Mageborn

I was still staring forward with a stupid grin on my face and oblivious to the fact that everyone had heard what I'd just said. Including the greatest boomer in the room. But it was silence that disturbed the trance-like state I was in. Oh, the irony, everybody wants to be my enemy.

Everyone was looking at me while I was dumbfounded as to why. Their stares weren't that of disdain, it was more of confusion. Even the girl at the center being grilled by her grandfather was staring.

"What did you say?" The elder said. He was both confused and annoyed at me. And the tone of his voice is very familiar. Imagine a boomer asking you the same question. That kind of tone.

I sprung up, held my left fist and bowed, "Forgive me elder for muttering random words. I was just lost in my thoughts."

The elder glared at me, "It's grand elder. And I asked you what you said!" He paused and took a glance at my dear father like a puppy before returning his glare to me.

"Daddy chill? What is that!?"

How does one even reply to such a question? It was something I wouldn't have said aloud if my brain didn't malfunction. I would only say something like that if I were the strongest in the room and wouldn't care for repercussions.

"I-it's just random words I was thinking about, grand elder," I replied.

The boomer was confused. But, as expected, he wouldn't let it go with just that.

"Are you lying? Or are you that bored, for you to speak random words?"

I was still thinking of what to say when the patriarch spoke.

"Answer with honesty, Bruce."

With a gulp, "I am telling the truth, father," I replied.

My dear father stared at me with a serious expression. Meanwhile, the grand boomer was whispering in his ear about how disrespectful I was and all that boomer shit.

"Wen," said the patriarch.

Hou Wen, the asshole, stood up and clasped his left fist before bowing.

"Yes, father?" he replied.

"What's the meaning of your brother's words?"

The bastard took a glance at me with a smirk, "To be honest, I am also unaware. But, it must be magic. I have heard a mage say the word 'chill' and then cold air emerged."

And the crowd goes wild. Some of the extras at the sides were shouting at me.

"Traitor!"

"Half-blood!"

"Mageborn!"

"Big-dick!"

I only imagined the last one. But, surely one of the assholes was just envious of my gigantic schlong. I know this for sure, since when I still had the fully erect two-and-a-half-inch monster pet, I prayed every single day to at least make it grow another inch longer and I loathed the fact that someone, somewhere out there, had one so huge it might as well be their third leg. Big enough for them to be cast in "The Walking Dick."

It was also when I realized why most of these assholes hated me. Mageborn. That word, paired with what Mei said about my previous encounter with my father and how it ended, doesn't take a genius to figure out that it was due to my mother being a mage. And in this world, the people of Murim and Magica hated each other's guts.

If you think about it, how was that even my fault? This stud of a father was the one who slept with a mage, yet I am the one being hated for it. Fucking pieces of shit.

My dear father continued to stare at me. Then, after a brief silence that felt like an eternity, he spoke.

"Were you casting magic?"

His voice was low and cold. Everyone could feel his Qi enveloping the entire room. 

Mei told me that my dear father, Hou Rong, was one of the ten strongest in Murim. The first one to reach the fifth step of Nascent Soul in the history of our sect, a grandmaster. Mei's words must be true, for who else but one of the strongest could emit such power?

I stood still. Both afraid and confused about how to approach the situation. But the fact that I am this asshole's son still gave me a sense of relief. 'There's no way this bastard would kill his son, right?' I thought.

"Answer me, Bruce."

"It – it wasn't magic!" I replied. My voice was loud enough for everyone to hear.

Hou Rong's Qi disappeared and it was easier to breathe again.

"Then what was the meaning of those words?"

After taking a deep breath and scratching the back of my head, I began to explain what it meant.

"Well… uhm… basically…"

"Just explain it!" the great boomer shouted.

I cleared my throat, "The phrase 'Daddy chill' is a slang phrase that is spoken when you want someone to calm down. The word daddy means father, and the word chill in the phrase means to become chill like the wind, in other words calm. So what I said actually meant, father, calm down. But it was just something I said without thought."

Again, silence filled the room. 

"What?!" The grand boomer blurted out, "Are you telling me to calm down? But I am not your father," he turned to the patriarch, "Are you telling the patriarch to calm down? He was not even doing anything."

Some of the disciples at the sides were trying their hardest to hold their laughter. Even the black-haired woman and granddaughter of the great boomer standing at the center who was on the verge of crying was looking at me with her luscious lips tucked in.

I scratched the back of my head, and with a weird smile, "It was nothing, grand elder, I just said aloud what was inside my head," I paused and glanced around, "Daddy chill~" I said with a much faster tone and stretching the end.

The disciples who were trying their best not to laugh blurted out laughing after hearing my reply. Some others who found the entire thing stupid were also infected with the laughing virus and chuckled. That was when I realized that this crowd wasn't as bad as I thought. It was the first time I ever had a reaction, and I wasn't even actually trying to tell a joke. 

A few of the elders sitting with my father had a weird smile on their faces. Clearly, they were trying to hold off their laughter as well.

Their reaction sent a feeling of fulfillment to my being. Maybe I should continue being a stand-up comedian in this world. But my smile and their laughter were short-lived.

"Silence!" said the boomer elder. Everyone stopped laughing after hearing him speak. He glared at all of them then turned to me, "Were you mocking me, disciple?"

I shook my head, "No, grand elder. I merely explained what I said, like you asked."

The grand elder's face was turning red. His eyebrows were twitching, and I could feel the anger building up inside him. Now there's a familiar look. Even in this world I still have it – the great skill of pissing off boomers.

After looking at my father while still with the best boomer face, the grand elder spoke, "Daiyu, sit down!" 

Then, his granddaughter bowed at them before returning to her spot. There was little change in the expression of her beautiful face, but I could tell that she was relieved.

"Disciple Hou Bruce, at the center!" the grand elder shouted.

I gulped. The smile on my face turned to a frown. I shouldn't have done what I just did. This boomer elder will now make my life more difficult than it already was. Pretty sure he is the same elder who was talking shit about my mother who the current me has no idea of.

"Show everyone what you have learned as a disciple of the sect!"

Fuck. I don't even know what the previous Bruce learned. I did watch the first few disciples but didn't pay great attention to what they were doing.

Every step I took felt heavier. The area I needed to go to wasn't even that far but it felt like it would take me years to reach it.

Once I stood at the center, the grand elder shouted at me to begin. I stood still for almost a minute.

"What? All that arrogance yet you cannot even perform the first part of the Five Petal Sword? You should just return to your mother, mageborn!"

I was pissed. And in that moment of rage, a sudden realization hit me in the head like a bully with a baseball bat.

"System, show me my martial arts skills," I thought.

The system did what I asked. The Five Petal Sword technique as well as a few other techniques were already listed. I was nervous for nothing and it even made me have a brain fart.

As the grand elder boomer continued saying insults at me, I asked the system how to use the skills. It's fairly simple – think of using the skill and that's it. No need to shout the name of the moves, but I guess I kinda have to.

"Are you going to stand there all night like a fool?! You shouldn't even be an inner disciple let alone a core-"

"Five Petal Sword!"