I Choose the Side Character

Blank Grimore

"Haha!" This is amazing! The floating kingdom of Atlas is right above me! "How could we go up there!" I grabbed Panda and shook her upside down.

"Please tell me!!!"

"Ahhh! Stop shaking me!" She angrily exclaimed and slapped my hands.

"Ouch!" I whimpered.

"That's what you get for shaking me. Now my head is dizzy from all of that. Geez," Panda said with an annoyed voice as she touched her head with her hand.

"Just tell me how I'll go up there. Please,"  I looked at her and gave her my most awesome puppy eyes. "Please! Please!" I kept pleading. No matter what, I must go there!  

"Geez." Panda sigh. "It's in the book. Hmph." She crossed her arms. 

"What book?" I asked confused.

"The book from the box." 

"Oh, right?! That book!" I looked around to where did I drop the box before. "There is it!" It is a meter away from us. I walked towards it and picked up the book inside it. "Yosh! I got the book! What should I do next?" I  turned my head to Panda. 

"Open it,"

Hmm. The cover of the book is blank and it has just a plain silver color. I opened it to the first page. "Grimoire of Magic." I read it loud and clear. 

"Awesome! It's said magic!" My eyes sparkled as I looked at Panda. "Will I have magic?"

"Continue to the next page!" Panda suddenly spoke in a military voice. I could feel my back suddenly straightening as I respond "Hai!" Damn! I didn't expect that.  

I turned it to the next page..."Eh? It's blank?" I kept flipping to one page after another. But whichever page I flip it, only the plain white sheets are what I always see.

"It would be boring if you're already so strong." Panda started to speak when she saw my confusion. "That book will serve as your data. Whatever you want to learn be it magic or skill, you need to write it down there. And you will acquire that skill after that."

"Ehhhhh!? That's a problem!" I screamed. Oh no! Then I will not be able to acquire any skills at this rate!

"Why are you screaming?!"

"I don't have any pen," I said. How would I be able to write without pens! Truly! I would never reach Atlas! It's like, I'm taking an entrance exam without any pencils!

"Tsk. I thought it was some big problem." Panda flicked her hands and suddenly a pen appeared. "Here you go!"

"Wahhh! Thank you, Panda!" I tried to give her a hug but she just evaded me swiftly. 

"Meanie!" I grumpily took a seat in some rock and started pondering what to write first. Hmmm. I look at Panda. "How many skills can I write here?"

"You could write as many as you want.' 

"Eh really?!" Then! Teleportation, Flight, all magic!

"Fool! You could only learn a skill once per day!" Panda smacked my head. "Huhu! You didn't tell me that!"

Then Teleportation would be fine right? To reach Atlas, that's the fastest way to arrive there.

I wrote the word teleportation in the book. Then I stood up. "How will the skill activate after I write it?"

"Just imagine doing it then you'll hear a voice saying that your skill has been acquired or something like that."

Imagine? Imagine myself teleporting. I closed my eyes. Yes, I need to teleport to Atlas. I'm Teleporting. Why am I not feeling anything?

"Pfft. Bwahahahha! What a fool!"

I immediately opened my eyes and glared at this Panda. "Hey! I'm still here, why is that?"

"Ah! Sorry! I forgot to mention one thing. You'll only be able to use that skill if first, you already experienced it even once. Second, if you learned it from someone. Third, if you read it to any book and understand its mechanics clearly."

"What the heck? Then how will I be able to go there?"

"I don't know." She shrugged her shoulders.

"What, I thought, you'll guide me?"

"I'm already doing that. Find it out yourself. Or think of other skills."

I could feel the blood is already boiling inside my bones. This Panda! Ahh! Snap! I need to calm down. "Three. It's no use dealing with a weird, hot-tempered flying creature that is somewhat experiencing a monthly visit from her aunt right now."

"You?!"

"Two, I need to rethink things carefully." I released a deep breath. What skill could I learn to reach Atlas? The trees' leaves, where am I standing near leaves suddenly fall. My eyes widened as I smirk. "One. That skill might work. Now I'm freaking calm now."

"Ok. Now I get what I need to do!"

I wrote the skill once again in my book. I notice that the other skills that I wrote before, disappear. It must be because I didn't learn it yet. I looked around ignoring Panda who is flaring with anger now. There, that tree would be a great way to have that skill.

I started climbing the tree. And when I'm on its top branch. Panda flew beside me.

"Whoah! This is so high!" I looked below, one wrong move, and I could fall and die easily. It would be lame if you die, just the first day you reincarnate right?

"What are you going to do, do you think climbing would help you reach Atlas?" Panda asked. But instead of answering her question, I asked another thing.

"Do you know the bird called Albatross?"

"Those seabirds, what about them?" Panda looked at me confused.

"Out of 40 of their hatchlings twelve only survive during their flight season. When they learn to fly for the first time, there are already a lot of risks. First, sharks gathered near the shore where they'll have their first flight. And second, wild cats are already roaming around the seashore. If they fall in any of these areas, it's the end for them." I said as I measure the height of the tree. 

This one is really tall, around 30 feet from below. Then I looked above, but the island was still out of reach. I guess I have no other way than to learn that skill.

"What does it matter to this situation?"

I looked at her and grinned. "I'm going to fly and like them, I'm going to bet my life on it!"

Panda's eyes widened with horror as I jumped out of the tree. I could feel my body falling fast. Whew! This is freaking wild and nuts! It's been a long time since I enjoyed this thrill!

Ten feet.

Five feet.

Three feet.

"Breeze Flow!" My body halted in the air just before I could hit the ground.

"But unlike the albatross..." I closed my eyes and smile with satisfaction as I remembered, what I saw above the tree before. There is a bird's nest there and its mother was teaching its chick to fly already. Not all birds are the same. "I know my guardian wouldn't let me die."

I could feel my body flowing as the wind started to hover around me. I knew it, this is your skill.

"You...Do you plan all of this?" Panda said as she flew down to my level.

"How could I? I'm stupid to think all those things." I smiled at her. "But awesome people, need to do things awesomely!" 

"Fool! Hmph." Panda harrumphed.  "I know you are lying." She crossed her tiny arms once again. How cute! 

Back then, when Panda started to float in the air. I noticed something different. When she made me walk in those different directions before, I couldn't feel any of it but when I came closer to her again. I could feel it. A breeze of wind only to her area.

 "You only have a minute left, experienced flying using the wind."

"Eh. Can we just use this to just fly directly to the island?" That's right when you have this kind of magic, you could send me there. "Why make things hard for me?" I pouted.

"My magic is limited in this world, I can't waste any single of it. Half a minute," I looked at her dubiously.

"Waste it? Aren't you using it with flying all this..."

"Hurry!" She shouted cutting off my words.

"Hai!" Aishh. But I guess, it's not a bad deal to acquire this skill too.

Imagine myself flying huh? I closed my eyes. I stretched out both of my arms sideways and closed both of my feet. Well, this is how those people do in movies when they first learn to fly. 

Then fly!

I opened my eyes and the wind pushed my body. The next thing I knew, I let out a loud scream when I sped up high above! "Ahhh! I'm flying!"

"i***t! Focus on the direction! You will hit a tree!"

"Eh?!" I would really bump into a tree! I maneuvered my body to the left side. "Hoo! That was close!" But now! 

"Yahoo! I'm fricking, flying!" 

{Flight skill has acquired} I was surprised when I heard a mechanical voice resounded inside my head. I almost bump into a tree again.

"Panda! I heard a voice inside my head!" No! Am I being possessed! 

"Nah, don't be surprised. It means you already learned the skill. Look my wind is no longer hovering your body." Panda said as she matches my flight. But now that I notice... There is really no wind surrounding me from before!

"Congratulations, despite your foolishness, you manage to acquired the flight skill."

"Erg. I don't know if you're complimenting me or what?" I felt like some rock dropped in my head.

"You should be used to this now, from now on this is how you'll do to acquire skills. But still..." I turned to Panda waiting for her next words. "It's not that I'm concern to you or anything. But don't do things so recklessly, I might not be able to help you every time." 

"Panda..." I smiled at her words. She is really a tsundere panda. "Yeah, I'll be more careful."

"Stop grinning like an i***t! Let's go to the Atlas now!" She flew fast me ahead.

"Alright!" I look above, the huge mass of land is getting nearer.  

"I'm here now, Atlas!"