Eiden watched the battle from the shadows of the living room. His small fingers gripped the curtain as he observed the hunters.
They were strong. Compared to normal people, they looked like gods.
But to him?
"They're too slow," he muttered. "Their mana is leaking everywhere."
He could see it—blue threads of energy bursting with every swing, but unfocused. Wasteful.
One hunter, a tall man in red armor, charged with a giant axe. His strike cracked the ground and smashed the monster's leg. Cheers followed. But Eiden frowned.
"You didn't shift your weight. You could've ended it faster."
His mother hugged him tightly. "Don't look, sweetie. It's scary."
Eiden leaned into her warmth and smiled faintly.
This world may be stronger than my last… but it's also dumber.
---
The monster was slain.
The hunters left, showing off their gear to the crowd.
People clapped and praised them like heroes.
But Eiden knew the truth—they were only strong because of systems and tools they didn't understand. Magic here was treated like a machine.
Not a living thing.
---
That night, he began something new.
He sat in bed, crossed his legs, and focused on the center of his chest.
There, he tried to build a core—the base of all magic.
He imagined it: a small glowing orb, spinning like a star. His soul trembled. Pain shot through his chest, and blood leaked from his nose.
But he didn't stop.
"Just one cycle tonight," he whispered. "One loop of mana."
He breathed in. Mana entered.
Breathed out. Mana left.
Each breath was heavy. His limbs went numb. But when he opened his eyes…
He felt something there.
Small.
Weak.
But alive.
---
By age five, Eiden could pull a spoon without touching it.
Just a twitch of mana.
He didn't let anyone see.
Not even his parents.
---
He began exercising too—pushups, running in the backyard, lifting tiny weights.
Not because he wanted muscles… but because his body was his cage.
The stronger he got, the more mana he could control.
The old Arkanos had never trained physically. He only focused on spells.
But this time, Eiden wanted to live fully.
To move.
To fight.
To feel.
---
One day, his father brought home a new book.
"Hunters for Beginners," it was called.
Eiden flipped through the pages. He saw pictures of monsters, guild rankings, and diagrams of magic tools.
"So they use mana circuits… similar to alchemy. But the logic is flawed."
He smirked and flipped the page.
"They've built this world on broken knowledge."
---
Eiden didn't rush.
He trained in silence, alone.
He knew the world was bigger than this city. Stronger people would come later. Guilds. Academies. Enemies.
He had time.
He just needed to grow.
---
And when he was ready…
He'd show them what real magic looked like.