“Exactly!” Maur winked. “Didn’t see this coming, did you?”

Kane tilted his head. “I don’t get it. How are you split between two bodies?”

“Before I answer that, you should sit there first.” He pointed at the chair across him.

Kane nodded before occupying the vacant seat. “Now, can you tell me?”

“Take a guess.”

“You’re actually a human and that ant body of yours is a mere substitute.”

“It’s the opposite. This alternate body of mine is essentially a corpse that can be possessed. Very, very expensive to acquire an exquisite quality body like this one.”

“So, it’s like a golem.”

“Precisely, but with more practical usages. I can mimic and enjoy what humans do!”

“But, its appearance doesn’t match you at all.”

“You’re not wrong. I should’ve bought an even more handsome corpse,” he then cackled.

“Forget what I said.” Kane rolled his eyes. “Why did you summon me here?"

“What else but training, of course! We’ll spend more time to compensate for my absence.”

“How did you come here so quickly? Where was the meeting?”

“A colleague of mine dropped me here with his mount. I cannot tell you the exact location, but it’s somewhere far, far from here.” He grinned.

“No wonder. Oh, do you have news about curing Liana's condition?”

"300,000 gold. That's the amount you need. The price was already cut in half thanks to my connection with her."

"Holy crap." Kane gaped. What an exorbitant price! Was her disorder that difficult to cure? It might be, but he certainly didn't see that coming.

"So, what is your decision after hearing that price?"

"I'll save her later, I guess," said Kane. 

“Alright, enough idle chatter. I need to know something: what did you learn regarding magic in this school?”

“Aside from the basic theories, I’ve learned to create a barrier just today.”

“Barrier… it settled, then. We shall begin with that!”

“Barrier, huh? I think I won’t be needing that since I usually protect myself with my axe or my vis.”

“And what if you don’t have one at some situations? Or rather, you cannot have one because of the tournament rules.”

“Wait, you can’t bring weapons? Why?” Kane was perplexed.

“To ensure fairness for both sides. Imagine one side has a ranked weapon while the other side has no weapon, which one do you think will win?”

“Most likely the former.”

“Correct! But do not fret, boy, for the rules allow summoned spells. Maybe you could cast a spell to summon an axe!”

“That’s what I’ve been planning to do, but I can’t seem to find such a spell,” lamented Kane.

“You know the reason very well, don’t you?” asked Maur.

“Yeah, yeah. Axes are rather low-class in terms of status compared to swords, which isn’t appealing to nobility.”

“How about you compromise and use swords instead? There are quite many spells to summon them.”

Kane shook his head. “No can do. This might sound irrational, but the longer I hold a sword, the more I want to throw it away. Same goes for other weapons, though I can tolerate them more. The only exception for this are knives and daggers, strangely enough.”

“You’re really a weird one,” commented Maur.

“I don’t want to hear that from you. Besides, the other saints were having the same problem too. I guess we’re simply too comfortable with our weapon choice.”

“By other saints, you mean all eight of you?”

Kane gave a nod as a reply. It was six, actually, but he’d rather not correct anyone for trivial reasons.

“Hmm, I understand what you’re talking about. I would be rather annoyed If I had to cast elemental spells other than Earth, with some exceptions of course.”

“Right—”

“Okay, let’s continue our lesson, shall we?” Maur interrupted Kane’s words. “Now, how much do you know regarding that topic?”

“I know there are many kinds of barriers since I’ve fought mages before, though I don’t know much about them.”

“Indeed, there are many varieties of them if we categorized barriers by the number of types alone and currently it's not important for you to learn them. Instead, you should know by the shapes: dome, body, and unorthodox.”

“What's the difference between them besides their shape?” asked Kane.

“Dome is the most elementary yet efficient barrier due to the simple shape that allows the caster to minimize the mana usage. It's the standard for everyone including me, one of the strongest mages in this world and novices like you.”

He continued, “The body-shaped barrier is practically the opposite. It’s suited for more advanced mages, especially those who prefer close range.”

“Sounds very similar to the vis armor I’ve been using.”

“Nevertheless, you must not learn that barrier type until you have mastered the dome barrier. I don’t need to explain further, do I?”

“It’s very taxing to my body, I take it?”

"Correct. Due to more significant coverage, that type will consume mana much more than usual. The sole advantage over the dome barrier is allowing you to dodge incoming attacks more easily and thus preserve the barrier’s health.”

“Can’t we just focus on one part of our bodies?”

“That is one of the unorthodox types. And besides, casting a spell is different from using vis. You'd have to memorize another magic circle and chant.”

“How inflexible.”

“Inflexible? Boy, you can get creative with spells if you’re great with it! A big if, mind you.”

Doesn’t that apply to everything? Kane wanted to say that but in the end, he didn’t. Instead, he asked, “So, what now?”

“Cast the barrier spell you’ve learned.”

Following his instruction, Kane conjured the barrier. Maur’s face then turned blank before bursting into laughter a while later, “Are you kidding me? This is the spell that Niflenia Academy teaches its students? No wonder they kept losing the tournament!”

As a Niflenia student himself, Kane was silent despite Maur’s mockery; he cared nothing about his school’s reputation. “What spell should I use, then?”

“This,” Maur revealed a tome along with charcoal from his leather bag. The yellowed papers were thick and crumpled. After rifling through ink-filled pages, he stopped at an empty page and finished drawing a magic circle in just a heartbeat. Did Maur also have a perfect memory like Liana? No, he undoubtedly had mastered creating them through experience.

Kane memorized the picture and tried to cast it. He failed many times in a row before finally succeeding in creating it. A glazed crimson dome was formed, surrounding him for a brief moment. He still couldn’t maintain it for even a short time.

“Whoa, what kind of barrier was that?”

“The best kind — at least for you currently. I’ve optimized and adjusted the runic configurations with 75% more efficiency. Furthermore, the durability and cost will scale much better with the caster than the ordinary basic version. Keep in mind that it’s still a low ranked one in the end, meaning there will be much better barrier spells when you reach certain levels.”

“This is… impressive!” praised Kane. “Could you also make one for fire spells?”

“Boy, do you think inventing spells is the same as making food? It took me 5 years of trial and error for this masterpiece! You’re very, very lucky to learn the spell for free and you want to ask more?”

“I'm just joking, Maur. As a former saint, I know how hard it is.” Kane also had created his moves, albeit mostly taking inspiration from others. “Thanks again for the spell.”

“Yeah, yeah. Your current goal is to maintain the barrier for ten minutes.”

“Hmm, simple enough.”

“In one week,” added Maur.

“Are you insane?”

“You said it yourself. Should be a simple effort for you, no? If you fail to do so, I will not teach you anything ever again.” He cracked a devious smile.

“Not funny.”

“I am dead serious. From now on, you have to focus on my training, not chasing girls, or other trivial stuff. Or will you, a former ax-saint, give up on this simple task?”

“Your challenge doesn’t scare me, Maur. I will complete it!”

“Good! I’ll monitor your progress each day. Next, let’s do the usual.” Maur stood up and led him to the barren place again. They went on with the training until the sky turned black.

After he returned to the academy, Kane somewhat regretted being arrogant and accepting Maur’s challenge. Maintaining a barrier for ten minutes in just a week? Even with his talent, that sort of thing shouldn’t be possible. Back when he learned how to create a vis shield, he needed at least half a year to properly use it.

There’s nothing to do other than trying to master it, so Kane decided to practice it in the dorm. It had been a while since he slept there. When he entered his room, Calypso was already there, napping. The room remained unchanged… except for one thing: a white dressing table complete with a silver mirror. Its complex plant motif contraste the plain room.

“Oh, it’s you,” said Calypso coldly.

“Miss me?” joked Kane.

“As if.” He faced the wall.

“Why did you bring ‘this’ to our room?”  Kane pointed at the mirror.

“Unlike you, I am conscious of my appearance. It is a crime for nobles to neglect their beauty, don’t you know?”

Kane then pulled one of the drawers. “Are the powder and other stuff here even necessary?”

“That is none of your business,” Calypso turned around, glaring at Kane.

“Alright, I won’t ask further.” Kane shrugged before sitting on the bed in a lotus position. He began to channel his mana, creating a barrier.

A while later, he noticed that Calypso was watching him. Kane could sense his sharp gaze despite not seeing it directly. Uncomfortable, he stopped and stared at Calypso back. “What do you want?”

“Are you trying to be mysterious, Kane?”

“Huh?”

“Do not play dumb. Four days ago, you disappeared without a trace and suddenly, you return with injuries and pretend nothing happened!”

“Ah, you’re curious about that.”

“Y-you misunderstand!” denied Calypso, flustered. “As a newly-appointed class president, I am obligated to manage the students in our class, including your case. Yes, that is the reason!”

“Is that so? Even if I tell you, you won’t believe it anyway.” Kane scratched his temple.

“Hm? I smell an excuse. Was it too embarrassing to say it out loud?” he mocked.

“It’s just too bizarre.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.”

Kane then pondered. He considered making up a believable excuse, but the problem was he had been lying too much. Perhaps he could be more honest this time? It might seem not wise to tell the truth, though considering Calypso’s status as a prince, perhaps Kane could gather more information regarding the Aravides through him. He also was kind of curious about the prince’s face upon hearing it.

Even if Calypso spilled out his secret, nothing would really change… unless he somehow was connected with that family — which was improbable.

“Long story short, I was invited by Sharon for dinner, then I got kidnapped and was forced to enter an underground brawl as her fighter. She let me free after I won,” explained Kane, omitting some irrelevant details to his absence.

“You certainly are not lacking great imagination, I must admit.”

“I knew you wouldn’t believe me. Here, take a look at this.” Kane lifted up his shirt, revealing the vague seal mark on his stomach.

Calypso squinted his eyes. “A sealing spell?”

“Yes.” Kane nodded. “She set it up to prevent me from casting spells. A controlling device, in other words.”

“Ha! So, my intuition was true all along. That woman appeared too perfect.” Calypso pulled away. “Have you told this to anyone yet?”

“I haven’t and don’t plan to.”

“Not even to Brian and your other friends?”

“Nope.” Kane shook his head. “The more people know, the higher chance it will leak.”

“In other words, you entrusted a secret to me.”

“Basically.”

Calypso paused for a moment. His brows creased slightly. “Why?”

“I already know some of your secrets, so it would be unfair for me to not give you mine.” Kane had another reason, but no need to bring it up before he’s ready.

“Some? Which ones?”

“Your true identity and the fact that you lost against me.”

“…I understand.” Calypso rubbed his nose as he turned away, hiding his face. Despite that, it could be vaguely seen that he was smiling as if someone praised him. How strange.

“Was my secret that exciting to you?” asked Kane bluntly.

“Wh-what? How did you arrive at that false conclusion?”

“You were smiling.”

“No, I did not!” denied Calypso.

“Sure…” Kane squinted his eyes. “Anyway, don’t tell a single soul about this, yeah?”

He said that despite not actually being very concerned whether it was going to leak or not. The purpose was to test Calypso’s quality as his potential ally. Would he demand the price for silence?

“Naturally. As long as you also commit the same, that is.”

“That goes without saying.”

Kane then proceeded to tell the post-kidnapping event and described his fights in the underground arena. He omitted most of his interactions and anything that involved Black Feather to avoid further suspicions. Calypso was skeptical about it even though he kept interrupting the recount to ask questions. 

The rest of the week went by without a hitch. When he met Zumi and Athera, they flooded him with questions and more questions. Kane simply told them that he went to visit a friend from his village. They believed him, taking his words for granted.

Come to think of it, Kane hadn’t seen Sharon even once. Did she return to her family or something? Whatever the case, he shouldn’t be distracted by anything and focus on passing Maur’s challenge. He didn’t even visit Liana nor his recently acquired workshop for this very reason. He would practice from the afternoon until night, sacrificing his free time.

---

The awaited day had arrived. Kane and Maur, who was currently in his human form, stood facing each other in the wasteland.

“Begin!” shouted Maur.

Kane immediately conjured a dome-shaped red aura. It was small, almost touching him. His eyes were shut while reciting the chant repeatedly. Both the barrier’s surface and his face were tranquil like a calm pond.

Passing the 10-minute mark, a ripple occurred, then more followed. The form wavered as Kane clenched his teeth. The pain became more and more agonizing as time passed by, similar to holding breath underwater… or rather, hundreds of nails were hammered into his head. Time seemed to slow down for him.

---

“You can stop now!”

As the barrier collapsed, so too Kane. He lay down on the ground, panting. The fatigue somehow resembled the fatigue from physical training yet very different. For an ex-saint to almost faint from merely conjuring a basic barrier… What an embarrassment.

“Did I… pass?” he asked with short breaths.

“You passed, boy. Congratulations!” Maur applauded as he gazed at the helpless Kane.

“Really? I honestly thought your challenge was impossible,” said Kane.

“It is.”

“Then, why—” 

“I haven’t finished talking yet. It is indeed impossible for normal 13-year-olds since they would otherwise die while attempting this, but you’re different. Your soul is more than capable of handling the enormous backlash. This is related to what I said previously, remember?”

“The older you are, the stronger you become.”

Maur nodded. “Your body’s age doesn’t matter in this case, unlike when doing physical exercises.”

“Huh, I didn’t realize that.” Kane nodded. “But, there’s one thing that still bothers me. Why a week? We still have much more time left, right?”

“I shall answer that later. It might be better to show it directly to you.” He turned around.

Before Kane could ask another question, Maur spoke again, “Ah, before we proceed to the next step, you must promise one thing.”

“What is it?” Kane stood up and cleaned any dirt from his clothes.

Maur turned around, staring back with a pair of solemn eyes.

“Abandon and seal away your vis.”