I waited until nightfall, ensuring the cloak of darkness would shield me from any interruptions. I only awoke Mona when her assistance was absolutely necessary. Over time, she ceased her routine checks on me, perhaps trusting in my ability to manage on my own after the initial few weeks. Status.
Name: Damiano (Callahan O'Shea)
Title: None
Race: Human
Age: 0
Class: Choose one
Level: 0
Exp: 60/∞
HP: 20/20
MP: 1/1
SP: 4/4
Strength: 0
Agility: 1
Fortitude: 4
Intelligence: 0
Wisdom: 0
Charisma: 3 (+47)
Unspent points: 0
Status: Alive. Awake.
I quickly pressed on the "Choose one" option, and the familiar screen appeared before me:
Warrior - Fights with weapons. Primary stat: Strength or Agility.
Magician - Fights with magic. Primary stat: Intelligence.
Cleric - Fights with magic. Primary stat: Wisdom. (unavailable due to belief)
I reconsidered the options, feeling a twinge of uncertainty. As I dwelled on it, my head began to ache, urging me to stop overthinking. I decided to go with my gut and selected the Magician option.
Here goes nothing!
To my relief, I was prompted to confirm, which clarified a question I had about the system.
Are you sure you choose Magician?
Yes No
I winced and squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself for what was to come. With a determined breath, I pressed firmly on 'Yes.' Instantly, a searing pain tore through my head, as if it were splitting open like the nose of a missile, a sharp, intense sensation that seemed to pierce through my very being.
Unable to contain it, a cry escaped my lips, echoing through the quiet corridors of the manor, a stark contrast to the peaceful night that enveloped us.
The sound of hurried footsteps approached the nursery. In a matter of moments, Duke Calo, clad in his nightclothes and wielding a longsword, burst into the room, followed closely by Duchess Calo, her hands aglow with crackling energy, ready for whatever danger lay ahead.
Their arrival was quickly supplemented by Duke Calo's personal guards, fully armored and armed, their vigilant eyes scanning the room for any threat.
"Scan every corner of this room," Calo commanded one of the guards. He then pointed at three others. "You stand at the door. Others, check the whole mansion for intruders!"
His orders were delivered with strength and speed, revealing his concern for me yet maintaining a rational and calculated demeanor. I knew Calo was capable, but the thought of being in his position made me shudder.
As the guards dispersed to carry out their tasks, Calo turned to Mona. "Examine him," he ordered.
After Mona examined me and confirmed my well-being, they all returned to their quarters, the tension of the moment dissipating as quickly as it had arisen.
As they departed, Duchess reminded her husband of his imminent journey accompanying the messenger to Nestad County in the morning, a duty that awaited him with the rising sun.
Now alone, I could delve deeper into the changes that had occurred. With each passing minute, a peculiar sensation enveloped me, akin to developing an additional sense.
It was as if I could extend my awareness, spreading out like a fluid to encompass a range of a few feet around me. This new perception seemed to fill the space with a thick, soupy substance, the density of which intensified near the nearest flame.
As I concentrated on the flame, a sudden realization struck me—it was imbued with magic. This newfound knowledge was a strange and intriguing sensation, as if I inherently understood the essence of the flame without ever having learned about it. I also became aware of this ethereal "soup" that seemed to permeate the walls surrounding me.
After getting used to these new sensations, I refocused on the system notifications that had flooded in. I began sorting through them to understand the changes that had occurred.
Congratulations! Your class is now Magician!
As a result of your class selection, your minimum intelligence is set to 1. You've also been granted 9 unspent ability score points. Choose wisely!
As a result of your class selection, you've unlocked skills! Say or think 'skills' to view your current skills list.
Skill Unlocked: Basic Mana Sense. Rank 1. You can roughly sense and manipulate mana out to a range of 5 feet. Effect diminishes nearing the end of the range.
Skill Unlocked: Magic Basics. Rank 1. You know the basics of manipulating mana into casting magic.
I swiftly opened the skills window to scrutinize these fresh abilities. Tapping once more on the "Magic Basics" skill, I experienced a flood of knowledge surging into my mind—a wealth of information that had not existed at the beginning of the day. It was a captivating yet overwhelming sensation, akin to trying to recall a memory without any cues.
Even with this newfound knowledge, recalling specific details proved to be a challenge. It felt more like having a comprehensive reference manual in my mind rather than a straightforward instructional guide. Mastering the intricacies of my new abilities would undoubtedly demand time and concerted effort.
For now, I focused on the mana soup around me. I felt if I concentrated hard enough, I could move the cloud of what felt like mist gently. I don't think they were actually discrete pieces of mana, rather that was just my perception. Like a cloud of powder suspended in the air with dense areas where there was magic, presumably.
It was also weird; my earlier discovery indicated the presence of magic in the walls. The entire manor must be enchanted with one or more spells. Contemplating my newfound ability to sense magic, I wondered if Mona or the others had noticed any change in me.
The Duchess's father had requested additional enchantments for the city walls. Similar enchantments must have been applied to his house.
My mind raced with possibilities of what spells could be cast on a house. Perhaps the ability to maintain a comfortable temperature at all times, especially considering the country's apparent instability. Maybe spells for increased strength, or even self-cleaning properties. I pondered the possibilities, feeling a deep hunger for more knowledge, reminiscent of the first night I arrived in this world.
I concentrated on the flame within my range, using my mana sense to delve deeper into its properties. It appeared to contain its own mana and was generating flame independently. Unlike other magical sources I had sensed, I couldn't detect mana flowing toward it to sustain the flame. It seemed to draw from a fixed power source rather than the surrounding mana.
Intrigued by this discovery, I wondered if I could absorb mana into myself. With intense focus, I found that I could gradually influence the mana around me.
Is that how spells are cast? I queried myself to access the manual and received a no. Hmm, let's try it anyway. Though, just a tiny bit. I'm still a baby after all.
I closed my eyes and focused intently, willing a handful of mana toward me. It sluggishly obeyed, flowing toward me like thick molasses. A flicker of doubt crossed my mind about my control, but I pushed it aside, concentrating on condensing the mana into a denser form.
As it condensed to the size of a pea, I held it before me, pondering the best way to absorb it. Deciding to swallow it like a pill, I guided it toward my mouth. The mana moved excruciatingly slowly, testing my patience, but I was resolute in my endeavor.
At last, it reached my lips, and I swallowed it with my eyes closed. As the mana dispersed throughout my body, my eyes shot wide open and a searing pain erupted within me. I clenched my teeth, suppressing any cries of pain, mindful of the Duke's need for rest before his appointment the following day.
Despite the agony, I knew I had to review the new list of notifications that awaited me.
Warning! By exceeding your maximum mana capacity, you have taken 5 damage!
You have absorbed 1 MP from the ambient mana! +1 MP capacity.
Whew! I'm glad I invested in fortitude early on. This was a perfect method to permanently increase my mana capacity. I knew I had to be cautious, but given that I was... born? Summoned? with only 1 fortitude and 5 HP, I was tougher than the average baby.
The discovery was exhilarating, and I was giddy with the possibilities. However, sleep was quickly winning its battle over me. As I drifted off, my dreams painted vivid scenes of the goatman head butler cradling a baby version of myself on the castle ramparts, firing eye beams into an attacking army.