It was spring of Armored Dragon Year 410, his third year since reincarnating in another world.
Buena Village lay on the border of the Fittoa Territory, in the northern Asura Kingdom.
The attic was the two brothers' secret base.
Rudeus's face was alight with excitement. "Great... I've mastered intermediate magic. Should I try it now?"
Hearing that, Luo Ge was speechless. "How about we don't? Casting intermediate magic here in the attic is too dangerous, and the commotion would make it easy to get caught."
But Rudeus, eager to show off in front of Luo Ge, simply refused to listen.
As far as he was concerned, he was a magical genius. Surely he could control its power.
And, unsurprisingly, something went wrong.
A bang rang out, and something shocking happened.
Rudeus unleashed an intermediate water spell, instantly blasting a large hole through the entire wall around the window.
Not only that, the cannonball-like water spell carried its power over an incredible distance, treating the villagers of Buena Village to a large-scale artificial rain shower...
Rudeus collapsed to the floor in fright, seemingly unable to believe he had done this.
Though Luo Ge remained expressionless beside him, he was equally stunned by the power of intermediate magic.
If intermediate magic was this powerful, what about advanced magic? It was hard to imagine...
"I'm done for, Luo Ge. I think I've caused trouble..." Seeing the huge hole he had blasted through the wall, Rudeus instinctively turned to Luo Ge for help.
Luo Ge could only wave his hands. "You're on your own."
Just as Luo Ge was about to retreat at light speed, sacrificing a pawn to save the king, something happened.
Paul and Zenith arrived even faster than he had imagined.
The two blocked the doorway, surveying their surroundings warily. Paul looked thoroughly puzzled. "Was it a monster? But... there shouldn't be any monsters in the village."
Paul and Zenith immediately turned to Rudeus and Luo Ge in unison, hoping the two little ones could offer a reasonable explanation.
So Luo Ge raised his hand without hesitation. "I'd like to report something. Rudeus was secretly practicing magic. He did all of this!"
"Huh?!"
Betrayed by his good buddy, Rudeus immediately pulled a face uglier than if he had eaten shit.
Wait, what?
What was going on?
Hadn't they agreed to fight side by side in this other world from now on? And he'd turned around and sold him out.
While Rudeus trembled, expecting punishment for the trouble he had caused, Paul and Zenith exchanged a glance, then looked utterly astonished.
Zenith, in particular, broke into an excited smile, her face looking comical.
"A genius! Aaaah, a genius! My son Rudeus is a magical genius!" Zenith waved her arms and danced with excitement.
After that...
Under Paul and Zenith's questioning, the two finally explained everything that had happened.
After hearing them out, Zenith didn't doubt them in the slightest. She excitedly hugged Rudeus, showered him with praise, and planted a kiss on him.
Paul, on the other hand, remained somewhat skeptical.
After all, a three-year-old who hadn't even learned all his letters teaching himself intermediate magic at home was simply too ridiculous.
Probably no one would believe it if he told them.
Yet what had happened here seemed to be telling Paul that it really was true.
After lavishing praise on Rudeus, Zenith noticed her younger son, Luo Ge, whom she had neglected beside them.
Zenith didn't favor Rudeus just because he was a genius. Instead, she pulled Luo Ge into her embrace as well.
She also made sure to reassure him. "Even if you don't have your big brother's talent for magic, don't be sad, Luo Ge. Mommy will love you just the same."
"Um... have you considered that I might know magic too?" Luo Ge scratched his head.
"..."
Zenith and Paul froze.
Without another word, Luo Ge simply cast a spell in front of them as well.
Unlike the spell Rudeus had just cast, however, Rudeus's had been the intermediate water spell Water Stream, while he used the most elementary Water Ball.
Their power was worlds apart.
The only thing they shared... was that both were chantless water magic.
"Huh?"
An expression of utter astonishment instantly spread across Zenith's face.
As though something had suddenly occurred to her, she hastily caught hold of Luo Ge, crouched down, and spoke excitedly.
"Wait!"
"Come to think of it... neither of you chanted when you used magic just now, did you?"
"Mm... it seems neither Rudeus nor I needs to chant." Luo Ge nodded noncommittally.
Having seen that he wouldn't be arrested as some kind of freak and tortured, Rudeus also cast a water spell without chanting, proving that he didn't need to chant either.
???
Zenith was completely stunned.
She exchanged another glance with Paul, and each could see the shock in the other's eyes.
Zenith grew even more excited, dancing with joy on the spot like those people in his previous life who had won a five-million jackpot.
She had thought her eldest son, Rudeus, was already a genius. Who knew her other son was equally exceptional? There was another master in their midst.
Geniuses, buy one, get one free.
Being called a magical genius left Luo Ge a little embarrassed. "Um... aren't I actually trash? Rudeus has learned intermediate magic!"
In Luo Ge's eyes, Rudeus had learned intermediate magic in just six months, while all he could do was cast a few elementary spells without chanting.
All this time, Luo Ge had felt he was utterly useless, and it had left him terribly depressed every day.
He could lose to anyone else, but losing to Rudeus, a fellow reincarnator, always grated on him.
Yet after hearing Luo Ge put himself down, Zenith grew very angry and immediately pressed a hand to her forehead.
"How could that possibly be true! You're only three this year, and you've already learned elementary magic, without chanting, at that... If you're trash, then wouldn't a mage like me, who only knows intermediate healing magic, be worse than trash!"
After a pause, Zenith continued explaining. "Don't be discouraged. Luo Ge, your magical talent has actually already surpassed ninety-nine percent of the people in this world."
"So that's it!"
Luo Ge understood.
His world had simply been too small.
Rudeus's magical talent was so absurd that it had already gone far beyond the level of a genius.
That was why even magical geniuses paled in comparison to him.
Simply put.
Even if he didn't have Rudeus's astonishing mana reserves, his ability to cast chantless magic already made him better than the vast majority of people in the world.
What soon followed was... a fierce argument between Zenith and Paul.
"We clearly agreed before that boys would learn swordsmanship..."
"Did we agree to that? Why don't I remember? Rudeus and Luo Ge are clearly magical geniuses. I think they should both study magic, and when they're older, we'll send them to a magic academy for further training."
"Isn't that too greedy? At least let me have one! You want both?!"
"Hmph, I don't care... Both of them will definitely become outstanding mages!"
Seeing their argument reach a deadlock, Luo Ge had no choice but to interrupt. "Um... I'm actually not interested in magic."
At that, the couple immediately turned toward Luo Ge. Zenith looked astonished. "What did you say? You're not interested in magic?"
"Mother..."
"I only practiced magic on a whim. Rather than studying magic in the future, I'd prefer to learn swordsmanship from Father," Luo Ge said with an indifferent expression.
"You can cast without chanting after just practicing on a whim? Uh, that's a little too..." If Paul and Zenith had lived in modern times, the word "humblebrag" would certainly have sprung to mind.
Paul was thrilled that his younger son, Luo Ge, supported him. So there was still someone in this family on his side.
His younger son, Luo Ge, really was his sweet little darling.
Just as Paul was about to agree, something happened.
But Zenith suddenly seemed to think of something. Holding Luo Ge gently, she scolded Paul. "Darling, did you hear that? This child is so considerate at such a young age. Could you really bear to make him give up his dreams?"
"???"
Luo Ge froze.
He kept feeling that Zenith had imagined something on her own, but he couldn't quite say what.
Seeing that they were about to argue again, Luo Ge continued, "Mother, I really am not interested in magic. Compared to magic, I think a real man should wield a sword."
"Well said! Absolutely wonderful! You'll learn swordsmanship from me from now on. You'll definitely become an incredible swordsman someday."
Just as Paul tried to hug this younger son who was willing to be close to him and give him a kiss, something happened.
As though Luo Ge had anticipated his move, he reacted.
He dodged effortlessly.
Having grabbed at empty air, Paul scratched his head in confusion.
Was it his imagination?
With his physical abilities, catching a child in his arms should have been effortless.
Yet the boy had dodged him so easily.
Paul didn't dwell on it, instead preparing to settle the two children's future study plans with Zenith.
They would hire a tutor for their eldest son, Rudeus Greyrat, to teach him magic.
Their younger son, Rog Greyrat, would study swordsmanship under Paul.
That was the family's educational policy...
Broadly following those lines, they drew up a rough plan for the two children.
Although Zenith later urged Luo Ge not to waste his astonishing magical talent, Luo Ge simply refused to listen, leaving Zenith filled with regret.
She remained convinced that her argument with Paul had forced their child to make this choice.
In reality, however.
Luo Ge hadn't made this decision on a passing impulse. He had thought it through carefully.
First of all.
To put it bluntly.
Deep down, Luo Ge did have a bit of a desire to compete with Rudeus in secret.
After all, if he couldn't beat Rudeus in magical talent, surely he could beat him in swordsmanship talent?
Luo Ge was completely confident about that, because he had gradually come to understand the gift the system had left behind.
Before the system unbound itself and left...
It had given him the most unique god-tier swordsmanship talent in the world. Ever since the day he had secretly watched Paul practicing with his sword, Luo Ge had understood where his advantage lay.
So, no matter what.
Focusing on swordsmanship was the clearest path before him right now.