The First Spark of Mana
I have no talent for magic.
The moment those words left her lips, I crumpled to the floor and curled up into a ball.
“I’m fucking trash…”
“Pffft~”
Swords and magic.
In a world that revolved almost entirely around magic, having no talent for it was basically the same as being told to go die in a ditch.
Could I even survive the academy like this?
…No. I will survive.
If I couldn’t stop the events that were supposed to happen at the academy anyway, I’d die either way. Whether I died here or outside didn’t make much difference.
In that case, wasn’t it smarter to stay here, where the odds of survival were at least ten percent—or even one percent—higher?
Should I take an elixir or something?
Wait, what the hell even is an elixir? Sounds like some rich guy’s dog’s name.
I pressed hard on my throbbing temples and tried following Beatrice’s instructions one more time.
I sat cross-legged, gently closed my eyes.
“Huu…”
“Breathe out slowly~ Feel your heartbeat~”
Thump. Thump.
“Don’t rush it~”
Her voice was gentle and patient, like a kindergarten teacher, and I felt the tension naturally drain from my body.
It was the kind of warm, soothing voice that made you think you could live forever just listening to ASMR after world peace had been achieved.
“Huu.”
I exhaled again, cleared my mind, and focused.
Thump… Thump…
“That’s it~ If you pay attention to your heartbeat, you’ll start to feel something~”
“…Ugh…”
I feel it.
I felt it…
I feel…
…Another failure, huh.
Giving up would be so much easier.
With that comforting thought, I let out a long sigh.
“Huu…”
Thump!
That was when it happened.
My body jolted, and the sensation vanished as quickly as it had come.
“So~? How was your first time~?”
“Whoa…”
It was electrifying.
The instant I sensed mana, a shiver ran through my entire body.
I immediately closed my eyes and tried again.
“This… is mana…”
My heart buzzed with a tingling vibration.
And then it slowly began to spread throughout my body.
I felt goosebumps prickling along my arms but forced myself to keep going until the end.
To my fingertips.
To my toes.
Once the mana had reached every extremity of my body, I drew it all back toward my heart.
“Huu…”
“Congratulations~ That’s mana resonance~”
“Mana resonance?”
“It’s when the flow of mana matches the rhythm of your heartbeat~”
“Oh… So that’s what it is.”
I guess I’m finally starting to adapt to this world.
“Still, succeeding on your second try… How many tries did it take Vera?”
“I was born while doing mana resonance~”
“…Yeah, of course you were, you genius.”
“You’re banned~”
“Yeah, of course you were.”
“I said you’re banned~”
For a second I almost forgot about favorability and just wanted to tackle her.
Hm.
As an adult, I should show restraint.
With superhuman patience, I calmed myself and attempted mana resonance once more.
“Huu…”
It felt like I was getting the hang of it now.
“Then let’s try it standing up~”
“Huh? Standing?”
“Of course~ You can’t fight sitting down, can you~?”
“Fair enough.”
I wondered if I could pull it off right away.
“Hm… It actually works.”
“Wow~”
Mana resonance was a success.
The only problem was—
“Why isn’t my mana shimmering?”
It lacked flair. It wasn’t cool at all.
I could feel the mana, but I couldn’t see it.
Colorless. Odorless.
And without any elemental affinity.
No affinity meant—
No magic possible.
Completely useless.
“…I really am trash.”
To think I came all the way to another world just to be unable to use magic.
I was about to sink back into depression when—
“Waaah!”
If Beatrice hadn’t started staring at my mana with sparkling eyes, I probably would’ve fallen straight through the floor in shame.
Maybe… maybe there was still hope for me?
“Your mana is transparent~!”
“So does that mean I can use magic?”
“I don’t know~”
“…Excuse me?”
My brain short-circuited.
I even forgot to breathe.
That was how impossible those words sounded coming from Beatrice’s mouth.
Even at her young age, she was called a once-in-a-millennium genius when it came to magic. And she didn’t know?
Then the only ones who might know would be something like an ancient dragon sleeping deep in the mountains.
Or maybe… some old sage.
“I don’t know~ I really don’t know~ But it’s so interesting~!”
“Vera, what’s so interesting?”
“The mana is eating other mana.”
“Huh?”
Was she messing with me?
I tilted my head and looked where her finger was pointing.
Her violet mana rippled through the air as it approached me.
Then—
“Ehhh?”
The moment it entered a certain range, it scattered apart.
The instant I saw that, one thought flashed through my mind.
“I wonder if this blocks magic too?”
“Want to test it~?”
It was actually a very dangerous experiment.
If it didn’t block the spell, I’d be taking a direct hit.
But as if possessed, my head nodded up and down.
*
Gambling.
I’d done it plenty of times in games, but this was my first time doing it in real life—staking my own body as the bet.
I was a little scared.
Did I really have to go this far?
If it hit me, it wasn’t going to be a mild injury.
Stop being a little bitch.
I steadied my mind.
Even setting aside next week’s spar with Radian, I had to get stronger.
Just like how humanity had climbed to the top of the food chain and continued to evolve.
To survive.
I had to become strong.
“Ready~?”
“Yeah.”
Huu…
My exhale scattered into the air.
Though invisible to the eye, mana rose around my body.
“Here I go~”
There wasn’t a trace of hesitation on Beatrice’s bright, smiling face.
She was having the time of her life.
Meanwhile, I was tense as hell.
“Hmm hmm~”
She was even humming. The girl was completely out of control.
Even so, I couldn’t relax.
Because the finger she had been drawing elegant lines with suddenly stopped.
“Ignite~”
“…Holy shit.”
Would it really be blocked?
While I was still doubtful, Beatrice looked completely confident that it would work.
Otherwise, why the hell would she create a fireball the size of a damn car?
“Here it comes~”
“This is insane!”
The resonance I had only just succeeded at for the first time—I spun the mana around my body with desperate intensity.
Kwooooo!
The fireball flew straight at me in an instant.
The heat I felt through the mana was enough to hint at impending death.
“Don’t… fuck with me…!”
I didn’t want to die.
No matter what, I was going to survive.
I’d finally come to another world. There was no way I was dying to a stupid fireball like this.
The math didn’t add up.
I still had to marry a beautiful wife, have cute sons and daughters, and live a fulfilling life.
“Hup!”
I clenched my teeth and glared at the incoming fireball.
I trusted my mana.
And then—
“Grrk…!”
An indescribable pain engulfed my entire body, not even allowing me to scream.
Skin burning. Organs roasting.
The most horrific agony a human could experience.
Something had gone wrong.
“Ah…! Isaac!”
Beatrice hurriedly reached out, but it was too late.
Once cast, a spell could not be taken back.
That was one of this world’s ironclad rules.
A way… I need a way…
Before my consciousness faded, my eyes darted around rapidly.
And then—
That’s…
A point in the center of the fireball that glowed especially bright.
Mana was swirling violently around it.
If I hesitated, it was over.
I grit my teeth, made no further calculations, and threw my fist forward.
Kwaaang!
A high-pitched sound like shattering glass exploded outward.
At the same time, my arm bones rang with a jolt.
“Ugh!”
That was the end of it.
The fireball scattered like a candle in a typhoon and vanished completely.
“Haa… Haa…”
My legs gave out and I collapsed on the spot.
A breeze brushed against my skin.
Having just stepped out of a ball of fire, it felt refreshingly cool.
“Isaac!”
When I turned my head, I saw Beatrice running toward me.
“Are you okay?! Isaac!”
“Yeah… I’m fine.”
I calmed Beatrice down as she grabbed my shoulders and shook me violently.
When I checked my body, there were faint burn marks left on my skin, but the pain wasn’t that bad.
I guess I should count myself lucky.
But more importantly—
“Did you see that? The magic disappeared.”
“…Is that seriously what you’re focused on right now?!”
“I-It is important, isn’t it…?”
“I thought something terrible happened…”
Suddenly—
Beatrice’s hat flew off into the air.
“Uh…?”
By the time I came to my senses, Beatrice had buried her face in my chest.
The strength in her slender arms was surprisingly powerful.
More than that, though—
We literally just met today.
The feeling of her ample chest pressing against me was… extremely problematic.
The East Sea and Mount Baekdu…
I recited the national anthem in my head to keep my sanity from flying away.
Now was not the time for that.
“Because of me again…”
Beatrice mumbled something under her breath.
I couldn’t hear it clearly, but she looked so downcast that I figured I should just let her stay like this for a while…
Squeeze.
“Ugh…! Vera, boys and girls shouldn’t be this close after seven years old.”
“……”
“I’m fine, Vera. Look. It doesn’t even hurt that much. A little spit and it’ll heal right up.”
“…Really…?”
“Of course.”
“That’s a relief…”
Whew. Crisis averted.
Seeing her smile brightly again, I smiled back and gently placed my hand on top of her head.
I didn’t know exactly why, but I hoped it would comfort her a little.
“Then…”
“Then?”
“Should we try it one more time~?”
“…Huh?”
Her eyes were sparkling again.
Ah. Right.
She was the type who couldn’t hold back her curiosity.
“Ahem, it did hurt a little bit…”
“It hurt…?”
“…No. It didn’t hurt at all!”
“Then… shall we?”
“Uh… sure…”
“Yay~”
Be honest with me, Vera.
That was all an act, wasn’t it…
I’d been completely played.
“Hehe~”
…Ah, whatever.
As long as she’s happy.
After that, we kept experimenting until the sun went down.
├─ Colorless mana confirmed
├─ Absorbs approaching mana
└─ Potential to nullify magic — UNLOCKED ★
