The sun's rays barely pierced the curtains when Kito opened his eyes, his heart pounding with excitement. He leapt straight out of bed, full of energy. The long-awaited day had finally arrived: he was going to embark on his ambitious project, which would require several months of hard work. He wanted to start as soon as possible! He was also curious to test the changes to his body after increasing his stats and, above all, unlocking his magical affinity with the earth element.
In high spirits, he hurried to the living room where his parents were. "Good morning, Mom! Good morning, Dad!" Kito exclaimed, smiling.
His parents looked up at him, surprised by his morning enthusiasm.
"Well, someone seems to be in a good mood today," his mother commented with a smile. "Of course, I can't wait to go back outside!" Kito said, excited.
His father looked at him proudly. "Ah, I'm glad to have such an adventurous son!"
His mother, on the other hand, adopted a more worried tone: "If he's as reckless as you, I'm not sure I'll be very happy. Be careful, Kito. Don't forget the dangers that exist outside."
"Don't worry, Mom. I'll be careful and stay close to the house," Kito promised before leaving the house, determined to make the most of this new day.
Quickly, he decided to head towards the forest. When he arrived in front of it, his decision was made; he was going to explore it! "Sorry, Mom, sorry, Dad, but I promise I'll be careful!" he thought.
Cautiously, Kito ventured into the forest, gradually captivated by its mysterious atmosphere. The trees were immense, taller than one another, and the ambiance was strange. A mix of fear, mystery, and enigma that would scare any child. But Kito wasn't just any child. For this first excursion, he didn't want to go too far but rather discover and get used to this new environment. Although he was disobeying his parents, he wasn't reckless.
At a bend in the path, he spotted several small wild creatures, resembling rabbits, weasels, and moles. Each had unique features: for example, the rabbits had long, sharp teeth, similar to those of saber-toothed tigers. Suddenly, these animals seemed much less harmless. Kito decided to continue his exploration.
Kito's project was simple in appearance but held many challenges: to build an underground shelter that would serve as his secret hideout. He hoped to practice various disciplines in secret and perfect his different skills. The location of this shelter had to be carefully chosen, near the forest to avoid encounters with dangerous creatures but far enough away from the entrance not to be easily spotted.
After an entire day of searching, Kito found the ideal spot. Surrounded by trees and lush vegetation, the site seemed perfect for his project. He decided to use his newly acquired skill to begin digging. Focusing intensely, he visualized the earth digging itself, and little by little, the ground sunk. With his mana still very weak, he alternated between using his earth magic and digging with his hands. Day after day, he persevered, progressing slowly but surely, until an unexpected event occurred. Until now, Kito had only dug vertically, but suddenly, a massive chasm appeared beneath the tunnel he had started.
Intrigued by this discovery, Kito wondered what it could be. Was it the result of his magic or had he found something? Excitement grew within him, and he decided to investigate this new find.
Cautiously, Kito descended into the chasm, using his earth magic to create temporary steps. Once at the bottom, he realized he was in a vast underground cavern. The walls were adorned with luminescent crystals that emitted a soft bluish glow. Amazed, Kito understood that he had discovered a secret and mysterious place, perfect for his hideout.
Driven by curiosity, he decided to explore the cavern further. As he progressed, he noticed drawings and symbols carved into the walls. Some depicted animals, others plants, and still others suggested magical elements. Kito began to understand that he may have discovered a place imbued with magic, a location that could aid him in his learning. For now, his primary goal was to make this place his own.
With his manipulation (Earth) skill, he arranged the cavern by creating different rooms: a space for sleeping, another for training, and a third for studying. He also carved shelves into the walls, which looked more like large holes, to store the books he would borrow from his parents. This took him several weeks. Although he wasn't creating anything new, the cavern was made of stone, and manipulating stone required more mana than manipulating earth.
Kito worked hard every day to set up his hideout, but he also made sure to return home each evening so as not to worry his parents. Over time, as he shaped the cavern to his liking, a notification appeared:
"Congratulations! The Manipulation (Earth) skill has reached rank D."
Kito was delighted to receive this notification. Up until then, his ability to manipulate earth and stone was severely limited. In addition to the high mana usage and mental fatigue, he could only roughly modify the environment without any precision. Moreover, he could only manipulate earth and stone, with other elements being inaccessible to him. His first reflex was to test the improvement of his skill on a sample of earth. Focusing intensely, he tried to create a simple object, a vase. After several attempts, the result was very satisfying. He had succeeded in shaping a vase! Although it looked more like a rudimentary container, it was already a significant step forward.
Once the arrangement of the vast cavern was complete, several distinct rooms were now visible. The first, located in the center, was a large empty room, which would later be furnished with sofas, tables, and chairs. The second, even more spacious, would be dedicated to his physical training and combat. The third, more modest, would serve as a study room. The crystals provided constant lighting in the various rooms.
After completing the arrangement of the vast cavern, several distinct rooms were now visible. The first, located in the center, was a large empty room, which would later be furnished with sofas, tables, and chairs. The second, even more spacious, would be dedicated to physical training and combat. The third, more modest, would serve as a study room. The crystals provided constant lighting in the different rooms.
Up until now, his attention had been focused on shaping the walls to create separate rooms. With the significant mental and Mana demand this required, he had not paid attention to the cavern's environment itself or what it might contain. Kito then set out to explore each room carefully, and suddenly, a faint reflection caught his eye, highlighted by the light of the crystals. He discovered an unknown ring, lying on the ground.