Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Huh, someone’s not in a good mood.
“Fuck school. I’m skipping no matter what.”
What’s up with you? You were fine with going to school earlier, and all of a sudden you’re acting like you’re marching off to war.
“I’m bipolar.”
Beric, if you don’t get your lazy ass-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yawning, I walked alongside Elaine, our satchels bouncing rhythmically as we traveled along the dirt path. The sun was still rising, marking the beginning of a new day. Shadows stretched across the ground, decorating the path with intricate patterns. The air was thick with humidity, a lingering trait of the village’s climate. Ahead of us, Arthur ran, leaping over small wooden debris scattered along the way. Treating the journey as a race against an unseen opponent, he darted forward, skillfully dodging the branches that encroached upon the path. Beside me, Elaine held my hand, guiding me toward our destination: the school. Since this was my first time venturing beyond my familiar surroundings, it was her responsibility to lead me safely through the village.
You look better now.
“Let’s hope it’ll last.” If you remember, I achieved my first Core Reset yesterday. I had planned to do it away from my family’s eyes, but they came home early and witnessed everything. As a result, Dad went to the village to seek advice from the Elders. Since this was such a rare occurrence, they decided to visit our house to see for themselves. Nothing significant happened afterward. Upon witnessing my bonding magic, the Elders insisted that I attend school, claiming I had great potential and should pursue magic from an early age. My parents agreed, and now here I am, walking to school.
I should also mention that this will be my first—well, our first—time seeing the rest of the village. I’ve been too busy training at home, and there’s never really been a chance for me to leave… until now. From what I’ve heard, the school is located in one of the rooms inside the town hall. Since the village is fairly small, there was never a need to build a dedicated school. To be honest, that fact alone raises some doubts. I don’t expect to learn much beyond basic history and geography. Still, it might not be a complete waste of time—at the very least, I hope to learn about the magical creatures that inhabit the world.
The dirt trail emerged from the forest, merging into a wider path that led into the village. Small wooden houses lined the road, forming a single route deeper inside. Built primarily from timber, the houses were enclosed by wooden fences that kept their livestock in check. Lush greenery wove through the village, with patches of wildflowers and tall grass sprouting along the edges of the path. Large oak and maple trees stood scattered between homes, their leaves casting shadows across the ground. Through the windows, glimpses of their interiors revealed a world much like my own home. Near the fences, villagers tended to their crops, with the women of the household occasionally watering them. A few small shops were interspersed among the homes, their wooden signs swaying slightly in the breeze. I could hear the sound of metal clanging, joined by the sight of smoke rising from a building farther down the road. I assume that’s the blacksmith. Beyond the houses, where the roads converged into a central square, a group of children stood waiting at the entrance of what I assumed to be the town hall. It was the largest building in the village, featuring double doors and four stone pillars supporting its roof. The upper windows hinted at the presence of a second floor.
“Hey, guys!” Arthur yelled as he ran to the group. The group turned to look at him and waved at him with beaming smiles.
Elaine and I took our time instead, slowly making our way to the town hall.
On our way, we passed by a small shack. At first, I thought it was abandoned, but inside, a few shelves displayed an odd assortment of items—a bottle filled with some unknown liquid, the teeth of some creature, and a necklace adorned with a shiny green gem. Curious, I pulled away from Elaine and stepped closer to examine the merchandise. As I scanned the shelves, I was suddenly met with a wide, single-toothed grin. Startled, I jumped back, my eyes locking onto the figure of an older, bald man. He wore a black eye patch over his right eye and was dressed in what I could only describe as the attire of a madman. His red, overly flamboyant shirt stopped halfway down his torso, leaving his hairy stomach fully exposed. His sagging leather pants were riddled with holes, capable of offending any fashion designer.
“I see that you have a good eye, young one!” The man exclaimed as he grabbed the necklace. He then brought it to the counter, where I was able to analyze it fully. “This necklace was formed with the beautiful gem, Jeluze, right from the depths of a dragon’s den. It took me years to find the den, but when I finally did, I scavenged the den for the mythical gem. Of course, the beast didn’t take too kindly, and I had to fight tooth and nail against the legendary dragon. It was a hard fought battle but eventually-”
Elaine grabbed me by the shoulder. “You shouldn’t lie to young children, Old Man Coot.”
His smile lit up even brighter when he saw Elaine. “Ah, young Miss Elaine, what a pleasure. May I interest you in this beautiful necklace? I’m sure that it would fit you very well.”
“Don’t believe him, Beric.” She pointed at the necklace. “That supposed gem is probably just a rock he found here, painted over to make it seem valuable.”
Old Man Coot dramatically grabbed his chest. “Your words hurt me, young miss. Why would you so carelessly accuse me of lying to my dear customers?”
Elaine raised an eyebrow. “Really? Then, how much for that necklace?”
Old Man Coot cleared his throat. “For such a treasure like this, it’s only right to ask for hundreds of gold coins. But, for you, my dear loyal customer, I will give you a generous discount and sell it for only one bronze coin.”
He seemed to be surprised when he saw that Elaine had already dragged me away before he even finished. “I’ll still be here if you change your mind! I also have a jar of dragon spit and the teeth of an orc lord!”
He seemed like a cool guy.
“Elaine, who was that?”
“He’s…….” Elaine was careful with her wording. “A former soldier, I think. No one really knows where or when he fought. All we know for sure is that, during a battle, he must’ve lost his memory. Then, he became a wanderer, and somehow made his way here. Now, he just camps out in that shack and sells oddities to the villagers. As you heard earlier, he has a tendency to exaggerate his merchandise.”
A former soldier huh? He might’ve been a part of a survey unit then. All major wars were most likely before his time.
We passed by more houses, with each occupant starting their day. Fathers were leaving for their jobs, more children came out for school, and mothers were cleaning and cooking.
Elaine and I arrived at the doors, joining the group. Squirming our way in, we found Arthur.
“Why haven’t the doors opened yet?” She asked Arthur.
“Ms. Lonnie isn’t here yet.” He explained.
“She’s late? That’s rare. Does no other adult have the keys to the doors?”
“No, it’s just her and the elders. The elders aren’t here either.”
While the two continued talking, I took a moment to observe my fellow students. Most of them were significantly older than me, around the same age as my siblings. Since Arthur was 15 and Elaine was 13, the group consisted primarily of high schoolers with a few middle schoolers mixed in. They all wore the same wool tunics as we did, paired with similar leggings and coarse, dirt-stained leather shoes. The gender ratio was fairly balanced, with neither side being predominant. In total, I estimated there were about 20 students in the group. From what I could tell, I was the youngest. Because of this, I was the victim of several eyes and silent conversations.
While I waited with my siblings, I suddenly felt a shove. Turning to see who had pushed me, I found myself face to face with a teenage boy. His long black hair cascaded past his shoulders, with bangs that partially covered his forehead. What his hair didn’t conceal was his pale, pasty white face, and his sneering, gray eyes. He stood slightly taller than Arthur, but his frame was much leaner and more wiry. Almost too big for him, he wore a clean leather tunic, paired with comfortable leggings and unscuffed leather shoes. I could tell he had some money.
“Who brought their baby brother here?” The boy asked out loud, with a grin that brimmed from side to side.
He then flicked me on the forehead, before shoving me once more.
He’s one of those guys, huh?
You’re getting pressed by a skeleton.
I tried to sneak away while he was turned, but another boy’s arm suddenly gripped me, holding me in place. He had short brown hair and glaring yellow eyes that seemed to pierce through me. His tanned skin stood in contrast to the other boy's pale complexion. Smaller than the first, he was much chubbier, but his fat served well as strength.
Here comes Chub.
Looks like I’m stuck. Well, if I can’t move, I might as well try one of my new abilities. After my Core Reset, I unlocked a few new skills. One of these is Soul Scan.
Activating it upon the skinny boy, a status screen similar to mine showed up.
Name: Rune Goher
- Strength: 228
- Speed: 223
- Stamina: 198
- Endurance: 203
- Durability: 180
- Mana: 124
- Soul Rank: Ethereal
- Soul Color: Black
Rune Goher…….the dude who’s trying to bully me is named Rune? “Sys, I hear you laughing.”
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
You don’t hear shit.
I then used Soul Scan on the other teenager.
Name: Orion Stall
- Strength: 228
- Speed: 241
- Stamina: 221
- Endurance: 236
- Durability: 229
- Mana: 116
- Soul Rank: Stable
- Soul Color: Black
Not too steep of a difference in strength, considering your age. You also far surpass them in mana. It looks like your hard work paid off.
“Seems like it.” I’m very proud of my mana, but there’s clearly a huge difference between my strength and mana stats. Since I’m a supposed “magical swordsman”, I should focus on increasing my physical strength.
Magical swordsman, eh? What a cool profession! Surely, there’s no other role that you would rather have, right?
…….You again.
It would be, if it wasn’t for the fact that you had no choice in the matter. Odd, isn’t it? The very future of your own life, regarding your skills and capabilities, have been decided for you. You didn’t choose to be a magical swordsman. You were forced to be one, because of the way you were created.
……….
But, so what? Does that really matter? I mean, you enjoy the idea of being a magical swordsman right? No, don’t be an idiot. That very thought, that preference of liking a magical swordsman, wasn’t off your own accord. It was ingrained into your very own being the second you were born. You never had a say in the first place, and now you’re forced to pursue the path that’s been set in front of you.
“Leave him alone.” Elaine’s voice called out.
Elaine? Did she hear…….oh, yeah. These two guys.
Ignoring me won’t make me go away.
Elaine and Arthur pushed through the group of onlookers, making their way to me.
How boring……..fine, I’ll humor you.
“If it isn’t the stupid goofball brother and the unlikable loner sister. What brings you two here?” Ryan said.
Beric, that’s not his name.
Does it really matter? If anything, I’m doing him a favor. What kind of name is Rune?
Fix it.
…….Fine. “If it isn’t the stupid goofball brother and the unlikable loner sister. What brings you two here?” Rune* said.
“Tell your sidekick to take his hand off my brother.” Arthur demanded with an uncharacteristic glare.
Rune laughed at that. “This is your brother? This little guy here?” Rune poked at my face. “This isn’t a daycare. It’s for the children of the village with actual potential……..though, I don’t know if that’s the case anymore, since you two came along.”
Arthur tried to move forward, but Elaine stopped him. “Let Beric go.”
“Beric? Is that his name?” Rune began playing with my face. “What’s little baby Beric doing in a school meant for older kids?”
His ugly face was beginning to annoy me.
Now’s the perfect time to strike.
“..........Shouldn’t you discourage me from attacking him?”
Do you want me to?
Fair.
When Rune’s index finger got close enough to my mouth, I quickly opened and bit hard on it.
Nice.
Rune squealed like a rat as he pulled away. “You damn brat!”
Orion let go of me to assist Rune, leaving me free. Arthur and Elaine then tried to come to me, but Rune then yelled, “Orion, block them!”
Like a slave, Orion instantly got up and did as he was told. Using his larger frame, he kept my siblings in check.
Uh oh.
Panting heavily and glaring right at me, Rune moved closer.
It was just a small bite. I don’t know why he was panting like it was a serious injury.
Towering over me, Rune then said in a strained voice, “Brats like you need to learn early on how to live properly. You shouldn’t bite those above you.”
He then raised his left hand, and quickly aimed a smack at my face.
Elaine’s eyes widened as Arthur tried to push past Orion.
Hey, want to know something about stats? Let’s say there are two people, A and B. A has a strength stat of 150, while B has a strength stat of 100. Clearly, A has the higher stat and can overpower B in a fight because of it. The same applies to the speed stat. If A has a speed stat of 110 and B has a speed stat of 150, B would be able to outrun A in a race. B would also be able to dodge attacks much more quickly. This concept applies in all games, as well as this world.
So, am I screwed? Rune has higher speed and strength stats than me, so there’s no way I can tank a hit nor can I dodge an attack of his. I messed up big time, right?
Well, not necessarily.
As I mentioned, these stats are similar to those in a game. But as every gamer knows, stats aren’t everything. Let’s say A is in an RPG, facing a boss with triple his stats. Would A be finished? Not necessarily. While he would be at a massive disadvantage, there are other advantages A could have. Items are an obvious example—using them to temporarily buff his stats and give him an edge. The problem is, I don’t have items here, so what can I do?
What if I just summon Shade? He could easily take care of this.
I could, but I don't think I actually have to. I want to test something out.
A has other advantages he could use to beat the boss—three in particular, if he's truly skilled: observation, prediction, and timing. For example, if the boss suddenly rushes at A with a huge sweeping attack, A could easily dodge it. First, A could have recognized the animation that leads to the attack, allowing him to predict what’s coming. He might also have prior knowledge from online sources. Of course, A would also need exceptional timing to dodge or parry at the right moment. But if A makes the right observations, predicts the attack correctly, and times his actions perfectly, he could theoretically defeat someone with triple his stats…….as long as A continues this process without making any mistakes.
Would that work here?
Before Rune tried to attack me, I had a few thoughts. For one, I knew that if someone injures the finger on their right hand, they usually try to lighten the load on that hand. In this case, Rune would likely use his left hand to strike me instead of his right. However, knowing this doesn’t mean I can dodge immediately. If I try to dodge right away, Rune could simply redirect his attack to where I move. To dodge correctly, I’ll have to wait and move just before he connects. It all comes down to timing.
As the hand flew closer and closer to my face, I felt the primal urge to flinch. Perhaps it was due to my younger body that it was even stronger. But, it didn’t matter. I had long gotten over this fear.
Rather than making any sudden movements, I chose to take a slower approach. As soon as his hand was a second away from my face, I gently turned right, causing Rune to narrowly miss and almost fall due to his momentum.
Surprised, Rune barely caught himself as he looked back at me.His face became even more sour when he saw my grin.
Oh wow. I wasn’t expecting that.
“You damn-”
“What’s going on here?” A female voice called out.
Rune cussed. “Stand down, Orion.”
Orion obeyed as he let go of Arthur and Elaine. They quickly rushed to me, making sure that I had no injuries.
A tall woman made her way through the crowd. Wearing a red wide-brimmed hat, she stood out with her scarlet cloak. Her long, raven-black hair cascaded well past her shoulders. With dark brown skin and striking orange eyes, she scanned the situation. Her sharp nose twitched, as if sensing the aftermath of a fight. 'What happened to you all?' she asked directly, her gaze settling on me in particular. She seemed clearly puzzled by my presence. I assumed she was Ms. Lonnie.
“Rune started a fight and he tried to attack my brother!” Arthur explained.
“Not a fight. I was merely playing with him, and he went crazy and bit me out of nowhere. I was simply trying to punish him for his wrongdoing.”
Amazing timing by her, eh? Coming as soon as everything ends.
“That’s what a teacher is.”
“The one day I’m late…….” The lady sighed deeply as her eyebrows furrowed. “The door’s open. Go inside and prepare for class.” She said to the rest of the group. One by one, the rest of the children left, silently whispering amongst themselves of what just happened. Turning to us, she said, “Arthur, Rune, I’ll speak to you later. For now, go take your seats.”
“Yes Ma’am.” They all went into the school, with a few hated words shared amongst the 4.
Now, it was just me and her. She rubbed her temple as she mumbled to herself, probably berating herself for being late.
Pulling on one end of her cloak, I asked if she was Ms. Lonnie.
She seemed surprised. “Yes, I am. Who are you?”
“Beric.”
Her eyes widened. “You’re Beric?.......I see.” Lowering herself by squatting, she reached her hand out to me. I took it. “I heard of you from the elders. The five-year old that had his first Core Reset already.” She closed her eyes. “If you don’t mind, I want to see it on my own.”
This was a technique that the elders used on me yesterday. It’s similar to soul sense, but you need the hand of the person to use it. Rather than seeing souls on your own, you can only see others' souls if you have a direct link to them, such as a hand.
She opened her eyes. “I didn’t know it was possible…….” She mumbled before standing back up. Eyes now filled with wonder and amazement, she offered me her hand again. “Here, I’ll lead you to your seat.”
I took her lead and followed her.
She led me to the doors, and we walked inside. The interior was entirely furnished with wood—wood floors, wood walls, wood ceiling, wood tables, and chairs. Oh, and over there, pillars holding up the ceiling—guess what material they’re made of? Wood. Small lanterns were placed on the tables, casting light across the room. Aside from the tables and chairs, the building felt relatively empty.
“I’m sorry for what you had to go through earlier. Rune is a very……..troubled child. Due to being the grandson of Elder Walden, he’s very proud of his standing and tends to…….abuse it. I myself am but only a teacher, so I can’t directly punish him.”
Grandson. I expected something like that. But to be a huge dick like that? Something isn’t adding up.
“All I can say is to not bring attention to yourself. Try to not overshadow Rune in whatever subject. Let him be the best, so he won’t pay you any attention. As long as you do this, Rune won’t even notice you……..But still, to hurt a small child like you? What was he thinking?”
Damn, even the teacher can’t do shit to him. The elders must hold a lot of power in this village.
Elder Walden wasn’t exactly the nicest guy, but he was the one who pushed the hardest for me to attend school. He didn’t seem like a bad guy to me, at least, the type of guy to encourage his grandson to hurt a 5 year old kid……………It’s clear that he values my skills in magic. I wonder if it’s because of that, that he might not value people without an affinity for magic as much?.........It’s probably that, isn’t it?........Ugghhhhhhhhh.
Whatever. Time for school.