Adventurer of Flash - 01 - The Beginning

Volume 01: The Beginning Story

Act 01: Awakening Growth Arc

Chapter 01: The Beginning

My name is Arte von Ainsberg. I was born as the second son of the Marquis of Ainsberg, one of the top three noble families in the Kanan Empire, and this year, I turned ten.

It all started with the selection ceremony I attended at the church yesterday. 

The selection ceremony is a grand event that all citizens of the empire must undergo when they turn ten. It determines what kind of magic one has an aptitude for.

Humans typically have an affinity for one of the four elemental magics: fire, water, earth, or wind. Some people have an affinity for only one, while others might be suited for all four elements.

Additionally, there is life magic (non-elemental magic), which anyone can use if they practice manipulating magical power. By the way, all living things possess magical power.

Magical power is the source of life, and in this world, it is as fundamental as air or gravity. It pours out from the center of the planet to maintain the balance of nature. I’ll explain more about this later.

Sometimes, humans awaken to unique magic, which only they can use in this world. Those who awaken to unique magic are called Awakened. They are very rare, estimated to be about one in five million. 

Given that the Kanan Empire has a population of about five hundred million, it’s estimated that there are around one hundred Awakened individuals.

Yesterday, I visited the church in the Ainsberg Marquisate for the selection ceremony with my father (the current head of the family). 

When the ceremony began, the priest, looking astonished, announced,

“Young master Arte has awakened to the unique magic ‘Light.’ Congratulations.”

Many people, including nobles, had gathered there, and the place quickly became noisy with excitement.

The problem started here. When I underwent the selection, I was hit by such an intense headache that it felt like the world had stopped for a moment. I knew this would happen, but it was much worse than I had imagined. 

I clenched my teeth and endured it desperately, thinking that if I collapsed here, it would worry my father.

At the same time as I awakened to the unique magic ‘Light,’ I somehow regained the memories of my past life and realized that I was a reincarnated person.

In my previous life, I was named Yuto Sakuma. I graduated from a decent university and died in an accident at the age of twenty-five. While I remembered common knowledge and what I had studied, I couldn’t recall anything about my family environment or my relationships with friends. 

Those memories were completely gone, so I believe it wasn’t by chance that I couldn’t remember them, but rather something inevitable.

The moment I remembered my past life, I felt a sense of omnipotence. To put it simply, I was very excited. 

The reason for this is that in this world, when using magic, understanding its properties and grasping its concept can increase the range of spells one can use and reduce the amount of magical power needed.

In other words, applying the knowledge from my past life gives me a significant advantage.

The power of magic is basically proportional to the amount of magical power one has. So, even an idiot can use powerful magic if they have a lot of magical power. Of course, it’s very inefficient, and they quickly run out of magic.

Magic is mainly divided into levels: [Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Superior, Absolute, Forbidden, and Apocalypse].

Most people can only use beginner-level magic, and if they can use intermediate-level magic, they are considered competent.

Generally, humans can only use magic up to the Absolute level. Throughout history, a few people have used Forbidden level magic, but they either died quickly or went insane and became lifeless. 

Because of this, Forbidden level magic is usually only used by very high-ranking monsters with immense magical power.

As a side note, to join the Kanan Empire’s Magic Corps, one must be able to use at least advanced-level magic in any attribute. With experience and achievements, their rank can rise all the way up to General.

Rumor has it that there are several mages in the Mage Army who can use Extreme level. Since there are also some awakened people in the army, it may be that even if they are awakened to their own magic, they are limited only to the highest level.

There are rumors that the Magic Corps has a few mages who can use Absolute level magic. It seems that even those who awaken to unique magic have their limits at the Absolute level.

Now, the selection ceremony is over, and I’m currently in the carriage going home, reflecting on the memories of my past life and my unique magic, ‘Light.’ 

Next to me is my father, Cain von Ainsberg, the current Marquis of Ainsberg. Across from us, our butler, Kael, was showing his joy openly. Both of them were grinning widely, practically over the moon.

“Wow, Al, you’ve always been exceptionally talented, different from other noble children. But I never expected you to awaken a unique magic.”

“Indeed, my lord. While awakening to unique magic greatly increases one’s magical power, it does come with the drawback of not being able to use other elemental magics. Even so, it is incredibly powerful.”

“But that’s only if you can master it, right?”

“I’m confident that the young master will master it without a doubt.”

“Yes, you’re right. There’s no need to worry.”

“You two are so relaxed.”

“Don’t say that, Al. Changing the topic, the headache during the selection ceremony is severe enough to make many people collapse. You endured it well.”

“If I had collapsed, you and Kael would have had heart attacks.”

“Exactly! Hahaha!”

And so, with such light-hearted conversation, we made our way home.

After returning home, my mother, Aria von Ainsberg, the Marchioness, my older brother and the next head of the family, Lloyd von Ainsberg, and my younger sister, Rei von Ainsberg, were all overjoyed to hear that I had become an awakened one.

My parents are extreme doting parents, and maybe because of that, we siblings are very close. My brother is very gentle and broad-minded, and although he isn’t good at magic or swordsmanship, he is well trusted by everyone.

As for my sister, we’ve spoiled her since she was little, so she’s very attached to us and our parents.

Also, my father and mother are both thirty-five years old. My brother is twelve, I am ten, and my sister is eight. Each of us has a personal butler or maid. My butler, Kael, is sixty-two years old.

My father used to work in the Imperial Guard of the Kanan Empire and is now the commander of the Ainsberg Marquisate’s army, which has a total of one hundred thousand soldiers. My mother was in the Imperial Mage Corps and rose to the rank of captain before retiring to focus on raising us after getting married. Both of them are incredibly impressive.

I have no intention of becoming the next head of the family; I plan to leave everything to my brother.

However, I hold my family and our servants in high regard, and I am grateful to our people. If war breaks out, I am determined to fight with all my strength.