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Chapter 3: Growing Up

After the celebration life went on as normal, I started speaking more and running around to house, I also started to meditate. The meditation method was something I have seen I a rank 9 civilization world. It was known as the most powerful method of raising one's internal mana, or mana core.

After a month of meditation, my mana core grew by 1.5 millimeters, which was and enormous growth

rate in that world. I figured that, by the time I reach 3 years old I will be stronger than grandma.

I was thinking maybe I should do some physical exercises but that would have been overkill. My body was getting constantly stronger at a balanced rate. Doing physical exercises would increase my muscle mass and stamina faster, but it would disturb the balance.

Even without exercising when I reached 2 years old, I had the body of a 4 years old, witch was an impressive growth for a couple of months. At first I was wondering if I didn't overdo it, with my core, but than I remembered what the goods wanted me to do in this world, so the faster I grow strong the better.

At about 2 years old I got curious about my appearance. It may seem late, but there is not much to see from looking at a baby. After looking into the mirror I found out that I had the same black hair and blue eyes as my father, the difference was that my eyes were a shade deeper of blue that was almost glowing. The reason for that was probably the mana core in my body, which was strengthening every part of me. Overall, I was quite good looking, from what you can tell at 2 years old…which is not much.

After a few seconds of contemplating my appearance I heard someone crying in a really high pitched voice. From what o could tell, it was the voice of a toddler. When I reached the sound I found my mother trying to calm down a child.

Silvia: “It's ok little Zack! Your mommy will come back soon.”

Silvia: “Why don't you play with aunty until then!”

Klaus: “Mom?”

Klaus: “Who is that?”

Silvia: “Oh, hi sweetheart! Come and meet Zack.”

Silvia: “He is your aunt Alyssas child. Come and say hi.”

Klaus: “Hello! I'm Klaus. Why are you crying Zack?”

After he heard me he seemed to have calmed down, than looked at me with a confused, but adorable expression, and said.

Zack: “Mommy is gone!”

Zack: “What's a caus?”

Klaus: “It's me, my name is Klaus. How old are you?”

Zack: “I am 2 years old!”

He seemed really proud of his 2 years of life.

Silvia: “Klaus, why don't you play with Zack here? You are 2 months older than him, so you have to be a good big brother to him, ok?”

Klaus: “Ok, mom! Come Zack, let's play!”

Zack: “Yay!”

Klaus: <>

Klaus: “Ok Zack, what do you want to play?”

Zack: “I wanna play knight!”

Zack: “I wanna be strong like daddy!”

Klaus:<>

Klaus: “Than do you want to train with me?”

Klaus: “To become strong?”

Zack: “YES!”

While he was jumping happily I used my mana to inspect his body and his core. It seems that, unlike me, he had a core...even if it was only half of mine. And that is after I was done meddling with it and before my training, so I suppose it was around 1/24th of my grandmothers. I really need to see what rank of power my grandma had if I keep using her core as a measure.

Well even with a small core he should be able to train, now the only question is…how do I train him?

Klaus: “Zack, I want you to listen and do exactly what I say. If you do that you will become strong. Ok?”

Zack: “Ok big brother Kaus.”

Klaus: “First you have to sit in the lotus position, like this.”

After he figured how to sit I started telling him what to do. The training method I choose for him was a bit different from my own. While I didn't have to improve my body with physical exercises, he needed them. So to train both his body and mana core I gave him a bit of a cheat. I just modified his core a little so that it would store all the excess mana inside, instead of releasing it outside. Of course, if that happened with all the mana outside, his little core will explode. To avoid that, the meditation, more like breathing method, will force all his mana to purify itself inside the core and expel all impurities. The cleaner the mana, the stronger the spells, and they will cost less too. The main reason he can have a core that does not realize if because this method can be used constantly, even while asleep.

While this is an excellent way to get strong quickly and have tremendous mana capabilities I didn't need it, because my core will use the impure mana to strengthen my body, so nothing is lost.

The first few minutes he was quite bored of just sitting there, as expected of a 2 year old, but after I showed him a bit of magic, where I just made a some mana particle in the air light up, he was very diligent. I suppose he will be quite a hard worker in the future. Even better for my plan to mess *cough*...train him.

As the years flew pass, both me and my little cousin were growing up quickly. At the age of 4 I started training his physical strength and fighting techniques. It wasn't anything major, just the right way to kick or punch, the way the body worked, and where to hit to deal the most damage.

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In the meantime, I learned from one of my grandmothers stories that there are mages and warriors in this world. It seems not every person has a mana core in their body, which explained my situation after being born. Having a mana core is hereditary and almost in all cases a mages father will also be a mage. There are exceptions so I don't have to worry about being found out, but this also makes me fell like Zack is lucky, since his father is not a mage. There is also the possibility that my aunt cheated on her husband, but that is unlikely. Anyway, I found out that both mages and warriors are ranked the same. The ranks go from the lowest E to the highest S. My grandma was a rank C mage that I didn't find all that impressive. The impressive one was my father. He was a rank A warrior. Even if he came from a commune family with no fighting stile he still managed to become pretty powerful.

Aside from training I didn't do much. In our neighborhood we and his sister were the only children, but she didn't stay with us much, preferring our mothers company.

One other thing to note is that I have to be more careful in dealing with people, especially my grandma. When I was 3, I saw a book in her room, in which I have never been in till then. Curious about what it was I started reading it. Grandma, when entering the room saw staring at the open book me and asked me if it was a good read. I nonchalantly answered her with a brief summary. Before I even realized what I had done I was hailed as a genius by my granny, and was given some more books to read. Of course, there was a party the whole week in the house celebrating the prodigy that learned to read on his own at the age of 3. It was all really tiresome.

Just like that 5 years passed by. I am now 7 yeas old but I look like I am, at least 10. The effect of my core was amazing. I was 1m and 60cm tall, I wasn't buff but I had an almost perfect body, with lean muscles perfect for agility and for strength, even if it didn't show I could already lift around 50 kg.

My little cousin had a pretty big development as well. He was 1m and 40cm tall, with good muscles and he was actually pretty handsome, with green eyes and golden hair.

He was also very hard working, you could even call him a genius. I threw at him some insane physical exercises but he finished them every time.

In the meantime his mana core became larger and larger and it was filled with pure mana. He was becoming quite strong.

2 months after Zack's birthday, when we reached home we found my whole family plus his mother, sister and father waiting for us.

Klaus: “What's up? Why is everyone here?”

Stephan: “We have something to discuss with you both.”

Stephan: “How would you like to go to school?”

Klaus: “School? Isn't that expensive? Do we have money?”

Grandma: “Don't worry about money love. Just tell us how do you feel about it.”

Well I can figure what happened. It seems like grandma wants to sponsor us. But do I need school?…Well I do need to learn more about this world so I guess that's a way to go about it.

Klaus: “I want to go. To learn more about the world. How about you Zack?”

Zack: “Well, if Bro is going, I'm going.”

Stephan: “Hahaha! Perfect!”

Stephan: “We will start to prepare tomorrow. And the day after tomorrow we go to the guild.”

Klaus: “The guild? Why?”

I knew that the guild was an organization created and founded by all the countries for the sole purpose of killing magical beasts. In short it was an army made of civilians.

Stephan: “Well because the school that we want to send you two to is kept by the guild.”

Stephan: “It's an extremely expensive school for nobles.”

Klaus: “Wait do you have that kind of money?”

Stephan: “Hear me until the end. It's true that the school is expensive but every year they have a scholarship handout.”

Stephan: “The scholarship will cover 95% of all school taxes, so we will have to pay just 5%.”

Stephan: “There are 2 conditions to become a scholarship student.”

Stephan: “First: One must reach either the warrior rank C, or be a level D mage before the age of 10. Since neither me nor your uncle is a mage there is little chance for the both of you to become one, but I believe you have the strength of a C rank warrior.”

Klaus: “How do you know that?”

Stephan: “Hahaha!I am an A rank warrior. Do you think you can escape me? One of the reasons we are even thinking of sending you is because of your progress.”

Klaus: “Haah...And I thought we were concealed...”

Klaus: “I also think we are above level D mage. Both of us.”

While I said that everyone, even Zack got flabbergasted. My father was looking at me and, after a moment of shock started laughing.

Stephan: “Hahaha! My son that is some humor you have there. You took us all by surprise! Anyway. The second condition is to be able to read and write.”

Silvia: “We already know that you know how to son, but what about little Zack?”

Zack: “It's ok, Bro taught me how.”

Silvia: “Ohh! That's and admirable brother you have there.”

While my mother and her sister were giggling, I went to my room. It seems they didn't believe me when I said I was a mage. I wander what face they are gonna make when they see. While thinking that I fell asleep thinking what school life it's gonna be like.