Chapter 7

As all children would know, time went by the fastest when enjoying yourself and I was no exception. Two years have passed since my rebirth and progress has been… disappointing.

My mana capacity has increased hundreds of times over and my senses now reach an overwhelming distance but my progress was limited by my body's growth.

Swordsmanship is still far out of my reach physically at the moment and magic is too dangerous to test casually according to my mother. I would have liked to try it anyway but I am usually being watched at all times so my chances are limited.

However, that isn't to say I haven't tested my magic yet. My results have been limited due to a lack of the proper knowledge that has been cultivated for thousands of years and time but my knowledge has been steadi-

"Ahn~!" The coquettish moan of my mother from my parent's room forcefully broke me out of my thoughts. It was only one in the afternoon and yet they were clearly enjoying themselves.

"Miss Lilia, I'm going to play outside!" I shouted out to our lovely family maid. Normally she would be forced to accompany me however my parents have decided that wasn't necessary. How kind of them.

"Be safe young master." Lilia responded from her position in the living room. As a maid, she had many responsibilities, and tidying up the house was one of her main tasks. I would love to say it wasn't necessary but my father was my father and my mother barely had time with their not so nightly 'playtime'.

Closing the door behind me I took a seat on the grass, my notebook in hand. It was something I had requested from Lilia once I had the physical strength to use it. It took a surprising amount of time to be able to write.

My memory has long since gotten to the level of perfection so it wasn't necessary but it was merely a way for me to sort my thoughts. Naturally, I wrote it in a language from my previous life to ensure secrecy.

In any case, magic was an exciting thing. There were three crucial factors in utilizing magic, at least that I had discovered. The first was energy as it was the fuel that allowed it to function in the first place.

The second was knowledge and it was the strangest I had discovered. Strictly speaking, knowledge wasn't required however it not only expedited the process it also removed any unnecessary energy costs.

If I were to explain it in game terms it would take five mana to create a fireball without proper knowledge however it would only take less than one to do the same thing with knowledge of how fire was created in the first place.

Finally, there was the most ambiguous requirement, belief. As previously mentioned emotions had an effect on mana as a whole and so if somebody believed the spell would not function it would never work even if they activated it perfectly.

Regardless, a theory is only useful if I know how to use it. Moving a strand of my emerald green mana outside of my body I moved it about five meters away from me for safety's sake. As far as I was aware magic was utilized near the body as it is easy to lose the position of the user's mana however the same was not a problem for me and higher level mages.

Shaping the strand into a small sphere I altered it into a small sphere of water. Walking closer to the floating sphere I inspected it, searching for any misshapen areas or irregularities in the water's viscosity.

Pulling out my notebook I quickly scribbled down the results of my testing. This was part one of a fairly simple process to recreate a staple of the fantasy genre, a simple water ball projectile fittingly named Water Ball.

Moving my mana through the air the water ball moved with it. Magic was complicated yet simple, it was a wonder of the world and I intended to discover all the secrets it held in my greed for knowledge and power.

With a mental command, the water ball shot forward at speeds many times greater than my own though that was hardly impressive before landing on the ground with a small scale explosion. It was a simple water ball but by increasing the pressure it can cause a fairly large explosion.

"Theory #28 is a success. Moving on to #29." I muttered as I wrote down my findings. It was a bad habit formed in my last life that I had gotten better at over time so it should vanish within a few months at most.

Creating an identical water ball I decided to test out viscosity. So far all of my testing had been leaning in the favor of damage however capturing or sealing movement was an equally powerful tool when used correctly.

Increasing the viscosity by changing its atomic composition, I gingerly pushed my finger inside the sphere. The interior had the same consistency as honey however it was still water by nature.

Dropping the ball onto the ground it simply splattered all around with no real lasting effect. The ground would surely be sticky but it was only to the point of a minor inconvenience.

Theory #29 requires more testing. The viscosity and stickiness need to be improved. Perhaps changing how the elements are bonded will have the desired effect.

"Rudy~, it's time for lunch!" My mother shouted from the doorframe. Closing my notebook I stood up and waddled to my mother who had a sheen of sweat covering her brow and a wide smile.

It looks like somebody enjoyed themselves.

Lifting me into her arms I rested my head on my mother's shoulder. From the corner of my eye and using Mana Sense I could see Lilia setting up the table while my father looked at her in an inappropriate manner.

He was a decent father but as a husband, he was quite terrible. As a fellow man, I can understand his sentiments though. Lilia was extremely attractive but so was Zenith and this may be ironic because of who is saying it but chose one or you'll lose both.

Placing me down at the table my mother began helping Lilia leaving me and my father mostly alone. Looking at him I could tell he was extremely focused, more so than whenever I saw him train but his focus was deplorable.

"Dad? Can I learn swordsmanship yet?" I spoke up, hoping to grab his attention. Looking over at me in a flash I could see the excitement in his eyes. Maybe it was just because it was a chance to brag or it was something more but he was genuinely happy I asked.