Chương 8: Ten Years

As Lumien followed his sister, a wave of sentimentality washed over him at the thought of her impending departure. His gaze fell on her graceful figure, her back straight and confident, her long black hair swaying gently with each step.

Ten years... Unknowingly, ten years have passed... Lumien mused.

Almost a decade had slipped by without him realizing it. He was just a month away from his tenth birthday.

To think I've actually survived up to this day. Thank god my family turned out to be noble barons. If I had been reincarnated as a commoner, I'd probably be dead by now. There's no way a commoner family could have afforded all the medicine and treatments I needed.

Lumien let out a long sigh as his thoughts drifted back to the memories of his early years.

If he had to describe them, the words that came to mind were "terrible," "awful," "dreadful," "despairing," and "rough."

He vividly remembered the constant bouts of sickness that plagued him. At the slightest change in weather, his body would react intensely, feeling like it was burning during the heat, freezing in the cold, and even stiffening as if turning to stone.

Nosebleeds would come without warning, staining his tiny hands with crimson. The random dizziness made him feel as though the world was spinning uncontrollably, and every fainting felt like teetering on the edge of an abyss.

There were moments when he even wished he could just die and end the suffering. But that thought was quickly pushed aside whenever he remembered the existence of the system and the unwavering efforts of his family, who did everything they could to care for him.

When he was old enough to finally understand the language of this world, the truth he uncovered confirmed his worst suspicions. He had been diagnosed with an extremely rare disease!

In this world, as Lumien had expected, magic existed. He next learned that magic was powered by an invisible energy known as Mana.

Mana is a natural energy that flows constantly throughout the world, unseen but ever-present. It serves as the foundation for all Forces, which can be categorized into several distinct types. Among these, the most commonly known are:

Elemental Forces: This branch harnesses the power of natural elements such as fire, water, earth, wind, and others.

White Forces: Often associated with benevolent and restorative abilities, White Forces include spells for healing, blessings, light-based powers, and other supportive effects.

Black Forces: This category encompasses destructive or malevolent forces, such as darkness, poison, shadow, curses, and other powers that often embody chaos or harm.

Here was the real problem. For an ordinary person, being able to sense Mana and possess an affinity for Forces meant they had a good chance of becoming an Aspirant, someone who could use magic.

In his case, however, his situation was anything but ordinary. His body functioned like a magnet, constantly drawing in Mana and Forces from his surroundings.

This would have been great news if he was already an Aspirant. It would mean he could fill his Mana Core with little to no effort, unlike his peers, who had to manually gather Mana from their surroundings. But the problem was, he didn't have a Mana Core at all. Without one, all the Mana he absorbed had nowhere to flow or stabilize, causing it to build up chaotically and harm his body instead.

When the Mana absorbed by his body reached a certain threshold or was triggered by nearby magic use, his body would react violently. These reactions manifested as severe symptoms that varied depending on the dominant Forces within him at the time; burning, freezing, petrification, being torn by wind, and more. The effects were unpredictable and dangerously harmful.

The last specialist his family consulted, likely an Adept Healer or probably more, had provided a straightforward solution:

He needed to awaken his Mana Core and become an Aspirant. This would give the Mana a place to stabilize and prevent it from wreaking havoc on his body. However, this was far easier said than done.

Because his body kept pulling in Mana from everywhere and seemed connected to almost every type of Force, it was full of chaotic energy. This made it incredibly difficult, if not impossible, for him to awaken Mana Core, leaving him stuck with a dangerous problem he couldn't fix.

Damn, who would've thought having a body with an affinity for every Forces could be a bad thing? In the novels I've read, people like that are always geniuses, heavenly blessed, one of the kind that appeared only once in a thousand years. But in my case, it turned into a curse, a disease that's nearly killed me more times than I can count.

I can't keep relying on medicine forever. The specialist warned me that if I don't find a proper solution within the next couple of years, my body could become dependent on the medicine, just like an addiction, and that's definitely not good news. Besides, the medicine is an external fix, not something meant for long-term use. It's just a temporary patch, and I need a real, lasting solution.

At some point, my body might even grow immune to the effects of all these medicines.

Sigh. The "system" cheat I had pinned so much hope on has turned out to be completely useless. Even now, I haven't received any of the overpowered abilities I was supposed to have. What's the point of a daily quest if I can't even produce sperm yet? And what's the use of contracted harem members if I can't invite a single lady? I don't even know how to form a contract till today's date! Bloody hell!

Over the past few years, he could only conduct limited experiments with the system. His frail body made it nearly impossible to do much of anything. Hunting monsters to grind for EXP? That would be courting death.

He couldn't complete the daily quest either since he hadn't even hit puberty yet, making ejaculation an impossible task.

In the end, his only remaining option was to experiment with recruiting harem members. But that was a complete disaster too. He tried talking to some girls, asking them out as seriously as a child could, but of course, no one took the words of a little kid seriously.

Seriously, none of my plans ever go right... Lumien thought depressedly when suddenly he bumped into something soft.

"Ouch! Why did you stop so suddenly, Elder Sis?" Lumien grumbled, rubbing his sore nose.

Azalea turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "I've already asked you the same question three times, but you didn't respond. I was starting to worry that you had fallen off somewhere and I failed to notice it. Turns out you were just ignoring me."

"Ah, is that so? Sorry about that, I got a bit lost in thought," Lumien replied with an apologetic smile.

Azalea's expression softened slightly, but her eyes were still sharp. "What's on your mind? You keep telling me not to overthink things, yet you seem completely preoccupied. Spill it. What's bothering you?"

Lumien gave Azalea a rare, serious gaze, so intense that it made her feel uneasy. After a long, thoughtful look, he suddenly smirked. "That's a secret,"

Secret?

Secret, what a fucking secret!

Azalea nearly cursed out loud, but remembering her upbringing and the etiquette of a proper lady, she held herself back. Instead, she opted just lightly stomped her boot on Lumien's foot.

"Ow! What was that for?!" Lumien yelped, faking a pained expression.

"Hmph! That's the price you pay for keeping secrets from me!" Azalea huffed, crossing her arms.

"And here I thought a proper lady wouldn't resort to stomping on someone's foot."

"Screw being ladylike!" Azalea shot back. "You made me mad, so that's your punishment. End of story."

As Azalea resumed her walk, Lumien trailed behind, his eyes lingering on her figure.

He couldn't help but compare the current Azalea to the first time he saw her. Back then, she was just a small, energetic girl with a playful smile and a mischievous glint in her eyes. But now, she had grown into a stunning young woman.

Her silken black hair cascaded down her back, reaching all the way to her waist, shimmering in the light with each step she took.

Her figure was slender yet graceful, with an elegance that came naturally. The once-flat chest of a child had developed into a voluptuous, well-defined bust that complimented her thin, athletic frame.

She carried herself with a refined poise, the kind that made heads turn, exuding an aura of both maturity and confidence that left a lasting impression on anyone who saw her.

It's hard to believe I have a sister like her. If we were on Earth, she could've easily made a comfortable living as a streamer. Even without saying a word, there'd be thousands of people lining up to donate to her just for a glimpse of her face. Naturally, as her brother, I'd take a little "tax" from her earnings. No need to worry about finding a job—I'd just lie in bed all day, reading web novels and playing games all night.

Uh, why does my imagined life sound so wasteful?

...

After accompanying his sister to her room and waiting for her to finish changing her clothes, they headed straight for their father's study room.

Upon entering, Lumien noticed their mother was present as well.

"Good evening, Father, Mother," Azalea greeted politely, with Lumien echoing her a moment later.

Their father, Leonard Ofnir, gave a nod of acknowledgment. "In two weeks, four of us will be attending a birthday banquet," he announced.

"A birthday banquet?" Azalea glanced at Lumien for a few seconds before withdrawing her gaze. "Which family is hosting it?"

Lumien understood what she was getting at. Ever since he was diagnosed with an extremely rare disease, he had practically been living under a rock, confined to the mansion and under constant, meticulous health monitoring.

Now, with his father suddenly announcing that all four of them, including him, would be attending the party, it was a significant change. For his father to make an exception and allow him to go out meant that the host was someone of considerable importance.

"Sauron Family."