The normal light in my room seems dimmer. But there's a spectacle of small flying particles of Mana everywhere. It's like a cloud of glittering dust, and I can see it floating around everything. It's as if I was in a foggy forest, and I can see the light slowly bleeding its shine through the trees. The particles of Mana move around in synchronized patterns, as if guided by a force that I couldn't see. As if they were dancing...

Wait, that's not a bad way to put it. It's like they were dancing to the flow of Mana. And when I focus on that, I start to see a faint light emanating from everything.

Everything has Mana.

Everything is Mana.

"That's... that's so gorgeous..."

I can't help but whisper in excitement. I mean, this is so freaking cool that I can't even put it into words. This is literally a whole new world...

I bring a hand to my eyes, realizing they are tearing up.

I take a deep breath, drying the tears with my sleeve, and I start walking around my apartment— everything looks different to me now. I can see Mana all around me, and it's so beautiful. It's like looking at the world in HD for the first time—or simply, it’s as if I had been blind until now.

I can see the Mana in the air, the furniture, the walls... heck, I can even see it in myself. It's like a bright light shining inside of me, and I can't help but feel awestruck.

"Book," I speak, still in awe, "show me the matrix."

I see a blazing flame of Mana licking the pages of the book. When it dissolves, a small reticule, a 3D maze of wires, levitates in front of my head.

I start circling around it, trying to get a grasp of its structure. The lines ripple as I walk around them, but even when I stand still, they undulate with energy slightly. It's like looking at lazy lasers tied together, shedding minuscule tears of plasma where they touch. I try to reach out to it, to grab hold of it, but it slips through my fingers.

So goddamn cool.

The structure is simple, and it looks very similar to the spell matrix the book created for me the first time around. It's just that this time, it's much more vivid.

The book said I have to trace it...

I look blankly at this matrix for a second, scratching my head, still immersed in the world of pure energy.

Isn't this exactly like the 2002 Harry Potter game for Play Station 1? Weren't you supposed to trace spells or something? Damn, this fantasy world got nothing on those little polygonal mages.

I wonder what my mother would say now that I'm practicing pagan magic.

This is going to be hard, but I need to be able to do it if I want to understand how spells work.

I think about my previous thoughts on Harry Potter, and I find it extremely funny that my first feat of magic reminds me of an old version of the computer game about the most famous wizard on Earth.

"Huh, how do I..."

I can see the spell matrix in front of me, but I can't really cast magic, can I?

As I simply try imagining Mana appearing with a similar shape, though, it actually materializes in front of me. But it's not really like visualizing the entire construct...

This spell matrix thing is truly beautiful but, at the same time, much simpler than I had imagined. Look, it’s hard to explain because its nuance is impossible to convey to muggles.

This is very similar to tracing a shape. Imagine having a pen that can regulate how much ink you can discharge at once. Well, weaving magic together follows a similar procedure, apparently.

I find myself guiding a single strand of magic, as if I was 3D-printing it and trying to recreate the same shape of the [Light] spell. After trying it side-by-side, I'm now tracing the spell inside the template matrix the book has created for me.

And if you think it's easy, hell, you are sorely mistaken.

Every time I am close to joining the threads of Mana together, they dissolve into nothing. While making a straight line is stupidly easy, giving it the same undulated shape as the matrix seems insanely difficult. It's like trying to grasp water with open hands: the Mana slips through my fingers before I can even start to form a spell matrix.

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And even when I do manage to finally join the Mana together and start forming the spell matrix, as soon as I try to move on to the next part of the construct, the first part falls apart.

It’s like trying to build a sand castle with only one hand.

Ok, let's stop with the comparisons.

Long story short, every time I try to move on to the next part, the first part crumbles.

However, minute by minute, I make small progress. It's as if I had always had this muscle for magic but have somehow never really trained it. It's warming up really fast, though.

Right, that was another simile.

Anyway, as I said, it’s like playing that Harry Potter game where you have to trace the spell during your classes. But the model is not two-dimensional. It's three-dimensional. And the template lines you have to follow can be thinner or thicker.

I'm still getting the right feel for that.

After a few minutes, I remember to blink. My eyes are feeling dry as hell.

This is hard. This is so goddamn hard. But why is it so damn fascinating at the same time?

After a while longer, I actually shout in frustration.

"Are you kidding me?! What’s the matter with you?!"

It's not just about the 3D space! I was close to putting together the matrix, but by then, the lines had moved!

There appears to be a time component to this damned thing too!

Is time a dimension?

Can I say that this thing is actually four-dimensions-worth of pain in the ass?

These damn lines move; they are not fixed. For this spell, it’s easy to see where they will go and when you will need to tackle such lines. It’s like tracing a devilish scribble, honestly. It’s like a three-dimensional scribble that moves around, evolves in time, and that you must trace with your Mana.

How does that work, huh?

Well, I wish I knew. Stupid Magister Mulligan.

I exhale and momentarily turn off [Advanced Mana Sense].

Shoot, my head is spinning.

This is actually insane.

"Book, how long do I have left?"

'Time remaining: 1 hour'

Really? How did I even burn through three hours already? Jesus.

One would think, ‘well, it’s just a [Light] spell, how hard can it be? I’m not Albert Einstein, but I bet I can do such a spell easily!’

‘The student should start by using a three-point approach before trying to complete the whole thing at once. It may take a few minutes on the first try. Remember, the path to becoming an [Archmage] is full of trials! Don’t give up!’

I cannot deal with the pep talk from this book.

It makes me feel even more stupid.

Nonetheless, I reactivate [Advanced Mana Sense]. I really don’t want to die because of the stupid book. And whatever this challenge is – even if I’m not special – I’m sure I can complete it!

“Come on, you son of a gun,” I growl at the scribble I’m forming in the air in front of me and that I can only see with [Advanced Mana Sense]. “Come on, you filthy beast.”

I keep swearing at it, hoping it will make it easier.

Slowly and attentively, I start tracing the outline of the spell the book showed me. I don’t aim for perfection, just the spell… matrix?

Is that a matrix? Is that what a matrix would look like?

Should I call it ‘scribble’ or ‘matrix’?

The question makes my attention falter, and the entire thing implodes again, leaving me slightly drained. The book has already told me that [Light] doesn’t take much Mana, but I’ve failed countless times by now.

Whoever created this blasted thing didn’t consider how talentless a person can be. I start thinking that the ‘23’ on my score was probably on a scale of one to a thousand. That would definitely make sense.

Anyway, let’s try to actually follow the book’s instructions this time.

Three points to start from. Interesting.

“Book, are there any optimal starting points?”

‘Yes.’

That’s the answer.

“Ok, book, can you tell me where I should start?”

The words in front of me appear in black ink, as usual.

‘Start from the farthest points you can see; keep a balance. But don’t move the Mana along the spell matrix uniformly. Balance is everything. Some parts will require you to go slower, some faster.’

“Couldn’t you have told me before?” I ask, exasperated.

‘A proper [Mage] has to learn to ask the right questions.’

And that’s it; the ink disappears, and the book resumes its blank look.

Oh well, let’s look at this scribble—matrix again.

I activate the skill and start looking into blank space, trying to visualize the spell matrix in front of me.

It rotates gently, changing its shape ever-so-slightly while dancing around.

It’s fascinating— no, enrapturing.

This time, I focus. Magic is like a recipe. You can’t mess up, but you need to stay flexible.

I focus my Mana on three points at the outermost parts of the matrix. Now, I slowly start tracing them toward the center.

I can feel my sweaty forehead going cold from the exertion. This is no joke. Mana is ethereal, and it’s not like trying to draw something with your hands.

Now, though, I know something more. I have the new teaching the book has imparted to me.

“Slower there. You, faster.”

I whisper to myself to guide my Mana into the right grooves of the scribble. I make it a bit thinner there and a bit faster here. Then, I make it a bit heavier up there and a little slower below.

I start getting into a weird rhythm. I’m like a Pacman professional; I move and weave my mana all around.

It’s a strange dance... as if someone was beating a drum inside my ears, but I’ve fallen into it so perfectly that, without even noticing, the three lines I was tracing finally touched each other.

Now, let’s take a second to examine what I just did.

Someone would feel tremendously proud of completing a spell in barely four hours since the start of their magical education, I guess. However, I have to remind you, I just completed the spell a few inches from my eyes. Sure, why wouldn’t I? It was super convenient to make sure that all the scribbles fit into the right place. Do you think that I could think about the consequences of that?

Oh, no.

No, no, no, no, no.

And I just blasted a [Light] spell right in my eyes, so strong I can feel them burn, and I scream in pain.

But sure, making it ten feet away from me and closing my eyes would have produced the same results since I was using a skill to see the Mana, and not my actual sight.

I’m on the ground, screaming in pain and swearing to high heaven, when I hear my door open, and someone rush in.