Lucian raised his eyebrows curiously and asked, “A deal?”

Sagar smiled slightly, “I know you have some secrets. I’m also sure you don’t want those secrets to come out. So yes, let’s make a deal.”

Lucian took a deep breath. "This sounds more like a threat," he replied.

Sagar shook his head. “No, this isn’t a threat. This is a deal that benefits both of us.”

Lucian shrugged. “I guess I don’t have another choice. Alright, I’m listening.”

Sagar’s expression grew more serious as he began to explain, “To tell you the truth, I only came to train you to repay my debt to Arthur. When he told me he had a talented son, I couldn’t refuse, but that was all there was to it. I planned to give you some theoretical knowledge and leave. But now things have changed. Your body… it’s unique. Perhaps the last of its kind. There’s no limit to what you could achieve with this body. But you don’t seem to understand that, or else you wouldn’t be so dependent on constant meditation.”

Lucian leaned forward, excitement growing in his eyes. “So, you know a way for me to survive without meditating?”

Sagar smirked slightly. “I think I’ve caught your attention,” he said in a calm tone.

Lucian focused more intently on Sagar. Sagar continued, “Learn magic. With this body, you could be both a sword master and a mage. The first magical sword master in history... Can you imagine? No one has ever seen such a thing. It’s the dream of many fantasists.”

Lucian suddenly shook his head. “I refuse.”

Sagar froze for a moment, his eyes widening. “R-refuse? What do you mean?”

Lucian laughed mockingly. “You saw what I did back there, right? My fighting style? It’s called boxing, and that’s the path I’ll follow. I don’t want to swing swords or throw fireballs.”

But deep down, Lucian thought, “Damn, I actually *do* want to throw fireballs!” Yet he didn’t show it on the outside.

Sagar, still shocked, said, “But why? This is a great opportunity for you! And do you really think you can refuse this? If you do, I’ll reveal the secret martial arts you’ve been hiding and the things you’ve kept from Arthur. I’ll make him believe that your body belongs to a child possessed by a demon. What do you think would happen then? Arthur would probably kill you,” Sagar threatened.

Lucian thought to himself, "Sagar is right, my father may have spared his first wife, but when it comes to demons, he wouldn’t hesitate. A man who’s devoted himself to protecting the northern lands from demons won’t hesitate to kill his own son. But that doesn’t mean I’ll give up. Now it’s time to corner Sagar."

Without backing down, Lucian said coolly, “You think you’re pretty clever, don’t you?”

Sagar narrowed his eyes. “Sagar? What happened to Sensei?”

Lucian smiled slightly. “You’ve probably realized by now that I’m not a little child anymore. Let’s talk like two adults, what do you say?”

Sagar chuckled mockingly. “So you’re laying your cards on the table, huh? Alright, tell me, what do you want?”

Lucian locked eyes with Sagar. “First, you’ll call me ‘Master Lucian’ from now on, and you’ll treat me with respect.”

Sagar gritted his teeth in anger. “Who do you think you are? The great Sagar doesn’t call anyone ‘Master’!”

Lucian shrugged. “Are you sure? What do you think would happen if I forgot to meditate one day? Or if I used all my mana at once? It’d be a shame to let this body die, wouldn’t it?”

Sagar growled through his teeth, “You little-”

Lucian chuckled, “What was that? I didn’t quite hear you,” he teased.

Finally, Sagar gave in. “Fine... Master Lucian...” he muttered.

Lucian pushed further, “What? I still can’t hear you. Say it again.”

Sagar suddenly shouted, “MASTER LUCIAN! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?!”

Lucian smiled and nodded. “Much better. Now, let’s move on to my second demand...”

Sagar rolled his eyes. “A second demand? Do you think you can just ask for anything from me?”

Lucian continued seriously, “My second request is this: I want you to keep everything you know about me a secret. I’m not interested in learning how to wield a sword. In a few years, if Arthur tries to send me for sword training, you’ll stop him. I don’t want to be a mage either. All I want is to continue down the path of boxing.”

Sagar frowned. “You’re asking for a lot. All you ever think about is boxing, boxing, boxing!” he grumbled.

Lucian calmly replied, “These are my terms. If you can meet them, I’m ready to work with you.”

Sagar sighed in frustration. “Shit,” he muttered under his breath. He thought for a moment, then lifted his head to speak. “I was already planning to keep everything between us a secret. And becoming a mage isn’t a requirement. All I wanted was to teach you magic and use you in my experiments.”

Lucian frowned in concern. “Experiments? What do you mean by that?”

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Sagar shrugged slightly. “Don’t worry. They’re not life-threatening... I think.”

Lucian thought to himself, “I think? How reassuring...”

Sagar frowned again. “It’ll be tough to get you exempt from sword lessons,” he said. Then, his face lit up with an idea. “But what if you were a mage?”

Lucian quickly shouted, “DIDN’T I SAY I WON’T BE A MAGE, DO YOU HAVE ALZHEİMER'S OR SOMETHİNG YOU OLD MAN?!”

Sagar, irritated, yelled back, “OLD?! I’M STILL YOUNG! CAN’T YOU SEE THAT?!”

Lucian gave him a mocking look. “Is that one of your ridiculous spells? And why’d you turn yourself into a child? Are you some kind of creep or something?” he asked sarcastically.

Sagar, now enraged, shouted back, “WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT, YOU BRAT? It was just an experiment! Anyway, I’m serious. Act like a mage. If I tell Arthur that you can do more as a mage than as a swordsman, I’ll take you as my special student. That way, you can practice your stupid boxing without the fear of getting caught.”

Lucian raised his eyebrows, “I still don’t understand what you’re getting at,” he said.

Sagar took a deep breath and continued, “Arthur wants to train you as a swordsman, but if he thinks you’re a mage, he’ll leave you to me. That way, we can secretly train you in boxing.”

Lucian furrowed his brows slightly. “Do you really think Marquis Arthur would agree to that? No one from the Wintergate family has ever become a mage, they’ve all been strong swordsmen,” he said.

Sagar nodded slightly in agreement. “You’re right. Arthur is obsessed with tradition, cold, and fanatical. But there’s something he’s even more obsessed with than tradition...”

Lucian finished the sentence, “Power.”

Sagar grinned as he nodded. “Exactly! If I were just an ordinary person, convincing him would be tough, but I’m the great Sagar! This will be child’s play.”

Lucian rolled his eyes and mocked, “How much more egotistical can one person be?”

Sagar yelled angrily, “Are you calling me egotistical?!”

Lucian shot back, “STOP READING MY DAMN MIND, YOU OLD FART!”

Sagar, now even angrier, shouted, “DON’T CALL ME OLD, YOU LITTLE PUNK!”

After a brief but heated exchange, Sagar motioned with his hand for Lucian to follow him. Silently, they moved towards the center of the library.

When Lucian and Sagar reached the heart of the library, they found themselves in a mesmerizing space. A massive, dome-shaped room with a high ceiling… A giant crystal chandelier hung from the top, illuminating every corner of the room with a golden light. This light reflected off the walls, bathing the surroundings in a magical glow.

In the center of the room, a spiral staircase made of elegant stone steps twisted downwards. The floor was covered with marble tiles, and intricate magical symbols and runic inscriptions were etched onto the stones.

Sagar pointed to the stairs and said sternly, “Every floor beneath these stairs is different. There are experiment rooms, potion storages, food supplies, personal rooms… But you're forbidden from entering those floors. Understood?” Lucian shrugged indifferently. “Yeah, yeah, I’m not interested in your dumb magic stuff anyway. So why did you bring me here? To show off?” Sagar rolled his eyes. “Shut up and follow me.”

Lucian and Sagar began descending the spiral staircase. On the first floor, they reached an experimental laboratory filled with long corridors and various closed rooms. Metal plaques hung on the doors, indicating the types of experiments conducted inside. Inside the lab, there were tables full of magical tubes, potions, and various magical materials. Shattered tubes, jars filled with translucent liquids, and complex magic circles could be seen everywhere.

On the second floor, there were shelves full of potion bottles glowing in all sorts of colors. Each bottle was carefully labeled, categorized into healing potions, strength-enhancing tonics, and more. In the center, there was a large mixing table and cauldrons used for brewing potions. The walls were adorned with old parchments filled with potion recipes.

On the third floor, they found a giant kitchen where magical food was stored. The shelves were stocked with magical herbs, dried meats, and various ingredients. In one corner of the room, there were magical cooling systems used to keep food fresh. A bookshelf filled with magical recipes also stood out.

On the fourth floor was Sagar’s personal study and resting area. There was a wide desk, shelves full of magical items, and a comfortable chair. The other rooms on this floor were empty.

When they arrived at the fifth floor, they were met with a massive, dark, and empty room. Lucian, in a mocking tone, said, “Wow, must be the largest empty room on the continent. Truly impressive.” Sagar narrowed his eyes. “Stop joking and watch. If you channel a bit of mana into the floor…” He stomped his foot, sending a bit of mana into the ground, and the room suddenly lit up. Weapons, armor, training fields, and sparring dummies appeared all around them.

Sagar crossed his arms and smiled. “You won’t have to worry about damaging anything while training here. Everything’s made of mythril, so it’s both durable and mana-efficient. Now you can practice that crappy boxing of yours and be used in my experiments.” Lucian rolled his eyes. “Sometimes it’s hard to tell if you’re helping or just showing off.” Sagar clapped his hands. “Anyway! Let’s deal with this meditation issue. Sit there and focus on your mana flow.”

Lucian did as Sagar instructed and sat down, focusing on his mana. To feel better, he drew power from his aura star. Sagar suddenly snapped, “Stop drawing power from your star!” Lucian frowned. “But if I don’t, I can’t feel the mana! Even though I have mana in my body, I’m an aura user. It’s hard for me to sense free mana. That’s why I use my aura star to concentrate mana and turn it into aura.” Sagar, impatiently shaking his head, said, “You’re too dependent on your aura star. Yes, aura is concentrated mana, but that’s not what I want you to feel. You’re using your aura star in place of your heart, which is why you constantly need aura, right? Even though your body is full of mana, the amount you can store in this small body is limited. That’s why you’re gaining weight to store more mana and converting it to aura just to stay alive.”

Lucian glared at Sagar angrily. “Why are you telling me things I already know? Shouldn't you be offering a solution?” Sagar grinned mockingly. “You arrogant brat. Despite your arrogance, your mental resilience is impressive. In your daily life, you constantly concentrate mana and convert it into aura to survive, which mentally exhausts you. But that will no longer be necessary.” Lucian asked curiously, “It won’t be necessary? How?” Sagar squinted his eyes. “What if you had a massive mana reservoir?” Lucian thought for a moment. “You mean a bigger body? I’d only need to meditate once a week. Why are you asking? Are you going to turn me into a giant with magic?” Sagar smiled and shook his head. “I can do better than that. Mages, unlike aura users, manipulate the free mana around them to cast spells. But what if an aura user could use external mana too? Would they explode from an overload of mana? Or, what if a mage could, like aura users, implant aura stars into their hearts and concentrate mana to cast more powerful spells?” Lucian raised an eyebrow. “That’s impossible! To do something like that...” Sagar interrupted him. “A person would need to use both internal and external mana. Just like you!” Lucian responded in shock, “But I can’t use external mana! I only store it inside and convert it into aura, which barely keeps me alive and requires hours of meditation.” Sagar rolled his eyes. “Have you ever seen mages meditating like you, idiot? Aura users can concentrate mana for months without meditating. But you, on the other hand, are constantly consuming this concentrated mana. If you were a mage, you wouldn’t need to meditate because you’d be able to control the mana around you. And with your extraordinary body, you can use both internal and external mana. Do you understand? If you learn magic...”

Lucian finished in amazement, “The whole world would become my mana reservoir...”