"God of light..."

Leo didn't ask any more questions. He leaned back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling.

'Was there a battle in these three kingdoms during the Middle Ages? Or is it somewhere else? Perhaps it's on the other side of the shadow land? And why was Hell's gate opened?'

He returned his gaze to the history book.

'10,000 years in the middle era and 500 years in the new era... How long did the ancient era last? And did they have any sort of magic? There are so many questions.'

"That's enough resting; go and start cleaning the section belonging to literature."

Leo was brought back to reality by Samuel's voice. He stood up, grabbed his history book, and walked over to the literature section. He also read a page from his book every ten to fifteen minutes.

‘It also began covering the Middle Ages, just like Mr. Samuel said: there were four kingdoms, each belonging to a different race. Humans and orcs, however, reproduced rapidly, so the elves created magic to seal away the powers of the other races in order to overcome them. But it doesn’t mention where the battle took place or any important figures. I guess I'm not yet high enough in rank to learn those details.’

After a while, Leo went into the kitchen to get something to eat before returning to continue cleaning the library. Samuel was not present, and no one came the entire time. Leo sat at one of the tables and continued reading his book after cleaning everything in the literature section. He finished the history book at 3:45 p.m.

'Hmm, nothing notable; I need a more detailed book; I need to raise my rank quickly.'

The main entrance door groaned on its hinges, a sound that made Leo look up from his task. He saw Samuel enter, his eyebrows raised in mild surprise at finding Leo there.

“I see you’re taking a breather; how did the cleaning go?” Samuel asked, a hint of curiosity in his tone.

“I’ve finished cleaning the entire section,” Leo replied, a note of pride in his voice.

"The whole section? That’s quick work; I’m genuinely impressed,” Samuel said, his eyes reflecting his approval.

“I’ve also completed the history book,” Leo added, unable to hide a small, satisfied smile.

“Already? That’s fast. What did you find out?” Samuel inquired, leaning forward with interest.

“That I need to move up in rank to learn more,”

Samuel laughed heartily. “That’s a good one. It shows your drive for knowledge. Read the other books and I’ll provide more. Also, it’s 4 PM; you can head out,” he said, checking his watch and nodding for emphasis.

Samuel glanced at Leo, noticing the curiosity written across his face.

“If you have a question, feel free to ask,” Samuel said calmly, his tone reassuring, letting Leo know it was alright to speak up.

Leo hesitated for a moment before asking, “Why is there a ranking system for books?”

Samuel smiled knowingly. “Ah, I see. You’ve been drawn to the more advanced books, haven’t you?”

Leo gave a slight, unreadable nod, unsure how to respond.

“Don’t worry,” Samuel continued, his voice comforting. “Curiosity is a good thing—if you’re cautious with it. Knowledge can be powerful, but if you’re not careful, it can corrupt you... destroy your soul.” Before Leo could ask more, Samuel added, “You’ll learn about that corruption soon enough. For now, just try to keep your curiosity in check.”

Leo nodded, absorbing the words. He stood up, gathering his books with brisk movements.

“Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow, Mr. Samuel,” he said, giving a respectful nod before leaving.

“Until tomorrow,” Samuel replied with a warm smile.

Leo headed toward the storage room, a subtle sense of accomplishment settling over him. The quiet hum of the building seemed to mirror his mood.

“How was your first day?” Peter’s voice echoed from across the room, warm with friendly interest.

Leo turned, a small smile on his face. “It was great,”.

He went into the back room to get his coat, feeling the fatigue of the day’s work.

“By the way, your identification card is ready,” Peter announced from his desk.

Leo returned and took his card from Peter, examining it with a sense of new belonging. ‘Leo Mantine, Member of the Paladins Association,’ it declared, along with his age and other details.

“You can use the back door now,” Peter said, gesturing towards it with a welcoming hand.

“Thank you, Mr. Peter,” Leo said, gratitude evident in his expression.

After bidding Peter farewell, he took the back exit, finding it an easier way out, just as Peter had suggested. He made his way to the housing agency, and as he stepped inside, he recognized the same man from the previous day.

"Hello"

The man rose to his feet, lifting his head with an effort that betrayed the weight of stress etched across his features. Regret flickered in his eyes as he recalled how he’d treated Leo like a child in their last encounter.

“Mr. Mantine, we’ve been expecting you,” he greeted with a formal nod.

“I’m here to fulfill the terms of my contract,” Leo stated, his voice was steady.

“Yes, of course. Right this way, please,” the man said, leading Leo down the corridor with purposeful strides.

Upon entering a well-lit room, they were immediately approached by a welcoming figure.

“Mr. Mantine, you’re quite early,” the newcomer observed with a hint of surprise.

“Mr. Duv, my schedule cleared up sooner than expected, so I arrived early. I trust that won’t be a problem," Leo replied, his tone was hopeful yet apologetic.

“Not at all; it’s actually quite convenient. Please, have a seat—the paperwork is all prepared for you.”

He gave him the contract. Leo read all of the content, and when he was sure, he signed the contract. He also put two gold coins and fifty silver coins on the paper. Golzes rose to his feet and shook Leo's hand.

"Every month you can come here and pay your rent, or if you want, we can send someone to get the rent."

"No, I come here myself."

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Leo thought that it would be safer for him to come and pay his rent himself. He said his goodbyes to Golzes and went straight home. His mother and sister weren't around when he arrived. A message had been left in the kitchen.

'Sweetie, we're going to get your sister some clothes and stationery.'

After putting down the letter, Leo went into his room to change his clothes. He returned to the kitchen, washed his face, drank a glass of water, and returned to his room again.

'I can't wait to get my hands on the magic book.'

He sat on his bed, holding a book titled Introduction to the World of Magic. Taking a sip of water, he settled in and began to read .

'The term magic is a generalization for a wide range of sub-categories, from the most basic, such as lighting a crystal ball, to the most complex; all of them are magic. Pure magic, arcana, necromancy, light, darkness, elemental magic, and void magic are the seven categories of magic. All of these can be subdivided further. Arcana, for example, can be divided into enchanting, alchemy, science, and other categories. But before we get into the specifics, let's talk about Mana.’

‘Mana is the soul's power. Every soul has a mana capacity, which can be increased through practice. Mana is the most commonly used resource in magic to create spells and skills. The more mana you have, the more spells you can cast, and the more likely you are to become corrupted.’

‘Corrupted?’ Leo paused, his eyes narrowing. ‘Is this the same corruption Mr. Samuel mentioned?’ He frowned, pondering the connection. ‘And it says mana is the most commonly used resource... which means there are other resources too.’

Leo mulled over the thought for a few moments before shaking it off and continuing to read.

‘When the mana in your body increases, your soul need to control that power, if ones fail to control it, it will damage the soul and corrupt the person. When the capacity of your soul fill, the mana start to flow out of your body. what ever you touch get some of your mana, you can call this, mana fingerprint. Even by mastering to control you mana completely, you can’t stop you mana from flowing out of your body’

The next twenty page was explaining, that the mana of each person is unique and some example and test results.

‘Almost everyone can feel the presence of mana within their body. Close your eyes and focus. Try to sense a movement—something that isn’t part of your physical body but exists inside you. Concentrate on your soul. With this training, you’ll begin to feel your mana.’

'Chapter two: further divided magic. All types of magic can be further subdivided. Let us begin with pure magic. Pure magic is when you use your mana without changing it into anything else. For example, in elemental magic, you can change your mana into fire, but in pure magic, mana does not change; it merely alters shape. Pure magic is classified as either support, defense, or attack, but it is most commonly used for support and defense. The most common pure magic spell is light ball, which is a type of support magic.

The next one is arcana. As previously stated, arcana is classified as enchanting, alchemy, science, divination, illusion, and conjuration. Enchanting is the ability to imbue anything with an effect, such as enchanting a sword with fire magic. Enchanting requires an energy source, which we use in the form of crystals, which we will not discuss here. Alchemy is concerned with liquids and their combination to produce a potion or poison. In science, we create new spells and skills related to magic in general. Divination is the ability to predict the future through astrology or a contract with a god or a demon. Illusion is linked to the brain; you can make someone see something that does not exist by manipulating their mana and brain and finally, through conjuration, one can summon a creature to fight alongside him.

This book excludes necromancy, darkness, and void magic. Let us now discuss light. Light is more complicated than other types of magic; it all depends on the spells you want to learn. For example, if a person wishes to learn support spells, he is referred to as a priest; if he wishes to learn attack spells, he is referred to as a paladin; and if he wishes to learn defense spells, he is referred to as a guardian.

Finally, there is elemental magic, which is divided into fire, air, earth, lightning, and water. Each is superior to one and inferior to the other. Furthermore, each of them excels in certain areas, such as fire and lightning, which are effective in attacks.

To use these spells, you must first master your mana. After that, you'll be able to transform your mana into whatever you want.

Other magics in this world, such as blood magic and nature's magic, do not use mana directly and thus are not included in our classification.’

The following page provided more information about each magic, mostly elemental magic. Leo finished the book in a few hours. He was sitting on his bed, thinking.

'There is no information about the void, darkness, or necromancy, and it only discusses the fundamentals of magic.'

Leo studied the book and decided to try the mana practice it recommended. He sat up straight and began to concentrate.

'Pay attention to your soul, something that is not a part of your body but is present.'

He sat for fifteen minutes, unable to feel anything.

'Am I doing something wrong?'

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began to concentrate once more. After another ten minutes, he began to feel a movement in his body that resembled a waterfall, flowing from his head to his feet. The sound of the main door interrupted his concentration.

"Sweetie, we’re home," his mother called out as the front door creaked open.

Leo muttered to himself, “Hmm... I have to do this while they’re sleeping.” He stood up and quietly left his room.

“Hi, welcome back,” he greeted as he stepped into the hallway.

Before his mother could respond, Rosie darted toward him. “Leo, Leo, Leo! Look what I got!” she exclaimed, nearly bouncing with excitement. She was dressed in a new long skirt and blouse, her face beaming.

“You look beautiful,” Leo said, smiling as she grabbed his hand.

“Come see my stuff!” Rosie tugged at him eagerly. “I got two notebooks, two pens, and these little things. And I bought two new sets of clothes for home too!”

Leo chuckled, gently patting her head, before turning to his mother. “What about you, Mom?” he asked with a warm smile.

Lisa smiled.

“I also got two sets of clothes, one for home and one for outdoor, and some stuff for home, and still 60 silver left,” she said the last sentence proudly.

"Ok, keep them for whatever you need, and if you need more, don't forget to tell me."

"Thank you, sweetie; dinner will be ready in 30 minutes."

"Ok, I'll be in my room."

Leo entered his room, took up the book about faith, and began reading. After thirty minutes, he ate his dinner and helped his mom clean the table. He returned to his room and resumed his reading. The majority of the book was about the god of light and his rules. When he finished reading, he took out his watch and checked the time. It was twelve o'clock.

'I believe they are now asleep.'

He sat up straight and resumed his concentration. After ten minutes, he began to feel the same as before.

'This has to be mana.'

He tried to control and move the power in his body, but he failed. He gave up after nineteen to twenty attempts. He was resting on his bed when he suddenly remembered.

'There was something about using light ball magic; perhaps I should try that.'

Leo took up his magic book and began searching for the right page.

'Found it; raise one of your hands and imagine a ball inside it; now imagine your mana flowing inside this ball.'

Leo raised his hand and start to do the thing in the book, he tried forty time with no success. A small ball of light formed inside the palm of his hand in the 41st time. His pupils dilated and his mouth curved into a smile.

'I did it!'

He took a few moments to examine the ball.

'Let's try to see how far I can move it.

Leo tried to visualize the ball of light moving away from his palm. However, the ball did not move.

'Hmm... maybe try making it bigger?'

He imagined a larger ball and attempted to completely fill it. The ball began to expand and grew to twice its original size in a matter of seconds.

'All right, now let's try to move it.

He was about to try to move the ball again when his head began to hurt, he lost his concentration, and the ball began to lose its shape. The ball vanished after a few seconds of moving and changing shape.

‘I think I used too much mana... but how is that possible?’ Leo frowned, his head pounding. ‘The light ball spell is the most basic. Maybe I’m wasting more mana than I realize?’

Frustrated, he closed his eyes and leaned back on his bed, but the throbbing in his head kept him awake. After a few restless minutes, he sighed and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Standing up, he made his way to the kitchen. He opened the cooling box, grabbed some leftover dinner, and slowly ate, washing it down with a glass of water. As the food settled in his stomach, he started to feel a bit better.

Returning to his room, Leo lay back down, hoping sleep would finally come.

‘I can’t sleep’, he thought, staring at the ceiling, his mind still buzzing. After ten minutes of tossing and turning, he gave up, got out of bed again, and reached for his latest book.

'A book about rules, that can't be boring,' he sneered.

It was a simple book outlining the fundamental rules of the kingdom of light. When he finished reading, he yawned and closed the book.

'I believe I am ready to sleep.'

He crawled into his bed.

‘There is magic in this world, which makes it really exciting. I also have a lot of things I want to learn and know. Humans can live for almost one hundred years, which is more than humans on earth, but that’s not enough. Samuel stated that increasing mana allows one to live longer, but why did the first Paladin die of old age, at the age of two to three hundred years? Perhaps the information in that book is incorrect.'

He was staring up at the ceiling.

'I need to divide my objectives into short and long-term goals. My main goal is the long-term goal, and the short-term goal is what I need to do to get to my long-term goal, and I know what I want for my main goal.

Leo grinned.

'I want to study everything there is to know about this world, and I need to know how I got here; for that, I need a lot of time, and a human's regular lifespan is not enough, I need to increase my lifespan'

A light streamed in through his window, lighting up his room.