The Elestar: Zero

The stick landed straight on the center of my forehead, and once again, I passed out. I lay unconscious for about five hours—and even managed to have a dream during that time. 

In the dream, sticks were dancing around me joyfully as they beat me, seemingly taking pleasure in it. I woke up screaming in fear.

By that time, night had already fallen. I opened my eyes in front of the cabin. As always, Master was preparing food over the campfire.

"Awake now?"

"Yes…" I tried to get up, but my head throbbed with pain. Holding my forehead, I gave up and sat back down.

"Head hurts, doesn't it? Sorry, I overdid it a bit. I'll be more careful next time."

"How did you do it?"

"What?"

"I mean—how did you throw the stick without even seeing me?"

"Ah. I sensed your mana. That's how I aimed."

"How exactly did you sense it?"

"When you concentrate your mana, it either stops spreading or becomes weaker around you. That's why I told you to meditate—so you could reduce the outward flow and internalize it. By concentrating your mana, you keep circulating it through your body repeatedly. This makes it stronger and much more effective in use. That's the purpose of meditation and concentration."

"Ah, I see now."

"Fire is one of the five main elements in this world. So it needs a different kind of approach. If you don't cover your body in flame mana, your body will simply burn to ash."

I didn't understand what he meant. My body would turn to ash?

"Burn… to ash?!"

"Yes. Like I said, if you're going to use Elestar techniques, you must have complete control over yourself. It's the same when using fire—if you lose focus even for a second, you know what will happen. Other elements also have dangerous aspects. That's exactly why Elestars became powerful mages. The First Emperor was an Elestar too."

"The First Emperor? Wasn't he just a myth?"

"Many people think so. But he was real. He lived about a hundred thousand years ago."

"One hundred thousand years?"

"Back then, even the Elven Kingdom didn't exist yet. That's why there's so little information about the First Emperor."

"Elven Kingdom?"

After that last question, Master looked at me differently. He looked disappointed.

"You don't even know that? What era are you living in, huh? Not knowing about the Elves…"

"I've heard of them—just in my parents' bedtime stories."

"Where is your village?" he asked, surprised.

"If you head west from here for about a day and a half…"

"I've never heard of a village in that area. Do you know where the nearest city is?"

"Yes. It's about a day's walk from the village along the main road."

"Ah, makes sense. Your village is near the border and hidden in the forest. That explains why you don't know much."

[Strange… I've never heard of the village this boy is talking about. And that region borders the Flame Kingdom and the Demon Realm. Can people even live there? Something's not right. Could it be that the demons themselves placed humans there? It's possible—people live like that in the Vampire Lands. They offer their blood in exchange for protection from other monsters. But according to Attu, their village was attacked… that doesn't add up. I'll need to investigate further.]

"If possible, tell me everything!"

"Alright. I'll tell you when we've got free time like this. What do you want to know?"

"Tell me more about the First Emperor!"

"Okay, listen closely. Like I said, the First Emperor lived about a hundred thousand years ago. I read about him in an old book. He was the strongest mage—or more precisely, the strongest Elestar—of his time. There were mages before him, but none as powerful. He managed to build a vast empire. While he was establishing his empire, the demons were building their own kingdom on the other side of the world—where humans had never set foot.

The Demon King started a war. The Emperor led his army into battle and emerged victorious. The First Demon King was killed, but his descendants survived. Demons, like Elves, have long lifespans—but no demon lives past 2,500 years. Elves, on the other hand, can live up to 3,000 years. Have you ever seen an elf? Their ears are long and pointy. And if you touch them…!"

"Hold on, weren't you telling me about the war? Where did the elves come from? You said their kingdom didn't even exist back then."

"Oh, right, sorry—I got sidetracked. What was I saying?"

"About the Demon King…"

"Right! So the Demon King died, but his children survived. Then, suddenly, the First Emperor passed away."

"What happened to him?"

"What else? Human greed killed him."

"What? What do you mean greed?"

"Sometimes, humans are even worse and greedier than demons. Human greed caused the fall of a great empire. After the Emperor died, the empire broke apart and split into multiple nations. Fortunately, the Demon King's children weren't that powerful. No matter which country they attacked, they couldn't conquer any. But over generations, their descendants grew stronger. This eventually led to the rise and fall of various kingdoms. To this day, not a single nation has lasted since the empire's time. Every country that rises eventually falls.

Remember this, Attu!" — he was interrupted by a loud snore beside him. Looking over, he saw that Attu had already fallen asleep.

Valorant wanted to wake him, but seeing how peacefully the boy was sleeping, he changed his mind. He covered Attu with a blanket, turned toward the fire, and said:

"You've had a long day. Rest well." He sat watching the flames.

Dawn broke. I had been so exhausted from yesterday. I hadn't expected mana concentration to be this difficult. Circulating mana through the body, gathering it in one place or shifting it elsewhere, was no easy feat.

Master Valorant explained how crucial mana concentration is for an Elestar. Elestars are essentially knights who can use magic.

They're mainly trained to fight demons. Mana isn't just for casting spells—it can also be used to strengthen the body. "That's the main difference between mages and Elestars," said Master Valorant.

And so, today's training began. I managed to hold my mana concentration longer than before. Day by day, I'm improving. And just like that, time continues to pass.

It's been a month since I met Master Valorant. During that time, all I've done is practice mana concentration. No physical training at all. But I've learned a lot more about my master.

Turns out, he's a fan of elves—or more specifically, elf girls. If you could call it "being a fan," that is. One day, while Master was asleep, I walked into his room. He had a magazine in his hand, labeled "Journal," and had dozed off holding it. Curious, I looked closer—it was full of model elf girls. That's when I realized he had a strong interest in elves. And honestly… elf girls are indeed beautiful.

"From today on, you'll not only focus on mana concentration, but also train your body. Can you feel your mana now?"

"Yes. I can sense it quite well."

"Good. Then today—starting now—we begin real training."

And so, the real training began. The month of mana-sensing and calming exercises had come to an end.

Today, I ran through the forest. I didn't think Master would make me run that far. After that, I had to do 100 push-ups until I was completely drained. If I collapsed, Master would hit me with his favorite weapon—his stick.

"Master! Can I take a break?"

"Of course!" I was thrilled to hear that. "Just thirty more first," he added.

That crushed my short-lived happiness. To be honest, Master's training is incredibly tough and relentless.

"Remember what I told you?"

"What part?"

"A person who knows the pain of stillness will understand the value of movement. So, keep moving. You did nothing for a whole month—you need to pay for it now."

That didn't motivate me at all. But I kept going anyway. I didn't get far. Completely drained, I collapsed face-first into the dirt.

"Come on, twenty more to go," Master said, giving me a solid whack with his stick.

"Master… I have no strength left…" I whispered weakly.

"Don't die on me! We still have one more thing to do."

"What?"

"Alright, take a break. We'll continue once you've recovered."

Master let me rest and left me alone—which he usually didn't do. Lately, he's been doing that more often. He disappears somewhere frequently. Well, whatever it is—I've rested now. Time to get up. Master's back, too. I should ask what he's been up to.

"Shall we begin?"

"Begin what?"

"Starting today, I'll also teach you how to fight."