I had imagined my first day in another world many times.
Sometimes I imagined myself arriving in a grand city.
Sometimes I imagined a beautiful princess greeting me.
Sometimes I imagined a powerful wizard immediately recognizing my immense potential.
And sometimes—
Well.
I imagined being chased by monsters.
Apparently, that one was the closest.
"WHY ARE THEY SO FAST?!"
I ran.
Behind me, three creatures were chasing me through the forest.
They looked like wolves.
Except they were bigger.
And their eyes were glowing.
And they had horns.
And, most importantly—
"They're not supposed to be this strong!"
[Correction.]
"NOT NOW!"
[The creatures are considered low-level monsters.]
"LOW LEVEL?!"
[Yes.]
"THEN WHY AM I LOSING?!"
[Because the Host has no combat experience.]
"..."
Fair.
I jumped over a fallen tree.
One of the monsters followed.
I glanced back.
It was getting closer.
"System!"
[Yes?]
"Can I have a sword?"
[No.]
"Why?!"
[You have not acquired one.]
"Can you give me one?!"
[No.]
"Magic?"
[No.]
"Super strength?"
[No.]
"Teleportation?"
[No.]
"Anything?!"
[You possess legs.]
I almost tripped.
"YOU'RE USELESS!"
[Incorrect.]
The monster lunged.
I ducked.
Its claws scraped the tree beside me.
"AAAAAH!"
I ran faster.
---
I didn't know how long I had been running.
My lungs burned.
My legs hurt.
My entire body was screaming at me to stop.
Then I saw it.
A road.
A proper road.
And beyond it—
People.
A settlement.
I nearly cried.
"PEOPLE!"
I ran toward them.
"HELP!"
Several people turned.
One man dropped the sack he was carrying.
A woman screamed.
A child pointed at me.
"MONSTER!"
"...What?"
I looked behind me.
The three horned wolves were still there.
"Oh."
I turned toward the settlement.
"MONSTER!"
The villagers began running.
"WAIT!"
I pointed behind me.
"I'm NOT the monster!"
One of the wolves jumped over me.
The villagers screamed louder.
"Okay!"
I raised my hands.
"I understand the confusion!"
---
A loud sound echoed through the street.
BOOM!
One of the wolves flew past me.
It slammed into the ground.
I stared.
A woman stood several meters away.
She held a staff.
Blue light surrounded her hand.
The wolf tried to stand.
She pointed.
A small sphere of water formed in front of her.
Then—
BOOM!
The monster disappeared into the bushes.
I froze.
My jaw dropped.
"Magic..."
She looked at me.
"What?"
I pointed at her.
"You used magic."
"Yes?"
"YOU USED MAGIC!"
She took a step back.
"...Are you alright?"
"No."
I grabbed my head.
"You're using actual magic!"
"Of course."
"YOU JUST MADE WATER APPEAR!"
"Yes."
"FROM NOTHING!"
She stared at me.
"...It's basic magic."
I almost collapsed.
"Basic?"
[Confirmed.]
"Shut up."
The woman raised an eyebrow.
"Who are you talking to?"
I paused.
"...Nobody."
[That was rude.]
"Shut up!"
The woman slowly reached for her staff again.
"Are you sure you're alright?"
"I'M FINE."
I smiled.
Probably too widely.
"I've just been waiting for this my entire life."
---
Her name was Liora.
At least, that's what she told me.
She was a traveling mage who happened to be passing through the village.
After explaining that I wasn't a monster, a bandit, or a lunatic—
Although she seemed unconvinced about the last one—
she brought me to the village.
The settlement itself wasn't huge.
A few dozen houses.
A small marketplace.
An inn.
A blacksmith.
And, thankfully, a place selling food.
I hadn't realized how hungry I was.
I sat at a table and stared at the bowl placed in front of me.
Stew.
Simple.
Warm.
I took one bite.
My eyes widened.
"This is amazing."
Liora laughed.
"You've never eaten stew?"
"Not like this."
"Where are you from?"
I froze.
Right.
I hadn't thought about that.
I couldn't exactly say:
"I'm from another universe."
That sounded insane.
So I improvised.
"I'm from..."
I looked around.
"...Very far away."
"How far?"
"Extremely."
"Which kingdom?"
"...A distant one."
"What's it called?"
I looked at her.
She looked at me.
I looked back.
"...Home."
She stared.
I ate more stew.
"You're terrible at lying."
"I know."
---
After eating, I finally got the chance to ask questions.
Magic.
The Kingdoms.
Monsters.
Adventurers.
The Demon King.
Apparently, magic wasn't particularly rare.
There were several types of magic.
Fire.
Water.
Wind.
Earth.
Light.
Darkness.
And many others.
Some people were naturally talented.
Others learned through training.
There were also magical items, enchanted weapons, monsters, dungeons, guilds—
I almost couldn't contain myself.
This world was everything I'd dreamed of.
Then Liora said something that caught my attention.
"Not everyone can use magic."
I looked at her.
"Really?"
"Of course."
"Why?"
"Because everyone has different magical affinities."
She tapped her staff.
"I'm naturally attuned to water magic."
I looked at my hands.
"How do I find mine?"
Liora shrugged.
"Test it."
"How?"
"Try casting something."
I smiled.
Finally.
This was it.
My first spell.
I stood outside the village.
Several villagers watched from a distance.
Liora crossed her arms.
"Just focus."
I nodded.
Deep breath.
I remembered every failed attempt from my old world.
Every ridiculous spell.
Every night I spent reading about magic.
Every time Grandpa told me to be patient.
I raised my hand.
"Alright."
I closed my eyes.
"Magic..."
Nothing.
I focused harder.
Nothing.
I tried again.
Nothing.
The villagers started whispering.
Liora tilted her head.
I opened my eyes.
"...Why isn't it working?"
She shrugged.
"Maybe you're not concentrating enough."
I clenched my fist.
"Again."
---
Ten minutes later.
Nothing.
Twenty minutes.
Nothing.
Thirty minutes.
Still nothing.
I collapsed onto the grass.
"This is impossible."
[Correct.]
I glared at the System.
"Don't."
[The Host currently possesses no measurable magical affinity.]
"Don't."
[Recommended action: acquire magical training.]
"I KNOW!"
Liora sat beside me.
"You said you've never used magic before?"
"...No."
"Then don't expect miracles."
I looked at her.
She smiled.
"Magic takes time."
Those words hit me.
Magic takes time.
Grandpa said something similar.
I looked at my hand.
For sixteen years, I had tried to force magic to happen.
Here, in a world where magic was real...
I was still impatient.
I laughed quietly.
"Of course."
Liora looked confused.
"What's funny?"
"Nothing."
I stood.
"Let's try again."
---
The sun began to set.
I tried again.
And again.
And again.
Nothing.
Eventually, everyone left.
Even Liora went inside the inn.
I remained outside.
Alone.
I stared at my hand.
"I finally found magic..."
My voice was quiet.
"...and I still can't use it."
For a moment, frustration returned.
Then I remembered Grandpa.
Magic isn't only about power.
I smiled.
"Patience and discipline."
I took a breath.
"Okay."
I raised my hand.
"One more time."
I closed my eyes.
I stopped trying to force it.
Instead, I listened.
The wind.
The grass.
The distant sounds of the village.
My heartbeat.
Then—
Something moved.
A warmth appeared inside my chest.
Tiny.
Almost impossible to notice.
My eyes opened.
A faint glow appeared around my fingers.
I stopped breathing.
"..."
The glow flickered.
Then disappeared.
Silence.
I stared.
It was barely anything.
Not even a spell.
Not even enough to light a candle.
But it existed.
I laughed.
Then laughed harder.
[Magical affinity detected.]
I froze.
"What?"
[Potential affinity detected.]
The System continued.
[Analyzing...]
My heart pounded.
[Analysis complete.]
I waited.
[Result:]
[Unknown.]
"...What?"
The System paused.
[Further analysis required.]
I stared at the screen.
Then slowly smiled.
"Unknown?"
I looked at my glowing hand.
"Guess we'll have to find out."
For the first time since arriving in this world...
I wasn't disappointed that I couldn't use magic.
I was excited.
Because now there was something left to discover.
Something even the System didn't understand.
And somehow...
That made it feel more like magic than anything else.
I clenched my fist.
"Alright."
I looked toward the stars.
"Let's see what my magic is."
[Quest Updated.]
[FIRST STEP]
Objective: Reach the nearest settlement.
Status: Completed.
Reward: 10 System Points.
I blinked.
"...You're only telling me this now?"
[Yes.]
"You watched me nearly die."
[Correct.]
"You could've reminded me!"
[The Host did not ask.]
I stared at the System.
"...I hate you."
[Noted.]
I sighed.
Then smiled.
Maybe this world was going to be a pain.
Maybe I was going to struggle.
Maybe becoming strong would take years.
But for the first time...
I didn't care.
Because tomorrow—
I'd try again.
And the day after that.
And the day after that.
Until I finally understood the magic inside me.
After all...
I'd already waited sixteen years.
What's a few more?