One year and four months passed in a blur of focused growth, seasonal changes, and deepening bonds. The twins were no longer toddlers but small boys, approaching their fifth birthday with a maturity that continued to unsettle and amaze their parents. The comfortable rhythm of Buina life continued, but beneath the surface, two extraordinary beings were rapidly outgrowing their cradle.
Leon's progress was a silent explosion contained within a carefully constructed shell. With his [Adaptive Bio-Systems Network] humming as the core engine of his being, his body and magic refined themselves with terrifying efficiency. He no longer needed to consciously hunt for traits; the Network passively analyzed every creature he encountered, suggesting optimal assimilation targets and synthesizing new traits from environmental exposure alone. The forest, the river, the very air became his buffet.
He gained nine more Advanced Traits, each a monumental leap:
1. [Dragonhide Weave]: From the scale patterns of a magical river sturgeon and the hide of a tough forest boar. Enhanced his damage reduction to the point where a casual swing from Paul's practice sword felt like a firm tap.
2. [Mana-Geode Core]: From deep-earth crystals and his own relentless mana cycling. His MP pool didn't just grow; it crystallized in density, making each point of mana more potent and his control absolute.
3. [Kinetic Redirection Matrix]: From observing waterfalls, falling rocks, and the flight of birds. He could now instinctively deflect a portion of physical force, making him incredibly difficult to grapple or knock down.
4. [Elemental Symphony]: An evolution of his affinities. He could now weave two elements together in basic ways—a [Wind Cutter] carrying [Sticky Flame], an [Earthen Wall] laced with frost.
5. [Cognitive Partition]: From studying ants and his own need for secrecy. He could run multiple streams of thought simultaneously—maintaining a conversation, controlling mana for three different spells, and observing his status screen, all without external signs.
6. [Perfect Homeostasis]: His body could now maintain perfect internal balance. Poisons were neutralized, diseases eradicated upon entry, extreme temperatures normalized within seconds.
7. [Spatial Anchor Sense]: From bat echolocation and advanced mana sensing. He always knew his exact position relative to his surroundings and could 'mark' locations in his mind with pinpoint accuracy.
8. [Essence Sight]: He could now see the life force, mana flow, and structural weaknesses in all things as a multi-layered, glowing overlay on reality. It made his [Observe] skill seem childish.
9. [Instinctive Combat Algorithm]: The pinnacle. His body learned and predicted combat patterns. Against Paul's drills, he began to not just mimic, but anticipate, flowing around strikes before they were fully launched. It was this, finally, that gave his swordsmanship the "heart" it lacked—not emotion, but perfected, predictive motion.
His magic soared. While diligently maintaining the facade of a talented but not peerless student in front of Roxy, his private practice sessions were godlike. He compressed [Fireball] into needle-thin beams that could pierce stone ([Sunfire Lance] - Saint), learned to shape earth into golems the size of dogs ([Clay Sentinel] - Saint), could summon and ride gusts of wind ([Zephyr's Chariot] - Saint), and manipulate water with such finesse he could extract pure water from mud or blood ([Aqua Purge] - Saint). Only Healing, which required a compassionate intent he sometimes struggled to genuinely project, lagged at Advanced Rank 4.
Rudeus, meanwhile, was a blazing comet of specialized genius. His Laplace Factor granted him a mana pool of truly monstrous proportions, a deep, churning ocean compared to Leon's crystalline, geode-like lake. He focused this immense resource with laser precision. His Water and Earth magic reached Advanced Rank 9 and 8 respectively, his control so absolute he could sculpt water into intricate, moving statues and cause the earth to ripple like liquid. Fire and Wind were solidly Intermediate, tools he understood but didn't love. Healing remained a frustrating Basic rank, his clinical mind rebelling against its "unscientific" nature.
Their fifth birthday celebration was a warm, joyous affair. Zenith baked a magnificent tiered cake. Paul presented them with real, blunted short swords—"For when you're ready for real steel, not just wood!" Roxy's gift was a set of finely crafted, leather-bound journals for recording their magical theories.
Three days after the festivities, Roxy gathered them in the yard. The air was cool, the sky a clear, endless blue. A solemnity hung about her.
"Leon, Rudeus," she began, her voice soft but firm. "You have been my students for nearly two years. In that time, you have surpassed every expectation, shattered every norm. You are no longer children who need to be taught the alphabet of magic. You are practitioners."
She took a deep breath. "There is one final test. A spell of the Saint Rank. It is the traditional benchmark that separates a talented mage from a true master. I will teach it to you now. The Saint-Class Water Spell: Cumulonimbus."
Rudeus's eyes shone with fervent excitement. A Saint-rank spell! Leon felt a thrill too, though for him it was more about finally having a formal benchmark for the power he'd long since achieved in secret.
Roxy spent the morning explaining the theory. It wasn't just a big water spell. It was about atmospheric manipulation, conjuring moisture from the air itself, charging it with mana to create a self-sustaining storm cloud. It required immense mana, flawless control, and an understanding of large-scale elemental dynamics.
They practiced the incantation first—a long, complex series of melodic syllables that helped shape the vast amounts of mana. Rudeus memorized it instantly. Leon did too, but his mind was already breaking it down, finding the inefficient nodes, planning the silent-cast version.
After lunch, they stood in the cleared field behind the house. Paul and Zenith watched from a distance, sensing the importance of the moment.
"Remember," Roxy said, standing between them. "The incantation is a guide. Feel the humidity in the air. Call it. Gather it. Give it your intent, your power. Shape the sky itself."
Rudeus closed his eyes, his face a mask of absolute concentration. Leon did the same, activating [Essence Sight]. The world became a tapestry of glowing lines. He could see Rudeus's mana, a titanic, blue-white inferno contained within his small frame, beginning to stir.
Rudeus began to chant, his voice clear and strong. The air grew heavy. A breeze picked up, swirling around him. Above, the clear blue began to haze with wisps of moisture drawn from miles around.
Leon chose to chant as well, for show. But internally, he was orchestrating. His [Mana-Geode Core] provided the dense, potent power. [Mana Thread Weaving] and [Elemental Symphony] allowed him to spin the threads of atmospheric water and his own mana into a complex, three-dimensional spellform in his mind, far more efficient than the chant's linear structure.
The sky darkened over the field. For Rudeus, a massive, churning grey cloud began to form, roiling with power. Lightning flickered within its depths. The sheer scale was awe-inspiring, a testament to his unbelievable mana pool.
For Leon, the process was different. His cloud formed not with turbulent grandeur, but with eerie, silent speed. It was smaller, denser, a perfect, dark grey discus that hummed rather than rumbled. Within it, the mana patterns were perfectly ordered, a model of efficiency. He was using perhaps a tenth of Rudeus's raw mana output but achieving a result of equal, if not superior, controlled potency.
Roxy stared, her heart in her throat. Two Saint-rank clouds, formed simultaneously by five-year-olds. It was impossible. It was happening.
"Culminate!" Roxy commanded.
"Cumulonimbus!" both boys shouted.
Rudeus's cloud unleashed a torrent. A concentrated column of rain so heavy it looked like a pillar of water slammed into the field, digging a trench in the earth. The sound was a deafening roar.
Leon's cloud released its payload not as a deluge, but as a thousand hyper-accelerated, needle-sharp [Water Cutter] spells, a devastating, silent downpour that shredded a circle of earth into mud and vaporized stone. It was less a storm and more an orbital strike.
Silence, broken only by the dripping of water and the sizzle of steam.
The spells dissipated. The twins stood, panting slightly, brilliant smiles on their faces. They turned to Roxy.
She was crying. Silently, tears streaming down her cheeks. She looked from one to the other, her face a mixture of overwhelming pride, profound sadness, and utter wonder.
"You… you did it," she whispered. "Both of you. Perfectly. Saint-rank mages." She knelt and opened her arms.
They ran to her, burying their faces in her shoulders. She held them tight. "My brilliant, impossible boys. I have nothing left to teach you."
That evening was subdued. The celebration of their success was tempered by the unspoken truth. At dinner, Roxy made it official.
"Paul, Zenith," she said, her voice steady but soft. "My contract was to tutor the boys to a competent level. They have not only reached competence, they have achieved mastery I have seen in only the greatest court mages. My work here is done. I will depart tomorrow."
The air left the room. Rudeus's fork clattered to his plate. Leon felt a genuine, sharp pang of loss. Roxy was more than a teacher; she was family.
"Roxy, no… you can stay!" Rudeus blurted out, his analytical composure shattered by emotion.
"You are always welcome, Roxy," Zenith said, her eyes glistening. "This is your home."
Paul nodded gruffly, unable to speak.
Roxy smiled, a sad, beautiful thing. "Thank you. From the bottom of my heart. This has been my home. You have been my family. But a teacher's purpose is to make herself obsolete. To stay now would be to hold them back. They need new challenges, wider worlds. And I… I have my own journey to continue."
The next morning, under a somber grey sky that seemed to reflect their mood, they gathered at the door. Roxy wore her traveling clothes, her pack slung over her shoulder. She turned to her students one last time.
"I have a final gift for you. Not of knowledge, but of tools." From her pack, she drew two objects wrapped in cloth.
She handed the first to Rudeus. Unwrapping it revealed a beautiful staff of polished blue heartwood, crowned with a large, perfectly spherical aquamarine that glowed with inner light. "The [Heartwood Staff of the Torrent]. It will focus your immense water mana, making your casting even more efficient. It suits you, Rudeus. Never stop seeking to understand the depth of things."
Rudeus took it, his hands trembling, tears streaming down his face. "T-Teacher… I… thank you. For everything."
She then turned to Leon. His gift was different. It was a wand, not a staff. Its shaft was made of a strange, dark, petrified wood that felt both heavy and light. At its tip, set in silver, was not a gem, but a smooth, matte-black stone that seemed to swallow the light. "This is [Whisperwood and Voidstone]. It does not amplify power. It refines it. It allows for subtlety, for precision, for weaving spells so fine others might not even detect them. It is for the mage who values the elegant solution over the overwhelming force. Use it well, Leon."
Leon took it. The wand felt like an extension of his own [Mana-Geode Core]. It was perfect. He looked up at Roxy, his own eyes burning. "I will, Teacher. I promise."
She pulled them both into one last, crushing hug. "Be good. Be kind. Protect each other. And never, ever stop learning."
With a final, tearful smile to Paul and Zenith, Roxy Migurdia turned and walked down the path, away from Buina Village. They watched until her blue hair vanished into the morning mist.
The house felt empty that day. Profoundly, achingly empty.
That night, unable to sleep, Leon lay in bed. Rudeus was silently crying into his pillow across the room. Leon understood. He activated [Essence Sight] and looked at his brother. The sight was breathtaking. Rudeus's mana pool was a vast, swirling galaxy within him, deep blue and endlessly vast. Easily over a hundred million MP, Leon estimated with awe. The Laplace Factor was no joke.
Then he looked at himself. His own mana, as seen through [Essence Sight], was different. Not a galaxy, but a dense, intricately faceted crystal of pure energy, glowing with a steady, multifaceted light. It was smaller in volume—around ten million MP—but every 'facet' represented a different element, a different refined aspect. Its density and potency per unit were far higher. His body, under the overlay, was a masterpiece of glowing biological networks, interconnected systems humming with advanced and basic traits, a fortress of flesh and magic.
He finally pulled up his full status screen, the culmination of nearly five years of secret, relentless grinding.
---
STATUS
Name: Leon Greyrat
Age: 5
Title: The Devouring Twin, New Game+, Saint Mage
Level: 15
Experience: 2450/1500 (Level Up Available)
Health: 8,500/8,500 (Regen: 250/min)
Mana: 10,450,000/10,450,000 (Regen: 55,000/min) [Mana-Geode Core]
Stamina: 7,200/7,200 (Regen: 300/min)
ATTRIBUTES
STR: 45 (18 base +27 from traits)
VIT: 68 (25 base +43 from traits)
DEX: 72 (28 base +44 from traits)
INT: 55
WIS: 48
LUCK: 20
Unallocated Stat Points: 70
System Points (SP): 4,127
---
ADVANCED TRAITS (11)
1. Phantom Step
2. Adaptive Bio-Systems Network (Core)
3. Dragonhide Weave
4. Mana-Geode Core
5. Kinetic Redirection Matrix
6. Elemental Symphony
7. Cognitive Partition
8. Perfect Homeostasis
9. Spatial Anchor Sense
10. Essence Sight
11. Instinctive Combat Algorithm
---
BASIC TRAITS (17) - (All subsumed/enhanced by Advanced Network)
(Includes all previous sensory, fortification, elemental, and utility traits.)
---
MAGIC PROFICIENCY
· Water: Saint Rank | Mastery: 89%
· Fire: Saint Rank | Mastery: 87%
· Earth: Saint Rank | Mastery: 91%
· Wind: Saint Rank | Mastery: 85%
· Healing: Advanced Rank 4 | Mastery: 76%
---
COMBAT PROFICIENCY
· Swordsmanship: Novice Rank 9 (MAX) (Evolution Pending)
· Unarmed Combat: Advanced Rank 2
· Throwing: Intermediate Rank 5
---
NOTABLE SKILLS (Levels 5-10)
· Silent Casting (Lv.10 MAX)
· Mana Control (Lv.10 MAX)
· Identify (Lv.8)
· Observe/ [Essence Sight] (Lv.9)
· Elemental Weaving (Lv.7)
· Stealth (Lv.8)
· Tactical Analysis (Lv.8)
---
OBSERVATION: Rudeus Greyrat
· Health: ~2,000
· Mana: ~128,000,000 (Laplace Factor Active)
· Primary Affinity: Water (Saint Rank 1), Earth (Advanced Rank 9)
· Status: Grieving, Genius, Immense Potential.
· Threat Level: Extremely High (Magical), Low (Physical).
· Note: Mana pool is ~12x larger, but mana density/potency is ~8% of host's. Host holds overwhelming advantage in physical attributes, trait synergy, combat instinct, and multi-elemental mastery.
---
Leon dismissed the screens. The data was clear. In raw, brute-force mana, Rudeus was a titan, a walking natural disaster. But in every other metric—control, efficiency, physical prowess, versatility, survivability—Leon had built an insurmountable lead. He was not just a mage; he was a biological and magical singularity wrapped in the skin of a five-year-old boy.
He looked at Rudeus, now sleeping fitfully. His brother was the hero of prophecy, the one with the world's largest mana pool, destined for greatness and tragedy. Leon was the variable. The devourer in the shadows. The protector.
Roxy was gone. Their childhood's gentle, guiding chapter had closed. The wider, more dangerous world was waiting. Leon closed his eyes, the [Whisperwood and Voidstone] wand clutched tightly in his hand under the covers. He had 70 stat points and over 4000 SP to spend when the time was right. He had traits that would make dragons envious. He had power his family couldn't begin to comprehend.
But in that quiet, lonely room, all he felt was the ghost of Roxy's hug and the weight of the promise he'd made. Use it well.