Training Addict Magician in a Growth-Focused Story

Training Addict Magician in a Growth-Focused Story

EP.17 Common Magic

Gareth, the arcane mage assigned as the examiner for the ordinary disciple selection, carefully reviewed the two sheets of paper in his hands. These were the answer sheets of the final candidates who had passed the ordinary disciple exam.

One of them showed the effort of an ordinary person who had tried their best. It met the expectations, so there was no reason not to pass it.

The problem lay with the other one.

“Hmm… Interesting…”

The more he read, the more impressed he became. And suspicious.

‘Is this possible at an ordinary person’s level?’

This exam question asked if the candidates could create a logical structure based on the regular flow of the emblem. Whether the answer was correct or not didn’t matter. Naturally, all the applicants were expected to be ordinary people with single-attribute constitutions, so magical talent wasn’t anticipated. The exam aimed to see if they had the intellect to awaken mana.

However, the answer on the sheet Gareth held exceeded those expectations. It described a basic water spell and even hinted at gentleness. Although it didn’t explicitly state the conclusion, it reached up to that point perfectly. The logical structure was incredibly clean, as if the person had seen through the essence of the magic and pretended not to know.

‘No matter how I look at it, this seems impossible…’

Could an academy student produce a similar answer if given this as an assignment right now? They might more easily conclude it was a water spell. But achieving such a clean logical structure in the process would be difficult.

Gareth, scrutinizing the answer sheet written in neat handwriting, clicked his tongue.

‘It’s a pity that someone this intelligent didn’t gain magical talent.’

That was beyond Gareth’s concern. He decided to summon both candidates for a final interview. He needed to conduct another constitution test just in case and ensure they weren’t spies from another magic tower. Especially Leon, the owner of the impressive answer sheet in his hand, required close examination.

Just as Gareth made up his mind, someone barged into his office.

“Who…!”

Gareth frowned and looked up, only to stand up abruptly upon recognizing the intruder.

“Ah, Arpina! What brings you here?”

Arpina Winterfritz, the mystic mage, held a status just below the tower master within Widia. Gareth’s face was filled with confusion at the appearance of such a high-ranking mage, who had no reason to be here and would consider it a waste of time to even show interest.

“Have you finished the ordinary disciple interviews?”

“No… I was just about to start.”

“Is there a boy named Leon?”

Gareth glanced at the paper and hurriedly nodded.

“Yes, there is.”

“Just pass him. I’ve already interviewed him.”

“Oh… is that so?”

Gareth barely managed to suppress his puzzled expression. If she said so, then it was so.

“Understood. Shall I proceed with the interview for the remaining candidate?”

“Yes, do as you please.”

“Understood!”

Gareth responded with enthusiasm, but Arpina turned and left immediately, her business concluded.

‘What’s this about?’

Gareth glanced again at the name “Leon” on the answer sheet.

‘Is he someone she’s interested in?’

If not, there was no reason for Arpina to personally involve herself in such a trivial matter.

‘It makes sense…’

There was no way an ordinary person could have written such an answer. With his mind now clear, Gareth decided to remember Leon. If Arpina had taken an interest in him, his future prospects were likely bright.

*****

The list of successful candidates was posted on the bulletin board. Among the two names listed was Leon. It seemed Arpina had put in a good word for him, as he had passed without even an interview.

His friends from the orphanage gathered around to congratulate him. While some were envious, most of the congratulations were sincere.

“Don’t forget us when you become a mage, Leon!”

It was a boy who always insisted on playing cops and robbers at the orphanage. Leon naturally patted the boy’s head, savoring the pure innocence that was rare among the ruthless mages.

The next day, Leon stood in front of a five-story building, facing a brown-haired young man who appeared to be on the verge of adulthood. This was the other successful candidate.

“I thought I was the only one who passed since I didn’t see you at the interview.”

The young man quickly struck up a conversation with Leon, but Leon only responded politely as they entered the building. A bespectacled man standing by the door greeted them both.

“I’m Peter, I passed last year. I’m here to explain the basic rules and show you around the building.”

With Peter’s guidance, Leon familiarized himself with the structure of the five-story building. The first floor was used for occasional lessons from mages or for receiving guests. The second and third floors were entirely training rooms, while the fourth and fifth floors were dormitories. There was a small sparring arena in the basement.

‘Simple.’

It was a setup suitable for ordinary disciples. The training rooms weren’t designed for arcane-level mages, as it was assumed that mages with single-attribute constitutions wouldn’t reach that level.

“You can move your belongings after today’s orientation.”

“Yes.”

While Aaron responded promptly, Leon expressed his refusal.

“I have a private room.”

“Oh, you must have worked hard.”

Peter didn’t particularly mind. Since the room was assigned based on merit, no one would object to him using it.

After the tour, a basic magic education session followed, conducted by a different senior mage. This mage was responsible for overseeing the ordinary disciples and measuring their training progress.

“If you came here expecting grand magic, you’d better wake up from that dream. A mage is essentially a scholar exploring the source of wisdom. Remember, in the cold, harsh world of magic, if you can’t navigate it on your own, you’ll inevitably be left behind.”

The mage, Robert, spoke at length about topics that would be intriguing to someone like Aaron, who was just starting to learn about magic.

“For those with single-attribute constitutions, it typically takes two to three years to awaken mana, even with intensive training. However, you only have one year to focus solely on training. After that, you’ll be assigned duties that you’ll have to balance with your training, which will extend the time it takes to awaken your mana.”

He delivered these cold truths with an expressionless face, typical of a mage.

“You have one year to awaken your mana, by any means necessary.”

Robert continued with information about the salary.

“Unlike working as an entrance resident, you will be paid in mana stones. Transactions among mages are conducted with mana stones, so if you can set foot on the path of a mage, you will find the compensation satisfying.”

Leon was more interested in the guarantee of one year of training time than the information about the salary.

‘Can I dedicate myself solely to training for a year?’

Leon was pleased with the prospect of being able to focus on his training without having to look over his shoulder. One year was more than enough time for him to advance to the fourth rank.

‘I’ll train quietly like a dead mouse for a year and then pretend to have just awakened my mana.’

Although it was quicker than the two to three years Robert mentioned, the pressure to achieve it somehow suggested it wasn’t entirely impossible.

After the first week of carefully observing his surroundings, Leon sought out Robert.

“Could I learn common magic?”

Robert’s brow furrowed slightly at the question.

“Without even awakening your mana? You’ll be taught once you reach the first rank.”

“I thought it might help me understand and awaken mana.”

Robert thought the request was presumptuous but refrained from scolding him. He remembered what his colleague Gareth had hinted that Leon had caught the interest of Arpina.

“Well… I can’t teach you directly without mana, but I’ll give you a grimoire with common magic. Try to understand the principles by reading it. You might be right; there could be some benefit.”

With no real expectation, Robert retrieved a thick grimoire from his subspace and handed it to Leon, who accepted it with a bow.

“Thank you.”

Afterward, Leon buried himself in the training room. There were various types of common magic. Some, in particular, seemed so valuable that he felt it was a good decision to learn them.

Most of the common magic didn’t require incantations, making them highly practical to learn.

The first was basic telekinesis. This spell allowed Leon to exert physical force on objects beyond his reach.

The second was detection magic. By spreading mana around, he could sense the presence of people or traces of magic, and even gauge an opponent’s level.

The third was appraisal magic. This allowed him to infuse artifacts with mana to easily discern their usage.

The fourth was mana infusion. This was the activation word, “Infusion,” used by Forn and Ria. It spread mana throughout the body, temporarily granting physical abilities beyond those of an ordinary person. However, mana infusion required an incantation.

The fifth was division magic. This spell enabled the user to split their consciousness to cast multiple spells simultaneously. For example, one could hold an artifact with basic telekinesis while casting another spell, or perform dual or triple spell calculations at once. Although Leon couldn’t manage dual or triple spells at his current level, he could at least use basic telekinesis to handle an artifact while reciting another spell. This common magic became increasingly important as one advanced to higher levels of magic.

Additionally, there were other useful spells like levitation magic, basic healing magic, and cleaning magic, which Leon regretted not knowing earlier due to their practicality.

“Levitation magic consumes a lot of mana…”

Leon’s feet touched the ground again after floating in the air. He spent two weeks mastering common magic, dedicating all his time to it. Since common magic was included in basic magic, his quests progressed as usual.

Once he became accustomed to levitation magic, Leon finally stepped out of the training room after a long time. He had only left occasionally to get food, otherwise remaining holed up in the training room.

Leon even slept in the training room. Since reaching the third rank, he could go without food for about three days without any issues, which made his secluded lifestyle even more efficient. Stretching, he descended the stairs to the first floor, where he encountered his fellow disciple for the first time in two weeks.

‘What was his name again… Ah.’

It was Aaron. The brown-haired man looked Leon up and down with a surprised expression.

“Have you been holed up in your room practicing the whole time?”

“Yes.”

Leon still spoke formally to him. Excessive familiarity from the first meeting was something Leon was most wary of.

“Impressive. Is it effective?”

Aaron’s eyebrow twitched slightly. Though he asked out of curiosity, there was a subtle hint of wariness on his face.

“It seems to be, but I’m not sure.”

Leon feigned ignorance and answered evasively, causing Aaron to relax slightly.

“Take it easy. Robert said that rest is more beneficial than overexerting your mental strength, remember?”

“Of course.”

Leon responded appropriately and turned to head back to his room after a long time. Just then, a man burst in through the entrance. It was Peter, their senior by a year.

“Perfect timing. Leon, you have a visitor.”

“A visitor?”

“Yes, a girl about your age.”

“Oh.”

‘Is she here to congratulate me on becoming an ordinary disciple?’

Naturally assuming that Ria had come to visit, Leon turned his head towards the door, only to tilt it in confusion at the sight of red hair peeking through the gap.

“Why are you here?”

“Well… why! Can’t I come?”

It was Rowen.

“No, I mean, you said you didn’t even want to talk to ordinary people.”

“Ugh…”

Seeing her face flush, it seemed she remembered the way she had acted before. Watching her, Leon tilted his head even further.

‘Why did she really come?’

Suddenly, his gaze shifted to something she was holding in her hand.