Outside the city walls, in an empty land covered with scattered weeds, we stood under the midday sun.
After it took Harvey a long time to convince Mike that I was just a boy from a nearby village, and after much argument and several attempts, Mike finally relented, stopped asking questions, and considered it a strange coincidence.
Harvey turned to me and said in a serious tone:
"And now… let's begin your training. But before that, tell me, how do you feel after awakening?"
I took a deep breath, then answered:
"I feel light. My body previously required great effort to move, but now, with minimal strength, I can do what I couldn't before. Maybe… I can swing a sword four hundred times now."
Harvey nodded as if he expected my answer, then said sarcastically:
"I hate to disappoint you… but we won't be training physically anymore. There's no point."
I stared at him, disbelieving:
"No point?"
"Yes. The feeling of lightness is only temporary. Don't think that your awakening as a magician has solved your problem; it's just a postponement… and it will return with greater force. Physical training, in your case, is a waste of time."
I gasped in surprise, then muttered bitterly:
"So… does this mean I wasted the past two weeks for nothing?"
After a moment of silence, he said, crossing his arms:
"Almost. Some of what you did was necessary, but… it wouldn't have taken more than three days if I had known about your condition beforehand. You can blame your master for not telling me."
I sighed deeply, smiled with bitter sarcasm, and thought to myself:
Of course… How can something capable of killing me in three years be cured with just two weeks of naive training?
I raised my head and asked him:
"Alright, what now? Are you going to teach me magic?"
But Harvey shook his head:
"Also, no."
I glared at him, stunned:
"Why? Then why did you bring me here in the first place?!"
He answered me seriously:
"Three reasons. First: It's your master's duty to teach you how to use ice magic, not mine. Second: I don't have any ice spells to train you with. Third… as I told you, the mana pathways in your body are still full of frozen mana, and it's spreading over time. Teaching you spells now with that problem will take a long time… time we don't have."
I crossed my arms and said with bitter sarcasm:
"So no body, and no magic… Maybe dropping out would be better?"
Harvey smiled calmly and said:
"Don't despair. Your master didn't send me with you for nothing. If he entrusted me with the task, he must believe you're capable of passing it. I'm here today to teach you something else… External Magic."
I blinked in surprise:
"External Magic? I've never heard of it."
He replied with a slight smile:
"It wasn't my idea, but Mike's. External Magic was the style of magicians in ancient times when mana was abundant everywhere. Back then, there was no such thing as a 'Mana Core'; they drew mana directly from the air to build their spells. And that… is what we're going to do."
I began to understand, then said:
"I see… The idea is that I'll avoid relying on the mana core inside me."
"Exactly. You're smarter than I expected." He paused for a moment, then added:
"Frankly… I don't know why the Master accepted you as his disciple. If I didn't know his power, I'd have thought he was ignorant of your body's nature. But… when I remember what he said at the end, I understand a little."
I raised my eyebrows in surprise:
"What do you mean, 'at the end of his words'?"
He replied, recalling:
"When he said that old woman might know a way to cure you. I think he meant the Academy's Headmistress. At the time, I didn't understand what he meant by you enduring the cold, but now… it's clearer. Maybe he wanted to cure you himself but changed his mind because of your request."
I nodded, remembering it myself. I had guessed the same possibility earlier.
But just thinking about that woman… "The Witch of the End," as they call her, and the animosity I saw in the novel between her and my master… I couldn't help but imagine the worst-case scenarios.
Harvey cut through my thoughts, saying firmly:
"Forget the distractions. Focus on your only goal: succeeding in the admission. Everything else can wait."
I pushed my thoughts away with difficulty. He was right… If I failed, my master might kill me without hesitation. And even if he didn't… most of the important treasures and plot events are only accessible to me by entering the academy.
I said:
"Alright… Let's start."
Harvey smiled:
"Good. You need to know something first: External Magic doesn't rely on a mana core, but it's not easier. On the contrary, it's harder, because it requires immense control over mana to gather it from the air and shape it. And the first thing I'm going to teach you… is mana control."
I nodded: "And how is that?"
Harvey walked away towards a nearby tree, plucked a few leaves from it, then lifted one and placed it on his forehead.
It didn't fall. The leaf remained stuck to his forehead, as if magnetized.
He said with a confident smile:
"This is the first exercise. You will learn to control mana through it. All you have to do is keep the leaf stuck to your forehead, through a balanced flow of mana."
I looked at him in surprise, but the scene stirred something familiar within me.
I remembered one of Min-soo's novels about a world of ninjas… Ah, no wonder it seemed familiar!
I smiled confidently, took a leaf from his hand, placed it on my forehead, and began directing mana to maintain it.
But… before the mana reached my forehead, the leaf fell to the ground.
Harvey said:
"Try again. This time, faster."
I realized my mistake, gathered the mana first, then placed the leaf. And indeed… it stuck to my forehead. I smiled triumphantly.
But my smile didn't last long… as the leaf began to disintegrate and disappear into the air.
Harvey burst out laughing:
"Hahaha! You used too much mana. A leaf is a fragile thing; it can't withstand it. You have to find the right amount."
I frowned, went to the tree, took a handful of leaves, and returned. I threw most of them on the ground and kept one on my forehead.
Again… it disintegrated.
Then it fell.
Then it tore.
I kept trying and trying, for a full thirty minutes, until I finally succeeded in keeping one leaf stable.
Harvey said with an encouraging smile:
"Good… Although it's not perfect yet, it's a good start."
I smiled too, but a question mark quickly formed on my face after his next words.
Harvey gave me a sarcastic look and said:
"You didn't think the training was limited to just one leaf… right, my dear Aarin?"
I felt a shiver run down my spine.
And so… my nightmare day began with this hellish training.