A year later.
Levy had a weak constitution and sensitivity to sunlight ever since he was born so he was always pampered and sheltered by Lisa and Theodore. Shade, long sleeves, regular schedules, and checkups, you name it.
But that began to change.
After a year of practicing the Asha Circulation Method, Levy's body no longer felt fragile. The changes weren't explosive or dramatic, but they were undeniable.
His red eyes were slowly changing in color, although still red, there were hints of purple tint inside his iris.
Moreover, he became more active, his movements steadier, breathing calmer, even engaging in exercises outside and has recently shown interest in wanting to join a junior volleyball club.
Physically, the change was even more startling.
From a small, sickly-looking child of 115 centimeters, Levy had grown to 143 centimeters—nearly 4'6 inches tall. He was still slim, a little scrawny even, but towering over most children his age.
All these changes occured within a year.
'Dad told me I should wait a bit until I get registered for the volleyball club.'
Levy walked down the school hallway alone, hands tucked into his pockets.
"That's Levy..."
"It's Levy!"
"Let's not block his way..."
The people from his school were either scared of him or admired him.
'I guess it's normal for a 6 year old to want to hear praises like these,' a weary voice muttered inside his mind.
Lin Feng.
"Heh~" Levy smirked.
"Tsk!"
Of course, not everyone shared that admiration.
'…Here we go again,' Lin Feng sighed.
This has been occuring for the past year, these boys would bully Levy, he would retaliate with his words, they won't learn the lesson, rinse and repeat.
Lin Feng grumbled, 'If it were me, I wouldv'e smacked the shit outta these brats.'
"Look, the weirdo's here~" Lewis Dawson, a year older with short brown hair neatly combed, brown eyes, and a mean look stepped forward blocking Levy in his path.
"Ohhh! The walking corpse HAHAHA!"
"It's a vampire you know! A vampire!"
Harry and Henry Robinson, the blondie twins mocked him in perfect unison.
"The tourist is lost, call for help!" Sean Benett, a bald kid with a chubby build spoke, chimed in loudly.
He is very tall for their age, aside from Levy Morozov of course.
Four boys were making fun of him. Calling him a walking corpse because he has albinism, and a vampire for his red eyes. And a tourist, because he's mixed, racial discrimination.
The hallway was silent, except for these 4 boys.
Levy merely scoffed at them, shaking his head.
"Ow no! You made him mad Lewie!"
"What if he wets his bed!"
"Don't worry about it Sean HAHAHA!"
The boys kept mocking him.
Levy stopped in his tracks and looked at the four boys
"I don't wet the bed anymore you know?"
"Oh yeah?" Lewis sneered. "My mom said you still do!"
Levy blinked once.
Then shrugged. "Well… I did spend time with your mom last night. Guess that's how she found out."
Lin Feng nearly choked.
'NICE, KID.'
Lin Feng was ecstatic, while he lamented his current situation, it was his only source of entertainment.
"OHHHHHH!"
"AHHHHHH!"
The hallway erupted.
"Y-YOU!" Lewis's face turned bright red, tears pooling in his eyes as his friends scrambled to console him.
'Cry about it.' Levy thought inwardly.
"I'm sorry," Levy said, stepping closer. "I went a little too far, didn't I?"
The four boys instinctively stepped back.
Standing this close, they finally noticed it.
Levy was tall.
"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Lewis."
Levy leaned in slightly, lowering his voice.
"That's how I comforted your mom last night~"
Then he turned and walked away.
"AHHHHHHH!"
"HE SAID HE COMFORTED YOUR MOM!"
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
Lin Feng lost it.
'This is priceless—'
He stopped.
'…What am I even doing?'
A man who had lived through ninety-nine reincarnations—over a thousand years of existence—finding joy in children crying.
Harry, Henry, and Sean were all looking at Levy's back agaped while Lewis was crying in the background.
'Status open.'
[Magic Mastery System]
Name: Levy Tobias Morozov
Physique: 7.16
Mana: 19.002
Elemental Nature: Locked
Magic Skills: Requires Elemental Nature
Acquired Techniques: Asha Circulation Method
'My quest still has yet to finish... 4 more years. I can't wait for a new quest to generate~'
"...when will they shut up?" Levy mumbled as he was passing through the hallway.
A classroom door flew open.
The teacher's voice echoed down the hallway, instantly silencing everyone.
------------------------------
Inside the principal's office.
"…So, Lewis," Principal Jason Smith said carefully, hands folded atop his desk, "what exactly did Levy say?"
"H-Hik! He said—hik!—he spent the night with my mom!"
Lewis sobbed loudly.
His father, James Dawson, looked exhausted. Not surprised. Just tired.
Lewis explained the rest.
"PFF-"
"-Frickin unbelievable! How vulgar! Mr. Morozov, what are you teaching your child in your household?" A nice recovery by the principal.
'...this guy just laughed didn't he?' Both dads thought simultaneously.
An hour passed and they were finally out of the office.
Lewis kept sniffling outside the hallway, while James, his father was talking to Theodore.
"Mr. Dawson, my apologies for my son. Please don't take to heart what he said about Mrs. Dawson."
"Oh. Don't worry about it Mr. Morozov, it's just kids being kids. There was really no need for us to be involved in a kids disputes..."
"There's really no need to escalate something this small." He added.
"However I can't really say I'm fond of your son's way of talking... I'll make sure my son gets it handed to it." James said.
Theodore laughed a bit, "I'm really sorry. My wife and I will make sure Levy won't do something like this again."
The two shook hands and went their ways.
------------------------------
Inside the car.
Theodore was silent.
Levy fidgeted.
Levy was nervous, because his dad was usually gungho and all smiles. However, despite Levy being hardheaded this was the first time they were brought to the principal's office.
"...dad?" Levy spoke in a low tone.
"..." Theodore didn't answer.
'I messed up badly...' Levy thought to himself.
'He's angry?' Lin Feng also thought.
Then-
"...AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Theodore bursted out laughing.
"'Eh?'" Both Lin Feng and Levy obviously confused muttered.
"Where did you even learn to talk back like that?" Theodore wheezed. "I have to tell your mom!"
------------------------------
At home.
Distant laughter could be heard.
"—can you believe it?" Theodore was clutching at his stomach.
Lisa was watching this unfold, her eyes glued at Levy. Then at Theodore.
'Stop! Stop!' Levy looking at his dad. His eyes screaming! 'Old man!'
"Levy, go up in to your room, we'll talk about your problem latter."
And Levy was gone.
Finally Theodore stopped laughing, "Dear?" Looking up, he saw Lisa wasn't laughing.
"This geezer!" She was furious.
*SMACKK!
------------------------------
In Levy's room.
"Oof…" Levy winced, hands clenched as he silently prayed for his father's safety.
'Damn that's got to hurt...' Lin Feng mumbled.
"Since I have nothing better to do, I guess I'll do some circulation."
Levy sat down in a lotus position at his bed.
About 2 hours passed.
*Tok! Tok!
A knock on his bedroom door, and Levy opened his eyes. "Yeah?"
It was his mom, Lisa.
"We have a lot to talk about young man," she said quietly. "A lot."
Levy swallowed.
"…Yes."
------------------------------
Inside Levy's mind dwells Lin Feng.
'I noticed this quite a while back. But that Asha Circulation Method cannot be categorized as an A-rank. Every time, Levy utilizes that technique, he improves at an astronomical rate. Be it his physique or his mana stat, however that technique does not focus on the physique nor his mana stat, instead it's centered towards strengthening and cleansing his mana pathways.'
Physiquestat corresponds to the internal and external body, this includes the muscles, bones, and organs.
The Mana stat shown on the system corresponds to the user's mana pool, the mana quantity.
But the system wasn't omnipotent. It had limits.
Not all attributes could be easily improved.
And not all attributes could even be displayed.
Mana pathways were one such hidden factor.
They determined mana quality.
'I ran into this exact problem during my fifty-seventh reincarnation, Lin Feng recalled. The War God's System, I think. My qi reserves were monstrous—but my pathways were garbage.'
There were no known circulation techniques that improved pathways directly. Normally, one needed divine treasures, miracle drugs, or just be lucky and be born with it.
'That's why this technique shouldn't be A-rank, but higher...'
The lingering bitterness of his failed reincarnation finally faded.
Lin Feng found something far more entertaining than starting over.
Watching Levy grow.
Watching how far this boy could go.