Although both volumes of The Tale of the Dragon Knight were quite thick, Richard—who had plenty of experience reading back on Earth—didn’t take too long to finish them.
By the time he reached the final page, it was already late afternoon. He had even skipped lunch without noticing, and had to regret that both books were incomplete, at best only reaching the middle of the story.
Mr. Joe had long since fallen asleep, feet propped up on the window sill.
Richard couldn’t be bothered to wake him. He carefully placed the books back into the chest and quietly left the old man’s house.
Back at the orphanage, he immediately shut himself away in his room.
Codex of the Dragon Emperor.
This was something he could cultivate on his own without relying on the System.
Training it didn’t require special gestures—only meditation to comprehend its mysteries. The more he understood, the greater his mastery of the Codex.
But the moment he tried, he quickly realized just how difficult it was.
A sharp dizziness struck him after only a short while.
So it really isn’t easy to gain magical power, he thought.
Is it because my soul is only that of a mortal?
The soul wasn’t something one could train directly, yet it clearly affected his ability to comprehend both Codex and Arcane Arts.
After several failed attempts and increasing headaches, Richard gave up. For now, he would rely on the System to slowly raise his mastery of the Codex of the Dragon Emperor.
He had to admit it—he didn’t possess much innate talent in this path.
Days passed. Each day, the System faithfully raised his Codex mastery by 1%, along with his affinity for the Cloud Element.
Richard spent the time fishing, letting the hours slip away quietly.
Five days later, as he sat by the edge of a deep lake with a bamboo fishing rod in hand, the notification he had been waiting for finally arrived—alongside another increase in his Cloud Affinity.
(Your affinity with the Cloud Element has increased from 6% → 7%!)
(Your mastery of the Codex of the Dragon Emperor has increased from 9% → 10%!)
Codex of the Dragon Emperor (10%)
Richard couldn’t stop himself from speaking aloud. With his Codex mastery finally reaching 10%, he sensed something unseen all around him—like air he could breathe.
Without a doubt, it was Aether.
"Richard, what’s wrong? What do you feel?" asked August from nearby.
But Richard didn’t answer. He was focused entirely inward.
With his mind, he could try to absorb Aether, even Tier 3 Aether.
Only, it’s not an easy thing.
He needed to push his mind hard to draw the Aether into his body.
Ten percent mastery was just the bare minimum. True ease would only come with higher mastery.
(Your Aether has increased from 0 → 1!)
(Your Aether has increased from 1 → 2!)
(Your Aether has increased from 2 → 3!)
(Your Aether has increased from 9 → 10!)
Just as Richard had expected, the System could now expand his reserves once his body was capable of absorption.
[Aether: 10 / 1000 ] +10
[Aether Accumulation: 10 ]
When his Aether data shifted, Richard could truly feel something stirring within his body—a mysterious force that now belonged entirely to him.
Just by having that strange power dwelling inside him, he could faintly sense his physical strength increasing.
Richard quietly stepped back until his body was beside a tree, making sure the other children would not notice him.
He stared at his palm, where a small violet sphere appeared.
It was one of the Aether within his body.
As he gazed at it, he realized it could transform into any element that resonated with his affinity.
When he thought of fire, the Aether instantly flared into a flame the size of his fist, streaked with violet lines. It was far larger than the Aether had been, yet the searing heat did not harm him—though he could clearly feel how intense it was.
The flame lasted only a moment before vanishing.
It could not endure, for a single Aether was far too little to sustain such a blaze.
That Aether was lost, but only seconds later, a new one emerged within his body.
This was because his body already held a foundation for storing Aether. Whenever it diminished, fresh Aether would flow into him with ease, without the need for conscious absorption.
Absorbing Aether, in truth, was the effort of expanding his body’s capacity to hold it.
Yet even though he now possessed ten Aether, he realized he could control only one. The other nine were far too difficult for him to command.
He understood this was natural—for without an Aether Will, he could only wield about ten percent of the Aether within him.
’The System will probably slow down after today. Reaching one thousand may take a long time... but it’s fine. I’m still young. Of course, I should at least also make my own efforts in this regard even if it’s difficult,’ he thought.
Suddenly, his fishing line jerked tight, bamboo rod bending sharply.
Richard shot to his feet, hauling back with all his strength.
A massive silver-white fish burst from the lake—nearly the size of his own body—causing a stir among the other children.
"Richard, it’s huge!" cried August, rushing over.
He abandoned his own rod, helping Richard drag the thrashing catch further inland just as it slipped free of the hook.
"This is enough to feed all of us," one boy said excitedly.
"Yeah! Let’s have Sister Lisa roast it for dinner."
"And we can sell the smaller ones for fresh bread tomorrow!"
Laughter and cheers filled the lakeside.
Richard smiled faintly, satisfaction warming him more than the violet flames had.