Glass is a material of beauty, one that ancient humans greatly admired for its aesthetic and properties. However, it is as perilous as it is stunning. Without careful handling, glass can cause serious injury or even be fatal.
Johnathan woke up from his sleep at 5:30 in the morning. It had been 3 months since he had regained the memories of his previous life. Since then, he has increased the intensity of his already exhaustive training to get into university.
His ability to control glass was a strange one, but it had simple properties. It was no different from simple muscle training, in the sense that the more it was used to its extremes, the stronger it'd get after recovery. But that also meant that it required adequate food, just like muscles.
This was a problem for the old Johnathan. Food for his ability, mana stones, was something he couldn't get his hands on easily. Training his ability to its absolute limits included him making and destroying increasingly complex and intricate shapes using heavier and heavier glass. But it all amounted to nothing if he couldn't get enough mana for his ability to recover properly.
This had to change as it had now started to seriously affect the efficiency of his training. Natural mana was "good enough" until now, but now that he has surpassed a specific threshold, he needs better nourishment.
He still couldn't control glass without direct contact yet, so he needed to work harder.
So, all of these necessities birthed a plan.
"Tonight... I go into the woods...", he muttered.
But, before he could think anything else, the loud yelling of his always-drunk father disrupted his focus.
He was so used to this, he didn't even flinch or make an annoyed expression. He simply got up from his bed and started getting freshened up.
He would relax today and conserve his strength, as he had planned to go into the woods to hunt in the night, for mana stones.
Even though he had the body of a 15-year-old boy, his eyes reflected decades of pain and the maturity that comes with it.
He had no shower in his shabby home, and the only basin that had water flowing was tainted beyond use by the vomit and filth of his drunkard father, so he had no choice but to not freshen up after getting up from sleep and go outside for fresh air.
... Well, as fresh as it gets. Living in the slums will make even fresh air seem like a rare commodity.
It was still 6 o'clock in the morning and the temperature was cold enough to cast some fog over the streets.
No one went out of their house so early in the morning around these parts of town, so he was free to walk around silently.
Despite being a peasant and a filthy poor person, Johnathan had a handsome face. Maybe courtesy of his whore mother, but he likes to think that it's because of the difficult training he puts himself through every day.
With a lean and athletic body, he had lots of stamina and agility as well. He had to have a quick body in order to lessen the pain of the blows he regularly received from his father.
With an expressionless face and a determined stride, he walked on towards the nearest tavern he knew of.
"Those places are full of broken glass I can use...", he justified.
He usually restocks his glass supplies for practice whenever he decides to take a break from training on rest days. Using old glass over and over again gets kind of repetitive and boring. Even though in reality, all the glass he uses for training is identical, he still thinks that changing the glass is a good idea from time to time. It wasn't as if he had anything better to do anyway.
Today was no different. That is until he reached the tavern. The place which is usually completely empty at this time of the day, had people around it.
"Mercenaries and adventurers... what's going on...", he mused as he silently slipped into a hood he had and observed.
From the distance, he could hear the chitter-chatter of the men.
"No way that's real, right...?"
"Really? Something like that was spotted near here?"
"Fuck... I'm gonna stay in my house for the next week..."
The people sounded concerned.
After a bit more observation, the reason for it became very clear.
"An orc tribe has been spotted nearby in the forest. Beware of orcs.", said a big warning sign on the tavern wall.
This was bad news for Johnathan. Orcs were powerful monsters who hunted in groups. They had a strong sense of smell and communication with their fellow orcs, making them difficult to get via stealth alone.
And an entire Orc tribe? That's terrible enough news for even nobles to worry about. Although, they never will in this case, as the town Johnathan lives in is pretty much worthless anyway.
But Johnathan couldn't delay his training. One day missed from his routines, and it'd snowball into a massive chunk of loss of progress, which was the last thing he wanted.
"I need those mana stones...", he muttered.
Problems require solutions, and oftentimes, those solutions yield unexpected opportunities.
Johnathan needed a plan and a good one at that. Fortunately for him, he was smart.
And so, night eventually fell. Johnathan managed to dodge his father's abuse once more. It had become second nature for him to dodge lacklustre attacks filled with malice by now. Something that was nothing to be proud of, but still invigorated a small sense of victory within Johnathan.
After making sure his father had fallen asleep, he put on his father's old leather boots and a jacket. He had gotten quite tall and big by now, so they all fit him perfectly.
His father rarely even uses his old gear anymore, so damaging it won't make any difference at all.
As long as his glassware was fine... his father was manageable...
After gearing up, he got ready to leave. Preparing a bag full of glass that he had transformed into a big blob, he left the house towards the woods.
The woods were usually quite silent most of the time. But contrary to what one might think from that silence, the woods were anything but empty. It was full of monsters and rumours had it that there was a dungeon somewhere in the woods too. No one knew for sure though, as no one dared to venture too deep into it.
However, the news of the Orc tribe sighting was troubling Johnathan. Despite having a solid plan should he encounter the orcs, he remained fearful of them. And understandably so; orcs were notorious for their brutality and lack of mercy, known to crush the skulls of those they considered enemies, without regard for age or gender.
Regardless, Johnathan continued his stride towards the forest without any hesitation. Fear was a natural feeling to feel at this stage. If anything, Johnathan was glad he was feeling something other than disappointment.
The slums were completely empty at this time of the day. Occasional sounds of people from within their houses could be heard. Sometimes even the moans of whores could be picked up by a keen ear.
Jonathan swiftly emerged from the slums into the open grounds. The moon showered the earth with a gentle yet vivid bluish-white glow. The forest's treeline appeared foreboding and unwelcoming. Yet, Jonathan found immense satisfaction in the profound silence that surrounded him.
Years of constant verbal abuse, the filthy sounds of the illiterate junkies, the sound of dogs barking nonstop... it was all gone, just for a moment.
"I should do this more often...", Johnathan mused as he kept on walking towards the treeline.
After a dozen minutes or so, he reached the forest. Before he knew it, he was surrounded by massive and overbearing trees, blocking the moonlight and casting an incredible spectacle of light and shadow. The moon looked like a shattered mirror from beneath the trees, as Johnathan continued deeper.