One skill that I picked up while living in darkness is how to calculate speed using the sound and the feeling of wind on my skin.
Though it is only a rough estimate.
After all, I haven't been blind for long enough to pick up such advanced skill.
'Am I on a convertible?'
It was a weird feeling, as if I am moving as fast as a speeding car, though I do not have many references; I can confidently say that this is no normal human speed.
"Are you awake, Raon?"
"Huh, ah yes, I am."
I remembered my last memory before falling asleep; it was a soft and comfortable feeling. Inadvertently, I blushed; I had laid my head on Ema's chest.
'Hah… It's fine; I don't have to make a big deal out of it.'
"Where are we going to, Mother?"
Aware that I'm no longer inside of Ema's embrace, that means Terrisa has decided to take me with her to her job. But why?
There are many possibilities, but without any concrete evidence, it is difficult to say for sure.
"We are going to meet… an acquaintance of mine. He's going to take care of you while I work."
"Huh?"
Isn't Emma enough? It was fine for a couple of years already; why the sudden change? I was starting to get comfortable around Ema too…
But an acquaintance… is she trying to introduce me to someone? In my case of born blindness, where there is no cure, finding a job is difficult, so maybe Terrisa is helping me out by introducing me to a master or something….
'But does she have that kind of connection? That's doubtful.'
Racking my brain to comprehend the sudden change, I forgot to mention the absurd speed I'm currently experiencing. But of course, for me the wind is more or less background noise.
In deep thought, I didn't manage to catch a subtle shift in attitude.
"…Raon!"
"Yes, mother?"
"Hold on."
"What!"
A sudden descent. My body manages to experience zero gravity for free, giving me some motion sickness. In times like these I am glad I lost my sight; else all of the food I eat this morning will be gone to waste.
Eventually, Terrisa stopped; it was abrupt, so my bowel almost gave out.
'Thank the Sun above. Thank God I have mana.'
Jumping out of Terrisa's hold, I stabilized myself on the ground.
"Are you okay, Raon?"
Her words are tender and caring. Her hand pats my back, subsiding my surging puke.
"I'm fine, Mother."
Where is this? This place feels damp; it has a rusty smell to it. No, there's another scent, and that's filth, a lot of it. This place is also closed off enough to create an echoing effect.
'This place should be the sewer or some back alley; it's hard to tell since I'm not exactly familiar with these scents.'
"Where are we, mother?"
"We are currently in the sewage system. It's the… the place where your poop goes… um…"
Terrisas struggled to come up with an apt description and ended up panicking.
At least now I know where we are, but why is she trying to meet her friends here? This doesn't seem like an appropriate place to have a meet-up.
'Is she really trying to get me to meet someone? I hope it's not a sewer worker…'
Terrisa fidgets, not sure how to break the truth out; after all, she would have to leave him here in the middle of nowhere essentially.
"Mother… who are we meeting here exactly…?"
"Ugh… The person who will be taking care of you is an old man; he is… a distant relative of mine."
"I see… but why here?"
"Well, I've taken a job here, and the old man said that he would pick you up while I am doing my job. So can you please stay here and wait? If he doesn't come, then you just need to wait for me, but if he did come, then follow his words."
"I see…"
'So, her current job is that of a sewer worker? Or sewer technician? I didn't know she had such a specialty.'
"Anyways, Raon, remember to stay put after I leave; don't wander anywhere, okay? That old man will be here as soon as possible. Don't try to follow me either; it could be dangerous. Remember all that?"
"Uh, yes, mother!"
Though I do not like the unpleasant smell of this place, it wasn't the worst; I suppose a few minutes is fine.
'Hopefully it doesn't exceed an hour.'
"Time is of the essence; I will have to hurry now. Be a good child and wait for me here, okay? I promise I will buy you some candy after I'm done."
"Ah, you don't need—
"I'll be back soon!"
Terrisa hurriedly departs, leaving my hearing range at an absurd speed.
'This world is truly terrifying; even an orphanage caretaker can be faster and stronger than the theoretical perfect human.'
'Praise Mana, I guess…'
There is a church dedicated to worshiping mana, but it is quite obscure. Dain and I only managed to find this information through some old historical records when we sneaked into the archive of the church's library.
Left inside a dark tunnel with barely any light, filled to the brim with a steam pipeline that could prove to be dangerous to unsuspecting children who like to play with the unknown.
'What kind of psycho wants to meet up at a sewer? Maybe that guy is senile.'
I was taught to respect the elderly, but this is too much even for me.
'Now what…'
With nothing to do, my thoughts begin to go wild.
I started to remind myself of every piece of knowledge I know about this world; I often do this to relieve my boredom somewhat, as there is no such thing as entertainment in this world.
'Except prostitution and alcoholic beverages, I suppose.'
There is one piece of information that I found intriguing outside the existence of mana. It's Rift.
A rift is an anomaly in space-time, spawning countless monsters, a source of great disaster. Bringing with it is Outsider, beings that don't belong natively to this world.
A Rift has two phases, the sealed phase and the break phase. In the sealed phase, monsters will endlessly generate inside the Rift, waiting to be overloaded and eventually reach the break phase. One way to stop this is to go inside the Rift and kill all of the monsters. As for the break phase, monsters will now be able to wander the outside realm, bringing catastrophe to the immediate vicinity.
'Is this even relevant? There shouldn't be a Rift in the sewer of a city anyways… I hope.'
Ragon is hailed as the capital of capital in the Ignis Empire, so the security here must be extremely high; any Rift that spawns will be instantly closed after detection.
So, thinking about this is just serving as food for my growing paranoia.
'Now that I think about it, it's quite inconvenient that Dain must read all the books that I want to read; I already miss Braille from Earth… Maybe I should recreate it. Though that wouldn't change anything.'
Trying to force compulsory Braille on book publishers is something that even modern Earth can't do, so this is a dead end.
'Looks like I have to rely on Dain for the rest of my life, hahah…'
With a self-deprecating laugh, I thought back to my previous life on Earth.
I was 37 when I died; it was a relatively young age for someone to meet their end. It wasn't because I had a terminal illness or cancer that I died… It was simply not worth living anymore.
My wife unfortunately passed away at 32. Five years pass after her death; in the spur of the moment, I decided to end it all, just to wake up in this world to live again.
Though still suffering from some form of depression, with a new family who care about me deeply, my desire to die lessens bit by bit; unknowingly, I am getting better step by step.
'Still, I would be good if I could have just died back then; now I can't even bring myself to end it all; imagining the kids faces when I died is too tragic for my heart.'
With that thought I stopped thinking; instead I decided to train a bit. It is a distraction for when my thoughts seemed to go down a dark route.
…
There is a lot to gain from losing one of the most important senses in your body after all. My sense through adaptation and specific trainings advised by professionals, I could now feel vibrations and hear at the smallest of sounds.
Due to passive mana enhancement, I should be able to hear frequencies that are impossible to hear for human ears.
My body was simply seated on the concrete sidewalk of the sewer. Unmoving like a statue. But my mind is working to surveil the area at maximum efficiency.
'Then… let's start collecting mana.'
Training my circuit shouldn't dampen my awareness; if anything, due to my focus, my senses will subsequently improve.
I rarely actively absorb ambient mana before; a part of me sees it as pointless, and the other thinks that it's best to wait for the right age to start doing it. Now I regret thinking that.
'Stellar being from distant past.
Governor of all phenomena.
The great controller of energy.
I bisect your allowance.
Guide mana toward the path I designated.'
I chanted the incantation of the Mana Breathing Method.
It was a particular chant, but I chalked it up to ancient human belief in the divine.
From my research—Dain's book—to absorb mana, first you need to 'generate a vacuum,' then 'create an attraction force,' 'condense mana on your skin,' and finally breathe in and out with your mouth.
Rinse and repeat.
At first, I thought this was nonsense, due to the fact that what the books described seemed impossible. But then, I realized creating a vacuum and attraction force is very easy; humans do it all the time but on a very microscopic scale.
Like when you breathe, you create a vacuum every time you inhale.
And all objects with mass have a gravitational field—an attractive force.
Though the only nonsensical part is that, to enhance your magnetism, you need to envision a celestial body. It could be anything as long as it counts as a celestial body.
Taking a deep breath, I recalled the starry sky of my hometown, then I pictured a starry night. By the second, I could feel something accumulate on my skin; it was soft and light at first, but slowly it turned heavier and heavier.
When the weight is almost unbearable, I start to regulate my breathing; I open my mouth and suck in air.
Following the air currents, mana particles got absorbed into my body via inhaling. Ignoring the foul taste of sewage air, I continued to inhale more and more mana into my body.
Again and again, mana condenses on my skin to then flow into my lungs; like a machine, my body processes the ambient mana and converts it into my personal mana.
I could feel myself being empowered every time a cycle was completed.
I've fallen into tranquility. My mind calms down and my panic dies down, but my senses remain vigilant.
…
Eventually something happens in this dark sewage system.
A sound. It's someone's footstep.
'How long has it been?'
I've lost track of time when flowing into tranquility.
'Are they barefoot?'
The echo doesn't sound crisp; it's muffled, like skin contacting the concrete floor. The vibrations I could feel when touching the sewer's floor also confirm that.
"Is someone there?"
"Is someone there?"
"Is someone there?"
My words echo throughout the tunnel, the resonation of footsteps seemingly stopped, leaving only the waterdrop reverberation.
"Hey! I can hear you!"
My childish voice shouted.
'Nowadays, I am getting aggravated quite easily, it seems.'
Following my shout, I can feel a tingling in my head… that was my danger sense.
My body moves immediately; despite remaining seated for a while, a kid's body can be very agile.
Whoops.
I dodged something. It is something sharp, a weapon perhaps. I am not familiar with what weapons sound like, but I can detect the sharp edge that cleaves through the air trying to cut me.
Household knife also has a similar sound to what I've just heard, so that must be it. Also, the slash happens right in front of me, so whatever this is should be as tall as me or slightly taller.
'Shit, I shouldn't have talked. How can it ambush me without making any noise?
Whoops.
Whoops.
Whoops.
'Something' uses consecutive hits to try and hit me. And it worked.
Warm blood trickles down my face. My inexperience showed, as I could have easily dodged the last hit if I had followed my instinct to move to the right. Thankfully, the wound was shallow.
It isn't entirely bad, as I had managed to determine what the creature uses to attack me. That thing is no human; that's an Outsider, an Outsider with claws. As for why an outsider is here, it doesn't matter now.
'What to do… What can I take advantage of…?
If this situation continues, then I would be dead. Then… I need a plan. No, I should run away.
I am currently stuck inside an unknown sewer with no way to know front and back. So my best bet is to run away in a straight line.
The first scenario is I bumped into Terrisa, which is the safest. The second is I somehow got out of the sewer, but I was disoriented due to the hit before; I no longer know the direction of the exit.
But a child isn't as fast as a monster that is born to hunt.
Wait…
'Mana! I can use mana. Shit, I forgot about it.'
Due to the foul smell here, I unconsciously restricted my mana, only letting a minuscule amount circulate while the rest remained dormant.
'Release, release, release!'
I urged in my mind for the mana in my body to slowly unravel and move through my circuit and enter my blood vessels, the mana that got absorbed by my cell, generating an unprecedented amount of energy.
"CHIRK!"
Whoops. Whoops. Whoops. Whoops. Whoops.
Whoops. Bam.
The creature sends a flurry of attacks, enhanced with mana. I found it much easier to dodge the Outsider.
Weaving through the flows of the attacks, I create an open… and run away. No way in hell would I try to fight a monster as a ten-year-old child.
The distance between me and the Outsider widens; the shrieking of a wild beast also lessens in intensity.
'Looks like I'm safe for the time being.'
Without looking back, I run at max speed. Until…
Thud.
"Ugh? Huh?"
GRRRR.
'A—Another one?'
Before I can make out the situation.
CRACK.
Pressurized steam hit my face, scalding my skin. It burns.
The steam hit my face, into my wide-open eyes, and heated it. If I wasn't already blind, this burning steam would have been devastated.
'Why! Shit!'
"KRIEKKKK!"
While I was squirming around, holding my eyes, the previous monster had come closer to me in no time.
I wanted to cry. But I gritted my teeth, enduring the pain trying to stand up.
Thankfully, mana is currently covering my body right now, so the steam isn't as hot as it should be, though I don't want to know how hot it actually is.
Whack!
Before standing up, I was struck down. The kick was right in the abdomen.
"ARG! SH-"
I tried to stand up again, but this time it was successful.
With the smaller Outsider coming closer, it seems like the one blocking my path is no longer interested in me.
WOOSP.
Hearing a blunt sound, I reflexively used my left arm to shield my face.
"ARH!"
It was a feint. I've not reacted fast enough.
The Outsider took advantage and started to claw at me with immense force. My left arm is now useless.
There seems to be some kind of neurotoxin that immediately makes my arm unable to function properly. Though not potent enough to paralyze me at the moment.
'Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!'
'What kind of abomination is this! This is too unfair! Not to mention that thing blocking my path.'
I have to fight back; if it is a neurotoxin, then I am on a tight time limit.
I weaved again, hearing the vibration of the creature's step. Closing the gap between me and the nearest wall.
My right hand touched a rough texture of stone and concrete.
Should I run? The creature blocking my path should be in front of me, same as the one attacking me. Unsure of what to do, I am now cornered like a full course meal served in silver plate.
"Growl"
I can hear the low growl of the creature. Hurriedly, I used my right hand to pull out the water pipe.
"Shit!"
The water pipe remains unmoved. I even tried to damage it with my fist but to no avail.
My strength with the enhancement of mana should be on par with a professional athlete on Earth currently.
Though I still need more testing, I can confidently say that with my current constitution, I would be able to lift a boulder my size with some difficulties.
Even then the pipe seemed not affected by my power.
Of course a normal professional athlete wouldn't be able to yank out a metal pipe with ease anyway. I was too desperate to think about such an obvious fact.
I am now running out of time to think; my mind is overclocking thinking way too much to escape this predicament.
There is only one answer from the start. I was too afraid to realize.
"KIKE"
It was right in front of me, about two meters in distance; the vibrations of its steps suggest so.
'Should I run again? No I already tried it before; I don't know if there are more blockers here. Surprise attack? That could work. No, it must work.'
I charge straight ahead using my right arm as a feint. The Outsider caught my hand mid-swing and intended to break my bone before biting me.
Squeeze. Crack. Crack.
"Ugh!"
'A low kick!'
Using my leg, I tried to swing at it. It was a desperate struggle, but I must try regardless.
Unexpectedly, the hit connected; my leg hit somewhere in the middle of the monster's body, and the creature staggered.
'The creature is also overconfident! I have a chance.'
The Outsider assured of its victorious hunt intent to wait for its prey to fall down and die like every other prey. But it has no experience fighting against someone with a Circuit.
A warrior with a Mana Circuit has a certain resistance to all forms of harmful foreign substances. That's why poison is rarely used against a warrior.
'I can take advantage of this. I just need to remember where the creature trajectory is and follow it. I am going to pummel this thing to death!'
With that declaration, I follow up the sweep with a light uppercut.
"CRU"
The monster regained its bearing and then bit me down with its jaw.
Predicting this could happen, I turned my body and used my right arm to block the attack. At the same time, I grip the monster's head before my arm completely goes limp.
With that, my arms are now crippled, but I steeled myself and went for a headbutt.
I clenched my teeth as if fearing some might fall out.
BANG
My head contacted the creature's cranium. The monster seems to have hit its head against the sewer's wall.
'A chance!'
Still in a daze, the Outsider is unable to react to my follow-up.
Thud.
The creature falls down after I swept.
"KEEK"
"I'm not done with you."
Using my leg, I stomp down randomly at the monster's body; sometimes it was the stomach, sometimes it was close to the groin, and sometimes it was close to its heart and lungs.
With each punch stronger than that a normal child could possess, the creature grows weaker and weaker.
'It's much closer to a human body than I thought. Am I mistaken? No, the creature's voice doesn't remotely sound like human.'
"ARF"
"GRIEK"
"Kick"
"arf'
The Outsider's whimper is doglike, yet so alien. The anguished echo of the monstrosity slowly dies down as my mana-enhanced leg keeps stomping on it. Eventually, the only silence remains,
"Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah. How about that, you bastard!"
I was completely exhausted; my body is aching everywhere, and my face has probably suffered the worst, or maybe it was my paralyzed arms. Either way, I am out of commission for a while to recover.
"I'm so dead… Is the blockers coming in? I-"
My body went limp and fell down due to overexerting all of its mana.
'Where is that… damn bastard that was supposed to watch over me… I hope he…'
'So tired, I am going to sleep at this rate. Not good… I'm going to be killed by the Outsider blocking my path back then…'
"GRR"
"CRUUUU"
"GARH"
My thoughts are slowing down. I'm going to pass out… Is this how I die again? Shi-
Shink!
Is… that light?
***
With a flash, a pack of Kobold's heads rolled, joining the cesspool of blood.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
Kobolds, which resemble reptiles, have a very wolf-like characteristic: they always hunt in packs.
Traditionally, Kobold lets their young go through a 'coming of age ceremony' by killing a 'strong race's youngling.' Usually, such ceremonies are only necessary for kobolds with noble or royal blood.
Unluckily, today a Rift of Gold-class contains a kingdom of kobolds that breaks after only an hour of discovery.
"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. This brat is quite something, I must say."
An old man donned with a white shirt, black vest, and a light grey coat and wearing a fashionable tie came out of a hidden corner. His well-kept and trim hair has a silvery brush, coupled with a classical mustache, the old man exudes the air of a gentleman.
His left hand rested on a walking cane, while his other hand pulled out an antique pocket watch.
Click
"Ten minutes, not bad for a brat with no training. Excluding the fact he has a high survival instinct, he's quite capable as a fighter."
The old man smiled while looking at Raon's exhausted body. His eyes trail toward Raon's amber eyes. It was bloodshot.
"Given his condition, I supposed he barely passed."
The old man then tucked the pocket watch back to its original spot, followed by a faint chuckle.
"Hah… How can I explain this to Terrisa?
In front of him was a sea of dead creatures: kobolds, goblins, ogres,… Despite the newly opened Rift connecting to a kobold kingdom, most of the corpses here are from ogre and goblin slaves.
"Tsk… it is indeed a Gold-class."
Despite the overwhelming amount of Outsiders, no monsters in particular managed to get close to a one-hundred-meter radius of Raon except for the kobold cub and its guardian.
Blood and mucus mixed with the sewage water, seeping into the wall of the sewer. Ragon has never claimed to have a clean sewer, but the gutter from a backwards village is infinitely cleaner than here.
"I guess this old man has been dodging paperwork for too long... Though, I could extend my vacation for a season or so."
The old man gazes fixedly at Raon's visage. He proceeded closer and picked up Raon gently. Like a caring grandfather, he holds Raon like he was holding a precious baby.
"Let's take you to the church first; you can meet your mother later, little kiddo."