During the party, Rain didn't waste his time just eating and enjoying the music. He carefully observed his surroundings, watching what was edible and what wasn't, analyzing the behavior and features of the elves around him. He noted their personalities and the way they interacted with one another, paying close attention to their speech patterns and subtle details.
After an hour of observation, Rain realized a few key things:
Elves appeared nearly perfect. Their bodies and faces were almost identical, as if they were all part of one large family. Still, he refrained from jumping to conclusions.
All the elves in the village were extraordinarily kind to their own kind. This warmth radiated in the way they told their stories, often laughing and sharing heartfelt moments.
The elves grew stronger at half the speed of humans, but because they had a lifespan 10 times longer, they had plenty of time to catch up in strength.
Every elf in the village was a wind mage. Their magic was deeply tied to the wind element, making them formidable users of wind-based spells.
Mages who specialized in a single element could only cast spells from other elements three circles below their main class. For example, a four-circled wind mage could only cast first-circle spells of other elements.
There were many spells below the first circle, categorized as general magic. These included basic spells like water ball, spark, and light, which cost little to no mana and could be cast with ease.
Rain's mind raced as he processed this information. 'Elves are too kind and too hostile toward demons. They might not like the idea of stopping the heroes' forces from killing the Demon Overlord,' he thought.
As he wrapped up the night, Rain began making his way back to Elsa's mom's treehouse, saying goodbye to the elves around him. He used his new role as Hero-Sama as an excuse to leave early. "I have duties to fulfill as a hero," he said, smiling politely.
Rain vowed to himself that once he became a second-circled sorcerer or reached the foundation-building stage as a martial artist, he would set off on a journey to find more opportunities to grow stronger.
However, just as he was about to head back, a deafening explosion echoed in the distance. Moments later, a bright red light flared up from the same direction.
The elf chief shouted, "We're under attack! Prepare for battle!" His voice rang out as he rang an emergency bell, signaling all the elves to prepare for combat.
'What?! I haven't even gotten the chance to enjoy my first day in this world?!' Rain cursed, racing toward the sound of the explosion. But before he could get far, he was suddenly scooped off his feet.
"What?! Who's carrying me?!" Rain exclaimed, struggling to break free.
"Calm down, Rain. It's Bren, my uncle. I asked him to take you to a safe place," said a familiar voice.
Rain's heart settled. "Elsa," he murmured, relieved that she was finally with him again. "But I want to get stronger! Let me fight!" he protested, squirming in Bren's arms.
"No, Rain. You can't get stronger in a single battle," Elsa explained patiently. "Plus, we saw a red flare. That means the enemy is attacking us with full force. I can't let you die this early."
Reluctantly, Rain realized she was right. 'F**k, the status window doesn't even have a level indicator. Does this mean killing enemies won't make me stronger? I almost ran into battle thinking I'd level up from the experience points I'd get from each kill,' he thought, cursing his assumptions.
After several minutes, they arrived at a hidden area surrounded by trees inscribed with intricate runes. Inside, Rain saw elderly elves and children, huddled together, safe from the battle.
'What is this? A formation?' he wondered, recognizing the magical energy embedded in the runes around them.
Suddenly, the sky darkened as thick clouds enveloped the heavens. Rain began to pour, and thunder roared across the sky. The elves inside the formation were momentarily distracted, and Rain saw his chance. Using his Body Reconstruction ability, he slipped free from Bren's grasp. Before anyone noticed, he altered his appearance, changing his clothes to resemble those of the female elves. He shifted his body into that of a female elf, with brown hair and golden eyes.
But Rain ignored her, slipping further away from the shelter and heading toward the battlefield. Running with his new female body, however, proved more difficult than expected. 'Ugh, why do these breasts bounce so much?! It's like a bundle of nerves is getting distressed with every step!' he grumbled internally.
Realizing that hopping slightly while running helped minimize the bouncing, Rain picked up his pace. Soon, he found himself near the outskirts of the battlefield, perched on a high tree branch to observe the action.
What he saw surprised him. The elves were under attack by goblins—but not just any goblins. They came in all shapes and sizes, their skin ranging from green to brown, indicating they belonged to a powerful goblin tribe.
Rain recognized them as mutants, larger and stronger than the average goblin. Despite their numbers, the elves held the advantage by remaining in the trees and casting spells from above.
Despite their numbers, the elves held the advantage, safely perched in trees, raining arrows and magic down on their attackers.
Rain watched closely, noting the tactics in play. The goblins' mages launched fireballs toward the elves, but the wind mages effortlessly deflected them. The fireballs popped like soap bubbles when they collided with the wind magic, the mana inside them scattering.
'This is the perfect chance to get stronger,' Rain thought, feeling the dense magical energy filling the air. Climbing higher into the tree, he sat in a lotus position and began gathering the energy inside him, drawing in both mana and qi.
The mana flowed into his heart, while the qi gathered in his dantian. 'Wait, why is there qi here?' he mused. 'I thought this world was only full of mana?'
Now Rain understood why the elves grew stronger so slowly. Their bodies were so pure that the mana they gathered was distributed throughout their entire system, rather than just stored in their heart or core. To address this, Rain decided to focus on qi instead of mana. Although qi was considered insignificant in this world, he knew that it had its advantages.
The use of qi wasn't widespread because, unlike mana, it couldn't be used to cast spells. Many considered it a weak energy source since it only strengthened the body, and most found it inefficient compared to spells that could directly enhance their physical abilities. As a result, only a few people even noticed qi, let alone cultivated it.
Suddenly, a soft ding! rang out:
[ ● Martial Power: 52 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 - Qi Refinement Realm, 5th Stage ]
Rain grinned as he felt his dantian expand. Another ding! followed:
[ ● Martial Power: 60 - Qi Refinement Realm, 6th Stage ]
"Hey! Don't just sit there! Help us kill these goblins!" an elf shouted from below.
Rain nodded, pulling himself from his trance. He grabbed a handful of leaves from the nearby branch and, with a burst of sorcery, hardened them and infused them with qi. Flinging them with precision, the leaves sliced through the air toward the goblins.
Swish! Slash! Several goblins were cut down in an instant. Some died immediately, while others lost limbs or suffered minor wounds. Rain continued attacking, focusing on his breathing to gather both mana and qi as he fought.
Another ding! echoed in his mind:
[ ● Martial Power: 70 - Qi Refinement Realm, 7th Stage ]
Rain smiled to himself. This was only the beginning.