**Chapter 5: Battling Monsters**
“Well then… time to head out.”
In the dead of night, Rest slipped out of the stable, waiting for the perfect moment when the household had fallen silent. The lights of the mansion had already been extinguished, leaving only the ethereal glow of the three moons—red, blue, and yellow—floating in the night sky to illuminate his path. Gazing up at the trio of moons, Rest felt a renewed sense of wonder that he was indeed in another world.
“**Night Scope**!”
As he activated the spell, his surroundings brightened instantly. Thanks to the magic that pierced through the darkness, he could see as clearly as if it were daytime. This spell wasn’t something Cedric had taught him. Most of the offensive magic Rest had learned was indeed from Cedric, but he had also picked up a few other spells along the way. **Night Scope** was one he had learned from a middle-aged man who used to sit in the back alleys drinking, back when he lived with his mother. The man had taught him magic in exchange for bread, and Rest had never learned anything about his true identity. Still, he was grateful for the knowledge that allowed him to wield spells like **Night Scope**, **Unlock**, and **Life Search**.
(I probably shouldn’t think too deeply about what kind of work that man did…)
(Now then… where are the monsters?)
Rest arrived at the entrance of the forest. The dense trees loomed overhead, blocking out the moonlight, casting the woods into a darkness that felt like the maw of a beast. Without magic, he wouldn’t have been able to see even a meter ahead, making it impossible to walk.
(The monsters are… this way.)
Using **Life Search**, he began to scan for monsters. Just near the entrance of the forest, he detected the presence of three creatures. Moving as quietly as possible, he crept closer and spotted a three-eyed wolf devouring some kind of meat, its eye glaring from its forehead.
(Hmm… what it’s eating is… ugh, a goblin.)
The creature being devoured was a green-skinned, monkey-like being—what one would typically call a “goblin.” While goblins were a common sight in fantasy, witnessing a humanoid creature being torn apart, its bones and entrails exposed, was far from pleasant.
“Gru?”
One of the wolves, lost in its feast, lifted its head and began to scan the surroundings. It might have caught a whiff of Rest’s presence.
(Preemptive strike… here I go!)
“**Thunder Ball**!”
Rest leaped from the shadows and unleashed the spell he had just learned. A sphere of crackling lightning struck one of the wolves, causing its large body to convulse violently.
“GUUUUUUUUUUUU!?”
“GAU!”
“GAH!”
Seeing their companion fall, the other two wolves lunged at Rest. Remaining calm, he prepared to fire again.
“**Thunder Ball**!”
“GYAN!”
The second Thunder Ball hit its target, but before he could cast a third, one of the wolves pounced at him.
“GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”
“Ugh…!”
He instinctively rolled to the side to dodge the attack, but the wolf’s claws grazed his arm, leaving a red line. Pain threatened to twist his expression, but he knew that panicking would play right into the enemy’s hands.
(If I lose my composure, my magic will falter. Stay calm, stay calm…)
“**Thunder Ball**!”
“GAH!?”
With a steady heart, he unleashed the lightning spell at the last wolf, bringing it down. Rest let out a sigh of relief as he confirmed the three wolves lay motionless on the ground.
“Gru…”
“Oh… you’re still alive?”
It seemed that **Thunder Ball** didn’t possess much lethality. The wolf, paralyzed from the shock, was unable to move, but all three still had their breaths.
“I’ll put you out of your misery… **Wind Cutter**!”
He released a blade of wind that severed the wolves’ necks. A torrent of blood gushed from their severed heads, pooling on the ground.
(While **Thunder Ball** has a rapid attack speed, it seems it’s not entirely useless. If I increase my magic output, its power should rise as well… I need to train more.)
“Gii! Gii!”
“Whoa… now it’s your turn.”
From the underbrush, another monster emerged. A green humanoid, about the size of a child—another goblin. Had it come to aid its fallen comrades, or had it caught the scent of blood? Clutching a rusted knife, the goblin glared at Rest.
“GIGI! GIGI!”
“I didn’t take down your friends, so stop glaring at me.”
“GIG!”
“And… your ambush has been noticed.”
Rest swiftly dodged to the side. Just then, another goblin leaped from behind, swinging a club down at the spot where Rest had just been.
“Gii!?”
“If I hadn’t used **Life Search**, that could have been dangerous. Here’s a taste of your own medicine!”
Using **Body Enhancement**, he boosted his strength and kicked the ambushing goblin away. It seemed the first goblin had intended to use Rest as a target for a sneak attack, but thanks to **Life Search**, he had sensed the other goblin’s presence. The kicked goblin flew back, crashing into a tree trunk.
“GIG!”
“**Water Cutter**!”
He unleashed a blade of water at the first goblin. The creature, attempting to flee with its back turned to its fallen comrades, was struck down. Just to be sure, he cast another spell to ensure its demise.
“Hmph!”
“G…i…”
He followed up with a strike against the goblin that had crashed into the tree. With his body enhanced by magic, he stomped down hard on its head. The skull shattered, and the goblin’s head became a gruesome mess, akin to a crushed egg. While it was a rather splatter-filled scene, he had grown accustomed to it. Goblins were monsters that attacked livestock and sometimes even kidnapped children to feast upon. He felt no sympathy for them.
“That should wrap up the fighting.”
He scanned the area for any signs of other monsters, but none were nearby. Rest turned his attention to his arm, which had been slashed by the wolf’s claws, and began to heal it with magic.
“**Heal**!”
A soft green light enveloped his wound, sealing it. This spell wasn’t something Cedric had taught him either. Before being taken in by the Viscount Ebern House, he had learned it from a priest at the temple. The priest had been the one to perform a magic power diagnosis on baby Rest, declaring him “Magicless.”
“There are illnesses that cannot be healed by magic. Your mother has been called to the goddess.”
The priest had always been concerned for both Rest and his mother, and it was he who had stayed by their side during her final moments. When he learned that Rest, who was supposed to be “Magicless,” could use magic, he accepted it without question, believing it to be the goddess’s will. He had also taught Rest spells like **Heal**, **Cure**, and **Clean**.
“No matter how difficult things may be, the goddess is always watching over you. Please live correctly, so you do not stray from the path.”
(If I hadn’t met him, I might have used this power in a more reckless way…)
In a fit of rage, he could have killed his stepmother and Cedric. He might have harbored a burning hatred for his father, who had hurt and abandoned his mother.
(I could probably seek revenge if I wanted to. With this magic, I surely could…)
Even after defeating five monsters with magic, Rest felt no depletion of his magical power. It seemed he possessed an almost bottomless reservoir of magic. If he wished to misuse it, he could do so without limit.
(But… if I sought revenge, I might only bring sorrow to my mother and the priest. That’s something I must avoid.)
Someone once said in his past life… the greatest revenge is to live happily. He had no intention of seeking vengeance through violent means. Instead, he aimed to rise above it all. He would make his father, stepmother, and Cedric regret their actions—not through crime, but through the right path.
(For that reason… I need to train my magic even more!)
With determination, Rest began to search for monsters in the dark forest, using his magic to sense their presence.