…

Fate inhaled

He was currently meditating in his trance state, it had been six months since he had been disowned and there were whispers beyond the door, constantly praising his younger brother. Fate had once again become angered by this, as he had been with the disownment and so, continued to push further with his 【Endurance】and 【Magic】stat training.

-Seriously, Mother is heaping praises onto my brother, and sending the servants to just outside my room to make sure I hear it! Regardless, it seems that Father never even considered anything was wrong and simply treated this as a ‘lesson in parenting’...which would be true if he wasn’t just a neglectful piece of sh*t!

Fate exhaled. He opened his eyes to the bubbles of mana that were illuminated by the journal’s glow. However, even with the aid, it gave in discovering the location and form of mana, three things had continually hampered his progress.

-The mana quality in this place is lower than I originally thought, the mana that gets through to me burns like hell and my【Endurance】sucks ass! Although, if I get to a 5 in the【Magic】stat, I’ll be able to access the ‘tutorials’ the ‘Witch’ was talking about…

Whatever information the Witch had included in these ‘tutorials’ should at least have been enough to not let him die easily and Fate surmised that Witch believed he could make a good start from there before he developed his own ways of dealing with life in Ilthea.

The mana shifted and wobbled in its odd bubble-like form, a sight Fate was now used to.

Fate: “Journal, status page.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

• Name: Fate
• HP: 78/78
• MP: 10.57/10.57
• Level: 0
• Race: Human
• Age: 1 year-old(1 year, 8 months (19+ years old)))
• Job: None
• Previous Jobs: None
• Titles: 【Familiar of Fate】

--------------------------------

• Stats:
  • Strength: 9.0
  • Endurance: 17.424
  • Wisdom: 4.5
  • Intelligence: 6.0
  • Stamina: 10.21
  • Agility: 9.93
  • Fortune: 1.0
  • Magic: 4.7823

---------------------------------

• Passive Skills:『Balance (Lv.2)』
• Active Skills: None
• Unique Skills: None
• Equipment: Fate’s Journal(Soul-bound)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-My 【Magic】has almost hit 5, so today my goal is to find a bubble that’s big enough to get me to 5, but also not big enough to kill me! I can definitely feel mana collecting at one point the more I focus and that definitely has influenced this arm.

The ‘arm’ that Fate was referring to, was the tendril of mana that had been developing every time he had used it to pull mana into himself or separate it into manageable amounts. It had developed from its hazy tendril-like state to a dense skeletal looking finger shape. However, it was not completely clear or defined, but it was developing into something new.

Fate moved the skeleton-finger shape towards a large mass of mana that was a few feet away from him. As well as the finer definition of this ‘magical construct,’ it’s range had also increased.

-That looks like it could do it. Come to papa!

The finger stabbed into the mass, bending at the joint slightly to look like a hook. It gradually drew the mana bubble closer and closer, with Fate now being able to feel the pressure that the mana, was giving off.

-Don’t need to separate it...I think.

The bubble touched Fate and was absorbed into him, giving him a sudden shock which left him frozen on the floor.

-...

His pupils dilated, his face froze, and there was still no movement from his spot on the floor...It was silent, with no thoughts or emotions seeming to come to him…

…

Fate: “...”

*drip*

Fate: “Mmmmm….”

*drip* *drip*

Fate: “...Is there more leakage from the ceiling?”

*drip* *drip*

Fate sat up and checked his surroundings. It was pitch black, with a dripping noise echoing in the background.

Fate: “...Ok, what fresh hell is this?”

*drip* *drip*

The noise continued, reverberating within his ears. He continued to observe the darkness for what seemed like a while, but…

Fate: “There doesn’t seem to be anything here? Seriously, how did I get here?! Is this some sort of new journal feature…?”

Fate audibly pondered it for a while before deciding that it was no good to simply question where he was or why he was here.

Fate: “Journal!”

He waited for his journal to appear, but it didn’t...He continued to wait, however, it still didn’t come out as it usually did.

Fate: “Why isn’t this working?!”

Fate continued to worry. Although the journal hadn’t shown up, there seemed to be a light with a similar color to the journal that was emanating from beyond the dark surroundings.

Fate: “Is...is that the journal? Then where the hell am I and why isn’t it coming here…? Unless…!”

Fate turned around continually, trying to prove his hypothesis wrong...But everything matched from the crazy idea he had. He walked toward the blue light, walking across the awkward surface of the black substance.

He managed to reach the end without falling over and to his shock, he could make out the outside of this odd realm thanks to the light from the journal.

It didn’t make any sense, but…

Fate: I’m...inside the mana bubble!... Just how did I get in?

Fate attempted to exert force on the squishy wall of the bubble, but to no avail. He simply shifted along the wall, losing his balance and being forced to try again and again.

Fate: “It’s a pretty obvious question and I may sound dumb for asking it, but...How the hell do I get out of here?!”

He continued to try and squeeze through, only to be rebounded and caught off balance by the nature of the ground and walls around him. It may have been a bouncy castle dreamhouse for an actual kid from Earth, but to him, it seemed more like a padded cell.

Fate: “Wait...bouncy castle?”

Fate thought about it for a moment before making a decision based on the childish thoughts he had about Earth.

Fate: “Journal, position yourself right above me!”

The light from outside began to draw closer and the light now shone from overhead onto Fate. He began to jump and continued to build height, thanks to the seemingly elastic nature of the bubble. Finally, after quite a while…

…

Fate: “Haaaaaaa…!!!”

Fate gasped as he came out of his trance.

『【Magic】has increased to 5, you have acquired the passive skill 『Natural MP Restoration』!』

『【Magic】has increased to 5, you have acquired the active skill 『Mana Manipulation(Minor)』!』

『You have acquired 『Mana Manipulation(Minor)』, you are now capable of sensing mana to a degree!』

-YES!

Fate attempted to raise his fist into the air in victory, but he couldn’t move his body. It appeared that the shock still hadn’t completely worn off yet and he would need time to recover.

-Oh well, between not being able to move for a while and being stuck in the mana bubble, bouncy castle...I would definitely pick the former any day!

Fate managed a smile and simply stared at the ceiling, paralyzed and in a state of silent contemplation.