Lando had numerous questions swirling in his mind, but his mother decided to postpone the conversation to another day, recognizing their tiredness and restlessness after the recent event. Although Lando was not entirely content with this delay, he understood the necessity to process the newfound information and contemplate his next steps.

***

As he lay in bed the following morning, Lando's thoughts returned to the events of the previous day. Gazing at the black ring adorning his left hand, determination welled up within him. It was time to embark on his journey of magical training and pave his way towards becoming a mage.

After tending to his morning routine, Lando settled onto a mat on the floor, ready to begin his meditation. Currently, he had successfully awakened 208 meridians and only needed nine more to form his elemental core.

The meridians were intricately spread throughout his body, serving as conduits to connect with the external magic. By focusing his mind on the 208 awakened meridians, Lando allowed his space and time mana to flow through them. He discovered that channeling his mana through a time magic spell, thus accelerating the time around his body, facilitated the awakening of new meridians as he was forcefully pushing as much mana as he could through them.

Understanding that this process drained his energy rapidly, Lando accepted it as a necessary sacrifice. The accelerated time perception enabled him to sense potential awakening points in his body without being too distracted by a flashy spell. Once he identified these areas, he could concentrate his mana flow there and expedite the awakening process.

Eyes open just slightly, Lando peeked out of the window, experiencing the altered flow of time. The world around him seemed to move in slow motion, as if time had slowed down to a third of its normal pace. In truth, Lando had merely accelerated his own time perception and bodily functions threefold.

Observing the intricate details, he witnessed the delicate flapping of a bee's wings and observed a child stumbling and colliding with their parent a few steps ahead. Intent on his task, Lando closed his eyes again, shutting out distractions, and refocused his attention on his meridians.

Gradually, he detected an unfamiliar sensation in his lower back, pinpointing it to a specific vertebra. Familiar with this feeling from previous awakenings, Lando attempted to identify the exact location but fell short as his mana depleted. However, the time was not wasted, for he now knew precisely where to search next time. A self-assured smile played upon his lips as he rose from the mat.

Making his way from the top floor down to the middle level where the kitchen was located, Lando was greeted by the familiar aroma of his father's famous omelets. Stepping into the kitchen, he inquired about his mother's whereabouts, expressing how much he had missed his father's culinary delights during his time at the academy.

Initially absorbed in his cooking, Lando's father only registered his son's presence when he heard the question. He replied with a tinge of disappointment, "Yes, if we had known you were coming this early, your mother would have surely taken the day off. But since you surprised us with your arrival yesterday, both of us still have work. However, I trust you know how to keep yourself occupied."

Lando had anticipated a similar response and wasn't too disheartened, as he already had plans for the day. He responded, "No problem, Dad. I was actually planning to head to the woods to test my magical abilities and engage in some weapon training."

Intrigued by the topic, Lando's father continued the conversation, asking, "How are you integrating magic into your fighting style?"

As an apprentice, Lando's primary objective was to meld magic with his weapon-based combat skills. While apprentices generally couldn't directly channel mana through their weapons without a high mastery of their element, it didn't mean they couldn't use magic in combat at all.

Lando's main weapons were a rapier and a dagger. The rapier provided him with range, while the dagger served primarily for defensive maneuvers, reminding opponents not to expose themselves. Lando appreciated this style as it favored fast, nimble movements, aligning well with his space and time magic.

His time magic allowed him to enhance his reaction time and movement speed, while space magic disrupted enemy movements and enabled precision strikes when opportunities arose. Given his reliance on speed, he needed fast weapons to exploit his adversaries' openings.

However, due to the restrictions imposed by the academy, Lando hadn't had enough time to fully integrate his magic into combat. Though it may seem disadvantageous, it allowed him to develop a solid foundation in close-quarters combat, forcing him to improvise and learn from mistakes.

Eager to test his magical potential against the creatures of the forest, Lando responded to his father, "I still have a long way to go, but today I hope to truly push my limits."

His father wore a slightly worried expression, cautioning, "Testing limits should never be done alone, son. If you can wait until the afternoon, I can close the shop early and accompany you. We'll find out what all those school fees have been good for."

Lando had no objections; in fact, he welcomed the company. He replied, "Sure, I'd be glad to have you there if you can make the time."

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Seeing his son's acceptance, his father's expression eased. He was confident that Lando would be fine, but he knew that Fangwood Forest, even for an apprentice, was not the safest place.

The two of them set an appointment for the afternoon and continued their breakfast in peace, looking forward to a day of training and bonding.

Despite the early hour, Lando decided to venture into the forest, seeking solitude away from prying eyes but staying on the outskirts for safety, at least for now as he was still alone. Arriving at the forest, his mana fully recharged from the morning training session, he carefully surveyed his surroundings, sharpening his senses.

The outskirts of the forest were rarely inhabited by magical beasts, as this area was often patrolled by village hunters and occasionally even soldiers. Slowly traversing the woods, Lando caught sight of a black bear feasting on a small deer.

Instead of ambushing the bear, Lando intended to gauge his own fighting abilities by confronting it head-on. Unsheathing his rapier and dagger, he boldly made his way towards the bear, making no attempt to disguise himself.

The nearly three-meter-tall creature noticed the approaching human and, in response, stood erect on its hind legs, emitting a beastly roar to assert its territory and dominance.

Undeterred by the bear's intimidating display, Lando swiftly dashed forward, channeling his magic. In an instant, the distance between them shrunk, bringing them within striking range of the bear's paws. As the bear swung wide, Lando, having already channeled his mana in a time spell, observed the slow motion of the approaching strike. With a deft maneuver, he ducked beneath the swing, his face tilted toward the sky, simultaneously sliding forward and slicing the bear's hind leg with his dagger.

Momentarily staggered, the bear attempted to turn towards Lando. However, the space mage afforded no such opportunity, concentrating his bullet of space magic on the bear's second leg. The black beast stumbled to the ground, while Lando, already in motion, leaped over the bear. With a precise swing of his rapier, he swiftly severed the beast's head.

The entire fight lasted no longer than five seconds, a result that Lando had expected. Though he aimed to test his time magic in combat, he never intended to play with the animal. In a fight for survival, he believed it was best to end the encounter as swiftly as possible. When people fought to kill, anything could disrupt the outcome — a minor distraction, a momentary lapse, or an unexpected pebble on the ground. Lando firmly held this philosophy, yet hoped his future adversaries wouldn't share the same mindset, as he intended to utilize every advantage at his disposal.

Lacking a spatial ring to store the bear's corpse, Lando marked the location on a map, planning to return in the afternoon with his father to retrieve it, provided no other predator claimed it during his absence.

Continuing his hunt, Lando wrapped up in the early afternoon, making his way back to the village to enjoy a well-deserved lunch. His successful hunt yielded a grand elk, a giant boar, and a small pack of wolves. The wolves proved to be slightly more challenging opponents, though none possessed magical abilities. In the end, every foe fell before him without exception.

With lunch in hand from his favorite food stall, Lando returned to his father's shop. As he entered, he noticed two soldiers from the Baron's personal guard engaged in conversation with his father.

One of the soldiers, an apprentice turned guardsman, turned to acknowledge Lando's presence and greeted him with a smile, "Ah, the young Lord of the house is finally back, I see. Did young Lord Peter arrive with you as well?"

Lando replied to the soldier in armor adorned with the Wildstar family crest, "No, I arrived a few days before the rest. They should be here in a few days, as planned."

The soldier's expression visibly eased, and he simply nodded in response. "I see," he said.

Listening in on the conversation, Lando overheard his father conversing with the other, slightly older looking soldier, mentioning the delay in receiving materials for crafting weapons. The young Weber nodded as a respectful greeting to Lando's father, signaling that he did not wish to interrupt their ongoing discussion with customers.

With a defeated expression, the soldier replied, "There's nothing I can do, I suppose. At least I can say I tried, to my superior."

The older soldier turned towards the door, acknowledging Lando with a nod before both soldiers departed the shop.

Curious about the interaction, Lando asked his father, "Troubles with your suppliers?" He raised the bags of food and trying to lighten the mood.

"Yes, they were supposed to arrive from Harpercall two days ago, but there seems to be a delay for reasons unknown to me. But it shouldn't trouble us now that we have the lunch menu from Mrs. Dewtree, I presume?" William responded, his eyes eagerly fixed on the bags of food in Lando's hand.

Lando shrugged and placed the bags on the counter before retrieving some dishes from the back. Together, they closed the shop and sat down to enjoy their meal. As soon as they finished, Lando prepared himself to demonstrate the progress he had made on his magical journey thus far to his father.

As Lando and his father navigated their way through the forest, gathering the animals that Lando had slain earlier, his father turned to him and asked, "What's your goal for today, son? Any particular beast in mind?"

Lando had already made up his mind. "Originally, I was aiming to fight a giant mud toad, but with you as backup, I think I can attempt to take on a lone storm wolf if we come across one."

Both creatures were magical beasts, but Lando was better equipped to handle the giant mud toad. This magical beast typically resided in wet areas, primarily utilizing water magic. Lando had heard rumors of a few ponds deeper within the forest that housed these mud toads. The plan was to lure the toad away from water, engaging it outside its natural habitat. Although this fight would prove more challenging compared to his earlier victories, Lando believed he was up to the task.

However, with his father by his side, Lando contemplated changing his plan, as he yearned for a true challenge. The storm wolf, a magical beast capable of utilizing wind magic and boasting speed, agility, and ranged attacks, intrigued him. It was a tier stronger than he himself, countering many of Lando's strengths. His father's surprised reaction demonstrated his awareness of the increased difficulty.

"Wow, you're truly seeking a challenge out here. But don't worry, your old man has your back if things get tough," William assured his son, his pride evident in his words.

There was little to fear. With his solid stage fire magic and the experience to back it up, Lando's father provided a reassuring presence. Thus, Lando's confidence in his plan increased.

Arriving at the site where Lando had slain the elk, luck appeared to be on the young Weber's side. A storm wolf was feasting on the carcass, seemingly oblivious to their presence.