“Alright people! Today we are learning about geography,” Luine said, pinning a large world map on the board. It was Moonwash who made it. I could tell by the beautiful and prominent signature on the very center of the map.

“Nice job,” I told the girl beside me. We were seated at the very back. “Planet Moonwash is very beautiful.”

“Thank you,” she said, not looking up from the wooden sword she was carving designs into, nor acknowledging my joke.

I shrugged and listened to the lesson. Nothing I didn’t already know, but a refresher was good. I would someday travel this world and beyond, and it was fun just imagining the different adventures I would have in the future.

Near the right edge of the map, on the lower end, was Grandera. It was the continent where we lived in, depicted as being separated into three major parts. To the west was where we lived. Edengar, the nation ruled by Queen Eden, was filled with beachy shores, verdant plains, and varied forests. Not that the entire place was under the Angelore Empire’s control.

Running down the middle of the continent was the impenetrable mountain range that split the continent in two. It ran beyond the shores and well into the oceans, speaking of tales about mountains that rose up from the seafloor. I was pretty sure that wasn’t how mountains were supposed to work, but that only made this world more exciting.

Lastly, to the east was the elven forest. It was a mythical place where everything was just bigger. Their trees were said to make our own look like grass, and monstrosities that would threaten whole towns here were commonplace and weaker than the elves that called it home.

Luine spoke about other places too. From the Isla Tropics above and to the left of Grandera on the map, consisting of many smaller island nations that made a larger whole. It was said to hold a variety of sapient people that could rival the rest of the world combined in diversity.

There was then a large expanse of ocean beyond our western shores called the Leviathan’s Feast, and beyond that, left-of-center of the map, was Arrival. It was the continent previously known as Wargrove, home to the humans, ogres, and kobolds. That was where the angels first arrived, and the Angelore Empire’s origin point.

West of it was Hivania, home of the inhex and the late curse dragon. It was a rocky and desert-filled place that was difficult to live in. South of Arrival was Jurasia. It was a very large continent filled with all sorts of environments common from hot to temperate climates. That continent was where the dinosaur-like sundertops and tyranights were from, and the rest of the wildlife did not stray from that motif.

“Haell, I have a gift for you.”

“Huh?” I turned my head to the right and saw Moonwash handing me the sword that she had been making. “What?”

“I am giving this to you. As a gift.”

“Oh.” My mind finally caught up to the sudden departure from the lesson. “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome.”

I smiled. The suddenness of it surprised me, but I felt warmer and happier the more I held on to the gift. It was beautifully made, and the fact that a friend made it for me only added to its value. I held the wooden sword close and hugged it to my chest.

Salaire took over for Luine, and presented a different map, this one depicting our immediate surroundings. She spoke of the many opportunities and dangers just nearby, but stressed that no one should just thoughtlessly try to take them without thought. The monsters in these forests were not to be trifled with, and even the people could be dangerous.

“Hey,” Moonwash spoke again. “Can you do me a favor?”

I raised a brow. “I’d have to hear the favor first. But probably.” Making blanket promises is stupid!

"I want ink."

"Ink? You mean for writing? I should have some. I also have paint, and dye…”

"No. I meant enchanted ink."

"You mean the ink that solidifies and creates enchantments!?"

"Yes."

I opened and closed my mouth a few times, unsure how to process her frank reply. Enchanted ink was expensive. It required some kind of liquid medium to make, like the blood of strong magical creatures, or the sap of certain plants. The recipe also required, among other things, crushed mana repositories and focuses. Those were materials that someone could make multiple wands with!

And now Moonwash was just boldly asking me to hand some over…

"...I'll ask Mom and Dad," I eventually answered.

"Thank you."

Another beat of silence.

"What are you going to do with it?" I queried.

"Make an enchantment."

I figured as much… Is she doing this on purpose!?

"What kind of enchantment?" I endeavored not to be annoyed.

She pointed at the beautiful sword in my hand. She specifically touched the ridges that made out the carvings. "This."

I blinked again. "I thought you were giving it to me?" I was quite happy about the gift too…

"I am."

"Oh?" I perked up. "But then I thought… you were going to use it for enchanting?"

"Yes."

"Right, so…"

"I'll give it to you."

"...Oh! You want to give me an enchanted sparring sword!?"

"Mhm." She nodded.

"Well, thank you! I'll go see about getting enchanted ink for you!"

Moonwash gave me a curt nod, and then returned her attention to the lesson happening at the front.

There were now children attacking Salaire who was pretending to be a warsymbol. A quadrupedal creature that looked like a mix between a bear and a T-rex.

It was so stupid that I had to join.

~~~

Another day.

"Ah! I lost again! You've no mercy!" Therick raised his hands in defeat, having suffered yet another loss in Angeless. It was a bit like chess, except the angel side of the board had an advantage from the start. "I already can't beat you in sparring! Why are you this smart too!?"

Because of my Soul Feat. My mind is far stronger than what its level would suggest.

I shrugged and took a sip of my juice. We were currently seated outdoors, and I watched the children playing on the orphanage playground. "I'm just that good."

Therick groaned, slumping at the table. "The angels are supposed to win, you know? This is blasphemy!"

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

I laughed. "I've always found it more inspiring, to win against insurmountable odds.”

Therick gave me an odd look. "I don't know if you should be saying that…”

"Ah, fuck off,” I started another game while I watched Granuel play dodgeball with the other children in the playground.

I clapped, and he waved back.

“I am losing, but is it just me, or are you playing worse?” Therick asked as he moved his rebel side of the board. The angels were under my control this time, and it kinda rubbed me the wrong way if they won, but I also definitely didn’t want to lose, so I was doing more than enough to win with my superior units.

“Nah. It’s just your imagination. Don’t worry about it…” I trailed off, eyes drawn towards the dodgeball game happening. There were people from outside playing with us right now, and they were winning against Granuel’s side when my friend was the one dodging, but now it was the outsiders who were on the backfoot because while Granuel wasn’t the best when it came to power, his throws were accurate and he could predict precisely how his opponents would move. The rest of his team also did really well upon his instruction.

The dodgeball game eventually came to an end, and I cheered upon seeing Granuel’s team be the overall winner. The boy himself was even more happy about it, laughing and hugging his team like they just won the Superbowl.

All the good humor left me, when I saw what happened next.

Granuel was shoved by a human boy, one of the kids who came from outside the orphanage. Following behind him were a whole posse of goons, including some of the orphan children. They were mostly human, but there were also the odd ogre or centaur among their group.

They were the ones who got their asses kicked in the earlier game of dodgeball.

“Hey! What gives!” Granuel complained, having recovered from having been shoved. His legs might not have been built for travel, but they were at least excellent for standing his ground.

He was not able to similarly recover when he was pushed again, multiple times, until he finally fell.

"Do you think it's funny!? Do you not know who I am!? Show some res–!"

The one who assaulted my friend could not finish the rest of his sentence as I'd tackled him hard. We fell in a bundle of limbs, shoving and pulling and biting against each other. We disentangled a moment after, with me clearly being the winner. I rolled my arms, and finally remembered that I was still holding the wooden sword Moonwash gifted to me earlier.

Fuck. I don't want to accidentally break this!

I debated whether to toss it away somewhere safe, but it was a weapon, and I might have just started a fight. If I did not use the sword out of fear of breaking the thing, then what even was the damn point of it!?

"Wha…" the leader boy of the bullies groaned to himself. That finally startled his goons out of their dumbfounded expressions, and they went to help their de facto boss.

"You…" he addressed me once he had gotten up, "How dare you… Do you know who I am!?"

I believe I've overheard it earlier. His name is… Soph… soap? Soap!

"No clue!"

My shout caught him off balance.

"Well, I'll have you know that I'm–"

"I don't care, soap-boy! You suck! Pathetic! Sore loser! Fucking dumbass!"

I helped Granuel up to his feet while Soap-something struggled to find his words. He was well and totally put off balance.

"I am not…" he was interrupted again, but not by myself. Instead, the laughter of the gathered crowd had grown too loud, eclipsing his own shouted words.

Even some of those who were supposed to be on his side failed to suppress their own giggles.

Soapy-boy’s face reddened in both anger and embarrassment. He screamed and threw a punch.

I dodged easily to the side, finding the blow too telegraphed and predictable. My feet tangled with his as we passed each other, and I tripped him just like what he did to Granuel earlier. Only, Soapboy fell face-first.

He raised his head after a few seconds. I lazily met his eyes with a punchable smirk on my face.

"Get her!" he managed to get out, after an embarrassing few moments of floundering his words.

His group froze, unsure what to do. They looked back-and-forth between him and myself. I, for my part, just stood smugly with my arms on my waist.

“What are you waiting for!? NOW! ATTACK!!!”

They finally exploded into motion, after another embarrassingly long delay of confusion.

Their panic was funny, the hysteria of their charge hilarious, but I was still being chased down by over a dozen people my size, or more!

I fell back on my training instinctively. I kept track of all their positions, using my footwork to dodge and redirect their punches and kicks. It was no harder than playing tagball, the game where everyone threw balls at me along with a frantic chase.

I retaliated against my foes whenever the opportunity arose. Be it by using Moonwash’s sword to strike at their torso and legs, or by tripping them up and sending them crashing towards each other, eventually knocking them out into a bundle of limbs.

I avoided any lethal blows and permanently-debilitating injuries. As pissed off as I was at them, they were still a bunch of children at the end of the day, so I had enough good sense to hold back. I didn’t even think about using magic and burning them all to ash! It would be so easy, and would serve as really good practice in many ways, but it truly never ever crossed my mind!!

There was a centaur in their group. She charged at me and I could in no way outrun her strides. So I dodged at the last moment, taking advantage of how her ability to make turns wasn’t nearly as good, meanwhile my Flutter Feet were perfect for that.

"Aahh!" she yelped. I landed a strike with my sword when she passed me by, and I actually took care to not put as much force into it. But the gesture still caused enough pain for the child to just fold over and cry.

This feels like I'm the villain… But that is totally not the case! They started it!

The ogre among their group stepped forward, and the human children scattered to the side. I was keeping him away earlier by just putting other people between us, but it seemed like that would not work forever. Soap had caught on, and commanded his misguided forces.

Sweat started to run down my face as I sized up my opponent. Nearly two meters tall despite being around the same age as me, the ogre species started with all Mutations at a Level of 10. I nearly grabbed for my wand, but decided against it. That would be an unacceptable escalation of a conflict between literal children.

I'll just have to beat him some other way!

"Well? Still think you're so tough!?" their leader said from behind the ogre boy. I was even more fucked, as I had become surrounded. Shit why did I start poising myself for a 1 on 1 duel!? That was very dumb. I should have kept moving.

"I am," I answered with a confidence… that I surprisingly did feel. I squared my shoulders, and took a stance, hefting the comfortable weight of my sword.

He scoffed. "Against this many? No way!"

"Maybe you're just weak, that's why you can't even picture it!"

"It's not weakness!" he protested, gesturing for his lackeys to attack. "This is what leadership is! You're the one who understands nothing bitch!"

The ogre in front of me charged, and so did the dozen other kids that had me surrounded. But the reinforcements never arrived, for I was not as alone as either I or Soap-kid thought.

Angerly, an orphaned ogre, came up from behind their group, and pulled them back. Granuel and Therick lead the others, and prevented the enemy from reaching me. Moonwash… sat and observed, but I thought I saw her give me a reassuring nod.

Fuck. This escalated real hard. A full-on fucking brawl. This is so going to get me in trouble later, isn't it?

Even as I made the realization, I moved to escalate things even further. The enemy ogre rushed after me, and he tried for a grab. I dodged the first few ones, as even if he could match and even exceed my speed and grace out of sheer Levels, I was just that much better trained than him.

Unfortunately, I was well outmatched physically. He was faster than I, and his longer reach was pushing me further and further into a corner. Eventually, an attack did come that I was in no position to try and dodge, so I deflected it with my wooden sword. I put my full force into the maneuver, no longer holding back as I did before, and yet I was still pushed back by the blow.

I struggled to instantly right myself, aware of the crack in Moonwash’s gift. But I had managed to at least stave off the worst of the damage, while putting the much stronger foe off balance.

Far from an ideal trade, but I did not waste the opportunity for I was unlikely to get another. I immediately dashed forward and swung my sword hard into the ogre boy’s leg.

There was a yelp of pain and a resounding crack. But it was not my opponent’s legs that had broken, instead it was my sword. My heart too broke at the realization. Moonwash’s gift to me had been ruined.

I chanced a glance back, and the ogre boy had collapsed on the ground, clutching at his leg. He was crying and wailing loudly from the pain.

I winced, still feeling hopeless and alone. The weight of the broken gift hung heavily on my palms. Come on, boy ogre. You're way tough. I know that I didn't actually break anything! Ugh. More problems.

I walked away sadly from the scene, not wanting to be caught off guard if the ogre boy decided he still wanted to fight. The overall brawl had mostly slowed down, the kids hurt and tired. There were few actual injuries that I could see, as they mainly just shoved and pushed at each other. They all knew not to take things too far.

If anything, I was the one that went the furthest… fuck.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!?" I cringed when I heard Luine's shout. The doors to the orphanage building slammed open, nearly breaking in half from the force of the high-level woman.

"What she said!!" Salire followed after her, walking very fast.

“Uhm…” I recalled the purpose of my visit today. “I’m making friends?”

My smile was not convincing.