Volume 1 — Chapter 2: A New World and the Secret of Mana — Part 2

Time passed quietly.
The newborn girl slowly became accustomed to her new life.
She had once been Hikari Amane.
But that was the name of her previous life.
In this world, she had been given a completely different name.
Her new parents had chosen it carefully.
Her mother, Yuna Amane, held her in her arms and smiled.
"Her name should be special."
Her father, Haruto Amane, nodded.
"I agree."
Yuna looked at their newborn daughter.
"Then let's call her Mumei Amane."
Mumei.
A strange and unusual name.
It meant "Nameless."
Haruto explained the reason.
"Long ago, people believed that a mysterious god existed before the current age."
"The Nameless God?"
Yuna nodded.
"Yes. No one has ever seen this god. No statue shows his true appearance, and no reliable record tells us his real name."
"Then why do people believe the god existed?"
"Because ancient texts mention him."
Haruto smiled faintly.
"People call him the Nameless God because even the oldest records cannot reveal his true name."
Yuna looked at their daughter.
"That's why I want her to have the name Mumei."
"A name honoring a god that nobody has ever seen."
Haruto smiled.
"Then her full name will be Mumei Amane."
And so the girl who had once been Hikari Amane received a new name.
Mumei Amane.
The Nameless Girl.
---
Ordinary Days
Mumei's new life was surprisingly peaceful.
Her days were filled with small things.
Sleeping.
Eating.
Listening to her parents.
Watching sunlight through the windows.
And slowly learning how this world worked.
Her mother, Yuna, was always nearby.
"Mumei, are you hungry?"
Mumei could only make small sounds.
"Ah..."
Yuna smiled.
"So you are hungry."
Mumei secretly sighed.
I'm actually capable of understanding everything you're saying.
But she couldn't explain it.
Being a baby was surprisingly inconvenient.
Sometimes Yuna carried her around the house while preparing food.
Sometimes Haruto sat beside her and read books.
Mumei loved those moments.
Especially when her father brought books from his study.
She would stare at the pages.
Haruto laughed.
"You really like books, don't you?"
Mumei reached toward the book.
"Ah!"
"All right, all right."
He opened it.
Mumei couldn't read yet.
But she listened.
She memorized everything.
---
How Strong Were Her Parents?
Mumei soon discovered that her parents were not ordinary people.
One afternoon, Haruto returned home from training.
His clothes were slightly torn.
Yuna immediately noticed.
"Another monster?"
Haruto nodded.
"A group of five."
"You went alone?"
"They weren't particularly strong."
Mumei watched him carefully.
Five monsters?
Haruto noticed her expression.
"Don't worry, Mumei."
He smiled.
"Your father is strong."
Mumei didn't know how strong he really was.
She would soon find out.
A few days later, Haruto took Mumei outside.
They stopped near the forest.
He placed his hand forward.
Mana gathered around him.
The air suddenly became heavy.
The trees began to shake.
Then—
BOOM!
A massive wave of wind swept through the forest.
Several large trees bent at once.
Mumei stared in amazement.
That's not Beginner Magic.
Haruto was a powerful magician.
He had reached Level 5 — Master Mage.
But that wasn't all.
Haruto was also trained in swordsmanship.
His swordsmanship had reached Level 5 — Master Swordsman.
In this world, magic and swordsmanship were measured separately.
A person's level in one discipline did not automatically determine their level in the other.
Yuna was also much stronger than an ordinary woman.
She specialized in healing and protective magic.
She had reached Level 4 — Advanced Mage and Level 4 — Advanced Swordswoman.
She could create barriers strong enough to protect an entire house from powerful monsters.
Mumei had been born into a family that was much stronger than it appeared.
Her parents weren't legendary heroes.
They weren't kings.
But among ordinary people, they were extremely powerful.
And Mumei didn't know yet that her own potential was far beyond theirs.
---
The Ten Levels of Magic
As Mumei grew older, she began studying magic seriously.
Her father gave her an old introductory book.
Inside, she found the ten known levels of magic.
Level 1 — Beginner
The foundation of magic.
Level 2 — Apprentice
Basic combat and practical magic.
Level 3 — Adept
Advanced control over mana.
Level 4 — Advanced
Powerful enough to influence battles.
Level 5 — Master
A magician capable of fighting powerful monsters alone.
Level 6 — Grandmaster
A rare level capable of changing the surrounding environment.
Level 7 — Saint
A legendary level of magic.
Level 8 — Royal
Power capable of affecting entire cities.
Level 9 — Imperial
Power that could change the outcome of wars.
Level 10 — Divine
The highest known level.
A level associated with beings close to gods.
Mumei stared at the final page.
Divine Level...
She wondered how strong such a person would be.
Then she noticed another section.
Known Strongest Magicians
The strongest confirmed human magician in recorded history was Lucien Arclight, known as the Imperial Magus.
He had reached Level 9 — Imperial.
But nobody had officially confirmed a human reaching Level 10.
Mumei became curious.
"If nobody has reached Divine Level, then what about the gods?"
Haruto looked at her.
"That is something nobody can answer."
"Why?"
"Because nobody has ever seen them."
---
The Ten Levels of Swordsmanship
Mumei soon discovered that magic wasn't the only way people became powerful.
Swordsmanship had its own ranking system.
Her father showed her another page.
Level 1 — Novice Swordsman
The first stage of swordsmanship.
Level 2 — Apprentice Swordsman
A swordsman who has learned the basic techniques.
Level 3 — Skilled Swordsman
A fighter with considerable combat experience.
Level 4 — Advanced Swordsman
A swordsman capable of defeating ordinary monsters and experienced warriors.
Level 5 — Master Swordsman
A master capable of fighting powerful opponents alone.
Level 6 — Grandmaster Swordsman
A rare swordsman whose technique can surpass ordinary human limits.
Level 7 — Sword Saint
A legendary swordsman whose swordsmanship is said to reach supernatural levels.
Level 8 — Royal Swordsman
A swordsman whose strength can influence entire battles and armies.
Level 9 — Imperial Swordsman
A legendary warrior capable of changing the outcome of wars.
Level 10 — Divine Swordsman
The highest known level of swordsmanship.
Very few records even mention someone reaching this stage.
Mumei looked at the list.
So there are two different paths to becoming strong.
Magic.
And the sword.
She became curious.
Can someone master both?
Haruto smiled.
"Very few people can."
"Are you one of them, Father?"
Haruto laughed.
"I'm nowhere near the legendary level."
He pointed toward himself.
"I'm a Level 5 Master Mage and a Level 5 Master Swordsman."
Mumei's eyes widened.
That's already incredibly strong.
---
The Nameless God
Haruto showed her an ancient book.
"The Nameless God is different from the other gods."
Mumei carefully turned the pages.
There were no pictures.
No description.
No true name.
Only a symbol.
A circle surrounded by strange lines.
"The ancient people believed this god existed before the current age."
Haruto continued.
"But nobody knows what the god looked like."
"Not even the priests?"
"No."
"Then why do they worship the god?"
Haruto became silent.
"Because some believe that the Nameless God gave the world its first breath."
Mumei stared at the symbol.
Something inside her felt strange.
A quiet sensation.
Almost like recognition.
Why does this feel familiar?
She couldn't explain it.
She simply closed the book.
---
Mumei's First Magic
When Mumei was three years old, she finally began practicing magic.
She sat inside her room.
The door was closed.
She placed her hand in front of herself.
Mana exists inside every living creature.
She remembered the words from her father's book.
She concentrated.
A tiny spark appeared.
Mumei's eyes widened.
I did it!
The spark became a flame.
Then a larger flame.
She stopped.
Normally, a person would begin to feel exhausted after using mana.
But Mumei felt nothing.
That's strange.
She tried again.
Another flame appeared.
Still nothing.
Again.
Nothing.
Her mana didn't seem to decrease.
Mumei simply thought she had an unusually large mana capacity.
She didn't know the truth.
Her mana wasn't merely enormous.
It appeared to have no end.
---
The Broken Crystal
The secret didn't remain hidden for long.
Haruto eventually discovered Mumei practicing magic.
"Mumei?"
She turned around.
A small flame floated above her hand.
Haruto froze.
"Where did you learn that?"
"Your books."
He stared at her.
"You learned magic by reading?"
Mumei nodded.
Haruto immediately called Yuna.
Yuna entered the room.
When she saw the flame, her eyes widened.
"Mumei..."
They decided to test her mana.
Haruto brought out a special measurement crystal.
"Mumei, place your hand here."
She did.
The crystal began to glow.
Blue.
Then silver.
Then white.
The light became stronger.
And stronger.
Haruto's expression changed.
"This can't be..."
The crystal suddenly cracked.
Crack!
Then—
CRASH!
It shattered.
Silence filled the room.
Mumei looked at the broken crystal.
"Did I do something wrong?"
Yuna immediately hugged her.
"No, sweetheart."
Haruto looked at the shattered crystal.
He understood something.
The crystal hadn't been able to measure Mumei's mana.
It had overloaded.
Her parents exchanged a serious glance.
"Mumei," Haruto said gently, "don't show this power to anyone."
"Why?"
"Because we don't know what will happen if people discover it."
Mumei nodded.
She didn't understand yet.
But her parents did.
Their daughter was different.
Very different.
---
A New World
As Mumei grew older, she learned more about the world.
The Kingdom of Elaria was only one of many nations.
To the east stood the powerful Valorian Empire.
To the north was the Kingdom of Astralis, famous for its magical academy.
To the west lay the dangerous Forest of Eldra.
And beyond the northern mountains was the forbidden Silent Continent.
Nobody knew what lived there.
Mumei also learned about adventurer ranks.
Bronze.
Iron.
Silver.
Gold.
Platinum.
Mythic.
Only a few people had ever reached Mythic rank.
But even Mythic adventurers were not necessarily the strongest beings in the world.
There were ancient dragons.
Demon Kings.
Divine beasts.
And perhaps gods.
---
New Friends
One spring afternoon, Yuna took Mumei to visit a neighboring family.
"Mumei, I'd like you to meet someone."
A girl with long dark hair stepped forward.
"This is Kaede Mizuhara."
Kaede smiled shyly.
"Hello."
Mumei smiled.
"Hello."
Another child suddenly appeared behind her.
A boy with messy black hair.
"I'm Ren Akiyama."
Kaede frowned.
"Ren, don't scare her."
"I'm just saying hello."
Mumei laughed.
For the first time, she felt that this world was beginning to become her home.
She had parents who loved her.
A peaceful house.
Books.
Magic.
And now...
Friends.
But Mumei didn't know that her peaceful childhood was only the beginning.
Far away, inside a dark chamber, an ancient magical crystal suddenly began to glow.
An old man stared at it.
His expression slowly changed.
"Impossible..."
The crystal cracked.
He whispered:
"That mana..."
His hands began to tremble.
"After all these years..."
He looked toward the sky.
"She has finally been born."
Far above the world, beyond the clouds, something ancient opened its eyes.
For the first time in centuries...
The gods noticed the existence of Mumei Amane.
The girl named after the god nobody had ever seen.
And somewhere within the endless flow of her mana, something unknown quietly awakened.

To be continued...