*sigh* I toss away the sword I'm holding and it falls into the chest I keep it in with a klang. I really don't like the sword. It's so wishy washy, either choose to fight up close or fight at a distance.

They're good for mid range, but that just isn't my style. If I'm going to use a weapon a pair of daggers is enough. I do use a bow and arrows for hunting though, when I want to be lazy. I walk inside to take a bath. The sweat from my workout feels gross, and I'd much prefer to be clean.

Shiva and Asura are out hunting for their dinner. Three years after we moved in with the old man they were finally as big as a normal wolf and could hunt by themselves. Now they're four feet tall and can use magic. They only learned how to use magic in the past month, but they've been training their mana pool since they were two years old. They have as much mana as a normal mage. It's nothing compared to mine though.

Their personalities are just like their parents. Asura is a jokester who's almost never serious. Sometimes I think I chose too serious a name for him, so I've taken to calling him Asu for short, whenever he annoys me.

His sister also has a playful side, but she's also very serious and often tries to keep her brother in line. She does like to tease though. Sometimes I think they understand human culture better than I do.

We've visited the pack twice a year, so we know their brother well too. He's almost always dead serious. He does not take his responsibilities to the pack lightly. He is the acting leader of the pack so it is a good thing, but it would be better if he let himself mess around from time to time. Even Light and Laughs worry about it.

I sink into the warm bath water and think. Finally I'm old enough to attend the academy, and the testing starts tomorrow. Once I join the academy I'll have to move into the dorms like everybody else, and I'll stop getting these private lessons.

Doesn't matter. The old man refused to teach me magic that are more than intermediate level before I join the academy. He's holding out on me so that I'll have to pay attention to the academy lessons. I have been developing my own style of magic so I do know how to use magic equal to advanced level, but I need to learn everything I can.

To further develop my style of magic I have to study all kinds of things related to 'science', which is a very underdeveloped field of research. I also had to study anatomy so that I can better heal with magic, and nature, so that I get an instinctive feel for my spells. My physical training has been making use of my potential. I'm already very strong physically, to the point that some might call me a monster. That part of the academy will be a breeze for me.

Apparently even the pure magic type students will still have to train their bodies. I've come to understand what most mages, and nobles, are like regarding that so it makes me laugh just to think about it. A toothy grin is the best I can suppress my amusement to.

What I'm looking forward to the most are the students at the academy. This city is mainly humans and those that were raised among humans. My lessons about the various races took three years to finish, and I'm still learning about their various histories. I would hate it if what I learned about the different cultures went to waste. Besides it will make the school like a melting pot of interesting.

I already know some people who will stir up attention in the academy. Clover, the glasses wearing rabbit boy from the orphanage has grown up to be a genius in magic and literature. Somehow he got hooked on books and the main reason he wants to go to the academy is to raid the library. He's become quite cold in personality, and surprisingly tall. He's taller than me, and quite the heartbreaker.

Girls that see him reading quietly often become smitten with him, so he gets annoyed with them easily. He does not spare their feelings when that happens. What's really weird is that they come to me for comfort. I guess it's because I'm friendly and I know Clover?

Oh well, whatever.

Some of the other kids from the orphanage, although not geniuses in weapons nor magic, have the talent needed to join the academy so I'll know plenty of people there. The old man told me that the royalty from some human kingdoms, an elf kingdom, and the dwarfs, are all the same age as me so they're joining at the same time. Nobility breed themselves to have talented children so we should be able to expect at least one or two true geniuses from them.

If that doesn't stir things up I don't know what will. Hmmm, I've picked up the old man's bad habit of wanting to watch interesting things. Or maybe this curiosity is because I'm a cat. Either way this will be fun.

Mmm, all clean. I get out of the bath and dump out the water. I head up stairs in clean clothes with a towel on my wet head. It's dusk, and so, time for my mana training. Even if the test is tomorrow, that doesn't mean I should slack off today.

Knowing the old man, he'll have me act as a mediator between the common folk and the nobles. Oh well, the nobles' expressions will be amusing enough to offset the annoyance of dealing with people like them.

The downside to the academy is one, dealing with arrogant people who can't back up their bragging; two, more people trying to pretend to be my friend because I'm strong and seem friendly; and three, less time for adventuring. I'm only ten jobs away from reaching A rank, but school won't be giving me enough time to reach it for awhile.

I flop backwards and land spread eagle on my bed. Shiva and Asura are now too big to share my bed, so they sleep on the pillows we got them when they were little. They still fit, unlike their first collars. We got a new matching set when they grew out of the old ones.

Mmm, I've reached the point in my training where I can think about other things while practicing my control of mana. I used to think I was so good at controlling it, but over the years I've realized just how much there is to go. I've actually started refining my mana, concentrating it.

My mana pool doesn't change literal size, but it packs a bigger punch and less is needed when it's purer. I didn't even know that there were different levels of mana purity until the old man suggested I clean my mana. Humans generally can't do it since they don't have fine enough control, but the races who can better control their mana have purer mana and can use less to maintain their spells.

I grin when I remember first showing the old man a mana stream, and how he couldn't make one himself for four years. And when he finally figured it out, it only lasted five seconds. Hahahahaha! Ahh, I remember the face he made when he noticed that the mana was dispersing. These years have been good to me. I've learned so much. And things are about to get even better. I pull out my adventurer card and look at it.

NameChaiseRaceHalf-BeastGenderMaleHealth2498Age15Magic Pool7856Strength432Endurance590Intelligence123Flexibility406RankB

I hope to at least triple this by the time I leave school.