I think it's been five days since I was transferred to this world.
During that time, I started understanding how magic and skills work, and I gradually mastered bits of my innate skill, [ Unique Skill 'Eye of Genesis' ].
This morning, I went outside to practice magic. "At first it felt super hard," I muttered with a sigh. "Even the first time I tried, my magic wouldn't come out at all."
After rereading the book Basic Knowledge for Reincarnators, I finally realized that the main factors in using magic are the Core of Mana and intent. If I intend to use magic and imagine it in my mind, the magic will appear according to that intention and image.
And mana capacity determines how strong the magic can be, and if mana runs out… well, the body collapses too. I know because I experienced it myself. I fainted in front of my house because I forced myself to use [ Magic 'Fire Element' ]. So embarrassing. Thankfully this is a forest, so nobody saw me.
Now I'm a bit better. "Alright, focus," I said while staring at my right palm. "Imagine fire."
And BOOM.
Fire appeared in my hand. I reflexively swung my hand forward. A fireball shot ahead.
[ Rare Magic 'Fire Ball' ] has been learned.
"HEY THE TREE IS ON FIRE!!!"
I panicked and quickly imagined [ Magic 'Water Element' ] coming out around me. In an instant, water blasted out like a water jet and extinguished the burning tree. I let out a relieved sigh.
[ Rare Magic 'Water Jet' ] has been learned.
"Good thing I made it in time. Damn, my house almost burned down. Important note, don't use fire magic near trees."
Along with learning [ Magic 'Fire Element' ] yesterday, I also gained its Resistance Skill. With that, I can touch fire without being burned or feeling heat.
I started understanding the magic mechanism in this world. When [ Unique Skill 'Eye of Genesis' ] is active, I can see mana, those shimmering, colorful particles floating in the air. Something abstract, untouchable, but clearly visible to me.
When I imagine fire magic, red light in the air gathers and heats the surroundings before forming flames. It's the same when I try other magic like earth magic, where brown light particles gather and form solid chunks of earth.
[ Magic 'Earth Element' ] has been learned.
I was shocked the first time I realized all this. Turns out each element has its own mana color.
"Well… I'm starting to understand this world bit by bit. It's fun, but still… I miss home. I miss my parents. I hope they're doing alright."
I looked around, at the quiet yet vast forest.
"If this isekai is like anime, there should be monsters, dungeons, and adventurer guilds, right?" I smiled slightly. "Alright, time to explore. Maybe I'll find a dungeon out there." My expectations were sky-high.
With burning enthusiasm, I began walking toward the west side of the forest.
Only a few minutes in, I yelled reflexively.
"HEY WHY IS THIS CATERPILLAR SO HUGE!! IT'S AS BIG AS MY FOOT!! GROSS!!"
I burned the caterpillar to ash. I was still grimacing in disgust while brushing off my hands, not realizing that my shout was loud enough to attract two orcs nearby.
Ten minutes later, I arrived at a village. But…
"Huh? Is this… a goblin village?"
The houses were shabby, goblins were wandering around looking skinny with empty eyes. A few attacked me, but I knocked them out without killing them.
"Why is this village such a mess? They all look starving."
Suddenly, an old goblin came out of one of the houses, followed by two small goblins behind him. They immediately bowed before me.
"Please forgive us, human… We have never disturbed your kind. Look at the wretched state of our village."
I panicked. "Hey, hey, calm down! I didn't come here to make trouble. I didn't even kill the three goblins who attacked me."
I squatted down to be at their level. "Why is your village like this?"
The old goblin looked up weakly. "Two days ago, our village was attacked by the Lizardmen. We never bothered them, yet they suddenly came and destroyed everything."
My eyes widened. "There are Lizardmen in this world too? This world is getting more interesting."
I stood and walked around the village, the old goblin following me. "Oh human," he suddenly said, "would you help us?"
"Help with what?" I asked.
"Take revenge on the Lizardmen. We are willing to pay anything."
I crossed my arms. "Okay, but there's a condition."
"We'll do anything," he replied firmly.
"Does anyone here know how to use magic? Or at least knows how to use a sword?"
The old goblin lowered his head. "Some can use swords, but… none can use magic."
I nodded. "Alright. Coincidentally, the two orcs that have been following me should arrive here any moment now. I'll teach you the basics of magic, then you'll try fighting them directly."
In my mind, I thought that if all living beings in Norval have a Core of Mana, then they should be able to use magic too with training and enough mana capacity.
One of the small goblins stepped forward. "Father, let me try. I don't want you to get hurt."
His older brother quickly argued. "Don't be stupid! You're still a kid, let me handle it!"
I let out a long sigh. Wow, this really feels like an isekai drama… the only thing missing is one of them dying, if we follow the usual trope, I thought silently. But I wouldn't let that happen.
The ground began to shake as two large orcs appeared in the distance. I immediately shouted,
"Listen! Imagine the magic you want to release, then aim it at the enemy. Don't panic, just focus!"
One orc was already close. The older goblin stared at the ground and imagined something. Instantly, the ground beneath the orc split open, making the creature fall face-first.
I gaped. "WHAT THE HELL?! It took me five days to optimize my magic usage, and this kid succeeded on the first try?!"
Before I could process that, his younger brother raised his hand. I activated [Eye of Genesis] and saw red mana gathering around him, an insanely large amount.
A fireball the size of a goblin house formed in front of his hand. "SERIOUSLY?!"
The fireball shot toward the orc, hit it, and exploded violently. The orc was blown away, crashed into a tree, and didn't get back up. The goblin kid immediately wobbled, almost collapsing. I quickly created a chair from earth and sat him down.
Then it was the old goblin's turn. I saw blue mana gather. A huge block of ice appeared above the helpless orc and fell on it. Crack. Blood splattered everywhere.
I stared stiffly.
"Well… looks like their power is even stronger than mine. If I knew this, I would've let them die earlier," I muttered quietly with a forced smile.
The three goblins cheered joyfully, their faces full of energy. The elder then looked at me with deep respect.
"Oh human, what is your name?"
"My name? Just call me Arita."
He smiled and said, "Please allow us to follow you, Master. We promise we will be useful."
I was stunned.
"WHAAAAAT??!!!!"