Lucas stared daggers at Asta, but he didn't budge in the slightest.
"Prove yourself? To who? I thought you weren't religious?"
"Don't try to change the subject, I'm talking about you."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"You're smart, but have terrible acting skills. Plus, you really didn't work hard on your background. An unknown noble family that never produced anything special suddenly gets a genius mage? At least try to make something believable."
"You're one to talk, a scout from a destroyed mansion is actually the strongest student in the academy while originally having no magical powers at all. Doesn't seem very feasible to me."
"I simply kept them hidden while working there. You're the one that approached me with good intentions... We're both genuine mages, such a thing is ridiculous. There is absolutely no reason to try to get on good terms with me unless you wanted to check something. Being friends with me because I'm smart is just ridiculous."
"Close, but entirely there yet. Although I do like having smart friends, since I can be candid with them. I just wanted to see if you got what it takes to win the competition."
"What? Not aiming for the first place yourself?"
"Who do you think you're up against? A Rank 2 mage from some random prestigious family isn't going to be an easy target. Especially the aftermath."
"I see, the moment I kill them, they will be notified, and I'll become a target."
"Basically, so I'd rather not get all the attention."
"But why me? I'm not the strongest in the academy, there are still a few nobles who are above me."
"Wow, so openly revealing your weaknesses?"
"I'm honest at least."
"Hahaha, sure, I'm also very honest! Anyway, I didn't need the strongest or smartest, I needed the one with the highest survival rate. What good is a noble who is too stupid to think for themselves. What's the point in having a canon that can't fire when told."
"You think of me as a tool?"
"What? No, no, no.... Well, let's just say that I see you as you see me."
Lucas smirked, he was glad to have someone to talk to. Someone who understood him and could think ahead.
"So what's the plan, I assume you want second place like in the tournament? To get good rewards but not attract all the attention."
"Of course, that's why I went with a noble, it's normal if they win. Fighting as a commoner, how foolish of a decision is that?"
"Well, I have my reasons."
"Oh, planning a revolution?"
It was an offhand remark, but both Lucas and Asta didn't know how much that would matter later on.
"And put myself in such a dire situation? No, thank you, I'd rather be an advisor then."
"Hahaha, and you say that becoming friends with someone smart was a ridiculous notion."
"Well, if we both understand each other, let's come up with a strategy. Tell me Asta, depending on the content of the competition, how willing are you to lead a group?"
Lucas and Asta talked and talked. They normally never talked so much, it started to hurt their throats. Having someone they could hold a somewhat honest conversation with was quite rare. The two of them often critiqued each other's ideas or plans, but that only made them closer.
This little side trip costed them both a lot of time, Lucas was hoping that Elam would give him something to compensate his work, and if he didn't, he would manipulate him as much as he could to get anything special.
He did get a scroll containing a bunch of spells related to stealth, but what he needed was firepower, not stealth. Next to that was the necklace that gave him protection twice on a daily basis without consuming a lot of energy, but after testing it out with Brutus, it was pretty bad. Perhaps it was strong enough to block a Rank 1 attack, but the moment it crossed that gap it was mostly useless.
Lucas knew that a reward in a school competition for Rank 1's that could block a Rank 2's attack was pretty much impossible, still he had dreams. He was glad that it was at least strong enough to handle another Rank 1, it would definitely be useful.
Besides that he knew how to improve his core, but hasn't had the time to really focus on it.
The guest teacher had taught him that in order to move on to the next Rank he needed to gather energy like when he tried to reach Rank 1, but this time with an element mixed into it. His core was covered in runes, but there were still plenty of empty spaces.
Gathering mana now would result in nothing, but if he only gathered a specific element he could gain the next set of runes. Thing is, elemental energy was everywhere, but not in massive quantities needed for the improvement of his core. Lucas didn't have any kind of technique where he could gather only the energy he wanted.
Which elements he was meant to gather was obvious, the ones from your core, but you could gather others if you wanted, it just wasn't a great idea. So Lucas followed the instructions and tried to gather the Light energy in the surroundings during his journey to and from the camp, yet he didn't create a single rune, in fact, nothing happened, he just recharged his core.
Progress was painstakingly slow and annoying, but Lucas knew there had to be a shortcut somewhere. If he absorbed the energy from Brutus, he might've gained a few runes, but he wasn't in a situation where that was possible.
"Asta, do you know how to reach the next Rank?"
Sharing information about plans and strategy for the competition was fair, but what Lucas was asking for crossed the boundaries. Spells, arrays, meditation techniques, all are fine to openly share, at a price of course. But the keys to reaching Ranks are meant to be hidden away, they are the cornerstones of many large noble families and countries even.
"Why do you ask?"
"I know how to reach it, but I'm not making any progress."
"Are you just saying that to pry me loose?"
"If I tell you what I know, I might give you more than what I'll get in return. I have no way of knowing if you speak the truth."
"But if you stay silent we'll get nowhere. You're the asking side, there's no reason for me to give in."
"Fine, do you have an array that could speed up the process?"
"Perhaps.", Asta's smile was as devilish as it was ruthless. Lucas needed but a glance to see through Asta's intentions.
"Half of the scroll for the array."
"I don't need elemental spells, especially stealthy ones."
"Half of my share from the camp.", Lucas gained quite a few crystals from the camp, they were his only bargaining chip.
"Hmm, I'm not that interested in money.", Asta tried to feign disinterest, but Lucas could see right through his disguise, acting really wasn't his strong suit.
"Oh please, don't try to undermine the importance of the crystals, I know what you're trying to do, don't overstep your boundaries."
"Hahaha, fine, half for the array, do you need the instructions as well?"
"And give up my other half, you greedy wolf."
"Other half? No, no, no, I wouldn't ask for that much.", Lucas had the most judging stare he could muster. And after a bunch of haggling they came to an agreement, 60% of the share for the array and the instructions.
Lucas convinced Asta that he would figure it out anyway, so the instructions weren't worth that much. Asta believed in the genius of Lucas, luckily being oblivious to the fact that Lucas really wasn't that good when it came to arrays.
The first day back was almost over, the horses were starting to get exhausted. Camping for the night Asta created an array for protection and went to sleep. Lucas moved away and started to draw the array he recently got.
Imbuing his fingers with magic he traced the lines on the ground, it took some time but after drawing the correct runes to gather pure Light Energy, he sat down and used the meditative stance he learned from the guest teacher.
Energy was entering his body at a great rate.
'Wow, Asta's array is excellent.'
'Meh, not half-our-share-good.'
'Did you want to waste the time to create it yourself?'
'... It's pretty good, huh?'
'I know.'
Energy was being gathered as the array functioned as a small vortex, sucking all the energy from the area before filtering it to Lucas's needs. Having the right energy, he just needed to absorb it, which the meditation technique did perfectly.
Any normal energy gathering array didn't have such a useful filtering feature, but were also just a lot worse.
Asta had a genuine talent in arrays, improving the older ones and inventing new ones that surpass any requirement. Time passed slowly, and the energy that Lucas gained seemed to slow down.
'We should end it here.'
'Hmm, looks like around 1% was done.'
Lucas didn't realize how fast his improvements were, gaining a single percent in only a night was incredible. There were faster ways, but still, he was going at such a fast rate that would put many geniuses to shame.
'So that means 100 nights of continuous meditation.'
'Only if the requirements for each rune doesn't exponentially increase. It could take 1000 nights for all we know.'
'Let's think positive, a 100 or more nights.'
'...are you kidding me?'
The days passed while travelling and Lucas made sure to spend every moment of rest on gathering as much energy as he could. If he didn't have time to put down the array, he studied Eleven's scroll.
Asta knew that Lucas was eager to grow in strength, but he hadn't slept for quite some time. Mages didn't necessarily need sleep, but it was great to reset the mind a bit. He was impressed by his determination and willpower, making him think of improving himself as well.
They arrived back at the academy not long after, the horses looked extremely exhausted and tired, almost falling down on the spot.
"I'll bring them to an inn, you go and prepare whatever you need. We don't have much time, and oh! While I'm at it, don't use my array in front of others."
"Trying to keep me safe or do you not want me to share business secrets?"
"They aren't mutually exclusive. If you get attacked while using the array you're practically done, and why would I give away my precious arrays to anyone?"
"Unless they pay, I guess."
Both grinned at each other before parting ways. The national competition was about to start and Lucas needed to be on time.
Running up the mountain the constant snowstorm didn't pose a threat to him anymore. Lucas easily got through it because his body automatically spreading around warmth from his core. Entering the cabin he found the usual two suspects.
Elam was laying on the couch, but his eyes looked tired, as if he didn't sleep for some time, while the guest teacher was standing straight like he was expecting Lucas to come.
"Welcome back, Elam missed you."
"I didn't miss him, I was having nightmares, so I couldn't sleep, that's all."
"Okay, well, I did it what you asked of me, and have returned only to now see that I have to leave again for that competition. I barely have any time left to prepare for it.", Lucas looked downtrodden and a bit scared of what was to come.
Elam looked at Lucas, not just with his mind, but with his actual eyes. The black eyes weren't a surprise for Lucas anymore, but it did still feel weird to be looked at like that.
"You did grow a bit, but not nearly enough to uphold your bargain of our deal. If you haven't forgotten of course."
"Of course I haven't forgotten, how could I? Asking a beginning student to win both competitions, how outrageous."
"But you succeeded, didn't you?"
"Only because I had to trick others, you said that you would make me more powerful than any other Rank 1 and said that consuming a core was great to boost my power. Now both aren't true."
The guest teacher stepped up. "Consuming a core will give you a massive amount of energy and boost your growth, but relying on it would only limit your full potential. Consider it a temporary boost in power."
Elam continued. "And what I gave you was exactly what I said, you're number 1 in the school, so aren't you the strongest?"
If stares could kill, Elam would be disintegrated. He knew how Lucas was looking at him and did give in a bit. "Yes, I know you're not the strongest yet, but what you went through could've resulted in anything. It was impossible to predict the outcome, plus, haven't you already used your special body for a bunch of things? You just haven't utilized its full potential."
"Yeah, sure, you want me to go and fight a Rank 2 right now? Think I'll win?"
"Well..."
"Elam, please, I can't go and compete when I can't even fight against a fully grown Rank 1."
Everyone in the room knew that Lucas was lying, but he didn't know that Elam and the guest teacher were aware of his power if he let loose. He could kill an artificial Rank 2, making him more powerful than most fully grown Rank 1 mages.
That is, of course, if he was willing to give up his mind and have an unlimited amount of magic at his disposal. Lucas was strong only in the right conditions. If he didn't have Asta's arrays that gathered mana, he would've died back then.
Elam stayed still, but his willpower was scanning the guest teacher. An extremely slight nod that only Elam could perceive told him enough.
"Then what do you expect from me?", Elam laid his head back and asked Lucas; "I'll only give you one thing."
The guest teacher stood aside and watched as Lucas was figuring out his options.
'Oh Lucas, you're a genius when it comes to theory and practice. A true heir to the Great One, you're one of the few that show this much potential. I can only hope your heart is strong enough for the future.'
Lucas finished his internal debate and looked at Elam. "Can you give me a map where the competition will take place?"
The guest teacher stepped forward. "A map won't be needed. Elam is too tired to think, I'll give you two options. You can choose between an antidote or information."
'Giving him this option is stepping out of my bounds, the Lord won't be pleased with my interference. Still, this is the least I can do for Elam. If he knows his child won't be killed, he'll at least be capable of departing in peace.'
The guest teacher knew what was about to come and felt a hint of sadness at the bottom of his heart. It was enough to make him to bend the rules to his whim.
"Then I'll take the antidote, against what will I be protected?"
"I can't tell you that, but I'm sure you'll figure it out once the competition starts.", the guest teacher handed Lucas two vials with a greenish liquid in them. "Drink them once you think it's necessary."
Lucas was glad he at least got something from before leaving. But then, he suddenly froze for a second when he saw Elam get out of his couch. Removing his blanket he stood tall in the center of the room.
He approached Lucas before embracing him without saying anything. Lucas embraced him back after a while. Elam let him go and lightly pushed him out the door.
"Be brave Lucas, be brave and be determined. Let your heart guide you.", and the door was shut closed. It was magically locked making Lucas stand in the snowstorm outside, incapable of going inside again.
"Are you certain this is the way you wanted it, Elam?"
A sad but confident smile appeared on his face. "I have full belief in my student."
"Know that you have played a massive part in his growth and will continue to do so in the future. Your mere presence has changed this universe's fate. Your contributions and sacrifices will never be forgotten. Centuries from now, your legend will be passed down and forever remembered. This universe will be saved because of you."
"Stop the praising talk, you say that to everyone. Just do what you all promised me."
"Of course, every wish you have left will be fulfilled, simply say the word. Our promise isn't something that can be broken, it's our life's work to heal this universe. We will accomplish it."
"Then I'll go back to sleep, wake me up when it's time."
"Grave men who see with blinding sight. Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be full of joy.
Do not go gentle into that good night, Elam. Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
When Elam was back into his couch the contact was already gone. He couldn't get comfortable, but decided to sleep now that he had the time.