I told my Mom everything, about how I awakened my aura and how I formed my mana core. I simply repeated what I had told Dad the day before.

She listened quietly at first, then placed her hand gently on my head, brushing my hair back. "You know," she said softly, her amber eyes glimmering with concern, "sometimes you make us worry by doing all this. I’m not saying you shouldn’t become stronger. I just want you to be careful."

Her voice was filled with both pride and apprehension. Then she smiled warmly and added, "But today is a day to celebrate. Cheer up. You’ve achieved something that no other human has ever done, forming a mana core and awakening your aura in such a short time. That’s a miracle in itself."

She was happy, truly happy. Even more than I was.

That night, she made all my favorite dishes, crispy meat stew, glazed root vegetables, and her special honey-roasted bread. We laughed at the table, even joked a bit. Later, we retired to bed with full stomachs and fuller hearts.

Then something strange happened.

‘Huh? I was sleeping… but where am I now?’

I found myself standing in the middle of a vast forest, the ground soft with moss and leaves, the towering trees far taller than any I’d seen before, reaching for the sky like ancient guardians.

‘It’s probably a forest,’ I thought, scanning the surroundings. ‘But not any forest I’ve ever seen.’

Then a voice echoed inside my mind.

It was her voice. The goddess.

“This is my second message. Listen closely.”

As her words faded, the scene around me changed like a page turning in a dream. The forest blurred and shifted, replaced by the tranquil edge of a wide river. Its waters glistened silver under a twilight sky. Behind me, nestled between tall trees and thick bushes, loomed a dark cave, its entrance shadowed and eerie like the mouth of a sleeping beast.

“This place,” the goddess spoke again, her voice now gentler, almost fading, “holds something important. That cave… it's not deep. Within it lies an egg, not of this world, but from another realm. A beast yet unborn. One that cannot hatch on its own. It needs warmth, true warmth, the kind only a bond can provide.”

“I’ve placed a powerful barrier around it. No one can touch it. No one even knows it exists. But you… you will be able to pass through. You are the exception.”

There was a short pause, as though she was hesitating.

“I no longer exist. What you see now is a recording from when I visited the cave long ago. Things may have changed by the time you get there. But if the egg is still there, it will be a great ally in the future. And beside it… I’ve left a sword—one I think you’ll like very much.”

Her voice began to fade, replaced by a soft hum as light seeped into the sky.

“The cave is located in Syler Forest, between your town and the capital. I will transfer the exact location to your subconscious mind. When the time is right… you’ll find it.”

Syler Forest.

I’d read about it. It was one of the most dangerous forests on the continent. The deeper you went, the deadlier it became. Intelligent and powerful beasts, some even S-rank, were known to roam its heart.

‘Yeah… no chance I’m surviving that right now,’ I thought as the dream slipped away.

I woke up to morning sunlight peeking through the window.

After my usual workout and a quick wash, I sat down to breakfast. My body still felt light, energized, maybe from the dream or maybe because today I was finally going to learn to use aura properly.

“Today’s a good day,” I thought as I finished the last bite.

Then I made my way to the field where Dad was already waiting.

“Huh,” he said, tossing me my wooden sword. “You left this here yesterday.”

I caught it with a grin.

Then he got serious and began explaining aura, how it worked, how to use it. His explanation was surprisingly familiar. Almost identical to ki from my previous world. It wasn’t too different. Control, focus, flow, just under a different name.

He then shifted to mana, and though I had read about it before in books, there were points I never quite grasped until now. Dad’s explanation made everything clearer. He had a way of speaking, grounded, straightforward, that clicked with me.

“We augmenters use mana through our weapons,” he explained. “It increases damage. But when you combine both aura and mana, the power multiplies. It's like striking with both soul and spirit.”

I interrupted, curious, “Can every augmenter do that? Infuse both aura and mana into a weapon?”

He smirked. “Nope. Only high-level aura users or above can do that. Your old man here,” he tapped his chest proudly, “is just a mid-level. But I can still use both, just… not together. I switch between them quickly, simultaneously, but not fused.”

I nodded in admiration. “What about your core?”

He cleared his throat dramatically. “Ahem. Dark orange.”

“Whoa. That means you’re strong, right?”

“Of course I am,” he said with a grin.

After a pause, he added, “I’ve given you the basics. Go rest for an hour and meet me again. We’re heading to the market later.”

“Market? For what?”

He looked at me like it was obvious. “To buy a weapon. Mine’s getting old. Oh, and I’ll get you a dagger too. Tomorrow we head for the capital. Some of my old party members are meeting us.”

I returned to my room, mind buzzing. ‘So we’ll be passing through Syler Forest… The cave, the egg, the sword. I need to get stronger before even thinking about it. Right now… I wouldn’t last five minutes in that place.’

An hour later, we began our walk to the market.

It wasn’t far, just a little over a kilometer and a half, but it felt longer thanks to my rising excitement.

It wasn’t my first time at the market in this life, but the anticipation was different today. I was about to visit a weapon shop, my first ever. I wanted to see what kinds of weapons people here used to fight beasts. Not just swords and daggers, there had to be all sorts of exotic gear.

Finally, we arrived.

The weapon shop stood tall and sturdy, its sign etched with runes and a crossed sword and spear. The scent of metal and coal was thick in the air.

“This is the place,” Dad said. “Let’s find you something small for now, a dagger will do.”

As we stepped inside, I was taken aback by the sheer size of the place.

The interior was wide and filled with the clang of metal and the crackle of flames. Five blacksmiths were hard at work. One stood near the back, hammering away at a glowing blade, its sparks dancing like fireflies. Two others tended the forge, heating iron until it glowed a fierce red. Another worked the grindstone, sharpening a longsword with practiced precision. The last stood at the counter, assisting a customer while taking notes on an order.

Everywhere I looked, weapons of all kinds were displayed, swords, axes, spears, hammers, even curved blades I didn’t recognize.

‘This… is incredible,’ I thought.