No magic.
Great.
Bro… I died. I got reborn in another world.There's MAGIC, HEROES, ACTUAL MONSTERS and BEASTMEN—and somewhere out there people are ripping mountains apart like cardboard boxes.
And me?
I. HAVE. NO. MANA.
Wow.
Just… wow. What am I, a decorative rock? An NPC?
Okay.
Rational thinking time.Not my strong point, I know, but I'll do it once.
No magic. No mana. No chance of even lighting a candle.
BUT—
My "father" wasn't a mage either.Pretty sure, anyway.
That guy made animals drop dead with a look. He shaped stone like it was pudding. He's basically a walking natural disaster in human form.
So… there has to be another way.
But how…?
Hmm…
...
I should stretch my legs.
Yeah. Fresh air. Clear head. Life plan without magic. All very mature and responsible.
Question is…
Will Julia even let me go outside alone?
Ha. Good question.
That woman is like a helicopter mom on steroids. If I so much as sneeze, she'd probably sprint in from the kitchen, pick me up and ask if I'm dying.
So if I want out…
I gotta escape without her noticing.
Hmmm…
Yeah.
YEAH. I got it!
The toilet.
There's a little window in there. Not big enough for an adult…but I'm three, small, flexible and desperate.
I'll just climb out.
…
I'm outside.
And…the more I sneak out, the more I realize how beautiful this place actually is.
A soft breeze brushes my cheeks. The grass sways like one giant green ocean. And the flowers—man—who planted all of these?
It looks like a game. Or the title screen of some JRPG.
"Press START to begin your adventure."
Yeah. That's exactly the vibe.
I walk a few steps, barefoot, and every time I step into a new patch of flowers, some butterfly flies up like I just ruined his entire universe.
Anyway.
My "father"…
He used to train almost every day.
Push-ups, squats, pull-ups—using stone bars he shaped himself right out of the cliff, like it was Play-Doh.
Not an option for me. I'd snap in half.
But—
Those lightning bolts.
Those black lightning bolts…
I can't get them out of my head.
I still see them clearly: the way they crawled over his skin,the way they crackled, how they seemed to stain the air around him dark, like the whole world was holding its breath.
That wasn't normal. That CAN'T be normal magic.
Right?
He didn't even chant or anything.
…
A scream.
I freeze.
Was that… a kid?
My brain:"Bro, you're THREE. Turn around."
My body:"Action? Finally?"
And my legs say:"We're going."
I run. Or—well—as fast as a three-year-old goblin can run, anyway.
Doesn't matter. I HAVE to see what's going on.
I push through a bush.
And then—I stop. My jaw drops.
What…?
Huh—
Ladies and gentlemen:
A kid. Barely older than me. Standing in the grass.
Facing a beast at least three times his size. A wolf—but bigger. Way bigger. Yellow eyes, bared fangs, drooling like a zombie.
And the boy?
Is grinning.
"HEY! Had enough yet, huh?!" he yells—with the confidence of a 40-year-old gym bro admiring himself in the mirror.
The wolf jumps.
The boy sucks in air.
Deep. Very deep.
Too deep.
He jumps.
Five meters.
Or six?
No idea—but HOW THE HELL?!
"BLAAAHHH!!"
Fire.
He SHOOTS FIRE OUT OF HIS MOUTH.
Not a cute little spark. Not some tiny puff.
NO.
A whole WAVE OF FIRE slams straight into the wolf's face.
He roasted it.
Roasted. Like that's just something you do on a Tuesday afternoon.
My mouth is hanging open.
The boy stands there like a damn boss, hands on his hips, proud like a dragon in kindergarten.
Oh—He turns around.
His green eyes lock onto me. Way too intense.
"Hm? You wanna fight too?" he asks, like he's inviting me to play table tennis.
"Fight? No, uh—" My voice shakes. Like a busted fan.
Calm down. It's just a kid. A FIRE-BREATHING kid, but still. You're an adult. You can talk like a normal person. Easy.
"Listen—"
He cuts me off immediately.
"You smell weird, you know that?"
…
Smell? Huh?
I'm like five meters away. How—How is he smelling me?!
He comes closer. Too close. WAY too close.
Hey—WHY is he sniffing me?!
"Quit that! What are you doing?!" I hiss.
He completely ignores me.
"You barely have any mana." He nods like he just delivered a peer-reviewed diagnosis."Dad says people without mana are weak. Are you weak?"
…
HOW THE HELL ARE THEY ALL JUDGING ME LIKE THIS?!
WAIT—HOLD UP.
Does it really have to do with my smell??
I think back.
Julia…She always smells nice. Always. Even if she hasn't bathed in a while, she smells like…I don't know… some expensive natural perfume.
So that means—
The more mana someone has…
…the better they smell?
And me?
I probably smell like a wet fart in comparison.
Fantastic.
Really. PERFECT.
I let out a deep sigh. So deep a butterfly behind me probably loses balance.
"Hey… how did you even jump that high just now?" I ask carefully.
The boy blinks. Once. Slowly. Like an NPC searching for his only dialogue line.
"Hm? Jump that high?"
He puts a hand on his chin, frowning, like he's trying to solve a world-shaking equation even though he clearly can't count to ten.
Then he shrugs.
"No idea. I thought everyone could do that."
…
EVERYONE??
…
I stumble back a step and fall on my butt.
Dust. Pain. Dignity loss.The boy leans forward a little and looks at me like he's just discovered I can't read.
"You mean you can't?" he asks, completely serious.
Yeah. He really said that.
This little fire gremlin asks questions that hurt.
I open my mouth, but he keeps going:
"If you want, I can show you how!"
…
Huh?
Didn't he just say he has no idea HOW he did it?!
This kid is a case. A medical case. A historical case. A philosophical case.
But—
He's… kind of funny. Chaotic. Honest. And crazy strong.
So my mentor isn't going to be some old dude with a beard…
It's going to be a three- or four-year-old fire demon with attitude.
Not gonna lie—that's… kinda awesome.
He grins wide, sticks his hand out to me and is already bouncing on his feet like he might jump again any second.
"Come on, get up! It's easy, I'll show you!"
"Easy," he says. While the charred remains of a giant wolf are still smoking behind us.
But…
Maybe there really IS another way. A different path. One that doesn't need mana.
Maybe…
I can still make it.
Let's see.