Chapter: 2

'Think.'

"Speak."

[Yggdrasil skill + magic/Message]

{New world skill + magic}

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[Location: Ovirick territory forest area]

[Time: Midday]

[Satoru AKA. Ainzack's PoV]

It has been 6 years since I was reborn into this world. In my past life I was Suzuki Satoru an average salesman in a dead world overrun by pollution and corrupted mega-corporations. Now I am Ainzack Ovirick the Heir to the Duke house Ovirick, the ruling house of the country known as Vetdritch named after a powerful necromancer. Vetdritch the whisperer. Who that person is I have no idea. It took me 2 years to be convinced that I am in a new world and not in a Mega-corporation funded experiment simulation.

And currently I am experimenting with my magic, yes magic in this world exists. Every living being has magic in their bodies known as mana-vessel. From what my grandfather told me mana-vessels are like muscles, they can be trained to store more mana, as for what this training entails, he wouldn't tell me. Both grandfather and father insisted that I am too young to expand my vessel.

It's an odd feeling to have an Undead as Grandfather. He reminds me of the undead NPC back in Yggdrasil that taught me spells and gave me class changes, but more human. He claimed to be human once. Due to some kind of ritual, he became a Lich by choice. So, I think.

Grandfather isn't the only undead family member in my new life, turns out my mother is a vampire. Then what does that make me? When I figured it out, I thought I was some kind of a half vampire, later being told by father that I'm fully human. I still have some suspicions, since my family takes saliva samples from me on a weekly basis and checks my temperature once every day.

The new world I'm born into would have the technological advancement equal to the Middle Ages, but with magical intervention it is closer to the early 20th century. Also do to the reliance on magic, steam and gas engines were never invented and no industrial revolution took place. This world doesn't have mineral oil, so plastic doesn't exist in this world. Instead of plastic, people use enchanted wood or containers made from some sort of plant fiber instead.

I took another lungful of fresh air and enjoyed the rejuvenating sensation of clean air in my lungs. Breathing is the best. No pollution, no acid rains and a lot of vegetations as far as the eye can see, blue planet san would have killed to be here. I felt my thoughts getting depressing for a moment before these thoughts dissolved in the back of my mind. To this day I'm not sure if it's me inheriting some undead traits or something else. I do have some theories, but nothing solid. Mother showed her emotions rather often, maybe it is not some kind of [Undead emotion suppression].

Looking around the forest, I am sure that I am lost. "How troublesome." I sighed.

I put my thumb and middle finger together and my index finger outstretched. Focusing I tapped at my mana-vessel inside of my being. It is always a pleasant and exhilarating feeling when I call upon my mana. I made sure not to use too much, since last time when it happened, my hand felt like it went through a meat grinder. Apparently, over charging my spells doesn't make them more powerful, but instead causes backlashes to the caster.

Then I focused on the spell I'm about to cast. "{Pulse location}" I snapped my fingers, the very same instance I invoke my spell. In a split of a second I could feel my magic activate and send out a magical pulse throughout a large area of the forest.

After another second, I had a rough 3D layout of my surroundings. {pulse Location} isn't the first spell in my arsenal. My first spell was {Illumination}, this spell focuses mana to one singular point outside of one's body, and lets it ignite into a magical light source it is the most basic of basics of spells there is to learn, I am able to cast {Illumination} with one hand and keep it active for as long I am holding up my hand and channel mana into the spell. Both parents and grandfather can do it without using hands to maintain the {Illumination} spell. This shows me how much I still need to improve. In order to become a proper Mage and recreate my abilities back from Yggdrasil. I wish to at least have some form of tangible remembrance of my days back in Yggdrasil. Just to remind me of the adventures I once took with my friends.

Looking up I could see two Eagle sized crows with white tips on their wings and tail. Those are Grandfathers familiars and my bodyguards. They are a special breed of crow native to the darkened lands far away to the southwest, half a continent away. Heard that place is the most dangerous lands known across the world. It's a place where the very nature will try to kill you. I shuttered with excitement at the thought of the place, after reading about it in the manor's library. The environment of those lands is basically as hostile as certain places in Yggdrasil. A part of me couldn't wait to be strong enough to go there and adventure and discover the unknown. I made it one of my live goals in this new life that I have.

Later that evening I returned home. Dinner was as always. Rich seasoned meat with local seasonal vegetables. The dishes were as always quite rich in spiced seasonings. As a 23rd century salaryman in my previous life I didn't have the luxuries to afford food with much flavor. And now I'm hooked on the spicy aroma.

"So, how was your journey through the woods? Anything interesting you saw?" Grandfather asked. In Yggdrasil, undeads players like skeletons can't use consumable dishes that gave buffs to players. Grandfather on the other hand managed to "eat" by using some sort of overly complex spell? That allowed him to enjoy the flavors and texture of the sustenance by forming a black oozing mass under his jaw that looks like a Herohero-san's game avatar, which is attached to his jaw and throat. The most Disturbing thing about the black bubbling playdough is the fact that it makes cute noises when it's fed.

"Nothing new.... got lost once. But thanks to grandpa's familiars, I was able to navigate the forest." Slightly

embarrassed by the fact that I got lost yet again for the dozen time. I refuse to loose to my family's back yard. Besides, wondering through the forest satisfied my need to go adventuring and the feeling allowed me to partially live the moment of adventuring through the numerous terrains of Yggdrasil.

"Mana channeling has gotten easier recently, in comparison to last month." I answered. Grandfather seems to be pleased with the progress that I am making. Although I couldn't see any facial features on the clean skull. I could still tell that my undead grandfather is pleased from observing his body language. As a salary man in my previous life reading someone's body language is an essential skill to have. Over the remainder of dinner grandfather and father discussed several possible aspects regarding my progress in the arcane arts. Before mother became annoyed with the theoretical bickering between the two nobleman and cut the conversation short. Mother is scary when she is angry. Her red eyes reminded me of the floor guardian of the first second and third floor Shalltear bloodfallen. Sometimes I wonder what happened to the great tomb of Nazarick. Did it get deleted like the rest of Yggdrasil? Or perhaps did it end up somewhere in the new world? Those are questions that sometimes keep me awake at night.

[Next morning]

After breakfast, father summoned me to the courtyard in the back of the Ovirick Manor. Beside him stood a well-built man in leather mesh attire with plated chain mail covering parts of his Pants and torso. He had toned skin seemingly he spent his time outside a lot, messy short red hair reminded me of some hairstyles Vikings have. Amber eyes betray nothing but experience through countless battles. He looked like an archetypical Veteran adventurer in my opinion. The large man looked at me with a friendly smile. "You must be the young master that lord Azmark and lord Argain talked about, not much now, but yall become a heartbreaker in no time. Names Gurther Drakeheart, knight of house Ovirick and longtime companion of your father, at your service." Gurther introduced himself very optimistically.

'He a Knight? He looked clearly more like an adventurer then a knight in shining armor.' I thought to myself.

Before I could wonder any further, I felt a chilling aura behind me.

"Oya, oya. I would appreciate if you would keep our "future heartbreaker" from learning unnecessary etiquettes unbefitting of our lovely son." Mother stood behind me with a façade of a sweet smile promising pain and agony. "O- Of course not! Milady." Gurther reminded me of that one senior in my previous life that likes to take his subordinates out for a beer after work. And now he has been caught red handed in the act. "I mean, I will make sure young master will be taught in the ways of the sword and combat magic." This surprised me and got my blood pumping from the sheer excitement of finally learning offensive spells. Mother seems to be pleased at his proclamation and her murderous intent vanished. Gurther lets out of breath of relief.

"We think that it is for the best that you learn how to defend yourself as early as possible. You've been showing great potential when it comes to your magic. I've been debating with your mother whether it is too early for you to learn offensive magic. And we came to the conclusion that it is essential for you to be able to protect yourself." He then looked at Gurther.

The adventurer looking knight understood the hint that his longtime friend wants him to continue. He nodded and looked towards me. "There were sightings of goblins near our territory, we suspect that there would soon be a goblin infested area popping up in our territory, those creatures are invasive and are ruthless despite their sizes." The Knight stated matter of fact.

"Therefore Son, you will not be going alone into the forest anymore. Gurther will act as your bodyguard in the future." Father stated. "As from today onwards, you will be training under Gurther to improve your body. Within a strong body resides a strong vessel." He then took out a wooden pad with a glass orb in the embedded middle and some runes surrounding the orb. "This is an arcane instrument that measures your mana density and deciphers your magical signature. You have an abnormally large mana reserve for your age, yet your mana is like wool, loose and unstable, this causes you to leak out more mana then any normal being. It would be for the best for you to utilize every bit of your mana in the future.

Through physical training, your mana will become denser and your control over your spells will greatly improve, spells will require less mana to cast." Father channeled his mana into the devices and a red grid pattern with black lines crossing in between them appeared on the glassy surface. After a moment the pattern disappeared.

Handing me the Instrument, I channeled my mana into the glass. I saw a blurry grey fog displayed within the orb. I felt a little disappointed even though I knew I wouldn't get a pattern like my father.

"The denser the magic the clearer and more intricate the pattern becomes. When the instrument started to display a color then you will be able to learn our family's secret spells and techniques."

[three hour later third person Pov]

Ainzack was currently panting like a Husky after running for half a day nonstop. In his mind he cursed Gurther for making him run laps around the town and up the Manor which is located on top of a hill overseeing the town below. He has currently finished his third lap around the 7.2 square kilometer large town. Gurther's training was brutal for his six-year-old body. After finishing his third lap for the day, the knight of Ovirick told him to channel his mana into his muscle tissue in order to boost his recovery rate. Which was absolute bullshit. It only causes him to spasm on the ground like a fish out of water for an entire minute before the trembling wore out. And it hurts, A LOT! Makes overloading his spells feel tame in comparison. Gurther only burst out laughing like a loon. Later he explained that infusing raw mana into someone's muscles while they are sore would cause them to lose control over said sore muscles.

Later that evening the young master of house Ovirick came home like a sack of potatoes ready to fall face first at any second. After dinner he threw himself on his bed. Before he fell asleep, he could swear he heard Gurther screaming out in terror and agony in the distance, it would have been satisfying if that were the case. But it must be his imagination running wild due to exhaustion.

[three years later Ainzack (Satoru) PoV]

Waking up after a good night of seven hours of rest feels like a dream come true. I felt like I've been reborn and rejuvenated every time I woke up after seven hours of rest.

In the old world, four hours of sleep for the average salesman is the norm. I still remember the first time I slept more than five hours almost gave me a heart attack, I thought I overslept and would be fired, then I remembered my new live and realized that I am the son of a duke and there is no mega-Corp that I needed to work for. This of course happened a few more times over the years.

Getting up, I got out my sleepwear, did my morning routine and put on my clothes. My attire was made up of a short sleeved red hooded shirt with two purple vertical lines on the back and going over the hood. Under the shirt I wore a long sleeved plain white garment underneath. Loose black pants with several pockets around the outer thighs.

I would've have liked to wear something more formal, due to being a salary man in my past life and a "Noble" in this life. But this seems to be formal according to my family. The nobles in this world have a strange sense of fashion, but I'm not complaining. Nobles in the kingdom of Kaenrild, the kingdom where my family is apart of prefer a more practical style of fashion than what the aristocrats wore during the middle ages. Preferring something more casual and practical than the more flamboyant and needlessly outstanding fashion.

The hooded shirt reminds me of my game avatar back in my Yggdrasil days. The color is different, but the overall shape and proportions wouldn't stand out from what people wore in this Kingdom.

A knock on the door broke me out of my musings.

"Young master, are you awake? Breakfast will be ready soon." A voice belonging to a young girl asked from the other side of the door. "Yes, I am awake Shalry, I'll be ready in a moment." I answered the voice. "Understood." Shalry answered and went away.

Her name is Shalry Hilbryrer. She is the youngest daughter of Gurther. She had red hair tied in a pair of twin tails. Tanned skin, and onyx black eyes. She wore a long-sleeved leather vest tailored to her size. A shroud mail underneath. Armored pants with leather pads on her hips making it look like a skirt. She wields a Halbert as her main weapon.

She aspires to become a knight like her father. Three years ago, Gurther introduced me to his son and two daughters. His oldest daughter Celksil Hilbryrer and son Tolgan Hilbryrer are official Squire and Squire in training. Both attend the kingdom's academy for knights.

The reason for none of Gurther's children inheriting his family name is because Gurther had committed a taboo which resulted in his family disowning him. The Knight house of Drakeheart is a clan of knights that made a covenant with the land-drakes and rode on them instead of riding horses. I didn't know the details, but Gurther has committed a taboo by killing his land drake. By killing his Drake, he severed his tie to the drakes and was exiled out of the family. He was allowed to keep his name and his wealth when he was exiled, but he is forbidden to give his children the name of Drakeheart. Gurther always changes the topic or refuses to talk about it in detail. I think this will be a story for another time.

The Knight's youngest child, Shalry is only a few months older than me. Gurther often brings Shalry along when training. It could be said that we are childhood friends at this point. She is currently my bodyguard when I go into town or attend those noble banquets where the nobles, knights and merchants of the country talk about business and politics over a lot of food and wine. It was rather awkward to have a girl your own age following you around like an NPC. In my previous world this would have been child labour. If it weren't for the smug confidence on Shalry's face, every time someone referred to her as "future knight" or "Sword of the young master" I would have felt bad for her, but all I feel is the cringing effects of the titles people give her hitting me like a battle-axe. Is this what a casual player felt like when they are teamed up with a Hardcore role-player? Even still, Shalry takes her job very seriously.

For the past three years, I have learned over more than 50 spells from this new world, and I became quite athletic all for my age, thanks to Gurther's hellish training. I asked him if there is anything I can do for him to express my appreciation, he just laughed it off and joked that l can make him a statue of him when I became Duke. Though, I did spot a manly tear slipping down from his cheek.

On the side of my magical studies, Grandpa taught me many spells. I tried to learn the new world variation of the spells I know from Yggdrasil and even managed to create my own original spell which I name {Organ rupture}. It is a spell that allowed me to cause pain to a being's organs, triggering a pained reaction leaving the target paralyzed in a fetal position for a short duration. It's basically a non-lethal version of [grasp heart]. The spell causes water and body fluids to vibrate and uses the concept of infusing mana into the muscles to cause them to tremble uncontrollably. This spell then sends these vibrations into the body, deeper into the organs. I tested it out on the local goblin populations.

Grandfather praised me on the ingenious idea of targeting an opponent's insides. In battle there is no fairness, only the result matters.

On one of my first tries a goblin blew up like a balloon, it caused Shalry a few weeks of nightmares from seeing its inners moving around like some kind of Eldritch worm things and my training with Gurther became more exhausting than usual for an entire month.

Back to the present. I entered the dining room seeing my father sitting on the end of the table and my mother to his right. Grandfather is not present in the morning. He always lurks downstairs in his workshop at this hour. Something about it being the best time for his research.

I sat down to the right of my mother and Shalry stood Behind me. I Felt bad for Shalry to stand while the rest are eating. It's one of those things, no matter how much time has passed, that I can't get used to. I once asked Shalry to sit down while we were eating. Shalry's Face turned red as a tomato and kept saying that she is just my bodyguard and so on. Mother blushing for some reason. The situation then got awkward from there on. Grandfather and father mumbled something about betrothal and too young or early too. Gurther laughed for half an hour straight after hearing what I said at the time. Muttered something about heartbreaker. I sighed at the memory.

Father is about to say something. Then music started to play in the background, and it was a cliffhanger!

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Author's policy: As per usual, all my stories are free. There is no pay wall nor Patron. All chapters will become available as soon I'm finished writing. Due to my busy schedules, Updated will be random depending on my free time and motivation.