It had been a few days since he had been home, back in the country side. He truly enjoys the freedom of such an environment. Forests around, where he’d go with his friends during the weekends—that or walking around the town at night. They were a small bunch—4 original members, which turned to 5 since one of them found a girl he got along with—that would go about their high school days and meet from time to time.

However, despite them living apart most of the time, their friendship was a genuine one, with them thinking of each other as brothers. They were the ones Mark would train with—rather, he’d help them train and he’d do it on his own.

He got home, only to leave after calling his comrades. They would all gather at their usual place, a nice wooden table atop a hill, just a short walk away from the forest. Mark, deciding to test out his powers in a different way, engulfed himself in wind magic, and used it to fly over there.

The entire town must have been confused as to who was cussing so much, and Mark had almost fallen a few times. Flying around with wind magic is useful, but he’d have to work a lot on it.

Not saying anything, he tried to play the cool guy, watching the town like Batman would Gotham, only to sit like that for a good half an hour. His face was almost frozen in place, until a voice called out to him.

"The fuck are you doing, you fucking moron?"

He glanced down, only to jump in front of that person, shaking his hand. It was Alex, accompanied by Xandra, Sebas, and Darius. All of them sat together, and they listened to Mark talk about his adventure. Sebas was glad it all went well, since he was there when Mark ran off on his own.

"You crazy bastard, so you weren’t all talk when you said you’d do that shit."

Alex was smiling; part of him was glad that his friend was unscathed, and something within him wanted to punch the dumb fuck.

Darius stared at him, eyes opened wide, just admiring.

"So, you did all that? All alone? Damn, bro, I knew you were strong, but this is just—"

Mark cut his words short.

"Nah man, this is nothing. Rather than being brave, I was lucky. To escape death by a hair’s breadth is something I’d rather not do again, yet the circumstances won’t be in my favor."

All of them thought about it before Sebas spoke out.

"Well, how about we start training? You’ll need help, why not work with us?"

Mark was cheered by his friend’s initiative.

"Well, training is part of the reason I called you out here. If you truly wish to do that, but just so you know, it’s dangerous."

The whole group laughed.

The very same pop-up that kept bothering Mark appeared again.

"Well, I guess I can help you with that. Mark, I told you something about mana, it’s time I teach you how to create an arena of sorts."

Everyone, apart from Mark, turned to the pop-up, each with a unique expression.

"It talked!?", yelled all of them at once.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

"Yes, I can talk, since Mark is a bit of a special case. He did get his hands on a one-of-a-kind type of item."

Now even Mark turned to the blue screen in disbelief.

"I did what?"

"Yes, you did just that. The sword you found is a one-of-a-kind item, something close to a godly weapon. Only ten people around the world have had the chance to get one."

"Damn, that’s why you rushed out so quick. All that manga did pay off."

Mark stared at Alex, just smiling.

"Tricky bastard, to think you’d wind up some sort of main character."

"I’m sorry to interrupt, but I can’t stay for long. Mark, watch out for this."

"For wha-?"

Images came swarming in his mind, explaining the way mana had to be controlled and what he had to do to simulate a battle with an actual monster.

"Damn, I can do that? It’s epic! It even grants some experience, but only 10% of the actual drop, while items can still be found. This is..."

"Just remember, you can only use it a few times before all the mana in the area is drained, and you can’t control the monster. For safety reasons, they won’t be on par with you, but techniques are another story."

With that, the window closed, and the whole team remained there, looking at nothing.

"Well then, lady and gentlemen, shall we give it a try? Put whatever valuables you don’t want to lose in your inventory, and-"

Darius stared, dumbfounded by Mark’s request.

"How do I open my inventory?"

Alex was the one to respond.

"Just think about opening it, and focus on that image."

Darius was, without a doubt, impressed by the inventory. He stared at it for a good few minutes, playing with it, just shoving his phone in and taking it out, while everyone else watched him be overtaken by joy.

"Well, I guess that’s enough. Follow me."

Mark went ahead, while the others watched from behind. Alex stared at him, not knowing what had changed.

"Man, is it just me, or did you put on some more muscle? Like a lot more. "Your shoulders seem broader than before."

Both Sebas and Darius stared at him, the difference being only now visible, since they knew what to look for.

"Oh, yes, I did, apparently leveling up does this. Usually I wear baggy clothes, so it’s harder to notice."

The group made its way into the forest, where Mark did his magic. A portal appeared in front of them, leading to a barren, rocky area.

"This will be our training ground. Make sure to hurry, since I used quite a lot of the mana around."

The group went inside, waiting for Mark to say something.

"Ok, first of all, no weapons, no enemies, no nothing. This is a place where we can go wild, but today, I want you to focus on your mana."

The entire group stared at him with long faces.

"Come on, guys, don’t just expect to grab a sword and go around killing things, it doesn’t work like that."

All of them glared at him, yet he only laughed.

"Ok, first of all, I want you to imagine the flow of mana inside your bodies. Just close your eyes and try to feel it. After that, try to let some of it out in a certain point, like your palm, and try to transform it into something."

Everyone did as instructed, closing their eyes and making no noise. Xandra was the first to get it going, while the others were still struggling.

"Good job, Xandra. Way to go! Now try to create a flame, but control the mana output."

She did just that, to everyone’s surprise.

"You’re not the only one who has read a ton of manga, you know?"

Mark smiled, glad that someone else had an affinity for it.

"Oh, come on, man, it sucks."

Alex’ cry was met by a slap from Mark, who told him to focus.

"It’s ok, it’s a sign that you’re normal, unlike me, who tried to use mana before it was a thing."

It took them an hour or so, yet everyone was able to get it going, even Darius, who was sort of slow.

"Great! First step passed. Now, let the fun begin."