In this world, people were born to walk one of two magical paths that of a Manifester or an Enhancer.
"Flip"
Manifesters were those who could freely shape mana into elements of different types, or enchantments. They commanded the world's unseen energy with pure will, turning imagination into reality.
"Flip"
Enhancers, on the other hand, used mana differently. Instead of shaping it outward, they drew it inward strengthening their bodies, sharpening their senses, and amplifying their speed or endurance. Where Manifesters could move mountains, Enhancers could break them with a single punch.
At least, that's what the book says.
I sighed, flipping through the thick, old pages. The letters danced faintly in the sunlight streaming through my window.
"So, basically," I muttered under my breath, "I can't be either."
Born with a broken mana core meant I couldn't manipulate mana, circulate it, or even feel it. In this world where everything revolved around magic, that made me a cripple.
But for me, this wasn't new.
In my previous life, I couldn't use Qi either. No matter how much I trained, no matter how many spiritual techniques I tried, the energy that others manipulated like breathing had always eluded me.
I clenched the page tighter, the memory of my past life stinging like a reopened wound.
Because I couldn't use Qi, I obsessed over strength. I wanted to prove that I could reach the top without it. I trained until my hands bled, until my friends left, until the only thing that remained beside me was the cold gleam of my sword.
And in the end, I lost everything.
What a headache, I thought bitterly, shutting the book. Even in this life, I'm cursed the same way.
"Virel! Are you still sleeping?"
My mother's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
"I'm not sleeping!" I called back quickly, shoving the book aside.
The door creaked open, and Selene Ludin entered the same warm presence that always filled the room with life. Her long light blue hair shimmered faintly under the light, and her emerald eyes narrowed the moment she saw the book in my hands.
"Didn't I tell you to go outside and play?" she scolded, crossing her arms. "You're five, not fifty."
"But, Mom," I sighed, "there's nothing to do outside. Dad's not here to train with me, and"
"Other kids your age are out there playing!" she interrupted, pointing toward the window. "You're always locked in here with books."
I leaned back dramatically on the bed. "Someone please save me…" I muttered weakly.
My mom glared at me, clearly unamused.
Before she could continue her lecture, a voice called from outside.
"Hello, Mrs. Ludin! We brought the supplies you requested!"
"Oh! I'll be right there!"
And just like that, she hurried out of the room, leaving behind the faint scent of lavender.
I exhaled in relief and dropped onto my bed, staring at the ceiling. "Finally. Peace."
Reaching for the book again, I opened it to where I left off.
---
In this world, humans were born with mana cores crystalline organs that allowed them to absorb and refine mana. A pure, unbroken core filtered impurities, letting its owner harness mana safely.
"Flip"
Without one, a person couldn't even sense the energy flowing through the air. They were disconnected deaf to the heartbeat of the world.
That was me. Virel Ludin. The boy with a broken core.
My mother was a Manifester, capable of healing magic which was rear. She once worked at the Adventurer's Guild as a healer. That's also where she met my father, Darius Ludin.
Their story was the kind of thing you'd read in cheap romance novels.
Back then, my father was a rising adventurer a stubborn Enhancer who would charge into danger even when the odds were against him. During one expedition into the Beast Plains, his team was ambushed and barely made it back alive. The guild was packed with injured adventurers that day. My mother, one of the healers on duty, worked nonstop to treat them all.
And of course, my father had to make everything difficult.
Every time someone tried to treat him, he refused, saying, "Please call Selene. I'll only let her heal me."
Apparently, he did this every single time he got hurt which was often.
Mom told me once that Dad used to follow her around the guild like a lost puppy, always trying to start conversations, always asking her out. She rejected him dozens of times, yet he never gave up.
Then came the infamous "injury incident."
According to her, Dad came back one day with a huge gash on his shoulder and refused to let anyone treat him. Not even Mom unless she agreed to go on a date with him first.
Typical Dad.
When I asked her what happened next, Mom always sighed and said, "He was impossible to ignore after that."
And that's how she ended up in love with him and ended up marrying him.
---
My dad, Darius Ludin, was an Enhancer through and through strong, persistent, and a little too reckless for his own good. Even after retiring from adventuring, he couldn't sit still.
He'd often disappear into the forest, saying he was going to "hunt small beasts for dinner," only to come back with scratches, torn clothes, and a sheepish grin.
And despite being a battle-hardened ex-adventurer, he acted like an absolute idiot when it came to romance.
Just last month, he asked me, "Hey, Virel, what do you think I should get your mom as a surprise gift?"
I'd stared at him, deadpan. "How would I know? I'm five."
He just laughed. "Come on, you're smart. Help your old man out."
I still didn't know whether to be proud or embarrassed that the man who once slayed beasts twice his size was now asking his five-year-old for dating advice.
But that was Dad a man who could face monsters without fear but trembled at the idea of upsetting Mom.
---
"Virel!"
I snapped out of my thoughts as my mother's voice called again from outside.
"Coming!" I yelled, quickly closing the book.
As I stepped into the warm sunlight, I saw her arranging herbs and baskets on the table, greeting the woman who had brought them. Her smile was radiant the kind of smile that made the air feel lighter.
Sometimes, watching her and Dad made me wonder…
If I hadn't been so obsessed with strength in my past life… would I have had something like this too?
I shook the thought away. No use dwelling on what couldn't be changed.
Right now, I had a second chance. Broken core or not, I was alive.
And maybe this time, I wouldn't lose everything.
But deep inside, a small flame burned a quiet determination. I didn't know what destiny had planned for me, but one thing was certain:
If I couldn't wield mana, then I'd make the sword my mana once more.
No matter how many times fate tried to break me… I'd keep cutting my way forward.