The next morning, during my training with Dad, I noticed he kept repeating the same moves over and over again, which seemed strange.
"Dad, why do you keep doing the same moves every time?"
"Well, someone once told me: 'Instead of doing many moves, it's better to focus on one and master it well.'"
"And who is that person?"
"It's a long story. Do you want to hear it?"
"Why not? We have all the time we want."
And so, Dad began telling me his story with that person.
"It happened when I was still a student at Vigorous Academy in the capital, Thelari. Back then, I was invincible—literally. Ever since I entered the academy, I challenged every student. Not a single day went by without me fighting someone. I even fought students in the advanced classes, and none of them could beat me.
Except for the teachers, of course. One day, I got bored and challenged the martial arts instructor. How naive I was back then! I thought I was unbeatable, that no one could defeat me—not even a teacher. But he beat me."
"Of course, that's what would happen. He's a teacher, after all."
"After some time, I challenged him again…"
"And he beat you again."
"No, that's not how it went. When I challenged him the second time, our match ended in a draw."
"Whoa, that's amazing. I can't believe you tied with one of the teachers."
"I tied with him, but barely. If the time hadn't run out, I would've lost the match. So, when I returned to White Violet for the break, I decided to go train in the mountains. I went into a cave on one of the Pakton mountain range's peaks—called the Lost Mountain."
"The Lost Mountain? What kind of name is that?"
"It was named that way because when my great-great-grandfather was on a mission, he got lost in the mountains and found that cave. He named it that. Anyway, our ancestors have trained in that cave for generations—its location is known only to our family."
"So this cave is a family legacy, right?"
"Yes."
It's nice to know there's something special about our family. Then Dad continued:
"I began training, and while I was doing so, I heard someone coming from behind me at almost the exact moment a faint glimmer of light revealed the position of something flying toward me. I quickly adjusted my stance and got ready to block whatever it was with my spear after imbuing it with mana.
As the flying object got closer, it turned out to be a rock. I split it in half with my spear. Then that person appeared behind me again. At that moment, all I could see was someone dressed in black. I shifted my stance again to prevent another surprise attack. That's when I felt a strong killing intent, so I leapt backward and shouted angrily, 'What the hell! Why are you trying to kill me?'"
"It might hurt a bit, but I doubt that toy you're holding can kill anyone."
I looked at my hand to find a small stick instead of my spear. How did he do that so fast? I'd been tricked!
"By the way, your reflexes have improved a lot. You avoided the first strike—but maybe not the second. Get ready, here I come!"
Without giving me time to take a defensive stance—or even a chance to agree to his surprise training—he rushed at me.
After five minutes of fighting, I collapsed to the ground, unable to get up or move for a while.
"Who is this person that defeated you in just five minutes?"
"His name is Edgar Wilfer. He was a friend of my father, and they trained together in that cave since they were kids."
"So an old man beat you."
"Ahhh... Anyway, he's the one who told me to train on a single move and master it well."
"But what's the point of just one move if it can be countered once your opponent figures it out?"
"It doesn't matter. Even if your opponent knows about it, as long as you've truly mastered it, you can evolve it further. Something like that. He even used a skill I knew well—and still beat me with it."
"So he managed to beat you using a skill you already knew?"
"As unbelievable as it sounds... it happened."
Now I was even more curious to meet the person who beat Dad using a skill Dad already knew. Who would believe that? If he told anyone that he was defeated by someone using a skill he already knew, no one would believe him—especially if that someone was Dad.
Wait a minute, Dad said he used a skill he already knew. But what kind of skill was it, and what were its properties? Maybe it was an advanced skill Dad couldn't block.
"Dad, what kind of skill was it?"
"Actually…!"
"Don't tell me you forgot."
"Oh. I remember now—he said something about using something called Mana Core."
Mana Core? I have no idea what kind of skill that is. I've never even heard of it. Maybe it's a hereditary skill.
"Is it a hereditary skill?"
"No. It's a normal skill that all mages can use."
"Wait, he was a mage?"
"Yes. What's strange about that?"
"I know mages don't stand much of a chance against warriors, but... he beat you? That's unbelievable."
Anyway, I need to see this for myself. After we finished talking and resumed training, exhaustion overcame me, and I sat down, thinking about everything that had happened since I came to this world up until now.
If this world is like a game, there must be shortcuts. Speaking of shortcuts, I remembered that Nero and how Lyria managed to hit it so easily, even though the Nero is known for its sharp hearing.
"Dad, what about the Nero? Is there a way to catch it?"
"Nero? From what I know, they have incredibly sharp hearing. To catch one, you'd have to lure it in and then trap it with a net or binding magic."
"But Lyria managed to hit one. Maybe if she hadn't fainted, she would've caught it."
"Lyria? She really managed to hit one?"
"Yes. She was behind me, but in the next moment, she was in front of me. I don't know how she did it, but it was fast."
"Huh, so she finally managed to use it."
"So you know what she did."
"Do you know what inherited skills are?"
"No."
"It's like passing down a plot of land to your child. But in this case, it's skills. Listen, most families have skills they pass down. These skills are usually linked to the element most common in the family, and the stronger the person's affinity with that element, the stronger the skill. In the Kraft family's case, for example, they have a skill called Ghost Step. It's linked to the wind element, which makes Lyria extremely powerful when using it."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that Lyria has an affinity with wind, and she might even become stronger than her father."
That's amazing. To grow stronger with each generation. But what about us—don't we have something like that?
"What about our family?"
"I don't know about your mother. She doesn't talk much about that. But for us, our inherited skill is Drain."
Drain! What kind of skill is that? While I pretended not to care, Dad continued:
"It's not complicated. When you're in a battle and get hit, half the damage you take is converted into a mark. Once you gather four marks, you can unleash them in a powerful attack."
"Wow, half!"
"I forgot to mention this, but inherited skills can only be passed down to three classes: warrior, mage, and tank. That means they have three different effects, and what I told you earlier is just the warrior's version. Don't get too excited. As great as the skill is, it also has drawbacks."
Ah, he means the cost. That makes sense. You can't have an overpowered skill without paying a price. But I wonder—what's the cost?
"For me to activate this skill now, it consumes half of my base mana."
Half the mana? That's a steep price. But considering the benefit, it seems fair. Wait, there's something else.
He said "now," meaning the amount needed to activate it has changed?
"You said 'now.' Has the mana requirement changed? Or is there another reason?"
"Oh, yes—it's changed. When it first appeared, it used up all my mana. But now, it only takes half."
"So inherited skills can be developed. But when can I use it?"
"It'll appear on your status screen when you're ready to use it."
This is getting exciting. A skill like that, in the hands of an experienced warrior, would make him unstoppable. That's what happened with Dad, which is why no one could defeat him. But the real question is—how can I use it if I can't even see my class?
Wait a minute. I once read in a book about the origin of mana and how to use it that you can use an external source to supply mana. But it only applies to healers. Maybe that's because of how they channel mana and use it to heal wounds. But this needs testing.
"Dad, can you charge your spear with a bit of mana?"
"Why? What's going on?"
"I want to try something."
He didn't ask me anything more and did what I asked. After he charged the spear, I took it from him and tried to absorb the mana from it. But nothing happened. Maybe I'm doing it wrong.
When I tried again, this time I didn't attempt to absorb the mana—I simply guided it toward me. And it worked. The mana flowed from the spear into my body.
So that's how it works. Mana is like pressure—it flows from a higher area to a lower one. Interesting. Let's try something else.
Since Dad was already here, I asked him to transfer a portion of his own mana into my body.
Immediately, I felt a warm sensation—like a hot wind storm rushing in and out of my pores. My body felt like it reached its limit—then a loud explosion snapped me out of my focus.
A wave of unbearable pain surged through my entire body, like my skeleton was trying to crawl out of my skin.
I couldn't move. Not even a finger. What is this feeling? Am I going to die again? That thought terrified me.
"Da... d... he... lp... me."
I called out, but it was no use. The pain was unbearable. I kept calling, but no sound came out. Is this what dying feels like?
I wondered, because I couldn't even scream. I was frozen in place. Then a black mist spread over everything and darkened the space.
Ah, this is nice. This torment will end soon.