As I try my best to keep the flow of energy steady, I glance nervously at Eris.

“A-and… what color is it?” I ask.

“It’s red,” she replies.

“Oh! So it’s fire then!”

While I really love the color red—it’s my favorite—I don’t particularly like fire magic.

It’s the least cool magic out of the bunch, and it totally doesn’t fit a cute, little catgirl like me. I need something else! Something like darkness, or space/time magic!

But… alright, it’s not like I can choose anyway.

For now, I’m just happy that I have magic.

Regardless, when it comes to attribute colors, the eight main attributes each have their own signature hue.

Fire – red

Water – blue

Earth – brown

Wind – green

Space – silver

Time – purple

Light – bright yellow

Darkness – black

But Eris shakes her head.

“No… it’s red, but not the red of fire,” she says. “It’s… the red of blood.”

“Eh?”

Hearing the word ‘blood,’ my skin prickles, a chill creeping down my spine. Blood-red? Is this some kind of blood attribute? Am I… a vampire or something? Or maybe… a demon?

Well, while I used to fantasize about becoming a demon lord in another world, I definitely don’t anymore!

After all… what if Eris becomes afraid of me because of my creepy mana attribute and doesn’t want to be friends with me anymore?

That would be a catastrophe!

“I-is it bad?” I ask, my voice a little shaky.

No, please, I don’t want to say goodbye to Eris yet!

“Of course not, silly,” Eris says, shaking her head, as if she can sense the nervousness in my mind. “It’s just unique, that’s all! And to be honest, it’s kind of cool.”

PHEWWWW!!!

Hearing Eris say that, I exhale, relieved.

Yeah, now that I think about it, didn’t the book mention that new attributes are discovered every single day?

Yup, new mana attributes are found all the time!

There are so many different types of mana in this world; I guess I’m just one of the unique ones!

That reminds me.

There’s a word for it, a term that refers to people whose mana core color doesn’t match their attribute color.

“Isn’t it Sonder…errr… something… something…”

“Oh, you mean Sondezgeist? A unique mana bearer?” Eris chuckles.

“Yeah! Sondezgeist!”

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I try saying it, but the word just trips off my tongue awkwardly. Whoever came up with that word must have had a twisted sense of humor; it sounds like the worst combination of sounds possible!

“That reminds me, your mana, Eris, is it really… darkness?” I ask, curiosity sparking again.

“Yup, a hundred percent,” Eris nods.

“Then… are you…?”

“Yeah, I’m considered a Sondezgeist!” Eris says.

Aha! As I thought!

Normally, purple represents the Time attribute. But Eris’ shade of purple is something darker, deeper—a shade I’d describe as the color of midnight shadows.

This is because, like real colors, the color of one’s mana exists on a spectrum, not just as a single hue.

A dark purple can be interpreted as either black or purple, meaning it could be either Darkness or Time.

So, given that mine is the color of blood… could it be fire? Or darkness?

“Aaaah, Eris, let me see your magic!” I plead, bouncing a little.

“Haha, nope!”

But she refuses.

I then pout the hardest I can.

But that doesn’t do anything either.

This girl—she’s completely unmoved by my kitty eyes!

“Anyway,” Eris says, steering us back to the matter at hand, “based on your unique magic signature, there’s a chance Karl might be able to find something.”

“Oh, right!” I perk up.

The Guildmaster mentioned earlier about the magic signature database. With that, maybe there’s a chance to discover something useful about myself, my origins, or the nature of my mana with just a simple test.

—————————-

Just then, Karlogen steps in, his timing impeccable.

“Oh, is it time already?” Eris asks, glancing up.

“Yup, business hours are over. We can proceed with the young lady’s ID now,” Karlogen replies, nodding.

“Great!” Eris says, grinning. “And, by the way, did you know Felicia here shattered a world record?”

“Huh? What world record?” Karlogen raises a scaly brow in surprise.

“Hihi,” I beam, unable to hide my pride.

Eris then eagerly fills him in on my progress—how I managed to sense mana and even forge my own mana core within just an hour.

“Ohooo! That’s amazing!” Karlogen exclaims. “Ah, too bad we can’t reveal your identity right now; you’d be famous!”

Oh right!

DAMN IT!

If only I were registered, if only I had an ID—then I could actually be recognized!

I may even receive a huge cash prize!

“Anyway,” Karlogen says, “could you show me your mana core again? I may be able to sense something.”

“Of course!” I reply, settling back into a meditative position, ready to channel my mana once more.

Now, being a Lizard Furren, Karlogen senses mana with his tongue.

But… does that mean he’s going to… lick me or something?

My mind races, but thankfully, that’s not the case.

Though he does flick his tongue out to taste the air, he maintains a respectful distance.

“Wait… it tastes like blood? What in the world is this?” Karlogen mutters, his brow furrowing.

But suddenly, a sharp, piercing pain stabs through my chest. It feels like my heart is being torn apart!

“NYAAARGHHH!” I gasp, clutching my chest.

The pain, it’s so intense that I nearly lose consciousness for a moment.

“Felicia!” Eris yells, rushing over just in time to catch me as I slump forward.

I fall into her arms, breathing heavily.

“Young lady, are you alright?” Karlogen asks

“I-I’m fine…” I murmur, feeling beads of sweat on my forehead as the pain slowly subsides.

Just… what the heck was that?

Did I get a heart attack or something?

Is it the cholesterol built up from eating too much meat?

But I’m still young! And I’m a catgirl!

It can’t be!

Actually… no…

It was my mana … I’m sure of it.

Something was wrong with my mana earlier.

“Felicia, what happened?” Eris’s voice is tense, holding my hand tightly and her eyes filled with concern.

I take a deep breath.

And then, I begin explaining what happened.

“Everything felt fine, but then, out of nowhere, the mana inside me went… berserk. It was like I lost control, and my heart felt like it was exploding.”

“Karl, do you know anything about this?” Eris asks, looking at the Guildmaster.

Karlogen frowns, staying silent for a moment, deep in thought.

“Hmmm… it could be a rare side effect of awakening your mana sense and materializing your mana core for the first time. Regardless, young lady, if that ever happens again, please go see a cleric.”

“T-thank you, Guildmaster, I will,” I reply.

“Felicia…” Eris murmurs, biting her lip nervously, her brows furrowing with worry.

Just like that, the room falls silent, and the atmosphere suddenly feels so gloomy.

“Anyway, I feel better now!” I say, trying to lighten the mood. “Should we… proceed with my ID now?”

“Right!” Karlogen nods. “My apologies, I almost forgot.”

“No, it’s fine,” I reassure him, though my heart is still unsettled. It still feel a bit heavy inside my chest.

With that, we follow GuildmasterKarlogen upstairs to the main floor, down a hallway, until we finally stop in front of a grand door.

There is a sign. It says: Physical assessment room.

“Before registering a new ID, everyone has to go through an evaluation to assess their physical and magical abilities as an adventurer. Of course, we can skip this if you’d like. But… aren’t you curious about your personal stats?”

“Huh? Stats?” I echo, blinking.

Wait…

Stats?

STATUS?

Is this like.. a game interference of something?

Like a LitRPG novel????

HECK YEAHHH!!!

“No, please don’t skip!” I add quickly, excitement bubbling up. “I want to do the evaluation, please!”

“Yeah, I’m curious too,” Eris says. “And for some reason, I feel like knowing Felicia’s stats can give us some insight on what happened earlier!”

“Right,” Karlogen nods, pushes open the door, and we step into the room.