Two years had passed since the first time I used magic. I had turned practicing Air Magic into a daily habit. I am five now.
Despite all the concern and research, the village never discovered anything about my so called illness. No clue about the life force loss. They just dubbed it, "Life Surge" as a name.
Of course they couldn't find anything.
What still bothered them, though, was my defense stat. Even newborns had defense higher than one hundred, but mine had stubbornly remained at 54.
Ouch.
Even I didn't fully understand it. My best guess was that the strange title I hid, Unknown Growth Specimen, had something to do with it.
Practicing Air Magic had become as natural to me. My Mana Capacity also increased with using Magic because of Unknown Growth Specimen. Also using Magic Creation I made Appraisal to talk like a robot. The Other day, I learnt that I had 10 times more Mana than the entire village combined.
It was peaceful work.
Well...Usually...
Today,
"My son should be a talented marksman like me!" my father declared, his chest puffed out like a Body - Builder.
"No! He already has a great affinity for magic. He shall become a magician!" my mom said hugging me
Father was a village guard, a skilled archer who took his duty seriously. Naturally, he wanted me to follow his path.
Mother, on the other hand, had seen my magic firsthand. In her mind, my future clearly involved spells, mana, and magical mastery.
Neither of them looked like they were going to give up anytime soon.
I sighed. I have time to intervene. Better do it now.
"Mom. Father."
Both of them turned toward me at once.
I took a breath and offered the simplest solution.
"How about I learn both?"
They looked at each other.
A few seconds passed.
Then their expressions calmed down from argument - mode to caring - mode, What a flip Parents do, and they both sighed.
"Well… I guess that settles it," Father said with a chuckle.
"Yes!" Mom said brightly. "Rei, you shall learn archery from your father, and I will teach you magic."
That actually worked out perfectly for me.
Curiosity nudged me, so I asked, "Mother, do you have an affinity for Air Magic too?"
Before she could answer, Father spoke up.
"Yes, boy. Your mother has a remarkable affinity for Air Magic. She's called the Wind of the Elves for a good reason."
Mother's eyes widened instantly.
"Dear! That was supposed to be a secret!" she said before smacking him on the head.
"Ouch!" Father said loudly, rubbing the spot.
Then he leaned toward me with a very serious expression.
"Rei, whatever you do in life… never get on your mother's angry side."
"Yes, Father… Hahahahaha!"
A few days passed, and before I knew it, my first day of archery training had arrived.
Father insisted we train on the forest floor, which meant climbing down from our village high in the massive trees. The descent alone was enough to remind me just how ridiculously tall these trees were. These trees were twice the size of Tokyo Tower!
Sunlight filtered through the dense canopy above.
Still… I couldn't believe Father had dragged a five year old all the way down here.
"The first step to mastering archery is great focus, accuracy, and sharp eyesight," Father began, his tone clearly excited. "But before I teach you how to shoot, I need to test your instincts."
He pointed deeper into the forest.
"I've laid traps along the path. If you can dodge them and make it to the hundredth tree, only then will I consider teaching you archery."
I raised an eyebrow. 100?!
I mean… I had tried archery a little back on Earth. Nothing serious, but still. How hard could it really be here?
"Ready?" Father asked.
I gave a firm nod.
"You have to reach the hundredth tree from here," he said with a sly grin.
Then he vanished into the trees.
I stared ahead at the endless forest.
"…God."
The trees here were enormous. Counting a hundred of them among these giants was going to be a pain.
"Alright," I muttered to myself, stretching my arms slightly. "Let's do this."
I scanned the forest carefully. The dense undergrowth and towering trunks made perfect hiding spots for traps.
And that gave me an idea.
This was the perfect moment to try something I had been thinking about for a while.
Magic Creation.
Closing my eyes, I imagined a world where danger stood out clearly. Traps, hostile intent, anything threatening would glow bright red against the calm backdrop of the forest.
I focused my mana and whispered quietly,
"Magic Creation… Display hostilities."
When I opened my eyes, the world had changed.
Red outlines shimmered faintly across the forest. Thin glowing lines revealed tripwires. Hidden pits glowed beneath layers of leaves. Even nets tied high between branches appeared like crimson spiderwebs.
I blinked once.
That was… surprisingly easy.
Maybe mana consumption depended on the complexity of the spell. Status Conceal had been ridiculously complicated, so it drained nearly everything I had.
This one, though?
Simple.
A grin spread across my face.
"This will be a piece of cake."
I deactivated the magic immediately to save mana and dashed forward.
My smaller body actually helped a lot. I moved quickly between roots and rocks, slipping past tripwires and hopping over hidden pitfalls. A net dropped behind me just a second too late as I rolled forward and kept running.
Every step sharpened my focus.
Every movement made me faster.
Thirty minutes later, I reached the hundredth tree.
Father was already there, leaning casually against the massive trunk like he had been waiting all morning.
The moment he saw me emerge from the forest, his eyes widened slightly before a huge smile spread across his face.
"Well, well! It looks like my son has potential, even at just five years old!" he said proudly. "You make your father proud, Rei!"
Before I could react, he lifted me up and lifted me into the air like I had just won some grand championship.
"Drop me, Father! It's embarrassing!" I protested, squirming.
But he only laughed louder and hugged me tighter.
"You've passed the first test," he declared happily as he carried me back toward the village. "Next week, I'll teach you the basics of archery."
He gave my head another proud pat.
"You'll grow into a fine marksman someday, Rei. Mark my words!"
I couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm as we climbed back toward the village in the trees.
The next day marked my first official lesson in Air Magic with Mother.
She stood before me with a calm yet slightly excited expression, the soft forest wind gently stirring her hair.
"Magic spells are typically performed through chanting," she began, folding her arms lightly as she looked at me. "Since you've already performed beginner-level Air Magic, I assume you know the chant for it?"
I shook my head without hesitation.
"No, Mother," I answered honestly. "I didn't use any chants. I just imagined it… and it worked."
Her eyes widened instantly.
"Wait!" she said, leaning forward in disbelief. "Are you saying you cast magic without a chant? That is extremely rare!"
"Yes, Mother," I confirmed.
For a moment, she simply stared at me.
Then she sighed.
"You're so brilliant you don't even need my help with magic," she said dramatically. "That makes me… useless."
The sheer sadness in her voice, was clearly exaggerated
I quickly grabbed her hands with my small ones.
"Don't be sad, Mother," I said. "I don't know much about other kinds of magic or how to check my affinities for them. You can teach me that, right?"
Her reaction was immediate.
Her eyes sparkled, her posture straightened, and the gloomy mood vanished like it had never existed.
"Yes, Rei!" she declared energetically. "From today onward, I'll teach you Air Magic properly, since it's the only magic you have affinity for."
She cleared her throat slightly and began pacing like a teacher preparing for a lecture.
"Magic spells are broadly classified into eight categories," she explained. "Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, King, Saint, Emperor, Sage, and Divine."
I blinked.
Divine?
That sounded… absurdly powerful.
"Today," she continued proudly, "I'll teach you an Intermediate Air Magic spell called Air Bullets."
I nodded enthusiastically.
"Yes!"
The rest of the day passed in intense practice.
Mother said everything, the chant, the proper posture, how to circulate mana, and how to focus the spell correctly. Even though I didn't technically need chanting, I practiced it anyway so I wouldn't stand out too much.
Soon I could feel the air around me tightening and compressing, gathering into small, invisible projectiles.
Air Bullets.
With a flick of my hand and a burst of mana, the condensed air shot forward, striking the wooden targets Mother had placed across the clearing.
The feeling was thrilling.
It was also incredibly easy to visualize.
Before long, I discovered I could fire several Air Bullets at once, sending them flying toward different targets.
Mother watched with wide eyes before clapping proudly.
"Well done, Rei!" she said with a bright smile. "Casting multiple Air Bullets at your age is impressive!"
"Mom is there any library here in the village?" I asked.
"Why, yes Rei, what do you need it for?" she asked me back.
"Well I had hopes to learn other kinds of Magic there" I said.
Well, he only has Air Magic and Status Magic and cannot cast anything. So its fine for knowledge I guess
"Sure Rei, it is just near the Chief's House" she said.
"Alright!" I said.
This gives me the ability to visualize Magic easily and will reduce my mana consumption while using Magic Creation. I wonder when I should appraise my parents? Maybe today itself...