As time passed, the magic power within Ethan's body continued to rise steadily.
But very soon, he hit a bottleneck.
No matter how much effort he put into meditating, his total magic power would not increase further.
Helpless, Ethan had no choice but to end his meditation.
Yet when he opened his eyes and examined his body, he was stunned.
His total magic power had nearly doubled compared to before he began meditating.
Though he had known meditation could strengthen one's magic, he had never imagined the increase would be this dramatic.
It was just a pity that he had encountered a bottleneck. Otherwise, he would have happily continued meditating.
As for the reason behind this barrier, Ethan had his suspicions.
Perhaps it was due to the weakness of his physical body.
With the blessing of magic power, his strength and speed had increased greatly. But that was only when supported by magic.
Without that factor, his body remained the body of a child barely more than ten years old, still frail compared to the demands of true combat.
It was precisely because Ethan's body was still weak that it could only hold a limited amount of magic power. After all, the body was the vessel that contained magic.
Just as he was mulling over how to strengthen his physique, Ethan suddenly felt something strange.
Turning his head, he froze.
Ur and Lyon were both staring at him hard.
The look in their eyes nearly scared him out of his wits.
"What are you doing?! Why are you both looking at me like that?" Ethan asked, genuinely confused.
"Why? Because you sucked up all the magic particles around here! How are we supposed to cultivate like that?!" Lyon shouted, his eyes wide with resentment.
When he had entered meditation earlier, he'd only just started drawing in magic when he realized all the surrounding particles were being pulled toward Ethan's position instead.
Even particles drifting down from beyond the snowy mountain had all been swallowed up by Ethan, leaving nothing for Lyon to take.
The worst part was no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't wrest any away.
It left him furious.
"It seems your talent isn't just in spellcasting," Ur said softly, a gentle smile curving her lips.
The stronger Ethan's talent revealed itself, the more pleased she felt. After all, he was her disciple now.
"Enough meditation for today. It's time to move on to another kind of training."
She slipped her coat back on. Her goal today had only been to introduce Ethan to her normal routine, so she didn't press Lyon about his failed meditation.
"To become an excellent mage, you must also have a strong body. So, the next part of training will be long-distance running."
Her expression hardened as she gave the order.
"Today, you must run at least thirty kilometers. And during the run, you're not allowed to use magic or magical power to assist you. If I catch you trying, you'll regret it."
"Thirty kilometers?!"
Both Ethan and Lyon's voices rang out in unison.
Ur straightened her clothes, her expression serious as she spoke of the next part of their training.
Just that single sentence was enough to make Lyon's face pale.
Thirty kilometers.
Even though he had already been training under Ur for some time, the thought of running such a distance still made his head ache.
In this world, human bodies were indeed stronger than in ordinary worlds, but they were still young. Running that far without rest would never be easy.
Ur might be gentle by nature, but as a teacher, she was strict to the core. If she said no magic or magical power was allowed, then she meant none.
But unlike Lyon, Ethan's face showed no sign of panic.
He knew that as long as he managed his breathing and pace properly, thirty kilometers would be difficult but not impossible. After all, his body now carried mana within it. Even if he didn't actively channel it, that presence still made him more resilient than an ordinary person.
Besides he wanted to grow stronger.
And since he had been wondering how to strengthen his physical body, Ur's training method was exactly what he needed.
"If that's the case, then let's see who's faster!" Lyon suddenly declared, puffing out his chest. "As your senior brother, I won't admit defeat to you again!"
The fire in his eyes was clear.
He still hadn't gotten over his last loss to Ethan, and this was his chance to win back some pride. After all, he had trained with Ur longer. Surely he had the advantage this time.
Before Ethan could even respond, Lyon had already bolted, charging down the snowy slope with all his strength.
Ethan chuckled, unfazed. He stretched and shook out his arms and legs, warming up his body before setting off.
On this freezing mountain, they had been sitting bare-armed in meditation for so long. Without mana flowing through him, he would've been frozen stiff already.
Jumping straight into a sprint without warming up was reckless. It was the kind of thing that could easily injure the body.
Lyon knew this too. He knew he should have stretched first, loosened his muscles, and paced himself.
But his desire to defeat Ethan was stronger than his common sense. In his young, prideful heart, wasting even a moment on preparation felt unbearable.
Ur said nothing, though in her mind she quietly jotted down a note in black ink against Lyon. When we return, he'll be punished for this.
Then she turned her gaze toward Ethan. A faint, satisfied smile touched her lips.
Ethan, unlike Lyon, had taken his time. He jogged lightly at first, warming his body, careful not to overexert himself. He wasn't about to rush headlong into thirty kilometers of running it would only exhaust him too soon.
Ur followed behind at a leisurely pace. For her, thirty kilometers was nothing. Even three hundred would hardly be an issue.
Maintaining a steady rhythm, Ethan breathed evenly and let his body fall into a natural cadence.
After less than half an hour, he closed the gap and caught up to Lyon.
By now, Lyon's initial burst had faded. His breathing was ragged, his face pale, his steps unsteady. He was panting heavily, his legs already growing weak.
Ethan glanced at him but said nothing. He had no interest in mocking a boy's recklessness. Instead, he simply passed Lyon smoothly and continued forward at his own pace.
But that calm, indifferent attitude only stoked Lyon's frustration.
The more Ethan ignored him, the more bitter the defeat felt.
Though the training wasn't over yet, Lyon already knew deep down he had lost again. His pride was crushed, and the weight of that realization pressed hard on his heart.
Ur watched the whole exchange silently. She could already guess what Lyon was thinking, but she didn't comfort him.
It wasn't because she valued Ethan more, nor because she looked down on Lyon.
It was because she believed this was a trial Lyon had to face himself.
He has to grow through this, Ur thought quietly. Only then will he become truly strong.