Fifteen years before Diego went missing...
That year, Diego Brando was three years old. He lived with his mother, depending on each other. Already precocious, he understood how hard life was and saw his mother's exhaustion clearly.
So he began helping take care of the horses at the stable in exchange for meager wages to improve their living conditions.
In the same year, Diego gradually tasted the malice of human nature and the injustice of society, carving hatred deep into his bones.
...
At dusk that day, as the sun set, Diego finished his work at the stable and ran all the way home.
Though physical exhaustion was unavoidable, Diego's spirit felt an unprecedented sense of fulfillment—because he could finally lighten some of his mother's burden.
"Great, I finally found work that would accept me. The uncle at the stable is such a good person. I thought I'd get rejected again." The young Diego clutched today's wages tightly, unable to suppress the smile on his face.
The coins in his hand weren't much—just three coppers, not even enough for a single loaf of bread—but Diego was still very happy.
He was born in the imperial capital, a member of the Zenin family that had served the imperial family for generations.
They were supposed to be a prestigious clan. Even if fallen on hard times, they shouldn't have to worry about food, let alone work at a rundown stable tended only by servants.
But the reality was that he was regarded as a disgrace by the family. His status in the clan was lower than that of their pets. Anyone could kick him if they felt like it. He endured constant torment and humiliation.
All because he was under Heavenly Restriction—born with not a trace of mana in his body, an unloved existence. In the clan, even the servants could mock and ridicule him at will.
And this all stemmed from the Magic Association's understanding of magic in this era.
In the age of war against the demon king's army, humans—like the demons—generally judged everything by the strength of mana.
Technique, experience, control and usage of magic, effort, perseverance—none of these were valued.
"Only the talented have worth. Those with strong mana get everything."
The Zenin family, as a lineage of sorcerers, viewed mana quantity as everything. Those with more mana had greater cultivation value and received resources. They were the main force championing this view among sorcerers.
In short—a family that placed mana supremacism above all.
Dario Zenin was a branch family member whose own talents were mediocre. So when Diego's mother became pregnant, he pinned all his hopes on the child, often boasting that his son would surely awaken the Zenin clan's ancestral technique—Ten Shadows Technique.
The current head of the Zenin family was the holder of Ten Shadows Technique. Everyone thought Dario Zenin was delusional and daydreaming, but no one openly called him out—instead they kept flattering him in ways that set him up for a harder fall.
The higher one is praised, the more painful the crash.
On a stormy night, Diego was born—shattering Dario's every expectation.
"No mana? How is that possible! How could my son—Dario's son—be a worthless piece of trash with no mana!!"
Staring at the infant on the sickbed, Dario clutched his head, breaking down completely. His hair was a mess from frantic pulling, tears gushing as he muttered nonstop, "No, no—this isn't my son at all!"
"Right, right! My wife miscarried! I never had a child!" Dario's unfocused eyes suddenly sharpened. His expression grew even more vicious. He used mana to yank the white sheet from the bedside and wrapped the sleeping Diego entirely, cursing, "You shameful thing—if I just kill you, it's as if you never came into this world."
"Dario, what are you doing to our child? Put Diego down right now." Diego's mother, still weak from the pain of childbirth, spoke in a feeble voice. Yet she still tremblingly reached out both arms to try to take Diego back.
"Why did you even name this little beast? Don't you know—if the family finds out about this thing, we're finished!" Dario's face darkened as he snarled in fury, "This is a disgrace with no mana! Everything we have will be taken—house, status, resources, money… gone, all gone!"
"But right now, if we just dispose of him, the two of us can still live well. We can have another child later. If the aptitude is good, you can rise through the child! Heh heh…"
Slap!
Diego's mother slapped Dario across the face. Her expression furious, she cut him off sharply: "You're wrong! Money isn't important at all! As long as you stop drinking, even if we leave the family, we can live just fine!"
Dario covered his face in disbelief, the skin visibly reddening. He roared in rage, "What did you say?! How dare you hit the head of this household?! You're a woman—you have no right to interfere with my decisions! I'm throwing this child in the river to drown right now!"
With that, Dario knocked Diego's mother unconscious with a single punch. Under cover of lightning and pouring rain, he left the monastery.
The river's water level rose violently due to the storm. Dario reached the bank, pinched Diego's neck, and forcibly held him underwater.
Bang!
Just as Diego was about to suffocate to death, his mother awoke from unconsciousness in time and threw herself at Dario.
"Give Diego back to me!"
"Get out of the way—let me get rid of this burden!"
The two struggled fiercely. In the fight, Dario's grip loosened. Diego was swept away by the current. His mother paled in horror.
Ignoring Dario's blows, she leaped into the river, flailing desperately toward him, tears streaming as she screamed, "Diego! Dio—! Dio—! Di—…"
Glug glug…
Diego's mother was drowning. River water flooded her throat. She could only clutch Diego tightly as they slowly sank to the bottom.
"Drowned, huh, you stupid woman…" Dario stood on the bank, gleefully mocking. "Tch! But… getting rid of both mother and son burdens at once… really lightens the load—"
With that, he turned and left to report to the main family that his wife had miscarried and died.
Not long after Dario left, a raised infant broke the river's surface. Diego's mother emerged, holding Diego protectively.
"Guh!"
She spat out a large amount of river water and carefully checked her child's condition. Only when she heard Diego's breathing did she relax.
"Ah—this… this child is still alive…! You're a child with incredibly strong will to survive!"
"This is practically a miracle. Thank you so much! Goddess!"
"Thank you!"
...
After the storm subsided, the unconscious mother was washed ashore. A Zenin family servant noticed her while working, rescued her, and reported it to the main house.
From then on, Diego's mother became a devout believer. But because she had just given birth and hadn't properly recovered before spending hours submerged in the freezing river, she developed chronic illness. She could hardly use magic anymore—essentially no different from an ordinary person.
As for Dario—he was exposed for attempting to murder his wife and child and was sent to the frontier to dig potatoes.
This was Diego's origin: a criminal father who tried to kill his own kin, an incompetent mother unable to use magic, and himself—with zero mana.
On the way home that day, Diego was surrounded and blocked by several children. The chubby leader put his hands on his hips, grabbed Diego, and shoved him while his childish voice dripped with primal malice: "Hey, Diego—hand over your wages. I'm short a bit for candy. I'm sure you'll make the right choice and sponsor me."
"Huh? Why should I give it to you?" Diego's smile froze instantly. His gaze turned icy as he growled, "Get lost!"
"Oh? Looks like you won't take the easy way. Boys—beat him up and take the money!" The chubby boy crossed his arms and ordered.
With that, several kids rushed forward and began wrestling with Diego.
Five minutes later...
All the kids surrounding Diego had been knocked down. Diego kicked the chubby boy's butt, spat out bloody saliva, and showed a disgusted expression. "Ptooey. Hand over all your money!"
Though it was many against one, children this age knew nothing of magic. In a pure brawl, how could they possibly beat someone under Heavenly Restriction?
"Waaah, why?!" The kids clutched their knocked-out teeth and bawled.
"If you're going to rob someone, you have to be ready to get robbed. That's common sense—common sense. Survival of the fittest, the unchanging law of nature." Diego kicked them a few more times, then rummaged through their pockets and took all their coins.
He stuffed the stolen money into his cap, put it on his head, and left the brats behind as he strode away.
The next day, Diego rose early and set off for the stable.
Hundreds of meters from the stable, a large roadside rock trembled violently before transforming into a stone golem that ambushed him. A fist struck his abdomen, forcing him to vomit acidic fluid.
"Urgh… this is… a magical construct… why would there be one in clan territory…" The young Diego doubled over like a shrimp on the ground, his eyes filled with deep confusion.
"Hey, Diego—you're the mana-less trash who beat up my little brother, right?"
"Hmph. Ill-bred country bumpkin—sure enough, just like his stupid father. He even robbed my son of three gold coins."
"Teach this arrogant brat a lesson."
The voices came before the people. The kids from yesterday had brought their older brother and father to corner Diego. They hid behind them, making faces as if to say: Serves you right!
Diego got up from the ground, took two steps back, stuck out his neck, and tried to argue: "They attacked me first. And your son didn't even have any gold coins."
"Huh? Are you saying my adorable son would lie to me? You little punk—you've got some nerve. I need to teach you about respecting your elders."
The middle-aged man cursed furiously.
The young Diego didn't yet know that arguing was pointless in this situation. Reason couldn't be explained to those looking for trouble.
He had no mana. As long as he didn't die, no matter how badly beaten, the family wouldn't stand up for him.
Soon Diego was left bleeding from the head, consciousness blurring. The leading middle-aged man grabbed his golden hair and dragged him forward.
Diego struggled desperately to break free.
"Hm? Punk—stay still."
The young man flew into a rage and unleashed magic. The ground trembled. Several stones flew out and struck Diego's chest.
Then a fierce wind tore at his exposed skin, blood spraying everywhere.
Crack crack!
Several of young Diego's ribs shattered instantly. The broken bones pierced his lungs, robbing him of movement. He coughed up blood nonstop and passed out.
Even so, he never made a single cry of pain.
The group soon grew bored. One of them suddenly had a bright idea, earning approval from the rest.
"Hey, let's throw this kid into the coliseum to make some money."
"Good plan. Just make sure not to kill him."
"I'll bet this brat gets half-dead by a magical beast in under three moves. Easy profit."
After an unknown amount of time, Diego was awakened by hot breath. Consciousness slowly returned.
The moment he opened his eyes, he was surrounded by chained magical beasts and wild animals. Their eyes glowed red, drool dripping nonstop onto the ground.
These things had been starved for days!
Their aggression had reached its peak!
Diego quickly realized his situation.
He struggled desperately, trying to find an exit in the boundless darkness—but he couldn't.
Under the coliseum operator's control, the chains opened. Several vicious rabbits captured from the far north were released. Agile and swift, they leaped onto Diego's shoulders in moments, aimed at his carotid artery, and bit down hard. Blood gushed out.
"Aaaah—help… help me…"
Diego fought back frantically but couldn't catch the lightning-fast vicious rabbits.
Soon his stamina ran out. He could only cover his head with both arms to protect his vitals.
Since crying for help was useless, Diego could only curl up in the darkness, trembling nonstop.
…No…
Why would I… ever hope someone would come save me…
I was probably… dragged here by those old fossils in the family…
Aren't they watching my humiliation from behind the scenes right now…
Have I become… a monkey in a zoo… for people to gawk at…
Diego didn't know the answer. Intense pain yanked him out of his thoughts.
"…Am I supposed to… 'like a weakling'… 'curl up and beg for help'?" Blood poured from Diego's eyes. In his blurry vision, he saw a vicious rabbit lunge. His lips moved—and curved upward.
"…'Or'"
Pfft!
The vicious rabbit bit into Diego's left arm. He tensed, his muscles clamping down and trapping the cunning rabbit.
Grab…
One hand firmly seized the vicious rabbit on his arm.
"Finally… caught you!"
Diego's lips were parched from massive blood loss, but now his weak voice began to grow louder.
Boom!
He yanked hard. A chunk of flesh was torn from his arm as he followed with a punch that shattered the vicious rabbit's skull.
Following the same method, he dealt with the remaining vicious rabbits one by one. Then he collapsed to the ground, life hanging by a thread.
In that instant, the stands erupted in wails and howls—from the nobles hiding behind the scenes.
No one had bet that Diego could kill the vicious rabbits. The house took all bets. The coliseum raked in a fortune.
"Damn it—that brat actually won!" The Zenin middle-aged man's face was ugly. He smashed the mirror in his hand and roared.
"Oh dear, don't be so upset." The coliseum manager slowly approached, wearing a mask with clown-like makeup. "Your attitude toward your clansman is quite special—"
"What clansman? That's trash. Mana-less trash. Just a monkey that can only jump around forever!" The middle-aged man roared without any dignity.
The manager took out a box, removed several gold coins, and handed them to the Zenin man. "Hey, don't say that. That's why I came to you with the idea of making money together, right?"
"This kid is perfect for the coliseum. As long as you let him fight, I'll give you this amount every time." The manager held the gravely injured Diego and wiggled several fingers.
Diego's condition was dire. Crawling out of the beast-filled cage, he was covered in the blood of beasts and himself. Wounds gaped everywhere, flesh torn open to expose bone.
In his daze, he caught parts of their conversation.
"Heh heh, sure. But you have to make sure his external injuries are healed. Don't let this cash cow die." The middle-aged man agreed with a grin.
"Of course. I've already arranged for clerics to treat him." The manager extended his hand toward the middle-aged man. "Then—here's to a fruitful partnership."
"Fruitful partnership."
In just a few words, Diego's future was decided.
...
When Diego woke, he had already been dumped at the stable entrance. The coliseum experience felt like a dream.
But the pain in his body constantly reminded him it had really happened.
The clerics had healed his external wounds. From the outside, there wasn't a trace of injury—but inside he was riddled with damage.
It couldn't be called fully healed. A permanent scar remained at the corner of Diego's mouth. He gently touched it—intense pain shot through immediately: "It hurts."
Diego froze for a moment. Tears nearly fell from the pain, but he gritted his teeth and continued to the stable to start a day's work.
The day passed in a blur. That night, back home during dinner.
His mother looked tense, constantly observing Diego and stroking his face.
"Dio, what happened to the wound at the corner of your mouth? Did someone bully you?" his mother asked.
"No way—I just fell and hurt myself by accident." Diego smiled, but it tugged the wound. "Hss—"
His mother said nothing more. She tore a strip from her clothing and gently pressed it to Diego's scar.
"If you put a bandage on it, it'll heal quickly."
"…Mm! It definitely will—because Mom said so."
But deep down, Diego knew a scar born of hatred could never heal from a simple piece of cloth.
After applying it, Diego wolfed down everything in his dish.
"Dio, have you lost weight?" His mother pushed her full cup of food toward him. "Here—eat Mom's portion too."
Diego sat on a wooden crate. His own dish was already spotless beside him. He raised a hand to his forehead, gesturing, and comforted her: "I'm already full… I haven't lost weight… I just grew taller."
Because they were unwelcome, Diego's mother worked from sunrise to sunset just to secure a place to sleep and barely enough food for two.
Even so, they had no other work available and nowhere else to go.
Mom already has it so hard because of me. I won't make her worry. They're just a bunch of brainless beasts—I can handle it.
Diego looked at his mother's haggard face and thought so.
Though she hid it from me, I know everything. Because of my birth, Mom fell from nobility to this state.
Without Mom, I would've starved to death in some corner of the Zenin house long ago.
But yesterday—because of me beating those main family kids—Mom was ostracized even more. Her workload grew even heavier.
That night, on the straw pile, Diego couldn't sleep. Tears kept welling up. He choked back sobs, not daring to make a sound:
I'm sorry, Mom… really sorry… it's all… all my fault…
Diego soon cried himself out. Staring at the bright moonlight outside the window, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes. He clenched his fists so hard they trembled, blood seeping from his palms.
I will never forgive them! I will… kill them all! I will take revenge on this unfair society!
Since they all want me dead—I'll drag the entire Zenin family down with me!
Just wait—I'll start with the slaughter in the coliseum!
Lesson 2: Learn to endure. Just wait patiently for the right moment.