Starting Out with an Infinite Skill Tree!

Ch. 14



Chapter 14. Bratty Kids Need Proper Guidance—Physical Guidance!

“Alright, the farce ends here. It proves that my side is still stronger—” said Yan.

"Well then..." That should be enough. Yan was ready to stop. He only wanted to give these brats a lesson, scare them a little, so they wouldn't judge people by appearances again. Yan never actually planned on laying hands on children—that would be far too childish.

Speaking of which...

The way this world uses magic really is textbook-level “boring.” They don't know the true nature of magic. They don't even bother to explore whether the construction of a spell might be flawed.

Because of that, most people end up using spell formations that aren't actually suited to them.

Leaving aside the number of "magic circuits"...

The only thing that divides so-called geniuses from mediocrities is their talent for comprehending magic. Whoever learns more spells is called a genius.

But in Yan's eyes, that's sheer stupidity.

Every person's magical aptitude is different. To perfectly unleash a spell, the paths their circuits run and the amount of magic they require should also be different. And yet, just to cast magic, they forcibly use those "incomplete" formations that don't fit them at all.

How could magic like that possibly be powerful!?

This is why the same magic is extremely potent in the hands of some people, while in the hands of the “mediocre,” it is so weak that it’s completely useless. It’s not that the gap between the genius and the commoner is really that vast. It's just that the spells from the so-called grimoires—their "textbooks"—are defective to begin with, unfit for most people!

The boy couldn't understand why Yan could manipulate wind element magic to such an extent.

Because he had never once tried to probe the essence of magic, never thought about whether spell formations could be arranged differently.

All he ever did was recite incantations and form tiny whirlwinds or wind blades—those rigid, fixed patterns. Exactly the kind of "boring" magic learner Yan disdained.

Step by step, Yan closed in.

Finally, he stood right before the boy, about to speak, when—

"Wind, tear him apart!"

Pressed by Yan's approach, the boy's nerves and anxiety boiled over. Instinctively, he forced his magic to surge and, without even thinking, released a spell to drive Yan back.

—’Get away from me!’ he screamed in his heart.

Yan's pupils shrank as the wind blade suddenly formed in front of the boy.

He froze.

!?

【Simulated Star-Creation Map】 activated, his mind racing to parse the spell's structure and trajectory. Almost in the same instant he saw the blade take shape, Yan's analysis was complete. The very next heartbeat, his smile returned. Calmly, he stepped to the left and bent his body backward.

Whoosh!

The wind blade flew past, skimming by his right side.

"Big Bro-ther!!!"

Giselle's frightened little voice rang out behind him.

"Ahhh!!!"

At the same time, the other boys and girls all screamed.

A sharp wisp of residual wind brushed his nose—barely a hair's breadth away from cutting it.

At that moment, a soft gust of wind propped up his leaning body, stopping him from falling.

Yan straightened.

Though he still wore a smile, it had turned dangerous.

‘Pushed too hard, and it backfired.’

‘To think he actually used such a dangerous spell on me.’

Yan's thoughts were calm, though his blood was faintly boiling.

‘Just now... that really was interesting.’

He hadn't expected such a thrilling, razor's-edge moment himself.

This was, after all, a world of magic.

Even children could be dangerous.

"Uh..."

Watching Yan's razor-thin escape—as if he'd danced on a knife's edge—the boy finally let out a deep sigh of relief.

A trace of fear lingered on his face as he looked at Yan. After casting the spell, regret had instantly hit him.  At that distance, to unleash an attack spell—what if he had killed someone by mistake!? He'd be done for!

"Are you scared?"

Yan stood tall again, heart still pounding in his chest, yet his smile never wavered.

The boys couldn't see through his mask at all.

"You... what did you say?"

Cold sweat drenched the boy's back. He couldn't comprehend how this black-haired kid could still stay so calm.

‘I nearly killed him just now!’

"Well! If you had actually killed me here, you'd be carrying that shadow for the rest of your life, wouldn't you?"

"I’m not—!"

The boy, still pale from earlier, shouted in shame and anger.

"You were about to say: 'I'm not afraid of something like that!' weren't you?"

Yan cut him off with a lazy grin.

"After all, as long as you can subdue me here, your buddies will think you're bold.

And afterward, you can explain it however you want. For example: 'I only angled the spell off on purpose, gave him time to dodge. I just wanted to teach him a lesson and let him off.'"

"You—!"

The boy's jaw dropped so wide you could fit an egg inside. All his little thoughts had been read out loud.

"Heh... Don't kid yourself. That kind of cheap trick—who exactly do you think you're fooling?"

Yan's voice rose in scornful laughter.

He took back what he'd said before.

Sometimes, bratty kids really do need a proper beating.

"Didn't your parents ever tell you not to recklessly use such dangerous magic on people?"

"Damn it, everyone, get him! He's only one person—there's no way he can beat all of us!"

Realizing he wasn't a match for Yan alone, the boy finally called out to his friends for help. Whether in words, psychology, or mastery of magic, he was being completely overwhelmed by Yan. The feeling was unbearable!

What started as just teaching the other guy a lesson, making him apologize, had long since been thrown out the window.

Now, the boy only wanted to beat this guy—this guy who had planted a massive shadow in his heart—into the ground!

A group of half-grown children lunged at Yan, trying to grab hold of him.

Yan frowned...

He swiftly dodged aside, moved to Giselle's side, and pulled her protectively behind him.

‘Troublesome—’

At this distance, using magic might even hurt himself. But—no problem.

"I knew it'd end up like this. Even half-grown children aren't that easy to fool!!"

Yan muttered with a sigh.

Still, this was within his expectations.

His gaze flicked to the branch at his feet—exactly where he had calculated it would be.

Yan stirred the wind element beneath his foot, and with the lightest hook of his toes, the branch leapt into his palm.

In the next instant, the moisture in the air condensed into ice around the branch, while a breeze coiled around it.

"Well, I guess this counts as a counterfeit of ‘A Knight Does Not Die With Empty Hands’. No, at best it's just an enchanted weapon—!"

Yan's eyes lingered on the frozen branch for a moment, then swept sharply over the boys.

Manipulating the wind element, he raised a wall of air up to knee-height along their path.

Thud! "Ow!"

Thud! Thud! Thud! "Ow! Ow!"

Cries of pain rang out as, one after another, they tripped and fell flat on the ground.

The corners of Yan's mouth curved into a sly, dark smile.

The time has come to witness my unparalleled martial prowess!

Brats—prepare for your beating!


Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters.