'J.L.K.'

It was the only clue for the book's origins. Zeke wondered how old would this J.L.K. be if he even knows things like the 'fraudulent core'.

The book is also tattered but not dusty as Esteban has cleaned it a bit before handing it to Charles. When one looked at the book in general, one would mistake it as some old useless book. However, Zeke knew it was the opposite.

Zeke opened the book and tried to find the part where it talks about his Perfect Mana Core. Zeke was sure it was his mana core his father talked about as his father mentioned the appearance.

While skimming, Zeke found out that this book talks about ancient people and their culture. It narrated how the Ancient Civilization thrived and how they were gradually forgotten in the annals of time. It also mentioned something about the dragons. It turns out dragons back then are all-powerful and mighty, capable of using almost any and all magic more skillfully than other species. The dragon race described by the book looked really mighty, as they are the apex predators back then. Unfortunately, the lower species, including the humans, got fed up by it and decided to unite and put an end to the dragon race. Nothing more was mentioned because according to the author, even he didn't know the outcome of this war.

He eventually got to the part of his Mana Core. The book had much more information that Charles probably forgot so Zeke expected to have his mission finished after reading it.

The Mana Core mentioned in the book is said to be extinct as no one claimed about having it these past a hundred or so years. This Mana Core was said to be the most common in the Ancient Civilization back then, but as generations pa.s.sed by, having this Mana Core meant that somebody is a genius. It meant that as time pa.s.sed by, there were less and less Perfect Mana Core magicians, hence magicians who had this were valued highly.

The effects of this mana core would certainly make magicians drool over it. It made meditation easier as it can absorb any mana particle while it was also said that when a Perfect Mana Core magician reached a certain degree, they could absorb multiple mana particles at the same time. Of course, it made up for the fact that this mana core takes almost twice as much mana as normal Mana Cores right now to breakthrough another realm. These magicians could rival people one or two tiers above theirs. It was because not only are their mana reserves that high, their mana was also much purer and specific than Normal Mana Cores. Besides, they also have a variety of elements to use, making them unpredictable and very dangerous.

After 2 more hours of reading and skimming some parts, Zeke finished the book.

————————————————————

You learned more about the Ancient Races.

Int + 1

————————————————————

'I only read this book and I already gained a point? System, is this true?'

*Yes, Zeke. The book you read contained a lot of new information compared to the previous books you read.*

'Is that the basis for gaining a point? The amount of knowledge I gained?'

*Something like that, Zeke.*

'It seems I need a large number of books, huh. Maybe I'll ask my father about it.'

While Zeke was thinking about this, a new interface appeared.

———————————

Optional Quest "Perfect Mana Core" Complete!

Reward:

5xp

Skill Tome (Elemental Mana Circulation)

————————————

'Sweet! System, open the skill tome!'

*Not possible, Zeke. Elemental Mana Circulation's prerequisite is having Mana Circulation at level 5. After getting Mana Circulation to level 5, it will become a mastery with a maximum level of 10. After learning Elemental Mana Circulation, Mana Circulation's maximum mastery level will change from 10 to 20. The higher the level of mana circulation, the faster you can manipulate mana inside your body.*

'Remind me again why faster mana circulation is good?'

*Yes, Zeke. Having a higher level of mana circulation meant faster and precise control of mana inside the body. This is essential if you want to enhance your body with mana in a battle, while also making your casting speed faster. It will also make your Mana Skin skill cast faster.*

'Really? Then it seems I'll need to up its level now.'

*Yes, Zeke. According to my prediction, your current mana pool is enough for you to be called a certified low tier 1 magician now. Practicing mana circulation at this time might seem late for you, but it's actually the best time for you, a Perfect Mana Core user. Having a high amount of mana meant much more mana to handle, thus leading to faster training.*

'I'm already a low tier 1 magician!? since when?'

Zeke was shocked because his father clearly said he'd need more or less a year to achieve that.

*The moment your mana core formed, Zeke. Due to your t.i.tles and the sheer amount of mana your Perfect Mana Core has, you immediately became a low Tier 1.*

'That's pretty broken but alright. I'll get to it then! Let's try this!'

Zeke already knew how to start thanks to the memories he got from the skill tome. He willed his mana core to let some mana out. After a small amount of mana was released, Zeke tried to control it and get it to go to his feet. Unfortunately, knowing something is different from actually doing it. Zeke found it a bit hard to guide the mana towards his lower body. In order for him to do so, he needed 100% of his focus to do this and by doing this, he wouldn't know anything about the outside world.

Time pa.s.sed. After a few minutes, Zeke's eyes opened while beads of sweat appeared in his forehead. Zeke was mentally exhausted as he laid down on his bed. He eventually mulled over what he achieved.

'I've managed to guide it to my lower body, but I'm still far from moving it back and forth. I can only move forward but when I try to move it back, there's like a wall behind it stopping it from going backward. *Sigh*, this is hard.'

Zeke thought his feat is a failure. He didn't know that if the outside world knew how short he took to partially control the mana, they'd hail him as a genius.

Normally, once people formed their mana core, they also start their own Mana Circulation. However, no one except for the extremely genius ones can manage to do what Zeke did in his first try. Add to that Zeke's young age and people won't even know what to call Zeke as. Putting him in the same category as his other peers could only be said to be an insult for his talent.

'The experience of my Mana Circulation went up by 40%. At the very least, it went up although I failed.'

For the rest of the day, Zeke remained cooped up in his room trying to practice Mana Circulation. After exhausting his mental power, he'd take a rest for half an hour before trying again.

Just like this, he achieved level 1 Mana Circulation before dinner. When Zeke achieved it, a new set of information appeared in his mind. It was all about comprehension regarding the Mana Circulation.

Indeed, Zeke tried to circulate again after reaching Lvl 1, and to his surprise, he found it a bit easier to do than usual. He could now also will the mana to go back and forth inside his body.

Zeke's parents asked him why he remained in the room and he just told them he was reading the book Charles gave earlier. The two of them didn't have any suspicions about it since they naturally thought their son couldn't finish the book in just a few hours. They thought it'd take him a day or two to finish the book since they didn't know Zeke could skim through.

After Dinner, he tried it again but there were only slight progress so he decided to continue tomorrow. His mental power was overused today so he went to sleep early.

After waking up, Zeke immediately prepared himself to do his daily quest again but this time, there were some changes.

'System, why did the +end and +int rewards only +3 today? Is this random?'

*Yes, Zeke. The +end and +int are random ranging from 1-10 while the +10 to random stats is fixed. That was your first day so the reward should naturally be big.*

Feeling a bit dejected, Zeke jogged along with his father. However, to his surprise, he found it a lot easier to complete the lap, taking him a minute earlier than his laps yesterday.

'I guess this is the effect of the +10 endurance, huh.'

Zeke could clearly feel his speed and endurance increased for a bit and realized it was because of the rewards he got.

This time, there was an unexpected new partic.i.p.ant. Gaia, who woke up early, saw the Father-son duo and walked towards them.

"Oh, if it isn't Grad's cute daughter! h.e.l.lo, little girl, how are you? Why are you up early?"

Gaia shyly bowed and answered.

"G-good morning, S-sir Charles. I woke up early accidentally and I can't sleep again, so I w-went out. What are you doing?"

Grad looked at Charles and shyly looked at Zeke, who was smiling.

"h.e.l.lo, Big sister! Why are you stuttering?" Zeke teased.

"I-it's n-nothing!"

"Hehe, you seem really shy, big sister!" Zeke pressed on.

Hearing someone younger than her tease her, Gaia eased up a bit and matched Zeke's eyes.

"No. I-it's just that I'm not used to talking to you and Sir Charles. I'm... I'm going to get over this! Right, I'll help my mother cook then. Goodbye!"

Gaia seemed to find an excuse just to go inside and hide her embarra.s.sment.

Charles saw his son and Gaia's little talk, and he couldn't help but grin.

"I'm proud of you, son!"

Zeke thought his father was praising him for his eloquent and stutter less speaking.

"Yes, Dad!"

"Alright, let's continue then."

The father-son duo continued their morning jog. They didn't notice the young girl looking at them through the window.

"My lovely Gaia, why are you looking outside?"

A sweet voice was heard. Meryl, who went out of the kitchen, saw her daughter looking outside and wondered.

"Mother, why are Sir Charles and his son run in circles?"

"Oh? Did they?"

Meryl, who looked at her daughter with surprise, went near the window and looked towards the inner ward. Indeed, there were two people running around it, one big and one small.

"I think they're just jogging dear, not running."

"Then why are they jogging?"

"To have a good body sweetheart. Jogging is a form of exercise that helps them become fit. It also helps your body build strong bones as well as lose weight. You might need to have an exercise sooner or later too if you want to have a good body, sweetheart."

"Really? Do I need to jog like them too?"

"Something like that. You can do other forms of exercise too dear, but jogging is one of the basic ones that you kids can easily do."

"Can you join me in jogging then, mom?"

Gaia asked her mom with innocent eyes.

"No, sweetie. I need to prepare breakfast for us, right?"

"Can I ask Father, then?"

"You can, sweetie, but I don't think your father would wake up early."

Meryl smiled, seemingly familiar with his husband's sleeping habits.

"You can ask to join them, though." Meryl smiled and offered.

"Really? Do you think they'll agree to it?"

"I'm sure, sweety. I know Charles would want that." Meryl smiled.

If Zeke was here, he would see that Meryl's smile looked the same as Charles' scheming smile.