Linfel went to the room where he found Natalie training before, the one with the Magic Energy Gathering Devices. William was sitting on one of the devices while he pressed a few options in his MCOM. Around him, it was possible to see five Magic Stones. Their color showed they were Brow Magic Stones, the third level of Magic Stones available.
His Familiar, watching from outside the device, noticed Linfel's arrival. "What are you here for? Shoo, shoo! Don't bother master."
Linfel approached while scratching the back of his head... Well, there wasn't a real head there, just an ethereal form of one. "Don't worry. I'm not here to bother him. It's just that I'm curious about a Magus Leveling moment."
Mongis didn't like it. But then again, it was true he couldn't block anyone from entering the Magic Energy Gathering Devices' Room. The equipment had the capability to draw the Magic Energy of Magic Stones much faster and fill a small area around the user with it. It was obviously good for both normal integration and attempts to break through into a new level. "Fine. But be prepared for a trashing if you get in his way."
Linfel was happy that Mongis didn't insist on sending him away. As for the Magic Energy Gathering Devices, truth be told, Linfel didn't need it. He was already as good, if not even better, than the device itself. Even Alvin and Felia never used it since meeting Linfel since Linfel could absorb and share his magic Energy with them.
As William prepared to give it a try, Linfel looked at Mongis and asked. "By the way, you are also at Level Two. Shouldn't you be in there to try to become a Level Three Familiar as well?"
"Hmph!" Mongis snorted. "It's exactly because I'm a Familiar that I'm not worried. I have already changed most of my core and only need a little final push to become a Level Three Familiar. However, I can't possibly do that while my master stays behind, now can I? I have already decided that I will Level Up only after Master overcomes his body's shortcomings and take the next step."
"I see..." Linfel had to admit all the Familiars in the Floating Blades Faction seemed to love their Masters without exception. They are all free, but they still choose to tag along. That gave him a nice feeling of belonging.
"Alright, quiet now," Mongis spoke. "Master will start."
Suddenly, the device activated, and the five Brow Magic Stones began to release Brown Magic Energy at a very fast pace, almost as fast as Linfel could absorb them. An area of around two meters around William quickly filled with concentrated Brown Magic Energy. Yet, it didn't escape or dissipate, trapped by the Magic Diagram Equipment.
William took a deep breath and opened all his Meridians. Quickly, the Brown Magic Energy entered his body, going straight to his Core. It wasn't possible to see since it was inside his body, but most of William's Core had already taken a brown-like color. Yet, some few spots of Red simply didn't seem to want to change.
William kept integrating the Brown Magic Energy into his core, pushing the Magic Energy against the last spots of Red. William's forehead began to sweat, and he gritted his teeth. He was putting a lot of effort into sending the Brown Magic Energy further.
Minutes passed and the Brown Magic Energy in the area began to reduce in concentration. Seeing that, Mongis narrowed his eyes. "Another failure..."
Yet, it was at this moment that Linfel spoke to William. "Why are you changing things? You are doing it wrong. Your meridians are not connected to your core like they are in other Maguses' cases. They are pressed mostly on the top and the bottom of your Core instead of an even spreading. It won't matter how many times you try. You will never succeed like this."
Mongis and William were taken aback by Linfel's words. However, Mongis immediately got angry in the next second. "What the hell are you talking about? Do you think you know more about Master's body than himself? Just shut your mouth!"
William was quite surprised, though. What Linfel said about his meridians was true. They were indeed mostly pressed against the top and bottom of his core. He knew it well since he checked many times before, trying to find a way to fix this issue. Unfortunately, that was basically his own body structure. It wasn't something that could be changed easily. "You say I'm doing it wrong. Do you even know how Maguses level up?"
"I do not," Linfel spoke. "I know that Maguses have different methods to integrate Magic Energy into their cores exactly because they are different from Familiars."
Linfel connected with Alvin quite a few times already. He could tell every inch of Alvin's body, including his meridians. Also, with his sensitivity, he had the chance to feel Donfin, Miranda, Milia, Connor, and the other Maguses fight in the last Field Exam. He could tell that their Meridians were pretty much connected in the same way as Alvin's. That's why he was capable of detecting the problem with William's body and pointing it out.
"However, from what I can feel, you are basically pressing the remaining Red Spots of your Core from both sides. Not only is it making it more difficult for you to Level Up, but you are also compressing all the Red Magic Energy into a single line of Red Magic around the Core itself. The more you compress it, the more resistance this spot of Red Magic Energy becomes."
William thought about this. What he couldn't understand was how Linfel could feel his Core that clearly. "Alright, so what do you propose?"
"As I mentioned, your meridians are mostly pressed against the top and bottom of your Core. Also, your Core is more than ready to become a Level Three. As long as you push the Red Magic Energy out, it should do the work. That said, use your meridians on the bottom of the Core to to inject Brown Magic Energy. Meanwhile, keep the meridians at the top empty. That should create a channel to which you can push the Red Magic Energy out of the core."
William immediately laughed. "Hahaha! Are you crazy? That would cause a Magic Energy deviation. Are you trying to destroy my core?"
Mongis nodded. "I told you, master. There is no need to waste time listening to this guy."
Linfel was even more confused, though. "What are you talking about? You have been doing it even before you started to attempt to level up. I don't even know why you stopped."
William's expression froze. "I... was?"
"Haven't you noticed?" Linfel asked back. "When I bumped into you at the entrance, I was able to feel your Magic Energy naturally moving that way. It was entering the bottom of the Core and coming from the top. Of course, it was very, very slow, almost imperceptible. Then I guess that's just how your Core works when it is in an idle state."
"It is only when you start using it that you change into always sending Magic Energy inside from both sides or always drawing from both sides. That is not wrong. If you are in a fight, for example, you need to draw Magic Energy to attack, so using both sides to draw Magic Energy is the correct thing to do. But, in this case, you could truly do it by simply pushing the Red Magic Energy out of your Core Walls."
Mongis immediately got worried. "Master, I don't think you should hear him. Absorbing Magic Energy at the same time that you pull it out is too risky. There is a reason why no one tries to do it. Deviation could truly put an end to your Magus future. Besides, you didn't even notice that happening until Linfel spoke. What if he is wrong and such a thing isn't happening at all?"
William had to admit that Mongis was right. "That's true."
"Sigh... fine." Linfel immediately jumped on the platform where the Magic Energy Gathering Device operated.
"What are you doing?" Mongis got angry again. "Are you trying to steal the Brown Magic Energy my master worked hard to acquire?"
Linfel immediately shook his head. "Don't be ridiculous. Did you forget I'm a Level One familiar? I can't absorb Brown Magic Energy even if I wanted." Indeed, Alvin had told Linfel about it, and Linfel tried it himself back when they found the Green Magic Energy Pond. It simply didn't work.
"This..." Mongis wanted to retort, but he knew Linfel was speaking the truth. Linfel simply couldn't take that energy at all. "Then what do you want to do to Master?"
"I'm helping him, of course. Aren't we all from the same Floating Blades Faction? It is only natural I want to help a fellow member who understands a Familiar should be independent," said Linfel.
Yet, William was puzzled. "Help me...? How?"
"I'm going to help you guide the Magic Energy in your Core. I can't absorb Brown Magic Energy, but that doesn't mean I can't control it. Now, relax and let me do it." Linfel immediately gathered the Brown Magic Energy in the surroundings. "Do not fight it. Just start absorbing the Magic Energy I'm gathering near you and send it up from the bottom meridians in your Core. As long as you don't block my senses, I should be able to prevent any deviations of Magic Energy."
William found it hard to believe. That would require a ridiculously high Magic Energy sensitivity, even if he doesn't block it. A magus obviously could prevent anyone from messing with their own Magic Energy. Otherwise, anyone could disrupt other Maguses' Magic Energy flow at any moment, so battles would be impossible depending on the circumstances. Even Magic Beasts do it instinctively and keep their Magic Energy blocked against outside intervention all the time. That was how everyone's bodies worked. They had to consciously want to open up, or it was simply impossible to do what Linfel wanted.
"I..." William didn't know if he should do it. But then again, he had truly reached a dead end. He knew that the Red Magic Energy was all pressed in a center line around his Core, and he was trying to press it out of existence, which wasn't working at all. Other maguses don't have this problem since their meridians are all spread and connected equally around their cores. "Are you sure you can do this?"
*Pah!*
Linfel used his own Magic Energy to slap William's back head, much to his confusion. "Stop all this bullshit and just do it. You are turning out just like Alvin, a scared cat. Just do it already. If anything goes wrong, I will immediately stop."
William was speechless, and so was Mongis outside. How dare a Level One Familiar treat a Level Two Magus like this?
"Are you doing it or not?" Linfel asked, already running out of patience.
"Fine! But if you mess anything, Mongis, just kill him!" William finally relented.
"Master!" Mongis was shocked William would truly go through this process.
"I've made my decision," William stopped Mongis.
"Alright!" Mongis nodded and looked with hostility at Linfel. "You better not cause any trouble!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I understand already. Let's go!" Linfel couldn't care less, though.
---
Droval was adjusting a few things on one of the equipments of the Floating Blades Faction when suddenly, he felt a burst of Magic Energy. He looked up to the ceiling, knowing that it was the room with the Magic Energy Gathering Devices. "Hum? Did he finally succeed?"
He got up and stretched a little. He had just finished his job here, so he decided to go back to the entrance. There, he found Linfel making his way out of the Floating Blades Faction. "Hey, Linfel. Do you need anything?"
"Hum?" Linfel turned around. "Not really. I'm just going to the missions hall to take a look at the jobs there. Now that I'm a Rank C Familiar, it should be easier to get higher-paying jobs."
"That's true," Droval felt a little jealous. He just worked as an attendant to gain some Academy Credits. He was a Rank F magus, so it was very hard for good missions to appear for him, just like it was for Alvin. "By the way, how were things with William?"
"He did fine. I had to slap some sense into his head, but he came around. He should be stabilizing his Core at level three now. Seriously... Why do I always bump into easily scared Maguses? Alvin, Connor, and now this guy." Linfel sighed. "Oh well, whatever. I'm leaving. See you later."
"Slap... some sense?" Droval was taken aback. Did he truly slap William?
And so Linfel left. Later that day, William's information on the Magus Academy Website was updated to a Level Three Magus!