1.1.04 – Pikachu Use Body Slam

I could taste the fur on the boar in my mouth as it was bucking around, trying to throw me off its back while I clung on for dear life. I held on as I waited for my opportunity to let go of the grip in my right hand to cast Spark.

No, this was not the beginning of another Hangover sequel. To explain A Series of Unfortunate Events that had landed me in this situation, we would have to go back a little earlier to this morning.

– Earlier that morning-

I could feel the heat of the late-spring sun on my face, something I could still appreciate despite the two years I had spent since coming to this world. At least I could not complain about the weather as the seasons were pretty similar to Earth in terms of cycle and duration. I supposed that orbital mechanics and the conditions to support life would not vary too greatly no matter which multiverse you were in.

I opened my status window as I made my way to the toolshed in the backyard.

If there was an award for speed running stage levels I would probably hold the record as most people in this world had not awakened their core yet at seven years of age. I dismissed the Weave and looked up at the late-spring sun up above the sky.

There were a few things I had managed to confirm over the last two years when it came to leveling spells. While spamming a spell multiple times did progress the spell level, it was definitely much slower than intentional use of the spell. What I meant by that was either stretching the spell capacity to the limit, or using it tangentially for something it can barely do.

I was able to progress my Electro Perception a lot faster when I tried to stretch the range of my perception during each cast, rather than just holding the spell for a long time or repeatedly casting it. It was the same for Spark when I tried to increase the damage I could inflict with my very limited range on tree barks.

The second thing I noticed as my spells progressed was that the corresponding mana coils thickened with each level up, although it was quite minute. My theory was that as the skill levels up, the coil thickens and as part of the system connected to your mana core, your core capacity increases which pushes you to the next stage level.

Although it was closer to a hypothesis rather than a theory as I only had two spells to base it on. Another side benefit that came from leveling up my core so early on was that there was some nourishing effect on my body. I was visibly taller and stronger than other kids my age, standing at around four and a half feet now.

A person would probably get stronger as their core progresses though the average person only ever progresses to high orange or low yellow, which could still fall within the normal strength distribution. This could also explain the lack of general diseases despite the lack of vaccines in this world.

Being taller and stronger did not come without downsides though, it dramatically increased my food intake beyond a normal seven year old. While it would not have been a problem back on Earth, the orphanage was only barely getting by before this.

The crown had gradually reduced its stipend since two years back as apparently the war with Ironhold had increased in intensity. There was probably a good reason but the fact that it coincided with the time I came into this world made me think that my reincarnation was not random.

The orphanage barely had enough to buy meat anymore. Even with Branwen leaving for her apprenticeship last year, it had been tight for us to get by. She barely made enough to support herself but she sent back what she could even though Marta had told her several times she had no obligation to. I made a mental note to myself to visit her at the smithy if I ever had the chance to visit town.

Marta had also reduced her own portion of food and simply said “Growing kids need more food” every time one of us asked her if she had enough. She would always make sure to give us the roots and vegetables in the stew and barely had any, often only soaking her bread in stew to make up the volume.

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The only saving grace was that there weren’t any new orphans that we had to care for in the last two years. At first I tried to catch some small rabbit like creatures with my Spark but they were too quick and my range with the spell was too short.

I then had the genius idea to use Spark to fry some fish in the river, thinking that the water would help carry my electricity and I did not need to be quick or accurate in that case. I learnt the hard way that while I had increased resistance to electrical shocks, I was not immune to it.

I learnt that by shocking myself standing in the middle of the stream and casting Spark. My knees went out before I registered what had happened. Luckily the part I was standing in was shallow or I would have drowned in the most pathetic way. Face down in two feet of water. Those Isekai novels that said you were immune to your own magic sold me a lie. Now I was relegated to occasionally shocking fishes that wandered too close to the river banks.