The Peasant's path to Vengeance

The weather was in their favor today. During these months, their route to the city is usually inconvenient. It usually rains a lot, obstructing their path. Back then, it took them a week and a half to reach the city of Grandel, contradicting what Mr. Silas had just said before they left.

Clip! Clop! Clip! Clop! Clip! Clop! The sound of horse footsteps.

'It's been three and a half days since we started our journey, and everything was going smoothly; however, some things are not connected here. It was raining heavily back then, forcing us to stop, take shelter, and find another route, but today is quite calm. The only thing that is constant is the fact that Chris was just sleeping at the back during our trip, while I was the one coaching the wagon.'

"Weird!" Einar mutters softly as he gazes at the clear blue sky.

"What's weird?" Chris asked as he tried to get up and sit next to Einar while the wagon was moving. His hair was messy, and he had sleep dust in his eyes. Although he had gotten too much sleep, he was still yawning.

"The weather, don't you think it's weird, it usually rains heavily this time of the year."

"Maybe the goddess of luck is with us today to provide us with a trouble-free journey." Chris smiled as he responded to Einars' remarks about the weather.

"I guess." Nodding slightly, Einar as he spoke.

Einar's eyes slowly glanced at Chris.

Before they left, he tried to awaken his mana core using the method he once read in the books; however, nothing happened. So out of his curiosity to find an answer to these strange things he keeps seeing, he asks Chris.

"About mana core, are there more characteristics of it?" Einar spoke in a calm manner.

Chris stared at him with confusion, still unsure of Einar's transformation. Since the day he discovered he was unable to use magic, Einar had ceased to question him about it. However, he ignored the things that changed about Einar and focused more on his query.

Chris seemed like a normal person on the outside, but when the subject matter was magic, his fanatic side would emerge, and he couldn't stop himself from talking. Einar knew these traits about him and took this as an advantage to gather more information.

"Ahm!" Clears his throat while closing his eyes, normally the behavior of a man about to brag, and then Chris starts explaining with starry eyes.

"There is, every single mana core has a different color and meaning. The first core is gray, which stands for neutral. The second core is a brown that stands for comfort. The third core is yellow, which stands for happiness. The fourth core is green, which stands for balance. The fifth core is red, which stands for power. The sixth core is blue, which stands for calmness, and the seventh core is white, which stands for purity."

"These mana cores were related to one another, and in order to transcend within each core, it's not just about magical training; you also need to have a greater understanding of each meaning of this core."

"Mana core levels are also the basis for the magic-tier spell. The higher the mana core levels you have, the higher the magic-tier spell you can cast."

"Hehehe… I was about to surprise you, but since we are talking about mana cores, perhaps I have to tell you my mana core level now. My core level now is…"

"Fourth core." Einar mutters and stops Chris from talking.

Chris was stupefied by the words he just heard.

"How did you know?''

"Just a hunch."

"A hunch?" Chris exclaimed.

Einar immerse in his thoughts once again, however, this time he got all the information he needed to answer the riddles he had.

'So this explains now. The smoke that emanates from their body is not mana but rather an aura that signifies their core levels; the color of the aura also depends on the core levels, and the aura radiates more when the mana core level is higher.'

'And not simply the aura that's visible to me right now. Before we left Roselake, I could only see the aura, but two days later I was able to see the mana core and their color as well.'

'I can see that Chris is an Apprentice Mage now and Mr. Silas is an Elite Mage level. I know that Mr. Silas was a mana user, but I never thought that he was at this level. He never mentioned anything back then.'

'Chris was already at the Apprentice Mage level at this point, but he was much stronger when I witnessed him fighting at the TARTARUS. At the moment, I could only assume that he could have been a Grand Mage—or perhaps even more so, an Archmage.'

Einar smirked; he had acquired a useful skill in him. This allows him to assess his adversaries' strength and make plans based on that information. With this, he could gain more advantage in a battle. The skill is somehow a cheat code.

'This is a fine skill. But how the hell did I obtain this skill? Obscure, but I guess I'm going to thank my regression somehow.'

Einar opened his mouth slowly and asked again with a curious expression. "What about the eighth core?"

Chris, who was about to cry with Einar's interruption during his revelation, changed into a serious expression again. 

"For the eighth core, no one knows. However, there are ancient scriptures that expound on this. Although these scriptures were still in the process of being deciphered for over a hundred years, the information written still did not shed light."

"Mage experts refer to this as "lost knowledge." It's possible that these ancient civilizations destroyed all the records pertaining to it, that they are concealing it from someone, or that they wish to control the knowledge on how to reach the last mana core level. I don't see why they would do that; just think of what you could achieve as an Arc Mage or Eighth Mana Core user if that knowledge were made public."

After Chris conveys his words, Einar gazes at the blue sky and speaks.

"I suppose they have good reason to do that if that were the case. Knowledge is power and strength. But in the wrong hands, this may lead to anarchy and devastation. One should consider the needs of the masses rather than his own interests if he wants that kind of authority."

Chris looked at him, frowning, having a confused expression; he was unable to contain it any longer. Since Einar requested assistance in awakening his mana core, he had been suppressing himself.

"There's something really different in you. The way you talk and your manner, it's like I'm talking to an old man." Chris declared.

Chris's remarks startled Einar. His manners had changed somehow; he was thirty-six at the time he was executed and returned in the past twenty years from the future. Einar didn't say a word; he just acted like he didn't hear anything. He was on the verge of breaking a sweat.

With Einar's nonchalant demeanor, Chris didn't further ask more about his sudden changes, yet he just threw another question to change the mood.

"Anyways, I was wondering, what's in that box?" Chris asks while pointing at the box that was placed at the back of the wagon.

Now that Chris has changed the subject, Einar breathes calmly; he simply avoids a great deal of questioning. He still doesn't want to tell anyone about his regression, even to his best friend Chris. He wanted to keep it a secret until he had definitive answers.

"My parents left that for me; I had a feeling that it would help me in the future," Einar replied while giving the bridle reins to Chris. Einar grabbed his notebook at the back of the wagon and started to write the information he got from Chris about mana core.

Out of curiosity, Chris asks Einar while coaching.

"Hmm…! So you're not going back to the village after the trading at Grandel City."

"Yes!" A brief reply from Einar.

Hearing these words, Chris was saddened and glad at the same time. He will not be seeing Einar for a long time, but he is happy that Einar wants to get stronger. To be a well-known Mage was their aim since they were little.

It was great to see that his friend is giving all his best to keep his promise. But what if he could not awaken his mana core? Unsettledness was still lurking in his mind; he wanted to hear his friends' answers.

"About your request, what will you do if we can't find a way to awaken your mana core?" Chris muttered softly with concerned eyes.

"..." Einar didn't reply; he was holding the possibility that he could awaken his mana core, being a mage, which is what he dreamed, and a way for him to fight back with these people that he's going to hunt down. But later on, Einar opened his lips.

"Then I will take the path of a swordsman."