Kestevere found himself in the Introduction to Tactics class next. It was a class that he was prepared for due to reading through the textbook last week, so he found his mind wandering to everything new that he was experiencing. The fighting, making himself stronger through finding new teachers and rivals, and most importantly, finding out the key behind what really pushed the world was exciting to him. The courses that he already had the knowledge for didn't excite him, but learning everything new filled him with a sense of wonder. Each new challenge was a wall to overcome in his quest to become the best he could be. He hoped that one day, he could become stronger and more well-known than his father.
The end of the class happened suddenly, and he found that his final class was the Mentor Course. Those in their first semester were instructed to go to the administration and welcoming building to apply for mentorship. Kestevere entered the building and found that the line was short. He waited until he reached the front, where he spoke to Lydia again.
"Good afternoon, Kestevere. As you know, we usually allow the student to select their mentor based on their interest, but your case is slightly different. A mentor has been selected for you due to this person coming forward, and as such, you will learn from him. Few mentors are on the same level regarding experience, and he also said that you required special attention," Lydia said while smiling uneasily and motioning behind Kestevere. He turned to see who wanted to be his mentor and found himself face-to-face with the man he thought he wouldn't have to deal with anymore.
"Don't look so down. I know what you could do, and I'm your best bet at graduating in a single semester," Sven said to Kestevere with a dangerous grin.
Kest turned towards Lydia and began asking if he could change mentors. Still, Sven quickly grabbed him, and Kest found himself out of the city before he could finish his sentence.
"Good, nothing but you, me, and a few beasts out here. No one else will train you like you need to be trained. No one knows what kind of trials you had before coming here. You're not exactly a genius, but you're close to it. You need someone to push you, or else you'll become a useless soldier in the infantry or something," the scout said with disappointment.
"How do you know that you're the person to mentor me then? Maybe someone else could teach me better," Kestevere said, crossing his arms.
"Maybe. They also wouldn't do this, though," Sven said, raising two fingers. The sand began to swirl around the two, and small tremors could be felt through the ground. Kest found himself having trouble holding himself steady until the tremors subsided. "Behind you."
Kest dove forward without thinking and narrowly evaded something that crashed behind him. The sand was still whipping around him, and he got onto his feet and turned to find himself faced with something that resembled a snake and a bear. It had the general size and shape of a bear, but it had the scales and tail of a snake.
"Welcome to your training. Fight that Scale Bear without weapons. You should be able to at least manage that, right?" Sven challenged Kest, but Kest was too scared to accept that challenge.
"That thing is a real monster! It's not some beast; it's an anomaly of magic!" Kest argued before evading again, ducking below the monster's tail. He looked around, but Sven was nowhere to be seen. With a sigh, he got onto his feet and focused his magic. His body grew lighter, and he found himself imbued with strengthening magic. He dashed forward faster than he'd ever moved. The Scale Bear swiped downwards, and Kest could dive to the side before recovering and delivering a solid blow to the monster's neck with a powerful kick. Kest kicked off the beast and flew through the air before landing gracefully on his feet. The monster stood up as if the attack did nothing to it.
"Did you really think that getting through that armor would work with a kick?" Sven asked, appearing out of nowhere. "You need to use your magic for more than strengthening. You have more power than most, and just making yourself stronger is a waste of time. Instead, envision an element. Fire, water, earth, and air are the easiest to access because you don't have to think about anything but the basics. Focus on the image, gather the magic, and then the element. Like this," Sven said before gathering a small ball of fire above his finger. The fire burned generally for a moment before it grew in heat, changing from red to orange and then yellow. Sven pointed the ball of flame towards the now-charging Scale Bear and shot it forward. The ball of fire burned through the Scale Bear's shoulder, and it collapsed mid-charge.
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"You want me to do that?" Kest asked as he watched the bear rise once again.
"No, you will do it. I'm not saving you again," Sven said before disappearing from the sand vortex again. Kestevere prepared himself as the bear stood up once again. It was massive, and Kest felt that he wouldn't be able to create a flame capable of burning through the bear like Sven had. Instead, he thought of something that would be able to cut through. Something like a blade that was able to rotate. With the image in his head, he held his hands and focused the magic there. The air began to spin, and the edge grew sharp as he sent the swirling air blade to the bear. The bear didn't see the blade coming towards it, and the momentum of the bear carried it through the bear, bisecting it before it could even begin to understand what had happened. The sandstorm started to subside as Sven walked through the waning swirl of sand.
"It looks like someone is a quick study. It's time for you to continue learning; come on," he said, turning away with a sadistic grin. Kestevere followed the man repeatedly, asking questions about magic or begging him to slow down because the magic had drained him.
The two arrived at the community training area so that the students could practice skills in a safe environment or settle disagreements with a professor standing in as a referee. Kest looked around and found that Trysta was also there training. Kestevere saw that she wasn't just proficient in her abilities but downright genius. She could move around and fight with multiple elements at once while channeling. Kestevere now knew she was on a different level than he'd thought.
"Stop gawking and get over here if you want to become as amazing as her," Sven chided, and Kest followed him to their training area. Sven walked to the console and set up a barrier that prevented others from seeing inside or hearing what was occurring.
"Look, she's got around five years of experience, not only knowing about her power and the system but also years more here at the academy. You'll lose against her when you graduate from the academy at the end of the semester, but you only have to be in the top twenty. That means getting your grades up and pushing yourself to the limit. I'll help you break through so that no one besides her will be able to stand against you," Sven said before beginning to channel magic into a single finger. "Start trying to expand your magic and brace yourself for one of the most painful experiences you'll have."
Kest pushed his mana out so that he could run away, but he was met with the barricade that Sven put up. Before he could turn around, he found himself on the ground, and blocks in his mana network were released individually. Each new place for mana to flow into felt like flames being held near a newly opened wound. Kest found himself crying out for mercy before falling unconscious.
* * *
After Kest awoke, he found himself lying on his back with Sven meditating near him. The barricade, which was initially opaque, had changed to a semi-transparent state, and Kest could see that the stars were shining in the sky. His body felt as if it was still burning beneath the desert sun. Still, he knew it was the effect of opening up so many mana points and so much room for growth within his body.
"Glad you woke up. Most people pass out after six points open, but for you, it took a full fifteen. Don't worry; it shouldn't be so bad next time. I'll even teach you how to recover yourself, and maybe we can get you fully released by the end of next week," Sven said as his eyes shined manically under the moonlight. He raised himself from the floor and lowered the barrier so that the two of them could leave. Sven walked with Kest to the cafeteria, where he demanded food from the workers about to close things up. Unlike his usual meals, Kest got to eat real food, so it may be his reward for bearing such difficult and dangerous training.
The end of the day had come, and Kest found himself exhausted in his dorm room. He saw that Gerold was not in the room, so he quickly showered and went to bed. As he drifted into a deep sleep, he saw flashes of images in his mind. Flames, swirling tornados, columns of earth, and waves of water. It called to him as he drifted into sleep.