Spells, magic, blessings, mana core, the gods, their system—how were all of these connected? It didn't matter. Zaroth wasn't thinking... or, more accurately, it felt like he wasn't thinking.
He was in an empty space, the only thing within him being his mana core and the single spark he had connected earlier.
His mana core was glowing much dimmer than before. 'Why?' He wondered.
He hadn't managed to use any kind of magic... or maybe his failed attempts had consumed some mana?
'Isn't this dangerous?' he thought. From what he felt, it was like his mana core was seconds away from cracking…
But his thought quickly disappeared as he felt something shine within him. Focusing on the feeling, he noticed several sparks glowing weakly inside, almost impossible to notice.
Instinctively, he made them connect to his mana core.
'Yes... have I forgotten? Above all, I'm a beast master. And the first beast I tamed… was Luna… a dragon.'
His thoughts shifted again.
'What's the difference between the beast master class and every other class? The answer is simple... I am able to tame beasts. This isn't a skill that can be learned from other classes. In a way, this is my exclusive skill.'
'Connection...' He remembered one of the first things Luna said to him upon assuming her human form,
"I was the first creature you tamed, so we have a much deeper connection than any other creatures you'll tame in the future."
'Connection? What connection? How are we connected?' Zaroth's mind was working at full speed. It felt like he was just a few pieces short of solving a puzzle.
'Fire... I want to create a fireball, but what is fire?' He asked himself.
It was a simple question, yet an important one. What did fire mean to him?
'Fire...' The first thing he remembered when thinking about the element was when he was seconds away from dying, when he managed to tame Luna.
How her beautiful green flames destroyed the camp and burned everybody in it. He remembered the joy he felt in that moment.
...Was fire equal to destruction?
Maybe or maybe not, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was that Zaroth understood something.
'Fire, destruction, dragon... Yes, I am a beast tamer, so I shouldn't try to copy how others do it.'
'What if I don't copy other people? What if I copy the beasts I possess instead?'
Suddenly, the newly connected sparks to his mana core shone, as did his eyes.
'But I am a human, not a dragon. How can I copy her? Unless... she said it herself. We have a deep connection. So what if I just used that connection?'
Zaroth gasped as he raised his trembling right hand.
"Alright, that's enough! Zaroth, rest for a bit!" Roran commanded, getting closer to him.
But Zaroth didn't hear him. He was completely and utterly focused... In that moment, he had achieved his peak.
'My right hand, if it acts the same as the jaws of a dragon...'
He closed his hand into a fist.
'Now the jaws are closed.'
His eyes began shining like stars. Slowly opening his palm, a menacing green flame began forming in it.
'And now the jaws are open.'
Seeing the green flame coming out of Zaroth's palm, Lily gasped in surprise.
"I understand it now," he muttered under his breath, not missing the voice that suddenly rang in his head.
[You have learned a new spell]
[Fireball]
Letting out a shaky, tired breath, he relaxed his body. Then a menacing green fireball shot toward Lily with dazzling speed.
In an instant, she created two ice walls between herself and the fireball. The fireball melted and pushed past the first wall but stopped at the second.
A silence fell over the room.
Roran, Zack, and Lily were staring with wide eyes at Zaroth, who had started to bleed from his eyes due to his mana scarcity.
"Did he just... learn a spell outside his class in a single day?" Lily muttered, unbelieving.
Zaroth slowly looked at his palm, processing what had just happened—what he had finally managed to achieve—and then...
"FUCK YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—" he screamed at the top of his lungs in happiness before immediately collapsing due to exhaustion.
*****
Zaroth felt his exhausted core and the few sparks that he had connected to it. It was strange—both empowering him and, at the same time, exhausting him.
'Did I really do it?' he wondered. After being granted the Beast Master class, he thought he'd never be able to use spells. So, in a way, he had accomplished something he once thought impossible.
'So this is how it feels, to reach your peak,' Zaroth thought, remembering the book and its content he had read before.
'Can I do it again?' he wondered.
'Good job,' he heard, the voice of Luna.
'What? I can speak to you even if I'm passed out?' he asked.
'You used our connection, deepening it in the process. So yes, now you can,' Luna explained.
He was about to ask something else when he felt a shadow looming over him. So he opened his eyes.
Only to see Sylvia standing over him, her expression irritated.
"Kid," she spoke, "this is the third time you've visited the infirmary. From now until the end of the month, you'll have to pay."
She stepped back, giving him some room.
'I'm in the infirmary?' he grunted as he sat up, supporting his head with his right hand.
As his vision cleared, he saw Zack, Roran, and Lily staring at him with bewildered eyes.
Without hesitation, Lily asked, "How did you do it? How did you learn a spell outside your class in a single day?"
'Wow, harsh. She didn't even ask if I'm okay first. Shouldn't I feel offended? It's not like I can tell her I tamed a dragon and used our connection to learn the skill...'
Zaroth scratched the back of his head awkwardly as he answered, "I guess I'm just that good?"