Discovery of Rock Bullet

During that night, as the world around Rei settled into silence, his mind refused to follow suit. He lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, his thoughts heavy and relentless. How much easier would life have been if he had been born with magic? The question gnawed at him, a quiet bitterness taking root. Magic was a birthright, a natural gift for those lucky enough to inherit it. For Rei, it was nothing more than an unattainable dream. The frustration lingered, but beneath it simmered determination. If magic was beyond his reach, there had to be another way.

Rei thought, "Emilia, Lily, and Hanna all are blessed with magic. Why does god seem to gift everything to women? Even in my previous life, girls were given special privilege over boys. They have trust, laws, everything, and in return, they misuse it to harass others. How infuriating. They are witches, complete witches."

His thoughts churned, replaying Emilia's demonstration from earlier that day. The image of her rock bullet shattering the boulder replayed in his mind. Could spirit arts mimic such precision? Such destructive force? The question lingered until, suddenly, a spark of inspiration struck. Rei's eyes widened as the fragments of an idea began piecing themselves together in his mind.

Rei thought, " Gods, since you made this world on the partiality of one sex, then I will turn the tables on you and change this world. I will make sure your plan fails."

The following day, the rising sun found Rei already outside, standing resolutely in the backyard. The air was crisp, carrying a hint of the day's promise. Closing his eyes, he drew a deep breath, allowing his body to still and his mind to sharpen. He focused, envisioning the ground before him, the raw earth waiting for his command. A pulse of energy radiated from him as he drew the wind to his side, a loyal companion in his pursuit of creation.

The land in front of him trembled. Then, with a sudden blast, it erupted. Earth and debris were tossed into the air, forming a chaotic storm of dust and soil. Slowly, deliberately, he began to shape it. The wind swirled around the airborne fragments, gathering them into tight formations. Rei raised a hand, palm flat and steady, and the wind obeyed, breaking the clumps of earth into seven distinct, jagged pieces. They hovered in the air, poised like arrows in a nocked bow.

The next step demanded precision. Behind each floating shard of rock, he summoned wind bombs—compact spheres of air pressure waiting to explode. With a sharp flick of his hand, the wind bombs detonated, propelling the rock bullets forward with incredible speed. The boulder in front of him stood no chance. The projectiles struck with devastating force, piercing through the stone and leaving a cascade of rubble in their wake.

For a moment, silence hung in the air, broken only by the soft rustling of settling debris. Emilia, standing a short distance away, was utterly still. Her wand dangled loosely in her hand, forgotten, as her wide eyes remained fixed on the shattered remains of the boulder.

Slowly, her lips parted, and a grin began to form, spreading across her face like a sunrise. She took a step closer, her earlier irritation and doubts melting away. "Rei," she breathed, her voice filled with genuine awe, "that was... incredible. I've never seen anything like that before. It's not magic, but it's something else entirely."

Her gaze dropped to the fractured boulder, and she knelt to examine the precision of the strikes. Her fingers traced the clean holes left by the projectiles, the sharp edges a testament to Rei's unorthodox method. "You used wind to shape the earth into projectiles and then launched them with more wind," she murmured, her tone tinged with amazement. "That level of control and precision... even with all my magical training, I could never achieve something like this."

Standing, Emilia turned to face him, her expression thoughtful, almost reverent. For the first time since meeting him, there was no trace of frustration or condescension in her gaze. "You weren't born with magic," she said, her voice steady and sure. "But now, I see why. What you have, Rei, is something far more powerful. Something unique to you alone. And I think..." She paused, her eyes bright with possibility. "Together, we can find a way to harness it."

However, Rei still ignored her. To him, her teachings felt like nothing more than a tool for gaining strength, stripped of any deeper meaning. Emilia could sense his cold detachment, his unwillingness to connect, but she refused to lose hope. If it weren't for the promotional task that demanded she befriend him, she might not have persisted. Yet, driven by her sense of duty and ambition, she pressed on.

The next lesson was water magic, an element she had some proficiency in, alongside rock and healing magic. As they stood under the sun, Emilia addressed him with a renewed determination. "Now I'm going to show you water magic. This one's called Water Ball. Hopefully, you can replicate it using your spirit arts. Let me tell you the incantation."

Rei nodded absently, his lack of enthusiasm apparent. Emilia sighed inwardly but continued, raising her wand. "Oh, water, show yourself, give me your strength, and change your form. Water Ball."

As the incantation left her lips, a small sphere of water materialized at the tip of her wand. With a flick of her wrist, she propelled the water ball forward, where it splashed harmlessly against a tree trunk. The force behind it was negligible—more suited for stunning or impairing an opponent's vision than causing significant harm.

Rei observed the display with a critical eye, already analyzing its limitations. He stood still, pondering how he might mimic such a technique. Closing his eyes, he focused on the surrounding air, attempting to draw moisture and shape it into his own version of the water ball. Yet no matter how hard he concentrated, the dryness in the air made it impossible to summon enough water vapor. His efforts failed repeatedly, each attempt leaving him more frustrated than the last.

Emilia, meanwhile, noticed the subtle dryness in the atmosphere and immediately understood the problem. She tilted her head, her brow furrowed in thought. "So spirit arts are limited by environmental conditions," she murmured to herself. "That makes them versatile but situational. Not ideal for every battle."

Lowering her wand, Emilia dismissed the water orb she had conjured, its droplets scattering into the air. She stepped closer to Rei, her expression a mix of understanding and determination. "I see the problem, Rei," she began, her tone more empathetic. "Spirit arts are tied to the natural elements, and in a climate like this, water isn't easy to summon. That's not a fault of yours—it's simply the nature of your abilities."

Rei said nothing, his gaze fixed on the ground, his frustration evident. Emilia softened her tone further, trying to bridge the gap between them. "But don't give up just yet," she urged. "There's always a way to adapt. Your power isn't just about mimicking magic. It's about innovation, about finding unique ways to overcome limitations. That's something even the greatest mages envy."

She hesitated for a moment before placing a hand gently on his shoulder. Her touch was steady, firm enough to draw his attention without feeling intrusive. "Tell you what," she continued, her voice quiet but resolute. "Let's take a break from the elements for now. I want you to think about something else."

Emilia leaned slightly closer, her gaze intent. "What drives you, Rei? What's your passion? What keeps you moving forward, even when things seem impossible? Find that, and I believe you'll uncover a strength in your spirit arts that no one else has."

Rei reacted coldly to Emilia's words, offering no acknowledgment of her praise or advice