Part 0:
Magic?
When we talk about magic, we usually refer to supernatural power, typically drawn from the so-called "mana" or magical energy. There are many ways to use this magic—from basic elemental spells to those that distort reality itself. Of course, this is all in anime... but in this world?
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Part 1:
Books
There are five books in the house. Maybe my parents are poor, maybe they don't like reading, or perhaps books in this era are simply extremely expensive. I ruled out the first two. My father and mother can afford a maid, so they must have money. And judging by the presence of a children's storybook and the assumption that my father is a swordsman, it's unlikely they'd buy more books unless absolutely necessary. That leaves only one logical conclusion: books, made by hand in this era (I assume), are incre...
Leaving that aside, I decided to start learning how to read. I knew the language but not the writing system.
The language resembled Japanese—a language I had learned since childhood thanks to anime. It didn't take long to figure it out. Though the characters were different, pronouncing them based on their sounds came easier than expected.
Sometimes my father would read to me, so expanding my vocabulary was simple.
Reading the contents of the books:
"Travelling Around the World" – a special encyclopedia containing information on all the countries of this world.
"Monsters of Fedoa: Weaknesses" – a book describing the monsters near Fedoa and how to deal with them.
"Magic Guide" – a guide that explains how to use magical attacks, from basic elemental spells to advanced levels.
"The Legend of Perugius" – the adventures of three skilled swordsmen of different schools who met and entered a labyrinth.
Putting aside the two combat-oriented books, the other three taught me a lot—especially the "Magic Guide."
Coming from a world without magic, I was intrigued and began to dig deeper.
I understood several things from the magic manual, including:
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Part 2:
Magic Guide
1. First of all, magic can be classified into three categories:
• Offensive Magic ---> Attacks a target
• Healing Magic ---> Heals a target
• Summoning Magic ---> Summons something
Three types. Easy enough to understand.
Although it has many uses, according to the guide, magic was originally developed for battle. It's rarely used outside of combat or hunting.
2. To use magic, you need mana.
Conversely, as long as you have mana, you can use magic.
There are two ways to use mana:
• "Use the mana inside your body"
• "Draw mana from something that contains it"
Long ago, people only used their internal mana for magic. But as time passed and magic evolved, the amount of mana required increased dramatically. Those with large mana reserves had no problem, but others couldn't use magic. So mages from the past figured out how to draw mana from external sources to meet the magic requirements.
3. There are two ways to cast magic:
• "Incantations"
• "Magic Circles"
You either speak the spell or draw a magic formation.
Magic circles were the standard long ago, but today incantations are the norm.
In the past, even the simplest enchantment took one to two minutes.
While that doesn't sound long, it was impractical in battle.
On the other hand, once a magic formation is drawn, it can be used multiple times.
A certain mage managed to shorten chant times, making incantations the standard.
The simplest spell takes about five seconds, and basic offensive magic can be used with chants.
However, for complex spells, if there's no urgency, drawing formations remains the standard.
4. A person's affinity for magic is usually determined at birth.
"Well, I didn't quite believe that. I don't trust books completely—especially knowing they're handmade in this world. If you want to be a mage, it's like you need divine favor just to be born with good mana. It's best to start training now and see if what the book says is true. If it turns out to be hereditary, I'm in trouble. But it's worth trying."
The book showed incantations and magic formations—things I couldn't do since I had no way to draw them. So I started with incantations.
It seemed the more complex the magic, the longer the chant. Complex spells usually require magic circles too, but for basic spells, it should be fine.
I wondered if I could shorten or silence a chant. Do you need to be an expert for that? Or does it consume more mana? I'll figure it out eventually.
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Part 3:
Using Magic
With my guide in my left hand, I stretched out my right and read the words aloud:
- Grant the protection of water to this place, let clear waters gather here—WATER BALL. -
It felt like my blood compressed into the palm of my hand, and I created a tennis ball-sized water sphere. I was thrilled—until it dropped to the ground and soaked the floor.
Not bad for a first try, right?
I tried again to make it shoot, and succeeded—just as the book said. It was simple: imagine a drop of water on your finger and then make it separate. Same with the ball of water. I tried again, and it worked.
I could do it now. Next, I wanted to see if I could do it without chanting.
Like any isekai fan, I tried it just like a protagonist would.
I imagined the water ball in my head and focused on my palm.
As expected, it worked on the first try—though it was much smaller this time. Maybe it was because of mana consumption?
If I keep practicing this way, I'll have no issues.
I just need to breathe...
And so, I did it a few more times.
So... is chanting only for beginners? Why doesn't the book mention this?
Then it hit me. The answer was simple. Who in this world would be conscious enough at age 5, 7, or even 10 to read? No one ever taught me math, grammar, or anything similar. I was never taken to school.
The answer is simple: no 3-year-old can read or do math—not because they can't, but because there's no one to teach them.
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Part 4:
Level System
The next morning, I cast the spell again. This time, I didn't feel tired after the tenth attempt. In fact, I could now do 25. That means my mana doubled by 2.5x in just one day. I just need to exhaust myself every time.
Another day passed, and I confirmed it—my mana multiplies by 2.5x daily.
From now on, I'll maximize my mana.
One of these days, I spent all my mana, of course. I didn't count how many spells I cast—I overdid it and collapsed...
I woke up to the sound of a notification.
- Was it all a dream? - I muttered as I rose from unconsciousness.
As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw something I simply couldn't believe.
A freaking system—just like in Solo Leveling.
I tried touching it with my finger, but a sound rang out like "error." Then I did it by just thinking—and it worked. It opened a menu where I saw experience points and the option to level up.
"Level: 1"
"0 points to distribute"
"0 experience points"