Character : Nathan Fiore, Mastery
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As I was expecting, time really does flow rapidly when you're busy.
In the morning, I got up and went to take a bath. Then I woke Jonah up before leaving the dorm room to head to the basement of the laboratory building. At the basement, I practiced all the things that Miss Hilda told me to do, which was to fully learn the mastery phase.
For two hours in the morning, that's all I did. Sometimes I practiced while reading a book, sometimes I practiced genuinely without stopping. Once the bell rang, I headed straight for class.
Being in class J isn't really too bad. There are some events that I found annoying, which was the condescending tone that everyone uses when they talk to the class J students. Being in the worst class is very different, because every other student is just really annoying.
The peak conflict happened during a joint training class that was held between class C and class J. Because class C is the third best class in the first year, the students really looked down on us. The sole female teacher teaching the two classes couldn't hold back the heat between the two classes, and it ended up being a pretty harsh mouth to mouth conflict between the two classes.
Of course, I stayed out of it. In the first place, I wasn't a part of class J. I was in class A. So, I just sat down by the wall and read my book as the class continued. So far, the fight that has occurred has only been using words. No one really dared to go too deep and use their fist.
But, just in case… I taught the nerdy boys a thing or two about casting a very powerful origin technique. And after learning from me, I'd say their capabilities are good enough to put them into either class B or C. My ability to teach others has always been remarkable.
Also, I've been keeping an eye on that guy Elzir. If he was really from the dark republic, then for sure he must've heard about the possible conflict between them and the rest of Avenor. It's either he is a spy or he is just someone so oblivious of what is happening. In any case, the first one is definitely more likely.
And now… a month has passed. My time at the academy has been quite boring since I spent most of my time in the basement. I did go to classes, but during lunch break, I'm just nowhere to be found in the canteen. I skipped lunch entirely and headed straight to the basement where I practiced the mastery phase. As for what the practice was about, it's quite simple.
Continuously using my origin until I just can't. This was the advice that Miss Hilda gave me right before she left, and that has become my routine every single day since then. And to tell you the truth, it wasn't easy.
Origin is basically the core of our life. The capacity inside us is like stamina, but far more important. If we are lacking origin energy, then we will get very tired, just like stamina. To give an example of the difference, spending thirty minutes shooting fire to the wall is more tiring than running at an empty field for ten hours straight.
But, I did it anyway. I just used my origin endlessly inside the basement, basically burning away every air in the basement and turned the room really-really hot. Everyday, I sweated heavily while shooting weak fireballs to the wall. I made the walls darker because of the fireball, but thankfully there's a method to remove the dark stains, which was to just wash it with water because the walls are special.
It has been a very boring and rough month, but it was all necessary for the future that is coming. And today, that future has finally come.
"Wow. Your hair really turns red." A voice commented from the vent entrance, and I turned my sweaty face to the source.
I was naked on top, with sweat rolling down my body endlessly. The room has become really hot, and my clothes will just soak from all the sweat I released. I was a bit worried that someone might see me if they were to barge into the basement, but thankfully only one person has ever visited while I was training.
It's Eric. The guy frequently visited sometime after the classes or during the evening. And from what he said, it looked like my progress could really be seen.
"R-Really?" I took out a mirror from my storage bracelet, and I faced it to my head. A small portion of the front hair really did turn red, and I was amazed by how red it has become.
Not just that, my eyes also looked really bright red. My eyes were red before, but now it looks really red. This must be the specialty that occurs when I'm in the mastery phase.
"So, you can turn it on and off now?" Eric asked while coming over, and I nodded firmly at him.
I took a deep breath, imagining peaceful things. I imagined cute cats, cute girls, beautiful flowers, all the things that can bring peace to my head if I were to look at them. Instantly, I can feel my body turning weaker.
The red color has disappeared from my hair, and my eyes turned back to a normal red. I looked at myself in the small mirror again, and it looks like I have really gone back to normal.
"Now, activate it." Eric demanded, but I chuckled from how sudden it was.
"I can't just reactivate it after turning it off. It messes with my head if I do that." I told him how I feel about it, and he looked confused.
"So, it really was a mental thing?"
"It is. Your mindset decides it, but your origin capacity also needs to be really large for it to work. That's the purpose of the training, to keep increasing my capacity." I told Eric about the truth behind this mastery, but it's not the first time I've told him about it.
"Right, you said that to me before. Now that you're pretty good at it, then it's my turn?" He suddenly pointed it out, and I became confused.
"I haven't fully mastered it yet!"
"And yet, you can turn it on and off like it was a switch."
"I mean, that's the bare minimum of it…" I said while trying to think of a reason, and Eric is more than willing to go on a long argument with me.
"Then, it is good enough, is what you're saying?" He twisted my words, and I can't really say much about it.
"… Fine."
And so, Eric's training started. I taught him exactly how to do it efficiently, which was to shoot as little amount of energy as possible. By doing that, he can continue releasing his energy at a much longer time--
"Wait, how long do I have to do this??" He asked while his hands were releasing a wild electricity forward, and I just laughed seeing him look so worried.
"Well… at minimum, an hour?"
"You're kidding. An hour with rest, right?"
"… I never stopped for rest." I said honestly, and the answer made Eric look extremely petrified.
This training is, after all, very cruel. I did it like this because I wanted to perfect the mastery phase as soon as possible, because we don't know when something big might happen with the situation outside. One thing for certain, though… it was tough for me, but it can be even harder for others who aren't used to tough tasks.
Someone like… Eric.
"Wow, look at your hands shaking!" One hour into the training, Eric's hands are already shaking badly from being lifted forward for an hour. "I thought you said you're an emerald ranked mercenary!"
"Shut up! Shut up!!"
"I can't believe you're losing to a prince. Come on, this lazy prince can last even ten hours!" I said without thinking, and Eric turned his annoyed stare at me.
"Leave."
Woah… he really is pissed.
"All right, then. It's really getting hot here, anyway. Then, I'll go enjoy a very nice cold bath on this lovely evening~."
I grabbed my uniform that I placed on the ground, and I hopped onto the vent to leave. Arriving outside the building, I realized that I have seen this exact evening scenery so many times already. And every time, I always felt really relieved.
Training… is finally over.
I finally got it. The mastery phase… it's finally within my grasp. Now I just need to wait for that old grandma to come back. Then, we can discuss a bit more on what to do.
After skygazing for a while, I went back to the dorm to rest. I stopped by to grab some dinner at the canteen because I haven't eaten anything yet, and I made sure to pack something for Jonah.
"Welcome back! Wow, you're early." Jonah greeted me as soon as I entered the dorm.
My eyes immediately landed on him, and I noticed just how fit he has become. The entire month, he has been spending over five hours after the classes until the evening just lifting weights with the body builders club. As a result, his body is quite fit now, so different compared to his previous build.
His muscles can be seen from behind his oversized shirt that wasn't so oversized before. He also got taller for some reason, and it's probably because there was less weight to push his bones down. He even showed me his abs just three days ago, which was amazing considering he was so bouncy only a month ago.
He really did it so he could fulfill his bet with me. I said to him that if he can get abs within a month, then I will tell him everything.
And now, he has proven it to me. I just haven't held up my end of the deal.
"Usually you came back around eleven." He said while wiping his face with the towel, and I can tell he just bathed. It's currently nine, so he must've just got back from hanging out with the body builders club.
"Yeah, I decided to end my training completely. I felt satisfied by the results." I said to Jonah while closing the door behind me, and he looked really excited by that.
"Then, that means you're ready to show me!?" Jonah asked with excitement, and I just smiled at him.
"Not yet. I have to wait for the vice headmaster to come back and ask for her opinion." I told him my situation, and Jonah looked really disappointed.
"Oh…"
"But, don't worry. Once she gives me a green light, then I'll show it to everyone!" I said energetically, and Jonah understood.
In fact… I'll show the entire academy. I'll shape this entire generation into something else entirely.
The next morning, classes started like usual. But, right when class started, a teacher came into the classroom during class.
"Nathan Fiore?" The teacher peeked his head from the door, and I lifted my hand at him. "The headmaster is looking for you."
H-Headmaster…? Not Vice Headmaster?