Chapter 2: I was born again.

Chapter 2.

I suddenly regained consciousness.

I thought this was truly the end, but it seems I haven’t died yet.

I opened my eyes.

An unfamiliar ceiling came into view.

‘This isn’t a hospital…?’

I rolled my eyes to grasp the situation.

A man was sitting on a chair right next to the bed I was lying on.

He wore rough leather clothes and had silver hair, looking just like a movie star.

The man’s face was full of weariness.

Looking at his face, I felt an inexplicable sense of unreality.

I soon found out why.

This man was the most beautiful person I had ever seen.

I tried to call out to him.

Or rather, I tried to make a sound.

“Wah!”

Hearing that sound, I was momentarily confused.

I rolled my eyes again and looked down at my body.

My body wasn’t my own.

My limbs were stubby, and my torso was very plump, like a baby’s.

‘A baby?’

“Ah, you’re awake.”

Perhaps hearing my voice, the man stood up and approached me.

He easily picked me up.

Seeing him up close, there was an even more peculiar detail.

This man’s ears were pointed at the tips.

“My name is Luke.

I’m your father.”

The man gently stroked my face.

By this point, I also realized what kind of situation this was.

“And you are my daughter.”

“Your name is Lua.

Lua Sigris.”

“Let’s do well, Lua.”

It seems I have probably reincarnated.

The man smiled as he looked at me.

However, his eyes looked incredibly sad.

Unable to speak, I couldn’t ask him why.

****

Five years passed.

During that time, I learned that the race I reincarnated into was elves, and their average lifespan was 300 years.

To think that my wish before dying came true like this.

Thank you.

I’ll live a good life.

Additionally, I learned that my mother passed away while giving birth to me.

That was why Luke looked sad when he saw me.

Luke told me that all living beings are born with varying amounts of mana in their bodies.

Mana felt like a second stamina.

Usable stamina.

When life is first created, that life possesses a mana vessel of a specific size.

And from the parent who carried them, they receive enough mana to fill that vessel.

Slowly.

Typically, children are born with very small vessels.

Thus, there was almost no concern about the mother’s mana being depleted.

However, my mother, Sasha, was said to have been born with little mana.

And I, from within her womb, possessed a colossal mana vessel.

My mother grew weaker and weaker as she carried me.

And after giving birth to me, she passed away.

When I first heard that story, I couldn’t hold back my sorrow.

Wasn’t it as good as me killing my own mother?

“Lua.

Don’t torment yourself.”

“But…”

“Sasha had a premonition that she would die from the moment she conceived you.

I tried to stop her from giving birth to you.”

As he said this, Luke looked apologetic towards me.

I didn’t blame him.

“But she absolutely refused to yield.

Sasha was actually delighted, saying you might become a great mage.”

Magic existed in this world.

By drawing out the mana within one’s body and transmuting it through incantations, one could command various elements.

“Your name… Lua means ‘eternity’ in the ancient tongue.”

“Sasha named you as she was dying.

She said that even though she would die, she would love you forever, even in death.”

Hearing those words, I burst into tears.

That night, I made a vow in front of Luke.

“I, Lua Sigris,”

“will become a great mage.”

I took a moment to catch my breath.

I puffed out my chest and continued.

“The greatest mage in this world.”

“So that Sasha can look at me and be proud.”

Luke’s expression changed.

It was as if he wanted to cry but couldn’t, wanted to smile but couldn’t smile freely.

With such an expression.

“Yes…”

“Sasha would like that.”

That vow becoming reality is a story for much later.

****

On a day bathed in brilliant sunshine.

Luke Sigris was outside the cabin where he lived with his daughter.

“Lua! It’s time to go!”

Luke’s voice was heard.

“Coming!”

I shouted as I came out of the small cabin.

Today marked twenty years since I was born.

I officially became a hunter protecting the village.

A hunter, you ask?

Let’s rewind a bit.

One day, a little after I turned 10, the village elder, Iolas, visited our cabin.

I was acquainted with him because he had previously acquired magic books I wanted.

“Lua!

How’s your magic these days?

Have you made any progress?”

“Ah!

Thanks to the book Iolas got me last time, I’ve been able to learn up to 3rd-grade magic.

I’m very grateful.”

I bowed my head in thanks.

No matter how much mana one possessed, without magic incantations, one could only use basic magic.

Therefore, to use higher-level magic, books containing those incantations were essential.

Lately, I had been practicing memorizing and using those incantations.

Because if I had to look at a book to cast magic when I needed it, it would be too late.

Iolas chuckled heartily.

“Haha, I’m glad it was helpful.”

He turned his gaze to Luke and said.

“The reason I came here is this.”

“It’s about time Lua’s qualities as a hunter were tested.”

“Ah, has it come to that already?”

Luke gestured for me to follow the elder.

The elder and I left the house together and walked.

We headed to the northern outskirts, away from the central part of the forest where the village was located.

There, elves I had never seen before were gathered.

All of them had sturdy physiques and boasted forearms that wouldn’t develop without rigorous training.

The elder said.

“Lua.

These are the hunters who protect our forest.”

The man at the front of the hunters stepped forward.

He had short silver hair and was covered in numerous small scars.

“Our elven forest is rich in mana.

That’s why, since ancient times, monster incursions have been frequent.”

“Because they always crave more mana.”

“We need elves to protect the forest from those monsters.”

“Therefore, elves who have passed their tenth year since birth undergo a test to confirm their aptitude for hunting monsters.”

“My name is Zerus, and I lead the hunters.”

Zerus stood facing me.

“I’m Lua.”

Zerus continued.

“Today, your task is to try and hunt monsters with a bow.”

“You just need to attempt to hunt them.

We don’t expect you to actually catch any.”

After saying that, he handed me a bow and a quiver containing about twenty arrows.

“Follow me.”

Then he leaped onto a large tree nearby.

The other hunters around him followed suit.

Before I knew it, only the elder and I remained on the ground.

The elder leaned close to my ear and said.

“That fellow hasn’t been able to retire for 200 years.”

“Old-timers can only quit when new hunters emerge, but almost no elves want to become hunters.”

“Since the number of newly born elves is small to begin with…”

“If you have the aptitude, he’ll be very fond of you.”

Ah,

Zerus suddenly seemed a bit pitiful.

Is this what a true ‘eternal private’ feels like…? Unable to retire for 200 years because there are no new recruits.

On the other hand, doubts flooded my mind about whether this job was really okay to take.

“If I become a hunter, won’t I share the same fate…?”

“Ahem, that’s precisely why no one wants to be a hunter.

It’s an indefinite lifetime contract, after all.

Still, someone has to do it.”

The elder seemed slightly amused, as if it wasn’t his problem.

What a wicked old man.

Zerus’s voice came from above.

“Hey!

Stop chattering and come up already.”

“Monsters are coming.”

Just as he said, a cloud of dust was visible rising from far outside the forest.

****

Zerus was strong.

As an arrow left his hand, a monster’s head exploded, killing it.

I learned how to handle a bow next to Zerus.

He said that while close combat was sometimes necessary, they mostly dealt with things using bows.

He was accustomed to teaching.

However, he didn’t seem to have much expectation for me.

“Alright… try shooting that chimera.”

I looked where he pointed, aimed with concentration, and released the arrow.

Lacking strength, the bow wavered.

The arrow cut through the air and flew forward.

Oh, am I actually an archery prodigy?

…No such thing happened, and the arrow weakly embedded itself in a tree in front of me.

“…”

“…You’ll get better with practice.”

A stubborn determination to do well surged within me.

I nocked another arrow onto the string.

This time, as I released my hand, I used magic.

Acceleration.

The arrow’s speed increased.

It was a 1st-grade magic I had practiced every day since I was five.

When it came to this particular magic, I had quite a bit of pride in my proficiency.

-Whoosh.

The arrow directly struck the chimera’s eye.

And then it pierced through its head.

The chimera died instantly.

Hmm.

Easy enough.

As I was marveling at my own skill, I felt gazes from around me and turned my head.

Most of the hunters were staring in my direction.

“You…!

Can you already use magic at that age?”

“Uh… I’ve been practicing since I was five.

Though this is the first time I’ve used it like this.”

Zerus was astonished.

The fact that she could use magic wasn’t that surprising.

Since she could learn it a bit faster.

However, the power of that arrow was similar to that of the hunters’.

No, it was already superior to some hunters’.

Elves lacked a desire for self-improvement in combat, so they usually didn’t train at all.

They enjoyed singing and writing more than fighting.

Therefore, only those who had been hunters for a long time possessed enough skill to replicate what the girl had just done.

And this was only Lua’s second shot.

Thinking of that, shivers ran down Zerus’s spine.

She was clearly a genius.

Whether a genius of magic or a genius of effort.

The protagonist herself, however, didn’t think much of it.

‘There was nothing else to do in the forest, so I just practiced magic…’

Tears welled up in Zerus’s eyes as he looked at Lua.

Ah… finally.

Finally…

The lifeline that would allow him to retire had finally descended.

Zerus grabbed Lua’s shoulder and said.

“Lua.

You will become the best hunter.”

Receiving compliments always felt good.

****

Since that day, I shot arrows whenever I had a spare moment.

Since I had nothing else to do anyway, my daily routine was filled with sleep, meals, and archery.

Occasionally, I would seek out Zerus for guidance.

After turning twenty, I officially became a hunter.

At first, my arm strength was insufficient, and my aiming was poor, but through long training, my accuracy steadily improved.

Along with my muscle strength.

Now, I could hunt monsters without using magic.

Monsters had such thick skin that attacks were useless unless their vital points were precisely targeted.

Concentrating, concentrating again, I aimed at the eyes of the rampaging creatures and shot.

The exhilaration I felt each time they hit their mark was incredible.

My skill rapidly grew, and before long, I became a sharpshooter even among the other hunters.

When I concentrated, mana surged within my body.

I had now reached a level where I could hunt using only magic.

I tested a 4th-grade magic.

‘Air Bomb.’

Along with the sensation of mana gushing out, wind gathered.

I condensed the wind and gathered it in front of me.

A small sphere was created.

I continuously added more wind to the sphere.

Each time it grew in size, I repeated the process of condensing it again.

A short while later, what stood before me was a single bomb.

An air bomb.

I sent it flying straight forward.

The sphere, about the size of my fist, approached the group of monsters at high speed.

The monsters didn’t notice it.

The sphere collided with a two-headed lion that was charging at the front.

Instantly, the atmosphere trembled.

-Bang!

With a deafening roar, the sphere exploded.

All the monsters were sucked into the vortex created by the sphere.

A moment later, the wind subsided.

But there was nothing left where the monsters had been.

Because even their blood had evaporated.

‘It’s like a blender…’

Satisfied with its performance, I turned around.

Magic is always so convenient.

I saw Kaleshi, the hunter next to me, with his mouth agape.

And Zerus, looking at me with a pleased expression.

“Lua, how can a 4th-grade spell produce such destructive power?”

Kaleshi stared at me as if I were a monster.

“Hmm.

Maybe it’s because I slammed a lot of mana into it?”

Kaleshi made a flabbergasted expression.

My body was said to have been born with an exceptionally vast amount of mana, even among elves.

And the mana vessel expands little by little, very little, each time magic is used.

Just like how muscles grow larger when they tear and recover.

My mana vessel was steadily growing larger through continuous training.

Time continued to flow.

****

One hundred years after my rebirth.

I hunted a dragon.