When Valorant saw the stone in Aster's hand turn blue, he hesitated.
It was obvious from his expression—he hadn't expected such a result from his new disciple.
The old man narrowed his eyes slightly and spoke in a low voice.
"Interesting."
Hearing that, Aster panicked as if something terrible had happened.
"What is it?! Is something wrong?! Is everything okay?!"
"Yes. Everything is fine," the master replied, trying to calm him.
Even so, Aster couldn't help but feel uneasy. Valorant's gaze never left the stone resting in his palm.
Seeing his confusion, Valorant added,
"It's just that… you seem to have an affinity for blue flame."
Aster continued staring at him with a blank expression.
In this world, there were many kinds of fire magic. Eternal flame, green flame—like the one his master used—each had its own nature and strengths.
"Blue flame is a type of fire that can take form according to the Elestar's will," Valorant explained.
"It's extremely convenient in combat. However, it requires more training."
Though Aster didn't fully understand the true potential of this ability yet, he nodded as if he did and asked,
"So… what do we do next?"
"Starting tomorrow, we'll begin basic mana control training. For now, go rest. Tomorrow will be difficult."
Aster obeyed and went to bed early.
Yet the excitement in his heart refused to let him sleep.
'So this is where it truly begins…'
It felt as if he had taken his first true step toward becoming a real Elestar.
***
The morning sun rose brighter than usual, as if heralding the beginning of something important.
And yet, Aster was still fast asleep inside the hut.
He muttered incoherently in his sleep.
What kind of dream he was having—no one knew.
Then—
Splash!
A bucket of ice-cold water was poured directly over him.
Feeling the freezing shock, Aster jolted upright instantly.
"What was that?!" he shouted, looking around wildly.
Seeing Valorant standing in front of him, he immediately understood.
"Get up. Morning training starts now!"
"I-I'm getting up…" Aster muttered, rubbing his eyes.
The old man stepped outside after waking him. As Aster watched his back, he noticed a subtle change in his master's expression.
It seemed that both teacher and student were satisfied—one with teaching, the other with learning.
As Aster got up to change his clothes, he suddenly noticed something strange.
The bite marks left by the demon dogs…
The bruises from the stones thrown at him…
They were all completely gone.
'How is this possible?'
For his entire body to recover in just two days was unthinkable to him.
Stepping outside, Aster approached his master. He removed the cloth wrappings from his body, standing there refreshed and alert.
"Looks like you've healed," Valorant said.
"I feel much better. How did you do it?" Aster asked.
Valorant raised his clenched fist and slowly opened his palm.
Green light flared—
A green flame ignited above his hand.
"My flame is green fire," Valorant said calmly.
"It can attack from within, damage the enemy's body—and also heal wounds."
Hearing this, Aster recalled how Baskerville had burned that day. He then glanced down at his own body.
"Compared to burning someone from the inside… healing sounds better."
Valorant continued,
"It's also highly effective against poison—especially demon poison. When Baskerville's dogs bit you, they poisoned you. I used this flame to remove the toxin and heal your body."
'So that's why I recovered so quickly…'
"That's why you're alive," Valorant added.
"Today is your first real lesson. I'll explain the basics of fire magic, then we'll begin."
He continued,
"All Elestars who use fire magic follow the same fundamental combat style. Their techniques may differ, but the foundation is one."
"Flame Wrath."
Flame Wrath was originally a body-enhancement technique from which the combat style was derived. It required the Elestar to utilize their mana affinity with the fire element to strengthen their body—and further amplify themselves depending on the enemy they faced.
It was far faster and more powerful than ordinary mana-based reinforcement.
"There are seven stages within the Flame Wrath technique. I won't explain the higher foundations yet," Valorant said, grimacing slightly.
Not because he was lazy—but because he believed it was far too early for Aster to know them.
"For now, you must reach the first stage—Flame Mana. As the name suggests, you need to learn mana control. And that… we begin now."
Aster had a question, but he didn't want to interrupt. Hesitantly, he raised his hand.
Seeing this, Valorant spoke immediately.
"You don't need to raise your hand. Just ask."
Aster cleared his throat.
"Why is it called Flame Wrath?"
Valorant looked pleased by the question.
"Because fire resembles human anger. Once it ignites, it cannot be easily extinguished. The more you give in to wrath while using this technique, the stronger you become."
He paused.
"And then you die a painful death. That's why it bears that name."
Aster froze, instantly regretting the question.
In truth, the danger of the technique lay precisely in anger. While using it, absolute calm was required—because even a flicker of rage could consume an Elestar and throw them into a [Berserk] state.
After that, Aster asked no more unnecessary questions and began training.
His first task was to stabilize his mana.
So he began meditating.
From the day training started, Aster meditated daily. Even though he didn't fully understand what he was doing, he followed his master's instructions without complaint.
To keep Aster's mana calm, Valorant constantly interfered.
Sometimes in unexpected ways.
For example—
While Aster was meditating, Valorant would suddenly shout at him.
The first time, Aster jumped in shock.
But over time, he gradually adapted.
Eventually, it became normal.
When shouting stopped being effective, Valorant switched tactics.
"Idiot."
But Aster paid no attention. Ignoring such words had become second nature to him.
Now, meditation also helped him organize his thoughts.
'According to Master Valorant, this practice is common in the Eastern Water Nation. Meditation calms the mind and prevents excessive mana consumption.'
After two weeks of uninterrupted meditation, Aster's mana—and his mind—became far calmer.
More importantly, he began to feel his mana.
When Valorant heard this, he said with a frightening smile,
"Then we begin concentration."
Seeing that smile made Aster's skin crawl.
Concentration meant circulating mana throughout the body while maintaining perfect control at the same time.
It sounded simple.
But for Aster—who possessed a vast, chaotic amount of mana—it was incredibly difficult.
Controlling such mana was like trying to redirect a raging river.
Ordinary Elestars learned concentration quickly because they possessed relatively small amounts of mana.
But for Aster, it took far longer.
Training continued.
Eventually, Valorant decided to raise the difficulty.
"Today, we'll add something new."
"What… are we adding?" Aster asked.
A terrifying grin spread across Valorant's face.
"You'll maintain mana concentration. And I…"
He picked up a staff.
"…will hit you."
Aster shouted in disbelief.
"What kind of training is that?! Are you joking?!"
Valorant stared at him seriously.
"We begin now. If you can maintain concentration after one hit, I won't strike again. If you lose control—"
He paused.
"You'll keep getting beaten until you stabilize it. Understood?"
Aster swallowed.
"...Yes."
Thus, the next phase of training began.
Aster sat on the stump Valorant had indicated.
"Begin."
He started concentrating.
The old man circled him silently.
Then—
Without warning, the staff struck from the left like lightning.
A blinding shock exploded in Aster's head—
Then darkness.
He lost consciousness.
When he woke, Valorant was poking him with the staff, as if checking whether he was dead.
"You awake?"
"Then continue concentrating."
With that, the old man walked away.
Barely standing, Aster returned to his spot.
'My head… He's absurdly sensitive to mana. That must be the result of decades of training…'
Suddenly, a voice echoed from the forest.
"Begin concentration!"
Without thinking, Aster complied.
One minute passed.
Then five.
Exhausted, he lost focus.
His body trembled as he stood up, barely able to move.
Then his master's words echoed in his mind.
Aster looked around.
"Left—no. Right—no. Front and back—nothing. So this time… I won't get hit."
Relieved, he took a step.
Then—
"Above."
Aster looked up just in time.
"Dammit—!"
The staff struck his head squarely.
He blacked out again—this time for much longer.
***
When Aster opened his eyes, night had already fallen.
Valorant was preparing dinner.
Noticing his disciple awake, the old man asked calmly,
"You're awake?"