3 days had passed since he first started learning magic, and he’s gotten quite far, per se. Well, if he was compared to a normal magician, the speed of his learning was incredible, monstrous even.
He was still unable to create a Magic Formation without any medium, but he later found out that it was actually quite hard to do so. Only some of the master Magicians were able to do that, so yes, he was overshooting himself.
He’s also still unable to bring out his mana by absolute volition. His mana will come out when there’s a Magic Formation that he wanted to activate, but without any medium to go into, his mana just, wouldn’t come out.
But that’s fine, since his knowledge of crafting Magic Formations and the structure of the [Storage] spell has increased tremendously. But because of that, he discovered a new wrinkle he needed to deal with.
See, the [Storage] spell could only take in and take out objects at the same place. Which meant that it wouldn’t do much at all. That was why, he was acquiring as much knowledge about the structure of the spell to create a new spell, derived from it!
Essentially, he needed the spell to connect two different locations, and act as a portal between the two. The problem is, was that creating a derivative spell was kinda hard.
But, if he does complete this, then this accomplishment would become two things. First, he solved the problem alone and would probably receive even more recognition. And two, he’ll take a step towards reaching his dream!
So, the spell’s name was [Transport], quite a fitting name. Unlike any normal spell, this spell didn’t have a basic formation. Instead, depending on the situation, the structure of each formation could greatly differ from one another.
But, he has a basis now, and his first test-run of the spell was about to begin!
He was now in his lab room, at the Harvot Research Institute. His researcher gear was already worn, and his goggles strapped above his eyes. The test shall now begin!
First, there were two channels of water, about 40 centimetres apart. One was filled, one was empty. His goal, was to get the water from the first channel, to the next. It was a simple, not so simple task to complete.
There were two panes of glass that he attached to the ends of each channel, with the drawing of his first test-run of [Transport] drawn onto it with a water-resistant marker. The last time he forgot to use water-resistant markers and the drawing just, faded away. It was a painful moment to watch.
“Test 1.”
He was also video-taping every single test run he was doing, just so he could re-watch the scenes and spot out what went wrong.
Placing his hands on both glass panes, his mana flowed out and into the glass, activating the Magic Formation. A purple light shined out of the formations, and a ‘Portal’ of sorts opened up in its place!
It was a…half-success. The opening of the portal was successful, but the Formation didn’t stand for very long, and collapsed straight after, giving him a quick shock of pain from the Rebound. He recoiled back, shaking his hand to ease the pain.
First test, was a failure.
Oblivious to it, the other researchers were currently watching him from the outside, fascinated, but also baffled as to why Leore was suddenly able to use magic. They quickly dispersed once they saw the leading researcher coming their way.
“Test 2.”
The water picked out and placed back into the first channel, and the second test began, the camera this time much more focused onto the Formation, so he could see where it first collapses. And just like before, a burst of light came as the formation crumbled, and along with it came the Rebound.
‘I should’ve brought my aid kit…’
He took out the recording, plugged the memory card into the computer he had in his room, and watched the video, in slow motion. He took note of where the formation first collapsed, and began drawing again.
Fundamentally, the [Storage] and the [Transport] spell had the same base Magic Formation. But [Transport] had an added line of complexity, with him needing to make one that was the input, and another that was the output.
The many hours he spent thinking resulted in a big headache, so he went out to eat his lunch…past 4 p.m.
After some more time spent trying, and failing, he decided to pack up and head home. When he arrived, he had a quick dinner meal, went straight to his bedroom, and continued working on it.
Days after days quickly went by, as he spent many, many hours on his work. He even skipped sleep from time to time, which garnered him a concerned cry from his mother when she saw him with bags under his eyes.
There was only 20 days left until submission, and still, he was unable to make it work completely. Over time, the duration of the spell increased, but that also meant that when it failed, the rebound would get stronger and stronger.
His palm ended up bleeding one time, and his other hand felt numb. He decided to call it a day after that happened and went to sleep.
He needed to speed up the pace, the timer was ticking down. Only 13 days until the deadline, and he was still not done. The other researchers have started to give up.
Ah, but, there was also the question of why he wouldn’t just use a [Mana Crystal] to substitute him, so that he wouldn’t receive the Rebound every single time. The reason was, money. Mana crystals were expensive, and they were single use. If they survived, they will survive forever, gathering mana from nature and then giving it into the machine, but if a failure occurs, the crystal would snap, and shatter.
That was why he worked on it with his own hands, now left bruised and bandaged all over. But his dexterity was not falling, even with his accumulating injuries. The other researchers could only watch on with awe.
8 days remaining, and he was still not done, but he could feel himself getting closer. The ‘Portal’ could not last up to 5 minutes at a time, but that was still not enough. He needed it to last longer, but no matter what he did, it just wouldn’t work!
But then, his mind suddenly had an idea. It said, ‘If I couldn’t make it last longer than 5 minutes, then why not make it stop every 4 minutes? And then, he could just restart it for another 4 minutes, stop it, let it rest, and then repeat!’ And how brilliant of an idea it was!
He then changed his approach. Instead of trying to increase the time limit, he tried keeping the spell active for 4 minutes, and then stopped, letting the spell cool down. He used a timer to measure how long he needed until he could fire up the spell again. The answer was-
“3 minutes…huh…”
With that result, he rushed out from his room, and without even noticing his peers watching him, he ran straight for the leading researcher’s room. He slammed the door open, causing the man to jump a bit.
“Gyah?! W-What-, oh, i-it’s you. What do you want?”
“Do you have a Crystal holder that can rotate?”
“Heh? Well, yes, but why?”
“I need it.”
Was his quick and simple answer. The man looked at him with suspicion, but decided to let him have it. The man handed over the rotatable Crystal holder, although it could only hold 2 crystals at a time, that’s fine by him.
With a quick and soft ‘thank you’, he ran his way back to his lab room, set up his next test, and began his preparations.
The leading researcher also decided to watch him, since he was curious as to why all his men were watching this little kid. It was also because he was really stressed at his work, and needed some time off.
This time, he made the two channels of water face each other, with the two Magic Formations he put there also facing against one another. He placed the rotatable Crystal holder in between them, just in range for them to be able to activate.
Taking out two Mana Crystals from his drawer, he placed them into the holder, tapped ‘Record’ on his video camera, and spoke with a sigh.
“Test…187.”
He pressed the button on the crystal holder to hold them, and the crystals began to work, filling the Formations with magic, and opening the ‘Portal’ that connected the two channels. The leading researcher watched with popped eyes from the outside.
He also had his timer ready, so that he could precisely stop the process at the 4 minute mark.
“……Stop.”
He deactivated the two formations, perfectly after 4 minutes have passed, and just like he found out, the Magic Formation was still standing and intact! He rotated the two crystals around, so that they would supply the opposite sides now. This break time was also to allow the crystals to slowly recharge.
After 3 minutes, he activated the process once again, letting the water from the second channel to flow back into the first channel. And, after 4 minutes, he shut the ‘Portal’ down, waited for another 3 minutes, and opened the portals again!
The water travelled from one channel to another 17 times, and both the Mana Crystals and the Magic Formation was still intact!
Test 187, was a success!
…………………
A week had gone by, and there was only one day left before the deadline. That said, that didn’t matter much, since Leore had singlehandedly finished it, in just a matter of 3 weeks! Albeit with the sacrifice of sleep and quite a lot of blood.
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He promised himself to not carelessly do spell creations anymore, since the many Rebounds he got nearly gave him anaemia. His mother wouldn’t like that.
All that was left, was the implementation of the device. Together with the other researchers, he moved the devices to their designated locations, one in the mountains, and the other at the water tank.
They also built a protective wall around it, just in case some monster decided to come and bite it. If that comes, then the sentry gun they set up would decimate them.
With all that set and done, they all praised, and thanked him for all the efforts he had put in. If he wasn’t there, then they wouldn’t have finished, and the project would have fallen, along with their reputation.
Especially now, since the Boss of the Harvot Research Facility was no more.
As they were having a celebratory dinner party together, Leore took his chance.
“Leader…I…wish to leave.”
“…Eh?”
The leader, no, everyone that was there looked at him with shock. Did he get fed up with us? Did his injuries get too serious? Is he going to become an independent researcher and set up his own facility? So on and so forth.
“I’m…still young, and I wish to resume my academics.”
Was his answer, but the leader was still confused at his answer, since he knew that he had already graduated from academia.
“But, haven’t you already-“
“I wish to continue learning…As a magician.”
Then, all the pieces came into place, and all the other thoughts were flushed out.
He was right. He wasn’t just a Magical Engineer anymore. In these past 3 weeks, he had displayed the Aptitude for Magic, which meant that he was now, officially, a magician. It made sense as to why he wished to leave!
“I…See.”
But, there was no contempt in his eyes, nor were there any lingering feelings that wanted to keep Leore chained to his Research Facility. All there was, was a sense of appreciation, and respect for this boy-, no, for this man who was ready, to move on.
“Alright…! Let’s eat!”
If so, then the meaning of this celebratory dinner has changed. This was not a celebration of success, but a farewell party, for Leore. With their glass and cups in the air, they all shouted.
“Then…!”
““CHEERS!!!!””
“C-Cheers…”
The rest of the dinner was spent chatting, and simply having fun.
The party ended with everyone drunk, well, except for Leore of course. Even if he was allowed to drink some wine, he’d prefer not too, since the effects of them were quite problematic. The others scowled when they heard his reasons.
Anyways, they all headed back after that, at midnight.
…………………
It’s been several weeks after he left the facility for good. He mostly spent his downtime surfing through the internet, looking for an ideal place for him to start learning. A medium-level education should fit him nicely.
Oh, he also told him mom to lock the door down to the basement, since the machine down there was better kept secret.
And, after many hours of hard work and dedication on sticking his face onto the computer screen, he finally found one!
Its name, was the [Glamora Magic Academy]. It was, normal, to simply put it. It wasn’t super prestigious, but it wasn’t bad in any way. It was just…average. A perfect starting place for someone who’s awakened his magic prowess literally just 2 months ago.
Applying for the school was pretty easy. With his knowledge, and skill, at using magic, he was already allowed to enter. And with the addition of being a well-known genius in the field of Magic Engineering, it was somewhat overkill.
The teachers working there doubted if he was suitable for this place, since he was a master-level Magic Engineer and all, but he forcefully applied. They had no choice but to simply accept his proposal.
It was now July, and the Academy should start in around 4 days. Everything he needed was already prepared. His uniform, which was way too fancy looking, but he ignored it. His bag and such. His books, tools, and other stuff.
Since he had nothing to do, and had no real ambition to do anything in particular, his mother decided to invite him for one of those outdoor picnic parties she’s always blabbering on about. He didn’t have any plans, so he accepted her offer.
He also helped to teach Morgan about some lessons he was struggling with back in school. It mostly ended up in him fawning over his ability to do magic now though.
Ah, he was also invited to the Science Festival back in his old school, as a ‘Special Guest’. Since he is a graduate from the same school, they offered to allow him to roam around and survey the works of their students. He happily took the offer.
That was how he mostly spent his last 4 days. Now, morning had come, and it was time to head for school.
“Be safe, okay? No more coming back home with bandages!”
“Yeah, I promise.”
Obviously, he worries were still there. Even if he was a genius, and had surpassed a barrier that many thought were impossible to cross, as his sole parent, and his doting mother, her worry only skyrocketed now that he was working as a magician.
But, of course, he was happy for him. The child that she had brought up, the one who was born with so little, was now embarking on his own journey. It was a story that moved her to tears.
So, with one last shout to make sure he had brought his sandwich, she waved him goodbye as she watched him get on the bus, and leave for his new life in the Glamora Magic Academy.
The ride was, what you’d expect from a bus. Quiet, and noisy at the same time. He watched people come in and out, sit down and stand up, so on it goes. He lost interest after a while and browsed through the internet while waiting.
With one last stop, he left the bus, and there it was. The Glamora Magic Academy was standing right across the streets. A peculiar place to put your academy, but he won’t question it.
This was the start of a new academic year, so before he could go to class, he needed to sit down and listen to the school introductions and all. Before he headed towards there, he decided to take a look at where his class was, just so he wouldn’t get lost.
After that, he went into the building everyone was heading into. Inside, was a large, spacious area, with seats arranged in the style of a performance stage, with the main stage at the front centre of the room, facing back towards the seat.
Since he already listened to what the principal had to say last time, and had researched every single teacher and students that had been applied, he didn’t bother to listen to it, and took a seat at the back corner.
He continued browsing through the web, while also occasionally stopping to clap, to blend in with the rest.
The principal and the head of the [Student Council] came up and began to talk. The head was a female student, most likely in her 17’s or 18’s. He didn’t catch on to what they had to say though.
Oh, right. Unlike normal school systems, Magic academies didn’t have any formal classifications for students. There are no middle-schoolers or high-schoolers, just, students. The maximum age for a student was 25, which was quite high in his opinion.
But, after all the talking was done, another last round of applause was given, and the teachers instructed them to head to their designated classrooms.
Classes were coded with letters, starting with [A], and going all the way down to [E]. The higher up the alphabet, the more ‘Advanced’ the classes were. So, if someone was in [A] class, then they were probably pretty smart. Leore chose to force himself into class [C], the middle-ground.
Although, the naming system they used was severely flawed, since doing so would probably garner a lot of bullying, especially for those at the lower classes. Hence, why he picked [C].
Of course, that meant that there were only 5 main classes for the school year. But, other students that are not officially in the school can join the many Extra Classes that the school, and the students had designed and given out.
With no further ado, he got up from his seat and headed for his class.
Since he already knew the school layout, he decided to stray off from going to class immediately, and spent some time walking around the school, ‘enjoying’ the scenery while also spotting anything interesting.
There wasn’t anything too interesting, except for that one ‘store?’ that seems to sell ‘Weapons’ or whatnot. He wasn’t even sure if that was legal.
But, with the sightseeing over, he went back to his classroom. He was 2 minutes before the bell.
And then, just like in any school, the teacher came in, said good morning, introduced herself, and then asked for the students to introduce themselves. It went on smoothly, as each student got up and introduced themselves.
He also did so, of course.
“My name is Leore Frederick.”
“Any hobbies, Leore?”
“……Experimenting, I suppose.”
His answer to what his hobby was caused some students, and the teacher to give an odd look, but he ignored them and sat down. After everyone was fully introduced, the teacher went on to detail about what the rules, regulations, and other activities they will be performing this year.
To simplify, the main classes will start at 9 a.m., and go on until 3 p.m. After that, the students are allowed to partake in any activities they like, as in extra lessons, projects, or just having fun. That was allowed until 6, and after that, no students are allowed in the school.
Every day, there will be 3 lessons throughout the day. He didn’t bother checking the schedule, since it was mostly just a compilation of indoor learning, and field magic training. Perhaps he was just getting lazy.
After 1 hour of explanations, they were allowed to roam around for 15 more minutes, before the main subjects started. Everyone was ecstatic about walking around, finding new friends and chatting along. He just stayed at his desk, reading through the book to get a glimpse at what to come.
Well, he was about to, but a male student came up to him.
“Hey there! I’m George! Nice to meet you!”
“…I’m Leore. Likewise.”
“So…What did you mean before by ‘Experimenting’? Like, with magic or something?”
“…I suppose so.”
George let out an ‘Ooo…’ of interest, and leaned in closer to ask. A breach of personal space, if he had the time to say.
“So, what do you do?”
“Test out spells…and other stuff.”
“Hmm…”
For some reason, he wasn’t moving away, and it was starting to annoy him, and it was also slightly discomforting. Luckily, just as he was about to ask something else, time ran out, and the teacher was back. He shrugged and went back to his seat, promising to ask again.
‘It seems he’s the curious type…’
That aside, the first lesson was, for some reason, math. Not that he hated it or anything, but, why, math? Out of all other subjects to start with, why start with this? He found himself asking. Of course, all this stuff was easy for him. He’d done them all before.
Next, was a lesson on the basics of Magic Formations, and [Magical Constructs]. It wasn’t something new, since he just looked it up on the internet a week ago, but he still took out his pen and noted the lesson down on his notebook.
And then, lunch time came, and just like he promised, George came back to ask, again.
‘And stubborn too…’
Unfortunately, for George, once he hears something that even slightly interests him, he will relentlessly chase after sources to uncover any answers.
After a while, his constant asking got a bit too annoying for him to handle, so he just gave up and talked to him about what he does, while eating their lunch of course.
“Eh?! Y-You’re also an Engineer?!”
“D-Don’t be so loud……But, yeah, that’s right…”
Seriously, Leore was beginning to wonder of George was some kind of paparazzi in disguise as a student. George looked surprised to hear that he was capable in both Magic Construction and Magic Engineering, but did not inquire further, since that ice cold glare he was giving.
As they were eating, George was bringing up some small talks with him, probably as another attempt to uncover what he does in detail. He gave a vague answer of ‘Doing what we always do’ and left to return the food holder. George caught up soon after, but time was up, so they were heading back to class.
Next class after that was English class, which he didn’t listen to, at all.
And after that, came Physics class. This time, he did listen, since they were talking about some interesting developments in the world of science and Magical Engineering. Then again, he was listening just for fun.
With all those classes over, it was now 3 in the afternoon, and the main classes were finally over. The ‘Self-Activities’ session has now begun!
And the first thing he encounters, was the annoying guy that keeps on sticking onto him, George. Such a wonderful loyalty and determination. If only it was used by someone in the science industry, with the will to move the world further. He thought so silently.
“Hey again! Wanna go somewhere?”
“………Sure.”
“Alright! Come on, this way!”
Shrugging his shoulders, Leore followed as George led the way, with a large annoying grin on his face. Where they might be heading, Leore didn’t know. But it seems they were heading towards the shopping district.
Well, he saw the answer straight after.
“This place…is…”
“Come on! Let’s go in!”
Before him, stood that one shop that sold ‘Weapons’, the one he saw when he was walking around this morning. Being honest, he was still confused as to why this shop was here, but who knows, he wasn’t judging.
Once inside, he got a first clean look at what the shop has in store. Just like he saw, this shop sold…actual weapons. Real, very dangerous weapons that could be used to sever someone’s spinal cortex off.
Very real swords, axes, spears, glaives, knives, and, chakrams? There was an entire loadout of weapons hung up on the wall, on display and ready for anyone in their right minds to test out. Even guns and other firearms were being sold here.
“Welcome.”
Standing behind the counter, was a pretty young girl, wearing a white apron with the female school uniform underneath. From that, he could somewhat guess that this wasn’t officially put up by the school.
“Oh, it’s just you, George.”
“Hey! What’s with that greeting?”
Ah, and it seems like they both know each other. That was convenient, since he had been itching to ask why this shop was put here in the first place. Well, he could already somewhat take a good guess on why, but he still wanted to hear it from her own mouth.
“So, who’s he?”
“Let me introduce you guys! Lisa, this is Leore. Leore, this is Lisa.”
“Hello.”
“…Greetings.”
And that, was how their relationship first begun.