you in, but in those cases… Oh, the power it gives, and so freely!"

"I see," Nick murmured. He'd have preferred to gain access to an endless battery for his casting, of course. That would have made his life so much easier. But it made sense. If the World were capable of understanding it was being breached, it would also know when it wasn't.

So it won't be omnipotence. Pity. But as long as I have a weapon to wield against the demons, that will be enough for me. Especially if it comes with a ton of sweet exp.

"I think that's enough for today," Lasazar said as he gestured with his hand, causing the iron door to groan open. "We will have another session next week, once you have had some time to acclimate yourself to the feeling of the World's power. Spend at least an hour every night looking for it, and you will greatly hasten your progress in casting spells through it."

Nick nodded and followed the teacher out. He would've liked to at least learn one piece of magic, but even that tiny glimpse was enough to show him things wouldn't be as simple as just learning a spellform and casting it.

That evening, Nick got into bed to meditate as promised. He needed to calm the other apprentices' curiosity about what he wanted to learn, but luckily, Master Tholm made a breakthrough with a foreign artifact and called all the older apprentices for a lesson, giving him the free time he desperately needed.

That the old mage had winked at him before shutting the door behind him told Nick he probably knew exactly what he was supposed to do.

I wonder if he knows about Worldcraft as well. He's an Archmage and meets the power requirements, but he's not a battle mage, and I have no doubt he has his own unique way of dealing with things like demons.

Likely, the man knew at least the basics, even if he didn't necessarily need to master the art.

With a sigh, Nick started breathing in and out, easily settling into the [Stalking Gait]'s pattern. Gradually, he expanded his senses outward, avoiding the chaotic swirl of the ether for once, and instead concentrating on the here and now.

It took him a few moments to filter out the hum of the wards and the background noise of an entire city's worth of emotions swirling around him, but eventually, he relaxed, feeling confident he had eliminated all distractions.

According to Lasazar, it would take him some time to find the World's power again without a guide. But now that his eyes had been opened to it, Nick was confident he could do it.

Yet, with all the noise removed from his perception, his attention was immediately drawn to his finger.

There, the simple iron ring Ogden had gifted him sat innocently, hiding incredibly complex spatial magic beneath its unassuming appearance. But that was not what distracted him from his attempt. Rather, it was what lay inside it that did.

Nick had developed the habit of tossing all his belongings, along with anything he picked up during his wanderings around Alluria, into it, and he had built up quite a collection of trinkets.

And now that he was searching for subtle energies, the stuff inside him was shining like a beacon to him.

Turning his attention inward, knowing he wouldn't be able to focus until he found the source of the distracting signature, Nick mentally rummaged through it.

Some things he still couldn't decipher. The burnt remains of his wand, the Compass of Interesting Times, and the brick he'd gotten from Eztie's temple were nearly impossible to see through, protected by whatever remnant of divine power had formed them.

But it was something else that had distracted him. Something he had kept on his person for a long time, and that he hadn't thought about in quite a while.

"Why now?" He muttered under his breath, but didn't hesitate to take out the tome.

The Final Temperance, the mysterious grimoire he'd received from Hel, the ancient bookseller who'd tricked him into helping her with her stall, and which told the chronicles of Semreh, a mage who would become a God of knowledge and medicine, shone under his carefully attuned sight.

Almost hesitantly, he flicked it open and saw that new writing had appeared since the last time he read it.