The Mage’s Nemesis Has Reincarnated - Chapter 3

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

The Natural Enemy of Mages Has Been Reincarnated – Episode 3
“Pardon?”
Perhaps it was because the reality diverged so sharply from my expectations.
I couldn’t immediately comprehend my master’s words.
“Literally. This child possesses no talent for magic.”
Humans are born with certain innate qualities.
Mana sensitivity—the ability to perceive and manipulate mana.
Mana affinity—the capacity to accept mana into one’s body.
Failure to meet the average threshold in even one of these determines whether someone can become a mage.
Dalfred had assessed that my talents fell below that average.
“My own child lacks the talent to become a mage? What kind of nonsense is that?”
“I didn’t believe it at first either. But it’s true. Even when I channel mana into him, his body refuses to accept it. His mana affinity is zero.”
“Impossible! I’ll verify this myself!”
I watched as my father directly channeled mana into my wrist.
The mana that should have flowed through my veins was scattered by some unprecedented force, then vanished entirely.
“What? This… what is this?”
My father, startled, attempted to channel mana again, but it proved futile.
Each time he poured mana into me, it refused to remain in my body and simply dissipated.
“See? Didn’t I tell you it wouldn’t work?”
“How is this even possible…?”
“Your body is rejecting mana itself.”
“Then… I truly cannot become a mage?”
“How could you form a circle when your body rejects mana?”
Unable to accept this incomprehensible reality, my father channeled mana into me once more.
No matter how many times he repeated the attempt, the result remained unchanged.
Faced with this unchanging reality, my father’s pupils trembled with distress.
“This… this can’t be right…”
I had anticipated such remarkable talent, yet my body refused to accept mana?
The greater the expectation, the greater the shock.
All of my father’s children had inherited magical talent, so this outcome seemed impossible.
Dalfred watched his disheartened disciple with sympathetic eyes.
“Even among prestigious magical families, it occasionally happens—though rarely—that a child fails to inherit the talent. It seems your youngest son was simply unlucky enough to fall into that category.”
“Master, is there truly no solution?”
“Well… I’ve never encountered a case like this before…”
“A child of a prestigious magical family unable to become a mage… how could this…”
While my father sank into despair, I could barely contain my grin.
I had no idea my stats would increase so easily.
[The absorbed mana is being converted into random stats.]
[Resilience has permanently increased by 1.]
[You have reached your daily stat increase limit.]
[You cannot raise your stats any further.]
‘This is incredible, isn’t it? To be able to raise stats from infancy.’
It seems that what they call mana in this world is magical power.
If I could only obtain the magical power that was just infused into me, I could become stronger than before.
I could even awaken a secondary skill by raising my achievement up to the ninth tier.
‘This mana absorption skill turned out to be incredibly useful, didn’t it?’
In my previous life, I couldn’t absorb mana, so I regarded it as a worthless skill, but that was no longer the case.
If the environment supported mana absorption, nothing could be more broken than this.
‘There’s a daily limit of one stat point, but even this is more than enough.’
A smile naturally spread across Zeke McLafflin’s lips, but Gerard could only regard him with worried eyes.

* * *
‘The boy. Smiling away without knowing anything. Do you even understand what situation you’re in right now?’
Watching his youngest son smile so cheerfully, Gerard sighed inwardly.
Born from a concubine and already disadvantaged in the succession struggle, and now without talent either.
It was clear he would be scorned by his brothers as he grew older.
‘If only he had some magical talent, he could solidify his position within the family….’
It was regrettable, but not cause for despair.
After all, he was merely a hundred-day-old infant, was he not?
‘Perhaps his talent simply hasn’t blossomed yet….’
Watching Zeke McLafflin reach out his hand toward him, Gerard tried to think positively.
Daina, standing beside him, seemed to understand her husband’s feelings and gently rubbed his back.
Meanwhile, Christina, his first wife, wore a secret smile.
“There must be another way. Please don’t despair.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t give up.”
“Have you thought of some clever solution?”
Gerard shook his head at his teacher’s question.
“That’s not it. It’s established doctrine that innate qualities determined from birth cannot be changed. However….”
Gerard lifted his head, his eyes gleaming with determination.
“How can we know without trying?”
“What exactly are you planning to do?”
“You said our child has no mana affinity, so….”
Gerard’s expression became resolute.
“I will make him become acquainted with mana. By any means necessary.”

* * *
As the people departed, Zeke McLafflin smacked his lips with satisfaction.
‘They’re gone. I wish they’d kept feeding me mana…’
My mana absorption skill proved remarkably useful.
It had no cooldown, allowing me to use it continuously, and I could toggle it on and off at will.
Moreover, I could raise my stats from infancy itself.
It was absurdly efficient.
‘So I had it set to continuously absorb mana, but they finished the talent assessment so quickly and left. What a shame.’
The talent assessment was complete.
From what I heard through my interpretation skill, they’d concluded I was a talentless child with no mana affinity.
They didn’t realize it was because I was devouring all the mana myself.
‘What matters is receiving a continuous supply of mana to fill my daily stats. That’s how I’ll achieve growth beyond my previous life.’
But how could I secure a steady mana supply from such a young age?
When I couldn’t even speak properly yet.
‘Hmm, this is troublesome. Truly troublesome…’
I was pondering this while sucking on the bottle the nursemaid offered me.
Creak—
The sound of the door opening reached my ears, and Gerard, who had left earlier, returned.
“M-my lord, have you arrived?”
“Spare the formalities, Helen. Continue feeding him. I’ve merely come to hand over something.”
‘Something?’
Before I could wonder further, Gerard abruptly placed an object on the bedside.
“It’s a high-concentration mana stone. Keep this always beside Zeke McLafflin. It won’t harm his body, so don’t worry.”
“Understood, my lord. I shall ensure all the other attendants are made aware of this.”
“Good.”
Gerard smiled with satisfaction, cast a pitying glance at me, and departed.
The moment he left, I turned my head and began examining the object at my bedside.
Since it was related to mana, my curiosity was inevitably piqued.
‘What a mysterious thing, with that shimmering blue light…’
It seemed he intended to place this mana stone beside me to alter my constitution, which supposedly lacked mana affinity.
But my constitution would never change.
‘Because I’ll absorb every last bit of mana. Hehehehe!’
[Mana detected in your grasp.]
[The ‘Mana Absorption’ skill is active.]
[You have absorbed 1 mana.]
[You have absorbed 1 mana.]
[You have absorbed 1 mana.]
[Skill proficiency has increased by 1.]
[Skill proficiency has increased by 1.]
[Skill proficiency has increased by 1.]
[Proficiency until 2-Star Achievement: 8/100]
As the System Message appeared without fail, the corners of my mouth curved upward in a satisfied smile.
“Like father, like son, I see. The Duke must have left something behind that suits your fancy? Hehehehe.”
I paid no mind to the nanny’s misunderstanding.
I was far too absorbed in absorbing mana to care.

* * *
Time flowed like a river, and before long, I had turned twelve years old.
“Zeke, where are you going?”
“To the Magic Library, Mother.”
“Again?”
Visiting the Duke’s Mansion’s Magic Library so early in the morning.
Anyone watching would praise my diligence, but Daina sighed inwardly.
‘Shouldn’t you have realized by now that you cannot become a mage, Zeke?’
The words rose to her throat, but she could not bring herself to speak them while looking into her son’s eyes.
How could she utter something so cruel when he was striving so earnestly to become a mage?
“Very well, I understand. Go ahead and return. There is an important event today, so do not forget to come back before lunch.”
“Yes, Mother. Do not worry.”
After bidding farewell to my mother, I arrived at the Magic Library with eager steps.
As I placed my hand on the magical orb serving as the gatekeeper, it read my biometric signature like a fingerprint scanner.
[Mana detected in your grasp.]
[‘Mana Absorption’ skill has been activated. Would you like to use it now? Y/N]
‘No. I cannot absorb this one. If I make a mistake, I won’t be able to enter the library.’
I selected No and waited patiently for the mana to read my biometric signature.
-Zeke McLafflin. Confirmed.
Clang.
As the thick iron door swung open, a massive Magic Library resembling a grand library revealed itself.
A first-time visitor would have gasped in awe, but this was not my first time.
‘I have come and gone here so many times it has become tedious.’
Even after twelve years had passed, I still had not formed a Circle.
I remained an existence with zero mana affinity—someone who could never become a mage.
At least, that was what everyone believed.
‘Status window.’
[Name: Zeke McLafflin]
[Tags: Reincarnator of Pangaea Continent, Decan Kingdom’s Finest Mage Family, Youngest of the Duke Family, Illegitimate Child, Zero Mana Affinity, Talentless in Magic, Diligent, Bookworm, 12 Years Old, S-Rank Hunter]
[Strength: 733 / Intelligence: 722]
[Agility: 743 / Stamina: 732]
[Recovery: 740 / Resistance: 736]
[Basic Skills: Interpretation, Analysis, Rune Absorption]
[First Awakening Skill: Mana Absorption (8-Star)]
[2nd Awakening Skill: ???]
[3rd Awakening Skill: ???]
[4th Awakening Skill: ???]
[5th Awakening Skill: ???]
[6th Awakening Skill: ???]
[7th Awakening Skill: ???]
[1st Awakening Skill: Mana Absorption]
-Achievement: ★★★★★★★★☆ (8 Stars)
-Type: Active
-Proficiency: 295,502/300,000
-Effect: Absorbs detected mana and randomly increases stats. Can detect mana within a 7-meter radius.
-Cooldown: None
-Special Notes: Can only acquire one stat increase per day. The skill can be toggled on/off, and you can choose to absorb only specific areas. Upon reaching 9-star achievement, the 2nd Awakening Skill will unlock.
I still couldn’t handle mana worth a damn, but in exchange, I’d achieved tremendous stat growth.
I’d already surpassed my previous life’s peak by the time I was one year old.
‘At this rate, wouldn’t I be around A-rank Hunter level in my past life?’
I had no idea where that stood in this world, but it was certainly nothing to scoff at.
I could destroy walls with my bare hands—that alone put me in the superhuman category.
For twelve years of accumulation, the growth wasn’t insignificant, though it could have been better.
‘What can I do? There’s a limit to how much I can raise my stats in a single day.’
Still, at this pace, I should reach S-rank level before I turn twenty.
SS-rank or SSS-rank would be pushing it, though.
‘Maybe raising stats this way is more advantageous than learning magic or aura?’
Contrary to the aptitude test results, this body possessed an innate talent for magic.
It was simply being misunderstood as a body incapable of accepting mana because I kept using Mana Absorption.
‘If I get the chance, I’d like to learn magic too. But….’
Mana Absorption even drains the user’s own mana.
I could designate the absorption range, but only the external range could be adjusted.
Through various experiments, I’d confirmed that it absorbed all of my own mana as well.
In other words, my body couldn’t accumulate mana.
‘How am I supposed to form a circle under those circumstances? It’s impossible.’
I was certain that the moment I activated the skill, it would drain all the essence I’d accumulated in the circle.
‘That would create the ironic situation of destroying my own circle.’
In that sense, being unable to learn magic wasn’t different from having no talent at all.
‘Of course, if I just didn’t use Mana Absorption, I could form a circle without problems….’
But the system’s power was far too strong to ignore.
Hadn’t I already reached A-rank Hunter level at just twelve years old?
I still had six more skills left to awaken.
So I had to keep pushing the talentless concept.
‘It was good that I pretended to be talentless from the start. Thanks to that, I could absorb mana from a young age.’
Moreover, under the pretext of cultivating my talents, I managed to secure access to the Magic Library itself.
It was only possible because Father continued to support me despite my lack of aptitude.
‘At this point, most would have given up, but Father persists….’
Whenever I see Father still providing mana stones out of his love for his child—whether legitimate or illegitimate—I occasionally feel it.
A paternal affection I never experienced in my past life.
‘I can only receive now, but I promise to repay you someday, Father.’
With filial piety in my heart, I approached the bookshelf.
The mana that had been depleted from the books had recovered somewhat.
“Well then, shall I drain the mana dry again today? Just a little more and I’ll reach the 9th tier and unlock my second skill.”
I opened the mana-infused magical tome with a slight smirk and placed my hand upon it.
[You have absorbed 3 mana.]
[Skill proficiency has increased by 3.]
Having reached the 8th tier, I began absorbing at a faster rate across a wider range.

* * *
[The skill ‘Mana Absorption’ has reached the 9th tier.]
[Mana Absorption detection range has expanded from 7m to 10m.]
[Your second skill has awakened.]
‘Finally! The second skill has awakened!’
For the first time in twelve years, my eyes gleamed with anticipation at the awakened skill.
‘What kind of skill could it be?’
As I examined the information of the awakened skill, I couldn’t help but wear a dumbfounded expression.
It far exceeded my expectations.
“Young Master Zeke!”
I was startled by the sound of knocking at the door while I stood gazing blankly into the air.
‘Oh, has it already gotten this late?’
I glanced at the magical clock hanging in the library and hastily closed the book.
Creak.
When I opened the door, my nursemaid, who had cared for me since childhood, stood there looking flustered.
“Young Master! There you are! Right now, we must—”
“I know, Helen. It’s for the Opening Ceremony, isn’t it?”
I smiled with composure and gestured forward.
“I’ll follow. Lead the way.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————