Mana Out - 84
Juro, who had been lying down nearby, opened one eye after hearing Marc's voice.
"I wonder what these kids are talking about..."
But before he could give it much thought, Marc called out to him.
"Teacher Juro!"
Juro opened both eyes and looked toward them.
"Hm?"
…
Marc grabbed a decent-sized stone and passed it to Juro. "Teacher Juro, here, catch!"
Juro caught the stone, and Marc immediately asked, "Teacher Juro, can you use magic to turn that stone into a cup?"
Juro looked at the stone for a moment before smiling. "Alright. Taza."
The stone crumbled in his hand, its shape shifting and reforming until it became a stone cup.
"Woaaa..." Marc muttered. He then pointed towards the ground. "Teacher Juro, can you use mana manipulation magic to blow the leaves on the ground?"
Juro nodded with a smile. He let his mana flow out, and it gently transformed into wind, sweeping the leaves across the ground.
"Woaaaaa! So it's true!" Marc exclaimed, his expression lighting up with excitement.
"What's true?" Juro asked. As the mana dissipated, he stood up and looked at Marc.
Marc quickly walked towards him. "Teacher Juro! I can feel your mana when you use mana manipulation magic, but I couldn't feel it when you were incanting magic! Why is that, Teacher Juro?"
Juro smiled. "Oooh, so that's why you asked me to do those things."
Marc quickly nodded.
Juro chuckled before explaining, "Well, that's just how magic works. Mana is naturally stored inside your body. When you use mana manipulation magic, you let that mana flow out and manipulate it yourself. But when you incant magic, the mana doesn't actually leave your body in the same way. It has already transformed or changed the moment you finish the incantation. After that, what comes out is the magic itself, not the mana."
Juro rubbed the back of his head before adding, "Although, I'm not sure if that makes sense to you... haha."
But when he looked down at Marc, the boy was already wearing a big smile.
"Ohhh! Actually, I understand it better now!"
Juro smiled and patted his head. "And I'm sure it's already self-explanatory why we can feel someone's mana when they're using mana manipulation magic, right?"
Marc chuckled. "Yeah! Thanks for explaining, Teacher Juro!"
Juro smiled and ruffled Marc's hair, making both of them laugh.
Meanwhile, Bell smiled as he listened to their conversation. "Yeah, his explanation isn't bad."
..
After resting for a couple more minutes, they continued on their adventure.
As they walked, Marc asked, "Teacher Juro, are we gonna train today?" Juro glanced down at him. "You really like training, huh?"
Marc smiled. "Yeah! I get to learn new things!"
Juro smiled before looking around. "Hmm..."
Marc looked up at him. "Are you looking for something, Teacher Juro?"
Juro then smiled and pointed into the distance. "There. Let's go to that open field of grass over there."
Neither Bell nor Marc knew what he had in mind, but they followed along. Once they reached the open field, Juro stretched his arms before saying, "Alright, this should be good."
"What are we doing here, Teacher Juro? Are we going to train?" Marc asked, sounding a little excited.
Juro nodded. "Mhm. But first, I need a better understanding of both your mana, and you two need a better understanding of your own mana as well."
"But I already have a full understanding of my mana," Bell thought to himself as he listened.
"Oooo! So what should we do?" Marc asked.
Juro smirked. "Just let out all of your mana."
Marc looked a little surprised. "Ehhh? Let out all of our mana?"
Juro nodded. "If you release all your mana, you'll get a better understanding of your limits and how you should utilize it." He then crossed his arms. "Alright, so who wants to go first?"
"Wait, but Teacher Juro, wouldn't running out of mana make you really exhausted?" Marc asked.
Juro smiled. "That's the point."
"Ehhhh??" Marc sounded surprised again.
"That's part of the training itself. Having your mana fully depleted doesn't mean you'll just faint or lose consciousness. Besides, you'll also get to train without the help of mana," Juro explained casually.
Marc seemed to understand and nodded. "Hmm, alright, Teacher Juro!"
"Good. So, who wants to go first?" Juro asked.
Just as Marc was about to raise his hand, Bell beat him to it.
"Me," Bell said.
"Ooo! Good luck, Bell!" Marc exclaimed, already feeling excited.
"Alright, Bell. Just let out as much mana as you can. Don't stop until you physically can't exert any more," Juro instructed.
Bell looked at him and asked, "What do I do after that?"
Juro smiled. "Run around that field without taking a break. If you feel like some of your mana has recovered, exert all of it again and continue running."
"Ooo.. that sounds hard..." Marc muttered to himself, feeling a little anticipation.
"Hm. Alright," Bell replied.
"I knew it. While this helps you better understand your mana, the real purpose here is to build endurance and stamina. I've done this kind of training countless times. In fact, there was a point when I couldn't do it anymore..."
A faint smile formed on Bell's face.
"Not because it was too tiring, but because... my mana was simply too much."
Bell closed his eyes.
The moment he did, an incredibly powerful surge of mana erupted from his body. The force was so immense that the surrounding wind and leaves were swept away, scattering across the field.
"Wo... Woaahahaha! This mana!" Marc exclaimed excitedly, his hair lifting as the powerful current rushed past him.
Juro's hair was blown back as well. Standing behind Bell, he watched the eruption with an amused expression.
"This kid really is a crazy genius..."
The mana continued pouring out of Bell's body, but it didn't spread randomly. Instead, it surged straight upward, reaching high into the sky. The immense stream continued to rise until it gradually began to weaken. It flickered once, then again, before finally stopping altogether.
Bell slowly opened his eyes, slightly out of breath.
But he didn't stop there.
The moment his mana stopped flowing, he immediately began running.
"Hoho... Look at this kid. Not only is he controlling how his mana flows out, he's also controlling his breathing while running," Juro remarked with a smirk.
Then, a very excited voice called out from behind him.
"Waaa! That was so cool, Bell!"
Marc immediately ran forward, stopping at the same spot where Bell had been standing.
"My turn! My turn! Can I, Teacher Juro??" he exclaimed excitedly.
Juro chuckled. "Yeah, go ahead. Give it your best!"
Marc smiled brightly and nodded. "Okay!"
He clenched both hands, still wearing a big smile as he began releasing his mana. A strong surge flowed out from his body, surrounding him with an expanding layer of mana. Its reach was already considerable, spreading farther around him as he continued to release it.
While running around the field, Bell glanced back at Marc and observed his mana. "He really does have a good amount of mana... But that's not all there is to it."
Bell turned his attention forward again and continued running.
Marc kept pouring out his mana, but something felt different. His smile gradually shifted into a slightly confused expression.
"Hm... I'm letting out my mana freely, but... it feels like it isn't enough."
He looked down at his arms, trying to understand what he was feeling. It was as if something was holding his mana back, preventing him from releasing all of it.
Marc began to calm himself. He closed his eyes and focused on letting out as much mana as he possibly could. In his mind, he imagined himself simply pouring all of it out, without holding anything back.
And the moment he did, his mana output increased drastically.
The power and range of the mana flowing out from his body expanded so much that he had already surpassed Bell in the amount of mana he was releasing.
The pressure was immense. Juro's hair was blown back continuously, yet he remained firmly in place, his arms crossed and a smile on his face as the mana rushed against him.
"Hahaha! I knew he had more in him!" Juro exclaimed.
Bell, who was still running, glanced back at Marc and smiled.
"There you go."
"He has already surpassed Bell in the amount of mana he's releasing, but he still has more...? He might become someone like that person one day..."
Juro continued watching Marc with growing interest.
A few more minutes passed, and the flow of mana finally began to weaken. Both Bell and Juro initially thought it would gradually slow down until nothing remained.
But as they continued watching, something unexpected happened.
Marc's mana began to fluctuate. Even as the overall output decreased, there were moments when powerful bursts suddenly erupted from his body, lasting for a few seconds before disappearing again.
Both Bell and Juro were genuinely surprised by what they were seeing.
Then, within a few more seconds, the range of Marc's mana began shrinking drastically. It grew smaller and smaller until, at last, nothing more flowed out of his body.
Marc immediately opened his eyes.
His head was covered in sweat, and his heartbeat was racing. His body felt strange, almost as though he couldn't breathe—or rather, as if he had been holding his breath the entire time.
"Wo—...augh... My body is shaking..."
He bent forward, placing both hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.