Lisa and Theodore looking at Vladimir and Levy back and forth.
"Ho? A gutsy brat?" Vladimir mused, one brow lifting. "You're sure he's Theodore's son?"
"Ahahaha..." Theodore laughed awkwardly
'Who would try to act tough in front of you?' He thought inwardly, then looked at his son 'I guess there's one?'
Lisa immediately stood up and stepped in front of Levy.
"Grandpa, please forgive him!"
Vladimir looked at Lisa for a moment.
Then he sighed.
"Relax. I won't do anything. He's just a child."
'You pressed on him with aura earlier...' Lin Feng remarked.
"He's but a child, but a monstrous child he is!" Vladimir flashed a huge grin on his face.
Silence.
Levy blinked at his parents confused. 'Monstrous?'
'As I thought,' Lin Feng mused 'they knew Levy had enormous amounts of mana.'
Vladimir's gaze sharpened.
"So what circulation method did you teach him?"
Lisa and Theodore exchanged a look—then shook their heads.
"You dare hide it fro—"
"NO!"
"We wouldn't dare grandpa!" Lisa said quickly.
Vladimir's expression darkened.
"We didn't teach him anything," she clarified.
"When he was about 5 years old, we sensed the mana around Levy fluctuated smoothly. Like a circulation technique activating on its own." Theodore explained.
Levy froze, "You knew what I was doing?"
Both Lisa and Theodore gave him a smile.
Vladimir went still.
He grabbed at his beard. Stroking it up and down.
"...an innate circulation technique?"
A smile slowly crept onto his face.
Vladimir connected the nonexistent dots he made up on his mind.
Innate Circulation Techniques are techniques of circulating mana that are innate.
'Innate Circulation Technique my ass! It's the Innate Cheat System Reward! This old man... is misundersting things up on his own.' Lin Feng finding the situation amusing.
"Innate Circulation Technique?" Levy asked.
Vladimir nodded.
"It's when someone naturally develops a mana circulation method without being taught. Their breathing and mana flow synchronize instinctively on a random age. You can develop it in your teens, middle-age, or near your death."
He paused.
"It's extraordinarily rare. Some appear once in centuries. Most who possess it don't even realize it."
'Correct,' Lin Feng thought. 'And even rarer is someone from a family of magicians to utilize it.'
Vladimir continued,
"The Varnhagen family's circulation method originated from our founder. His technique was also innate, manifesting it at the age of 17. He refined it and passed it down through generations. Your mother and I uses that same method."
Levy stared blankly.
"So you truly taught him nothing?" Vladimir pressed.
Lisa and Theodore avoided his eyes.
"Tsk! I guess we'll need to start from the ground up!" Annoyance evident in his face, "Theodore, get me some tea, this will be a long story!"
"Y- yes elder!"
Theodore hurried off.
'I've never seen him being bossed around like that, it was usually the other way around,' Lin Feng observed.
Vladimir's stern expression softened instantly.
"Come here, Levy. Let your great-grandfather tell you about the magic world and how great our family is."
'That was a complete personality shift,' Lisa thought.
"Now let's see where to start..." Vladimir started explaining the magic world towards Levy, as well as some things about their family
------------------------------
Vladimir began explaining.
"The magic world exists alongside the normal one. However, it is hidden from the public eye. Each country has its own governing association overseeing the organizations from place to place."
'I already know these things.' Lin Feng yawned mentally.
"All associations answer to Magic Towers—massive structures concealed in remote mountains. There are 7 Magic Towers in total, 1 in each continent."
"Magic Towers?" Levy tilted his head.
Vladimir shot Theodore and Lisa a sharp look before continuing.
"Magic towers are where mages hone their magic, learn new knowledge, spar with their peers, and build reputations."
"...for what reason do mages hone their magic?" Levy asked.
"Simply put. We, mages fight monsters-"
"Monsters?!" Levy's eyes lit up.
"Yes. Creatures that absorb ambient mana and mutate. We call them magibeasts—magical beasts."
"So where do these magibeasts come from?"
Vladimir shrugged.
"No one knows."
'I've killed tons of magibeasts in my time, yet even I have no idea where they come from...' Lin Feng said.
Vladimir continued telling Levy about the magic world.
------------------------------
After a while, Levy's posture sagged slightly, though his eyes remained sharp.
"You have a good head on your shoulders kid." Vladimir praised Levy. "It's not from Lisa, that's for sure. From Theodore huh?"
"What?!" Lisa snapped.
"Well, you weren't really the sharpest knife in the drawer. You went by feeling instead of analyzing when casting magic." Vladimir replied calmly.
"Is dad smart?" Levy asked.
"Of course son!" Theodore declared proudly as he returned for the third round of tea.
Vladimir nodded once, "Well for a newblood, he was incredibly talented in terms of theories."
Theodore's eyes watered.
"Only theoretical," Vladimir added.
Theodore deflated.
"What's a newblood?" Levy asked.
Vladimir sighed. Looked at Theodore.
He flicked his wrist.
*Fweep—Boom!
Theodore shot backward and embedded into the wall.
"Dear!" Lisa rushed over.
Levy's jaw dropped.
"Oh please. I barely used force," Vladimir said flatly.
He turned back to Levy.
"A newblood is the first mage in a family line."
"What's different about them?"
"In simple terms—bloodline matters."
'That was simple indeed.' Lin Feng bored out of his mind.
Vladimir spoke plainly now.
"A mage's elemental nature and talent are heavily influenced by ancestry. A child born into a long-standing mage family will usually surpass a newblood who trained longer."
"How?"
"Elemental nature. A newblood does not have any elemental nature to speak of, they cannot manifest any."
'Elemental nature? I'm sure I saw that in the system! But it was locked...' Levy thought, "Eh? Does that mean they can't use magic?" he blurted.
"Well, they can use magic however what they have is what we call Unattributed magic.
Vladimir clarified concisely.
"Unattributed magic is simply raw mana manipulation," Vladimir explained. "It has no elemental alignment, which means it lacks amplification and versatility."
"Uh… huh?" Levy nodded, though his face showed he only half understood.
Vladimir paused, then changed approach.
"Levy, do you like steak?"
"Definitely!"
"Good. Now imagine two chefs cooking the exact same type of cut, a ribeye. Same kitchen. Same type of skillet. Same level of skill."
Levy listened carefully.
"But," Vladimir continued, "one chef seasons the steak properly—adds aromatics, controls the heat precisely, and finishes it perfectly. The other just cooks it plainly, with no further refinement."
He looked at Levy.
"Which one tastes better?"
"The seasoned one, obviously."
"Exactly."
Vladimir leaned back.
"Both chefs used the same type of meat and the same type of tools. The difference is enhancement and control."
He pointed lightly at Levy's chest.
"Unattributed magic is like the plain steak. It works—but it's basic. Elemental magic is the seasoned one. The element amplifies the spell, refines it, and makes it stronger."
"Even if two mages cast the same spell at the same time, with equal skill," he added, "the one with elemental nature will produce greater firepower because they are attuned to that element.""
'That's actually a clean analogy,' Lin Feng admitted.
Levy's eyes lit up.
"I see! I get it now!"
He hesitated for a moment before asking, "But if that's the case, how can an unattributed mage use the same type of spells as someone with an elemental nature?"
Vladimir gave a knowing smirk. "We'll go deeper into that another time."
"Oh… okay." Levy nodded, a little disappointed—but he didn't press further.
Instead, he leaned forward again, curiosity returning just as quickly.
"So how do we acquire elemental nature?"
'Maybe I'll finally unlock mine,' he thought excitedly.
"To acquire elemental nature is also a mystery" Vladimir admitted.
"To acquire an elemental nature is still largely a mystery," Vladimir admitted calmly.
"However, the leading hypothesis is this: a newblood mage must establish a lineage that works in close affinity with a specific element for at least three generations."
Theodore, suddenly energized, straightened with a smug grin.
"That hypothesis was proposed by yours truly."
"Eh? Really?" Levy looked at his father with renewed admiration.
Theodore cleared his throat and launched in.
"It was derived from longitudinal analysis of newly established mage families over the last two centuries. I cross-referenced elemental manifestation rates against occupational exposure patterns, mana-environment resonance density, and generational attunement drift. There's a statistically significant correlation between sustained elemental immersion and hereditary alignment probability—roughly between the third and fifth generational threshold, depending on ambient mana saturation and bloodline stability."
Levy blinked.
"…Huh?"
Theodore continued enthusiastically.
"Essentially, prolonged elemental resonance influences mana imprinting at the epigenetic level—well, not genetically per se, but spiritually heritable through repeated mana-field conditioning—"
"Enough," Vladimir cut in flatly.
Theodore immediately shut his mouth and nodded, sweat forming at his temples.
Vladimir turned back to Levy.
"Simply put," he said, much more clearly, "if a newblood mage and his descendants dedicate their lives to working closely with one element—say, blacksmithing and constant exposure to fire—by the third or fourth generation, their bloodline may naturally awaken a Fire elemental nature."
Levy nodded slowly.
"That's… actually kind of cool." Levy murmured, "but it's a very long process!"
"Yes. Which is why mages value bloodlines a lot. They will treat you accordingly to your bloodline."
------------------------------
An hour later, Levy summarized:
"...so mom is from a long line of family of magicians, the Varnhagen family. Dad, a newblood met my mom in the magic tower, and my great grandpa is an archmage. Is that right?"
"Correct."
Vladimir's gaze sharpened.
"Since we're discussing it—"
He leaned forward slightly.
"Do you have any interest in inheriting the position of Clan Head of the Varnhagen Family?"
"…Huh?!"
Everyone in the room froze.
------------------------------
[Magic Mastery System]
Name: Levy Tobias Morozov
Physique: 9.23
Mana: 23.120
Elemental Nature: Locked
Magic Skills: Requires Elemental Nature
Acquired Techniques: Asha Circulation Method
------------------------------
[Quest - in progress (54.20%)]
Practice Asha Circulation Method for 1 hour daily
Duration: 5 years
Reward: +20 Mana
Failure Penalty: -10 Mana