Inside his mindscape, Leon smiled as he examined the contents of the book he had been reading. The information here was not only vast but also exhilarating.
This world was filled with various types of energies, from arcane energy used by witches to spiritual energy harnessed by sorcerers, but the most abundant was mana. Mana was a versatile energy source that could serve as a substitute for other types of energy, making it incredibly valuable.
—Boom!!!
Leon closed the book, and his spiritual body returned to reality.
"Let's give it a try." He settled into a lotus position, closed his eyes, and concentrated.
"Badur's Gate."
Suddenly, a significant amount of mana began to gather around Leon. In his previous life, he had transitioned from being a scholar to a powerful figure, and it was during this journey that he discovered the concept of negative energy. Now, he was attempting to summon Badur's Gate, a potent skill from his past.
"Wang!" An eerie iron gate materialized behind Leon, exuding a dark and ominous aura. It seemed to corrupt the very ground beneath it, giving off an unsettling feeling. Whatever lay beyond this gate appeared to be something malevolent, and the phenomenon was bizarre.
However, the gate's existence was short-lived, and it soon faded from reality.
"Heh," Leon exhaled heavily, realizing that he wasn't yet strong enough to fully summon or open Badur's Gate.
"At least it's possible." A grin of excitement appeared on his face. Badur's Gate was a skill of great importance from his past life, and he had hoped to be able to use it in this world. But he understood that he needed time to grow and develop his abilities.
"One step at a time," he mused, closing his eyes once again. He needed to heal his malnourished body and immerse himself in mana. Luckily, the primogenitor had left him with a spell for just this purpose.
[Ding... the host has activated the heal spell... processing spell circle.)
The system sent the instructions for the heal spell into Leon's mind, and not long after a magic circle materialized beneath him.
Even though he wasn't physically injured, the spell was working to rejuvenate his body, restoring vitality and repairing the effects of malnutrition.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
A day later
"Yeah, bring that one over," Leon's father directed while holding a hammer. Before him stood several carriages lined up in a row, he was working on the World-Traversing Serpent.
"Okay," Leon reached for a stack of plywood and lifted it effortlessly. He had spent time healing himself with the spell from the primogenitor, and the results were evident in his newfound strength.
His father couldn't believe the transformation he had witnessed in his son. He was genuinely thrilled about it. But two other individuals nearby held a very different sentiment.
They watched Leon with a mixture of disdain and disgust.
"Don't worry, I'm almost done with this part. After that, I'll attend a meeting with the clan elders. You can head back home then," his father assured, addressing Leon, his wife Caroline, and their daughter.
"Hmp! Don't pretend to care, just go and let us do all the cleanup in the carriage," Caroline, Leon's stepmother, responded with disdain. She expected him to also clean after doing all this work. She felt so much more important than anyone else.
"He-he…." The old man didn't answer her, he only decided to finish his work and head out. And he did just that. "I'll be back late, get some sleep."
Before leaving, he advised Leon. Then he left.
"Finally," Phoebe, Leon's Stepsister said, annoyed. She moved toward their carriage, and Caroline followed.
"Ah," Leon muttered, shaking his head, he then proceeded to follow them. Both Caroline and Phoebe had been pampered by the old man, which led to them feeling entitled and scornful. This was one of the reasons they resented Leon; the old man sometimes prioritized Leon, as such he became a source of their frustration.
—Click.
The carriage door opened, and Leon entered. Inside, Caroline and her daughter sat side by side, occupied with painting their nails. They hardly noticed Leon's arrival as he entered and took a seat in a corner. There he entered a meditative state, the most critical task for him at the moment was strengthening his physical body, and he had to do so fast.
"Hey!"
However, his meditation was interrupted by an obnoxious voice forcing him to Slowly open his eyes and located the source of the voice. It was Phoebe, his stepsister, who bore the appearance of a stereotypical high-school cheerleader bully. Her attire matched her demeanor.
"Mother said you need to stop being lazy and take out the waste bucket," Phoebe voiced then obnoxiously placed a bucket full of waste in front of Leon.
They had to shit in the carriage bucket as the stepmother and phoebe refused to it do just openly in the forest, but they also didn't want to throw them away. So his father had always done it. Today, with the father absent, they expected Leon to take on the task.
"Hm? That's your waste. Why don't you take it out?" Leon looked genuinely confused.
Shaking her head, Phoebe dangled her finger close to Leon's face as she spoke. "That's none of your business. You have to do it because Mom said so."
"Oh? What if I refuse?" Leon responded coldly.
"In that case... I'll tell Mom, and she'll punish you!" Phoebe declared defiantly, raising her voice to make it sound as though she was the one being wronged. Her actions attracted Caroline's attention, as she had been pretending to be absorbed in her thoughts.
(You think you can say no? Mom will force you to do it you freaking loser)
Phoebe thought in her mind
"What's going on?" Caroline inquired with a condescending tone, turning toward the commotion.
"Leon said he won't take out the waste bucket." Phoebe stomped her foot, speaking as though she were a victim of bullying.
"Is that true, Leon? I can't believe this... after all the sacrifices we made while you were unconscious? You can't even perform such a simple task?" Caroline asked, seemingly disappointed. They were insinuating that they had taken care of Leon while he was in his comatose state. Which was a blatant lie.
In reality, Leon had been continuously bullied by them when he was in a coma. They had humiliated him, believing him to be brain-dead. Now they were pretending as if they had taken care of him, which was far from the truth.
With a nonchalant expression, Leon stood up and headed for the carriage's door, opened it, and stepped outside.
"Hu," he exhaled, feeling exasperated. Afterward, he used both hands to pull himself onto the top of the carriage. There, he assumed a lotus position and continued his meditation.
He had no time for their nonsense.