I woke up to the loud snoring of Vino. I slowly stood up, remembering all the events that had happened. Teacher Lo—well, I guess I can call him Master now.
So Master Loin let us sleep in his house yesterday and accepted us as students. He said he would teach us magic, but only on the condition that we use it for good.
Loin is in his nineties. Yes, very old, which I didn't expect. He's probably 170 to 175 cm tall.
His physique is good for his age, though. He does look old, but he moves, behaves, and speaks like someone still in their fifties.
His house has four floors with many rooms. He let Vino and me stay in one room, Larkin and Van in another, and there was a room for Evin. Well… sleeping in the same room with Vino isn't exactly one of my dreams. He snores like a pig.
Now, the most important thing: the system test. Just ten days remain… If I fail this test… I will remain at level nine forever, which means I cannot get stronger!
I went to the bathroom to wash my face with a water bucket. But to my surprise, there wasn't a bucket—there was a sink! I hadn't seen a sink since the day I got here. So sinks exist here too, huh?
I washed my face with it, though the water was cold. Probably just rich people have sinks…
Later, I woke Vino up, and the rest of the squad followed. We headed down to the living room on the second floor.
Walking into the living room, food was already prepared on the table. Master Loin was sitting and waiting for us.
We sat and started eating. After finishing and cleaning everything, Master Loin finally spoke.
He stood up from the sofa, his voice calm and quiet. "So, kids… I will be teaching y'all magic for the next week. I haven't really had students in a long time! But because y'all insisted on my teaching, I have no other choice."
Evin stood up as well. "We are sorry again for interrupting your peace, Master."
He gave a soft smile. "It's okay, girl. Don't worry."
So now… let's start our first magic lesson.
"First magic lesson?" Vino repeated.
We all stood up, very excited and ready for the lesson.
"Yes, exactly, red-haired kid. First lesson." "The first lesson is finding your magic!"
This lesson is really simple. It's about discovering which magic you are best at.
He then pointed at Van. "You, kid. Come closer to me first."
Van nodded and stepped forward.
Master Loin looked deeply into Van's eyes for a second, then said, "Hmmm… you already use magic, don't you?"
Van nodded.
"Good. Then you can skip this lesson and just watch."
"WHAT?!" Vino shouted. "That's not fair!"
"Alright, next… You, red-haired kid. You know you'll blast my ears if you keep screaming like that, right?"
Vino stepped closer to the Master and apologized.
After Vino approached, Loin raised his right hand and faced it toward Vino's face. His hand was just a few centimeters away.
"Alright… Your magic is going to be... fire!"
"WHOA, FIRE REALLY??!!" Vino exclaimed, completely excited and happy.
"Yes, kid. Now move. Next—you, girl."
"Yes, Master," Evin said as she stepped closer. He did the same thing with her as he did with Vino.
"Air Magic!"
She nodded and stepped to the side.
"You're next," he pointed at Larkin.
He did the same, but this time a little longer.
"Hmmm… interesting. You, boy, have two magics you could be good at!"
"Whoa… TWO?? Why is it always so unfair?" Evin slapped Vino's face. "Vino, be quiet for a second, can you?"
Sorry...
"So, what are they?" Larkin asked, seeming happy.
Ehm… Loin cleared his throat. "They are Earth Magic and Shadow Magic."
"Shadow Magic?" Evin repeated. "I've never heard of that before."
Loin looked toward her. "Yes, it's rare. Anyway… now, lesson two!"
We all looked at each other with questioning eyes.
Vino raised his arm. "But Master… you didn't scan Ario yet."
The master turned toward me. "Oh yes, of course, you, kid. Ehm… well, sorry to disappoint, but you don't have any magic energy in you."
"Wha—are you sure, Master? You didn't scan him yet!" "Yes, girl, I'm sure. Your friend over there doesn't have any magic energy, which is actually very weird. People who can't use magic usually have just a little magic energy, but your friend has none at all."
Vino patted my shoulder. "It's alright, buddy. You're strong anyway, even without your magic."
Wait, Vino… Evin said, continuing, "We saw Ario use magic, though!"
"What?"
"Yes, he used magic to pull a sword out of nothing!"
"Hmmm… that can't be." The master's expression turned serious. "That's interesting, kid…
--
reminds me of a story my mother always told me."
A story? We looked at him, wondering what it could be.
"Yes, a story. Long ago, when my mother was alive, she always told me about the five heroes who saved our world from the demon kind."
"I've never heard that story," Evin said. "Me neither," Larkin added.
"Of course, kids. It's from long ago, and over time, people slowly started forgetting it."
"But… what does this have to do with me?" I asked.
"Well… kids, can you let me continue first?" We apologized and let him continue.
The five heroes appeared out of nowhere. No one knew anything about them. In just a few years, they became strong enough to defeat the demon king! But that isn't why I tell this story. These five heroes didn't use magic. Rumors said they had no magic energy, yet they performed unbelievable feats—pulling things out of nowhere or using powers no one had seen before.
He paused, then looked at me. "You, kid, have many things in common with these heroes. Whatever power you have, you need to learn about it yourself." He shook his head. "Sorry, kid. I really can't help you learn about magic."
"It's okay," I said.
"But wait… What about the five heroes? What happened to them?" Vino asked, full of curiosity.
"Oh… the heroes? They were all killed in an instant by one guy."
"WHAT?!"
We were shocked.
"How did one guy defeat them?" Evin asked, curious.
"Well… I'm sorry, kids. I don't know the rest of the story. Anyway, you, kid," he pointed at me, "can just stay and watch your friends as they learn magic, okay?"
I nodded... letting them continue learning from him.
So I can't use magic, huh…? Is it because of the system… or maybe only people born in this world have this magic energy? Which means… the five heroes… were they sent into this world too, just like me? ...