The class continued with a demonstration of some good colleges in the region and ended with a show by the professor to entertain the students. Their show was intended to feature Academia do Sol. She was the most coveted grade 3 academy in the kingdom. It usually got hundreds of thousands of applicants every year, but only a few thousand were able to get into it. It was a long way from where Kayden lived, deep inside the capital.
Returning home, Kayden wondered which one of his friends would enter. Ryan seemed to only be able to apply for a rank 2 and maybe a high level, but already Heimer was at the impressive rank 6 of the apprentice level. The most surprising thing is that he was only 10 years old. With those 4 years to go, he could probably go further, maybe reach rank 7 or 8.
It looks like he grew a lot from level 1 to 6, but actually, the real difficulty was going up from level 6 onwards. Every 3rd level was a game-changer for magic practitioners. At the moment, I was deciding to go with the conventional mage style, as it was what I could most easily switch to other classes in the future.
Upon arriving home, he went to practice mana manipulation. Recently, Heimer has been helping him with this practice, but even so, the results have been very low. Kayden wanted to reach rank 2 soon. Only above level 1 could he truly do magic. He was at the peak of level 1, there was very little left for him to go up.
"I already told you that you should always mentalize your request to the mana, it has its own will and only when you put your own will in it can you get that 'residue'", Heimer was teaching Kayden in the clearing, while Kayden gave his life to train. He was reading a book comfortably.
At times, Heimer felt it was wrong to choose Kayden as a brother when considering the genius factor. But in all other respects, he had no regrets. And even if I could, I would make the same choice again. Kayden was, without a doubt, his best friend. He never minded that he was a genius and didn't even treat him differently for it.
"I'm trying, Heimer, but she doesn't listen to me. It's almost like she ignores me", Kayden couldn't even feel that "will" of mana that Heimer was talking about.
"Keep trying, let's try to circle it again. Make as many turns as possible with the same mana, try not to lose it."
They continued to practice for a while, but Kayden's progress was excruciatingly slow.
Six months later, Kayden was currently 5 years and a few months old. Within 6 months, his body gained more muscle and started to get a little frame. Kayden was satisfied. He knew that the process of gaining mass was time-consuming, even more so at his age.
What didn't make him happy were his other two goals. About his path, he had no idea yet, and his ability to manipulate mana was still bad. But today, he would finally break through to the second rank.
In the same clearing where it all began, Kayden was sitting in the lotus position. Heimer was with him, guiding him through the process. Kayden doubted he could do it alone. Heimer was maintaining a constant mana loop around Kayden.
At the moment, he was circulating mana through his core at an accelerated rate, trying to raise his rank. Heimer told him that when he got promoted, he would feel a small increase in all his stats and a slight euphoria.
After a few incessant minutes, Kayden felt his core begin to crack, but in a good way. He felt a slight burn and then his entire body had a small moment of bliss. It was like using very strong drugs, it was addictive.
For a moment, he lost track of space, it was as if he didn't even exist. After that ecstasy, Kayden fell to the dirt floor. He was haggard and deathly tired but with a sense of accomplishment. Finally, I could start to learn. It only took about 5 years. His classmates had already managed to reach the second rank in the first month of back to school.
It was a small step forward, but a big moment for Kayden.
"Are you going to sit there forever? Let's go to the municipal library", Heimer had agreed to show Kayden the city library as soon as he reached rank 2, in order not to fill the library, the city maintained a rank restriction to be accessed.
Not just rank but status. Those who had already left school had to pay to use the services present there, while for students it was completely free. Kayden stood up and mentally composed himself.
"Come on, I'm excited to learn everything," he said cheerfully.
"First you're going to take a shower, that's all," Heimer complained. It was normal, in advance, for the body to expel certain components of itself. The purpose of this was to cleanse the body so that it could be improved.
Returning to the orphanage, Kayden was congratulated by the old man and some acquaintances. He took a quick shower and headed to the stop to catch the train with Heimer. The trip was smooth as usual.
On the way, Kayden tested how much progress he made and it was relatively big. He estimated that he was at least 25% better at manipulating mana and was now able to even faintly feel the will of mana.
Getting off the train, Heimer guided Kayden to a classical-looking building. Right at the entrance it was possible to see several giant pillars. Without a doubt, this structure was capable of imposing admiration on anyone who looked at it. It looked like one of the Roman temples on Earth.
"You will need to prove that you are a student and where you study, after that you will be released to read on the first floor", Heimer explained as he walked. "This building has about 4 floors. The first one you go to has only entertainment stories and about 10% on basic spells. But that's enough for you to learn a lot."
After climbing the steps to the entrance, Heimer produced his student ID and asked Kayden to do the same. The two were given a small metal plate with a number on it. Kayden's had 1 and Heimer's 2. Kayden noticed this detail and asked:
"Heimer, what's the difference between the numbers?"
"It's about level access to floors. I have access to 2 as I passed the library knowledge test, but don't think about it too much. The second floor won't be useful to you right now."
Upon entering the large door, Kayden saw an elevator on the left and right. There were at least 3 on each side. Entering, it was like a classic library, with several shelves filled with books. The impressive thing was that, even though the first floor was divided into two floors, there was a large central staircase to go up to the top of the first floor.
As they walked, Heimer introduced a little about each section and how to find books in the library by book code. They walked until they reached a bookcase that appeared to have little movement.
"Here we have the hidden gold. These books only serve for rank 2 to 3 and most people in that rank are at an age where they barely know how to read properly. Therefore, you will hardly find the book you are looking for", Heimer said, running a finger across the shelf. I could even see a small line of dust on some of the books. "I'll get a book to read while you explore the library. I'll be waiting in the chairs. If you want to take it home, just ask the librarian. You can keep it for 7 days."
After passing a few more hints to Kayden, Heimer left. Left alone, Kayden went from book to book on the shelf. Some caught your eye. For example, a book that talked about defensive spells every mage should know and the like. In the end, he got one called "How to be a good offensive mage".