There is a clear social divide on Hearth. Nobles and the elite are treated favorably, and the poor are left wanting. Not surprising, considering it was similar on Earth. In every world, there are the lucky and the misfortunate. The rich and the poor. The geniuses and the fools. This world was no exception. Despite my tall words, my magical training has not been progressing smoothly. Never mind Min-Maxing techniques like precision and control, manifesting it is already a challenge, even after three days of practice. And this is with my adult mindset and otherworldly knowledge of energy. I truly cannot comprehend how the ordinary children of Hearth learn magic. Perhaps they draw on the wisdom of the ancients or something. The formidable gangster from Earth is just a poor child with little talent on Hearth. The type of child that would be chewed and spat out in both Earth and Hearth. My only saving grace is my possession of an unknown Arch-demon's unknown power. Borrowed strength. And I can't even harness it. Pathetic, I chided myself. Some Gangster boss you are. Do you want to be weak forever? To be vulnerable? Just like you were in your chil-.

Stop. I warned my inner voice. My childhood is a forbidden topic. It brings back nothing but unpleasant memories. Memories of ---

I quickly looked for something to distract myself. My gaze darted across my room, coming to a stop on my bookshelf. Could I find some clues in the books I've yet to read? While I've generally learned the tongue of this world by now, I'd still not fully grasped the written language on Hearth.

Well, I guess I'll challenge myself. I thought as I reached for a Book entitled The Study of Magic. As the title suggests, it's a book about magic, its studies, applications, and the lot. My parents had left it on my bookshelf after seeing my intellectual curiosity and fixation with magic. I'd previously attempted to decipher the contents when I was much younger, without much success. It was about time to try again. Maybe I could learn something that would give me a breakthrough in my magic training.

I flipped through a few pages, skimming and reading what I could understand. "Magic is a type of energy that dwells within a person's body. The physical body serves as a container for the magical energy, preventing its escape until death." I read. So it's similar to a soul. "Unlike the soul, which is present in all living organisms, not all creatures possess the energy called Magic. Some bodies are less suitable for magic than others. Amongst the magical creatures, humans are particularly adept at magic control due to humanity's intelligence. "

I continued reading.

"Despite humanity's proficiency in controlling magic, certain magical creatures like ??? are superior in magic control and creatures like !!! have a vast magical storage capacity. For more information about the magical creatures, refer to the section on Magical Creatures. " I frowned. That was two words I hadn't learned. Still, it should be fine. I probably wouldn't run into creatures like ??? and !!! this early on in life.

Hopefully. I sighed and made a mental note to read the section on Magical Creatures at a later date. I perused the book further, skipping the introduction and flipping to the section on Magical Attributes. Perhaps I can glean a clue on Imaginary Space there.

"Magic, in its energy state, have several attributes. Magical abilities are derived from these Attributes. The old (another word I couldn't read) correctly believed that this energy was related to the logic of the world, existing in the same '?' (I decided to fill in the word with continuum) as the natural matters and states of the world. Due to this trait of magic, magical abilities are often related to and display affinity for certain logical aspects of the world, such as the elements. Though there are many branches and sub-branches of magic that is compatible with different logical aspects of the world, most magical abilities fall under a few Primary branches of magic. For example, the element Hearth is one of the main branches of magic. Abilities that stem from this branch are common and are often augmentations to the physical body that harness the firmness and strength of the Hearth. " So the superhuman strength and speed that the Arch-demon offered me fall under the Earth, no, Hearth branch. I realized. "Common abilities aside, there are always a few rare and (esoteric) abilities in all branches of magic. Creating fireballs is a common ability in the Fire Branch of magic, whereas an (esoteric) ability of the Fire Branch might be manifesting explosions from thin air through the (combustion) reaction."

I shuddered at that. Esoteric abilities sound dangerous. Common abilities pitted against these esoteric ones would be quite literally bringing a melee flamethrower to a long range bomb fight. Good thing they are rare. I flipped a few more pages, trying to discern the Branch that Imaginary Space falls under.

Then I saw it. I smiled. Bingo.