Standing opposite side of desk and looking at his grandmother silently, Samuel waited for her to speak first.
Julie looking at his could see heavy expectation that her grandchild had from her, it'd heavy feeling for her, cause his case was something recorded anywhere.
well, it's not completely unprecedented but those were cases when person since birth had no mana at all, and without it they can't use Destiny's crystal and hence no status system, but Samuel's case wasn't that for sure.
“James told me that you used your mana to create water when Simon caused a blunder, and your mana doesn't recover no matter how much time passes or potion you consume.”
Halting her word at staring at him with serious face, she asked him.
“is there anything else you want add to this information I've on you?” Her gaze, made Samuel to think that she was there's something to add.
Hesitating for a second, he wanted to keep his wind magic as a secret.
His reason was nothing grand, just a childish whim, akin to a child wanting to keep his toy hidden.
But some seconds was all he could last under her gaze.
Confessing truth, he explained about wind magic and wind tracking, which he named so himself.
But he didn't know what agitating effect his word had on a teacher of capital academy.
(that's wind sense, no doubt about it, but how did he pulled it off? For using it either a person has to be advanced wind magician or they'd earned it as special ability, which he's neither of them)
Wind sense is rather simple magic, but at same time it effect is something that any scout will dream to have it. Using it'll make wind as sixth sense for person and this just is the beginning of it. At peak of proficiency for wind sense, wind can be used as ear and eyes to see and hear from long distance or behind of any object.
“hmm, so you have wind attribute too, very good. Your entire situation doesn't seem bad to me, just your mana recovery is huge disadvantage.”
Hiding her surprise with a praising tone and finishing her sentence with lamentation, she managed to shift his attention.
Remembering his special situation, he felt wronged, like world had played a sick joke with him.
(why should my body be like this?what wrong deed did I commit?)
But his questions wouldn't be answered by anyone.
Raising from her seat, she moved and stand besides him. Reaching her hand towards his hair and playing with them, she talked about a possibility for him.
“don't feel too much down for it, you can train a path of warrior, in their case, they use combination mana and stamina, with ratio of 2:8. So mana cost and recovery would be less of a burden to you.”
But she didn't mentioned a big problem with this way she mentioned, and that's his incapability of participating in prolonged battle.
A warrior that needs to sleep, in middle of battle? Anyone can guess how much such a person can progress.
(although with our help and his hard work, he might reach B-rank at most.)
Giving her evaluation of him, in her mind, she made a hand movement and teleported themselves to training ground.
“Stay here, I'll bring other two”
After she left, Samuel go to place that they kept their weapons.
Looking at different type of sword, consisting mostly of long, curved, and heavy type. There was a few short sword, which James use for self-defense in battle.
Looking at weapons and armors he felt a surge of excitement.
A reminisce about his parents gallant figure passed his mind and cause him to lose his prior exciting feeling, leaving him in sense of inferiority.
(will be capable enough to carry their duties in future?, to protect this land?, to stand shoulder to shoulder with brother?)
Before having more time to wallow in despair, three figure suddenly appeared in training ground.
“hey,bro, what are doing?testing weapons?which one was your choice?” rapidly throwing questions at him without giving any chance of answer.
and Carolina was just looking at him from behind like this was every day happening.
Seeing curious look of brother and his friend given up expression.
One was a boy of many word and other a girl of few, both his precious acquaintance, his family.
(I'll be at least the best I can become, for myself and them)
“Alright, you three, today we will have special lesson for you.”
Julie word caused them to turn towards her and wait with bathed breath.
After getting their attention she used teleportation, this time different from usual one that trio was familiar with.
A circle formed on ground and glowed intensely.
After the light subsided, three green figure was standing there.
Their height was around same of trio, with shabby clothing and incoherent voice they screeched, it's plainly obvious what they are.
“I think you three can guess what these are, one of monsters, that always tend to be underestimated, goblins.”
“well, not that you're wrong if you assume that they're weak, cause they are. Just at their birth they're weak, but given enough time, this little creatures can show you truly why are they called monster.”
Hearing this Simon snorted and said in a haughty tone“ come on grandma, this thing can grow?how much at best?just reaching strength of D-rank would be their best, isn't that right?”
What Simon said was just his own guess, so Samuel worried that this teacher their might not like his overconfident attitude.
“just like what normal people think about this.” But contrary to what he anticipated, Julie nod like his word was normal.
“although you aren't wrong, it's not right either. Any creatures can grow, at time status system created it's supposed to be used for five summoned champion to develop a way to stand against father of all monsters, their first and strongest. It was one of five suggestion to create this system to help them fight that existence.”
She told them a story that nearly anyone with decent amount of education would know in their world.
“but Goddess of knowledge didn't expected that system would help monsters, demon and other creatures too, but because of Champions success in defeating that existence, she allowed the system to continue to operate, as mean for people of Haeron to acquire enough strength to stand up for themselves.”
She pointed at three greeny and said “as a result even this little guys can end up with a power that you can never believe it. Actually in past there was a time when one goblin becamed Demon Lord general, and had terrifying strength at battle, in the that was a war human lost and that goblin died of old age, rather than being subjugated.”
Her word shocked the trio and caused to notice what a mistake it was for them to underestimate even this weak looking guys.
Samuel looked alternatively between Julie and three creatures and asked.
“why are they just standing there? Are they under any special spell or something?”
“they're inside of my restricted space and with their strength they can forget ever moving from there.”Julie answered him.
Since the moment Samuel had casted his gaze on goblins, he'd a special feeling.
(hunger?why I'm getting hungry looking at them?)
But this wasn't something he could voice out, since he knew that goblin had one of most disgusting taste between all monsters in world.
“Alright, you three, what I'm having you to do today might not be something pleasant but it's better for you to bear with it”
Pointing at weapons, she continued “ pick one short sword and finish this goblin for you to earn your first level up and this includes Samuel too, even though you don't have system too.”
Rather than being a level up session, it's training to prepare mentality of people for the future, if they don't have enough courage to do it in future, then it's better for them to know it know. Most family would do this at certain age, for these three privileged child, it's happening now, cause Julie can ensure their safety here no matter what, for normal family they do it when children are atleast 10 year old or more.
From trio, Simon had no hesitation in picking one of the sword, other two had a few seconds of delay. But the cause was exact the opposite one of nervous and other …overexcited.
(just what is this feeling? Earlier I thought as hunger but it's seems different, I'm trying my best to control it, but with this heartbeat, grandmother might notice …if she haven't noticed already)
Standing in front of goblins, he found it harder to control himself.
“okay, you three attack the together when I give you a signal”
Gripping hilt of sword tightly, they awaited her word.
“Now”
Hearing her Simon slashed his sword at one of goblins neck, thanks to his rather high stat, it's head was easily separated, and body collapsed with a fountain of blood raising from it's neck.
Samuel went for side slash to the torso, his posture neither good nor bad caused sword to get stuck in abdomen of goblin, applying another round strength he opened goblin gut completely, spilling entrails on ground.
Last one Carolina went for stab, targeting it's heart, and she successed, rather easily but sensation of taking life wasn't something she could take.
While still holding the sword stuck in goblin chest, she had nauseating feeling, and she couldn't hold it back and just moved three steps away, when she threw up.
Julie and Simon rushed to her for help and that caused them to not see a certain thing, a bloody smile of ecstasy on Samuel's lip.
After few seconds he come to his sense and look around, it's seems that she had a hard time to come in terms with feeling of taking a life.
And it's seems that duo was successful in calming her down, at least that's what the surface show.
Some seconds later Samuel body gave a pale glow on limbs and the head.
Simon noticed his brother particularity before other and yelled.
“WOW,bro you can glow like a firefly?teach me too”
Every one was surprised at his word, including Samuel himself, and looked at him.
Samuel mind was blank at his glowing limb, giving a pale gray radiance, as he shook his hand the light disappeared.
“What's this, teacher?is it dangerous or something?” trying to understand the situation, his best choice was asking Julie about it…but she was as bewildered as they were, since she never heard of human body glowing like this, without any magic being used.
Contemplating on it, she figure out something and she informed childern about it.
“hmm,it's similar to level up effect, when each stat rise you can feel strange energy with certain part of body, strength and agility in limb, mana and intelligence in head, vitality, stamina and two defense in whole body, but I never heard it can glow like this.”
“now that your saying it, I had a sensation like that” Simon said, as if realization dawned on him, and Carolina add with timid voice “ same for me”
“so you're saying that I leveled up?” Samuel asked, his feeling was telling him, that his word were ridiculous.
(how the heck I leveled up if I don't have the system itself? And why glow? Does it gonna happen always? Then it's just like I'm here to my enemies) his thoughts were racing at unnatural occurrence, and his thought weren't wrong, with this new glowing ability, stealth battle would never be his forte.
“it's enough for your today, you can spend rest of day trying to decipher scroll, play or do whatever you please”
Leaving those she left the training ground instantly, it's seems she was in a hurry.
For the rest of day, they spend most of time on scroll, Carolina said if they try to draw a copy themselves, they might reach some understanding about it.
When she said that both her and Simon looked at Samuel, and he rejected it on spot.
Well sky darkened and curtain of night covered world in it's both peaceful and chaotic nature, Samuel went to sleep after filling and emptying water glass for three times.
(level up did really worked, so it's not a grave matter not to see status.) he had sweet feeling in him as he drifted to dream land expect usual dream of his.
“also …those two are really mean, wanting me to replicate that mess…of…art…”as he remembered their word and fall asleep.
But this night he didn't had any dream, rather he had strange unnatural phenomenon, something that no one not he himself could understand.
After thirty minutes passed he woke up in a pain.
A sensation numbness was spread through his whole body and feeling of something leaving his body, hit his mind.
Pain was unbearable for him, he wanted to scream, but found his throat too weak to make any sound, the pain remained for ten minutes before suddenly vanishing, as if it was dream, and leaving him in heavy sleep till midday of next day.
