"Push! Just a little more, Ma'am. Push as hard as you can. Take a deep breathe and push again."
"Ah!"
I can hear some faint voices outside this dark place. I've been here for maybe nine months. I'm not really sure since my body does everything automatically. This place does feel cramped and gooey, but also warm and comforting. Since I couldn't do anything inside this place, I practiced my dharma and my karma power. I did some mental training and it worked. I can feel that my soul is growing stronger each passing moment every time I trained. However, I seem to have reached my limit. My body, my vessel couldn't keep up with my soul. I can't wait to see what I can do with this power. Let's wait a little, shall we…
"That's it! I can see his head."
Ah, finally, a bright light. How long has it been?
I open my eyes little by little. I still can't see that well because my eyes are still adjusting to lights. Not long after, I can see the world again. Yes! This place is neither black nor red, but a world full of colors. This normal scenery alone managed to make me cry. You don't really miss something until you lost it. Yes, I do miss the world.
Hello, world!
"Congratulations, it is a handsome boy."
A doctor or maybe a nurse hold me tight and cuts my placenta. She smears my stomach with ointments or something. A woman with a nurse clothing picked me up and carry me. I can feel her soft bosom hitting my head. I take my time to observe my surrounding while she is carrying me. This place looks like a modern hospital room. I can see some complex medical machine around me. There is a doctor and a nurse in this room. The nurse carries me towards a woman lying weak on her bed.
I'm not sure whether I should feel sad or happy.
I mean, I got a "new" mom, but I'm pretty sure my "old" mom is still out there doing fine. Even so, I am grateful for she has born me to this new world. My new mom is beautiful. She has small eyes and a cute smile. I don't even know who she is, but I can feel her immense love for me. She has a long jet-black hair that looks messy. She looks so tired. I'm sorry for troubling you, Mom.
"Let me carry him, Miss."
"Of course, I will clean him first."
After cleaning me with a towel, she finally gave me to my mom. I can feel her warmth.
"Spenta Karma. You will inherit my name. Perhaps, in the future you will ask about your dad. Don't worry about him. He is happy in heaven, I'm sure. Now, it will be the two of us. You will be a good boy, right, Spenta?"
Of course, I will be a good boy.
I nod my head to her words.
I wonder what happened to Dad…
"Spenta, you already understand my words at this age? You must be a genius like me! Fufufu…"
I'm sure Mom just said that as a joke, but oh well.
"Maybe you can become a great magus as well!"
Of course, this world is not normal.
… Four years has passed since my birth. I already understand a lot of things about his world. This world is a modern world just like my previous world, but with magic. Also, a third of this planet is uninhabitable because of mana corruption. More than half of population perish due to the event called as The Purge 200 years ago. A meteor fell into the earth and spread mana corruption that can corrode even souls. The rest need not to be said. Many countries and kingdoms got destroyed and many souls perish in an instant.
Now, here I am, in a country called Oseania.
This country is a small country, surrounded by giants wall and mana shield. Sure, this country can be called a country administratively, but it's actually more of a big city. It is similar to Vatican from my previous life. Though, life is bustling here. You can see many people doing their activities without worrying much about monsters outside.
By the way, this world has magic. It is and awesome power to change reality by manipulating mana—the energy of creation or some sort. Those who can use magic are called magus. They are the protector and the destroyer of this world. In the end, magic is synonymous with war. Magic is the greatest weapon of humanity. It's no longer surprising that everyone wants to become a magus. Not only magus is a profitable profession, it is also a profession of high status, even beyond king or president. Most of them are also a magus though. After all, power is everything in this world as well. As long as you have power, you can gain the other easily.
Unfortunately, I suck at using magic spells.
I can still channel mana though.
Alright, you must be curious about the difference between them. It's simple, channeling mana is something every magus can do. The act of channeling mana is basically using raw mana to act as physical energy. Now, if you want to use magic spells, you need to be able to channel mana and understand the magic equations. How do I understand magic equations? Good question. I'm unable to understand even the very basic of magic equations. Mom said that understanding magic equations is like breathing, either you can or you can't.
This world truly is unfair.
My karma doesn't lead me to become a great magus.
Let's just practice sword shall we?
… Why do I need to practice weapon arts?
Monster.
There are monsters in this unforgiving world.
Six years passed by just like that.
I'm now ten years old.
The city is under monsters attack. They managed to breach the city's barrier and consume every souls they see. They care not about you nor me. It's as if they don't have any emotion. Just like a machine doing their task, monsters feed on souls based on their program. Every time they consume a soul, their power got even stronger. They are no different from human.
That beautiful city became hell in an instant.
Blood is flowing.
Pieces of bodies are everywhere.
I can hear shouts and cries from every place. I've prepared my sword to defend my family. Worst come to worst, I'll have to use my dharma.
"Spenta, let's run!" Urged my mom. She looks so terrified. Looking at my mom expression alone make me angry. I want to annihilate all these monster right at this moment.
"Don't worry, Mom. I will protect you…" I assured her.
She only smiled weakly.
"…"
Nothing bad should happen at the moment. She has a karma value of 10, even higher than our country general. I still don't understand about karma value, but the more the better is what I believe. Even if, just if, in the worst case something happens to her, I will not hesitate to trade my own life for her.
"Gu…!"
A monster, a jet black slime akin to a human suddenly appeared behind me. It tries to touch me…
"Spenta!"
Slash!
My response is to slash it with my mana coated sword. It splits into two and vanish, becoming pure mana. Monster is a life corrupted by corrupt mana. Every life can be corrupted. From the smallest of life such as cell to the biggest of life such as human or animal. Most of them turned into slime because their body and souls are unable to resist mana corruption. Some become an even greater being with great power at the cost of their sanity. Normal human won't be able to resist the corruption. Only magus has the chance to do so because of our mana shield.
"I told you. I will protect you, Mom."
"Come here…"
I'm sure she is still in shock. Instead of being happy, she cried and hugs me. "It's okay, Mom. I'm the strongest after all!"
"Of course. Of course you are…"
Suddenly—
There is an earthquake. The ground is shaking so hard we barely able to stand. If it wasn't for me, my mom would've fallen to the ground. I grabbed her arm and pulled her towards myself. After four seconds or so, the ground stops shaking. I can feel it. Something terrifying is about to come.
Boom!
From below the ground, a huge monster emerges. That monster is a fat giant human-like being. When I said human-like, I simply mean his body structure. He has two giant arms, two giant legs, and a head that resembles a human, but more terrifying. His head has four giant fangs and one eye akin to a cyclops. He carries a giant battle-axe coated in jet black flames. Actually, some of his body parts are covered in jet black flames. Without seeing his combat prowess, one should be able to feel that you shouldn't mess with whatever that giant being is.
"Grr…"
He growl and…
Boom!
A black energy beam came out of his eyes and destroy anything in his sight. It happened so fast that I couldn't see it. What I see is the aftermath. A quarter of the city where I grew up got destroyed just like that. No, that place wasn't destroyed, but erased from existence.
I feel terrified.
This beast must be the corrupted beast people have been talking about. Mana corruption can transform even the greatest into a mindless evil beast. As long as a being has soul, mana corruption can corrupt it. Some turned into the weak slimy shadow I fought earlier, while others turned into a more powerful being. I've heard legend that one of them turned into a dragon that erased a star system. He was never heard after that incident.
How come a being like this exists?
I'm not strong enough!
I need to be stronger to protect everyone. Cliché, I know, but many people will feel the same in this situation.
"Karma value of 20…"
"Spenta! Let's go!"
If I fight right now, can I win?
No—
I will win!
"Mom, take this talisman. It will protect you."
"Huh, what are you—Spenta!"
"I'm sorry, Mom."
I run away from that safe place towards that beast. If I don't fight now, then when? There are many strong people in this world. Should I run away every time I encounter someone stronger than me? No! I will fight with the intention to win. I may suck at magic and I'm not that smart either, but I still have a tool in my possession. Until I exhaust everything, I will not give up.
With that strong desire, I channel my mana to run even faster. That cyclops is stationary after using that attack. This is a chance that can not be missed. Some protector knights have the same thought as me. They launch their attack toward that beast. One of them, a mage, is using magic missiles toward that beast's eye. She launches thousands of magic missiles in an instant. I can't keep up with her magic equation. Each one of that magic missiles hit their target accurately. Many explosions of pure mana happens directly at cyclops eye. That explosions manage to push him down into the ground, destroying several houses. I'm the only person near cyclops. I jump into his smoked head with the help of mana and push down my sword inside his eye without hesitation.
Bang!
"Hahaha…"
I can't help but laugh at my own weakness.
My sword can't pierce his eye and broke into pieces instead. I kind of forgot that one won't be able to pierce a stronger mana without special means.
Obviously, his mana is greater than mine.
Dark!
His pupil is covered in a black light.
A bright red thread envelopes my whole being.
For a moment, everything went dark. Next, I am falling into the pavement from the place where I stood before. That corrupted beast is gone. I fell and went unconscious.
Ten years later—