[Present Day]
It had been eighteen days since Alruk’s rebirth.
Eighteen days were all it took for him to finally sense the mana around him.
During that time, he gained a small degree of control over his body and could now move about, albeit clumsily.
Two days after receiving his name, he watched the female goblins bring two more babies into the cave.
Most likely, the human girl had finally given birth.
The following day, the newborns were named, but Alruk paid little attention.
It was of no relevance to him.
On the thirteenth day, he began crawling.
Although he couldn’t fully support his own weight, it was enough to move from place to place.
Wanting to maximize the calming effects of the Calm Lillis surrounding the cave, he searched for a quieter location.
After some exploration, he discovered a patch of glowing moss near one of the cave walls.
The area was surrounded by Calm Lillis and slightly elevated above the rest of the cave floor.
Climbing onto it proved difficult.
Even so, after three hours of struggling, he finally managed to reach the top.
From this new vantage point, he noticed things he had previously overlooked.
For example, he could now clearly count the number of infants in the cave.
There were thirty-seven in total.
Nine of them were female.
Goblins gave birth to two to four children at a time, and pregnancies lasted only three months regardless of the race involved.
That explained why there were so many infants despite the tribe possessing only seven mature females.
He also noticed that several babies were sick or physically deformed.
Most likely, the rough conditions surrounding their births had caused complications.
By his estimate, eleven infants suffered from one issue or another.
However, there was one surprising discovery.
Among the infants was a hobgoblin.
The larger child immediately stood out.
Judging by its size and activity level, Alruk estimated it to be around six months old.
Unfortunately, that was not a good thing.
Because of its slower development, the goblins clearly viewed it as a burden.
A liability.
One that would likely be killed or abandoned if it failed to prove its worth.
Even now, he could see the difference in treatment.
The hobgoblin infant was isolated from the others and treated almost like a disease.
It was always fed last.
And even then, only reluctantly.
Alruk could only hope it survived long enough for him to grow older.
A hobgoblin ally might prove useful in the future.
Several hours into his meditation, a notification suddenly appeared. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
Ding
[Mana Sensory learned]
[Description: A skill that allows one to sense and manipulate the mana around and within oneself.]
Reading the notification, Alruk felt deeply satisfied.
He could now actively draw mana from the environment instead of relying solely on passive absorption.
‘Info’.
Immediately, his Archive appeared.
[NAME: Alruk
RACE: Goblin
BLOODLINE: Starlight (Unawakened)
COMBAT CLASS:
Shaman – Level 0 (0/50)
LIFESTYLE CLASS: None
MANA: 60/60
QI: 40/40
STATS
Strength: 3
Speed: 4
Dexterity: 5
Stamina: 4
Intelligence: 6
AFFINITIES:
Wind (Low)
Death (Low)
SKILLS:
Monster Language (Vulcan), World Language (Tebanik), Human Language (Halvanish), Mana Sensory (1/10)]
Seeing the newly acquired skill, he smiled faintly.
He also noticed a new section that had appeared.
Affinities.
Now that he could sense mana, the Archive had revealed his elemental alignments.
A person’s affinities were influenced by bloodline, comprehension, resources, and luck at birth.
Wind was likely something he had been born with.
As for Death…
That was harder to explain.
Either he had been born with the affinity, or he had unconsciously comprehended it after experiencing his own death. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
Though he no longer possessed the many elements he had mastered in his previous life, Death remained.
His attention shifted to another new addition.
The Shaman class.
It had awakened as a result of learning Mana Sensory.
For humans, elves, and most civilized races, the equivalent class would have been Mage.
For monsters, however, it was called Shaman.
In truth, the two classes were nearly identical.
Only the name differed.
Setting those thoughts aside, he focused on what mattered most.
Mana Sensory.
Closing his eyes, he resumed meditation.
It took several minutes before he sensed the countless mana particles drifting through the air.
Slowly, he drew the colorless energy into his body through his pores.
He guided the mana through his body before directing it toward his heart.
Again.
And again.
And again.
After several cycles, a headache began to form.
The Calm Lillis helped, but there were limits.
He was still an infant.
Even so, he smiled through the discomfort.
The potential before him was enormous.
With enough time and effort, he would grow far stronger than he was now.
‘Stats’.
[STATS
Strength: 3
Speed: 4
Dexterity: 5
Stamina: 4
Intelligence: 6]
No changes.
Alruk let out a small sigh.
Still, it was hardly surprising.
What could he realistically expect from only two hours of meditation while trapped in the body of a newborn?
After a short rest, he continued.
This time, he created a schedule for himself.
From now on, he would meditate for nearly ten hours every day.