Chapter 6: The Birthday, The Questions, and The System

As Zen celebrated his birthday, he received a myriad of gifts from his doting parents. Among them were a lighter, a spellbook filled with arcane knowledge, a training sword to hone his combat skills, and an enrolment slip to the prestigious {school name}, renowned for nurturing the potential of gifted children like Zen. Excitement bubbled within him as he eagerly anticipated the new adventures that awaited him at the esteemed institution.

In the midst of their birthday dinner, the family gathered around the television to catch up on the day's events. The news broadcast displayed a gripping scene of four hunters and four mages engaged in a fierce battle against an A-Class ogre. Despite their combined efforts, the monstrous creature proved to be a formidable adversary, shrugging off attacks with its tough hide and resilient demeanor. The hunters resorted to hit-and-run tactics, unable to land a decisive blow.

Curiosity sparked within Zen's young mind as he observed the struggle unfold on the screen. His brow furrowed in contemplation as he posed a question to his parents, his voice filled with innocence and wonder.

"If the skin of an ogre is so tough and resistant to magic and blades," Zen began, "then why don't the mages do a combo attack? Like, launching a water attack to soak the ogre, and then launching a lightning attack to electrocute the monster?"

Sora and Aya exchanged astonished glances, marvelling at the insightful reasoning of their young son. It was a question that transcended his tender age, showcasing a depth of intellect far beyond his years.

"He must be the smartest five-year-old on Gaea," Sora remarked proudly, his chest swelling with paternal pride.

After Sora expressed his pride, Aya gently placed a hand on Zen's shoulder, her expression softening with maternal warmth. "Sweetheart," she began in a tender tone, "while your idea is clever, magic isn't always as straightforward as it seems in theory. There are many factors to consider, and sometimes what works on paper may not work as effectively in practice."

Zen's brows furrowed slightly, a hint of frustration flickering in his eyes. Despite his young age, he felt a sense of indignation at being dismissed as too young to grasp the complexities of magic. After all, he possessed wisdom far beyond his years, with an additional 21 years of mental age from his past life. Even in his childhood, he had rarely shed tears, displaying maturity beyond his tender age.

Nonetheless, Zen understood the importance of patience and humility, traits instilled in him by his parents. With each passing day, he embraced the challenges of growth and learning, determined to prove himself in a world where age often dictated one's worth.

Later that night Zen decided to start playing with his newfound toys. He picked up his training sword and started swinging it around. The training sword was a two foot long leaf shape blade with a one and a half hand pummel. The edges of the blade were dulled to ensure safety. After getting used to the feel, he started to practice simple sword moves, a forehand slash, a backhand slash, and a hack. After fifteen minutes Zen heard a noise.

[DING! Host has unlocked a new skill. Please check it out.]

Intrigued Zen brought up the system menu.

[Name: Zen Hoshi

Titles: None

Age: 5 year

Strength (STR): 4

Agility (AGL): 2

Stamina (STA): 5

Endurance (END): 6

Luck (LUK): 7 (fixed)

Average Human Adult: 20

Free Attribute: 0

System Points (SP): 1,000

Resistances: Novice Fire Resistance

Skills: Language lvl 3, Sleeping lvl 5, Swordsmanship lvl 1 *NEW*]

Curiosity burning through him he tapped the new skill.

[Skill Name: Swordsmanship

Level: 1/100

Description: Swordsmanship is the foundational skill for wielding bladed weapons effectively in combat. At Level 1, the practitioner gains basic understanding in handling swords, enough to not accidentally harm oneself.

Abilities:

Basic Grip: The user learns the proper grip for holding a sword, ensuring that Host doesn't stab himself.

Basic Stances: An understanding of  basic stances that helps improve balance and stability. This allows for Host to have a decent training method in swordsmanship.

Basic Strikes: Allows the user to execute the basic motions of slashes and stabs without inflicting damage to oneself.

Progression: As the user progresses through higher levels of Swordsmanship, they unlock more advanced techniques, including complex maneuvers, specialized strikes, and defensive techniques. Mastery of Swordsmanship opens the path to becoming a formidable swordsman, capable of facing a variety of opponents with skill and finesse.]

As Zen was reading through the skill he found himself awed at the swordsmanship level 1. He decided that he was going to invest at least one hour a day into improving his swordsmanship. Suddenly, as if a light bulb went off in his head, he remembered that he had received a spellbook for his birthday as well. Opening up the spellbook he began reading it. As a former university student Zen was accustomed to reading books at a quick pace and retaining the important bits of information. 

The spellbook was an introduction to magic book that went over the history of magic. It explained how with the introduction of portals and monsters in the world, humans gained the ability to manipulate a special energy called Mana. 

Furthermore it explained how only certain individuals could manipulate Mana, and it was often restricted to a certain type. Some had the ability to manipulate fire, others water. A select few could wield even more exotic types of magic such as lightning magic, space magic, and the more elusive time magic. 

The most basic types of magic such as fire, water, earth, and wind were the most common types of magic to wield with around sixty percent of all total mages wielding one of the four elements.

However after you pass a threshold, you could unlock a different type of magic. Let's say you had an innate fire attribute, after you passed the iron level and progressed to the bronze stage, you had the opportunity to acquire a different magic.

The book then went on to explain typeless magic. Typeless magic, also known as colorless magic, is a unique form of magical manipulation that transcends elemental attributes. Unlike traditional elemental magic, which harnesses the power of specific elements such as fire, water, or earth, typeless magic operates independently of elemental classifications. Instead, it focuses on pure mana manipulation to achieve various effects. Colorless magic was separated into two categories, simple and complex.

Simple typeless magic involves the direct manipulation of Mana without the incorporation of elemental attributes. Spells in this category typically exhibit straightforward effects and are often used for offensive or defensive purposes. Examples include:

Magic Missiles: Pure manifestations of Mana formed into projectiles capable of striking targets with force. 

Mana Shield: A defensive barrier created from concentrated mana to deflect or absorb incoming attacks.

Complex colorless magic encompasses more intricate and versatile spells that go beyond basic Mana manipulation. These spells often involve complex interactions with the user's body, mind, or surroundings to achieve specific effects. Examples include:

Body Enhancement Magic: Magic that enhances the physical capabilities of the user, such as strength, speed, or durability, by infusing their body with Mana.

Domain Magic: Spells that grant the caster an enhanced awareness of their surroundings, allowing them to perceive and manipulate the environment. The extent of this awareness depends on the amount of Mana the caster possesses, with greater Mana reserves resulting in a larger domain of perception.

After intensively reading the spellbook Zen looked at the clock in his room and saw that it was already eight in the evening. After considering his young body and the exhaustive training he did, he decided to take a shower and go to bed. While falling asleep he decided he was going to learn some magic the next day.