In the blink of an eye, five years had already passed since Ryn got himself reincarnated into this crazy world, and honestly, those five years felt like forever but also went by super fast at the same time. But here's the thing - Ryn actually had fun during every single day of it, which was a complete 180 from his previous shitty life where he didn't even get a tiny taste of happiness and just lived in pure depression like some sad anime character. Now everything had changed completely and there was no point in crying about his depressing past anymore, because Ryn had been living a totally different life that was actually worth living up until this very moment. But the most important thing that made him feel like he won the lottery was that he finally knew how to walk around without face-planting into the ground every two seconds, and he could actually talk like a normal human being instead of making weird baby noises that nobody understood.
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"Hell yeah..! It's been so long! I... Have mastered the art of speech!"
Ryn punched the air like he just won a boxing match, running around in circles in his room like a hyperactive hamster on steroids, his face glowing with pure joy and excitement.
"Not only that, but I can now walk! The most fucking important skill in life!"
Ryn let out a huge sigh that sounded like he just finished running a marathon, feeling relieved and happy but also dumb as hell for getting excited about basic human functions that babies learn to do. He walked over to his bed that was chilling at the far side of his room, and there he just flopped down like a dead fish, thinking about everything that had happened in his new life so far.
—This world that I'm stuck in now is definitely way different than the boring one from my past life, because magic that can blow stuff up, sharp swords that can slice people in half, and crazy shit like that actually exists here, while back in my old world it would just be considered as fake stories, supernatural nonsense, and fantasy bullshit that nerds read about.
—The reason I'm still breathing and walking around up until now is still not completely clear to me, and to be honest, I wouldn't really call myself truly alive since I've already kicked the bucket at least once in my pathetic previous life, so I'm basically a walking zombie or something.
Ryn thought while staring straight up at the wooden ceiling that he had memorized every single crack and stain of during his time in this room.
"Ryn!"
"It's time for breakfast!"
"I'm coming Mom!"
After hearing his loving mother yell for him to come eat, he didn't waste a single second and jumped out of his room faster than a kid running to get free candy. He went to the right side of the hallway, then turned left toward the kitchen, and there were his parents and Maria already sitting around the table like they were waiting for the main character to show up to start the show.
—This peaceful family scene right here is something I'll protect with my life, no matter what kind of crazy shit tries to mess with it.
Ryn grinned like an idiot while closing his eyes, feeling all warm and fuzzy inside like he just drank hot chocolate on a cold day.
"Come, Ryn!"
Ophelia called out to him with a bright smile that could probably blind someone, waving him over to sit down and eat her amazing cooking.
Ryn walked toward the empty seat that was perfectly placed between Jan and Ophelia, and right across from Maria who was already eyeing the food like a hungry wolf.
"Wow, the food today looks good!"
"Heh. It's your mother's specialty!"
Jan bragged like he was the one who cooked everything, putting on a teasing smile that made him look like a smug little kid.
"Don't act like you made it when you can barely make toast without burning it."
Ophelia pouted like a cute little kid, looking down at the floor with her lips sticking out in the most adorable way possible.
"I'm sorry darling! Don't be mad!"
Jan apologized faster than a speeding bullet, his face looking worried and scared like he just accidentally broke something expensive, not knowing that his wife was just messing with him like she always did.
"Got'cha!"
Ryn and Maria couldn't keep their laughter inside anymore because watching these two lovebirds flirt and act all cute was too funny for them to handle, so they both burst out laughing like hyenas. Both of them were definitely thinking the same thing about how ridiculous and adorable their parents could be when they acted like teenagers in love.
"Haah..."
Jan let out a long sigh that sounded like he just survived a heart attack, feeling relieved that she wasn't actually mad but also happy that he got to see her playful side again.
"Alright! Let's eat already!"
Ophelia clapped her hands together like she was starting a show, smiling at everyone who was sitting there ready to devour her delicious homemade cooking.
—Damn, this food really does taste like it came straight from heaven or something...
Ryn was completely blown away by how good everything tasted, because none of the food in his previous miserable life had ever tasted this amazing or made him feel this satisfied. Not even a single meal could compare to this masterpiece, and it was like he was eating at some fancy five-star restaurant every single day without paying a dime.
"Anyways Ryn, there's something we need to talk about,"
"Five years ago—you might not remember this, but you somehow cast a beginner's spell that was crazy powerful enough to blast a huge hole in the storage room's thick walls."
"Mhm."
"Uhh..."
—Yeah, I'll just pretend like I don't remember that little incident, because I don't want them getting suspicious about me being some kind of weird reincarnated person or whatever.
Ryn thought about it for a second, then came up with the perfect plan to avoid any awkward questions that might make things complicated.
"Yeah, I honestly don't remember doing anything like that."
Ryn lied smooth as butter while scratching his head to make himself look more innocent and clueless about the whole thing.
"Yeah, I thought so since you were just a little baby... But we're planning to hire a professional mage to teach you proper magic."
"Wait, what did you just say?"
Ryn was completely confused and started looking back and forth between Ophelia and Jan like he was watching a tennis match, his eyes going wide with surprise. This news came out of nowhere and hit him like a truck, because he never thought that they'd actually take his magical accident seriously enough to hire a real teacher.
"We're hiring a professional mage to teach you how to use magic safely!"
Ophelia said while clapping her hands together like she was celebrating his birthday, her face lighting up with the biggest smile ever.
"Congrats Young Master!"
Maria jumped into the celebration by clapping along, her eyes sparkling with excitement for Ryn's future magical training.
"YAHOOOOOO!"
Jan screamed loud enough to probably wake up everyone in the entire neighborhood, acting like he was the one who was going to learn magic instead of his son.
—This whole magic training thing might actually turn out to be pretty fun and exciting.
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A whole week had passed since that crazy breakfast conversation, and someone was knocking on their front door with steady knocks that sounded pretty quiet but Ophelia's mom ears could definitely hear it clearly. She walked over to the entrance and carefully opened the heavy wooden door to see who was bothering them this early in the morning, and right there standing in front of her was the so-called 'professional mage' they had been talking about and waiting for.
"Hello, I'm the trainer you hired to teach your son magic."
The guy said in a calm voice while flashing a friendly smile that made him look like a nice person who wouldn't accidentally blow up their house during training. He was pretty tall with blonde hair that looked like it belonged in some fancy shampoo commercial, and his body looked decent enough to show that he actually worked out instead of just sitting around eating chips all day. His eyes were big and had this friendly look that made him seem approachable and trustworthy, which perfectly matched his polite way of talking that made parents feel comfortable leaving their kids with him.
He was wearing a clean white shirt that looked freshly washed, a light-brown waistcoat that was layered on top to make him look more professional, and finally a shiny silver chest plate that probably cost more than most people's monthly rent. He also had a sturdy leather belt with a well-made sword hanging from it along with its fancy scabbard that looked like it had seen some real action in the past. On his legs were some nice black pants that looked comfortable to move around in, plus a knee-guard for extra protection during fights, and it seemed like he was hiding a shin-guard inside his pants for complete leg armor.
This was the skilled guy who was going to turn Ryn into a badass mage who could blow stuff up legally.