“Master.”
“You’re on time today. Haha.”
The one entering the Training Chamber was Master. Master looked directly at me without even glancing at the Aura Training Method I was currently organizing.
‘It would be natural for him to feel greedy…’
They say Aura and mana are different, but their root is mana. It is known as the Dragon’s Legacy. It would be tempting to covet it, but Master didn’t spare it a single glance.
His body had grown thin since I last saw him, but his eyes were still piercing.
“It’s about time. Real training starts today, doesn’t it?”
“Real training. I suppose so. But first, let’s examine your current realm. Try to manifest every bit of magic you can.”
*Woooooong* — Master’s mana enveloped the entire Training Chamber. A sturdy barrier, one that wouldn’t break even under a significant explosion, was created.
It was a sign for me to go wild as much as I wanted. I accepted his intention without hesitation.
“Let’s start with something easy first.”
“Good! Give it a try.”
He was refreshing.
I calculated the formulas while raising my mana. I calculated and visualized the multi-layered formulas in my head. My own method and formulas unfolded.
“Multi-Armor. Overlap.”
*Cr-cr-crack.*
Layers upon layers of armor appeared, wrapping around the iron scarecrow. The completed form. It was more sophisticated and thicker compared to the first one I had made.
“Oh…”
A natural exclamation escaped him. It was a deep exclamation that could only come from Master, who had read the formula in an instant.
But this wasn’t the end. I wasn’t the type to be satisfied with just Multi-Armor.
‘Offensive magic is the highlight of magic.’
*Go-ooooo* — The four mana circles spun rapidly. Mana flowed and synchronized, amplifying power in an instant. At that moment, I performed the calculations in a flash.
With two mana circles.
“FIRE ARROW!”
*Fwooooosh* — I created magic arrows imbued with rotation. Eight arrows of burning mana were formed.
“MIRROR IMAGE.”
I overlaid the images. I layered magic onto magic.
The 2nd Class magic, Mirror Image. A basic illusion spell that creates desired phantoms. I applied it, and it was a success.
In an instant, the number swelled to sixty-four. Reality and illusions mixed together. Since the mana was scattered, it was impossible to tell which was real.
Layering magic onto magic was even more difficult than planting illusions on ordinary matter.
“Such an application! Amazing!”
Leaving Master’s praise behind, I attempted another incantation.
“PYROTECHNICS!”
“You’re going further than that?!”
I didn’t have the luxury to answer.
It was a spell that could turn fire into a flash of light or enhance its explosive power. Ordinary mages only used it to strengthen the power of fire-attribute magic. However…
‘In the end, what’s important about this spell is that it allows me to control the fire attribute.’
I focused on the control this magic offered.
I circulated my inner energy to cool my aching head from controlling three spells simultaneously. At the same time, I performed even more complex calculations.
*Wooo— Wooo—*
I bestowed attributes to the sixty-four floating arrows of fire.
‘Explode, burst, shine, and multiply.’
My control over mana reached its peak. The moment the attributes were imbued, the fire arrows each became different types. They were no longer the same flames. They had transformed.
Within the combination, they became distinct spells.
‘And there are hidden illusions too.’
Rather than one powerful spell, this was my own magic—a secret technique created through the ultimate combination!
“…PYRONIC EFFECT.”
“Heh…”
*Woooooong* — A 4th Class spell newly created through coordination and harmony.
I raised both hands to tune the magic. Then, I reached out toward the iron scarecrow wearing the Multi-Armor.
*Sshhhhk—*
They cut through the air. Fast, yet slow. The barrage of arrows completely enveloped the scarecrow.
*Kaaaa-boom! Boom!*
*Cr-cr-cr-crack—*
The Multi-Armor ground against the impact as it held on.
The attributes mixed into each flame were different. This was magic I had meticulously tuned. Each different type of arrow boasted its own attribute.
There were arrows that exploded upon contact and arrows that burst the moment they touched. There were arrows that exploded before even reaching the target, triggering a flash of light to blind the eyes. They became spreading arrows that pierced through the now-darkened vision.
If it were a person instead of a scarecrow, they would have had to distinguish between the real and the fake. They would have had to respond to the hidden illusions and truths while enduring arrows with various attributes.
It wasn’t just one change, but many. Responding to that was…
‘Almost impossible.’
Only someone performing a miracle could manage it.
To block the Pyronic Effect, the best course of action was to either crush the magic with overwhelming power or avoid it altogether.
Watch.
*Cr-crack! Crash!*
The overlapping Multi-Armor was ground down and shattered.
The fires spread with different attributes. Two arrows collided, their attributes mixing. *Kaaa-boom!* The explosion after it surged was so massive it was hard to believe it came from arrows.
The iron scarecrow, which had been struggling to hold on, began to warp. It turned into red-hot molten iron, and pieces fell off with a thud.
“Hup… PROTECT FROM FIRE! BARRIER!”
Master, who was standing nearby, had to use magic to protect himself because of the sheer power!
*Kaaaa-boom!*
The magic burned and melted everything, and only after one final explosion did it burn itself out and disappear.
*Sssss—* Even after that, the remaining flames were enough to cover one side of the training grounds.
“Haha… Hahaha… What on earth… Heh. To think you’d apply it like this.”
Master stood there dazed, unable to say anything as he stared at the remains. After standing blankly for a long time, Master finally snapped out of it.
“Ho. Hmm…”
A cat cannot pass by a fish. Master was the same. He spent a long time reading the flow of mana before him, interpreting it, and letting time slip by.
Even after several minutes had passed, he looked at me with dazed eyes.
“Haha… You are amazing. Simply amazing.”
“You flatter me.”
“No, I am not. Applications like this… I can say with certainty that no one but you could do this.”
Master had achieved his current realm amidst war. As a War Mage, Master’s experience was top-tier. Such were the words of such a man.
He praised my application of mana. I felt a sense of pride swelling in my chest. Master looked at me with pride, then he frowned slightly.
“But it’s difficult. Truly difficult.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that teaching you is difficult. Do you know why magic, as a field of study, depends so much on talent?”
“Because it’s profound and difficult to understand, I suppose.”
“Exactly. That’s it. Magic is reading the secrets of the world. That’s why it’s hard.”
Mages are those who seek the secrets of the world. Magic is merely a miracle that occurs during that exploration. In reality, they pursue an understanding of the world and ultimately wish to become higher beings.
“As you learn magic, you truly feel that the stories of legendary 9th Class mages being gods aren’t lies.”
“Because it is deep.”
“Yes. That’s the problem.”
Magic is deep. It is so deep that it is said one masters the principles of the world through understanding alone. That is why talent is prioritized.
“Talent for mana is important. But that can be forced.”
“I’ve heard it’s possible if you pour in mana stones.”
“Yes. Even so, this has to keep up. This.”
Master pointed to his head.
Yes. What mattered was the brain. The human brain. Compared to a dragon’s, the human brain was nothing but crude.
“Magic is containing the world within this small thing. It’s inevitably hard to teach. So, we have no choice but to rely on talent.”
“Because if you teach one thing, they have to understand at least ten for the transmission to even work?”
“That’s right. But actually…”
Master paused for a moment. Then, as if he had made up his mind, he spoke again.
“Masters demand talent because they lack the ability to teach. Because conveying this is just too difficult. Haha…”
It made sense. Master was confessing his own limitations—that teaching magic was an incredibly arduous task.
“Even so, you are a good master to me.”
“Yes. Up until now, maybe. I thought I could teach you up to 3rd Class. Everything up to that point is basically the basics. The problem is what comes next.”
He let out a long sigh.
“Unlike everything up to 3rd Class, 4th Class and above is a realm of enlightenment.”
“I am aware.”
“It’s a difficult thing to meddle with recklessly.”
It was likely because, from 4th Class onward—where one could be said to have finished the basics—it was a path of forging one’s own way.
As one’s Class rises, the enlightenment each person possesses differs. The paths they take diverge. It is a situation where one must pioneer and move along their own path. In such a situation, if a wrong enlightenment is conveyed, they will lose their way and wander. That could last years, or they could never find their path and remain a mage stuck in the same realm for a lifetime.
In other words, the higher the realm, the harder it is to lead someone to an even higher one.
‘It’s similar to martial arts.’
It was the same principle as an Absolute Master finding it difficult to teach a Peak Master.
A master of the Hwagyeong realm could teach a Peak Master, but it was hard to say the teaching would be a perfect fit. There were many cases where wrong teaching led to the ruin of one’s martial arts. Even if one tried hard to convey their enlightenment, it was difficult.
Because it is so complex to transmit properly, martial arts manuals become difficult. Creating martial arts out of the enlightenment etched into one’s mind is akin to transmitting the mind itself.
That is why even in learning martial arts, one needs a good teacher to show the way. And even if one surpasses their teacher’s realm, they often need someone to act as a guide. If there is neither…
‘One must realize it through actual combat.’
The reason for seeking enlightenment even through wall-facing meditation lay in the complexity of the realm.
“Hmm… This is a problem. Haha. I’ve barely taught you anything, and yet you’ve already moved so far ahead…”
Master was 5th Class. He was only one Class away from me. Even if it was a difference of only one Class, the power was incomparably greater. Even if we used the same magic, the power would differ several times over.
‘It would be different if I used my inner energy, though…’
The application of mana was also bound to be different. No matter how quickly I reached 4th Class, my level was clearly lower compared to a 5th Class. Nevertheless, Master said there wasn’t much left to teach. Even as a 5th Class mage, he was feeling that much difficulty.
“Haha. If my Class were higher, it might be different… This has become quite a ridiculous situation. I thought it would take a lifetime to teach you everything…”
For a master who had moved smoothly without obstacles, he had been handed an infinitely complex problem.
“Hmm…”
“Then how about this?”
I spoke up for Master, who was letting out deep sighs.
“It is true that your path and mine are different. That is an unchangeable fact.”
“Yes. That is the problem.”
“But in the end, don’t all paths lead to the same destination?”
‘All paths lead to the same destination.’
Whether one starts with a sword, a spear, or a saber—with various weapons and martial arts—the end eventually becomes the same.
‘Then magic must be the same.’
To Master, who was both pleased with me and discouraged, I made a suggestion.