I will denote the characters' words with a "-" at the beginning of a new paragraph and end with the first letter of the speaker's name. Like this:

  - ... ???

  If the main protagonist doesn't know who is addressing them, I'll use three question marks at the end instead of a name.

  {} Main protagonist's thoughts.

  [] Other characters' thoughts.

  () Clarification.

  I also have my own vision for the story. Sometimes I'll describe the setting in detail, and other times I won't.

  I'll be the one posting, but views on the title and your engagement (comments, likes under chapters) will speed up the updates.

  Well, happy reading!

  ---

  Eyes open.

  {Where am I?}

  {My head hurts so much...}

  Hiro touches his head with his hand—his palm is covered in blood.

  {Did I crack my skull?}

  Hiro looks at his hand.

  {No way...}

  Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  His hand looks like that of a three-year-old child. Hiro stands up and looks around. He’s dressed in torn, tattered shorts and a shirt. His body is thin and frail. Beneath his feet is straw covering cold bricks. Hiro lifts his head. He’s in a cell—a small room with gray brick walls, a ceiling, and one wall made of iron bars. Thick pipes stretch from the ceiling to the floor. Hiro weakly approaches the bars. He sees a corridor stretching into the darkness. Torches hang on the walls. The only sound is the crackling of fire.

  Hiro sits in the corner of the room and starts processing everything. He also notices his hair is black with purple tips. (His hair color is visible in the title illustration.)

  {I definitely reincarnated.}

  {I barely remember my past life. I think I only retained basic grammar, language, and some intellect for a 20-year-old.}

  {I must’ve been imprisoned for something, right? They wouldn’t just lock me up for no reason?}

  Hiro looks at his body again.

  {Still hard to believe...}

  His nails are black.

  {What’s this? Someone playing a prank on me?}

  Hiro tries to scrape off the "nail polish."

  {It won’t come off. Is this natural?}

  {Well, for now, I’ll just wait for something to happen.}

  Hiro falls asleep sitting up.

  ---

  He wakes up to a sharp noise. Food has been delivered. Hiro approaches the bars. Two pieces of bread lie on the ground near them.

  {Seriously? Am I in slavery, not prison?} He smirks.

  Two men with whips walk past his cell.

  {Actual slavery. Great.}

  Hiro picks up the bread and eats one piece, saving the other for later.

  ---

  A month passes. Hiro lives quietly. No demands are made of him—he’s just fed. He also notices the bricks are very cold, meaning he’s not in a warm place. The guards speak a language he doesn’t understand.

  Hiro senses something strange around him—like particles. He wonders:

  {What are these particles?}

  When the guards pass by again, they stop in front of another cell. One of them says something, and a ball of water shoots from his hand into the cell.

  {This world has magic!}

  {And these particles… this is Mana!}

  Hiro was a fan of magic-based anime in his past life, so this discovery excites him.

  After some time, Hiro learns to feel the Mana within himself and in the surroundings. He tries interacting with the ambient Mana. Within a small radius, he succeeds in absorbing it into himself. He feels a surge of energy and satisfaction.

  Next, Hiro attempts to cast a spell. Since he doesn’t know what the man said earlier, he simply stretches out his hand and imagines a fireball. A sphere of flame appears in his palm.

  {It worked! I’m a mage!}

  Hiro stops channeling Mana into the fireball, and it vanishes. The Mana in his cell replenishes.

  {Is it renewable?}

  Over the next few days, he continues absorbing Mana from his cell until he notices his range has expanded to the corridor. This excites him.

  Everything remains calm until the guards pass by his cell during his Mana absorption. They enter his range. After they leave, one of them starts panting. Hiro notices.

  {Did I just drain the Mana inside him?}

  {Interesting…} Hiro closes his eyes and keeps absorbing.

  -You alright? -Guard 1

  Hiro opens his eyes and looks at the men.

  -Yeah. Seems fine. -Guard 2

  -Let’s keep moving then. -Guard 1

  They leave, and Hiro sits there stunned.

  {I understood them!? How? I didn’t know their language before!?}

  {Does absorbing Mana let me copy abilities from other beings? I’ll have to test this.}