Episode 13: Townsperson A Wants to Fly Freely Through the Sky

So, I returned to Frissen Village after a bizarre stint of playing the Good Samaritan to a pack of Wyverns rather than humans in the Valley of the Flying Dragons. While I was at it, I noticed something worth looking at.

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Name: Allen Rank: E Age: 12 Divine Protection: 【Wind God】 Skills: 【Stealth】【Appraisal】【Alchemy】【Wind Magic】 Place of Residence: Luluden Funds: 3,009,012 Level: 1 Physical Strength: E Magic Power: D

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My Divine Protection had shifted from simple Wind Magic to 【Wind God】, and 【Wind Magic】 itself had been added to my skill list. Plus, my magic power had jumped two ranks from F to D without me doing a single thing.

I’d never heard of a protection like 【Wind God】 before. To put rank D in perspective, I’m pretty sure that was Marcus’s level during the Villainess’s Condemnation Event. Ah, in case you’ve forgotten, Marcus is one of the capture targets—the son of the court magician.

Regardless, a divine blessing from God was bound to be incredible, and the new skill finally gave me access to the wind magic I’d been wanting. With that settled, it was time to move to the next phase of my Scenario Destruction Plan. The objective: securing a reliable means of transportation.

You might be wondering what I was thinking, but look at the facts. Horses are the fastest way to get around in this world. Even if you rode several into the ground in a single day, you’d cover a few hundred kilometers at best. A standard shared carriage only manages a few dozen. Now, imagine a world like this having a way to travel at several hundred kilometers per hour.

Exactly. That’s what I was getting at.

My goal for this operation was to build a glider. Not just a pure, unpowered glider, mind you, but one using wind magic as a propulsion source. A glider is basically an ultra-light aircraft that can fly without a traditional engine. Back in my previous life, I was an aeronautical engineer; I had more than enough knowledge of aerodynamics to pull this off. I could even pilot the thing.

I set to work on the blueprints. I designed a cylindrical fuselage to serve as the engine housing, where magic would blast air backward. I'd use a Wyvern’s Magic Stone as the catalyst for the spell. I added a three-wheel landing gear at the base—they’d be doing the heavy lifting during takeoff and landing.

The top of the fuselage was flat, allowing me to strap in face-down. I’d supply mana to the engine with my right hand, while my left would control the elevators on the horizontal stabilizer and the rudder on the vertical stabilizer through mana infusion. For the wings, I stuck with a standard, orthodox airfoil.

The materials would primarily consist of Wyvern bones and membranes, supplemented by carbon fiber. Using my 【Alchemy】 skill, I converted the blueprints into a magic circle and prepared the materials for transmutation.

This skill really was a cheat. In the game, Amy used to whip up things like "perfectly stable carriages" in an instant, so I figured I could manage this, but seeing a magic circle materialize exactly according to my specs was still mind-blowing. It was exactly what I’d hoped for, yet I couldn't help being impressed.

Once the magic circle was finished, I felt confident. Aside from the wind magic engine, the glider’s shape was based on aircraft that had a proven track record in my previous life.

I headed to a clearing a short distance from the village. It was overgrown with weeds, so I cleared them out using my newly acquired wind magic.

"O Mana, source of all things. Gather in my palm, become the gale, and reap my foes. Wind Cutter!"

The chant for the spell I wanted just popped into my head—perks of the 【Wind Magic】 skill, I suppose. I leveled a five-hundred-meter runway using a combination of wind magic and alchemy. Thanks to my magic status jumping to D, I didn't feel the slightest bit of fatigue even after all that work. This was great.

Runway ready, I pulled out the magic circle I’d drawn on paper. I set out two Wyvern Magic Stones, one membrane, and one femur, then added a healthy pile of charcoal before activating the circle.

"Transmute!"

The circle flared with light, the materials shifting and warping until the light faded, leaving behind the glider exactly as I’d envisioned it. I thanked my lucky stars for the cheat skill, strapped into the seatbelt face-down, and gripped the handle to start the engine.

"O Mana, source of all things. Gather in my palm and become the wind."

The magic took hold, and the engine’s magic circle roared, venting a violent blast of air. Goooooooh! The glider surged forward, the acceleration pinning me down.

Ugh, I’m going to puke...

The G-force felt like it was going to tear my body apart. Then, in the next heartbeat, the glider was airborne.

"Yes! Success!"

I watched the altitude climb. The forest shrank beneath me, and soon I was soaring above the mountain peaks. It felt incredible. It was the first time I’d seen the sky like this since my college days in my previous life. I stabilized the flight using the elevators, and the glider transitioned into a steady cruise.

Without instruments, I followed the highway—which looked like a thin line drawn on the ground—to navigate toward the Royal Capital, Luluden. It was incomparably faster than any carriage. And, more than anything, it was exhilarating. I soared over one walled town after another.

"Is that... Luluden Castle?"

I rejoiced at spotting the familiar structure in the distance and reflexively muttered to myself. I had covered a distance that took days by carriage in a matter of hours. Technology cheats are truly wonderful.

I started preparing to descend, then a cold realization hit me.

"Wait, where the hell am I supposed to land?"

There were no seas or large rivers near Luluden for a safe splashdown. The highway was too narrow and crowded with travelers to attempt a landing there. And then I remembered the biggest oversight of all.

I didn't have a parachute.

I frantically scanned the horizon for a landing site while circling the area. Eventually, I spotted a lake deep in the Northeast Forest, near the ruins. It wasn't a landmark that appeared in the game's Scenario, but the only monsters in that forest were Horn Rabbits and the occasional Goblin. I’d aim for that.

I cut the engine and began my glide, bleeding speed and altitude. I lined up with the longest stretch of the oval-shaped lake.

"Dammit. I never even practiced emergency landings as a student!"

I cursed my own stupidity. But I couldn't die here—not if I wanted to avoid losing to my Scenario. I focused every nerve on the controls, guiding the glider into a splashdown trajectory. I skimmed the treetops and hit the water. It was a bit steeper than I'd liked. I pulled up on the elevators and fired a reverse burst from the engine.

I should have added flaps to the wings. I could have slowed down so much more!

Water erupted around me as the glider skipped across the surface, hurtled toward the opposite shore, and slammed into the bank. The tail flipped over, and the belly of the craft smashed into a tree with a deafening crunch.

When the noise stopped, I was still in one piece. My seatbelt had kept me from being launched into the woods, which was my only saving grace. My whole body was screaming in pain, but I’d avoided serious injury. The glider, however, was totaled. As I watched, it disintegrated into fine sand—a trait of alchemical creations once they were destroyed, it seemed.

"Well, that was a failure."

I sighed, activated my 【Stealth】 skill, and started the long walk toward Luluden. I’d successfully flown, but at the cost of two precious Magic Stones, a Wyvern femur, and a membrane.