Raven walked into the dining room. He could see his family sitting there. His father James Austria. Next to him was Raven’s mother, Lillian, as well he's sister Lily. The three people looked toward Cale.

“You are late again, today.”

Raven’s gaze turned toward his father who spoke. His eyes were complicated.

His father had sold his company after his grandmother passed away. He believed that his job was consuming too much of his time, which he could be spending with the family. So, they moved to the countryside because the city wasn't safe or healthy for raising kids.

Raven ’s father was unlike the other strong fathers in the hero stories. He did not have any special skills or influence, he's not even Awakener but just a regular guy who just had a lot of money. However, Raven didn't mind that his father is ordinary human but liked this a lot. It was the perfect family environment to live a simple life.

Awakeners life is fraud with danger everywhere, not just from monsters but also other Awakeners who had an agenda.

Then there were the other two individuals.

His mother was a person who likes to take take care of her family and tending flowers.

And the cute youngest of the family who play pranks on her older brother.

Raven thought this was such a great environment to quietly live a happy life, but alas the world is dangerous place if you don't have a sufficient strength than you'll only be at the mercy of the strong.

“Take a seat.”

“Yes, father.”

Raven looked at the feast on the table that did not meet his Regular definition of dinner and sat down on his seat.

"Since everyone is here, then let's dig in."

James stated before started eating, the others follow suit.

Raven looked around at all of the dishes in front of him. 

After filling his stomach with meat, soup, and bread,

He then moved his fork towards a salad made of fruits. he wanted to try something new.

'delicious, delicious, it's so damn good.'

Raven thought that this is the most delicious food he ever ate. He never thought that he would taste his mother craft again.

"Raven, Dear are you okay?"

His mother Lillian quitely called him with some hesitation.

He then felt something was odd and lifted his head up.

“Is there something you need to say, mom?”

“... No, it's just-.”

Lillian was staring at Raven. The rest of the family was doing the same. Raven made eye contact with each of these family members before turning his gaze toward his mother.

"You ar-"

Before Lillian could start speaking, she got interepted by the youngest of the family, lily.

"Crybaby."

"Huh!"

Raven was taken aback by Lily's sudden comment. He glanced at his little sister, who was looking at him with an impish grin.

"What do you mean."

Lily pointed at his face with her small finger.

"You're crying again."

Surprised by what she said, Raven raised his hand and touched his cheek, feeling the moisture there. He was indeed shedding tears, but he hadn't even noticed it himself. He quickly wiped his eyes and forced a smile.

 "Must be the delicious food, Lily. It's just that good."

Raven's family members exchanged glances, clearly puzzled by his emotional reaction to the meal. His mother, Lillian, spoke up again, concern evident in her voice.

"Raven, are you sure you're feeling okay? You seem a bit different today."

Raven hesitated for a moment, not wanting to reveal the truth about his previous life and the knowledge of what was to come. He decided to play it off casually.

"Don't worry, Mom. Maybe because you made the food delicious today and I'm just really hungry, that's all."

His father, James, nodded in agreement. "Indeed honey, you made our Raven cry, it's your fault."

"My fault?"

Lillian glared at her husband accusation. James shrunk his neck after realizing that he misspoke.

"N-no that's not what I meant, I-."

"I will deal with you later."

James tried to defend himself but Lillian didn't bat an eye to his pleading look. She directed her eyes toward Raven who was watching them with smile.

"Well, as long as you're enjoying the food, that's what matters."

Raven continued to eat, trying to hide his mixed emotions. He couldn't help but think about the second chance he had been given to change the course of their lives. He knew he had a long journey ahead of him, but for now, he wanted to cherish these moments with his family.

Lily, still the mischievous little sister, giggled and said, "I knew it! Big brother can't resist Mom's cooking!"

Raven chuckled along with her, grateful for the warmth and love of his family. Deep inside, he was determined to do everything in his power to protect them and ensure a brighter future.

******

After dinner, Raven took his time to speak with his family and shared precious moments that he deeply missed.

Currently he was in his room sitting on his bed with closed eyes deeply in concentration.

Raven sat down, crossed his legs, and began drawing the 1st Circle on his heart using a special breathing technique only mages knew.

For Awakeners, there are three ways to become stronger. The first is the mage path, where those who have a natural connection to an element can create magic circles in their hearts to cast spells. More circles mean casting stronger spells.

The second path is simpler - it's physical. If an Awakener lacks magic affinity, they can focus on strengthening their body. Warriors, who follow this path, can fight up close and are effective compared to novice mages.

The third path is unique - Awakeners with special Abilities. They're neither mages nor warriors. Their powers awaken in specific situations, depending on their stats. They can't use magic but can train their bodies like warriors.

Raven chose the mage path because he's talented in it and it's the fastest way for him to grow stronger.

‘Even thought my stats are low but with my control over Mana, it should, at the very least, be able to draw the 1st Circle.’

Raven believed his control over Mana could help him create the 1st Circle.

To form the first circle, you need Mind Power stats of 10. Mind power allows Awakeners to control their abilities. The higher the circle you want, the more mind power you need.

The requirement for the first circle is 10 mind power stats, but Raven only had 8. He didn't let this bother him because he had been a 7th-Circle Mage in his previous life. He was confident he could draw the first circle without meeting the regular requirements.

"Kurgh."

However, his current body is still weak and can't handle it because drawing the circle also drains his pitiful amount of magic. Just attempting to create the 1st Circle brought him to exhaustion.

But, he didn't give up yet. He had gone through too much to quit over simple pain.

Raven bit his lip as he once again began to draw the 1st Circle with utmost strength and concentration.

He let the mana, which was drawn in from nature as he breathed in, flow through his entire body.

'The mana flow is smooth.'

The mana flowed more smoothly, even though his breathing remained the same as usual. He felt as if he was about to achieve something.

'Calm down.'

He calmly exhaled and connected the line of mana flowing in the mana circuit. The tips of his fingers trembled, as his lungs were small and he quickly ran out of breath, but he endured.

"Phew… this should do it."

A long time had passed. Raven let out a long sigh and opened his eyes. He had finally achieved the 1st Circle.

"Status."

[Name: Raven Austria]

[Power level: 1st Circle Mage]

[Strength: 3]

[Agility: 4]

[Vitality: 2]

[Constitution: 3]

[Magic power: 9]

[Mind power: 11]

→ Skills

→ Techniques

These stats were nowhere near what he had in the past.

But he didn't care.

If he could just reflect on his past, he knew he could grow stronger faster than anyone else.

"First, I need to build my body."

The body he had now was in poor shape.

With this body, he couldn't achieve much.

"It's not like there's an iron rule that mages can't practice physical skills. They just prefer not to and put their energy into studying magic."

Being a magician doesn't mean you can't practice physical arts; it just requires more effort than what regular warriors do, and it consumes time and resources.

"But it's worth it. Being a mage alone isn't enough to become truly powerful. I need to balance my magical abilities with physical strength."

Raven understood the importance of physical strength. If a warrior's stats were high enough, they could withstand spells from a mage with their body alone. If they closed the distance between them, it was game over for the mage. That's why Raven didn't want to rely too much on magic.

"Let's not be impatient and take it slow."

"I should get some sleep."

He lay on the bed but didn't immediately fall asleep. Instead, he stared at the ceiling, his thoughts occupied with something else.

"Today is the 13th of July, which means I have around 9 days until the dungeon outbreak."

He could never forget the date when he lost his family; he was sure the outbreak happened on July 22nd.

"I need to find a way to convince my parents to leave this place without raising any suspicions."

Even though he loved his family, he didn't want to risk them knowing everything about him.

"Sometimes, ignorance is a blessing."

If, by chance, people outside his family knew that he could predict the future and even locate dungeons before they appeared, all influential forces would try to win him over, whether peacefully or forcefully.

"I was naive and stupid in my second life, exposing so much future knowledge that led powerful people to hunt me down for their own benefit."

He was careful not to repeat the same mistake and only acted when it was necessary or advantageous to him.

"I'll leave this matter to the future me. The present me still needs some rest."

With that, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.