The weekend went by in the blink of an eye. Classes started up and Michael was forced to stop his enchanting practice in favor of homework assignments. He did notice, however, that he was growing increasingly less mana-exhausted after Intermediate Water magic class. It was exactly as Master Delta said: the more he used his mana, the larger his mana pool grew.
That is not to say this week's classes were easier. In fact, Master Delta increased his workload when he mentioned it to him. By this point, each of his classes had taught him an offensive cantrip, a defensive one, and at least one utility spell. Several of the utility spells achieved the same effect since not every mage could use every type of magic. What that meant for Michael was that he got a more in-depth look at how each magic worked.
He could start a fire by condensing light. He could start a fire by raising its temperature until it burst into flames. He could start a fire by creating friction with two sticks and messing with the air flow between them. Each new method gave him more insight into the way different magics interact and it helped his comprehension of magic to grow by leaps and bounds.
Already, he was at least a month ahead of many of his classmates who were limited to one or two elements. And that was after only two weeks! As a result of his increased mana expenditure, his mana and control also grew significantly faster than the rest of the first-years. In effect, each week of Michael's schooling was the equivalent of 2-3 weeks of another student's, and that didn't even consider how many spells he was learning.
Sure, it was intense, but Michael loved every minute of it. This week, he was instructed to join Master Robin for after-school sessions. It seemed his master had noticed his absence at conditioning and sought to rectify it. They began 5 minutes after the last class and ended three hours later for dinner.
The first day, Michael wasn't allowed to duel Master Robin at all. Instead, he was told to hold his stance for the full three hours. It was painful work but nothing he hadn't done before. He finished that lesson sore, but no more so than an ordinary lesson with Master Robin.
The next day, Michael fought Master Robin with a wooden sword. He got beat regularly and went to dinner exhausted and covered in bruises. Some of his friends asked what happened and he merely replied that he had swordsmanship training in the afternoons now.
On the third day, a passing student happened to notice their practice. He was surprised to see anyone dueling with Master Robin, as none had yet done so, and watched Michael and his master practice for the remaining hour.
On the fourth day, a small crowd had come to watch. Michael noticed them, but thought little of it. His entire focus was dedicated to following and countering Master Robin's movements. He was still beat soundly, but he could tell his Master used more of his strength than he used to. He took it as recognition of his growth in ability and strength. After all, he was growing by the day and pulling the cart for weeks on end had helped him bulk up.
On the fifth day, the small crowd had filled the entire stadium surrounding their dueling ring. Some had taken to making bets on whether he'd get any hits in and, if so, how many. Others simply clapped or cheered when he managed to defend against his master's onslaught. He recognized his own talent with the blade, but it was still shocking to see how many students — upperclassmen included — had shown up to watch him practice.
After practice, Master Robin had to shoo away Michael's many admirers so that he could go to dinner in peace. Surprisingly, only Jeremy, Mason and Myles had witnessed his "match" with Master Robin, but they were quick to share their version of events with the rest of the gifted floor.
In their version, Michael moved faster than the eye could follow, never giving up an inch to the terrifying Master Robin. Of course, everyone could see that that was an exaggeration. The bruises that littered Michael's body were proof enough of that. Still, his friends all agreed they'd come support him in his next lesson on Monday. None of them had yet been able to spar with Master Robin, instead being relegated to drills or lesser instructors, and as such they were all eager to see the master swordsman's skills on display.
Gradually, the conversation changed to their various classes, instructors and hopes for the rest of the year. Michael tuned out the conversation, taking part only when directly asked a question. Instead, his focus was dedicated to clearing the challenge set by Headmaster Deersgrove.
He and Orthus had had no time to practice the entire week. Between his sparring practice with Master Robin, his full class schedule, and the subsequent homework, Michael had found himself busy from dawn to dusk. Now, however, he had a chance to hone his skills.
They began that night, with Michael using the remains of his mana and Orthus using most of the mana he had saved up over the course of the week. Michael began with permanent enchantments for each of the basic spells. Levitate was first, and the easiest one to complete. Next was the water spell, Frictionless. That was followed by Guiding Light and Earthen Wall, before he finished with Conjure Flames and Darksight.
Orthus continued to work on a permanent Levitate enchantment while he did so. He had gotten close, but had yet to succeed. When Michael had finished his enchantments, they both went to bed, planning to get an early start the next day. His head was full of thoughts about potential enchantments, ways to modify the ones he'd made and when Master Robin would teach him to enchant the needles.
Still, one last thought played through his mind before he fell asleep. "I'm glad I found such great friends."