Technique.

[Current Age: 3 years old]

(Now that I'm three, I can walk perfectly... almost. The language here doesn't seem to be different from English, it's just a bit modified so it's not hard to get a grasp on it.)

Archibald had dark red hair and an even darker shade of red for his irises.

He was currently 84 centimeters in height.

(Fun news! I just found out magic was a thing here! Crazy right?! This means I'm not in Europe, not even on Earth... I am in another world entirely.)

Using the wall as an assist, Archibald climbed to his feet.

"Alright, I'm gonna try it out today!" he wore a radiant smile.

It was the excitement that came with the thought of learning anything magic related that made him feel tingly.

(I knew all those hours I spent grinding on Elden Annulus wasn't a waste! Still, my siblings are definitely gonna mess up my progress... all those sleepless nights for this?!)

He walked around the house looking for anything he could find that was either Sword, Gun or Sorcery related.

The books didn't seem to be kept in places easy to access, however, Michael and Amara didn't have much books in the house.

"...Oh yeah! The storage room!" Archibald uttered with his child-like voice before he rushed to the designated area.

As the door was pushed open he immediately came across a wooden crate.

Approaching the large box which was the same height as he was he struggled to get it open.

When he finally did so, all he could find were three books, and none had to do with high-class sorcery or guns.

Archibald was assuming this because of the sword art etched onto the front covering of the book.

(Unfortunately, there are only three books in the house. So I'm guessing Michael and Amara barely read... In my previous life, I had over eighty books... they were light novels but it still counts.)

...

Archibald was intrigued by what he learnt from these books.

Whenever his parents saw him reading it they'd simply watch him in amazement.

Obviously they didn't believe he could understand it, but certain things little kids do can be adorable.

His little fingers would always struggle to turn over after each page.

For him, enthusiasm was the drive that strengthened his resolve to learn all he could.

(Some concepts here are similar to the ones I've seen in Elden Annulus, for instance there are four Sword Arts - Thunder God, Black Moon, Sky Lord and Sword Saint arts. They have their area of focus which is speed, dexterity, defence and discipline respectively...)

"Well, let's see what I can do.." Archibald picked up his wooden sword and moved over to the backyard with these informational books.

He applied a tight grip on the sword's hilt placing it forward.

[Pre-motion] is needed to start out a sword skill, and Archibald planned to do the most basic one, [Descending Linear] practiced at the start of every swordsmanship course.

Pushing his right feet forward a bit, he lifted the blade up slowly and as he did this light particles empowered the wooden blade.

There was a rush of mana through his body and with force he drew the blade down.

His attempt only made a weak slash arc in the air that faded as quickly as it appeared.

(So basically, activating a sword skill works similarly to the sword games I've played on my Gamestation 5... In that scenario it would require me to press 'X' for a long period of time to charge up my game character's attack.)

Unimpressed with the result of his attempt, he sighed heavily.

"Gosh, I thought I'd do better than that... or maybe cause my body's weak?" he still had the body of a child no more than three.

It was what limited the full potential of his attacks.

...

Months later, Archibald was still practicing the same technique [Descending Linear] but now he could propagate the energy wave to travel to three meters.

The textbook said Sword Arts could only be practiced from the age of 10.

As a result of a child not having enough mana and physical strength to match even basic techniques.

"That textbook is a bit wrong.." he thought there was no use believing everything he read.

Since the book was wrong in the aspect of a person not being able practice swordsmanship because of age.

(I've been practicing the same technique for three months now and I've been making some progress... but also, I discovered that everytime I performed the technique my physical strength and mana increased...)

...

Next month, was the fourth of his practicals on swordsmanship.

He was versing himself well under the basic principles.

He assumed his sword stance again, ready to perform the first one of the new month.

The radiance of the wooden blade tripled in comparison to the first time he'd done it.

Archibald performed a swift slashing action downwards which sent a strong, fast-moving curve of light energy that fractured a tree eight meters away.

"Yes! I did it! I'm the man!" he flung his sword away and bounced around back and forth, his own way of jubilating.

After, Archibald stood up again he wanted to try a new technique, but something outside the basics.

"Hmm, let me see.." he traced his finger through the words in search of something within his range.

"Eureka!" he shouted after he'd found it.

Excited was how he felt.

"Let's try some Azure class techniques.." he was basing this particular technique under dexterity or in other words skilful use of the hands.

This would mean it was the [Black Moon Arts] as this demanded the highest of dexterity.

Technique name :: [Flash Strike] At the instant of the slash, the wooden sword absorbed and condensed Archibaldʼs mana before releasing it at the tip of the blade, the magnified slash attack, flew forward. This slash took the shape of a crescent moon or wave.

Its level of destruction was unimaginable, the moment he'd released the slash caused heating in the air.

This led to what sounded like a thunderclap.

Thereafter the slash wave caused a large-scale destruction on the small vegetation at the backyard.

Completely carving through the forest the large-scale attack fractured and erased everything everything in its path.

This resulted in a wide path of destruction starting from the point of attack to the forest nearby.

A distance of 25 meters.

...

"Archie! Are you okay?!" the first to ask this was Michael his father.

But the man became even more surprised when he witnessed the chaos had indeed erupted in his backyard.

He stood in shock, "What ha.." the surprise didn't permit him speech.

Then, the mother came rushing to her son, "Archie, are you okay my love?!" she embraced him closely.

Sure enough Michael noticed the book that had to do with Sword Arts some few meters away.

It'd been blown away as a result of the shockwave from the technique, so it was slightly hidden due to it being covered in dirt.

"Hm?" he picked up the book and observed it closely.

"Archibald? You didn't perform these techniques did you?" he turned to face the child and wife.

His face looked like some who suffered severe constipation.

(Holy crap! Was I not supposed to?! Curse my superior gaming skills and affinity for sixteen hit combos... maybe it's a taboo for children to practice it or no... maybe they're gonna ship me off to the army at a young age and I'll live my life full of regrets until I meet the love interest who soothes my painful past. We engage in lustful sex, and then I give birth to a son who fulfills the dream I always had..)

"I'm sorry.." Archibald said after simulating how his life would go when he told them he was the one who'd caused such destruction.

Surprisingly, this made the father excited.

"Yes! I always knew my boy was a genius! Excellent!" he was happy to hear the answer he hoped to.

Even better, it wasn't the usual Heliotrope class (1st rank) sword technique, it was higher than that.

It was an Azure class (2nd rank) sword technique but seemingly his physicals and mana bolstered so much the attack tripled far more than one would predict.

"Really?! He could grow up to become an amazing Swordsman!" said Amara while she held him even tighter than before.

The look on Archibaldʼs face looked like he was going to suffocate if he was held any more tightly.

(That settles it... they're gonna get me a teacher. If I have any experience from the Manga and Manhua I read in my old life then it's definitely going to be some old man with long white beards. It'll be pretty cool! Heheh, I guess now I can't not say I'm a badass!)