It was now winter; the days were still warm but bearable. The sun was a little less intense, casting long golden shadows over the dusty street. A ten-year-old boy strolled down the dusty, cobblestone streets of Greyhill, his fair skin glowing in the fading light of the sun.
He was dressed in a simple linen tunic, loosely belted at the waist, and breeches rolled up to his knees. Although he was a child, he carried the look of a mature person.
His sharp eyes took in the sights around him with curiosity. Every shop he saw had the product he had made—the soap, which put a smile on his face, making him look extremely charming. They had mass produced it earlier than planned because Orin derived ways to improve it faster and also because he needed more money.
He had initially believed his earnings would suffice, but he soon learned that pursuing science in this world came with hefty costs—whether for materials or specialized equipment.
Recently they had fallen into the scrutiny of a mysterious group of people, possibly martial artists, but because of Orin's discreet nature and Phil's meticulous planning, they were safe, and no one found out about Orin.
Those group of people had discovered the production house of the soap, which was in a very inconspicuous area of the town, but fortunately the saponification process was done in a separate warehouse, which only Phil and Orin were aware of, thus preventing the soap from being copied, as saponification was the most important part of making a soap.
"It has been 10 years since I reincarnated in this world." Orin sighed and reminisced his time here. He had become aware of his past lives and his current predicament before he turned one, and he could vividly remember most of the events that happened throughout his life here.
'Would I ever get a chance to peek into magic and the wonders of this world?' Orin questioned silently as he reached his home. He had been infatuated with the idea of wielding magic, but no matter what he read or researched, he had been unsuccessful in the pursuit.
Upon entering his house, he was greeted by the sight of his father and Phil discussing in the living room. They both noticed Orin, and his father gestured him to sit beside him. They were discussing the soap business and its revenue.
"Orin, you arrived just in time! We were discussing about our business and branching it out." Phil exclaimed happily. Their soap business was flourishing, and the money was flowing every day. He was getting richer every second, which made him extremely happy.
Orin had delegated his father to manage the business with Phil so that he could focus on studying, researching, and experimenting instead.
After listening to them talk and offering his insights in between the conversation, he excused himself and went to his laboratory, which was now filled with a myriad of apparatus, experimenting resources, and study materials.
He had bought many esoteric books from the black market in the hope of finding out a bit more about magic, but to no avail. Even those books were disappointing and a waste of money.
The school library had helped him understand the world better, but alas, it contained nothing about magic, which greatly disappointed him, so he dropped out of school since it didn't really serve his ambition.
Studying with small kids also bothered him quite a bit, especially the way Hannah stuck so close to him with a look of infatuation, which made him uncomfortable.
However, even though he couldn't practice magic, he could still learn martial arts. Although not as respected and arcane as magic, it was still a highly sought-after profession because of the beast that infested the forest. These beasts were categorized into two categories: one was a normal beast, and the next was a semi-magical beast who possessed strength far greater than a normal beast, and also some had divine abilities. Orin had heard that some of the beasts that lived near the walls could even speak human language.
Martial artists held high status in society because they hunted these beasts and were the only people who could contend with the beast except for the mages that rarely interfered unless a semi-magical beast were to be found.
They held very high positions in the military, and if you were to be a great martial artist with great contribution, you could essentially be awarded with a noble title with land grants. And with magic currently out of reach, Orin resolved to pursue martial arts instead.
There was only a single martial arts academy in the kingdom, which was in the capital city of Redmere. To get admitted, one had to be at least 12 years old and must pay a hefty downpayment of 10 thousand gold coins—a staggering sum. Though he possessed sufficient funds, he would have to wait two more years before making the journey.
"I have neglected my physical health for years; now is the time to refine my body." Orin muttered resolutely. He had told Phil about his plan to study martial arts, which he denied since he thought Orin already had a Mage as his teacher and learning martial arts would make him a jack of all trades and master of none. He could use his intellect to make new things and earn more money than become a martial artist.
However, Orin skillfully managed to convince Phil by bullshitting that it was all his master's plan and he shouldn't worry much. He had asked Phil to find him a suitable retired veteran martial artist, but till now, there was no news about it.
His town, Greyhill, rarely had any martial artists due to the presence of the mages. Because of the mages, only a few beasts infested the area, which made Greyhill one of the most peaceful towns in the whole kingdom. However, this peace also led to stagnation, which hindered the development of the town.
"100 pushups, 100 sit-ups, and 1 km run." Orin said to himself as he made a goal. He recalled a certain extremely powerful bald man who followed a similar regimen for strength and resolved to adhere to it until he found an instructor.