Chapter 8: Mark of the Champion II

All the annoying sounds suddenly stopped.
'I really like this peace,' I thought, exhaling.

I gazed ahead and found myself surrounded by a cascade of vibrant, shifting colors—emerald mists, violet streaks, and golden sparks dancing through the air.
It was mesmerizing. Astonishing. Pure… wonder.

I felt something stirring within me, a connection weaving through every fiber of my being.
I closed my eyes and reached inward, seeking to understand this sensation.
'The mana… the mana inside me is perfect—flowing in harmony with my body and mind,' I thought, a refreshing warmth spreading through me.
'But the mana out here… it's even more comforting… nurturing… warm.'

The soothing feeling washed over me.
As I relaxed deeper, I sensed a path forming.
'I can feel it,' I thought, recognizing the current of power.

I sensed the energy flowing like blood: from my heart to my chest, down my torso to my legs and feet, then from chest up to shoulders, down my arms to fingertips—circling back to my core.
It wasn't just the heart moving it.
It was my mind.
Mind controls flesh—and now… mana was an extension of me.

I opened my eyes.
I raised my right hand, palm upward, and watched as a gentle breeze gathered there.
'Wind…' I thought, calmly.

Slowly, an indescribable form took shape—a swirl of air strands, weaving together like the finest threads.
The currents intensified.
I pointed my palm toward the ruined gate of the orc settlement where I'd entered and finished my incantation:
'…Blades.'

Suddenly, gale-force winds lashed out, tearing through everything in their path—rain itself was ripped away by the pressure.
Countless razor-sharp slashes cut through the air, far too fast for any orc (though none stood between me and the gate) to dodge.
The stone arch collapsed. Tents shredded into tattered shreds. The ground wore deep, slash-like scars.

'I only thought "wind blade" so many times… and it just worked,' I murmured, curious yet composed.
'I definitely felt it… the mana pouring from my palm, shaped into my very thought.'

'But I didn't feel drained. My mana pool… no, it must be something else. My recovery is really fast?' I pondered as I surveyed the swirling mana around me.
I realized my body wasn't merely absorbing it.
'This mana… it's a part of me,' I thought.

Suddenly, a notification appeared before me:

[ Title unlocked: Child of Mana ]
[ Effect (Passive): You understand mana and its principles as second nature. You feel familiarity with mana—as it feels an attachment to you. Blessed by mana's love, you may draw upon the ambient flow as if it were your own. ]
[ Your affinity with wind magic is at its peak—wind spirits recognize and welcome you. ]

'Maxed? When—' I started, but Sebas interjected.

[ You have unlocked affinity with Spirits, Master. They now reveal themselves to you. ]

'Spirits? I'm not planning spirit summoning… but this could help when dealing with elves or spirit summoners later,' I considered.

I sensed movement to my left.
Orcs—still alive, still wary—stood frozen.
My heightened sensitivity to atmosphere—always attuned to negative emotions—picked up dread.
And something else: hunger.

'Why aren't they attacking?' I wondered.
I stepped closer to the Orc Champion and addressed him with genuine curiosity:
'Why did you attack me all at once? Did you abandon your honor that easily?'

The champion's gravelly voice rumbled in broken sentences:
"KWEK—WE ARE NOT BARBARIANS, HUMAN. WE CRAVE AN HONORABLE BATTLE… BUT NOT AT THE COST OF OUR WHOLE TRIBE."

'Interesting', I nodded.
'Then tell me—why did you halt your advance?'

His snarling answer was frantic, terrified:
"WHAT ARE YOU, KWEK? YOU EMIT A HORRIFIC AURA—IF WE MOVE,... WE'D SEE SOMETHING SO GRUESOME... T-THAT MY INSTINCTS TELL ME TO END MY OWN LIFE… BUT EVEN THAT ESCAPE SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE."

'Sebas—stand down.', I ordered in my mind.
[ Understood, Master. ]

Immediately, every normal orc collapsed unconscious, flat on the ground.
The warrior orcs sank to their knees, clutching their weapons to stay upright.
Finally, the champion slumped—still breathing heavily but weaponless.

'What did you do, Sebas? You scared the f**k out of them,' I asked.
[ I needed to ensure no one disturbed you, Master. Their survival instincts are strong, so I exploited that. ]

'Well done,' I thought approvingly.
'Explain this wind magic affinity max. How?' I asked, noting the air shimmering around me.

[ The System or status window is what all the heroes usually rely on. They don'y have the shop with skills, and definitely not with traits. ]
[ Since heroes are summoned from another world, they lack any real understanding of magic—or more precisely, mana—unless they're granted a mana-related trait. ]
[ As I've mentioned before, they can cast magic only because the system acts as an intermediary. It provides a skill, takes the required mana from the body, molds it according to a predefined structure, and delivers the result. Like when you first used wind blade. ]
[ But for the people of Numen, it works differently. Everyone is born with affinity to all four elements—but they still can't cast much magic. The reason lies in two core factors. ]

'Maybe because not everyone is blessed by the gods? Or elemental spirits?' I thought, trying to piece it together.

[ No, Master. Spirits don't grant magic. They act as mediums. Not like the system—closer to a speaker in your world. They amplify spells, using minimal mana, and give better control over skills. ]

'So with spirits, people can adjust spell size? Speed? Wait—can I make blades directly from my hands if I had a spirit?' My mind flooded with questions.

[ That won't be necessary for you, Master. ]
[ Allow me to finish explaining the two major limitations. ]

[ First—Mana. The amount needed for every skill varies. Normal people, especially those who don't fight monsters, have small mana pools. They can barely cast basic fire or water spells. But you, Master… your mana pool is vast. You meet the first condition effortlessly. ]
[ Second—the understanding of magic or more precisely the element itself. ]

[ Most people comprehend fire. It burns, hurts, and they can see it. So they replicate it. But they breathe air unconsciously, without any understanding. To them, "wind" only exists as storms or high-tier skills mages use. And earth? That one's even more tightly bound to mana manipulation itself. ]

[ So in Numen, elemental affinity is not just innate—it's tied to one's understanding of that element. ]
[ And for you, the second condition was already fulfilled. ]

'Science', I realized.

[ Exactly, Master. ]
[ Your understanding of elements at a molecular level, combined with creative thinking, gives you an unmatched advantage. You're not limited by rigid casting structures. You imagine, and it responds. ]

'Credit goes to anime for that creativity,' I smirked.
'But wait, you said everyone in this world has affinity. So, if I understand all elements, doesn't that mean I can use all of them?'

[ The people of Numen were blessed by the divine. All of them were born with the ability to use the four elements. But you, Master—you're not of this world. So when summoned, heroes are granted affinity manually. Or in your case, purchased through the shop. ]
[ Since you unlocked mana-related traits, the system's middleman function wasn't required. ]

[ Displaying previous notifications… ]
[ Your body can now naturally use magic. ]
[ Wind Affinity – Basic ]
[ Understanding of wind element is Very High. ]
[ Adjusting traits… ]
[ Wind Magic Affinity: Maxed. ]
[ Other elemental affinities: None. ]

'So those were the earlier notifications?'

[ Only part of them, Master. ]

'If I meet all conditions… then I can do anything as long as I have mana,' I thought.

[ Correct. ]

I closed my eyes and surrendered myself to the wind.
Cold air kissed my face—dry and sharp.
The rain didn't touch me—it curved around, diverted by my passive field.
I felt the wind on my fingertips. I could smell the scent of musk mixed with…

The scent of blood—metallic and heavy—mixed with rotting beast flesh.
Human blood, long dried, now reawakened by rainfall, carried its stench back to the air.
There was musk. Sweat. Death. The unbearable odor of corpses long left to rot.

The wind brushed against the side of my head, shifting my hair slightly.
But it also carried sound—not just thunder or rustling leaves—but breathing.

Deep breaths. Fast breaths. One breath… almost too faint to notice.

It felt like the wind was me. Like I could touch the world.
Every raindrop, every ripple in the air, every torn tent, every flag flapping desperately… I could feel it all.
Even the broken pillars, the crushed stone, the deep gouges from my earlier attack.

I could feel warm blood seeping from limp orc bodies… no pulse… no heartbeats.

'Who killed them?' I frowned.

Some had axes still embedded in their skulls. Others had deep slashes in their necks. A few still twitched—neither alive nor dead.
'The champion said their instincts told them to kill themselves. Did they actually…? From trauma?'

Others remained unconscious, barely breathing.
I could feel them too, like threads on the edge of breaking.

Suddenly, the champion stirred. The elite orcs followed. The regular ones—either dead or knocked out.
I could feel their limbs moving, feel their blood rushing, hear their rage building again.
They began charging—towards me.

'I don't get it,' I thought.

'They saw what happened. They saw what I did. Do they still think they have a f**king chance?'
'Maybe at first when I arrived, sure—they hadn't seen what happened at the cliffside . But now? This is just stupid.'

[ Possibly, Master… after you told me to stand down and gave them time, they think your mana is exhausted. That you're recovering right now. ]

'Tch… I'm over this sh*t', I thought, disappointed.

'I wanted to test something—but now I'm just bored.'

Then, I felt it—a shift.

I raised my hand.
Wind surged violently. Invisible chains lashed forward and clamped around the orcs—wrapping around their arms, legs, necks. Holding them mid-motion.
They couldn't move.

But then… I sensed something else.
Not from them—but from the opposite side.

I walked slowly toward it.
The emotion I'd felt earlier returned—hunger.

With each step, the feeling grew stronger.
I stopped in front of a massive pile of corpses—humans, demi-humans, some mixed blood.

I couldn't see clearly.
I extended my hand—lifted the bodies one by one using the wind.

Blood spilled. Organs spilled. Eyes, half-open, staring into nothing. A soldier with no lower jaw. A woman missing half her torso. People crushed beneath heavier corpses. Flesh chewed.

The scent was revolting.

I went deeper.
And then I saw it.

I lifted a large, bloodied corpse.
Beneath it, something small shifted.

I froze the instant. My eyes went wide so fast I felt my heart skip. My mouth hung open, but no sound came out. My knees wobbled, and I shifted my weight forward, half‑falling, half‑leaning, as if my body couldn't decide whether to move or stay.

I raised a hand to my chest, instinctively bracing against the shock. My other arm stretched out in front of me, fingers splayed and shaking.

My breath caught in my throat. All I could do was stand there, glued in place.

A tiny, blood-covered hand—small enough to fit inside my palm.
Skin pale and thin. Fragile fingers. Arms like twigs. Overgrown hair hiding its eyes. Dry, cracked lips. Tattered cloth barely covering the body. Bare feet. Body drenched in blood.

The rain fell, washing the crimson off slowly—revealing the raw, bruised flesh beneath.
The child—no more than a 3-4 year old—opened their mouth. A few drops of rain fell in.
They swallowed them like it was water from heaven.

Despite all my traits, despite all the enhancements—I felt.
Shock. Rage. Despair. Emptiness.

But the emotion that struck deepest—was guilt.

to be continued...

Author's Note:

This chapter dives deep into Zero’s journey of grasping the new traits he’s just unlocked—think of it as laying the groundwork for the story.
Thank you for reading!
As of this writing, no one has spotted the two references tucked into Chapter 7. (⁠ب⁠_⁠ب⁠)
I’d love for you to find them and mention them in your comments ( before Chapter 9 goes live).

Your feedback keeps me going! <⁠(⁠￣⁠︶⁠￣⁠)⁠>