I sat on the ledge of a building, gazing up at the cold night sky. Elisa was on the other end of the call, explaining the situation. "Then... You found some people with dark robes. They were performing some type of ritual with a circle that contained drawings you didn't understand. Suddenly, a large amount of red energy rose to the ceiling, and a person with gray hair appeared. You had to fight for your life and, as you said, 'very luckily,' you were able to 'win' and escape. The terrorists from the mission were already dead when you arrived..."
I nodded, and Elisa closed her eyes, massaging her forehead. "Rest for today. It seems I'll have more work to do. I'll send you the reward. Go and rest," she said, ending the call. I sighed and looked up at the sky.
"I think things are going to get interesting, huh?" I murmured to myself, gazing at the moon.
My bracelet vibrated, indicating that the reward had been transferred to my account—10,000 solars. Not bad.
"I should head home," I said to myself.
---
I sat in the training room, sweat dripping from my body. Three days had passed since the incident with Nazareth, and I had been practicing the "Crimson Meteor" skill. It allowed me to move at incredible speeds by jumping between magic circles, but it required a lot of concentration and practice.
"Thirst..." I muttered, leaning against the wall of the training room. I had to use a combination of skills and combos just to drive Nazareth away. I needed to get stronger. If he knew my current abilities, he would probably defeat me easily.
"Haa... What a hassle," I complained, scratching my hair in frustration. I needed to improve, and I also had to figure out how to use mana. Maybe I could fuse it with my demonic energy somehow.
I had asked Arthur for advice on mana control, but he was terrible at explaining. Thankfully, I had managed to understand a small part of it. Luckily, I had told him that I wanted to improve my skills, so he didn't know that I lacked mana.
I closed my eyes and inhaled slowly, trying to calm myself. Mana was like demonic energy, I thought. I needed to control it, slowly...
I felt as if fresh air entered my lungs. I am fifteen years old, and talented people my age should already know how to use mana. Nobles were usually trained from a young age.
I sighed and focused my energy on my stomach, imagining a small red ball of chaotic energy, like mad dogs fighting each other.
With my eyes closed, I saw only darkness. Well, of course, I had my eyes closed, I thought to myself. I should stop overthinking this.
Suddenly, countless small balls of light appeared in the darkness, like fireflies in the night. I had done it! I think...
"Haa..." I exhaled, reaching out to the mana in the air. The small balls of mana began to float towards me, attracted to my outstretched hand like bugs drawn to the light. A small blue ball entered me, and I felt as if I were taking a gentle shower. It was as if countless things were entering my body.
Suddenly, I noticed that all the mana balls in the air were leaving me, escaping at great speed. Oh no! you don't!!
I gritted my teeth and tried to pull them back, but they resisted like animals running for their lives. Don't fuck with me!
I infused my demonic energy with mana, and the mana seemed to rush towards me with fury. Come on!! FURTHER!!
Suddenly, I opened my eyes, and I couldn't help but cough up blood. Shit...
"Mana poisoning, yes, I'm an idiot... I forgot about that..." I muttered, wiping the blood from my mouth. I needed to get better at controlling mana, and I couldn't let anyone know that I lacked it. But... Elisa probably knew, and she wouldn't tell anyone, I hoped.
I sighed and looked up at the ceiling. I needed to improve.
I looked at the blood on my hand and infused it with demonic energy. The blood seemed to enter my palm, interesting...
I sat on the floor and decided to try again. I hoped I wouldn't screw up this time...
I closed my eyes and transferred a large amount of demonic energy to my stomach, testing to see if the Mana could spread throughout my body.
The lights in the air were still there, and I moved a little demonic energy to attract the Mana—the balls of light. The Mana slowly approached me, yes... come to daddy...
But the lights began to move away slowly. Come on!!
I gritted my teeth and used a little more demonic energy. The lights began to approach me faster, yes... faster!
Dozens of lights began to enter me, well... that's how it goes, baby!
Although suddenly, hundreds of lights began to enter me, and I felt the Mana rushing into my veins. Yes...
It was like a blue sea, entering my veins slowly, filling me...
But suddenly, I felt a pain in my chest. Damn... slower...
The pain began to subside quickly, and I sighed. I used the demonic energy to try to control the Mana, to make it obey me...
"Taboo..." a voice whispered, sending shivers down my spine.
Suddenly, I felt as if I were falling into a deep place, like I was drowning in the sea. I opened my eyes and saw, to my huge surprise, that everything was blue. I looked around and noticed that everything was like a bright blue sea. I looked at my body and saw that I still had my clothes on, but I felt like I was swimming in the sea.
Suddenly, I felt something pulling me downward, and I tried to move but was pulled quickly. I closed my eyes and felt as if I were crashing into a slightly hard floor.
"shit..." I murmured, moving my body a little. I opened my eyes and looked up at a starry sky. Where am I now!?
I got up and looked around. I was on a smooth, blue floor, and I saw floating platforms all around me. Underneath, there were huge blue crystals, which must have been what was keeping them afloat.
{You have entered the realm of elemental beings!}
I looked at the message on the screen and... Wait, elemental beings?
Fire, earth, wind, water...
Are those elements? I thought to myself. In games or some stories, monsters made of an element are called elementals, right?
"Interesting..." I felt a chill and looked behind me quickly. I saw a woman with fiery red hair, smiling at me with half-lidded eyes. She had clothes made of fire, literally. It was like she was wearing a dress made of crimson fire. She was curvaceous, with large breasts.
"Ah, hello?" I greeted her, a nervous smile on my lips. It was as if she were there and, at the same time, not.
Suddenly, other eyes turned to me, and I looked in one direction to see a little girl with long hair that looked like water, flowing down to the ground. She also wore a small blue dress that flowed like a river.
"H-hello!" The girl greeted me nervously, her eyes curious. I greeted her back, confusion clouding my mind. Water and fire...
"So this is the one who came in here, right? It's weird!" Another voice spoke behind me. I looked and saw a woman with green hair like a leaf and a green dress. Oh, she's flat. She smiled at me as she floated in the air. This place literally looked like space, with floating structures.
"Yes, it's strange..." I heard another voice, this time from below me. I looked down and saw two eyes on the ground, as if they had emerged from the blue floor.
I walked away from the four people and said, a nervous smile on my face, "Ah... Hello. Ah... Can I go back to my home?"
The crimson-haired woman looked at the others and said, "Hey, this idiot wants to leave. Should we let him go or not?"
The green-haired girl said, "I think it's obvious that we shouldn't. We should do what you know we should do, right?"
The crimson-haired girl crossed her arms and said, annoyed, "Yes, yes..."
The woman with crimson hair like fire approached me, her height reaching only to my neck. I stood at about 5 feet, 10 inches tall. She looked into my eyes and said, "You... You're not completely human, right?"
Oh shit... What do I do now!? Is this some kind of other realm or something?!
"Ah... No, of course not!" I said, meeting her gaze. She sighed and said, "Liar... You're half-human. The other half is...ohh..."
Damn...
She walked away, her shoulders sagging. "Okay, so... You want to use Mana, right?"
I sighed and conceded. "Yes, I want to use it..."
Suddenly, the green-haired woman appeared beside me, her movements so swift it seemed like she had teleported. "Well! We'll let you use it, but it won't be easy. You are very different. The last time someone came here, we had to guide them on a journey through the world or something similar."
The world?
"Hey! Don't tell this idiot that!" the crimson-haired woman exclaimed. This woman...
"Okay, okay," the green-haired woman continued, "We can allow you to use Mana, but it won't be simple. Mana is a part of us, so we need to grant you permission, do you understand?" She wore a playful smile. I nodded, my thoughts racing. Wait... Are they gods or something akin to that!?
"Okay! But it won't be easy," she emphasized, raising her arms dramatically. "Since you've entered a place where you shouldn't be, it's time for the tests!" With that, reality seemed to shift, and I found myself in a vast green forest.
The others girls had vanished, except for one—the one in green. She offered me a smile and said, "I am Sylphiete, the wind elemental. Welcome to my test!"
This seems like it's going to be complicated...
"So, I have to pass tests, right?" I said, forcing a smile. I didn't think it would be too challenging.
"Pim pom! Exactly, my test is simple! You just have to climb that!" She pointed in a direction. I followed her gaze and mumbled, "Hey... Isn't that a bit much?"
A towering mountain loomed in the distance, black clouds and a tornado swirling above it. a tornado in the sky!?
"I-I have to climb that...?" I said, my smile faltering.
"Yep! It's easy, and with your physical prowess, it shouldn't be impossible!" Sylphiete exclaimed, her arms raised high.
"Well... I guess I have no choice but to climb it," I said, my smile returning. I tensed my legs and sprinted forward like a rocket. I'll get this done quickly!
As I ran, I heard Sylphiete's voice beside me. "Hey! At least wait for me, okay?"
"I have to run!" I shouted, pushing my legs even harder. A deafening sonic boom echoed behind me, and I leaped into the air. My eyes fixed on the mountain in the distance. If I want to use Mana, I have to pass these elemental tests. It's annoying, but I'd better get it done, or I might face issues later on.
"Oh, right, there will be monsters, but I think they won't pose much of a challenge for you!" Sylphiete added as she flew alongside me. Great...
"Thanks..." I muttered, my voice laced with irritation.
"You're welcome!" Sylphiete replied, her smile unwavering.
I sighed and dashed into the forest, making my way toward the mountain that was now closer. Suddenly, a silver-furred wolf emerged from the foliage, charging toward me. I kicked it into the air, and it exploded like a balloon. I clicked my tongue and continued running. "Hey! You have to be kinder to animals!" Sylphiete chided as she flew beside me.
Ah, then let Peta come...
As she ran, she finally reached the mountain.
I sighed and said, "Well, time to start climbing..."
I balled my hands into fists and jumped, beginning my ascent. "Okay! I'll do this quickly. I want my Mana!"
---
{third person POV}
The three elementals looked up at Dante climbing the mountain. The fire elemental said, "He broke a Mana taboo..."
The water elemental said, "But... I don't think he's bad, right? He seems like a good person..."
The earth elemental, a woman with brown hair, sat on a massive pillar of earth that reached into the sky. Her body was covered in earth, almost entirely except for her head. She said, "Maybe he's not a bad person, but forcing the Mana to choose its bearer is a taboo. The Mana has to choose its bearer by itself... We will give him this opportunity. If he fails just one test..."
The fire elemental's hair erupted like flames, and her eyes sparkled with mischievous delight. "Isn't it obvious?" she cried, her wild smile stretching from ear to ear. "We'll kill him for breaking the taboo!"
The water elemental peeked out from behind the earth elemental, her voice carrying a hint of fear. "She's like that again..."
The earth elemental released a heavy sigh and turned her gaze toward Dante, who was tumbling down the mountain. "Well, I hope he doesn't die. It would be a bit disappointing. The last visitor we had was centuries ago..."