'Silver only had time to place his round shield in front of his chest before being blown away into a tree.'

/Bang!/

/Crack!/

'The shield had a large dent due to the impact, and his spear flew out of his hand, piercing another tree a few meters away.'

"Arg!... Huff... Huff..."

Calm down. Breath in and out…

Analyze the situation!

/RUORRRRR!/

'Silver gazed at the Orc.'

'The second Orc wasn't bigger, but it was certainly more muscular.'

Is this the female Orc? So there were indeed two... Shit.

Orc colonies exist only deeper down the mountain since all minor Orc nests have been wiped out by the Cronus Familia...

How the fuck did it pass my grandparents? And how did it ambush me?

Orcs were supposed to attack on sight... Don't tell me I was so unlucky that it appeared at the last moment.

'It started to run in his direction.'

Don't panic! Breath in and out! The Orc is much less agile than you!

'The Orc continued to run like a madman. It reached Silver and lifted its feet.'

"Now!" Screamed Silver as he moved to the side and threw scalding dust in its eyes.

/GUOAR!/

'The Orc wailed in pain, giving enough time for Silver to run towards his spear.'

'He picked it up and pulled it... But'

"..ARG! It's stuck in the wood!"

Just a little bit more…

'But the Orc wasn't going to wait, it soon managed to get a little bit of its sight back.'

'Spotting its target, it ran once again after it.'

"...!"

Plan Z!

Mission failed, we get it next time...

'The moment the Orc arrived at Silver, he once again repeated the past and rolled to the side.'

/Fwush!/

'The sound of the Orc's fist cutting the air sounded next to his ears.'

/Bang!/

'It hit the tree and…'

"Now!" He said as he ran towards his backpack

As I ran, I saw the broken half of my spear flying around the place and puncturing the ground in front of me.

'The Orc also turned around and started to run after him.'

'He never stopped running, but the Orc was a little faster, he would get to his backpack, but would he be able to take out his stuff and use it?'

I arrived at the backpack and opened it fast, taking out the topmost object!

/BANG!/

'With a flash of light, the Orc was blinded, giving him enough time to turn away and run towards his escape path.'

'Silver jumped into his scape path and continued to run...'

I need to buy time, the problem is the terrain. I can barely even see five meters ahead…

Even with this escape path, I need to act as if the Orc could catch up to me at any moment.

It's difficult to move fast in these trees... I can't just run towards my grandparents.

But... Should I?

I recovered from the previous situation, should I really just accept defeat to one Orc?

'The female Orc recovered from the blindness and looked around for its prey. But I couldn't find it. It started to smell around the place before finally locking into a tree.'

'The Orc walked towards the tree, and used its head to look around it.'

"Kurk?" Said the Orc

'It didn't find its prey, but it was close.'

'And it slowly made its way towards a tree in the distance...'

...

/SNIFF!/

'The Orc sniffed around the place.'

"KIki!"

'It had found its prey!'

'It place its hand in the tree and looked behind it...'

'And just like last time, a bag of dust was thrown right at its eyes. But it was prepared this time, as part of the dust was blocked by its hands.'

'But Silver was ready as he took this chance to pierce its chest with his backup sword!'

/Pierce/

"Harf… Harf… Fuck."

'The Orc blocked the sword with its right hand.'

/BAM!/

'It lifted its left uninjured hand and slapped at him.'

/FWUSH!/

'But Silver barely evaded it and the slap demolished a tree on the side.'

/Splurge!/

"ROAR!"

'Silver took out several small knives and threw them with great proficiency towards the Orc's face, however, the orc managed to block the most fatal shots...'

'And in an awkward position, Silver was kicked away several meters....'

/THUD.../

'He couldn't evade the move, it was too fast for his weak body to keep up.'

"Arg…"

I definitely broke something, my internal armor can at most block one or two strikes… Where is my fucking shield?

I completely forgot about it...

It should've flown somewhere. Just my luck.

'The Orc finally removed the sword from its hand and threw it backward.'

'It fell on the tall grass where he couldn't see it.'

"Where are those old farts?... They are as unreliable as always…" Said Silver in pain

I came all the way here and yet they didn't come?

Ok, I didn't shout But... My damn pride...

I thought I could still take this on unprepared... I made a rowdy trap and look at me.

'The Orc walked towards him...'

What do I have left?

/Step.../

My weapons are broken and my bag is now a few meters away from me...

I should've hit the Orc with poison from the fucking start.

/Step.../

"URRRRG!"

Why is my body so fucking tired?! If you could at least move!...

/Step.../

The closest trap is 4 meters away, my plan was to use it after hitting the Orc with the knives but the fucker blocked everything... And my body doesn't have the strength to move towards it…

/Step.../

Can I cast magic? No, by the time I finish one the Orc will have killed me…

/Step.../

Am I done?

/Step.../

Fuck…

/Step.../

'The Orc was now right in front of him.'

'Instead of stepping on him it went with its uninjured hand and grabbed him!'

"URG!"

I am not dying like this, there must be a way… WHERE ARE THOSE OLD FUCKS?!

'The orc opened its mouth…'

"I AM NOT DYING LIKE THIS!"

/Crackle.../

'Silver's left hand started to emit cold gases before they transformed into full-size ice spikes that left his hand at high speeds and pierced the Orc's chest. Freezing it.'

"GU!...Gu..."

'The Orc fell forward right on top of Silver, knocking him out in the process.'

/Poof!/

'The Orc became a large cloud of dark smoke. Leaving behind a small broken crystal on his chest.'

'Silver survived by a hair...'

…

/10 Seconds later, someone appeared from a bush/

"Misty, can you give him a potion?" Asked Ulia as she gazed at her grandson on the ground

"... Sigh." Said Saphos

'He looked at the mess on the ground and couldn't help but narrow his eyes.'

/Tremble.../

'Soon enough, three others left the bushes.'

"I told you this might've been too much." Said Lington as he looked around

"The kid is already very impressive for being able to fight normal monsters like this but to defeat an Orc alone is already quite the feat... Only those Demi-Human races would be able to do it." He said

'Misty went to Silver's fallen body and fed him a potion.'

"He broke a few ribs but is overall okay." She said

"He is unconscious Because he used too much Mind..." She said

This internal armor cushioned most of the impact and made it so he didn't suffer higher damage.

... But that Magic...

"So he is on Mind Down?... Why does he always fight until he collapses?..." Said Saphos

"Why is he so stubborn!" Asked Saphos as he face-palmed

"He could've just run away, or shouted, or if he wanted to fight, he could've used the poisons! So why did he fight with his bare hands?" He asked

"He didn't fight with his bare hands, he used some things..." Said Ullia on the side

"You're the last person I want to hear this from! He is almost as reckless as you!" Replied Saphos

This dammed bloodline...

"Humph!" Said Ullia as she turned around to gaze at her surroundings

"In any case, it's better if we carry him out of this place, it's rather cold, and he needs some rest, if he catches a cold then his mother might collapse." Said Lington

"Also, who is going to take the blame for this?" He asked

"..."

'They all turned silent before they looked at Saphos.'

"Why me?!"

"You are the one who is always pushing the boy around, so it makes sense it was you." Said Ullia

"You were also the one who insisted on using this place." Said Misty

"But I..."

"You know how hard it was to knock that Orc down and release it at the right moment?" Said Lington

"..."

I just wanted him to understand that he should never have his guard down...

'Saphos didn't say anything anymore.'

"We can discuss more of what happened on the way, and we can hear what the boy has to say later if he wishes." Said Misty as the fog became a little bit less murky

'They all nodded and turned around. Picking up Silver on the ground and the drop items.'

…

'He woke up later at night. Thanks to the potion, his superficial wounds closed up. But there are still some bones broken.'

"I'm... alive? Phew..."

But how? Think…

I was about to be eaten when… I threw an ice bolt at the enemy. An ice bolt?

'He lifted his left hand and tried to feel for something, anything.'

'Copying what he felt at that moment, his hand started to turn white as cold gas started to condense around it.'

'It fully became white as if it was frozen solid, but he could move it as he wished. He didn't feel cold nor pain in this process.'

'After a few seconds, the effects disappeared on their own.'

"... This is..."

I think I got it. But isn't this similar to… Plasmids?

Why can I use a Plasmid?

Let me think…

My powerful memorization and understanding came with me to this world. But I have yet to prove if that's really the case or just a happy coincidence.

Even if I say that both of my bodies just coincidentally had powerful minds. That wouldn't explain the Plasmids.

And anyway, wasn't I supposed to be unable to use magic?

There are some possibilities.

The soul and the skills.

If we say it came from the soul, then we need to consider just how Plasmids, a biological power, something connected to genes, made its way across space-time, into another body.

Unless the soul has something to do with the physical body, not existing alone, I can't really imagine what it could be.

In my past life, I tried to research the soul but to no avail. My closest discovery was a "failed" Plasmid called, "Whispers of the forgotten", or "Whispers of the dead" that allowed me to have a deceased body answer any question I wanted as long as it had its head and chest intact.

But that is more biological than spiritual... As I said, it was a failed attempt.

As for the Skills part, I don't know how, but there is a chance my yearning for power granted me a Skill that allowed me to use Plasmids. A power I used for over 100 years in a previous life.

But what powers the skill? Mind? My body can't use it, it always goes haywire when I try. Unless…

I was born with this power, so this cant be considered Magic but more of an exclusive ability that is powered by Mind.

…

Yes. There is a chance this skill came with my birth, or that it manifested but remained sealed while I grew up. If that's the case, then this skill does not need Falna to operate. But it needs an energy source nevertheless.

The only thing I can think of is the Mind used in casting spells.

But it's obvious why this is strange. So I have a theory for this, it's either a skill that changed my body, or my body was changed in order to fit it.

It's one way or another…

Depending on the order, this skill's origin might change drastically.

If it came with my birth or if it came from my training and longing. It has to be one of the two…

But enough of this. Let's see what I can do…

'He imagined the teleportation Plasmid, the one that allowed him to teleport to places he had already been before.'

'His hand glowed and started to get translucent before it suddenly stopped.'

"What happened…"

Annnnd… I fell unconscious.

...

/One hour later/

'Silver woke up with an intense headache.'

"What… Oh… I remember now. Even in Rapture, this Plasmid took a lot of energy to use. Perhaps I should start with the most basic basics…"

Telekinesis.

'He pointed his right hand towards a book and it trembled a bit before moving slightly.'

'This was repeated several times until the book almost fell on the floor. And he was once again left with a headache.'

'Yet…'

"HAHA!

IT WORKS!

'Silver happily smiled, knowing his future had just changed.'

'He couldn't be happier. Silver just didn't care about the pain on his body and just continued to laugh.'

'Grandma Misty entered the room and saw him laughing, she had a weird expression on her face.'

"Did you break your head or something boy?"

"It's just that… I did it."

'Her stiff face revealed a smile, she went close to me and kissed my head before saying:'

"You gave us a scare, young man! Don't try to use magic like that again okay! Although… It was that old bag of bones fault for not paying attention and allowing another Orc to mess with your trial."

"?"

I think she is misunderstanding something here… Good for me, I don't want them to find out about this "magic" for now.

Until I properly figure this out, only then I can seek their help.

"I don't know very well what's happening but I am sure it's not grandpa's fault. But I, at the very least, want some vacation from training…"

"That's obvious! You broke several bones, your mother almost fell stiff on the ground! HAH! She is just like Ling when he was younger."

(His grandpa Lington, her husband.)

"Take a rest now, I am going to bring some food for you since you must be starving."

'She said that as she walked to the door, before stopping and saying:'

"And after that, you are going to take a shower, you smell."

'She opened the door and left.'

"There's nothing I can do about that…"

Wait! I can use that!

'As soon as she left, and his headache got better, he decided to try it.'

/Fuuuush.../

'His left hand got green as small wind currents started to blow from it.'

"Wind bath."

'Pointing his hand towards his body and controlling the strange power, made the wind pass through all of his body, cleaning and carefully removing any dirt in it… And making his head hurt a little.'

'All of the dejects were concentrated into a ball flying in the air, silver swung his hand to the side, and all of it was thrown into the window towards the back garden.'

(Wuck...)

"It worked… Do I really have all of the Plasmids with me? What about Ambrosia? Is it with me too? That would mean I can use all Plasmids with full freedom…"

I need to do some experimentation!

…

'Silver laid there in bed, testing and training his Plasmids, stopping only when his head hurt or when it was time to eat and sleep… And the occasional bathroom.'

...

/A week later, he was ready for action! All thanks to the potions from his grandma./

'Potions might not be miraculous enough to bring you from the brink of death, (With some exceptions), but they have excellent long-term effects.'

"At least the ones grandma makes."

If she knew healing magic, then I would've been back to action much quicker!

That's why people with healing magic are so valuable.

In this world, where people have a limit to how much magic they can learn, never being able to go beyond it, unless they have a special magic. Someone who can heal you on the fly is of utmost priority.

There are some exceptions to this rule, like Lefiya's Elf ring that allows her to use all of the elf's magic.

'That's a lot…'

This number can be increased by using a grimoire, but never beyond 3. Of course, a magic never stays the same, it can change and evolve through training, but large changes are difficult to come by.

That's why healing magic is so useful.

Imagine someone who has three magics, one that can mass buff your team, one that can mass depuff one team, and one that can heal everyone.

On an expedition with hundreds of people, this single person is akin to an entire team at the end of the day.

This is only an example, of course.

I wonder how this power would be classified. Would it be magic, or a skill?

Perhaps I have a skill and the Plasmid's powers are its magic?

I can think about that later!

...

"Let's try my power now that I have full privacy."

As I said earlier… I just felt it would be too much of a shock and I might have to explain some things, I will think about the concept of sharing later.

'In front of me was a large rock, his target that Silver is going to beat for the next few years probably.'

"Let's start with the most basic ones."

'His hand turned slightly dark-blue, with the veins glowing a fluorescent blue. Small blue crystals started to grow out of it, creating lighting bolts between them.'

'He pointed his hand forward and a lighting bolt left it!'

/POOooo.../

'But it hit the ground...'

'It was only powerful enough to hit the grass on his feet…'

"This was expected, during the week I tested many variations, and they were all weaker than normal and more imprecise."

Practice greatly reduced the imprecision, but the cost of Mind is still significantly greater.

Perhaps more training might solve this issue.

"Next one is Devil kiss."

'His hand started to burn, the skin started to boil and the bones appeared.'

'A fireball just big enough to fit into his hand started to form, Silver threw it forward just like a baseball.'

/Pop!/

'With a rather disappointing sound, it exploded on the rock just like a firecracker, burning it slightly.'

'Silver's hand returned to normal as if everything was an illusion.'

"Hm..."

'He tested the other similar elemental abilities like Poseidon's trident, and Wind slice, but they all achieved the same result: nothing.'

"But I am only a normal human without Falna, and this magical ability does not have a cast time like most magics. So it's normal to be weak."

As long as I can make Houdini's door, I don't think there will be someone more valuable than me in Orario.

One thing is to heal others, but what if you could just flee whenever and wherever you wanted?

Both are good but the second one is much more practical.

But there is the Dungeon itself, would such abilities work inside there?

Questions and more questions. Questions that my grandparents can't help me with.

Soon it will be time for me to leave.

"As soon as I master these I will go to Orario, enough fooling around, there are 11-year-old adventurers stronger than me at this point… Even younger ones if you look well enough."

Different species have different aging processes. But the norm here is that a 14-15-year-old is already an adult. Although most adults would probably still call them children.

(N1)

I am going to bring my training up a few notches! At most I will be in Orario in two years! Two years before the start of the series. If things proceed to go on as in the series, that should be a decent amount of time to settle myself.

/Bong bang!/

A loud bell sound came from behind Silver, this was his mother's way of calling him when Silver went to train in the mountains.

Time to go!

…

The seasons switched and snow came, then it went away bringing back the heat.'

'A boy was seen traveling in the gentle breeze of Autumn. He didn't have anything on him apart from a longsword on his waist.'

'He walked on the side road, not going too fast nor too slow. If you looked closely, you could see mist gathering on his feet.'

'He had a carefree expression as if walking alone on the road wasn't troubling in the least.'

"This mountain path is supposed to be faster but…"

'He looked to the precipice on his right and to the dilapidated road.'

"How is anyone supposed to pass through here? When was the last time this was properly maintained? It's no wonder Orario has so many broken ruins."

"The big Familias probably don't care at all about the overall infrastructure outside of the city. Or perhaps their plate is so full that they can't bring themselves to care."

/Fluosh!/ x4

'From above him, several men in different armors slid from the mountain wall.'

"A bandit attack? Aren't they afraid of falling towards their deaths?"

I could be mistaken, let me check...

"Give us all of your valuables! Screamed one of the bandits"

"..."

Yup, bandits.

I shouldn't waste too much time here…

'Silver pointed his left hand at the ground where they were supposed to stop sliding and waited.'

'The moment they got to the bottom he snapped his fingers and the ground turned into ice.'

"WHAT?! Instant cast magic?!" Screamed one of the bandits

'One of them panicked and started to roll down the mountain, the other two just continued to slide towards their deaths. Their leader quickly jumped from the slope in order to avoid slipping to her death.'

'She jumped perfectly, trying to get back on the road.'

"That's one way of doing it." Said Silver

'His right hand became translucent with a green aura around it as he used telekinesis on the flying bandit, stopping her right in the air.'

"Wait! Let's reconsider this!" She pleaded

'She knew she was fucked, so she had to negotiate for her life.'

"How?" Asked Silver

"All of the money I… Those guys collected over the years!"

"And how much is that?"

"1 Million Valis! This is disregarding all of the equipment as well!"

"That is quite a value…"

"Yes! Just let me down and I…"

I want to go home… Who did I provoke this time?

"But I am not interested in money. By~e."

'Silver swiped my hand to the side throwing her in the abyss. She committed and participated in many crimes, no doubt. No need to feel guilty.'

"NO, WAIT! AAAAHHHH..."

"She should've been at least a Level two considering the strength of that jump."

"But she was clearly one of the worst ones, to be Level 2 and be here can only mean she is the trash of society."

"A level 2 could make money easily on the Upper floors of the Dungeon. She is most likely afraid of doing so."

'As he said that, several weapons and items started to float towards him.'

'A combination of Franklin's demise that removes all of the user equipment, and telekinesis to bring the items back to him.'

'Silver started to go over the loot.'

"Nothing great, several ten thousand Valis, some daggers, swords, light armors, and a decent claymore. This should all be about… 50 thousand Valis. Good enough I guess."

(N2)

"Considering that a group of 5 decent Level 1 adventures can make 23-26 thousand Valis per day, this is pretty decent money…"

Well, back to the chest.

'His right hand turned into something akin to a shadow as it devoured the items, sending them towards a special storage space.'

Storage magic exists although it's super rare. Rarer than Healing magic.

'The moment he deposited the items, a small map fell from inside one of the swords' hilts.'

"Ho?" Said Silver in surprise as he read the map

'It was a map with a value in it, 100 K Valis. It seems that the bandits were looking for some hidden treasure but decided to rob someone on the way. How unfortunate.'

"Trying to lie to me? HA!"

'Silver turned around and continued on his way.'

"No stopping until Orario."

…

/Several hours later./

"Wow! It's even more impressive from here… I can't even see the top. I thought it only had 50 floors…"

'It was the Babel tower, the trademark of Orario, a massive tower that reaches the clouds.'

"Perhaps it only has 50 floors and the rest is just stone leading towards the skies?"

"If I can see it, then I must be close. Full speed ahead!"

'He started to run faster and faster, his eagerness was as clear as the blue sky.'

.

.

.