Chapter 3: Manamatus


    The sound of a door opening could be heard from the room that William was staying in, followed by two pairs of footsteps at a medium pace.


    William raised his head toward the doorway to see his mother, joined by a long and smooth leg that led to a white dress of medium length and ended at a round-faced girl who looked to be of simr age to William. She had light brown hair that reached her shoulders and seemed to carry herself with a slight sense of nobility.


    "Hey Will! It''s me again, Charlotte. Misha told me that you weren''t feeling well today.


    I was herest night for your mana sickness, but you probably don''t remember because you were already passed out. I came to check on you and make sure you don''t have any other side effects." the girl introduced herself to William with a smile, "I''m going to take a look at your health. Stay still for a moment William." Charlotte continued.


    She ced her hand on his upper chest, then a flowing bright green light circled down her arm and enveloped William''s body. There was a refreshing feeling for a few seconds as he felt his strength returning.


    "How do you feel now?" Charlotte asked.


    -Discovered Life Magic: +1 Potential Point


    So this is how Magic works here. It''s a good thing I don''t have to chant any embarrassing phrases. Thest thing I need is for someone to hear me yell "FIREBALL!" every time I shoot off a spell. On second thought, it would be somewhat hrious the first couple times.


    He thought for a moment about themands he had just learned from the System.


    Open Status Menu


    ———


    STATUS:


    —Health: 100/100


    —Mana: 56/150


    —Cultivation: None (No suitable techniques)


    ———


    It seems my mana slowly regenerates over time, but it''s kinda slow... William thought. He slowly sat up from the bed and smiled slightly at Charlotte. "Thank you, I feel much better...but," William hung his legs over the side of the bed and ced his feet on the floor, "You said I passed out from mana sickness? I don''t really remember anything from yesterday though. What happened?"


    Misha spoke up, "I was in the house weaving our neighbors some baskets when I heard arge explosion. I ran outside to see my poor baby lying on the ground. You''re lucky Charlotte was close by, or else you might have died, wasting your special talents for nothing. You probably used too much mana on one spell and overdid it."


    "I understand mom, I will make sure that I don''t run out of mana again," William started, "but what do you mean by talent? I don''t think I''m that good." He realized that if he wanted to stay on the woman''s good side he would need to call her "mom".


    "Well honey, while everyone has at least some ability to Cultivate and eventually use Magic, only a few can actually use Magic before they start Cultivating. Those people are called a [1] Manamatus. I''ve told you this before, but obviously my son also has a talent for not listening. Most people won''t have an affinity until they have Cultivated for a while. Even though your Fire affinity is only at E Rank, you''re still special, so don''t forget that." Misha smiled softly.


    William thought for a moment before asking, "What rank is your Magic Charlotte?"


    "Oh, I''m a Level 6 Qi Refinement Cultivator, so I don''t have an affinity, but because I spend so much time as a healer, I would say my Life Magic might hit Rank E soon if I''m lucky."


    Hmm, so I guess I can''t judge the strength of my enemies just by the Cultivation Realm they are at. It would be a bad day if I met someone at a low Realm with A Rank Magic. I''m not a good fighter anyway, and I''ve never used Magic, so it''s best to y it safe.


    Charlotte turned to face Misha, "It looks like Will is doing much better now. It''s best that I move on to my other patients for today. It was good seeing you Misha, and I won''t charge you this time since I only used a little bit of mana. Take care Will!" she waved in William''s direction before stepping out of the room.


    Misha responded to Charlotte with a bright smile, "That''s too kind of you, I''ll make sure that Will repays you properly. Right son?" she red in William''s direction, who nodded his head furiously.


    William wanted to ask more questions, such as where he was and what the rest of the world was like, but he didn''t want to seem suspicious. Who knew what would happen if anyone found out he was from another world?


    William also still needed to figure out the Cultivation Realms, and he knew the System wasn''t going to help. Misha would have thought her son was crazy already if not for the previous night''s events.


    "I''m going to finish up on my weaving before lunch. Don''t work too hard William. I know you want to get stronger so we don''t have to be poor, but you''ll be a great Cultivator someday, I know it!" Misha said with a soft smile as she also stepped out.


    William waited until Misha was gone before checking his room for more clothes to wear. He was still shirtless and didn''t want to go out looking like a stray. After checking the only drawer in the room, there was a single light-brown tunic that seemed to be his size and a pair of simple brown shoes.


    After feeling that he looked somewhat presentable, William stepped out of the room and wandered through the small house until he found the door leading outside. He stepped out to the bright sun on his face. William''s eyes squinted slightly before adjusting to the fresh scene.


    -Entered new environment: +1 Potential Point


    In front of William was a small dirt path curving toward a nearby vige on the left. On the other side of the path was arge open field with a small hill with lush greenery next to arge creek. To his right, about a dozen goats were grazing in a second, smaller field. It appeared his family lived on a ranch of sorts.


    William showed a mischievous smile. If it were too easy to be overpowered, he wouldn''t want to do it. I like the way you think System. You want all my peers to underestimate me for being amoner. I can already see the looks on those noble faces when I beat their arrogant sons and daughters into the ground. Clearly William had read too many books.


    He decided to take the road less traveled, literally. Will crossed the road and climbed up the hill in therge field. He didn''t have any money, so going to the vige was pointless. I have Fire Affinity, I should probably learn how to use it.


    Will closed his eyes, focusing on the mana running through his veins. He raised his right arm with the palm facing out, then proceeded to channel the Fire Element outward. His palm turned bright red, yet Will didn''t feel any pain. A momentter, a fireball the size of a golf ball shot into the sky. It flew for almost 2 seconds at a moderate speed before exploding into a small shower of sparks.


    -First Time Mage: +5 Potential Points


    -Fire Element Acquired: +1 Potential Point


    —UNLOCKED TITLE: +1 Potential Point


    -Manamatus (Umon): You are a somewhat rare individual with a talent for Magic that appeared before you started Cultivating. All Magic you use will be 10% more powerful.


    -Unlocked your first Umon Title: +1 Potential Point


    [1] Manamatus: From the Latin "amatus" for loved, and directly meaning "He who is loved by mana". In this case, "Mana" loses the a at the end, bing "Man".