Volume 03, Chapter 98

  Training Before The Duel [4]

  Thirty Minutes Later…

  Dominic stands in the field once again, his hand steadily pointed toward the sky, his breath deep and controlled.

  He slowly draws Mana into his palm, carefully limiting the amount.

  The familiar orb of shadowy energy begins to materialize, its shape slightly more stable this time—less erratic than earlier attempts.

  Dominic steadies himself, eyes sharply focused, before quietly whispering, “Release…”

  — Fwoom!

  The dark beam surges upward, piercing the sky, its shadowy trail dissipating moments later.

  Clark watches eagerly. Even after half an hour of Dominic repeating the same dark beam, his eyes still shine with excitement, captivated by every repetition.

  Célestin crosses his arms, smiling softly. “Nice, Domy! That one took you… exactly 84 seconds.”

  Dominic hesitates, unsure whether to feel proud or disappointed. He has been practicing consistently for half an hour now. “Only 84 seconds after all that effort,” he mutters, sighing.

  Célestin shrugs lightly. “Hey, it's still an improvement. However…” He pauses thoughtfully, eyeing the fading trail of dark energy. “Your beam’s range has steadily been getting shorter over the last half-hour.”

  Dominic blinks, surprised. “Wait… what?” He turns to Célestin, bewildered. “Why didn’t you mention that earlier?”

  Célestin raises a brow. “Honestly, I figured you'd notice. It seemed pretty obvious to me. Tell me, Domy—were you only focusing on controlling the amount of Mana without thinking about how far the spell would reach?”

  Dominic runs a hand through his hair, hesitating. Now that he thinks about it, Célestin has a point. He got so caught up in mastering precise Mana control that he neglected to consider the spell’s range entirely.

  “Think of it like a garden hose,” Célestin explains patiently. “Your Mana is the water, and the faucet’s pressure is the amount of Mana you’re putting into the spell. The nozzle or trigger, however, determines how far the water sprays. Even if your Mana amount is perfect, if you don’t maintain pressure and fully hold the trigger down, you won’t achieve the range you want.”

  Dominic nods thoughtfully. “So, you’re saying I sustain the spell’s intensity while maintaining Mana output?”

  “Exactly!” Célestin points toward a large boulder positioned far in the distance. “Try it again. Aim directly at that boulder. Focus not just on how much Mana you’re using—but how far you need the beam to reach. Maintain that intent as strongly as you can.”

  Dominic takes a deep breath, settling himself into position once more. He raises his hand, aiming at the distant boulder.

  Closing his eyes, he carefully summons the same amount of Mana into his palm, holding it steady as he envisions exactly how far the beam needs to travel. The image of the dark beam streaking toward the boulder becomes clearer in his mind.

  Dominic’s breathing deepens, his concentration intensifying as he holds the Mana in his palm, controlling it carefully.

  His brows furrow as he focuses entirely on the target. With a strong exhale, he opens his eyes sharply and releases the spell.

  — FWOOOM!

  The concentrated dark beam surges forward, hurtling toward the distant boulder.

  Dominic grits his teeth, sweat forming on his brow as he fights to sustain the spell’s intensity. The muscles in his arm tense, strained by the effort of maintaining both the Mana and the distance.

  Beads of sweat trickle down his forehead and cheeks as he pushes himself harder, struggling to keep the beam stable and powerful.

  Yet, despite his efforts, the dark beam falters, dispersing into thin air just before reaching its intended target. The boulder remains untouched. The distance is still too far.

  Dominic lowers his hand, exhaling deeply, fatigue clear on his face.

  “It’s still too far…” he mutters softly, disappointment lacing his voice.

  Célestin, however, simply offers an encouraging smile. “Don’t be discouraged. You’ve already improved a lot. This is part of the process.”

  Dominic nods slowly, steeling himself for the next attempt. He raises his hand once more. He has to get it right. He has to push the spell further.

  He takes a deep breath, concentrating on the distant boulder. He can feel the flow of Mana within him.

  The orb of dark energy forms again, swirling ominously in his palm. He grits his teeth, carefully adjusting the flow—making sure not to overuse Mana, but also not to limit it too much.

  With a determined exhale, Dominic releases the spell.

  — FWOOOM!

  The dark beam surges forward, cutting through the air like a streak of black lightning. It travels toward the boulder, but just before reaching its mark, it dissipates, fading into the air before impact.

  Dominic exhales sharply, wiping the sweat off his brow. “Man, it’s still not enough…” he mutters in frustration.

  Célestin, who has been watching closely, strokes his chin, his eyes still locked on the boulder. “Actually, that one was closer.”

  Dominic turns to him, brow furrowed. “Eh? How much?”

  Célestin’s expression remains neutral. “About 0.1 millimeters closer than your last attempt.”

  Dominic stares at him, deadpan. “You’re joking, right?”

  Célestin turns to him, face completely serious. “No. I’m not.”

  Dominic lets out a sigh, rubbing his temples. “How the hell can you even tell something like that?”

  Célestin’s lips curve into a smirk. “I sensed how far your Mana traveled. Even though I only have [C+] Rank Mana now, I can still sense Mana much better than you. Even with all your high reserves.” He shrugs smugly. “I guess talent does make a difference.”

  Dominic rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I get it,” he grumbles.

  As they banter, Clark watches the exchange in silence, his gaze shifting between Dominic’s outstretched hand and the distant boulder. His small fingers clench into fists.

  “I wish I had magic…” Clark mutters, looking down at his hands. His voice is barely above a whisper. “I don’t know how to get magical powers… but I want them. I want to help Mama and Papa.”

  His grip tightens. If he ever returns to Earth, maybe—just maybe—he could use magic to help his real parents.

  He does not just want magic. He needs it.

  -Clap! Clap!

  His thoughts are abruptly cut off by Célestin’s loud clap.

  “Alright, Dominic, do it again!” Célestin declares, his eyes gleaming with mischief. “And this time, I better see a damn mark on that boulder!”

  Dominic grins despite the exhaustion. Sweat clings to his skin, but the thrill of improving keeps him going.

  He raises his hand again and steps forward slightly. “Alright, let’s do this.”

  ════ ?★? ════

  One Hour Later…

  —FWOOOM!

  A dark beam shoots from Dominic’s hand, streaking toward the boulder. But just like before, the energy flickers and dissipates just before impact.

  Dominic clenches his jaw, panting as beads of sweat trickle down his forehead.

  “Hey,” Célestin says, arms crossed as he assesses the results. “You’re getting closer. That one was two feet away from hitting the boulder. That’s an improvement.”

  Dominic lets out a sigh between ragged breaths. “Yeah... but it’s still not enough.”

  He wipes the sweat from his brow and adjusts his stance, preparing to try again.

  The repeated dark beam attempts have already left charred streaks across the dirt, but thankfully, the flower fields surrounding them remain untouched. The last thing he wants is to destroy the hard work of local farmers.

  However, before he can channel Mana into his hand once more, a system notification suddenly appears in front of him.

  Dominic frowns. ‘Wait… I already used that much Mana?’ he thinks.

  He strokes his chin, doing some mental calculations. He has been casting the same spell repeatedly at the same Mana output for the last hour and a half. Given his lack of precise control, his efficiency remains poor, meaning he is burning through his reserves faster than necessary.

  No wonder he feels lightheaded.

  He exhales sharply, wiping his forehead as the exhaustion catches up to him.

  “Big brother,” Clark’s voice suddenly pipes up. He has been quietly watching from the sidelines. “I think you should rest.”

  Clark does not understand much about magic—aside from it being really cool—but he can tell how tired Dominic is. His face is pale, and his breathing is uneven.

  Dominic looks at Clark’s worried expression and offers a tired but reassuring grin. “Yeah, I think you’re right…”

  —GROWL!

  A deep, grumbling noise echoes across the open field.

  Dominic freezes.

  Clark’s eyes widen in alarm.

  Dominic slowly places a hand over his stomach.

  “…That wasn’t a monster, right?” Clark asks, blinking.

  Dominic sighs, running a hand down his face. “No, Clark. That was my stomach.”

  —GROWL!

  This time, the sound comes from Clark.

  The two lock eyes for a moment, tthen burst into laughter.

  “You guys are hopeless,” Célestin chuckles, shaking his head. “Lucky for you, it’s lunchtime.”

  Dominic and Clark turn toward him, their mouths watering at the sight before them.

  Célestin stands proudly, holding a large wicker basket overflowing with fresh croissants, buttered pastries, meat pies, and baguettes still warm from the oven. A faint aroma of seasoned grilled chicken and cheese-stuffed bread fills the air, making their stomachs growl even louder.

  Dominic narrows his eyes. “Wait… when did you get that? You were right next to me this whole time.”

  Célestin smirks, tossing a croissant into his mouth with ease. “You really didn’t notice? Tsk, tsk. I guess you still need more training in detecting Mana.”

  Dominic sighs. “Well, I did feel a faint pulse of Mana earlier… but I was too focused on my spell to question it.”

  Célestin wags his finger at him. “Big mistake, Clark. What if it wasn’t me? What if it was an enemy sneaking up on you?”

  Dominic scratches the back of his head. “Yeah… okay. You have a point.”

  “Of course I do,” Célestin replies smugly. “Anyway, I used one of my spells and ran to town to buy these from the best bakery in your city. Being born with ‘Time’ Magic does have its perks.”

  “WOAH! Célestin, that’s so cool!” Clark exclaims, his eyes practically sparkling.

  Célestin winks. “I know, right?” He then plops down onto the grass and motions for the others to join him. “Alright, let’s eat!”

  The three of them settle onto the grass, enjoying the warmth of the afternoon sun as they tear into the food.

  Clark takes a big bite of a cheese-stuffed baguette, his eyes lighting up. “This is delicious!”

  Dominic, halfway through a croissant, nods in agreement. “Yeah… I needed this.”

  Célestin smirks, popping a piece of buttery pastry into his mouth. “Told you.”

  As Dominic reaches for another croissant, Célestin suddenly tosses something at him.

  —THUNK!

  Dominic catches two red guns with golden accents in mid-air and blinks. “Wait—these are my guns.”

  Célestin grins. “Yep! Galahad’s Judgment.”

  Dominic’s grip tightens around the pistols. “Did you… also use one of your spells to grab these from my bedroom after buying the food?”

  “Bingo~” Célestin chimes smugly.

  Dominic sighs, rubbing his temple. “You’re just showing off at this point…”

  “Well, yeah,” Célestin chuckles. “But more importantly, you can channel your magic into your weapons.”

  Dominic perks up, inspecting the guns.

  Magicians and Manaficials can channel spells into weapons that contain Aether.

  Aether is a mana-rich stone used to power magi-tech devices and enhance weapons. It stores pure Mana but has no magic attribute of its own.

  In its raw state, Aether-based weapons, like Galahad’s Judgment, can only fire concentrated mana bullets, similar to steel projectiles but composed entirely of energy.

  However, a Magician or Manaficial can infuse their Magic Attribute into the Aether, altering its nature. This is how most beginners learn to stabilize and refine their magic.

  Dominic nods in understanding, gripping the pistols firmly. “That makes sense… so I should be able to fire my Dark Beam through them?”

  Célestin smirks. “Exactly. It’ll help you refine your control while still dealing damage.”

  Dominic exhales deeply, leaning back into the grass. “Alright… but I need to rest first. I’m completely drained.”

  Célestin smirks. “Go ahead. The next part of your training is gonna be a lot more fun.”

  Dominic rolls his eyes, but he cannot help but grin. He takes another bite of his croissant.

  Even if he is tired, he is making progress.