Chapter 7: 07 Training Start.

“Jin, are you sure about the choice you made earlier?”.

Inside the rocking carriage, Ryan glanced at his son, who sat opposite him and had been seeing the scenery ever since they had returned from the blacksmith. He was worried that Jin regretted his actions, but seeing his son turn to him while tilting his head in wonder gave Ryan a hard time responding.

“No, father. I didn’t regret it even once”. Jin shook his head, prompting Ryan to sigh in relief, but he was also burdened with a problem.

“I see, but this is becoming a problem”.

Ryan knit his brows, placing his hand on his chin deep in thought. The source of his trouble came from his son, who surprisingly chose a Katana over a longsword.

Jin, who saw his father groaning in deep trouble, gulped his saliva and soon turned his gaze outside precisely because he didn’t want to delve into the details further regarding his choice in picking the Katana.

Initially, he would pick the longsword and continue his father’s legacy, but his feelings and rationality clashed, prompting him to follow his instinct and lean toward his feelings, so he chose the Katana over the sword.

He knew this choice would only bring trouble not only to others but also to him because he had no teacher who would teach him about the way of the blade, so Jin could only utilize his previous memory of how to handle a Katana.

However, strangely, Jin felt no remorse or guilt about it. His whole being felt rather at peace about the choice he made as if telling him that it was the right thing to do.

Seeing that his son was already absorbed in looking at the scenery, Ryan sighed for the umpteenth time. ‘Well, I will ask some of my connections to search for someone who can teach Jin. I also was a bit busy these days’.

“Okay, enough about the sword, and now we will begin to conduct your first test regarding magic”. Marina, who sat beside Ryan, clapped her hand to gather the other two attention on her.

“Eh, in here?”. Jin’s eyes bloated in surprise to hear his mother’s absurd statement.

Then, from thin air, several crystals with various colors appeared before they landed on top of Marina’s palm.

There are six of them, each gleaming in a deep color of Red, Blue, Green, Brown, Yellow, and even Black. Marina moves from her seat and sits beside Jin, showing the jewels in her palm.

“What is that, Mother?”.

“This? You can call it “Elemental stone”.

“Elemental Stone!”.

“Yes, each of these stones represents all of the elements that the world has to offer. For example, this Red one symbolizes fire; Blue is water, Green is wind, Brown is Earth, Yellow is Light, and Black is darkness”.

“I see”. Feeling curious, Jin picked one of them that was painted in a light Red color. “What should I do with this?”.

“Can you give that stone to me first”.

“Okay, here”.

Following his mother’s instructions, Jin put the red stone back and then saw his mother pick it up using her other hand, between her thumb and index finger. All of a sudden, her aura began to change, and the small room they were staying in began to feel hot.

“Come forth, flame”.

A brilliant orange spark flickered in Jin’s eyes, followed by the red stone that shone in his mother’s fingers. Jin saw a swirling tiny firetail emerge in front of him, before it turned into a stable flame, giving light to the inside of the carriage.

Jin saw a phenomenon called magic for the first time in his life, making both his eyes open wide as his jaw slackened to the floor. The heat that permeated his skin and the smell of burning air he inhaled. Jin could perfectly feel it with his senses. However, his mind was still processing the absurd phenomenon that was hard to explain with his common sense.

Marina, who saw his son’s cute reaction, parted her lips in joy before she cut off the supply of mana from her body, and the room turned dim once more.

“Do you see that?”.

“Woah, is that magic?”. Jin leaned his body forward, closing his distance with his mother, who smiled happily to see Jin’s reaction.

“Yes, you said that you wanted to learn it yesterday, right? So, after you reveal your talent, I have been preparing these things since last night to see which element is suited to you, just in case,”. Marina placed the red crystals back on her palm and presented them to Jin.

Jin, who put his hands together, received the stones in his palm. He was surprised to feel that the stone was so light in his palm as if he was holding into nothing. First, he took the red one, then glanced at his mother.

“Try it!”.

“…Come forth, flame!”.

The room atmosphere was dampened, and nothing happened when Jin uttered those words. He turned to his side only to find Marina’s face turned white.

“No way!? As I thought Jin was…”.

Marina, who refused to accept the reality, clutched her head hard while groaning in her muttering. She gazed down, feeling as if her entire being had been rejected. Her body starts to tremble like a newborn fawn; the event was so shocking for her that she almost collapsed.

Jin, pondering what was happening, turned to his father, who saw the scene with a wry smile on his face. Ryan, who had many experiences in his adventuring days, had a bit of knowledge about the element aptitude test.

“Jin, try picking the other stone and use the same incantation you do, but with different elements depending on what stone you pick”.

“Okay, father!”.

“No, no, no way. No way that my son had a different aptitude than mine, No…”.

While hearing Marina, who still couldn’t wake up from her nightmarish reality, Jin picked up the blue stone and began to chant the incantation.

“Come forth, water!”. Again, nothing happened as Jin picked up the green stone.

“Come forth wind!”.

This time, Jin could see the stone between his fingers glow in a beautiful emerald glow, a joyous experience that lifted the corner of his lips. ‘This…’

A swirling invisible wind began to gather around the stone. Jin’s hair fluttered, and each time the wind brushed past his skin, it gave Jin’s mind a tremendous exhilarating feeling that he could use magic. ‘This is fucking awesome!’.

“So Jin has an aptitude with Wind Magic. Well, no wonder after seeing the sphere in the temple turned green”.

Ryan’s earlier remark entered Jin’s ear, making him jerk his gaze to his father’s side, head filled with questions. As he was losing his focus, the green stone lost its shine, and the wind that gathered around him dispersed.

“Wait, then what is the meaning of this test?”.

“Ah, that was…”. Ryan scratches his cheek and soon turns to his wife, who is still lying down on the couch, mumbling something incomprehensible.

“…No way, this must be a dream. Yeah, this must be it. With a bit of sleep, I am sure everything is going to return to normal…”.

Jin exhaled, but soon his brain suddenly connected the dots to all of this event: the green glow in the temple, his mother’s preparedness, and her disappointment when knowing he did not have the same elemental aptitude as her. ‘Man, I hope this thing won’t get me into trouble with my mother. At a time like this, she is becoming more troublesome than usual after all…’.

*****

Several hours had passed as the sun hung above the sky, casting a golden glow into the open green field within the mansion of the Midnight family. A gentle breeze carried along a cool wind that made the tree leaves and grass dance along in a rustling joy.

A white gazebo stood in the back of the mansion, its white structure built on top of a grass field in the middle of the trimmed park, giving the place a touch of aesthetics for those who claimed it.

At the center of the gazebo, a round table with a tea set on top was set. The steam that permeated from the cups carried the delicate scent of fresh-brewed tea, calming Jin’s nerves within this ethereal atmosphere.

Jin took a sip of the still-steaming tea to moisten his parched throat. Marina, sitting on the same wooden chair opposite him, also elegantly sipped her afternoon tea.

The situation was somewhat awkward between them, as Marina still hung up about the event that happened earlier inside the carriage. She is rather trying to act though, but Jin could still see her agitated state, from time to time.

“Mother, you don’t have to worry about the earlier incident because…”.

‘Clink, ‘ Marina put down her cup, forcing Jin also to sew his mouth shut and wait for his mother to open her mouth first.

“…”.

Irena, who also came to this place, sat beside Marina. She sighed in resignation to see her best friend still hadn’t changed despite already having three children.

“Madam, I think you should just…”.

“Shut it, Irena! No more words; at least spare me with your lecture”.

“Well, I’m doing it because you still have that troublesome nature of yours who always…”.

“Okay, stop. Let’s end this conversation. Jin, move your seat near me!”.

“Okay”.

Jin Saw Irena exhaled for an umpteenth time, seeing his mother’s attitude. He took his seat beside his mother and waited for her next instruction.

“Let’s train your Magic!”.

“?”.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep