Haruto breathed heavily, panting after his unexpected and intense encounter. He had used magic for the first time, but he was baffled about how it happened. He decided to ponder over this later, as he surveyed the aftermath of the battle. The awakening stone he had just absorbed—were those bandits really after such a seemingly insignificant item? He wondered just how valuable awakening stones could be. Deciding it was getting late, Haruto headed home.
Once at home, he and his mother enjoyed the dinner she had prepared. While she ate calmly, he scarfed down his food voraciously. Watching him, his mother chuckled, "Kage, slow down. There's plenty. You're eating like you just awakened your magic abilities." Her comment made Haruto almost choke, as she continued to laugh at her own joke.
After catching his breath, Haruto recalled what the bandits had mentioned. "Mom, can you remind me what the Warlord Initiation is again?"
His mother, surprised by his question, wiped her mouth before answering, "Well, I suppose your memory has yet to return. But the Warlord Initiation is the premier selection process. People travel from all over to test their skills and potentially be selected. While other countries have similar forces, the Warlords are considered the top due to their requirements—or rather, the lack of them."
Haruto was stunned. "Huh?"
His mother laughed at his astonishment. "Yes, dear. It's why so many travel from all over to participate. There are no age, background, or race requirements. The only necessity is the strength to prevail against the odds." As she spoke, Haruto noticed a mix of pride and admiration in her voice. He remembered she had said his dad was a Warlord. Had he really gone through such a process?
"It's also the only selection that doesn't occur annually. In fact, they only conduct the process once every four years. Some train for years before attempting because the challenges change each time. There's no specific way to prepare—you can only trust in your own strength. This is why even children participate. Becoming a Warlord grants you and your family a status higher than that of nobles. Many families invest heavily in their children, hoping to alter their fate."
Haruto, familiar with martial arts and sports competitions, had never heard of a contest so intense that even children participated. "Wait, children? What's the youngest age of a participant?"
His mother pondered for a moment. "I believe your father mentioned a ten-year-old participated in the last one."
"Ten?!" Haruto nearly spit out his drink.
"Yes, even children can be little monsters," she chuckled.
After dinner, Haruto sat on his bed, opening and closing his fist, attempting to draw upon the wind power he had harnessed earlier. He realized summoning even a gentle breeze required substantial effort. Once exhausted, he lay back, staring at the ceiling.
'The Initiation happens once every four years. If I want to gather information quickly, it seems like the most viable option. But it sounds intense.' He mulled it over, then decided: he would enter this year's selection process. As much as he wanted to stay and enjoy life with his parents, if this world was truly in danger from unknown forces, inaction wasn't an option. Nor did he want to find out the consequences of defying the gods.
The next morning, Haruto woke early, driven by the need to master his newfound powers. He returned to the spot where he had fought the bandits, trying to recreate the circumstances that triggered his magical response. The bodies were gone, likely claimed by the forest's wildlife given their wounded state. He carefully replayed the events, but when it came time to unleash his powers, he ran into the same issue. 'What am I missing?'
Then it clicked. He hadn't summoned the wind; he had grabbed it! It had felt like a tangible substance in his hands. He recalled the description of the stone after he absorbed it:
[Pure Elemental Magic | Grade: Legendary | Type: Growth]
Growth? Could he eventually manipulate any element? If he couldn't summon the wind but could use what naturally occurred... the more he thought about it, the more he realized why it was categorized as legendary.
'If I am correct that I can use any element that exists... and everything in the world is mostly made up of elements in one way or another...' The potential was dizzying.
This power... was virtually limitless.