Journal Entry
It's been about a week since Yuka, Sherry, and Toby officially joined the guild.
Honestly… they've been settling in better than I expected.
I spent the first few days showing them around Margaret Town—basic stuff. Where to shop, where to eat, what places to avoid, and all that. Nothing too complicated, but enough so they don't get lost or scammed.
I also helped them secure a place to stay.
A three-bedroom apartment.
Not the fanciest thing out there, but it's solid. Good location, fair price, and more than enough space for the three of them. They seemed pretty happy about it.
To help them afford it, I took a few jobs with them throughout the week.
Nothing too difficult—just enough to get them used to how things work while making some steady money.
And during that time… yeah, I got a pretty clear picture of where they stand.
It's rough.
Yuka's the most put together out of the three.
He understands his magic and at least knows the basics, but when it comes to actual combat… It's like everything falls apart. His reactions are slow, his decisions hesitate, and his stamina is honestly terrible. A few minutes in, and he's already running low.
Then there's Toby and Sherry…
While they understand the basics of their magic and how to cast a spell.
They literally know nothing else when it comes to what they can do with it.
Like… at all.
It's like watching your friend play a character in a video game, only for them not to know any of their combos, and only being able to move or punch.
Which makes me seriously question how they managed to survive this long before coming to the guild.
But… despite all that…
They've got potential.
I can see it.
Each of them has something worth building on, and I've already got a few ideas on how to develop their magic into something actually useful.
I'll save that for later though.
Right now, the priority is simple—
Get them to the point where they can handle basic quests without embarrassing themselves… or getting killed.
End of entry.
—
Third Person POV
The quiet of the forest was only broken by heavy breathing.
In an open clearing, surrounded by tall trees and scattered sunlight, three figures lay sprawled across the ground—completely exhausted.
Yuka, Sherry, and Toby.
All three of them stared up at the sky, barely moving, their bodies sore and worn from the training they had just endured.
A short distance away, Yukino sat comfortably on a log, calmly eating a sandwich. Her eyes remained fixed on the scene in front of her, her expression innocent… yet clearly confused by what she was watching.
Standing in the center of it all was Lyon.
He looked down at the trio in silence for a moment… before letting out a quiet sigh, raising his hand to rub the space between his eyes.
"Get up."
His voice was calm—but firm.
"The day's not over yet. We still have a lot to do."
A collective groan escaped the trio.
"…You've gotta be kidding…"
"My body hurts…".
"I think I'm dying…"
Despite their complaints, they slowly forced themselves up—though every movement looked like a struggle.
As they stood there, barely holding themselves together, they began muttering under their breath.
"This is torture…"
"I never wanna do that again…"
"What type of person thinks of this stuff…"
Lyon glanced at them.
"I get that it sucks. But it's something y'all need to do"
Yuka turned toward him, his face tired—but now mixed with exaggerated, cartoonish frustration.
"What does training our bodies have to do with getting better at magic?!"
Lyon looked up at the sky for a moment.
"Actually… a lot more than you realize."
Without another word, he turned and walked over to where Yukino was sitting.
Next to her rested his backpack.
He crouched down, unzipped it, and pulled out a small board and a pen.
Before standing, he also grabbed a juice box and handed it to Yukino.
Her eyes lit up immediately.
"Thank you"
She gave him a quick hug.
Lyon lightly patted her head.
"No problem."
With that, he stood back up and returned to the trio.
They watched him curiously as he began writing on the board.
As he did, he started explaining.
"To use magic, a wizard draws on the magic power inside their body—more precisely Ethernano."
The four of them—Yuka, Sherry, Toby, and even Yukino—listened closely.
"It exists within all of us. But how much you can use… depends on you."
Lyon finished writing and turned the board toward them.
A simple diagram was drawn across it—basic, but clear. It showed the flow of magic through the body, how it circulated, and how it was released.
"Magic isn't just a tool."
He tapped the board lightly.
"It's a reflection of the user and their body."
The group stared at the drawing, taking in the explanation.
After a moment, Lyon wiped the board clean with a paper towel he pulled from his pocket.
"Sure, while a strong will can make you release more strength that you regularly could normally."
He looked at them directly.
"It pales in comparison to the amount of strength one could exert with both a strong body and strong mind."
That caused all four of them to pause.
They began reflecting on his words.
Then—
Yukino raised her hand slightly, her voice soft and curious.
"Big brother… is that how you got so strong?"
Lyon turned to her.
A gentle, confident smile formed on his face.
"Yep, that's right."
He walked back over, placing the board and pen into his backpack before returning to her side.
Resting a hand on her head, he gave her a light pat.
"With a strong body and the right mindset… anyone can become strong."
Her eyes sparkled slightly.
Behind her, the trio stood quietly—each of them thinking over what he had said.
Slowly… their earlier complaints began to fade.
Lyon removed his hand and turned back toward them.
"So."
His tone shifted slightly—back to business.
"Ready to continue?"
The three of them glanced at each other.
A moment passed.
Then—
They nodded.
Despite the exhaustion, there was now a bit more resolve in their expressions.
Lyon gave a small approving nod.
And just like that—
Training resumed.
—
A few minutes later...
The forest clearing had settled into a calmer atmosphere.
Yuka and Toby were currently a short distance away, both doing pushups under Lyon's instructions.
Unfortunately, neither of them looked particularly graceful while doing it.
Toby's arms were shaking violently.
Yuka was somehow maintaining a serious expression despite looking like he was moments away from collapsing.
Nearby, Yukino sat comfortably on a log, swinging her legs while observing everything around her with innocent curiosity.
At the center of the clearing sat Lyon and Sherry.
The two were seated across from one another on the grass.
Lyon held a journal in one hand and a pen in the other, looking every bit like a researcher preparing an experiment.
After glancing over a few previous notes, he looked up at Sherry with a patient yet focused expression.
"Alright, Sherry."
He lightly tapped the journal with his pen.
"Remember, once you feel the sensation of magic flowing through your body, try guiding only the amount you need toward your hands."
He paused briefly.
"Think of it like a river flowing down a stream. You're directing the current, not flooding the entire area."
Sherry nodded immediately.
"Right."
A determined expression appeared on her face.
Taking a deep breath, she focused on the patch of ground in front of them.
Slowly raising her hands, she aimed them toward the earth.
A faint pink aura began leaking from her body.
The magic flowed outward in waves before gradually moving toward her hands.
Lyon's eyes sharpened.
He watched every movement carefully.
The flow.
The output.
The control.
Everything.
Sweat began forming on Sherry's forehead.
Her expression tightened.
It was obvious she wasn't accustomed to controlling her magic this carefully.
Still, she continued.
Soon, a large magic circle appeared before her palms.
"Doll Magic: Dirt Doll!"
The moment she spoke, the earth shifted.
A small hand burst out from the ground.
Then another.
A few seconds later, a lumpy figure emerged completely.
The doll looked like it had been assembled by someone who had only heard descriptions of a person and never actually seen one.
Its body was uneven.
Its limbs were different sizes.
Grass stuck out from random places.
It was honestly kind of ugly.
Lyon immediately began writing notes.
"Nice, Sherry."
Without looking up from his journal, he continued.
"Now maintain it for as long as you can."
Sherry swallowed.
"O-Okay."
"And while you're doing that, try describing what you're feeling."
She nodded with a tense look.
For the next several minutes, Sherry maintained the spell while answering Lyon's questions.
The process was slow.
Occasionally, the doll's arm would nearly fall off.
Sometimes its torso would begin crumbling.
Each time, Sherry instinctively forced more magic into the construct to stabilize it.
Lyon noted every single occurrence.
Three minutes later—
The spell finally broke.
The dirt doll collapsed into a pile of earth.
At nearly the same moment, Sherry fell backward onto the grass.
"Haaah..."
She released a heavy sigh.
Lyon finished jotting down a few final notes before closing the journal slightly.
"Nice work, Sherry."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"You actually performed better than I expected."
Sherry smiled tiredly.
"T-Thanks..."
While she rested, Lyon reviewed everything he had recorded.
His expression quickly became more thoughtful.
More analytical.
On a much more serious note...
I can already see what she needs to start working on.
The first issue was obvious.
Containment.
The moment Sherry activated her magic, it spilled out of her body like a burst dam.
The amount of Ethernano she used for such a simple spell was absurd.
It was completely unnecessary.
I've definitely got to teach her Ten eventually.
If she learned how to properly contain and regulate her magic output, her efficiency would increase dramatically.
The second problem was control.
Throughout the entire spell, she struggled to maintain a stable flow of magic.
Every time the construct weakened, she compensated by simply pouring more energy into it.
Which only exhausted her faster.
It was incredibly inefficient.
Still...
Watching her magic in action had given him a few ideas.
Several, actually.
A small grin appeared on Lyon's face.
Flipping to a blank page, he began sketching.
A minute passed.
Then another.
Eventually—
"Hey, Sherry."
The girl lifted her head.
"Hm?"
Lyon turned the journal toward her.
"Do you think you've got enough energy to try the spell one more time?"
Sherry slowly sat up.
"I think so..."
She wiped some sweat from her forehead.
"But I don't know if I can keep it up as long."
"That's fine."
Lyon smiled.
"I just want to test something."
Finishing the final lines of his sketch, he showed it to her.
Sherry blinked.
The drawing depicted a small humanoid soldier.
Simple.
But detailed.
It carried a spear and wore basic armor.
Lyon pointed at it.
"When you cast the spell again, do you think you can try shaping it like this?"
Sherry studied the drawing.
Thinking.
Visualizing.
After several moments, she nodded.
"I can try."
Closing her eyes, Sherry took a slow breath.
Then another.
Soon, pink magic began radiating from her body once more.
This time the flow was steadier.
Not perfect.
But better.
Opening her eyes, she raised her hands.
The familiar magic circle appeared.
"Doll Magic: Dirt Doll!"
The earth reacted immediately.
But unlike before, something changed.
Instead of randomly clumping together into a misshapen blob, the dirt began moving with purpose.
Small particles gathered together.
Compressing.
Molding.
Shaping.
Lyon's eyes widened slightly.
A smile appeared on his face.
There it is.
The form slowly took shape.
A head.
A torso.
Arms.
Legs.
The details became clearer with each passing second.
"Good, Sherry."
Lyon's voice remained calm.
"Just a little more."
By this point, everyone was watching.
Even Toby and Yuka had stopped their pushups.
Yukino leaned forward from her log with fascination.
Sherry continued concentrating.
Sweat rolled down her face.
Her entire body trembled.
But she pushed through it.
Eventually, the dirt fully formed into a miniature human soldier.
A spear appeared in its hand.
Then the surrounding grass began moving.
Everyone watched in amazement as the blades wrapped around the doll's body.
Layer by layer.
Creating crude armor.
Completing the figure.
For a moment, silence filled the clearing.
The result looked far better than anyone had expected.
Even Lyon looked impressed.
Honestly...
It looked better than his sketch.
"Nice, Sherry."
A proud smile appeared on his face.
"You pulled it off on your first tr—"
He stopped.
Everyone blinked.
Because Sherry now looked completely ridiculous.
Smoke was rising from her head.
Her face was bright red.
Her eyes had transformed into cartoonish spirals.
Lyon stared.
...It's still weird seeing stuff like this happen in real life.
The moment her body tipped sideways, he moved.
Quickly stepping forward, he caught her before she hit the ground.
"I-I don't think I can do it anymore..."
Her voice sounded distant and goofy.
Then she immediately passed out.
Lyon stared at her for a second.
Then sighed.
Part relief.
Part exasperation.
Placing a hand against her forehead, he lowered the temperature of his palm with his magic.
A cool chill spread through her body.
"It's fine."
His voice softened.
"Just get some rest."
The unconscious Sherry smiled faintly.
Completely out cold.
As Lyon continued cooling her down, his thoughts drifted back to what had just happened.
A smirk appeared.
So my theory was right.
The issue hadn't just been control.
Visualization mattered too.
The first doll had been little more than a vague idea.
A rough image.
The second time, Sherry had possessed a clear mental blueprint.
The result had improved dramatically.
That single discovery opened countless possibilities.
Different designs.
Different materials.
Different purposes.
The potential applications were enormous.
Not just for Sherry.
Even Lyon found himself mentally forming new theories.
Ideas he would test later.
For now, though, that could wait.
After making sure Sherry was comfortable and resting peacefully, Lyon stood up.
Closing his journal, he walked toward the other two.
Yuka and Toby immediately straightened.
Both suddenly felt a bad feeling.
Lyon stopped in front of them.
Then smiled.
Unfortunately for them, it was the smile he wore whenever he had an idea.
"Alright then."
The two immediately paled.
Lyon pointed toward the open field.
"The next part of your training starts now."
Soon–
The sounds of despair started to echo throughout the forest.