Alec P.O.V:
Alec watched his pupil hype himself up for the final hurdle and couldn’t help but feel anxious. The last training exercise, where Lev wanted his barriers to be able to support his weight, was not part of the original training plan. Alec had believed that his student was overly ambitious and would get off his high horse after his first defeat. But the more he observed Lev, the more he doubted that thought.
Alec and Oriana knew each other from their apprentice days and were still good friends despite their busy schedules and vastly different jobs. Alec had given Oriana his word that he would have no problem training up any prodigy who would show interest in any of his fields of study. Sparing a few months for an apprentice was nothing compared to the longevity provided by Constitution and class evolutions. Lev was the first ever child Oriana had brought to his doorstep, so he decided to test the boy’s nature of thinking by letting him try and get Mana Manipulation on his own.
When Lev was able to slightly move mana after 15 minutes of trying, he knew that the boy had some talent. When Lev got the skill after an hour and six minutes, Alec concluded that the boy had a decent degree of talent. It was not nearly comparable to the absolute best, but good enough to excel compared to most mages. But on the second day, he pushed past his headache for a good five minutes or so. That was as bad as it could get at the boy’s level, making Alec hope that headache would teach him a lesson and stop Lev from overdoing it.
That did not happen.
Every day after that, Lev continued pushing past the headache and obtaining attribute points faster than Alec had ever seen. By the end of the first week, Alec was starting to worry about his student’s mental health. At the end of the second week, he went to Oriana’s office to discuss Lev’s stubborn behavior and to try and dissuade the boy from trying too hard. Despite Oriana’s assurance that Lev was smart and self-aware enough to not cause permanent self-harm, Alec was unconvinced.
The next day, the Senior artificer was ready to bring up the boy’s reckless behavior and get him to slow down. Even if he was only free for these two months, the apprenticeship could be extended after a few months when he was available again. But when he learned that Lev had already obtained 10 points in both intelligence and wisdom, he hesitated.
That was… unheard of. Getting 10 points for each in just two weeks was impossible with the effort Lev was putting in during the day, which all but proved that he was also training during the night. It became apparent that Lev also knew that his mentor would connect the dots. In the end, neither of them said anything about it and started working on forming barriers. It would have felt like an insult to Lev’s resolve if Alec tried to get him to slow down now.
That is how Alec found himself standing next to Lev in his room, ready to step on his half-a-meter-wide barrier. The suns were just disappearing below the horizon, meaning Lev had been preparing for this moment for over 5 hours now. Taking a deep breath, Lev lightly put his right foot on the barrier and made a fist with his left hand to count the seconds. Before he could have any second thoughts, Lev fully stepped on the barrier. Immediately, Alec heard him ground his teeth and tightly shut his eyes.
One second.
Lev’s hands were already shaking from the strain. Somehow, he managed to open one finger to count the first second.
Two seconds.
His breathing became heavy, the mental effort making his whole body sag as if carrying an immense physical burden.
Three seconds.
Tears were now flowing from his eyes, falling gently on the barrier. Only the thumb and little finger were left.
Four seconds.
Whimpering in pain, Lev almost stepped off the barrier but persisted. By his side, Alec nearly scooped him off the barrier to stop this torment.
Five seconds.
Moving faster than Lev would be able to perceive, as soon as he moved his thumb, Alec grabbed the foolish boy and set him down on a couch. The idiot barely had the presence to open his left eye to look at his mentor and shoot him a smug yet pained smile before passing out.
****
Lev P.O.V:
The first thing Lev noticed after waking up was a phantom headache. Immediately preparing himself for the worst, he waited for an intense headache that didn’t come. Waiting for a few more seconds to confirm it, he opened his eyes and found himself in his bed at the Orphanage with all his friends asleep. Looking out the window, he noticed that it was dark outside, telling him nothing about how long ago the suns had set. With nothing better to do, he laid down again and waited for sunrise.
Sleep eluded Lev, leaving him awake for another few hours. Lev found that he had woken up two hours before sunrise. Daydreaming for another two hours, he noticed Kayla rousing from her sleep. She slowly got up and rubbed her eyes before glancing towards his bed. Finding him awake and sitting with his legs hanging over the side of the bed, she did a double take before her shoulders sagged like a great weight had been lifted.
Making her way towards him with silent steps, she sat beside him and asked quietly, “Did you have to scare everyone like that? The Director kept reassuring us that you were just overtaxed and would wake up after some time. It was hard to be calm when you looked completely out of it. Even she looked concerned when you didn't wake up throughout the entire day.”
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“Wait, entire day? I slept for over thirty hours?” Lev exclaimed in surprise, forgetting to whisper to avoid waking up the other two. Jack, hearing the commotion, woke up and immediately focused on Lev. Grabbing him by the shoulders, he threw him onto the bed before towering over him and looking down like an angry deity.
“You dumbass! Do you have any idea how worried everyone was when you showed up in that state? Even if the girls weren’t here, I saw how your mentor was carrying you like a big, human-shaped brick. The Director sat by your side for a few hours after that but she left after you showed no signs of waking up. The entire building has felt gloomy ever since.” Jack admonished sternly, losing steam as he went on. Observing Lev’s face again, he asked, “Are you completely fine now? And for your sake, the answer better be yes.”
“Yes, sir!” Lev replied with mock seriousness, making even Amelia laugh. She had also woken up sometime during Jack’s booming scolding.
After a few minutes, Lev found himself escaping a group hug, only to be embraced again as soon as he entered Oriana’s office. Pulling back from the hug, she looked at him directly in the eyes for a moment. Seeing an appropriate amount of nervousness in them, she nodded and went back to her seat, and beckoned for him to take a chair.
“Alec told me about your stunt,” Oriana said, “Don't ever do something like that again.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And don't ever call me ma’am again.”
“Yes, sister. By the way, can I call you Oriana now? I think I’m old enough for it.” Lev asked with a smile.
“You may,” Oriana replied with a small smirk.
“Thank you, Your Highness. This one shall be eternally grateful for your benevolence.” Lev replied reverently, bowing his head for added effect and making Oriana roll her eyes.
“Enough of that. Tell me, were you able to accomplish your goal with the mad stunt?” Oriana inquired, unable to hold her curiosity at bay.
Lev, who had been ignoring a lot of notifications ever since he woke up, just gave her a wide smile in response. Oriana’s eyes also brightened a touch. Leaning back in her chair, she waited for Lev to check them out.
Status first.
[
Name: Lev
Class: Pending Selection
Titles: None
Attributes:
Strength: 8
Dexterity: 12
Constitution: 10
Intelligence: 13
Wisdom: 15
Perception: 14
General Skills:
Mana Manipulation - Level 10
]
Damn, I got a point of Intelligence just from standing on the barrier for 5 seconds.
Appreciating how much progress he had made in less than two months, he moved on to the list of notifications. A week ago, he had met the requirements for his first class but he ignored it, seeing it was completely different compared to what he had in mind.
Let’s see what my efforts have produced for me.
As soon as he thought about seeing his options, a list materialized in front of him.
[
Blazing Barrier
Dispersing Waves
Tempest Shield
Stonebound Barricade
Arcane Aegis
Bladewalker
]
Lev’s smile stretched even wider when he saw the option that sounded exactly what he wanted. Dismissing the first four options after finding them to be standard elemental barrier classes, he focused on Arcane Aegis.
[
Arcane Aegis allows the user to wield barriers formed of pure mana. From fist-sized barriers to towering shields, no threat would ever get past the wielder’s defenses. With unmatched perception allowing them to manage the battle, nothing goes unnoticed on the battlefield. Be it arrows or devastating explosions, all will be stopped dead in their tracks.
]
The option was good, great even. It completely focused on barriers and micro-managing the battlefield, which Lev was aiming for. The only downside was that the class was made for pure defense, with no hint of attacking present in the description. With that thought, he moved on to the next option,
[
Offense and Defense. Blade walkers are a deadly mix of both. Equipped with razor-sharp barriers and lethal perception, they are a force to be reckoned with on any battlefield. Moving like the wind on unfailing barrier platforms, they strike down enemies with relentless attacks while using their spells to shield themselves and their allies from harm.
]
There wasn’t much to think about. Delaying only for a moment, Lev selected the Bladewalker class.