Makiri spoke in an almost squeaky voice that most certainly didn't match the rest of his body. He is a burly looking Monkeen which is different from all of the other Monkeen who are skinny and don't appear strong.

He looked me over before speaking, "You're the Orunian correct?" He said in his comedic but overbearing voice

"Uh yeah, I am."

"Alright then" He looks me over again and then tosses a whip to me. "Use this."

I catch it and wave it around, wondering how to use it. "Isn't this just a rope?"

"It's called a whip. I heard you don't have any strong magic abilities, but you can learn since you're an Orunian. also, depending on how you use it, it can be powerful."

After he said that, I started waving it around, trying to figure out how to use it

"Come to the training fields. You were there before, right?" Makiri then said, when I stopped playing with the whip

"Oh yeah, is that where I learned how to use magic?" I asked, remembering where I was earlier today

"Yes, at least you seem to learn fast if you learned magic that quickly."

"Oh um... Thank you for the compliment."

"Now grab the whip and swing it a little. Keep swinging until the tip moves as you want it to. Practice trying to wrap it around the log and then tell me when you've got that done" Makiri sat down and pulled out a drink and a small chair that he should be too big to fit in

"Oh, okay", I say as I start whipping at the log, trying to get the whip to wrap around it and pull.

It was night already by the time my status screen suddenly appeared with a loud ringing noise. The noise and sudden appearance of the status screen made me fall, but then I noticed that I had a new skill and higher level.

Name: Aki

Level: 6^

Power: 75^

Health: 125^

Magic Energy: 100

Compatible Magical Elements: Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Electricity, Holy, Unholy, Space, Time

Skills: Minor Flame I, Water Manifestation I, Rock Manipulation I, Minor Gust I, Whip Control I^

Special Skills: Analyzation I, Status Screen

"This is new? Maybe it'll make this easier?" When I started talking to myself, Makiri looked at me strangely but ignored it when I got the whip wrapped around the log far quicker and easier than before

"Hm, okay, do that ten more times, and then we'll see if you're ready for the next stage" After he said that, I started working on the wrapping and pulling and got it done quickly after about 30 more tries.

"Alright, Good enough, go find Alberic, and he'll give you a place to rest for the night and some food."

"Thank you~," I said as I ran to the town, wanting to try the food they make here. But as soon as I saw the meat in the soup, I wondered if it was going to be any good.

"You don't like it?" Alberic after while seeing my confused face.

"Oh, it's... fine? It looks weird," I said, still not wanting to try the strange meat.

"It's made from the amalgamates that attack the outer forest. It looks strange, but it tastes far more delicious than normal animals," Alberic says, smiling.

"I see... I guess I can try it?" I take a bite, and I must say... It was delicious!!!!! I loved the taste, and the texture was even better!!

"Mana Amalgamates look gnarly, but they're delicious. We still don't know why; maybe it's because the mana in them isn't stable, so the whole monster has varying tastes within it."

"I see. Well, it's good!!" I said muffled because I stuffed my face right before talking

"Now get to rest in the first room I brought you to, and you can practice more tomorrow."

"Okay!! Thank you"

When I finished eating, I went to the room and laid down, wanting to see what's in store for me when I leave the town. It seems like some very fun times, though, especially if there are many amalgamates outside of the towns and villages.

When I woke up and went to the training grounds, though, my thoughts immediately disappeared.

"What are those things?" I asked, horrified at the mangled yet somehow living tied up creatures

"These are Mana Amalgamates. Far scarier looking than you imagined, right?" Makiri said, somewhat proud of himself

"These terrifying things are what I ate yesterday?"

"Yes, I want you to fight them today. They never spawn in more than five, so you'll be facing five at once," Makiri said, still proud.

"How did you catch them?"

"I'm glad you asked. I caught them myself."

"I see... I guess I can fight them," I finally said, scared but wanting to explore the outside, I formed my resolve to fight them.

When I said that, he took me to what seemed to be a caged arena for the guards on the forest's outer edge.

"This is... big. Why is it caged?"

"The guards train similarly. I'm training you now. Sometimes they turn it into a game and place bets. The creator made the people meant to be guards violent in that sense no one but the creator herself or the guardians know why but it's accepted amongst us" when he finished talking, he guided me in and locked the arena. Not before he released the amalgamates, though.

Right, when they were released, they immediately started racing towards me, I almost wasn't able to get away because of the sheer speed they unleashed, but I was able to push them away by using blow. Right after that, I pulled out my whip and tried scaring them away with both the sound of it and by hitting them, but that seemed to make them seem even more inclined to destroy me because they started getting closer.

This was very not good because I have no clue how to hold them off in a way other than magic. So I pulled up my status screen and tried imagining my fire abilities.

When I did that, I got the usual screen.

- Minor Flame I-

Ability "Enflame" can be used.

Use it?

Yes No

"Yes," I said while tapping it frantically, hoping for it to be helpful. It took a while to activate, but my whip, hands, and feet got covered in fire. It took me a while to realise what happened, but I felt stronger, so I tried grabbing a monster by the neck, and instantly, the amalgamate started howling in pain, and a visible indent across its neck was there when it escaped because I lost focus.

"Are you talking to yourself? Focus Aki, I won't save you if they overpower you," Makiri said instantly, making me more focused and scared of losing.

But I was distracted soon after that when my status screen appeared again.

- Rock Manipulation I-

Ability "Perception" can be used.

Use it?

Yes No

"That doesn't sound like a rock manipulation ability but okay, Yes" As soon as I chose yes, I had to force myself to stay up long enough to dodge another attack and turn it back off... "I can't use that... It hurts my brain," So I stuck with the ability "Enflame" to deal damage and "Blow" to push them away when they got too close. One of them on death's door launched itself at me, and I punched it both in surprise and hoping that it would die. Luckily for me, it died, but the remaining four took its place. After I attacked the neck of the one, I attacked when I first got Enflame. That one died as well, but the remaining three still had a lot of life in them.

"Do they seem to have any weaknesses? They're all very different in looks, so are they different in weaknesses too?" I started looking them over, but they kept moving too fast for me to figure out where they were weak. Eventually, one bit me, but it didn't hurt too badly because the jaw seemed to be misaligned. But very soon after that happened, Makiri started yelling.

"Don't let them bite you!! The unstable Magic Energy causes irregularities in the body if it suddenly floods you like that. Pour some water on the bite!" When he said this, I realised he wouldn't let me die if I got overpowered entirely, but I don't know how to get water onto the wound. But as soon as I thought that, my status screen proved me wrong.

- Water Manifestation I-

Ability "Water Creation" can be used.

Use it?

Yes No

-Water Manifestation I- Ability "Water Creation" can be used. Use it? Yes No-

When I tapped yes, a ball made of water about a grapefruit's size appeared in front of me and laid itself on my arm where the amalgamate bit me. "Well, that worked", I said, slightly relieved but kind of angry that it bit me. I grabbed the one that bit me by the leg and started swinging it around until it hit another one, and they both died. I thought the final one would be far easier than when I fought all of the others together because I got used to fighting with my whip, and my ability "Enflame" made it easier to deal damage. After I grabbed the creature by the neck, though, it cut off its head and launched at me with what seemed to be teeth inside of the neck with the look of something similar to a lamprey. I barely avoided it, but it still cut me, so I doused my new wound in water from "Water Creation" and attacked again with my whip but this time at the torso. Doing so made the monster make a sound so horrid it can't even be described, but it was similar to a screech in pain.

After holding the whip on its torso for a while and squeezing my hold on it, I finally killed it. I was covered in blood and smelled terrible, but I finally did it. Right after that, I got another reason to celebrate because my status screen appeared again.

Name: Aki

Level: 7^

Power: 125^

Health: 175^

Magic Energy: 150^

Compatible Magical Elements: Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Electricity, Holy, Unholy, Space, Time

Skills: Minor Flame II^, Water Manifestation I, Rock Manipulation I, Minor Gust I, Whip Control I

Special Skills: Analyzation I, Status Screen

"You did well, and I didn't even have to save you, surprisingly. If you wish to go on your adventure, then you're ready for it. It would be best if you waited for your wounds to heal, though, at least," Makiri said, praising me.

"Thank you so much!!" I yelled, excited, having survived. "Let's go back to the town and eat something, please."

"Haha, alright then, let's go," He said while laughing

When we got back to the town, Alberic praised me some about defeating them after just learning about magic and how to use my weapon. Eventually, I went to sleep because exhaustion finally set in.

"I can't wait to learn more abilities. I wonder what else I can unlock", and after saying that, as if answering my request, my status screen appeared once again.

-Spacial Awakening I unlocked, Conditions locked-