It was a cold winter day. In the depths of Folre Forest a really young boy was hiding behind a tree. There was a really big hyena with a really long neck near him. The hyenas tail was short, blood and saliva mix dripping down from its beak-like mouth full of razor sharp teeth. The hyena was sniffing the air and ground, looking for something. But the little boy was strangely calm. That boys name was Vulren Ravanan. He was born in a Myrill village named Elred. He was so weak, that he was almost undetectable. The hyena was confused, it saw the boy not so long ago and now he was completely disappeared. The hyena left after sniffing the surroundings for a couple of minutes.

After the creature left, Vulren started to walk towards a small hill in the middle of the Folre Foretst. This was the farthest place he could go. Normally, entering the Folre Forest is forbidden to anyone except adventurers because of the dangerous monsters living in the forest. But since he had almost no magic power, the creatures couldn’t sense him. He climbed to the top of the biggest and oldest tree on the hill. He comes here and reads books almost everyday. Tomorrow, he would turn seven and have a Skill Test. Everyone gets a skill at birth but some skills may be useful while some aren’t. Since he was really weak the people always treated him like a piece trash. As he thought about all the amazing skills he might receive, he couldn’t help but grin, revealing his sharp, shark-like Myrill teeth. Couple of hours later he realized he could no longer even focus on the book. The sun had already started to set, and it was time to head home. He climbed back down from the tree and quickly checked the surroundings. After a long walk back to the Elred Village it was dark already. Their home was a beautiful, two-story wooden house near the village center. Right next to it was the blacksmith workshop where his mother, Elincia, worked. She was a respected blacksmith in the village and spent most of her day in the workshop. The house also had a basement and an attic. On the first floor were the kitchen, the living room, and the maid Nuala’s room. On the second floor were his parents’ bedroom, his sister Leena’s room, and the bathroom. And finally, of course, the attic was Vulren’s room. Since Vulren climbed trees in the Folre Forest every day, climbing the wall of the wooden house wasn’t very difficult. He climbed up to his sister Leena’s room and quietly knocked the window.

Leena, with an excited look on her face, opened the window and let him in. She liked his brother. Despite him being the weakest in the village he was really smart, brave and kind. He always tells her stories about the monsters he sees in the forest. The stories were really fun and exciting but they always have common thing. Running and hiding. Although her older brother was very weak, Leena was very talented in magic. And Vulren always thought this world had a very strange balance. It’s almost like someone took his magic from him and gave it to his sister. He was proud of Leena being strong but being treated like trash from everone in the village except her sister and Nuala wasn’t exactly nice.

After saying goodnight to Leena, he quietly made his way up to his room, careful not to wake his parents. His room was small and the ceiling was pretty low. The room had only one window but at least he had a room to himself. After changing his clothes , he lay down on his bed. He was hungry, but dinner had already been served, and if he went into the kitchen without permission, he’d get into big trouble. But he was used to sleeping hungry. He was excited, but he knew he needed rest, so he cleared his mind and slowly drifted to sleep. Vulren woke up early in the morning, got ready, and headed downstairs. Nuala was preparing breakfast in the kitchen. He wanted to help, but she said, “Don’t worry, it’s almost done anyway.”. Nuala’s cooking was amazing, and Vulen occasionally took cooking lessons from her. That way, if things didn’t go as planned and he couldn’t become an adventurer, he could open his own restaurant. Vulren preferred to eat in the kitchen with Nuala. Whenever he ate at the dining table in the living room, he could tell his family was visibly uncomfortable, which bothered him a lot as well. After the breakfast, he was ready to go. The Skill Test would be held at the village’s magic school. His parents never sent him to the school because of his weakness. As he was about to leave, his father called out, “You’d better get a good skill. Maybe you’ll finally be useful for something.” Vulen replied sarcastically, “I’ll do my best to get a good Skill that was assigned on my birth .” His father gave him a surprised but angry look but said nothing. Vulen didn’t wanted to provoke him, but his father’s reaction was worth it. He felt a spark of confidence now that he would soon receive his own Skill. Imagining how people’s behaviours towards him might change once he had a powerful Skill, he chuckled to himself.

Elred Village was not a small village; it had a population of nearly a thousand. But the school wasn’t really far from the school. After passing through the marketplace, Vulren arrived at the school in no time. The Elred Magic School was certainly one of the biggest buildings in the village. Unlike the other buildings, this one was made of marble. With its decorative walls, the building looked truly magnificent. In the large garden at the center of the U-shaped school, about twenty children had gathered, waiting for the test to begin. Vulren quietly joined them, trying not to draw attention, but as usual, he couldn’t escape a few disdainful looks.

A few hours later, a tall man with long blond hair, who looked to be in his thirties and was dressed in robes, emerged from the school’s main gate with his assistant and gathered the children in one place. “Welcome, young seeds of Elred Village! Before we begin the test, I want to wish you all the best of luck. My name is Gorwin Trafiel, the head teacher here at this school,” he said, introducing himself. He looked like he didn’t sleep for couple of days. He cleared his throat and started to talk again, “First of all, let me talk about Skills and Skill Test. Everyone has gets a Skill after birth, most of the skills are unique but not really effective. Skills are divided into two types: Active Skills and Passive Skills. Active Skills are those that activate in exchange for mana or physical energy and are similar to magic. Passive Skills, on the other hand, are always active but do not consume mana or energy. But the effects of the Passive Skills are less effective compared to Active Skills. Each skill offers a reward at a certain cost. The quality and level of a skill are ranked from 8, the lowest, to 1, based on how high that cost is. After all, no matter how powerful your skill may be, if you can’t pay the price, it’s meaningless.”. A girl in the crowd asked Gorwin, “So, does that mean an 8th-level Skill could potentially be stronger than a 1st-level Skill?” “Oh yes, there’s also a chance I might lay a golden egg every time I use the bathroom, but it never happens,” Gorwin replied in a mocking tone. Vulren heard some kids giggling in the crowd. But he wasn’t laughing, the joke didn’t even make any sense.

“Let’s continue then!” Gorwin said. His assistant was holding a big black wooden box. He took the box from his assistant and placed it on the ground. “The Test is easy, we have some enchanted elixir in this box. You are going to put your hands hands inside the elixir and close your eyes. The elixir strengthens the bond between you and your Skill temporarily so you can understand how your skill work. And we’ll determine the level of your skill based on the reaction the elixir gives.” As Gorwin prepared the potion, his assistant stepped forward holding a sheet of paper. After Gorwin poured the glistering, purplish liquid into a large bowl, his assistant spoke, “Step forward when I call your name.” Gorwin’s assistant started reading names from the paper in hand. “Elas Morzeiros.”, a boy with black hair stepped forward, and Gorwin said, “First, dip your hands in the water and close your eyes.”. After the boy dipped his hands in the water and closed his eyes, Gorwin continued, “Imagine something you lost a long time ago, something you’ve been searching for.”

The boy looked as though he was confused. After waiting for about a minute, the purplish water began to glow, and the confused expression on the boy’s face vanished. The assistant took a glance at the water from his bag and said, “Level 5.” A blue feather pen began to float out of the assistant’s bag and started writing something on the paper the assistant had left on the table where the water had settled. The boy returned to the crowd with a grin on his face.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

The assistant resumed reading from the paper in his hand. “Zestari Genna. “Level 6.” “Beldroth Rotoris. “Level 6.” “Durothil Bryqen. “Level 4.” As the assistant announced the skill levels, a floating quill scribbled notes onto a sheet of paper on the table. The list continued in this manner until it was Vulren’s turn. So far, the highest skill level recorded was Level 3.

When the assistant finally called his name, “Vulren Ravanan,” Vulren stepped forward excitedly and plunged his hands into the liquid. He tried to follow Gorwin’s instructions. At first, searching for something he didn’t even know he had lost felt absurd. But then, suddenly, something clicked in his mind, like he had found it at last. What he sought was pain. Pain would give him strength.

Before he could process the thought, the assistant announced, “Level 8.” The crowd began to laugh. Vulren heard a girl mutter, “Of course it is. Trash like him could only get a trash skill.” More laughter followed. Vulren returned to his place with his head hung low. Everyone was staring at him, mocking him. He thought bitterly, Maybe I really should open a restaurant.

As the assistant called the next name, “Kavrala Umethana,” Vulren’s thoughts lingered on the shame that burned in his chest.

Everyone turned to look at Kavrala. She was the village chief’s daughter, with silky golden hair and elegant attire that made her look every bit as regal as her reputation suggested. Even among Myrills, Kavrala stood out for her beauty. Like the others, she approached the bowl with a calm and cold expression and dipped her hands into the liquid.

The assistant smiled slightly and announced, “Level 1.”

Cheers and applause erupted from the crowd. “Kavrala is amazing as always!” “Exactly what we’d expect from Kavrala!”

 Vulren couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy. He knew he wasn’t unattractive by Myrill standards—quite the opposite. Yet, he didn’t have a single friend. Why? The answer was painfully clear: he was too weak. Among the Myrills, beauty was a common trait, but strength was what truly mattered.

Vulren’s large build, impressive for his age, made him stand out Even more, which was why he sat at the very back, alone on the ground. The test had ended, but Vulren stayed where he was, lost in thought. Gaining strength through pain? It was a cruel skill. Tears welled up in his eyes. After all, he was only seven years old. He lowered his head to hide his face and tried to calm himself. After wiping his eyes on his sleeve, he began to stand, but a voice startled him.

“Why are you sitting on the ground?”

Kavrala stood before him, her cold gaze fixed on him. Vulren quickly scrambled to his feet, standing straight. For a brief moment, a flicker of surprise crossed her otherwise expressionless face. “Wow, you’re quite tall,” she remarked. Caught off guard, Vulren stammered out something resembling a thank-you. Before he could say more, a voice called out in the distance, “Kavrala, come here now!” Her parents had arrived to collect her.As Kavrala turned to leave, she waved at Vulren. Hesitantly, he waved back. The other children glared at him with jealousy and hatred. Knowing that staying any longer could lead to trouble, Vulren quickly set off for home. The entire walk back, he couldn’t stop thinking about his skill. “Just because it’s Level 8 doesn’t mean it’s weak. No matter how great the cost, as long as I can pay it, I can still be strong.”

But even as he said the words, he didn’t truly believe them. But he turned the handle and slowly pushed it open. The door wasn’t locked. He stepped inside quietly and looked around. His mother was probably in her workshop, but today was his father’s day off, meaning he was either in his office or at the village tavern.

His father wasn’t a bad person, but as someone with a prominent position in the village, he was undoubtedly embarrassed by his son’s lack of strength. Vulren approached the door to his father’s office and knocked.

“Come in,” came the reply.

Vulren opened the door slowly. One wall of the room was lined with a massive bookshelf, its shelves packed with books of every size and subject. Across from the door was a large, curtain-framed window, and in front of it stood his father’s elegant desk. Two armchairs faced eachother infront of the desk with a small table between them for guests. His father was seated at the desk, writing something on a piece of paper. When he saw Vulren, he finished a few more words, set his pen down, and gestured to the chair.

“Have a seat,” he said. Vulren sat down nervously. “How did the test go?” his father asked. Vulren took a deep breath and replied, “Not very well, to be honest.”

His father sighed and removed his glasses, rubbing his eyes with two fingers. His expression was one of disappointment, as if his last shred of hope had just crumbled.

“I see,” he said. “In that case, find yourself a job you can do. I know you like cooking. If you want to open a restaurant, I’ll help you get started. But once it’s open, you’ll move out immediately. You can stay here untill you turn 12. Help Nuala with cooking and house chores when you stay here. She is going to have a child after couple of of months and she might need help.” Although Vulmon didn’t love him that much, he was still his son. After a moment of silence, his father dismissed him with a simple, “You may go.”

Vulren left the office quietly and headed toward his room in the attic. He wanted to escape to the forest, but it was already afternoon, and reaching the hill in the forest would take hours. Instead, he grabbed a book from a pile in the corner of his room and lay on his bed.

But his mind kept drifting he couldn’t even concentrate to the book. Maybe I really should open a restaurant, he thought, trying to convince himself with the memory of how much he enjoyed cooking. Yet deep down, he still wanted to grow stronger. He had no magical power and a strong skill. Could he really accept this life? He reflected on his one glimmer of hope. The Myrills had incredibly hard and sharp teeth. But nobody knew their teeth had another property, as long as he knew, they could break magic down. Vulren had stumbled upon this truth by accident months ago.

While exploring the forest, he had encountered a magical bird-like creature, as large as his head. The creature attacked immediately, pecking at him with relentless force. Vulren tried to escape, but the area was overgrown with roots, vines, and bushes, a place where beasts rarely ventured. Realizing he couldn’t outrun it, he tripped over a root and fell. The bird lunged at him, and in desperation, Vulren grabbed the bird with both hands and bit down with all his strength. He was at least expecting to scare the monster. To his shock, the creature was crahsed instantly, as if his teeth had disrupted its skins magical protection.

His mouth filled with feathers, blood, and organs, and the taste was unbearable. He spit it out and vomited violently, running to the nearest clean water source to rinse his mouth. But in that moment, he realized the power hidden in his teeth. Now he had a plan: open a restaurant, continue training his body, and test his teeth’s ability to break magic down by biting magical creatures in the forest. Having his own place meant he could stay out as late as he wanted without answering to anyone. By the time the sun set, Vulren had made up his mind. Tomorrow morning, he would tell his father he wanted to open a restaurant. With that resolve, closed his eyes, and drifted into sleep.