Everyone looked so tiny!

"W-what?! How?! I'm big again?!"

In what world was strengthening his body supposed to give Jack back an adult body?! More importantly, what was up with that domineering new Skill?!

[Evil God Body! (U)]

"Old Ghost, what is THIS?!"

"It worked. I can't believe it worked!"

Jack had so many questions at that moment. Had this crazy Ghost just gambled with his safety?! What had worked exactly?!

"Alright, kid, sit down. I'll explain everything..."

Even the foxes sat for story-time, stealing glances at Jack every so often. Was this really their Master? He looked so handsome!

Turns out the Old Ghost had once chanced upon an extremely rare body cultivation technique and obtained it after countless sacrifices.

Yet all his efforts had been for naught as it could only be used by people who had never practiced body strengthening techniques before.

"So you used me as a guinea pig?"

"Hey, kid, it's a great technique! It's not worth starting over from scratch, but for you, it's PERFECT! Aren't you glad you met me?!"

True, danger was nothing if it brought him safety. Instead of arguing, Jack turned toward his status screen, trying to gather information. But all he found was..

[Evil God Body!(U)] —> Unknown Effect!

He closed his eyes, trying to sense his body.

But suddenly, he jerked up in shock. What was up with this?! He could feel something foreign in his body as if a dark hole in the pit of his stomach.. yet not there?!historical

He could feel it swirl with the remnant energy from the ritual, devouring it as if an ever-hungry beast on the prowl. Why did this thing feel ominous?! That's when he heard it!

~ Hungryyy

~ Sooo Hungryyy

~ Mooore, need more!

This thing wanted more energy, boundless energy. He could feel an insatiable hunger that nothing could possibly quench. But then, with all the Mana gone, it went into slumber.

The Dark Hole seemed to freeze as if deactivated, and then..

— BZZZTT! BZZZT! BZZZTT! —

Jack's entire body trembled as the world gigantified before his eyes. Actually, no, he was the one that was shrinking again! Then a second later, he was back to his baby body.

"W-what just happened?! Did it fail?!"

"Hehe, kid, it's a success! You simply ran out of Mana: it's that kind of Skill. Legend says its original owner could turn into a Titan stronger than Dragons and larger than mountains!"

So this "activated" ability would buff him as long as it was running but would consume an equal amount of Mana? Was this why it was classified as Unique (U)?

The more Mana he fed it —> The more powerful it became

With his measly 8 Magic, turning into an adult version of himself for a few minutes seemed to be the extent of this technique's capabilities. Was that even useful?

"Hehe, cheer up, kid! Sure, turning big is fun, but that's just a bonus! Thanks to this technique, the durability of your whole body has increased, even in baby form!"

"D-does this mean..?!"

"Yes, MAGIC!"

This was the bestest news ever! Jack's eyes gleamed with desire, and he was already ready to pull as many all-nighters as it would take. He WAS learning Magic!

"Alright, kid, look carefully..."

Under Jack and the foxes' eager gaze, the Old Ghost started using countless spells of all elements imaginable. He was like a Random Magic Generator.

Fire, thunder, ice, rock, darkness, if one could think of it, he'd showcase it! All besides the holy element, of course. Those were all as harmless as flashy, as for their purpose..

"So, how does it feel? Which one do you prefer, kid?"

"Shouldn't we test my magical affinity?"

Jack knew that much; not everyone had the same talent for every element. Wouldn't it be better to go with what his body was good at?

"Scoff, that's bullshit! The core of Magic is DESIRE. You must want something so bad that you manifest it through sheer motherfucking will."

"I once knew a fish that became a fire Archmage! Do you know how many times he almost grilled himself? But that's what made him the BEST!"

"It's not about what you can do NOW, but what you want to do so badly that you'll transcend all world rules to get it! That's the Dainsleff school of thought, anyway!"

W-was he for real?! This challenged everything Jack had always believed and heard all his life. The Old Ghost was crazy, even by their world's standards, right?

Yet, Jack found himself grinning... He freaking loved that! After being thrown around by his Ill-Fate in his previous life, HE'd be the one in control this time!

"I want to enjoy myself, crushing my opponents as easily as sipping tea, them not knowing what hit them until it's too late. Above all else, I want CONTROL!"

Jack poured his heart out.

This was his second chance. He wouldn't freaking waste it! This was the life he'd make all his extraordinarily ordinary dreams come true!

The more he talked, the more he glowed. As he pictured himself swatting all the troubles that had plagued him in his previous life, he felt like a god... and he LOVED IT!

"Hehe, kid, I know just the thing for you!"

The Ghost raised his hand, a tiny flicker appearing. It formed a bluish arrow that lazily flew around like a swimming fish. Then with a wave, it streaked toward the foxes!

— Whoosh! Whoosh! —

A second later, an unfortunate fox found itself.. shaved?! Jack barely saw what happened, only seeing a fleeting blue shadow. It was near invisible and so easy to miss!

"T-this?! What the hell was this?"

"Hehe, kid, this is ARCANE!

ARCANE, the purest element in Magic. It was literally Magical Control pushed so far that Mana itself became as sharp as a dagger.. without any flashy element!

This was both the weakest and strongest element there was. It wasn't that fast, powerful, or even resistant.. but it was the most adaptable power ever! It was all about MASTERY!

"So, kid, what do you think?"

"YES!"

A crazy Teacher and Pupil started cackling madly. The nearby foxes wanted to join in the fun but were unable to. For some reason, they had a BAD feeling about this!