Maybe They Lost Their Minds Just a Tad Too Early.

The Field Fire.

I remember that incident like it happened just yesterday.

Back when I still lived in the village, I had gone out to the fields for work, just like any other day—only to find the golden wheat fields, almost ready for harvest, glowing a blinding shade of red.

No, that color didn’t mean the crops had ripened. It was fire.

A massive blaze had engulfed every corner of the vast wheat field.

The village's main field. Our sole source of income. Burned to the ground right before my eyes.

Once I’d processed what I was seeing, I dashed back to the village, yelling for everyone to try helping me. There was no way I could stop that inferno on my own.

And I meant it when I said "trying" to put the fire out.

See, one glance at our village was enough to realize that the majority of its residents were elderly folks. We only had about five young men around—my age or younger.

So, unsurprisingly, all our efforts ended in complete failure. That year’s harvest? Gone. Not a single grain of wheat made it.

No one ever figured out the cause of that fire. But it was a disaster—one that forced the entire village to come together, pooling food and supplies just to survive the famine that hit us like a slap across the face.

Eventually, somehow, we managed to rebuild the field and the fences around it. Slowly, our peaceful and monotonous days returned.

So, why am I suddenly thinking about that again?

That’s a great question. And the answer is... right in front of me.

“…Oh no.”

While I was reading a book in my room—that book—and discovering that I could actually use magical elements freely... I got a little too excited.

So much so that I recklessly tried to conjure a large fireball. I wasn’t planning to launch it or anything. Just summoning it.

But, thanks to my absolutely terrible control over the surging energy, I failed to maintain its balance... and ended up dropping it by mistake.

Now? I’m staring at my kitchen, which has become a lovely blazing replica of that cursed wheat field.

Still clutching the ancient book in my hands, I backed away from the flames. It hit me then—I never even got the chance to cook anything in that kitchen.

I’d been kind of excited about the idea. Living on my own… maybe cooking for myself. Or better yet, a cute girl using the kitchen to make me something.

“No, no, no! What am I thinking?!”

I need to put this fire out before it spreads to the rest of the room—or worse, the entire building!

“I should call for help…”

The idea appeared in my mind out of nowhere… and I kicked it out just as quickly.

That would only make things worse. More panic, more embarrassment. What would I even say? "Oops, I made a fireball and dropped it"?

Even a child would know better.

Not to mention the punishment I'd probably get.

Yeah, that’s definitely not an option. I have to deal with this myself.

That’s when a certain idea popped into my head.

But…

“What if I mess up…?”

I muttered, staring at the fire as it rapidly spread through the kitchen.

No, there’s no time to hesitate. This is either act now—or regret it forever!

I raised my hand quickly and aimed at the heart of the fire—right at the kitchen.

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and opened them again. Then, I focused as hard as I could on visualizing the element forming in my hand.

Shhhh—

I managed to cast the ice element. But instead of forming blades or spikes, I turned it into a thick, soft snowfall that poured over the flames. The moment it touched the fire, a satisfying hiss echoed out as the ice melted instantly into water.

I kept going like that for a few minutes…

“…Haaah… Finally…”

The fire was out. I’d managed to contain it before it spread. And honestly? I was kinda proud.

The kitchen was half-burnt, half-soaked, and probably unusable now…

Thinking about it again, yeah—maybe I don’t want to cook after all. The academy cafeteria food is free, and that’s good enough for me.

"But still… this is incredible!"

The moment my brain finally caught up to the fact that I wasn’t about to die in a fire, excitement rushed back in full force.

So I really can use multiple elements… and I understand how to wield them properly now. That means I can finally keep up with everyone else!

Wait, wait, calm down. Take a breath. You’re still at the starting line. Don’t get carried away.

I told myself that, trying to smother the fire of excitement that nearly roasted my kitchen a moment ago.

Yeah, I’m still weak. Most students can probably control their elements perfectly already. I’m not on the same level—yet.

"But... if I think about it..."

The only effective way to improve your control over magical elements, according to the book, is through repeated use and constant practice.

But there’s something the book didn’t mention—something I noticed myself when I used the ice element earlier to put out the fire.

Borrowing the book’s phrasing: you need willpower and imagination to shape your element the way you want. No arguments there. But the way you visualize it—the form you give it—can create a massive difference, regardless of how much control you already have.

Yeah, that became pretty clear to me from the little experiment I just did.

What if, instead of conjuring soft, thick snow, I had formed the ice into solid blades or spikes?

Chances are, I wouldn't have been able to stop the fire until half the room was already gone. Ice blades are rigid and limited in range, which makes them great for attacking targets—but not so much for spreading over a wide area.

What I created wasn’t meant to deal damage. It was meant to spread. Thick, harmless snow that blanketed the flames and suffocated them faster.

In short: how you manifest and use your element is almost as important as how well you control it.

Maybe it’s even directly related. If you want to shape your element in a specific way, you’ll naturally need better control.

That was a crucial realization—one that might give me an edge over the others.

I’m not trying to brag, but I’m… different in one specific way. See, most students need a teacher and a book. The teacher explains, the student follows the path laid out for them.

But I’m not like that.

Just teach me how to read. Give me the book. I’ll carve my own path from there. As long as I know how to read, I’ll figure it out.

As long as I have the right tool, and I know how to use it—that’s all I need.

Of course, there are some complicated things in life that do need a mentor with experience. I’m not perfect. I can’t master everything just by glancing at it once.

But when it comes to magic—and thanks to this book—I can see my path clearer than ever.

That doesn’t mean I’m dropping out of the academy or skipping classes, no way. I’ll keep following the academy’s route, while also using my free time to develop myself.

For some reason, the thought alone gave me a sense of deep satisfaction. Like I had already achieved my goal—or discovered a better way to reach a higher one.

“…Still… isn’t this kind of a huge problem?”

I muttered, glancing toward the half-burned kitchen.

But that unease quickly melted away when I remembered: no one will find out, as long as I don’t invite anyone in.

Yeah. No one has to know about this.

“Alright then! Let’s get back to it!”

I plopped back down on the chair, silently thanking whatever force protected the table and chair from the fire. I reopened the book and picked up right where I left off.

---

“Pheeww… Knowledge really is a blessing, no doubt about it.”

I leaned back on the chair, stretching out after reading through half the book in just one day. And that’s when I noticed the lighting in the room had shifted—faint shades of twilight now spilled through the window, dyeing the sky in soft hues of dusk.

Five hours of nonstop reading and experimenting. And thanks to that, I’d learned a lot.

And picked up a few skills too.

I first tried looking into how to use the Darkness element. That’s when I discovered that both Light and Darkness elements had their own specialized skillsets, recorded in the second archive—Aerin. So naturally, I skipped straight to that section.

I scrolled through the skill names and their requirements, looking for one I could actually try.

That’s when I found it.

[Full-Body Physical Enhancement]

Requirements: Darkness element, Tier 2 Mana pool.

Side Effects: First use consumes half the vessel’s energy.

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

Huh.

Apparently, there are two skills for body enhancement. The first one’s in the En archive—it lets you enhance specific limbs and doesn’t require a specific element. If you keep developing that skill, it eventually evolves into a full-body version in the second archive.

But the other one—the one in Aerin—starts already as full-body enhancement. The catch is it needs a Darkness element and comes with stricter conditions.

As for me… I honestly had no clue if my mana pool was Tier 1 or Tier 2. And frankly, using this skill without knowing could be dangerous.

“…But I’ll never learn anything unless I try.”

Following this possibly-death-bound train of thought, I stood up from my chair, gripping the book in my right hand as I stared at the lines that described how to activate this suicidal spell.

“If this kills me… please forgive me, Alia…”

Mumbling an apology to my little sister, I took a deep breath and began reciting the incantation.

Yes—skills require an incantation the first time you use them. If you can pronounce it, even poorly, it gets engraved within you. After that, you can cast the skill anytime without repeating the chant.

And just as I finished reciting the awkward lines—barely, thanks to how weird the words were—I felt an immediate pressure on my chest. Like the air had thickened around me.

My spirit felt like it was being wrung out of my body. My legs gave out under the weight, and I dropped to one knee, the book falling from my hand.

“Ghk—! My chest…!”

I clutched at my ribcage in pain, completely convinced I’d just made a fatal mistake.

Then, suddenly, the pain vanished.

“…My body.”

More specifically, the pain was gone—but in its place came an unnatural surge of energy. I could now see bright violet lines running up my arms like veins of raw magic.

“…Did it… work?”

Still kneeling, I glanced around and noticed the bed—a massive double-sized thing, full of carved decorations and heavy-looking wood.

Without hesitation, I walked over to it, placed my hand on the side—and lifted it.

“WHOA!!”

With one hand—no, with just a single finger!—I picked up the entire bed like it weighed nothing.

“…Amazing.”

So this is what full-body enhancement feels like.

I got a little carried away, tossing the bed from one hand to the other like it was a toy. But I quickly stopped—just in case the skill drained the rest of my mana and I ended up destroying the bed.

Just imagining the supervisors finding out that I’d both burned my room and wrecked my bed in the first five hours alone… Yeah, that gave me chills.

I gently placed the bed back down.

“Good.”

As for deactivating the skill? Super simple. Just a single thought, and the glowing violet lines disappeared, returning my body to normal.

Now then—let’s analyze the results.

Thanks to this skill, I got a rough idea of my pool's size. Since the skill requires a Tier 2 pool and I managed to use it without interruptions—even after it consumed half my energy—that must mean my pool is fairly large.

Along with my three elements, this confirmed something I’d already started to suspect.

I’m… kind of special.

But that wasn’t all. And really, how could I stop now? I was discovering myself!

After that little ego boost, I went looking for more skills—like [Thousand-Mile Eye], which allows you to see absurdly long distances by channeling a little mana into your eyes.

I felt a little disappointed there wasn’t a skill that lets you see through walls…

Not that I had bad intentions or anything.

Probably.

I also learned the basic physical enhancement skill from the En archive. I figured it might come in handy at some point, even though I already had the better version.

I didn’t stop there either. I went back to Aerin and picked up [Full counter]—a skill that completely reflects incoming elemental and magic attacks back at the user.

It didn’t require anything crazy. The only downside? I could only use it once every three hours. But apparently, the cooldown period shortens with practice and mastery.

I also came across a set of skills in the archives specifically made to enhance weapons. The first one that caught my eye was:

[One-Handed Weapon Mastery]

Just like the name suggests, it’s a skill that enhances all weapons wielded with one hand and grants the user an instinctive sense for handling them like a seasoned pro.

What really pulled me in was how fitting it was for someone like me. I’m the classic type of fighter—the kind who prefers swords. I normally use both hands, sure, but with this skill, I could wield a weapon effortlessly with just one. That would free up my other hand to cast elements or unleash additional attacks.

“…That reminds me of my father’s sword…”

It was a bit worn out, but I really wish it hadn’t been destroyed in that explosion. I would've loved to try this skill out with it.

Still, after acquiring and testing all these new skills, I can say this with confidence:

I really do have a massive mana pool!

“But… I wonder how long it takes for the seed to refill it. Hopefully, not too long…”

Yeah, that was something I definitely needed to be cautious about. Having a huge pool doesn’t mean much if it takes forever to recharge—it’d just end up limiting how often I can use powerful skills.

Just as I was about to flip through a few more pages to find a new skill to try out, my eyes caught a particular line:

“A user cannot learn more than five skills at once. No further skills can be acquired until a full month has passed.”

“Huh?! Wait—how many did I learn again?”

Full-Body Enhancement… Physical Enhancement… Thousand-Mile Eye… One-Handed Mastery… Full counter…

“…I’ve hit the limit.”

I immediately tried to learn another skill—anything, even the weakest one in the En archive. But nothing worked. It was like a wall had gone up.

“So it’s true, then… I really do have to wait a whole month.”

Accepting that reality, a question popped into my head.

“If I can learn four new skills per month, and there are tons of useful ones with super simple requirements… then why don’t I just learn as many as possible and level them all up later?”

Of course, it was a fair question—and one with multiple answers.

I could go that route. Just keep stockpiling skills. It’d give me lots of options in battle. But if I didn’t bother leveling them up, they’d be weak—nowhere near their full potential. That could mean slower battles… or worse, missing out on a game-changing skill effect that only activates at a higher tier.

Take teleportation, for example. Yes, there’s a skill for that. It’d save me time moving from place to place, on foot or by transport. But to actually jump long distances, you need it at Level 3 minimum.

Another approach would be to pick a skill and polish it to perfection before moving on to the next one.

But man… that just sounds exhausting.

“Hmm…”

I figured I might as well look for an answer in the book itself. After flipping through a few pages that talked about skill growth, I landed on this passage:

“Even if new skills can be acquired each month, improving the ones already learned is a far more difficult task. It requires prolonged usage, repetition, and familiarity before they can reach higher stages.”

Reading that, the answer clicked in my head.

“I’ll focus on developing my current skills first… maybe pick up one or two new ones every two or three months.”

Yeah, that felt like a solid plan.

Even though I had zero experience in actually training a skill, I had a feeling I could manage some progress within a couple months. And I wouldn’t just stop at skills—I’d work on refining my elemental control and maybe even expanding the capacity of my pool, if possible.

“…But really, isn’t this world kind of unfair and chaotic?”

Out of nowhere, a bitter thought bubbled up about the very world that had just gifted me with some incredible powers.

And the reason for that sourness? Well, it was exactly those powers.

When I really thought about it, getting strong elemental affinities was mostly random—or dependent on your parents. Sure, there was a small chance to get rare elements, but it was all luck of the draw.

Not everyone gets a seed. And the pool? That’s often determined by your race or bloodline.

In other words, your potential is influenced heavily by three things: your race, your family, and your kingdom.

“…But what about my family?”

I asked aloud, confused, my voice vanishing into the silence of the room without an answer.

---

The Next Morning.

I woke up feeling… great.

“Aaah… What a comfy bed…”

I wasn’t used to something this soft. The moment I sank into it last night, it felt like I was drifting into a warm, cloud-like abyss. It didn’t help that I stayed up reading my precious book, and before I knew it— Dreamland.

Feeling refreshed, I hopped out of bed, got myself ready, and stepped out of the room, heading toward the academy building.

“Oh—Shiro. Morning.”

“Morning, Hikaru.”

Turned out Hikaru’s room was right next to mine. What were the odds?

“Looks like we’re neighbors, huh?”

“Yeah, seems that way. Oh—by the way, do you know where Leo’s room is?”

I asked as the events from yesterday came flooding back.

Maybe no one noticed the black smoke coming out of my room thanks to how quickly I handled the fire. But if anyone had been in the hallway at the time… yeah, I’d be toast.

Now that I knew Hikaru was next door, I needed to find out where Leo stayed, so I’d know how much I needed to be on guard.

“Leo? Hmm… I think his room was number 45, that way.”

Hikaru pointed down the far end of the hall.

Our room numbers were labeled on the doors to help us keep track. Mine was 18, Hikaru’s was 19—so going by that…

“…He’s far.”

“Yeah, unfortunately. His room’s right at the end.”

Hikaru completely misunderstood my reaction—I was actually relieved that Leo’s room was nowhere near mine. Now I just had to worry about Hikaru possibly finding out.

Thinking that way about the very first friend I made here was kind of rude, I know—but hey, I had to protect my secrets.

Still chatting with Hikaru, we headed toward the academy building and ran into Leo along the way—he’d apparently left a bit earlier than us. The three of us walked together and entered the classroom just minutes before lessons were set to begin.

We sat together on the fifth row, far right side of the room.

Naturally, the stares from other students were still there—but today, they felt less intense than usual. Honestly, I wasn’t as bothered by them anymore. Especially not after last night’s huge personal discovery.

All I could think about was heading back to the library to borrow more books… or maybe visiting the training room to try out my new skills.

And no, not the training grounds. The training room.

It was located at the rear of the building, and it was massive. It had all kinds of equipment—dummies and moving targets for precision practice, weights, and even a gravity zone where you could crank up the pressure to train your body under intense strain.

And just when I was thinking about improving my skills there, that annoying question popped into my head.

How am I supposed to explain to Leo, Hikaru, or even Alice how I suddenly gained all these skills?

I clearly remember telling them I didn’t have any remarkable abilities… and now I’ve got three elements and five skills—two of which are in the second-tier archive.

There’s no way they’d buy some story about elemental stagnation and all that nonsense, even if I explained it perfectly. It’d just be too out of nowhere.

“Good morning.”

That’s when Alice appeared and greeted the three of us before sitting down right next to me.

A sweet fragrance brushed past my nose… lemon, maybe? Yeah, my nose didn’t miss it. That distinct scent definitely hit everyone in the vicinity, too.

…Seriously, our group stands out way too much. And not in a good way.

“So? What did you think of the book? Did you learn anything new last night?”

“Hmm? Oh, yeah! I learned a few things. It was a pretty easy-to-understa—”

Wait, no! What the hell am I saying!?

I suddenly found myself answering Alice’s question way too honestly. I quickly clamped my mouth shut and glanced behind me—thankfully, Leo and Hikaru were chatting, not paying attention.

“Haah…”

I let out a sigh of relief, only to find Alice narrowing her ruby eyes at me.

No, no, no. Don’t look at me like that.

“Umm… what’s wrong?”

I asked hesitantly, and the way she responded instantly pulled the trigger on my internal panic.

“…You’re hiding something, aren’t you?”

She whispered the words like a dagger through my chest.

I had no idea how to respond. Why was she suddenly so curious about me? My brain scrambled for an excuse.

“…I’m not hiding anything.”

That was the best I could manage.

And of course, it didn’t fool Alice one bit.

“Really? You’re not just lying to me again?”

Her words were sharp and cold, like the edge of her sword—cutting through any nonsense I could throw her way.

So she did realize what happened yesterday. The supervisor never actually called me over.

Seriously, where did this attention come from? Lie or not, her interest in me isn’t normal. Why am I suddenly running into her everywhere?

And again… do I really have to answer her?

“Everyone, settle down.”

It was at that exact moment—a perfect save—that Supervisor Shin entered the classroom, his voice instantly silencing the room.

I was saved.

“I have an important announcement to make, so listen carefully,” he said in his usual calm, steady tone.

An important announcement? On the second day of the school year?

“Three days from now, all first-year classes will head to the Kingdom of Wysperia for a one-day campaign inside the Dardown dungeon. Students may bring their own weapons or borrow one provided by the academy. is mandatory. Anyone who refuses will be punished accordingly.”

…

Should I even try to describe our expressions after hearing that? And no—there’s no way he was joking. Shin doesn’t joke.

But for some reason—completely defying my expectations—I could clearly see smiles forming on the faces of some students… most students… all of them.

No, no. I’m definitely hallucinating.

I rubbed my eyes hard. I needed to be sure I wasn’t seeing things. And right then—

“Yes!! This is exactly what I’ve been waiting for!!”

A guy stood up and shouted with unfiltered excitement, triggering an explosion of energy across the classroom.

“This is the real Stalefort! Finally, some proper action!”

“We’re going into that dungeon?! Seriously?! I should bring a huge bag to grab every artifact I can find!”

Comments like that flew around the room from every direction.

Even Leo and Hikaru were hyped and chattering away at full volume.

I could feel Alice trembling next to me for some reason… and she was smiling.

“They’ve all lost their minds…”

I muttered under my breath, watching the class erupt into chaotic joy.

Dungeons. Or as they’re also known—those deep caves or dense forests scattered across the world, filled with savage monsters that will rip you to shreds without a second thought.

Of course, there’s a solid reason adventurers risk their lives in such hellholes, which are usually marked in red on any map for “don’t even think about it.”

Ancient relics.

Weapons crafted centuries ago—maybe even longer—and abandoned in those places for reasons no one really knows.

What makes them so special? Well, these weapons don’t wear down, break, or need reforging. Time doesn’t touch them. Plus, they grant their wielder powerful abilities—sometimes enough to completely flip the outcome of a battle.

And they’re not the only treasures hidden in those deadly ruins. There are artifacts and riches that could make someone the richest person in the world overnight.

I got all that info from my beloved book, by the way.

But I still don’t understand why everyone’s so excited about this trip.

Has everyone gone crazy?! A newbie like us diving into a dungeon? That’s borderline suicide. And it's not just the monsters—you’ve got traps to worry about too.

Even if Dardown dungeon is considered one of the easier dungeons, with its weak monsters and all, it’s meant as a training ground, sure—but I’d like to remind everyone that place is loaded with lethal traps and hidden rooms. Just reading about it was enough to make me sweat.

And we can’t skip the trip? I can’t think of a better word for this academy’s demand than a collective suicide attempt.

“Quiet down.”

Supervisor Shin repeated his command, met with a slightly delayed silence this time.