Chereads / I'll Smash Everything with Passive Skills / Chapter 2 - Chapter 001. Reincarnation (1)

Chapter 2 - Chapter 001. Reincarnation (1)

"Where on earth is Lord Veris hiding?"

"I don't know. We've searched every room and storage, but he doesn't seem to be anywhere."

The servants of the Count's mansion were busily running around, trying to find the Count's son, Veris, who had vanished without a trace.

This was a hellish game of hide-and-seek that had begun the day he took his first steps. As his body grew, his elusive antics became increasingly powerful, enough to leave the ordinary servants utterly bewildered.

"Hey."

Seeing the servants darting around the corners of the mansion, Count Vitelbach grabbed one of them as he passed by.

Naturally, the servant, called by his master's voice, had no choice but to stand before him, sweating profusely.

"Not yet?"

"Th-that is…!"

"Don't be too scared. Even I find it difficult to locate that rascal."

"I will do my best to find him, my lord! I will ensure he doesn't miss his etiquette lesson this time!"

At first glance, the servant's voice seemed filled with resolute determination, but the Count knew well that finding his son was practically impossible.

Even if he was only ten years old, if that child had awakened his magical powers, the situation would be different.

Was it fortunate or worrisome that his son, a monster who had awakened his mana at the tender age of ten, had now reached a level of mastery in handling it?

Shaking his head, the Count left the bustling corridor behind and entered his office. Perhaps the commotion would only cease when the etiquette teacher, who had come to instruct at sunset, finally left.

While the servants were pulling their hair out over the chaos in the mansion, the boy they were desperately searching for, Veris, was leisurely lying in a corner of the stable, spreading hay beneath him.

He was merely a ten-year-old child. Yet, at that moment, he was wrapping mana around his finger and practicing how to manipulate it thinly.

'Is this how it should be?'

Having gained a new life after a sudden twist of fate, Veris was enjoying each day to the fullest.

The reason for his joy was this unknown power he was currently handling: "mana."

This mana, which would likely be difficult to prove with any science from Earth, was surprisingly abundant in every corner of this world.

Those who contained it within their bodies and trained were soon called knights or magicians.

Just think about it. A world where one can slice the sky with a sword and topple mountains with magic.

Naturally, Veris had begun yearning for this mana since he was a babbling infant. And now, at just ten years old, he was demonstrating a level of mana manipulation that would make any ordinary apprentice knight or magician look foolish.

[ Your mana experience points have increased by 10 due to sufficient mana proficiency! ]

[ Your mana experience points have increased by 11 due to sufficient mana proficiency! ]

Of course, this was not merely the result of effort and talent.

The greatest help to Veris, who had awakened in this unknown world, was not any teacher or parent, but the assistance of the "system."

What he had named the system was, in simple terms, akin to features found in a game.

It first showed him his stats and skills, and then provided the absurd ability to inform him of experience points gained in real time.

At first, Veris thought this was a capability everyone possessed. However, as he grew, he realized that it was merely his own delusion.

This ability called the system was something that only Veris possessed.

Vroom—

"Ugh, so annoying."

Once again, as he failed at what he was trying to accomplish, Veris frowned.

This was the problem with mana. If handled well, it could grant near-infinite power, but controlling mana itself was not an easy task.

The only consolation was that despite numerous failures, his experience points were continuously accumulating.

[ Your mana experience points have increased by 9 due to sufficient mana proficiency! ]

[ You have reached growth experience points, and your mana stat has increased. ]

"Oh!"

Just as he was feeling frustrated over his inability to process the gathered mana, Veris suddenly sprang up at the mechanical sound he heard.

He couldn't even remember the last time he received a stat increase message. Yet, unexpectedly achieving a level up, he wasn't sure whether to be happy or upset.

What was certain was that he had grown. Veris quickly collected his thoughts and opened his status window to check his stats.

< Stats >

Strength: 80

Intelligence: 95

Mana: 98

Agility: 73

Charm: 97

Such beautiful stats that made his heart swell.

Although he couldn't confirm his father's stats, the Count's, due to his still low abilities, it was clear that Veris, at just ten years old, possessed overwhelming strength compared to the soldiers of the territory.

The only downside was that, as a descendant of the illustrious Vitelbach knight family, his stats were excessively skewed towards magic.

However, it should be noted that Veris had yet to properly begin training in physical strength and swordsmanship.

So ultimately, this was a problem that time would resolve.

He had been following the family knights and local soldiers for basic exercise, but that wasn't formal training.

"Well then, shall I go now?"

Veris dusted off his backside and back, then cautiously stepped out of the stable.

The etiquette training was annoyingly tedious and made him sleepy. However, he remembered that a lower noble invited by his father was waiting for him, and that the servants were likely sweating as they searched for him.

No matter how much he disliked etiquette training, Veris certainly didn't want to bring shame to his father's honor.

After all, there is a saying that too much of a good thing can be harmful. It means that even skipping classes can become a poison if done excessively.

* * *

"Ah, splendid."

Baron Selum, invited by the Vitelbach family to oversee their son's etiquette training, nodded with a somewhat reluctant expression.

Before him, Veris was perfectly mimicking the demeanor of a noble attending a party, and Selum couldn't help but applaud, finding no fault in his performance.

It had already been several months of etiquette training. They were now learning the party manners that would conclude this long process, and to see Veris so easily replicate what he had demonstrated was astonishing!

For Selum, who had planned to collect a few more lesson fees, this was a thunderbolt from the blue.

"What a pity. So, is today's etiquette training the last?"

"Um... It's thanks to how quickly you've learned."

In truth, Veris's antics had been somewhat of a blessing for Selum.

Every time Baron Selum visited the Count's mansion, he received a certain amount of lesson fees from the Count, which was a decent source of income for the impoverished baron.

However, the problem was that this mischievous little boy seemed to absorb everything he was taught at an astonishing rate.

Thus, when Veris had not shown up today, Selum had secretly rejoiced, only to be left dumbfounded by the sudden appearance of this boy's abilities.

"I thought he was just a playful child."

Baron Selum, who lived near the Count's territory, was aware of the overwhelming talent this young boy possessed.

It was no exaggeration to say he was born blessed with mana; the way he awakened and handled it was something Selum had witnessed before.

However, Selum thought that just because one handled mana well, it wouldn't mean they would learn quickly in other areas. He never expected that Veris would learn the etiquette of the noble class so easily. If he could absorb his teachings this quickly, Selum wanted to ask why he had been hiding during every etiquette lesson until now.

"At this rate, isn't it about the same speed as other noble children?"

"Excuse me?"

"The speed at which I learned etiquette from Baron Selum. I heard that other noble children receive etiquette training for three to six months."

At Veris's words, Selum felt a chill run down his spine.

He was a little boy whose height barely reached Selum's waist.

Yet this child was asking him about the "speed of learning" he had demonstrated. It was as if he had intentionally matched the pace of learning shown by other noble children.

Swallow.

Despite the innocent question from the boy, Selum couldn't help but swallow hard.

In the eastern outskirts of the Empire, known as the countryside, lay the Vitelbach territory. Yet for some reason, Selum felt that the boy before him would not grow up to be an ordinary person.

* * *

- Clang! Clang!

Watching the duel performed by the knights of the family knight order, Veris let out a long yawn.

Currently, he was lying on the roof of the mansion, where he could see the training ground very well.

It goes without saying that if he could see well from up here, those below could see him just as clearly.

Thus, Veris was distorting the vision around him by spreading his mana. It was indeed an unreasonable ability, but what could be done? The application of mana made the unreasonable possible.

"Not as impressive as I thought."

It is said that an unnamed knight who conquered the East with a single sword was granted a title and land, marking the beginning of the Vitelbach family.

Compared to that past glory, the level of the knights was utterly pathetic. The saying that the strength of the knights reflects the prestige of the family was rendered meaningless.

"That can't be the average level of knights in this world, right?"

Since he had yet to properly learn the family's swordsmanship, Veris didn't even know the basics of swordplay. Yet even he could see that the knights' level was quite poor.

Setting aside stamina, Veris could confidently move faster than them just by enhancing his body with mana.

- Clang! Clang!

The duel, which had been exchanging blows for a while, came to an end when one knight lost his sword.

It was a duel so boring that Veris felt like he could fall asleep. However, the two knights involved seemed satisfied with the duel, as they sat down to discuss what had transpired.

"I... I don't want to learn swordsmanship from those guys."

Veris couldn't help but worry, seeing their performance that made him sigh involuntarily.

The Count, the strongest in the family, meaning Veris's father, was a very busy man.

He had to pay attention to everything from internal affairs to diplomacy with other nobles and military matters.

Thus, it was impossible for Veris's father to supervise his training every day. If that were the case, it was likely that those knights would be observing Veris's training.

"If that's the case, I might as well train alone."

Veris genuinely thought that way. Though it was a bit unfair to the knights, he simply couldn't bring himself to feel motivated watching that duel.

After all, Veris didn't even consider the abnormal strength he possessed