Sitting on a rock in a small town, a young boy absorbed golden energy into his body. This energy, known as light-type mana, swirled around him in an enchanting dance. It was the Undying Sun Technique, enhancing his healing speed by four times.
"I've finally reached the third stage!" Alex thought with excitement as he felt the power coursing through him. With this newfound strength, he hoped to tame a powerful magical beast.
"Alex! Time for school! Hurry!" his mother called from downstairs.
"Coming, Mom!" Alex shouted, quickly getting dressed. Today was the day each student would be assigned their own magical beast at school.
His father, a captain in the royal guard, had once used his connections to save Alex from a terrible fate. After professing his love for the princess, he had been imprisoned and sentenced to death, only to be rescued at the last minute. But their family had been banished from every major city because of a jealous fiancé who had manipulated the king into punishing Alex.
"It still hurts when I think about it," Alex muttered bitterly. He harbored resentment towards that prince who had taken everything from them. But today, he had a chance to choose a magical beast with dragon bloodline and gain the legendary Dragon Breath—a powerful attack with no cooldown.
When he arrived at school, Alex rushed to his classroom where everyone was buzzing about the magical beasts they wanted. Luckily for him, the top scorer would get to choose first and hopefully secure the best beast available. Just as he began considering his options, their teacher walked in and commanded everyone's attention.
"Class, today you will receive your magical beasts!" he announced before leading them down to the chamber where all the infant beasts were kept.
"As per our rules, Alex will choose first."
With determination bubbling inside him, Alex stepped forward and examined all the magical beasts before him. But as he looked, disappointment set in when he realized none of them seemed to match his potential. Taking a deep breath, he approached his teacher with a sense of determination.
As I asked my teacher, he began to rub his chin thoughtfully.
"I remember a particular magic beast that no one has managed to tame. It possesses a bloodline ability far stronger than normal—a fire tyrant hydra with only two heads."
Excitement surged through me at the thought of such a creature. The hydra's talent lay in its raw firepower, capable of devastating attacks from a distance yet lethal in close combat when the situation called for it. The purity of a hydra's bloodline could always be measured by the number of heads it possesses.
"What skill does it have?" I inquired eagerly.
"It's called Dragon Rage. This ability enhances the user's statistics to the point where they can challenge higher-stage magic beasts. However, the downside is that forming a bond with the hydra becomes incredibly difficult. The moment you initiate the bond spell, it becomes enraged, activating its bloodline skill, which complicates matters for everyone involved."
The bloodline skill would amplify its strength, enabling it to face even more formidable foes. Unfortunately, its lineage was too weak for someone of noble birth to consider, and commoners of the same stage would struggle to perform the bond spell.
"I'll take it," I declared, determination coursing through me.
"Alright, I'll let the other children choose first. You can take the cage home with you," my teacher replied, handing me the cage, which was about half my size.
Once home, I placed the cage on my desk and began to cast the bond spell on the hydra. As I felt the bond start to form, it began to destabilize under the hydra's escalating power. In a desperate attempt, I channeled more mana into the spell, managing to stabilize it temporarily, but the hydra's power surged, quintupled by the mana I had invested.
Despite pouring all my remaining mana into the spell, it was futile; the energies clashed violently, and the bond shattered, sending a shockwave through me.
"FUCK!" I shouted, anger and frustration boiling within.
The rebound from the spell was intense, but my body can heal four times faster than that of a normal human. Just then, I heard a knock at the door and opened it to find my father standing there, concern etched on his face.
"It sounds like it didn't go well," he observed, his voice steady.
"I picked a magic beast with a powerful skill that can amplify its strength," I admitted, my heart still racing.
"Sounds like you need to refine your mana control or boost your raw mana capacity," he suggested, his voice steady and instructive.
"There are a few ways to increase mana capacity without elevating your stage realm."
"Do you have a suitable technique?" I asked, curiosity piqued.
"Yes, it's called Mana Heart. It's a high-tier technique designed to enhance both mana capacity and regeneration. You can create up to ten mana hearts within your body without interfering with your natural organs. Each heart will provide a 10 percent increase in your mana capacity and regeneration he explained, handing me a book titled Mana Heart.
"Thanks, Dad," I replied, gratitude swelling within me.
After exchanging a few more words, he turned his attention back to the book, and I watched as he became engrossed in its pages. As I pondered the knowledge within, a loud bang echoed from the cage, jolting me back to reality—I had forgotten to feed the hydra.
"Here, take this food," I said, extending a handful of high grade food towards him. My plan was to bond with him once I build a couple of mana hearts; it should only take a week. With that thought, I retreated to my bed, eager to begin the process of creating mana hearts.
As I began my training in mana, a week flew by. Through intense practice, I managed to create three hearts. With these, I could forge a bond.
I focused my mana into the bond spell, and gradually, I felt a connection forming with my Tyrant Hydra. But then, the connection began to fade. I channeled more mana into the spell, desperate to stabilize it. In a crucial moment, I bit my thumb and pointed my blood toward the glowing mana connection. As the blood shone, it seeped into the spell, and I whispered, "Finally."
A strange sensation washed over me as my strength surged. "Two times? No, three... no, it's five times! Aaaaah!" I screamed, overwhelmed by the power of the bloodline skill coursing through me. My mother rushed in at the sound of my cries.
"Alex, what's going on?" she asked, enveloping me in a worried embrace. Just as I felt the world begin to slip away, I lost consciousness in her arms.
When I came to, I was at the doctor's office. "What happened?" I mumbled groggily.
"You started screaming, and your mom brought you here," a man in a white coat with glasses explained.
"I felt my power increase fivefold, but then there was a strange pain in my head."
"It seems you've gained a powerful bloodline skill from your magic beast. It's unusual for it to hit you this hard; typically, it's just mild discomfort," the doctor informed me, noting that my Tyrant Hydra's skill was exceptionally strong.
"Knock knock."
"Come in," the doctor called as my parents entered. Upon seeing me, my mother rushed over, wrapping her arms around me tightly.
"Mom, you're killing me!" I managed through her sobs.
"I'm fine, Mom. It was just the bloodline skill manifesting—just a bad reaction," I reassured her.
She stopped crying, her voice trembling. "Never scare me again."
"Don't worry, it won't happen again."
As we discussed the day's events, I was eventually sent home, the doctor assuring us there was nothing wrong aside from exhaustion. That night, I fell into a deep sleep, the weight of the day's events lingering in my mind.