It was already night.
In the dark basement of Kiran Mansion, four people had gathered once again.
The stone walls were illuminated by several small magical lamps, casting a gentle glow throughout the room. At the center of the hall was a large magic array engraved into the floor, surrounded by ancient symbols that had been used by the family for generations.
This time, however, the focus of everyone's attention was Lorean.
The six-year-old girl stood before a table upon which rested a transparent crystal ball.
She looked at the crystal with curiosity, but there was also a hint of nervousness in her eyes.
Aleric stood beside the magic array.
"Lorean, you'll be going through the same process your brother did. Come here and place your hand on this crystal ball."
Lorean looked at her mother.
Louse smiled gently.
"There's no need to be afraid, dear. Your father is here."
Lorean took a deep breath and walked toward the table.
She raised her small hand and placed it against the cool surface of the crystal.
The next instant—
Flash!
The crystal ball began to emit a brilliant light.
Aleric's eyes widened.
Louse was equally surprised.
"Incredible..."
The light continued to intensify for several seconds before finally stabilizing.
Louse turned to her husband and smiled.
"Husband, it seems we saved the world in our previous lives for our children to be born this talented."
Aleric chuckled.
"Hehehe. Aren't I amazing?"
Lorean looked at them, not fully understanding the conversation.
Then she smiled proudly.
"Am I amazing too?"
Louse walked over and gently stroked her hair.
"Of course you are."
The little girl became even happier.
Aleric, however, turned his attention back to the crystal.
"Now let's measure your mental power."
Lorean nodded.
She walked to the center of the magic array.
Aleric checked the symbols engraved on the floor one final time before activating them.
"Lorean, when I activate the array, try to remain inside it for as long as you can."
"Okay, Dad."
Aleric raised his hand.
The array began to glow.
Hum!
An invisible force enveloped Lorean's body.
At the same moment, she felt an enormous pressure descend upon her mind.
Her eyes widened.
It's so heavy...
Lorean clenched her teeth.
She wanted to leave.
But then she looked at her older brother, who was watching from several meters away.
I need to endure.
I want to learn magic just like Big Brother.
Time passed slowly.
The pressure on her mind grew stronger and stronger.
Her body began to tremble.
Her small legs weakened.
Lorean tried to remain standing, but she couldn't.
Thud!
Her small body collapsed onto the floor.
"Lorean!"
Louse stepped forward, but Aleric immediately deactivated the array.
The light disappeared.
The pressure vanished as well.
Aleric quickly checked his daughter's condition.
After a few seconds, he let out a relieved sigh.
"She's fine."
Louse also sighed in relief.
Aleric then looked at the results produced by the array.
A smile appeared on his face.
"Look at our little genius."
Louse approached.
"How much?"
Aleric answered:
"Thirty-nine times the mental power of an ordinary person."
Louse looked surprised.
"Thirty-nine?"
Aleric nodded.
"Once she learns the fundamentals of magic, she'll be able to absorb elemental particles and convert them into mana. With mental power like this, she already has enough capacity to reach the level of a Second-Rank Mage."
Lorean slowly opened her eyes.
"Great, Dad!"
She got to her feet with some difficulty.
"I'm going to be a mage too!"
Aleric smiled.
"Yes."
The little girl looked completely excited about her new path.
Myth, who had been silently observing the entire process, smiled as well.
He looked at his little sister.
"Light-element affinity at the Super rank and Lightning-element affinity at the High rank..."
Myth lightly shook his head.
"It seems my little sister really is a little genius."
Lorean's smile grew even wider.
Louse approached her daughter and took her hand.
"Starting tomorrow, you'll begin studying with me. I'll teach you the fundamentals of magic, and little by little you'll learn how to control your power."
Then she looked at Aleric.
"And you'll continue training with your father as well to strengthen your body."
Lorean nodded vigorously.
"Yes!"
The little girl appeared completely thrilled about the path ahead of her.
Myth watched his sister for several moments.
He knew that from this day forward, Lorean's routine would change.
Just as his own had changed several years ago.
---
The Next Morning
The sun was still rising above the horizon when the Kiran family's training grounds began to grow busy.
Ten children stood lined up before a stern-looking man.
He wore the light armor used by the family's knights and stood with his arms crossed as he observed each of them.
His name was Octavio.
He was one of Aleric's trusted knights and served as vice-captain of the Kiran family's knight guard.
The ten children stood motionless before him.
Some looked nervous.
Others appeared curious.
None of them knew exactly what to expect from this new training.
Octavio looked at them.
I don't need to think too much about what the Young Master or Lord Aleric want.
I only need to carry out their orders.
He took a deep breath.
"Good morning, children!"
"Good morning, sir!"
The ten voices answered almost simultaneously.
Octavio nodded.
"From today onward, I will be your instructor."
He slowly walked in front of the line.
"My job is to turn you into respectable and powerful warriors capable of serving the Kiran family without bringing disgrace upon our lord."
He stopped.
"If you understand, answer me."
The children straightened their backs.
"Yes, sir!"
"Very good."
Octavio continued:
"You will train with me every morning."
He pointed toward the main building.
"In the afternoons, you will study with the family's steward. You will learn reading, writing, geography, history, politics, and other subjects necessary to assist our lord in the future."
One of the children raised a hand.
Octavio looked at him.
"You may speak."
"Sir... are we going to learn weapons today?"
Octavio shook his head.
"No."
The child looked surprised.
"Why?"
"Because your bodies are still weak."
He pointed toward the training field.
"Before learning to fight, you must build a foundation."
Octavio walked to the starting line.
"A warrior does not begin by holding a weapon. First, you must strengthen your muscles, bones, lungs, and endurance."
He pointed toward the field.
"Start by running ten laps."
The children stared at the enormous field before them.
Some swallowed nervously.
"Ten laps?"
"Is there a problem?"
"No, sir!"
"Then run!"
The ten children began running.
At first, all of them tried to maintain a fast pace.
No one wanted to appear weak in front of the instructor.
After several laps, however, the situation began to change.
Their breathing grew heavy.
Their footsteps slowed.
One child began falling behind.
Another tripped, but quickly got back up.
Octavio watched everything silently.
He wasn't only interested in seeing who was the fastest.
He wanted to observe endurance.
Determination.
Discipline.
After some time, one of the children completed the tenth lap.
Shortly afterward, another finished.
One by one, all ten children completed the course.
Some were completely exhausted.
One even collapsed to his knees.
Octavio looked at him.
"Who told you to stop?"
The child immediately tried to stand.
"Sorry, sir!"
"You don't need to apologize for being tired."
The child looked surprised.
Octavio crossed his arms.
"You're still children. Your bodies aren't prepared for this kind of effort."
He looked at all of them.
"I don't expect you to become powerful warriors in a few days."
Silence.
"I only want you to be better than you were yesterday."
The children stared at him.
"Tomorrow you'll run again."
Octavio pointed at the training field.
"Maybe you won't run any faster. Maybe you'll simply reach the finish line a little less exhausted."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"But if you keep doing that for years, the day will come when you'll look back and realize how much you've changed."
The children remained silent.
Then Octavio pointed toward the field again.
"Now get up."
Several children let out small groans.
"We're not finished yet."
"Yes, sir!"
The ten children returned to training.
On the other side of the field, Myth watched everything.
He didn't need to participate in that training.
His body had already reached the level of a Fourth-Rank Warrior, and he cultivated the Kiran family's ancient secret technique.
Compared to the basic training of those children, his path was completely different.
Myth watched for a few more seconds.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
They'll become strong.
Then he turned away.
His gaze shifted toward the mountains behind the castle.
Jin stood nearby.
"Let's go."
Jin followed him.
The two began walking toward the mountains.
---
After a while, Myth arrived in the mountainous region behind the estate.
The forest was quiet.
The sound of the wind drifted through the trees, causing the leaves to sway gently.
Accompanied by Jin, Myth searched for a suitable place to train.
After some time—
Shhhhh...
A sound caught his attention.
Water.
Myth turned his head.
"Running water?"
He changed direction.
The farther he walked, the louder it became.
Until he finally saw it.
A waterfall emerged between the trees.
The water plunged from a considerable height, crashing against the rocks below and forming a small stream that flowed through the forest.
Large stones and rugged boulders were scattered throughout the area.
Myth looked at the place.
A smile appeared on his face.
"This will do."
He walked toward the waterfall.
"The sound of the water, the wind, and the forest..."
Myth closed his eyes for a moment.
"This should help me enter a better meditative state."
He looked toward the mountains.
"I need to build a solid foundation."
His eyes became determined.
"In the future, I'll travel across the Yulan Continent. I can't afford to waste time."
Myth clenched his fists.
I need to become stronger.
He then looked toward the waterfall.
"First, I want to test something."
Myth raised one hand.
Mana began circulating through his body.
Earth elemental energy gathered around him.
"Fifth-Rank Magic..."
An invisible pressure spread through the surroundings.
"Supergravity Field!"
Boom!
A tremendous pressure descended upon the area.
Myth's body sank slightly.
"Ugh!"
He gritted his teeth.
It felt as though an enormous mountain had been placed on his shoulders.
But after a few seconds, a smile appeared on his face.
"Heavy..."
He moved his arms.
"I'm feeling some discomfort, but as long as I don't stay under it for too long, it shouldn't be a problem."
Myth gradually adapted to the pressure.
This reminds me of Dragon Ball.
He chuckled.
"Let's begin."
The training started.
Push-ups.
Squats.
Short sprints.
Exercises to strengthen his muscles.
Afterward, Myth picked up his spear.
Thump!
The spear tip struck a stone.
He withdrew it.
Thump!
Another thrust.
His body moved beneath the increased gravity.
Every movement required more strength.
Every step had to be controlled.
Sweat began running down his face.
But Myth continued.
After finishing his physical training, he walked toward the waterfall.
He picked up a stone and tossed it into the water.
Splash!
The stone disappeared beneath the surface.
Myth then sat beneath the waterfall.
The rushing water crashed directly onto his body.
He closed his eyes.
The constant pressure of the falling water struck his shoulders and head.
Myth breathed slowly.
Then he began to meditate.
I don't necessarily need to play the violin every time I meditate.
All I need is to remember that feeling.
He tried to recreate the state of concentration he had experienced while playing the violin.
His mind grew calmer.
Little by little, his thoughts began to fade.
The elemental particles around him became clearer and clearer.
Myth remained motionless.
For a mage, increasing magical power is relatively simple.
The difficult part is increasing soul strength and mental power.
He breathed slowly.
First, I need to strengthen my mental power.
Then I can absorb even more elemental energy and continue advancing.
The sound of the waterfall filled his ears.
The wind flowed through the trees.
Time continued to pass.
One hour.
Two hours.
Three hours.
Myth continued training.
When he finally opened his eyes, the sky had already turned orange.
He looked toward the horizon.
"I think I lost track of time."
Myth slowly stood up.
His body was completely exhausted.
He looked at Jin.
"Hahaha... we'd better head home."
Jin flew onto his shoulder.
Myth started walking back toward the mansion.
The sun slowly disappeared behind the mountains.
And as he walked, Myth looked back at the waterfall one last time.
That place would become his new training ground.