For the past two weeks of training, I've managed to build my physical body. For some reason, I grow a lot quicker than most people.
Not in terms of height but in terms of physical growth. Enrid is still towering over my small body, tsk.
During his training, he had discovered something. His skills are improving and leveling up, the way they upgrade is by doing the same thing over and over again. Just like killing monsters repeatedly to level up and get points for status distribution.
[ Athleticism Lvl.2 ]
[ Adrenaline-Rush Lvl.2 ]
[ Pain Tolerance Lvl.1 ] (New!)
Those are the two personal skills that leveled up during his two-week training. It may not look much since it only leveled up by one, but the effects have increased. Athleticism not only makes him an athlete but allows him to perform things he wasn't able to do before. Like carrying heavy objects and enduring the pain. Which comes in his new personal skill, pain tolerance.
It allows him to become numb doing certain actions. For example, intense exercises barely hurt anymore. However, being hit with an object or a weapon still hurts no matter how high your pain tolerance can be.
This will be the day when he will learn more about magic and how to use it. Especially since he's done enough physical training, his body can now withstand a little bit of pain from his mana curse.
"Listen carefully. Your body? It is clogged with impurities and negative mana. The impurities are easy to get rid of, so we'll have to focus on tha–" Before Esther could even finish her sentence, she got interrupted.
"Woah woah woah–! Hold the heck up! You are too quick– Impurities and negative mana? Could you tell me what those are in the first place? and tell me the entire history of magic!" Cliff insisted.
With a mage, he'll be able to learn how to use magic and also learn the history of magic. He doesn't want to be clueless during class, he needs to be prepared in advance in case there's a written exam.
"Tsk… We don't have enough time to cover the entire history of magic, that's what you SHOULD be doing after you pass the entrance exam." Despite Cliff's insistence, she didn't allow him to influence her decision at all.
Tsk! How annoying, I guess I just gotta self-study when we pass by a library.
"Let's start talking about impurities." She opened up her book, flipped through the pages and found the topic.
"Here, let me give you an example of what impurities are. What happens when a house becomes unmaintained?" Esther asked, patiently waiting for the teen's answer.
"They…wither?"
"Close, it's part of it." She smiles, still waiting for him to get the correct answer.
"Hmm… They get dusty and full of cobwebs?" He answered once again, unsure of what he was saying. Although he isn't that much of a dumb person, his INT status being lower and making it hard to understand magic is what makes him frustrated about it. It seems that the INT status is also affecting his mental capabilities as a person other than his magical curse.
What a fucking pain, I want to get rid of this fucking curse soon and kill the bitch who cursed this body.
"What happens when a tube gets all dusty and full of cobwebs and water comes through it?"
"It'll clog– Oh! That's what you're trying to say!" Finally, he got the correct answer. Though his otherworldly knowledge isn't affected, his magical knowledge is affected by that INT curse.
"Exactly. The only way to remove those impurities is to use magic. However, the curse that halves your mana pool makes it dangerous for you to release any type of mana." She sighed and started drawing a figure on a piece of paper. The mage seems serious about this, it must be because she got paid gold for her teachings.
Then, she finished her drawing and showed it to the red-haired teenager.
"This is your body, and these veins are what we call 'Mana Circuits' that make it possible for magic users to release their mana. I imagine that your mana circuits are laid dormant, sudden activation might… lead to deadly consequences." Esther hesitantly tells the teenager, her expression makes Cliff think that she is hiding something.
"What– Am I gonna explode or something?" He sarcastically responded, not thinking much about it.
"..." She turned her head in another direction, trying to whistle but failed. Still, she desperately tried to avoid eye contact.
"...It will, won't it?"
"Y…yep."
A moment of silence spread through the atmosphere until Esther cleared her throat and propped her composure back to normal.
"S-so, we are going to start with removing the impurities that have been building up inside your magical circuits."
"But it's been like…never since I've used my mana, a-are you sure about this? I'm not gonna go into shock, yes?" He sweats, now hesitant to even use magic or let mana flow through his body in case something goes wrong and destroys his body in the process.
"It's uncomfortable at first, but removing impurities is part of the process. Also! If you remove it all, you might learn how to imbue mana to your whole body! Isn't that great? Haha?" She tries to steer the worries of Cliff to somewhere else, but it isn't working based on his expression.
This… I don't trust this at all…
"Do you at least know where our magic comes from?"
Oh, I know this one! Thankfully, the Wiki said something about this!
"Magic Heart. It's a second heart that all magic users have, it is located on the right side of our chest."
"Great, at least you have some inkling. I thought I'd have to teach you even the basics, you won't survive the academy if you of all people don't know that knowledge… Phew…" She wiped the sweat off her head with a clean towel, relieved that she didn't have a lot of tasks to do.
Though, that's…it. Other than knowing the spells and such, everything about magic is unknown to me. Since I'm an Archer-class character. There are only a few spells that fit an archer, but since this is realistic mode… there are probably some changes. Hopefully.
"Let's start, shall we?"
"Alright!"
....
"Imagine your Magic Heart pumping mana out to your magical circuits, and let the mana inside of you flow through every single magical circuit."
In the world of magic, imagination is the most powerful tool that a magician could have in their arsenal. As a gamer, he should know how to imagine such things. He fantasizes about these types of things, after all.
His eyes closed, and he began to focus. Listening to the beat of his own heart, he follows Esther's instructions. However, nothing is happening.
"Is it supposed to be this difficult?" He asked, doubtful if he could even activate his own magic heart.
"For you? Yes, for others? Yes. So stop asking and keep focusing."
She could've just said that it is the same for others.
Now, what am I doing wrong here? Using my media knowledge, it's supposed to be easier for me due to how many fantasy shows I've watched…
Hm…?
What Esther did before. She also did it during her fight with the Knight of Flowers, flowing her mana throughout her magical circuits.
He breathed deeply. His expression became more relaxed and his body was less stiff. Instead of intently focusing, he'll be letting it naturally flow. Like how his heart is producing blood every beat.
Pump…Pump…Pump
Cliff could hear his own heart beating loudly, but he could feel somewhere in his body that something was moving faintly. By the usage of imagery, that unknown organ is located on the right side of his chest.
Found it…
He has found his mana heart. It is beating, but it's very faint. It must be because of the curse that has been engraved upon him for 17 years straight.
The next step is removing the impurities from his magical circuits. Cliff knows that he shouldn't overexert himself, which is why he's gonna take it at his own pace. He could still do it after arriving at the academy, but there needs to be at least some kind of progress that needs to happen within these 12 days.
It has been 2 hours since they've started. Cliff finally grew tired and opened his eyes…
"Phew… that was–"
In front of him is the mage and her magical circuits glow brightly more than ever. Some parts of her skin got covered with ice, but she looked somewhat comfortable. She is smiling.
"It took years of practice and training to achieve… this form. I'm proud to be one of the few mages that have completely managed to bond with their affinity." With her relaxed expression, she is reminiscing. He could tell because she was staring at some parts of her body covered in ice.
"Your situation is special, which is why you mustn't give up. Got that? You'd be wasting the gold you paid us if you gave up."
"I wasn't–"
"Just let me have this mentor moment, Cliff."
O-oh.
The both of them looked at the back of the carriage, seeing the sun fall and the moon rising. She smiled once again, her long hair flowing with the wind while Cliff just smirked.
These experienced adventurers can sometimes be too goofy for me, bruh.