As I stepped in to through the entrance of the cave I was immediately mesmerized by the pinkish glow emanating from the mana stones embedded in the walls. The light was almost otherworldly, casting the entire space in a mystical hue.
"Heh, I had that dumbfounded stare too when I found this place. It is pretty good ain't it?"
The old man known as Thrimphum asked.
"Thanks for bringing me here old man but how did you know I was looking for this cave?"
"Well this cave is a pretty good training place so I didn't want the goverment to notice it and take the mana stones out of here." Thrimphum said.
I was confused on how that made him realize I was looking for this cave so I said
"That doesn't explain how you figured out my intentions."
"You didn't let me continue, so listen up because I will explain this only one time. I figured the best way to hide this place would be to set up a barrier, and even though at first that barriers purpose was to just hide the presence of unnatural amounts of mana through the cycle of mana it became stronger absorbing the pure mana and letting out impure mana which than once again became pure through contact with other pure mana and since it was created by me I gained the ability to sense mana thus everything inside this barrier. I was watching you the entire time ever since you entered the mountains and from there I noticed you were trying to go to anything that resembled a cave like a fool so I approached you."
I was shocked as this was never mentioned in the story and had some questions in my mind.
"But if the cycle of mana makes mana pure by contact with other pure mana then how did you gain this sensory ability?"
"I guess they don't teach newbies these things at school. Let me explain it in simple terms for you child. How do you think we create these flashy spells and why is it ours to begin with?"
I tried to recall what was explained in the novel.
"Well, from what I can recall we do it with the mana we get from the mana cycle."
"That is partly right but does it explain how a spell is someone's spell and why it doesn't mix with other spells when it comes into contact with them, does it?" The old man said with a stern expression.
"No it doesn't so can you please explain it to me gramps?" I scoffed with a lighthearted tone.
"I ain't your gramps, kid." He said annoyed.
"Whatever, what you call me doesn't matter anyways. *cough* as I was saying the reason for all of the things I said is that we, living things, have an innate supply to wield mana which is called inner mana. When we are out of mana this inner mana attracts other pure mana to itself thus helping in the mana cycle. Whenever a living being casts a spell it adds a bit of their inner mana which makes it their spell. Every person has a different amount of inner mana which can effect their potential though it is just a factor and doesnt effect all kinds of potential. Now that I've answered all of your questions it's your turn to answer mine."
As I've heard those words I realized that I didn't have a excuse for it.
"Im sorry but its a family secret I can't tell."
I spouted the best option I could think of at the moment and hoped it would be enough.
"Hmm, a family secret huh? I am guessing you came here to train then didn't you?"
I nodded without saying anything.
"Well kiddo I was actually doing the same thing here so I can help if you want it. I may look fragile but I am pretty strong after all."
I contemplated for a bit as I didn't even know who this man was from the novel but it was indeed true he was strong.
"You seem to not be sure and I understand that but dont misunderstand I dont pick anyone that comes near me to train with me its just that I felt that you had great potential within you and my intuition is pretty accurate if you ask me. Well, if you want to train in the cave you will need some guiding. It is really tough manually taking mana into your body by itself but its even harder when you are near mana stones since mana is more dense near them."
What he said was most probably true since I remembered Sauboro struggling to take the mana in the cave to his body.
"I guess I'll be in your care gramps."
***
"First of all start with feeling the mana around you," Thrimphum said with a stern voice.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, the pinkish glow from the walls seemed to pulse slightly with every breath of mine, but when I finally felt I was about to do something I heard a panicked voice.
"SNAP OUT OF IT"
Slap!
As I came back to my senses, I became furious. It truly felt like I was about to get the mana inside my body.
"Kid, if you were 2 seconds late in stopping, you might've been dead by now." Thrimphum exclaimed.
I was perplexed "But... I felt like the mana was coming into my body."
Sigh
Thrimphum hit his forehead with his hand and started explaining.
"You were indeed attracting the mana into your body, but you were so focused on taking mana into your body that you subconsciously stopped letting out mana which in turn could've made your internal organs collapse from the pressure."
"Oh... thank you for saving me."
"You're under my watch kid. You don't need to worry," Thrimphum said indifferently. "but I have to ask how long you are planning to stay here."
I nodded my head than explained my schedule and my situation about the academy.
"Hmm, I see. I'll give you a fast paced training here and teach you a mana handling method so your mana control gets better. You should practice it every day though."
I nodded nonchalantly and asked "When do we start?"
"We are starting... now."