Under the heat of the sun, Leo stood quietly with his eyes closed.
On his spread-out hand, strands of spiritual energy emerged.
The strands slowly gathered in the center of his palm, forming a three-dimensional cube.
As seconds passed, sweat began to drip from his cheeks.
Drip… drip…
But Leo couldn't afford to be distracted in the slightest.
Spiritual energy was like water. Without a container, controlling the amount was extremely difficult.
However, it was also like gas. Attempting to give it any shape or definition was even more difficult.
But this was just the basics of being a Mage.
Zold glanced at him, nodding slightly.
'He's born to be a mage.'
Ordinarily, the average Awakener would take weeks or even months to master the basic exercises.
But Leo was able to do it in two days.
Not only that, but the exercise Zold had given Leo was a modified version.
Considering all this, Leo was truly talented, a natural-born Mage.
After a while, Leo opened his eyes and gasped audibly.
"Ha!"
A three-dimensional cube floated above his hand, rotating slowly.
Although the cube showed signs of dissolving, he was undoubtedly able to form it!
Seeing his hard work pay off, Leo couldn't restrain a smile from appearing on his face.
"Teacher! I did it!"
He shouted, showing his handiwork to Zold.
Zold glanced at the three-dimensional cube, then nodded. "Not bad."
Leo's smile brightened even more, feeling excited. If his teacher said, "Not bad," that usually means "great"!
But at that moment, as his emotions fluctuated, the cube dissolved.
"To a Mage," Zold mused. "Controlling one's emotions is important."
Leo scratched his hair awkwardly, embarrassed.
"Lia, stop for a moment," Zold said, glancing at Lia.
Surprised, Lia dropped her stance.
"It's time for your second lesson," Zold said calmly. "Now that you two have developed the necessary foundation, the next thing is to be able to apply it to your fights.'
Leo and Lia exchanged a glance, showing different reactions.
Leo was undoubtedly excited and even impatient. His weakness in the Dark Lunarian Jungle had never left his mind, becoming a nightmare for him.
But Lia was nervous, although she was looking forward to it, she still felt nervous. But after a moment, her eyes flashed with resolve.
Their reactions didn't go past Zold, but he simply kept quiet.
After a brief pause, Zold continued.
"Leo, rest for now and relax your mind. Unlike a Martial Artist, a Mage's best state is when their mind is calm and conscious."
Leo nodded hesitantly. "Understood."
Although he wanted to start right away, he didn't dare argue against his teacher. He moved towards the side and sat down on the field.
"Lia, come forward."
Zold glanced at Lia.
Lia was surprised, her eyes widening.
From the side, Leo looked at his sister and waved his hands, smiling widely. "Goodluck, Lia!"
"Yes!"
Lia clenched her hands, taking a deep breath before she walked forward. She raised her eyes to Zold, burning with resolve.
At that moment, Zold appeared in front of her and flicked her forehead.
Caught off guard, Lia reflexively threw her head back, but because of her slight hesitation, she was still hit.
Bump!
"Ow!"
Lia groaned, holding her forehead.
"A Martial Artist should have their body and mind synced together," Zold said calmly. "The fact you managed to react shows that you're in the right direction."
He paused, then continued.
"... But your mind is still clouded. At the last second, your emotions got in the way. Because you saw me as your teacher, you hesitated briefly, and because of that, you got hit."
Lia bit her lips, knowing her teacher was right.
"For a Martial Artist, their mind doesn't lie in their brain, but in their body," Zola said. "Trust your senses, they will never betray you."
Although downcast, Lia raised her eyes and nodded. "... Understood, teacher!"
But to be honest, there was one thing Zold didn't mention.
Only the most talented Martial Artists could truly sync their body and mind, and only the best of the best among them could truly let go of their emotions.
Expecting a new Awakener, and a child no less, to be able to do even what the most talented Martial Artists practiced for years, in just a few days, was an extremely tall order!
But to Zold, it was just a matter of time.
"But," Zold glanced at Lia. "To be able to react means your body has begun to develop a mind on its own. Lia, from now on, you're qualified to be called a Martial Artist."
Not expecting that, Lia's eyes widened, a surge of excitement filling her.
But Zold didn't give her enough time to process anything, immediately continuing:
"Now, the next lesson is developing your fighting style!"
---
When the sun showed signs of dropping, Zold ended their lessons for the day and gave them a couple of assignments.
These assignments weren't simple, and even for the twins' talent, it would take them a month at the earliest to finish.
After that, Zold went to his room to continue comprehending skills.
Last night, he finally comprehended [Earthly Movement] and derived a new skill: [Earthly Control].
[Earthly Control - Control the earth element.]
Successful comprehension also boosted his stats, bringing his four attributes to 40.
Unfortunately, it didn't give him any Evolution Points.
When the moon rose, an unexpected call came to his phone.
Zold opened his eyes and glanced at his phone, expecting it to be Maria.
But to his surprise, it was from an unknown contact.
He frowned, accepting the call.
"Who is this?"
[Mr. Starks!]
The mayor's urgent voice came from the other side.
[I apologize for disturbing you so late, but can we meet tomorrow? There's an emergency in the City, and we would like your help!]
Zold's frown deepened, but he didn't accept immediately. "...What is it about?"
[It's about a murder case.]
The mayor hesitated for a moment, then continued.
[... The police suspect that an Awakener is using their powers to murder people. They also think that the suspect has at least B-rank talent.]
Zold let out a small breath.
So it has begun.
Awakeners turning rogue.