Kids, Can We Still Survive?

With this discovery, the two practiced even harder in the days that followed.

After all, they did not know whether mana increased the more they used it, whether that was only possible during their growth period, or whether their constitutions were different from ordinary people's.

But the one thing they knew now was that as long as they kept practicing diligently, their mana would continue to increase.

Over the next few months, the two drained their mana dry every day, which meant Lilia and Zenith often found them on the floor.

Zenith even gave the two of them a thirty-minute lecture about it.

"Hey, Rudeus! Why do you have so much more mana than me?! Didn't you only have a little more before?"

Radeus watched Rudeus beside him produce an endless stream of water balls, unable to keep his frustration at bay.

We practice together, and we're twins, so why does this guy's mana increase more than mine every day?!

After all this training, Rad was nothing but a weakling compared to Rudeus.

Although Rad felt his total mana reserves probably were not small, seeing his younger brother with twice as much still left him somewhat speechless.

And after observing him over these months, Radeus had reached a conclusion: Rudeus was a total cheat.

He only had a little more mana than me at first, but this bastard just keeps getting more the more he trains. Right now, he only has twice as much, but what about a few years from now?

Would Radeus not be left so far behind that he could not even see his heels?

You bastard!

Rudeus stopped casting Water Ball and scratched his head, then looked at Radeus smugly.

"Heh-heh, maybe I'm just more talented than you!"

"Unlike certain people who go limp right away. Isn't that right, my dear big brother?"

Looking at the insufferably smug Rudeus, Radeus could not stop his lips from trembling.

"Oh-ho, should you really be saying that? My foolish little brother!"

As he spoke, Radeus walked behind Rudeus, grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, sealing his fate, and lifted him up.

Then he tossed him toward the ceiling, giving Rudeus a free taste of flying through the air.

"Stooop!"

Rudeus fell from the air, and Radeus caught him steadily from where he stood on the floor. He suffered no damage whatsoever, though whether that held true psychologically was anyone's guess.

Rudeus had gradually begun to get used to this big brother he had ended up with seizing every chance to mess with him.

Ever since Radeus discovered that his mana reserves could not match Rudeus's, this sort of thing had happened often.

Rudeus felt that in another few months, he would even be able to strike a pose when Radeus tossed him into the air.

But Rudeus had noticed that although his big brother's progress with mana was not as awesome as his own, this guy's body really had undergone some kind of unusual mutation.

Never mind his height. They ate the same food, kept the same schedule, and did the same training, yet this guy was a whole head taller than him.

And this guy was getting stronger and stronger. A month ago, he could already throw him into the sky to stand shoulder to shoulder with the sun...

All Rudeus could do was laugh.

See, what did I tell you? This guy's a total stat monster. Serves him right that he has less mana than me. If he had more mana too, I wouldn't want to live anymore!

Just throw in the towel and start a new run!

Only after Rudeus had more or less recovered did Radeus speak.

"Hey, Rudeus, I feel like we could try Intermediate Rank Magic now. We should have enough mana, and using nothing but Water Ball every day is getting pretty boring."

Rudeus thought for a moment, then nodded.

"True. Let's try Intermediate Rank Magic!"

Seeing that Rudeus agreed, Radeus took out the magic book and turned to the page for the Intermediate Rank Magic spell—Water Cannon.

At that moment, Rudeus copied what Radeus had done before, pushing Radeus out in front of him while retreating to the doorway himself.

"Then you try it first this time!"

Seeing Rudeus hide so far away, Radeus's mouth twitched, but he could hardly say anything. After all, he had started it.

"Is that really necessary?"

Radeus shook his head and walked to the window, pointing his palm toward it as he began chanting the incantation.

"Gentle spirit of water, princess of the streams flowing through the earth, wash away all things with the mighty strength within you-Water Cannon."

Then a vast amount of mana began gathering before Radeus's palm, and an enormous ball of water appeared in front of him.

Seeing the water ball grow larger and larger, Radeus hurriedly reduced his mana output, shrinking it until it was only the size of the window, then fired it outside.

With a whoosh, the water ball shot swiftly through the window. Droplets streaked across the sky, turning its trail into a rainbow. Only after it had flown a long way, reaching the fields, did the water ball begin to burst apart.

A farmer still working in the fields suddenly felt raindrops falling on him and looked up in confusion.

"What's going on? Why is it suddenly raining? The sky's perfectly clear. There isn't a cloud in sight! How strange!"

Meanwhile, the two inside the room were stunned by the Water Cannon that had just flown out.

"Holy crap, it's that powerful?"

"If I hadn't reduced the mana output just now, wouldn't it have smashed the window?!"

Looking at the still-intact window, Radeus felt a lingering fear. If the window really had exploded just now, Radeus himself might well have been about to explode too.

Radeus turned and spoke to Rudeus at the doorway.

"You try it too! Be careful. Keep the mana output lower!"

Rudeus stepped forward and nodded at Radeus, his expression grave. The pressure was on him now.

If he failed to cast Water Cannon, Rad would definitely mock him. If he cast it but failed to control its power and blew up the window, Rudeus could only go down with it.

Rudeus held out his hand, feeling the mana flow within him. Picturing the water ball from just now, he began reciting the incantation.

The water ball before Rudeus began growing little by little. Then Rudeus prepared to adjust his mana output, but after adjusting it for a while, he found that the water ball had grown even bigger!

Wait, how did Rad do that just now? This humble servant can't manage mana control that precise!

While Rudeus was still wondering why Rad could do it, a momentary slip sent the Water Cannon flying straight out.

This time, it was so powerful that it blasted away both the window and the entire wall. Mom would never have to worry about what curtains to buy again, because the window and wall were both gone. She could consider rebuilding instead!

Behind Rudeus, Radeus covered his face, looking helpless.

"You screwed it up!"

Rudeus's magic was a little too powerful, and he had failed to control its output, blowing away the wall along with the window. Even Radeus had not expected that.

Radeus looked at the room, now missing a wall, then at the clear sky outside. At that moment, however, dark clouds filled his heart.

What do we do now, kids? Can we still survive?