Chapter 3: Going outside

Leon looked at the two abilities closely. He read them line by line, and it did not take long for him to understand what they did.

In this world, magic was everything. It was not something that was easily gained, and one needed to have an affinity from birth to master it. He recalled from the book that over 7 levels of affinity existed based on the internal mana core of the individual.

It started with Red as the lowest possible core. Someone with this core was destined to a normal life. No matter how hard they struggled to master the arcane arts, they would likely never be able to reach the peak. Then there was orange, a core with a little potential that allowed one to become a mage, but all those that chose that life were faced with hardships that would break most.

The world of Larek did not forgive weakness. It was dark, and it consumed all those that tried to rise when they were not destined to rise. After orange came yellow. It was at this point that one was considered an actual mage of sorts and could actually strive for some level of greatness.

Then came green, which was a better version of yellow and gathered more respect as you walked around. Blue came after, and at this point, you were considered a genius of sorts, with the ability to reach high realms of magic and do a lot in the world. It was rare and sought after greatly.

Then came the purple core, one of the most renowned mana core levels to be at. Someone born with this was kept as a prodigy and would surely rise to reach the highest heights of the world. But then it was not the greatest, for that spot belonged to the great Violet core.

One so rare that it had barely been seen in decades upon decades.

This was the way the world viewed cores, the foundation of magic, the very thing that kept the world working as it was. But now he was looking at some set of abilities that would most likely allow him to bypass all those steps and actually get into magic fast.

From the system screen, he already had mana, but mana cores did not start forming fully until five. So he had a head start on things when compared to other babies.

"Well, I am no normal baby in the first place."

He looked around a bit more, a smile hanging on his little face.

"This might not be so bad. Let’s see how it plays out over the course of time, and then I can know what to do going forward. I might even become some great mage someday that the entire world will have no other choice but to listen to when I speak.

Haha, sounds fun. But knowing the world of Larek, it does not offer fun and peace. It’s a dark fantasy world after all." He thought about all the horrendous things that had existed in the world when he read the story.

While his mind wandered off again, he fell asleep again.

[.....]

Day 4, 12th month of the Vermilion Empire calendar.

Over seven days had passed, and Leon was forced to be a baby in those days. He had not left the room, was breastfed only, and the only way he could get attention was to resort to crying.

But in those seven days, he had learnt quite a bit. He got a basic understanding of some words in the language and could even get some gossip into his little baby ears. His mother’s name was Lily, and she was seemingly the second wife of the count.

After he heard that, it kind of made sense why his father did not show up for his birth. What solidified the stance was when he realized that on the same day, the first wife had given birth to the first son of the count family a few minutes before Leon’s mother had given birth to him.

Leon made a quick deduction that his father was probably with his stepbrother. He did not have an issue with all of that, though. He got to eat and enjoy his life in peace while thinking about when he would get the first opportunity to use some of his abilities and actually start gaining something in this world.

Sadly, today he was not given the opportunity to stay inside his crib and plot like the mastermind that he was, because his mum arrived in the room. She took him and gave him a bath before dressing him up in a cute noble-type outfit for babies. She held Leon in front of a mirror to see himself basically for the first time.

’So that’s me, deep brown hair like my mother and deep blue eyes.’

"My little Leon, today you finally join the family for breakfast. You’ll finally see your father," his mother said with a smile.

’Now why would I have any interest in seeing an asshole who did not come to see me? If not for the fact that I cannot do shit on my own, I would not follow you to such a setup.’

"I’m pretty sure you are excited, right?" She asked.

’I’d be more excited to suck on my toes than see him.’

His mother carried him out of the room, the first time in a week since he was born. The entire house was massive, each hallway large, and red carpets rolled on it.

Maids worked around, cleaning everything. They all turned to bow to his mother and him, sending their greetings with smiles.

"Seems like a pretty nice atmosphere here," Leon thought. He closed his eyes and simply rested until they would get to the dining hall.

It did not take up to a minute when he suddenly felt an evil presence, the type children run from. His eyes snapped open, and he turned his head. He saw a woman standing there, blood-red hair and eyes, beautiful yet having an evil look in her eyes.

In her arms was a young infant likely Leon’s age. She had a smile plastered on her face.

’I’m guessing that’s stepmom.’