7 My First Materia.

It's been a few days since I moved into the lodge after refurbishing it. It's quite cozy and for someone like me, living on my own while I mess around with things people here would not understand.

It's perfect!

Following an exercise routine I got from my assimilated memories, I start work on conditioning my body to handle the full training I will do in the future.

[Physique: I.

Magic: I.

Experience: I.]

I look at my status briefly before I return to my exercises. Knowing that if I want to properly train in my swordsmanship, I need to at leastvget my physique up to rank H. A civilian's physique isn't tampered enough for it after all.

It's what these exercises are for. Body refinement.

...

It's noon after spending the whole morning exercising, I decided to spend the afternoon experimenting with my magic.

Expanding the Shinra Chest. I navigate through the touch screen on top of the lid and lean back as the lid opens up. Reaching in I pull out an orb slightly smaller than a tennis ball.

It's my Fire Materia.

"Lets see how I equip this..." After trying a few things I become lost on what to do.

[To equip a materia the carrier must absorb it into your hands. By using your will, command it to sink into your hand.]

"I see. So I don't equip it into my equipment?"

[No. That is a game element designed to harness multiple materia at once to assign a player's ideal loadout. This is reality. Two hands equal two slots.]

"Yikes! Reality sure likes to give people some realistic limitations." I say. Somewhat disappointed that I cannot just equip them into my gear.

[You don't have to worry too much about that. Unlike others you have the opportunity to adapt and learn the magic naturally after assimilating the materia's magic 100%.]

"Neat!" I watch as the materia sinks into my hand and infuse fully. The mana freely flowing through my body and stirring. The information about the magic entering directly into my head.

I nod my head and grin, "Yeah, I can definitely do this."

Getting to my feet. I walk away from my house and aim my left hand down towards the sea. The mana in my body begins to stir as I charge up the spell and...

**Fire**

A small of flames erupts from my open palm and shoots quickly towards the seas below. Kicking up a small mist of steam as the ocean water fizzles the flame out instantly.

I cannot help but jump for joy in maniac laughter. I had done something I had dreamed of doing my whole life!

I used magic!

Real life, legitimate magic!

I channeled the mana and guided to my palm, then fired it into the ocean. No pushing a single button on a controller while guiding some default protagonist from behind a tv screen.

"Hahahahaha! With the power of fire in my hand, I shall incinerate my foes to ash and scatter them to the wind!" I sing a cringe-worthy chant before launching it again.

**Fire!**

After launching 3 more spells I suddenly start to feel myself being drained. I guess this is my current limit until I level up my magic and the materia.

...

Between my physical exercises in the mornings and magic practices in the noon. I feel that I have made some considerable progress.

More so for magic, considering my physique is limited by my age. The next day my limit of 5 spells increased to 6. Additionally I learned that the magic is not just limited to a projectile missle.

I can also use it as a grenade to toss over or around cover to get hidden targets. I can also coat my hand and deal a devastating punch.

If Ace is not careful I might just steal his Fire Fist moniker.

One day while I was doing my daily run. I was resting on the ground when the all too familiar MC of the series asked me in curiosity.

"Why are laying down?"

I look at him and his goofy smile and reply after managing to catch my breath, "I was... Running."

He tilts his head and looks around.

"Why are you running? Are you running from someone? I don't see anyone." Luffy says.

I chuckle, "I'm not running from anyone. I am doing this to get strong."

"Why do you want to get strong?" Ah Luffy's a big bundle of questions.

I answer him with a question of my own, "What do you want to do when you grow up kid?"

Luffy crosses his arms and begins to think hard. His attempts at seriousness is ruined by his childish adorableness. Luffy said, "I dunno! Grampa wants me to be a marine like him and says pirates are bad! Shishishishi!"

I chuckle at his response.

"In a way your grandpa is right, but not completely." I say, "the marines are not all good either. Just as there are decent marines, there are just as many bad ones as well. The same can be said for the pirates."

"What do you wanna be?" Luffy asks me. I just smile and look up at the little brat.

"A hero." I declare warmly with a smile on my face. "A hero so well-known that they will know me no matter what part of the world they are from! You don't need to sell yourself to the devil to be a hero."

"Shishishishi!" Luffy laughs and the shouted, "Wear a mask and a cape! Those are cool! Ooo, a clown paint!"

"Nonononono! God no! One clown in the East Blue is good enough!" I say. No one pulls the clown look better than Buggy the Clown. Growing up reading classical literature has me feeling uncomfortable around clownkind. Then again Pennywise is more terrifying than Buggy.

One will mind fuck and eat you, the other... Split into a hundred different body parts and stab you.

...

From that day on Luffy would often come around to play or watch me train. You should have seen his eyes sparkle we he saw me practice shooting fire from my hand.

He bugged me about it for a long time and even bragged about it to our favorite bar owner. Now the whole village knows about my magic, but when asked I keep it cryptic.

Being mysterious is my thing.

Thanks to the former Sephiroth's memories and experiences. I fully assimilated with the materia's magic and made it my own within a month.

Now I do not need the materia to cast the spells. I can store away until I further notice. If I start my own crew or group, I may assign them a materia if I trust them fully.

My magic stat had soared quickly thanks to fire and I can now throw dozens of Fires at a time before having my mana drained.

Now I can master a new materia!