Starting Out with an Infinite Skill Tree!

Ch. 21



Chapter 21. Life Will Inevitably Die, and Apples Will Always Fall Downward!

“Big Bwother—!?” Giselle suddenly called out in a soft, trembling voice.

Her tiny hands clutched at the hem of her clothes, twisting together, as tears began to mist over her eyes.

Was Big Brother hurt by those “bad people”… because he was protecting her!?

The little girl’s heart filled with grievance at the thought, and at the same time, she grew disgusted with her own weakness—her fear, her helplessness.

If she hadn’t been scared, if she hadn’t cried for him at that moment… then surely, Big Bwother could’ve handled those “bad people” with ease!

“Isn’t it only natural for a brother to protect his sister? Even if it means being covered in wounds—besides, those guys didn’t really hurt me.” Yan reached out and gently ruffled Giselle’s hair.

‘I promised, didn’t I? That I’d become your knight.’ The boy’s lips curved into a gentle, warm smile as he looked at his sister.

He wasn’t saying pretty words for comfort—protection wasn’t something spoken, but something proven through action. Time would prove everything.

At that moment, a visible whirlwind suddenly rose around Yan’s body, wrapping him in a swirling layer of air.

The three girls watching widened their eyes in shock.

Cidy blinked in realization. “So that time… you used wind elements!? You wrapped your skin with the power of wind to neutralize the enemy’s force?”

Her eyes lit up.

She let out an admiring sigh from the heart.

Though it wasn’t some particularly powerful technique,

For someone so young to think of using magic to that degree—

That imaginative power, the most important quality of a great mage—he already possessed it!

‘Is it really only natural for a brother to protect his sister?’

Restia, on the other hand, wasn’t too surprised by the wind element surrounding Yan.

After a brief glance, her attention shifted to the words he had just spoken.

Thinking of his calm and tender tone just now—

Restia felt a faint envy…

If she were his sister, wouldn’t she be happy too?

In this life, she had no brother.

No siblings at all…

It was, undeniably, a small regret in Restia’s heart.

“…Ah, what a wonderful brother! Too bad I don’t have one like that,” Cidy said with a wistful yet playful smile, sticking out her tongue.

“Well then, let’s move on to the real reason I invited you here.”

Cidy, who had clearly developed some fondness for Yan after his earlier words, finally stopped dodging around and spoke her mind.

Suddenly, she felt a pang of guilt.

To deceive such a kind brother—one who dearly loves his sister—just to steal the “knowledge of turning water into ice”… even if successful, she’d feel guilty afterward!

She might as well be straightforward about it—

That thought flashed through the girl’s mind.

Cidy realized she could simply trade something of equal value instead.

There was no need for deception. As long as she presented something equally valuable, something intriguing enough, Yan would have no reason to refuse!

If she used her collection of books as the trade, he would definitely agree!

A confident smile curved at the corners of her lips.

She had immense faith in her treasured collection—no mage could resist its allure.

But Cidy failed to notice something.

Yan’s calm maturity had made her forget—he was still just a ten-year-old boy.

She had begun treating him as a fellow mage.

It wasn’t that she didn’t understand the idea of trading knowledge—it was simply that, having mistaken him for an ordinary child at first, she hadn’t taken him seriously enough.

“I want—”

“You’re asking about the Vaporization Freezing Technique?” Yan asked in surprise.

A faint ripple stirred within his heart.

She had abandoned her roundabout tricks and directly revealed her goal—her expression so serious and sincere.

And her goal… was this?

“Vaporization!? What kind of academic term is that!?” The girl’s eyes lit up in excitement, her gaze gleaming with the hunger of a wolf who had just scented prey.

Yan looked at Cidy’s delicate, charming face before him.

…Her neck was slender, her skin fair, her eyes shining like twin gems in the dark—bright and dazzling, like the pure blue of a clear sky. One glance, and it was hard to look away.

Being stared at by such a beautiful girl—her gaze filled with such thirst—

Yan’s heart skipped for an instant…

If I asked for some benefits right now, would she agree?

But then he remembered—he was back in the body of a ten-year-old.

Damn it! The boy inwardly wept.

Closing his eyes briefly to calm himself—then opening them again with composure restored—Yan met her gaze squarely.

“I see… I can teach you the technique of turning water elements into ice elements. But what can you offer me in return?” Yan asked with sharp, curious eyes, like a hunter who had just found new prey.

Cidy froze for a moment, her eyes glinting with surprise before curving into a sly smile.

‘Oh my, what an interesting boy.’

“How about this—any book in this library, you may choose one freely. Even one containing a forbidden spell.” Cidy’s voice dripped with temptation as she coaxed him.

It was an offer that could move any mage’s heart.

In this dreamlike library—

The girl, with her pure white wings and angelic presence, smiled radiantly. Her voice was both divine and devilish—a heavenly hymn and a seductive whisper all at once.

“So then—what is your answer?” Cidy asked softly.

Unknowingly, she had come to regard Yan as a worthy opponent.

And now, she wanted to see—

Could this young prodigy, still walking the path of early learning, withstand the temptation of Dark Magic?

Choosing a spell far beyond one’s current ability—was never a wise decision.

Though she said “even a forbidden one,” she didn’t truly believe Yan could grasp such magic at his age.

To comprehend the principles of the world, to understand oneself, and surpass the limits of mortality—this was the meaning of Saint.

It was also the key for a mage to break free from the shackles of humanity and become a true Saint Magus!

And any magic that tried to manipulate the rules before one transcended those limits—was a forbidden spell.

“You probably don’t have a clear sense of what ‘forbidden spell’ means, so let me explain it to you.”

“Life will inevitably die, apples will always fall downward, one plus one equals two… These absolute laws of the world—can be rewritten and recreated by the magic recorded in the Forbidden Books. One plus one can become three. Apples can fall upward. The dead can be brought back to life.” Cidy continued.

“So then… using knowledge of that level, isn’t it a fair trade for your technique?”

However—

What Yan said next completely caught the girl off guard.


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