Chapter 3: Magic

The majority of people in this world can use magic. Of course, not everyone had the good amount of mana to actually do magic more efficiently. Each individual had different amount of mana. Those with high mana usually mage class. However, that wasn't always the case. There were other class that also have high mana when they were born. So, magic became the foundation for almost everything in this world. Even if someone didn't have high mana, they'd still able to cast simple magic to help with their daily chores.

For example, creating small fire, casting small hurricane to gather dried leaves, simple strengthening spell to help with heavy work or cleaning spell. Magic made everything easier in this world. That was why it was important.

That was the reason Magic Union was the biggest organisation in this world. Their influence was even bigger than the royal families around the world. They have a massive authority when it was about magic. They restored the order, protect the people and recruit outstanding people to help with the war. They were the autonomy powerhouse in this world. There was a long history about Magic Union but I didn't think it even matter. No one really cares after all. Well, at least it was only me that didn't give a shit.

"Do you want to learn magic, Owens?" Sister Jane asked me kindly. She had to use a cane to walk because of her weak legs. She had grown weaker year after year. It was making me sad because out of anyone in the orphanage, she was the only one I could consider a family.

"Yes, it looks in-interesting. I-I s-saw Da-Daniel ma-make fire in h-his p-palm yesterday." I answered truthfully. I tried to get rid of my stuttering after years but apparently I couldn't. I felt like it was a permanent debuff on me. I had to live with it, I guess.

"Hm... I think I have a magic book in my collection. Come with me." She beckoned me to walk with her. She was just too nice. She knew that with 0 mana, there was no way I could do magic. She didn't ridicule my wish, instead she supported me.

We walked through the corridor until an old wooden door was seen at the end of it. I knew it was sister Jane's study. I always visit her here whenever I wanted to learn how to read and write. She had a big collection of books in there. Magic, alchemy, history and even story books. She was an avid collector during her prime. Truly a scholar.

"What kind of magic do you want to learn, my dear?" She unlocked the door and pushed it open. She let me walked in first.

"Err.. I-is there a-any magic t-that c-can m-make someone in-invisible?" I looked around, always amazed by the amount of books in the room.

"Hm, I guess, there's one." She walked toward a shelf to my left. She scanned through the middle rows and pulled out a heavy book. "It's in here."

She put the hook on the table. I climbed on the chair because it was too tall for me to see. She smiled at me. I leaned toward the table and read the title. It was thick and and old looking book.

High Tier Magic Volume 1

"It's one of the high tier magic. It might be difficult to learn." She told me as she patted my head gently. "How about try learning the beginner's level first?"

"S-sure.." I nodded. She walked away again and grabbed another book.

"I'll let you borrow these books okay? When you're done with them, just bring them back to me."

"Th-thanks, sister." I grinned happily.

I carefully took the thick books with me and went to the backyard. It was empty because most of the children would play in the front yard. The reason for that was a little sad. They played in front so that people could see them. Tiny chances that when they were seen, the passerby might want to adopt them. It wasn't just about children playing actively. It was like a show to promote themselves. Well, it had been a while since the orphans here got adoption after all.

I sat down on the ground with both of the books opened in front of me. I read each pages back and forth. It was interesting. The instructions were simple and the incantations were straightforward. It was easy. Maybe, if I could master the invisibility spell, I might able to hide myself from the Magic Union. 5 years had passed since the tester came here. They would come again in a year.

So, my stats was still the same. I had 0 mana. How would I use magic? The secret was in my unique abilities. Enhancement and diminution. When my stats were revealed, they didn't show the detail information about the abilities. Which I was thankful for because they would know the potential of my abilities. I looked at my stats and eyed my mana.

Class: Enhancer

Mana: 99

Strength: 0

Endurance: 0

Dexterity: 0

Inteligence: 99

Luck: 1

I grinned. With this, I could practice magic. Well, maybe I should at least get some dexterity too. Maybe that was the reason for my stuttering speech. I made sure no one was around before I started chanting the spells.

~~

I was shivering violently due to the cold. It was the cold I created myself and my small body couldn't handle it. The wolf pack in front of me were frozen in the ice. I was training when these wolves came out of nowhere and I immediately froze them. I was getting used to magic. Magic was fun.

I left the wolves there and searched for a new spot. It was too cold there and I didn't wear thick clothes. Well, I had 0 endurance after all. I came across a small open space in the woods near the hill. The sisters back in the orphanage might have a heart attack if they knew this weak and fragile boy was wandering around the woods by himself. It couldn't be help. Training at the backyard drew too much attention. Especially when I started learning more flashy magic.

I took a peeble on the ground and readied my stance. I threw it at the tree in front of me. The peeble wormed through it, creating a hole in its way and continued to the next tree. It finally got stuck when it reached the fifth tree. My mouth hung opened, bewildered and confused. I looked at my stats again.

Strength: 99

Dexterity: 99

That might be too much. If I wasn't careful I might destroy everything in my path. That was a light throw though! I didn't know that it would be so strong. I might put a hole on someone if I wasn't careful enough. Well, I just wanted to learn magic. That could wait I guess. I could put aside my strength for later.

I grabbed a twig and drew a magic circle on the ground. I found another interesting magic and I was wondering if I could perform it. Summoning spell required a lot of mana but I didn't think I was lacking in that department. Once I finished drawing, I stood in front of the magic circle. Maybe I could summon those nice cute magical creatures to be my companion?

"Answer my call.." I said with a firm tone. I felt an electrifying sensation all over my body. I learned that this sensation was the sign that I was using magic and my mana stirred.

The magic circle on the ground glimmered in a bright yellow light. An excitement was bubbling inside of me. Something was going to appear. The light was getting brighter and brighter until it was too much. I closed my eyes and a few seconds later, the light died down.

"What?" I blurted out when I saw what was inside the magic circle. The creature blinked at me with its beady black eyes. "A Freaking lizard?!"

There was a limit learning magic on my own. I wouldn't know if I was doing the spell correctly or not. I couldn't consult anyone about it either or else my secret was out. The dark brown lizard approached me while waggling its tail like a puppy.

"You're kinda cute though." I admitted with a sigh. There was a white dot on its back like a birthmark. The lizard climbed on my leg until it settled on my shoulder, nuzzling my neck. "And spoiled too."

"What are you? Regular lizard? Can you at least talk?" I asked it. It made a small sound that was hard to pick up. "So, you can't talk. Hm.. Are you girl or boy though?"

Another quip from it but I didn't get an answer from it. I read the book again and it stated that;

Summons only disappeared if they're dead or dispelled by the summoner. Summons are usually loyal to their summoner because of the mana bond they shared. Summons may differ from one another depending on the summoner's vision during the ritual.

"What? My vision was a lizard? Hence I got a lizard?" I grumbled unhappily. Maybe I should've take the last step of the ritual more seriously. I picked up the lizard and placed it into my palm. It beamed at me. It looked friendly and gentle though.

"Hey, I have to send you back." I told it. The lizard's face changed. I didn't know lizard could show a sad face like that! Since when lizard was full of expression? It understood me. "Okay, maybe not. You can stay I guess."

It chirped happily and ran around in circle on my hand. What was this? I couldn't help but chuckling. That was so cute and endearing. Yeah, this lizard wasn't so bad. I could keep it.

"Hm.. You'd need a name. What would be a good name for you?" I wondered. It stopped moving and looked up at me, staying still liked it was waiting for me to finish deciding. "Hmm..."

"How about Pip? Do you like Pip?" I asked. The lizard had the audacity to frown at me. It was unimpressed. "Yeah, your name is Pip."

It squeaked as if protesting me. It stomped its tiny feet. Honestly it was so cute. Its eyes squinted at me as if glaring at me.

"Alright Pip, let's go back. I think it's time to eat. Do you want to eat my leftovers, Pip?" I walked back to the way I came from. It squeaked again, disliking the name. I grinned widely. "The name will grow on you, Pip. Don't worry."

I tracked through the woods, following the mark I left behind so that I always knew my way back to the orphanage. When the fund was reduced again, we only had a meal a day. It was hard and all of us constantly starving but there was no other choice. Our meal time was usually in the late afternoon. In the morning, we only had warm water as breakfast and at night, we slept early so that we didn't have to deal with the hunger. What a harsh world.

"Owens, where have you been?" Sister Jane asked me as soon as I stepped into the dining hall. Apparently, I was the last one to show up.

"I found this lizard near the woods. Can I keep it?" I showed her Pip in my palm.

"You went to the woods?" Her eyes widened.

"No, I didn't enter the woods. Just at the edge." I lied. Her face relaxed.

"Well yes, you can keep the lizard, as long as you take care of it well." She beamed at me. She was always so kind.

"Thank you." I grinned happily. She narrowed her eyes at me like she was studying my face. "What's wrong, sister?"

"I just noticed that you're not stuttering now." She pointed out.

'Crap!' I forgot to change my stats.

"Really?" I chuckled nervously. She patted my head softly.

"You're growing up now. So, it's about time your speech improves too." She sounded so proud and my heart was racing. I couldn't help but grinning widely.