Chapter 2:Mana Tip-Off
Ding...Ding....Ding.....
After hearing bells chimes, i slowly wake up.
I see that i was in a small room with a single bad,a window and a wooden table. Beside the bed, there was was a bin with few bloody clothes in it.
A small stone was hanging above my head, slowly radiating a dazzling lights.
A low grade healing stone!
It is a low grade stone which can slowly heal minor external injuries.But their performance was quit poor as they take long time to heal small insignificant injuries.There are also different levels of healing stones.These levels are - low grade,mid grade, high grade.Their working efficiency increase along with their levels.
Even though it is a low grade healing stone, it is very precious magic item! Magic items business are strictly controlled by the kingdom law.
This low grade healing stone costs around 10 gold coins per piece. An average family of 6's monthly spending in big cities are around 10-12 gold. As for an average family's annual spending in rural areas are 1-2 gold coins only. So it is easy to say that this low grade healing stone is not something anyone can get thier hands on.
As for mid grade and high grade healing stones, they are not available in local markets. Only very few shops in capital and big cities sold them legally. But price also high for them.
An average low grade stones can work for a 1 month straight. After that they lost their healing properties and end up being an worthless stone.Looking its size, it is obvious that it hardly covers my whole body completely.
I was slowly recalling this host bodies memories.
Host name is aetius.He is currently 13 and half years old. Because he is raised in an orphanage and unknown family origin, he has only one word name. Bigger name means bigger background in this kingdom.
This kingdom's name is Hartage kingdom. Commoners of the Hartage kingdom mostly have 2-3 words name while rich and nobels according to their influence and power have 4-6 words name in average.King of the Hartage kingdom have 12 words in his name!
This bodies previous owner was left in front of the orphanage's door when he was only a few months old.
He grew up amongst many parentless kids.He was an average child since childhood. No special triats to stand out among ordinary kids.No special bloodline traits to attract teachers attention, no sign of mana radiation even to this day.
'Mana radiation ', 'mana berserk ', 'mana tip-off' or 'awakening sign' is a conditions where a child around 6-13 will releases mana to his/her surrounding unintentionally, which may cause damage to their surrounding even causes injures to themselves .
More strong, violent or strange mana they releass, the better future prospects they have in their magi paths. Legends has it that, thousands of years ago this hartage kingdom founder, Hartage The mana bard when gone through his mana tip-off,his entire village people heard a melodious song which caused their ears to bleed and some even lost their hearing ability for a short moment. He later became a legendary level 8 magi of the bard path.
When a child passes his mana Tip-off period successfully, they will have a higher chance in becoming a magi in the type of mana they release .
A magi research a particular mana type to enrich their understanding about that mana type and find path to level themselves up.
There are countless paths in magi cultivation. No one knows exactly how many path magi cultivation paths there really are. Those who's mana tip-off is ordinary path like wood,poison,metal, water,fire,air,ice,earth, light, darkness etc has lot of options in choosing magi school as common paths has lots of inheritance and research to support their cultivation smoothly.But common paths magis demand is low compared with the strange ones.
As for those who's mana type is rare and strange, will face difficulties in their path as rare path have less inheritance and data of their past senior magis.They have to constantly search for inheritance and knowledge about the path they are destined with.Most of them become dispirited and give up, while others with firm determination painstakingly pave their path with their own hands.
I am already 13 years old,still no signs of mana on my body.I have only one years left of mana tip-off. After that the chance of awakening in close to zero. I will be sent to military training center to train to fight for the country.If they see my proficiency is good with sword,spear,arrow,knife etc weapons, they will bestow their low grade path cultivation resources to me to forcefully awaken knight or similar paths. Which will successfully make me a level 1 magi. But thats it, no more level ups.I have to be stuck there for the rest of my life.This is also not without dangers as 9 out of 10 dies during this period of forced awakening .So natural awakening is the best one.
Don't think that these orphanage is kindness of the Hartage kingdom but their perfect scheme.Ones they raises you to the age of 14,They will force you to join the military. If you awaken they will help you study in a magi Academy under the conditions that you must serve the kingdom for 100 years after graduation from there.This way they can have official magi add in their countries arsenal.
Becoming a ordinary soldier is the worst case scenario. In battlefield, they mostly serves as a cannon fodder for the kingdom. Without becoming a magi, this world too harsh to live.weak can only look up for the mercy of the strong.
That women who humiliated me is named celine. She was this bodies childhood sweethearts.They grew up in the same orphanage. most of the childhood they spent together. playing,laughing, fishing. If anyone from orphanage bullied celine, Aetius would beat them back.He even protested against a teacher for hurting celine and end up cleaning toilets for weeks.
Alas everything started to change after celine successfully passed her mana tip-off. She awaked water mana tip-off.
Aetius was happy when he saw her successful awaken. Only 1 out of 100 child would be lucky enough to have a mana awakening.
Orphanage officials started to take special care for her. They transfer her to a better house, arranged a personal maid for her, her food was specially ordered from the luxurious restaurants.
Little by little both of them got far apart. At the beginning, she would encourage aetius to not lose hope.But now she doesn't want to see his face. Aetius was sad and disheartened for this and disregarding all shame would want to talk with her. But in her eyes he is just a bug who is destined to die as a mere mortal human. She wouldn't lower her pride talking with him. For her, Aetius is a sign of her old disgusting self. She wouldn't care even if he lives of dies.
In Hartage kingdom, Childrens of 10 years old must go to school school for 3 year basic education. Luckily he got to admitted same school as Celine. For 3 years now, he was doing everything to talk with her but she would pay no heed to him.
Today he became a lot of stressed as their graduation comes closer and closer.
He knows that after few months they would be separated forever. So today he wanted to hear from her mouths, if she really had really forgotten the times they spent together.
She directly said that she never liked him. All in the past must stay in past.
At this time, some boys who admires her beat him to pulp.
Today they forced him to take a oath in the name of sacred eternal flame to not to love her anymore.
Thinking about that oath, Aetius gulped a mouthful of saliva. Taking a oath in that name is considered a taboo.Even criminals are not forced to make a oath in this name as misuse of this can have a severe consequences. At that time, situation was so dire that,I didn't think much and took that oath.
That bitch,even though she clearly knew making this oath is dangerous , she still let me take it. She is a real demoness.
If you ask a love mad guy to suddenly breakup with his current girl friend and have no feeling for her, can he do it?IMPOSSIBLE!!!!!!!....
I could have really died there for sure, if my old stupid self didn't go away!
Now that i think about it, They said that they will kill me, if i do not take this oath. Either taking oath or not, my ending was meant to be leading to the grave!!!!
By forcing me taking this damn oath, they were simply hunting 2 bird with a single stone! They will not have to kill me by themselves, they would take this damn oath power to kill me!!! And most importantly, their family would be out of the quagmire !!!!!! How Vicious!
This bitch,those motherfucking bastards, that damn school teachers, i will awaken and take my revenge. Just count your dog days.
The more aetius think, the more depressed he becomes.This is the world, where the strong devours the weak . Without power human life is worthless. Strong can squash weak like a mere bugs as they please.
I must find ways to become strong or else i have no future. But the big question is how?
If i had a ' system ' like those novels protagonist, maybe i could have chance to change my fate.
At this moment, he suddenly heard a electronic message sounded in his head and he jumped out of bed in the next second.
"system !"