Regard glanced back with a raised brow. "Why are you screaming?"
Max trembled as he pointed at the frog in the middle of the magic circle. "You are telling me that all this… was just to summon that?"
Regard asked back. "Is there a problem?"
"Problem?... Is there a problem?... Of course, there is a big problem. How the hell do you make the forest sway in response to your summons and it ends up being a tiny frog that comes out!... I was expecting a dragon or something, what is this?"
Regard was about to speak when a different voice was heard. "Ayo Reggie, is that child looking down on me?"
Max froze. Slowly, he turned his attention to the frog. Did it just talk?... No, he must be imagining things.
"And you, stop looking at me like that, or I'm going to beat you silly." The frog telepathically said.
Max's eyes went wide. "…It just talked!!!"
"Okay, that's enough, we gotta go." Regard remarked as he got up and pulled Max down from the boulder.
"Are you going with this rude child?" The frog asked.
Regard sighed. "Don't bother with him, he is a sweet one when you get to know him."
Meanwhile, at the side, Max stayed silent, still trying to come to terms with the fact that his Mentor's summon was a frog.
"Hah, fine, only because it's you, Reggie." The frog suddenly opened its mouth and wrapped around Regard.
"Hold on tight." Regard said.
"Huh." Before Max could reply, he felt a pulling force that dragged him away.
The frog swallowed them both before letting out a slight burp. "Always takes the kick out of me."
Taking a look around, it clasped its front legs together and disappeared from the human realm.
***
"Ah!!!" Max screamed his lungs out as he found himself going through a colorful tunnel at an incredible speed.
"Don't scream so much, you'd get used to it." Regard said.
Not bothering to respond, he kept on yelling. The interdimensional travel continued for a few breaths before they finally saw a light.
As they approached it, there was a flash and then… darkness.
Max opened his eyes when he realized that they had stopped moving. Noticing that he was lying down on the grass, he got to his feet while asking. "Did we make it?"
Regard curtly answered from beside him. "Why don't you take a look."
Max did as he was told. He was immediately stunned by what he saw.
Giant lotus and clover leaves that could compare with the tallest trees on Midgard. A sun that bathed the land in a myriad of colors with golden clouds. Waterfalls… no, the liquid was colored a deep golden brown color.
The grass was green and the land seemed to be without end with cliffs that looked to be made of some strange material and landforms that looked a lot like spikes.
Looking up, Max could just about make out several moons above the sky.
"This… is amazing." Max slowly muttered, completely taken in by the beauty of the world. "Where are we?"
"The land of the frogs, Golden Clover." Regard remarked with a sense of reverence.
Max was about to say something when he paused. He realized that two strange-looking frogs were standing before him.
One looked a lot like a grandma, the other like a grandpa. Both standing on their hind legs with their skin color, a dark green.
The one that looked like a grandma was even stranger looking, as she had a wig on and what looked to be… makeup?
Max forgot whatever he had on his mind. The two frogs seemed to be studying him before the old male frog spoke up.
"So this is your student, Reggie boy?"
"Mn, I brought him here to meet with the Great seer and also to form his first contract." Regard replied, bowing slightly in respect.
"But he doesn't have any magic… no, more like there is something that is constantly draining his magic." The old lady frog chipped in, her eyes still trained on Max.
Max furrowed his brows at her statement. "What do you mean by that?"
The old male frog scoffed. "He doesn't seem to have any respect."
Before Max could retort, he received a heavy knock from Regard. "Aiya…"
"Haha, sorry about that, he is just a bit dizzy from the interdimensional travel… isn't that right, Maximilian." Regard flashed a smile but Max could sense all forms of danger from it.
… Either act your age or prepare to know pain!…
Gulping down saliva, Max quickly turned subservient. "Sorry about that seniors."
"Hmmph, it's fine." The old frog lady replied before turning her attention to Regard. "You haven't been here in a while, so is there a reason you want to see the old geezer?"
"Just some stuff I'd like to talk with him on."
The two frogs exchanged looks before the old lady replied. "Fine then, come with me, I will take you to him."
Regard pointed at Max. "What about him?... I brought him here for the next part of his training."
The old man stroked his beards. "I can sense a natural inclination for nature energy from his body. You want to become a Sage, child?"
Max nodded. "Yeah, since I have no magic, I would like to become a Sage."
The old man put up a brow, as though hearing something strange. The old lady held a similar expression.
"Who told you, you have no magic?"
Max was visibly confused. "…Uhmm, it was discovered during my coming of age ceremony."
The two frogs exchanged looks once again before the old male frog shook his head. "I don't know who told you that but the fact that you don't have magic is completely false. In fact, your magic circuits are amongst the best we have ever seen."
Max was stunned. He had magic?... But the orb had clearly shown that he didn't… so what were these two old frogs on about?
Max stuttered. "You… are saying I have magic?... But how come I don't feel it?"
The old male frog shook his head. "We have no idea."
Max dropped to his knees. "Please help me. I need to know."
He saw a faint line of hope. If these two frogs could help him to acquire magic, then there would be no need to continue on his journey. He could return home and reunite with his mother.
The frogs this time turned their attention to Regard, the latter completely silent as he stood at the side. They could tell that this was one of the reasons he had brought Max here.
"You want us to connect with him?"
Regard glanced at Max before sending his voice across. "He doesn't deserve to suffer so much. I also want to know why he can't use magic despite having top-tier grade magic circuits."
The old frogs sighed. "Fine then, we are only doing this because it's you, Reggie boy."
Without further Ado, they leaped at the same time, landing on Max's shoulders.
Max turned to them, feeling expectant. "Are you going to help me?"
The old lady frog sighed. "Sure thing. Now close your eyes and meditate. We will be taking a trip into your subconscious."
Max did as instructed, moving into a lotus position before closing his eyes.
The old frogs turned to Regard one last time and as they sighed, placed their hands on Max's forehead.
At that moment… the world went dark.