Codex of Power

As the two children walked through the town, they noticed old vehicles going through the roads. On the sides of the roads were various shops and vendors, each selling different kinds of wares.

"Best ingredients in town! Come and get them fast before they sell out!"

"Mercenaries, take a look at some of the finest weaponry, made of pure stainless steel! Some even have enchantments placed on them!"

"Hey, who are you kidding? I doubt these have enchantments. There's no way—"

"These are approved by the great Merkel Union! You can see their trademark symbol placed on the weapon."

"Ohh! I didn't know that. Thanks, let me buy one then..."

Damian put his fingers on his chin, Hmm, their technology is definitely impressive, but not to the level of my previous world... At best, it's on par with Earth's 20th-century technology.

He then smirked wryly. That aside, some of these guys are blatant scammers, judging by the way they talk alone.

He looked over at Axel, who noticed this and asked, "Damian?"

"...Yeah, you definitely won't survive in this place."

"...Ehh? What do you mean, Damian? Am I... Am I going to die?" Axel's eyes welled up with tears.

"Huh? No, I was just thinking out loud."

"Ehh? Are you going to di—"

"No, I'm not... That aside, you really did call me Damian, huh?"

Axel, fidgeting with his fingers, spoke. "Mm. You did want to be called that, after all."

"..."

Damian sighed. This kid probably doesn't have many friends outside of us.

He chuckled and said, "Yeah, of course, I did. That aside, how's your workout going?"

Axel suddenly stopped. His eyes darted around before he hesitantly spoke.

"...I don't like training. It hurts my body."

"Ahahahaha, don't worry, Axel. It only hurts at the start. Afterward, you'll enjoy working out. Then again, don't do as much as Stephen. He's already an awakened, even though it happened recently. You have yet to awaken, after all."

"But even then..."

"Okay, how about this? From tomorrow on, I'll train along with you both. That should make it fair. Since I can keep Stephen in check a bit, it should be fine."

"..."

Damian extended his hand toward Axel.

"So, what do you say? Do we have a deal?"

"...Okay."

Axel smiled and shook his hand.

Perfect, now I have an excuse to train myself as well. In this world, my personality developed into someone who's book-smart and hates training. It was like that during childhood, though it changed when I got older... Man, I miss my muscles.

As Damian reminisced about his past life, the Divine Contract came to mind.

Ah, fuck, that's right, the anomaly... Hmm, let me check my status for now.

STATUS

Name: Damian Ashford

Age: 20

Class: All-Star

Class Description: A unique class possessed by only one being. Grants exceptional talent in every field of existence but only up to Rank A. Growth beyond Rank A is impossible regardless of effort.

Talent Rank: A

Attributes:

Strength: F-

Speed: F-

Durability: F-

Agility: F-

Endurance: F-

Intelligence: F-

Sense: F-

Divine Energy: F-

Skills:

Innate Skill: Systematic Analysis (A)

Skill Type: Active

Effect:

When activated, the skill rapidly analyzes all available information in the user's surroundings and constructs the most optimal course of action based on the user's intent.

Hmm, looks like everything's in order... and there's a new row for divine energy.

He smirked at the deal he made, then thought about his four years on this planet.

Looks like my time here wasn't a complete waste. I was originally interested in technology, which led me to understand Novaros' history.

Veydros… One of three continents, divided into four kingdoms, and I'm in the kingdom of Solmaria. Raventhorn is a town located on it's outskirts.

It's ruled by Baron Cedric Vaelmont. From the rumors, he's practically a coward and doesn't visit this town. 

Instead, he left a steward in charge—a man named Alric Fenlow. The rumors say he's a coward as well, refusing to properly manage the town. He doesn't take action against the bandits on the trade routes and apparently bribes them to leave him alone.

Meh, it ain't my problem until it becomes one.

The two continued walking for a couple of minutes until they reached an orphanage. A sign at the front read 'Everheart Haven'.

As they approached the entrance, they saw a security post where a guard was sleeping.

"Hey, excuse me?"

Snore—

"Hey, uncle? Wake u—"

Snore—

"HEY!"

"Huh? Wha? Oh, it's you kids. C'mon in."

"...Seriously? Sleeping on duty?" Damian muttered.

"Huh? You say somethin'?"

"Nothing. Please let us in, uncle."

"Yeah, yeah, wait a bit... let me just find my keys."

After some shuffling, the guard finally found the keys and let them in.

The two children walked into the orphanage. Inside, they saw several children playing around.

As they entered, the children noticed them and ran toward them.

"Hey, Damian! Are you okay?"

"I heard you got sick. Are you feeling better now?"

"Yea, I'm fine. It was just a headache."

"Hello, children. What seems to be the matter?"

A voice interrupted their conversation, and the children turned to look behind them. They saw a figure wearing a priest-like robe and a pair of spectacles.

"Father Edric!" their voices chimed in unison.

"Oh, it's you, Damian. I take it your health has improved?"

"Yes, Father. My headache is gone now. Thank you for taking care of me."

"Of course, it's my duty to help people as the benevolent priest of Serenys. Our duty is to show compassion and kindness to all."

"I see. I still don't want to put my faith in gods."

Especially not after what happened.

"Ahahaha, it's quite alright, child. Now, go on and return to your business, children."

"Thank you, Father Edric," all the children said in unison.

...Father Edric Holloway. He's suspicious. Something about him tells me I can't trust him. I don't know what it is...

[Systematic Analysis]

He ran the skill for a few seconds before returning to reality.

There isn't enough information to draw a conclusion. But I'll keep track from now on.

"Damian?"

"Hm?" He turned to his right and looked at Axel.

"Can we go play for a bit?"

"...Yeah, sure, why not?"

Meh, screw it. I'll start training afterward.

They played until evening before returning for dinner. Eventually, they headed back to their dormitory.

"I'm tired now. Good night, Damian."

"Mm, good night."

As Axel drifted off to sleep, Damian thought to himself,

Well, I guess it's time to train. I went to the library earlier and read about some types of powers—aura for weapon masters, mana for mages, and holy energy for priests, which is a weaker version of divine energy. I also found a book about Awakened who follow the path of the mage.

I can't immediately delve into the path of a weapon master since my body still lacks strength. So, I'll start with this instead.

He glanced at the book resting on his bed and shifted it into the moonlight to read. He continued for two hours before finally stopping.

...Hm, so basically, mages use mana to perform spells. Each mage has to figure out which element they can wield, then learn to convert the mana into that element. After that, they must master manipulating it to create spells. Some basic spells are public, but most mages keep their spell techniques a secret.

I don't have to worry about discovering my element since my class is the All-Star. So, I guess I can just start with the Basic Mana Breathing technique.

Flipping through the pages, he found diagrams of the human body detailing the workings of the Basic Mana Breathing technique.

...So first, we have to create a mana core, which is usually formed behind the brain. It's supposed to be dangerous, but there's a strong correlation between brain wavelengths and mana wavelengths, making it easier to form.

But there's a problem—I don't know if multiple energies can coexist in one body. I already have a core of Divine Energy in my right chest. Normally, I wouldn't risk something like this, but when I ran [Systematic Analysis], I found a possibility. The only reason multiple energy cores might work is because of the All-Star class.

If my theory is correct, that means I can create cores for other types of energy, too…

Haah… it's risky, but I guess I'll give it a shot.

Damian closed his eyes and focused on his breathing.

First, sense the mana, then draw it in. A mana core forms once a person reaches a certain threshold.

He felt the energy stir around him, and the mana naturally flowed toward his head. Immediately, a warm and smooth sensation spread across the region.

This feels... amazing. I'll continue for as long as I can.

He kept up the technique, absorbing mana until fatigue crept in.

"Haah... I guess that's my limit for now. And it looks like I was right...Hwaaaghh, what time is it?"

The clock showed 3:37 AM.

"...Damn. Nearly five hours, huh? I should get some sleep."

As exhaustion took over, his consciousness faded.

TRIIINGG—!

"Hwa? What the—?"

The blaring alarm jolted Damian awake at 8 AM. He groggily turned it off.

...I didn't set an alarm.

Blinking sluggishly, he took in his surroundings.

Where am I...?

A moment later, realization hit him.

Oh. Right. New life. And I did set an alarm...Yesterday, that is.

"...Haah, fuck."

After stretching and dragging himself out of bed, he quickly went through his morning routine. After washing up, he glanced at his reflection in the mirror.

"Okay. Time to tinker with my tools."

Leaving his room, he made his way to the Storage Room.

Heh, it's funny how they put up a 'Keep Out' sign, but they couldn't stop a kid like me from getting in anyway.

The caretakers had scolded him countless times for sneaking in, but no matter what they did, he always found a way. Eventually, they just gave up and let him have access—him and only him.

Good job, kid me. He smirked, patting himself on the back.

As he stepped inside, his eyes swept over various devices, watches, and scraps of metal.

So far, he had worked with a few interesting gadgets:

Magic Watches – Similar to smartwatches, these could track time and use a sensor spell to set alarms.

Heartbeat Sensors – These used a resonance spell to synchronize with a person's heartbeat and mana flow.

Gate Switches – Security devices that combined sensor spells with defensive magic, activating a barrier when triggered.

This is perfect. I can learn these spells once I finish forming my mana core. Thanks to the Gate Switch spell, I'll also get to practice combining multiple spells.

But until then, he had to keep his powers hidden.

The standard age of Awakening was eight. Any earlier, and a child was considered a genius. Stephen was undoubtedly talented, but his parents had the power and influence to handle any issues that came with that.

Awakening at four years old is unheard of. If word gets out, I'll be in trouble. I have to train my mana in secret, at least for another two years.

As he formulated his training plan, he glanced inward at his body once more.

So, my plan is simple:

Create a mana core and start learning spells.

Train my body to handle an aura core.

Use Stephen and Axel as an excuse for physical training.

A small grin formed on his face.

Yeah. This should work.