قال موريس وهو يسحب شارة سوداء عليها اسمه من جيب معطفه: "اذهب إلى ناسيل؛ ستشرح لك الأساسيات".
أخذ ليون الشارة قائلاً: "شكراً لك. سأذهب".
أراد ليون، المتلهف، العثور على ناسيل بسرعة، ناسيًا أنه ليس لديه أي فكرة عن هويتها أو مكانها. وعندما غادر الغرفة، وجد الصبي والفتاة يتجادلان في الممر، ومن المرجح أنهما المتدربان اللذان ذكرهما موريس.
"هل تعرف من هي ناسيل؟" سأل ليون.
"أنا ناسيل الريبانيل، تلميذة موريس. وهذا المتسول هو فريد، وهو تلميذ أيضاً". وضعت الفتاة يدها على صدرها وانحنت قليلاً.
نظر الصبي إلى الشارة السوداء في يد ليون. "يبدو أن لدي أخ أكبر الآن. انتظر، من تقصد بالمتسول؟" رفع فريد يديه احتجاجًا، وأشار إلى نفسه.
أومأ ليون برأسه قائلاً: "تشرفت بلقائكم جميعًا. يمكنكم مناداتي ليون. لقد أخبرني موريس عنك يا سيدة ناسيل."
"نعم، يجب أن أطلعك على بعض أساسيات السحر. اتبعني يا سيد ليون،" أومأت ناسيل برأسها.
قال ليون وهو يتنهد داخليًا: "لقد تغير موقفها تمامًا عندما رأت الشارة." يبدو أن المتدربين يتمتعون بمكانة هامة هنا.'
وبعد فترة قصيرة، وصلوا إلى غرفة معيشة أنيقة ذات أرضيات مبلطة تشبه الرخام. في الوسط كانت هناك طاولة كبيرة بمقاعد جلدية على كل جانب. فجلست ناسيل بحذر في مقعدها وسألت: ماذا تعرف عن السحرة؟
هز ليون رأسه وأجاب: "بصراحة، لا أعرف شيئًا، فقط بعض الفولكلور المحلي".
أوضحت ناسيل: "سألخص الأساسيات لأنه موضوع واسع يجب أن تستكشفه بنفسك. وسأعطيك بعض الكتب لقراءتها لاحقًا".
وبعد توقف قصير، تابعت ناسيل: "السحرة بشر يمكنهم التحكم في الطاقة السحرية، والتلاعب بها للقتال أو استكشاف أسرار العالم. الطاقة السحرية لا تعرف حدودًا، ويمكن تطبيقها على أي شيء أو كل شيء تريده، ولكن الشرط هو أن "هو فهم هذه الطاقة. البشر الذين يسيرون في طريق الاستكشاف والفهم والبحث عن الطاقة السحرية يطلق عليهم اسم السحرة. هل تفهم؟"
جلس ليون بجانب ناسيل وسأل: "ما هي الطاقة السحرية؟ كيف تبدو؟"
"يبدو أن هؤلاء السحرة، مثل أولئك الموجودين في قصص وأفلام الأرض، يستخدمون السحر لأغراض مختلفة."
Nacelle replied, "No one knows the nature of magical energy. All we know is that it's spread all around the world. As for its appearance, it's like the wind in the air—invisible until you become awakened."
"What do you mean by awakened? Maurice told me I am awakened," Leon's eyes sparkled.
"Yes, you are awakened because of Lord Maurice when he invaded your home." Nacelle rose and went to a bookshelf. She grabbed a black book and placed it on the table next to Leon. "Everything you need is in this book. Read it, then go to Lord Maurice to receive meditation techniques."
Leon, in a state of uncertainty, said, "Okay, if I have questions, I'll come to you."
Leon took the book; it was made of rough black leather with the title "Basics for Apprentices." It had around fifty pages. Opening the book, he began reading. He had been enthusiastic since his transfer, searching for a book among sorcerers, and he had finally found it.
After spending a long time, around 1:00 PM, Leon closed the book, contemplating the newfound knowledge. 'Finally finished it. What a strange world. This book explains how one can become a sorcerer, the stages of sorcerer development, types of sorcerers, and some concepts about sorcery.' Suddenly, Leon was interrupted.
"Drop that book and come eat."
Leon looked towards the source of the voice and found the boy named Fred sitting with some dishes on the table beside him. Leon hadn't noticed when he entered the room.
"Uh... okay," Leon replied. He hadn't eaten anything since yesterday.
The dishes were luxurious, with a variety of fruits and meats. Leon started eating, but his mind was still analyzing the information from the book. Suddenly, Leon asked, "At what stage are you?"
Fred smiled proudly, "I am a level two sorcerer."
Leon shook his head, "Oh, just level two?"
Fred got angry, "Do you think sorcerers are like cabbages? I'm 16, and they call me a prodigy with a unique natural talent."
Leon was surprised since the book didn't mention natural talents. In a state of uncertainty, he asked, "What do you mean by a natural talent?"
"Do you know the stages of sorcery?" Fred replied.
"Yes, at first, there's the awakening stage, followed by the creation stage, and then the expansion stage. That's what the book mentioned," Leon answered.
Fred spoke eagerly, "In the creation stage, or as it's called, a level one sorcerer, you have to create the core of your soul, and when you create it, you gain a natural talent. Everyone has their unique talent, and no two talents can be the same."
'In the book, detailed information was provided about the awakening stage, but information about the creation and expansion stages was mentioned briefly. As for the stages beyond expansion or level two, nothing was mentioned.'
"Ah, I see... It seems challenging to penetrate the sorcerer stages," Leon sighed deeply.
"Yes, it's challenging. The higher you go, the more difficult it becomes. Some people are stuck in the creation stage throughout their lives. However, on the flip side, the higher you ascend, the stronger power you acquire," Fred's eyes sparkled with intense excitement.
They quickly finished their meal, and Fred began collecting the dishes. Leon was surprised by his actions, "Aren't there servants in this castle?"
"There are servants. If you want something, ask them," Fred replied while carrying the dishes.
"Why are you cleaning the table if there are servants?" Leon questioned.
"I'm just helping. By the way, I'm just a commoner, not noble like Nacelle," he responded while clearing the table.
Leon remembered that the inhabitants of this world only have a single name. Only nobles have a family name. "Ah, that's why her name is Al Rebanell. In this world, people only have one name. Only nobles have a family name." He recalled that only the king can grant surnames. Even if someone gives themselves a family name, they will be executed for treason or the crime of impersonating the king.
"Leon went to help, but his offer was declined as there was nothing he could do. Consequently, he approached the old man Maurice to obtain the meditation technique."
"In Maurice's room, the old man focused on drawing circles on green animal skin. Maurice stopped drawing, turned to Leon, and said, 'You are awakened without meditation, so I will provide you with the meditation technique to complete your awakening, as well as the creation technique. After feeling the elements, focus on the creation stage to form the core of the soul.'"
"Leon learned that becoming awakened required about a year of meditation to wake up the soul and release it outside the body. However, he awakened due to the sensation of death when Maurice invaded his home. The book mentioned various awakening methods like meditation, potions, special magical stones, or facing a stronger spirit threatening your life. Thus, Leon's spirit awakened, but he couldn't feel or control it until he understood the meditation technique."
"Maurice pointed to some books on the table. 'Take these books and read them thoroughly to understand the basics of your path to becoming a sorcerer.' Leon took the books, expressing gratitude, and Maurice added, 'You can live in one of the empty rooms in the palace.' As Leon left the room, Leon remembered something and asked, 'In the basics of trainees' book, it's mentioned that the quality of the awakened soul differs from person to person. What does he mean by the difference?'"
Maurice's eyes sparkled as he looked at Leon. "The difference in souls can affect the strength and cultivation of sorcerers. The power of sorcerers' souls is classified into five levels. When the soul is outside the body, within a range of ten to twenty meters, it's considered a Level One talent, which is the weakest. From twenty to forty meters is a Level Two talent, from forty to sixty is Level Three, from sixty to eighty is Level Four, and from eighty to ninety is Level Five, which is extremely rare."
Leon was astonished. "Is Level Five the limit of talent?"
The old man's eyes gleamed. "Some powerful sorcerers researched the possibility of soul power from the nineties to one hundred, but they found it impossible. Even if it were found, reaching one hundred is beyond human limits; the maximum is ninety-nine meters."
Leon felt confused and anxious. "Then, what is my talent?"
Maurice smiled. "I don't know. You'll discover it when you use the meditation technique."
Nodding, Leon left the room quietly, closing the door behind him.
Back in the first room where he first awakened, Leon noticed the books. There were four of them – a small book with around ten pages titled "Rune Soul Meditation," a book about sorcerers' information, a book titled "Creating the Soul Core," and a massive book titled "Runic Characters."
Contemplating the books, Leon wondered, 'These books make sense, but what are runic characters? And why is this massive one here?' Leon glanced at the large book on runic characters, consisting of about a thousand pages. He tossed the hefty book onto the bed and picked up the small ten-page book, thinking, 'I'll start with Rune Soul Meditation.'
After approximately half an hour of reading the meditation book, Leon pondered, "It seems that this meditation technique allows you to feel and control your soul using runes. Observing the runes in the book for some time makes you lose awareness of the external world and even your body – you don't feel them. When you lose the sense of the world and your body, only the soul remains to be felt. Usually, you can't feel the soul because the person doesn't know how to use it. It's like someone who has never used the sense of taste; they won't know the flavor until they taste something. Runes are the flavor that makes it possible to sense the soul."
Closing his eyes, Leon began focusing on the runes. After a moment, he felt as if he had detached from his body and entered a dark, obscure space. "If this is my soul space, it was mentioned in the meditation technique that I can see the external world using the soul."
باستخدام هذه التقنية للتحكم في روحه، تصور ليون مساحة سوداء تتحول تدريجياً إلى مظهر الغرفة. ومع ذلك، لم تكن الغرفة التي رآها بعينيه. عند المشاهدة بالروح، يمكن للمرء أن يرى الطاقة السحرية والعناصر الموجودة في المناطق المحيطة.
لاحظ ليون سحابة بيضاء شفافة في الغرفة، وفكر، "من الواضح أن هذه السحب الشفافة هي طاقة سحرية. ولكن ما هذا؟ يبدو مثل غبار مشع في الألوان. هل يمكن أن يكون هذا ما يسمى بالمكونات العنصرية؟"
أشرقت عيناه مع الترقب. "الشيء الأكثر أهمية الآن هو تحديد المدى الذي يمكن أن تتوسع فيه روحي لفهم مستوى موهبتي."
بدأ ليون بإبراز روحه خارج الغرفة، وبعد فترة قصيرة بدأ يرى من الممر إلى الغرف المجاورة.
أضاءت الفرحة وجه ليون وهو يلاحظ توسع روحه. "لقد وصلت إلى ستين مترا، أي موهبة من المستوى الثالث، وما زالت تتوسع".
واحد وستون...
أصيب ليون بالصدمة عندما اخترق حاجز الستينيات، لكن يبدو أن روحه لم يكن لديها أي نية للتوقف.
اربع وستون...
سبعون...
خمسة وسبعون...
خمسة وثمانون...
تسعين...
واحد وتسعون...
اتسعت عيون ليون وهو يشاهد توسع روحه. "انتظر، ألم يقل حورس العجوز أن التسعين مترا هو حد الموهبة؟ لكن لماذا تستمر في الزيادة؟"
وبينما بقي ليون مذهولاً، استمرت روحه في التوسع كما لو لم تكن هناك حدود.
خمسة وتسعون...
ثمانية و تسعون...
تسع وتسعون...
مائة متر..
"ماذا...!!"