"Grandpa… what are you saying?" Lisa asked carefully, as if questioning his sanity.
"Elder… are you feeling alright?" Theodore added, genuine concern in his voice.
Vladimir's eyes narrowed.
"You're fortunate I've learned restraint in my old age," he said coldly. "Otherwise, I would've torn you both apart for that tone."
Silence filled the room.
'Considering grandpa's personality, he might've really done that...' Lisa thought.
Levy, confused, tilted his head. "Why would I become family head?"
Vladimir's lips curved into a smile.
"…Because," he began.
Then the smile vanished, replaced by a scowl.
"There are no proper successors. They're all trash!"
"My uncles aren't that bad…" Lisa muttered weakly.
"By normal standards? Perhaps," Vladimir admitted. "But compared to the heirs of other great families? We are falling behind."
'Ohhhh! This is serious.' Lin Feng listened with interest.
"Is it truly that dire, Elder?" Theodore asked.
"You don't see it because I'm still alive," Vladimir replied evenly. "But when I look at the younger generation…"
His gaze shifted to Levy.
"Then I saw you."
"Me?" Levy blinked.
"Yeah, you have an abnormal amount of mana for your age. It's enough to overwhelm all of the rookies in the family combined."
Vladimir continued, "now tell me Lisa, Theodore. Why did you not say anything about Levy's potential?"
"I didn't want him involved in the clan," she said honestly. "If possible, I wanted Levy to live a normal life. Even knowing his talent… even knowing I was clipping his wings… I chose that."
Her eyes reddened.
"Mom…" Levy didn't understand what he was feeling—but it hurt.
"I'm sorry, Levy…" She pulled him into an embrace.
'That explains it.' Lin Feng thought, 'From the day I was sealed within Levy, I've always known they were both mages, but I couldn't understand why they weren't teaching Levy anything.'
Vladimir said nothing.
Theodore stepped forward.
"With respect, Elder… when the Varnhagen family allowed Lisa to marry me, it was partly to reduce internal competition for the vice-head position."
His voice was steady.
"I won't throw my son into that kind of world."
He continued,
"And the company I built—MRV Electronics—can guarantee Levy a stable future. As long as he studies well, he'll live comfortably in success."
Vladimir listened quietly.
"That is admirable," he said at last, then he looked at Levy, "have you asked Levy what it was that he wanted to do?"
Theodore a bit stunned couldn't meet his gaze and hesitantly answered, "N-no."
Theodore stiffened.
"…No."
"I see."
Vladimir looked directly at Levy.
"What is it that you want to do? Would you like to walk the path of a scholar? A business man like your father? A mage like me? Or something else entirely?"
"Grandpa! That's a bit early to ask! He's only 8!" Lisa interjected.
Levy fell silent for a moment.
"It is precisely because he is young that we should ask now."
The two were bickering back and forth.
"I've decided!"
Levy's voice cut through them.
"I want to learn magic. I want to become a mage."
Theodore's expression dimmed slightly.
"Levy…"
Vladimir, on the other hand, beamed.
"Good!"
"…But," Levy added quickly, "I'll inherit Dad's company too."
Vladimir blinked.
"How greedy." Vladimir remarked, "I like it."
"Let's put your talents to the test shall we?" Vladimir said as he snapped his fingers and the barrier he produced earlier broke.
"Wilson!" He shouted.
The next second, a man ain his fifties with a beard, wearing a black suit with sunglasses. Short-auburn hair, and a slice at his left cheek came running to Vladimir's side.
"The ENDA!"
"Yes great elder!" Then Wilson took out something from his bag, a crystal-like ball and offered it to Vladimir while kneeling on one knee.
'That is?!' Lin Feng mentally stood up.
"Is that the ENDA?" Lisa whispered.
"Yeah..." Theodore whispered back.
"What's that?" Levy asked.
"It is what we call ENDA young master, the Elemental Nature Detector Artifact." Wilson answered.
Vladimir gestured.
"Now, Levy place your hand in this."
And so Levy did.
He placed his right hand on the crystal ball.
'Since he's from a family of mages that control the wind, he'll obviously get the wind. What's there to watch out for?' Lin Feng hypothesized.
Lisa squeezed Theodore's arm. "What do you think?"
"I… don't know," Theodore admitted.
He feared the possibility Levy would inherit his unattributed status instead.
'Please change into something!' Theodore was getting nervous by the second.
And then-
White strands formed inside—like threads of wind weaving together.
Theodore inhaled sharply.
"Ye—"
"YES!" Vladimir shot to his feet, fists raised.
Everyone looked at him with shock.
Even Wilson looked startled.
"So…?" Levy asked cautiously.
"It means you possess Wind elemental nature," Vladimir confirmed proudly.
Inside the sphere, the winds intensified—spiraling violently like a miniature hurricane.
Then something changed.
Vladimir frowned.
"What is this?"
Lisa, Theodore, and Wilson all watched in silence as they observed the changes.
'Is this kid...' Lin Feng thought of the countless possible answers. 'Nah, no way. That's too lucky.'
"What's going on?" Levy confused by the adults' confusion as well, 'is this bad?'
The swirling winds condensed, forming clouds.
From within those clouds—
Lightning flashed.
"...what?" Lisa was taken aback.
"Lightning?" Vladimir was also confused.
Lin Feng stood up mentally froze, 'What the fuck is this!?'
"My son is a dual affinity mage!" Theodore was the first to react positively. Roaring with joy.
Scooping up his son to his shoulders.
"Did I do good, Dad?" Levy asked.
"You did incredible! HAHAHA!"
Vladimir, however, remained thoughtful. "But how is this possible? I'm sure there's not one in the family history that had lightning as an elemental nature?"
'Exactly,' Lin Feng agreed, 'he came from a long line of family that wields the wind, why would he get a lightning elemental nature?'
Wilson spoke carefully.
"If not from Lady Lisa's side… perhaps from Master Theodore's?"
"Oh."
The realization struck both Vladimir and Lin Feng simultaneously.
"Eh? Me?" Theodore blinked.
"My husband?" Lisa echoed.
Theodore went silent.
"…I suppose this counts."
"What counts?" Lisa pressed.
Theodore cleared his throat.
"My grandfather was an electrical wireman. My father worked at a power station. And I built an electronics company."
He looked at Vladimir hopefully.
Vladimir stared at him.
"That's… absurd."
"It's the only explanation I've got!" Theodore defended.
Wilson adjusted his glasses. "…It is statistically consistent with generational elemental immersion theory."
"...however the inconsistency is the fact that my predecessors weren't mages, I'm the first one in my bloodline to do so..." Theodore added.
"Which is why it's even more far-fetched."
"Well, what I proposed was merely a theory, it wasn't approved as a law since there were inconsistencies, and we're experiencing it real time."
"…Hmph." Vladimir couldn't immediately refute that.
Lisa gently lowered Levy from Theodore's shoulders.
"Grandpa… you'll oversee Levy's training, right?"
"Of course," Vladimir replied.
He paused.
"But as for Lightning…"
He scratched his chin.
"There aren't many notable lightning specialists at the moment."
'Reason being is that unlike other elements, the element of lightning was only harnessed after the age of electricity came, before that there was only one family who utilized it.' Lin Feng reminisced about his past.
"'The Teslon Family'", Vladimir and Lin Feng simultaneously remarked.
The room grew quiet.
"...but great elder, it's been a Century since the destruction of that family." Wilson broke the silence.
Lin Feng was shocked by this piece of news.
'So they're already gone in this time period?'
Theodore spoke up, "Well, there's bound to be some tomes circulating around the magic world belonging to the Teslon Family."
"You're absolutely right for once Theodore." Vladimir liked his idea.
'Just for once?' Theodore thought inwardly.
Vladimir glanced at Wilson and gave his command.
"Wilson, go ahead and mobilize some men to investigate about these tomes. At once."
'Things are about to get interesting...' Vladimir smirked.
Wind and lightning continued to swirl inside the crystal.
And for the first time—
Even Vladimir looked intrigued.
------------------------------
"That was exhausting..." Levy said as he plopped down on his bed.
'Tell me about it...' Lin Feng was of the same mind.
"Status open." He muttered.
[Congratulations!]
The host has unlocked the elemental nature feature!
'I nearly forgot the system existed...' Lin Feng thought. 'This kid isn't utlizing it enough!'
[System scanning for appropriate reward…]
…
[Search complete.]
[Reward Granted.]Magic Skill Acquired: Wind Gale Palm (E-Rank)
"Wind Gale Palm?" Levy murmured.
The name felt simple. Almost ordinary.
He willed the panel to expand.
[Magic Mastery System]
Name: Levy Tobias Morozov
Physique: 9.23 → 9.26
Mana: 23.120 → 23.129
Elemental Nature: Wind (S-rank), Lightning (C-rank)
Magic Skills:
Active Skills:
> Wind Gale Palm (E-rank)
Acquired Techniques: Asha Circulation Method
Levy's eyes widened.
"Finally! My elemental nature has been unlocked!" Levy rejoiced, "...however I don't remember elemental natures having ranks?"
'Well of course you don't, that wasn't discovered until the year 2103.' Lin Feng answered as if Levy could hear him. 'Well it was my 76th reincarnation to find out about that.'
"I should ask great grandpa about it!"
"But what's this > icon?"
The moment he focused on it, the panel expanded again.
Magic Skills:
Active Skills:
∨ Wind Gale Palm (E-rank)
Description:A foundational wind-element technique that converts refined mana into directional kinetic force through the palm.
Execution Sequence:
1. Gather mana from the mana pool.
2. Transmute raw mana into wind-aspected mana through elemental alignment.
3. Rotate wind mana within the lower abdominal nexus to stabilize pressure.
4. Guide the mana through primary pathways: S-22 → S-13.
5. Branch into the deltoid meridians.
6. Channel through the radial conduits of the arm.
7. Release through the palm node.
Result:Generates a concentrated gust of compressed wind.
*Notice: Damage output scales with wind mana concentration.*Notice: Damage output scales with mana circulation velocity.*Notice: Structural integrity of mana pathways directly affects compression efficiency.
"...I still don't know how to do it despite this detailed instruction..." Levy felt stupid, "How do I even transmutate raw mana into wind mana in the first place??"
Accepting his defeat, he went to sleep.