Chapter 1
The night air in Buena Village was quiet—too quiet.
Inside a small room, a baby lay in his crib.
Rudeus Greyrat.
His tiny body trembled.
Not from fear.
Not from the cold.
But from something far more unnatural.
His muscles—frail, underdeveloped, barely formed—were tearing themselves apart.
Of course, no one else could see it.
To Zenith, he was just a strangely quiet child.
To Paul, he was a baby who stared too much.
But inside…
Rudeus was working.
"I can feel it…"
Though his body was that of an infant, his mind was sharp—observant.
Every time he moved his limbs, every tiny kick, every stretch…
Fibers snapped.
Microscopic damage.
Normal.
But what wasn't normal…
Was what came next.
A faint warmth gathered inside him.
Mana.
It flowed instinctively—like breathing.
And without understanding why…
He healed.
The damage vanished.
Not completely.
But enough.
Enough that his body felt… stronger.
"…Again."
The thought came naturally.
He kicked.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Tiny motions. Endless repetition.
Muscles broke.
Mana flowed.
Healing followed.
That night—
For the first time—
Rudeus Greyrat exhausted his mana completely.
And cried himself to sleep.
Morning came.
Sunlight spilled into the room.
Zenith gently lifted him.
"Good morning, Rudy~"
Rudeus blinked.
And then—
It happened.
Mana returned.
Not slowly.
Not gradually.
But like a tide rushing back into shore.
His body filled.
Overflowed.
"…What…?"
Even as a baby—
He understood.
This wasn't normal.
And so—
Without telling anyone—
Without even knowing the full consequences—
Rudeus made his first decision.
"I'll use it all again tonight."