Chapter 4: The First Step – Mind and Body
I woke up sore.
Not the heroic kind—
the kind where sitting up felt like a poor life decision.
My arms trembled when I moved them. My legs felt fifty years older.
“…Delayed damage,” I muttered.
The system answered flatly.
[STATUS WARNING]
Fatigue Accumulated
Recovery Required for Growth
Training now may cause injury
I rubbed my temples. “Great. So even effort is lethal now.”
Fourteen days.
Two weeks until the academy.
No time to waste.
If my body couldn’t improve safely, then my mind would have to carry me.
A noble house had to have a library.
And if it did, I could study—history, magic, tactics. Anything that didn’t involve collapsing on stairs.
I stood carefully. Wobbly—but functional.
“…Library first,” I whispered. “Training later.”
The corridors stretched endlessly, marble floors and towering pillars silently judging me.
Servants avoided me like I carried something contagious. Some literally fled around corners. A polite cough earned nothing. A wave was ignored.
Apparently, my existence violated workplace safety regulations.
At the far end of the east wing, I found it.
The Library.
Sunlight poured through tall windows, dust drifting lazily in the air. Shelves climbed to the ceiling, packed with books.
A treasure trove.
I scanned the titles—most too advanced, or too heavy for my current endurance.
Then I saw it.
Spellbook for Children Under Seven
“…You’ve got to be kidding me.”
The leather cover was warm in my hands. Comforting.
That somehow made it worse.
“…Fine,” I sighed.
“Step one of survival—learn magic like a toddler.”
The first page was simple. No circles. No chants.
[Pre-Circulation Exercises – Beginners]
Breath Counting
Inhale four counts.
Exhale six.
Imagine warmth in the chest.
Stop if dizzy.
“…Breathing has rules now.”
Sleep Preparation
Mana flows best when relaxed.
Never circulate while exhausted or injured.
“…That explains yesterday.”
Mana Gathering
Focus on the tingling sensation.
Guide it toward the hands.
Do not force it.
Adults with weak foundations may also benefit.
“I understand. I’m magically seven.”
Still, I sat cross-legged and followed the steps.
Inhale.
Four.
Exhale.
Six.
Warmth gathered—faint, but painless.
For the first time, mana didn’t fight me.
DING
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Mana: 4.30 → 4.35
“…So this is the safe way.”
Tiny gain. No collapse.
Worth it.
I turned the page.
[Basic Manifestation – Visualization Assistance]
Do not imagine power.
Imagine the result.
Water is cool.
Heavy.
Pulled downward.
You are not creating water.
You are allowing mana to take a familiar shape.
I raised my hand and closed my eyes.
Not force—cold.
The feel of water on skin.
A single droplet clinging before it fell.
The tingling moved on its own.
Plip.
A droplet formed and fell.
Again.
Cool.
Heavy.
Downward.
Plip.
No pain.
No dizziness.
I stopped immediately.
“…So this is how children learn magic.”
Not talent.
Not power.
Patience.
DING
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
First Spell Successfully Cast
Spell: Basic Water Manifestation
Rank: F
Effect: Creates a single droplet of water
→ Congratulations. You can now fail at magic officially.
“…Thanks, I guess.”
My fingertip faintly got numb.
I stopped.
The book’s warning echoed in my head.
Slow.
Safe.
Like a child.
And maybe—
that wasn’t such a bad place to start.
I was returning through the corridor when I saw her.
My sister, Luneria Casper.
She stood near the window, light slicing across her sharp profile.
Tall. Slender. Movements precise, as if gravity itself obeyed her. Her hair was dark crimson, almost black in the shadows, pulled into a severe braid that fell neatly down her back. Not a strand dared escape.
Her eyes—one sapphire, one amber—stared at me with cold clarity. Pale, flawless skin. Every feature sharp. Every movement controlled. Every glance a calculated measure of disdain. She carried both our father’s and mother’s eye colors, while mine were simple brown—an illegitimate son.
Above her head, a number floated.
-62
Lower than Mother.
So that’s how it was.
She looked at me like something unworthy of attention.
“…You’re really walking around freely now,” she said.
Not surprise. Disdain.
I stopped.
“I live here,” I replied.
Her lips curved faintly. Not a smile.
“No,” she said. “You’re staying here.”
She turned fully toward me.
“Don’t misunderstand,” she continued.
“You’re not a Casper.”
The words landed cleanly. Precisely.
“Casper blood doesn’t run in bastards.”
Servants nearby went rigid.
I met her gaze without flinching.
“That’s fine,” I said.
“I’ll be entering the academy soon. I won’t return.”
She watched me for a long second. Then—a scoff.
“You expect me to believe that?”
Her eyes sharpened. “You’ve said things before.”
I said nothing.
She leaned back slightly.
“Leave or stay. It doesn’t matter,” she said flatly.
“You don’t matter.”
That hurt more than rejection. Because it wasn’t anger.
It was certainty.
She turned away.
“Just don’t embarrass us,” she added.
“And don’t use our name like you’re entitled to it.”
She walked past me without another glance.
The number remained.
-62
I stood there alone.
So this was her hatred.
Not loud.
Not dramatic.
Dismissive.
She didn’t fear my presence.
She didn’t hate me for existing.
She simply believed others would see my existence the same way she did.
My fingers curled slowly at my side. I hadn’t realized they were shaking until I forced them still.
Not from anger.
Not even humiliation.
Cold.
That was what she left behind. A quiet certainty that I was nothing more than a stain that refused to fade.
I’d faced insults before. Sneers. Whispers.
This was different.
This wasn’t rejection—
it was dismissal.
And somehow—
that was worse.
Aahhh.
She ruined the mood.
Time for ENDURANCE development.
Let’s go for a long walk.
I exhaled slowly and rolled my shoulders, letting the tension drain out with my breath. Dwelling on her words wouldn’t strengthen my body—or my resolve. If anything, it would only slow me down.
Before moving on, I stretched. Carefully. Ankles, calves, thighs. My back protested as I twisted, but the tightness eased little by little. Waking up sore like today without loosening up first was just asking for injury.
The system hadn’t warned me about emotional strain—or basic common sense—but both felt equally exhausting.
The corridors of the manor stretched endlessly, but this time, I didn’t limp or hesitate. I started with the stairs—slow, careful, testing my legs. Each step made my thighs scream, each landing sent a dull ache through my knees—but I kept going.
Outside, the morning air was crisp. Garden paths wound around hedges, fountains, and marble statues, but I barely noticed the scenery. My focus was movement—one step, then another. Slow at first, then faster. Breath in. Breath out. The rhythm became meditation, endurance training disguised as a stroll.
Every corner I rounded, every path I traced, I pushed further. My legs shook. My lungs burned. My heart hammered in protest. But with each step, I felt… something. A small spark of stamina, a faint sense my body was remembering how to last longer than a few minutes without collapsing.
By the time the sun had climbed halfway, I had circled the estate three times. Sweat soaked my shirt, my shoes were muddy from the garden soil, and every muscle in my lower body screamed.
But I grinned.
DING!
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Endurance: 4.10 → 4.25
“…Okay,” I panted. “Slowly… but it’s something.”
I looked back at the manor. My sister’s shadow no longer seemed so imposing.
Today, I was walking.
Tomorrow, I would run.
And maybe—
the academy wouldn’t break me.
The upcoming academy exam wasn’t just physical. It has both Theory and practical, they said. Anyone could see who had power—but intellect? That required preparation. That’s where my orphanage training gave me an edge. While others had tutors or noble connections, I had devoured entire textbooks physics
Biology, philosophy mathematics, memorized formulas, run mental simulations of strategies and my main advantage i read lot of manga, regression reincarnation,sinobi and piretes If my body couldn’t carry me, maybe my mind would. The orphanage library had been my fortress books on mathematics, history, science, manga, novel… endless knowledge it was build by the founder an old man and he tied it to the government so no one could sell it. I’d buried myself in it as a child, reading until the hunger in my stomach faded into
background noise The orphanage library became my refuge, feeding my mind with knowledge while hunger gnawed,. Knowledge had always been my refuge, my power. Maybe it was time to rely on it again. Maybe I couldn’t fight like a knight yet—but I could think like a general, a mage, and a scholar rolled into one.
_____Even if Luneria didn’t believe in me, even if the academy judged me before I arrived, I had something they couldn’t take away: a mind that never stopped moving.
_______________________________________
[STATUS]
Strength: 5.02
Endurance: 4.25
Agility: 6.00
Charisma: 3.00
Mana: 4.35
_______________________________________
