"—I don't really know."
"But I do know something," Bram chuckled.
"Obviously, to become strong, you need to become a knight, mage, beast tamer, and so on."
"What I know is that all these entities possess supernatural strength. But all of them have one thing in common: they all harness the power of an arcane energy often referred to as mana."
"Back when I was 15 years old, a mage came to the village. Some stupid bandits decided to attack and rob him, consumed by their immense greed. But they simply didn't know what kind of power a mage possesses."
"Just when they were charging toward him, he mumbled a few words, and then—seven fire spears appeared out of thin air. They were sent flying straight into the bandits heads, each spear meant for one bandit. In just a matter of seconds, they were dead. This taught me a lesson, and now I will teach you that lesson: never mess with or meddle in the affairs of transcendental beings, because if you piss them off, you never know what might happen. And even if you do know, you'll be powerless to stop it," Bram sighed. Recalling such an experience wasn't easy for him.
"Now, let's go back to the main topic of our discussion here. To get strong, the options for us—what I mean is, commoners—are to train with the sword or hire an instructor, but that will require a lot of savings. Or maybe buy some introductory book about magic, but that's very expensive; it costs what a commoner's household earns in their whole lifetime. So basically, I would say if you want to get stronger, train with the sword and become a respected swordsman. I can teach you a few moves, as I did train with the sword when I was young, and I still do from time to time," Bram proudly exclaimed, excited about his son becoming a swordsman and already imagining such joyous moments.
"What swordsman! He should become a merchant or a scholar!" Anna furiously screamed at Bram. She didn't want to think of putting her beloved son in such dangerous situations.
"Okay, relax, dear. Ultimately, it's all for our son to decide, right, Thorn?" A big grin appeared on Bram's face because he knew his son would probably want to be a swordsman like his father.
"Father, I just want to become stronger. If my option is to become a swordsman for now, then I'll do it—but of course not now, since I can't even wield a sword."
"And Mother, don't worry. I won't put myself in any dangerous situations. I also want to become a merchant as well, so you can rest easy."
"Wow, such a thoughtful and cute son. But if you want to become a swordsman, you must be very careful. And I'm sure you'll be a successful merchant with your brains," Anna happily remarked.
"Plus, you're speaking like an adult. I don't know how this is possible, but that must mean one thing: that you're a very smart boy and have a bright future ahead of you." Anna was simply delighted that she had given birth to such a smart baby.
"Thank you, Mother. I will do my best to become a successful merchant and make you proud." Thorn was really sensitive to praise, since in his past life, it wasn't something he would receive.
"I'm sure you'll become a fearsome swordsman," Bram exclaimed.
"Oh, and of course, a successful merchant," Bram added.
"Okay, that's enough now. Thorn, you should go to sleep. And dear, we should get back to work," Anna strictly said.
"You're right, dear. We did get a bit carried away in the conversation."
Anna took Thorn, put him in his cradle, and went back to her duties.
The conversation lasted about an hour, with them also talking about some other things.
Okay, now that was a lot of info I obtained, huh? Now I have a much better understanding of this world and how it operates.
So what should I focus on, I wonder? My father said that I can only become a swordsman and that it's the only realistic option for now. Wait—not even now; I can't wield a sword yet.
So what should I do?
I mean, for now, there isn't much to do. Wait—I remember! I need to learn how to read and write. I'll make sure to ask tomorrow.
But aside from that, what should I do in the future?
For combat professions, I remember that I can choose whatever I want due to my harmonious constitution trait. But my father didn't say anything about being restricted to choosing one profession. My father probably doesn't know. I mean, the god wouldn't lie, surely. And also, maybe the idea that you can only choose one profession interacts with the supernatural phenomena involved with those professions.
Anyway, all those professions sound interesting. I'll be sure to try out all of them and make use of my trait.
Now back to the present—I think for the future, the first profession I should pick is mage, since it is a powerful and not-too-hard-to-acquire profession if you have the money. Also, a large factor influencing my decision is my talent, "Affinity with all elements."
Well, of course my first profession will be swordsman, but it doesn't involve something supernatural, I imagine—at least not the swordsmanship my father will teach me, or the instructor. I'm sure swordsmen are powerful, but I don't think I can learn that swordsmanship easily yet.
So after I finish learning how to read and write, I think I know what I should do.
Obviously, become a merchant and earn money for that mage book.
Why? Because I have knowledge of modern Earth. Not to mention, I did study a lot of science back at school and in my free time also, since I always found it fascinating—and, of course, the prestigious job of a doctor.
So once I finish learning how to read and write, I'll focus on being a merchant.
Seven months later...