Training Addict Magician in a Growth-Focused Story

Chapter 17

The mage Gareth, who had been assigned as the examiner for the current general disciple selection, carefully reviewed the two pieces of paper in his hands.

These were the answer sheets of the final candidates who had passed the general disciple exam.

One of them was exactly as expected, showing the efforts of an ordinary person. It met the expectations, so there was no reason not to pass it.

The problem was the other one.

"Hmm... Interesting..."

The more Gareth read it, the more impressed he became. But at the same time, he grew suspicious.

"Is this really possible at the level of an ordinary person?"

The exam question this time was to create a logical structure based on the regular flow of patterns. Whether the answer was correct or not didn't matter.

It was designed to see if the candidates, all of whom were expected to be ordinary people with a single attribute, possessed the intellectual capability to grasp the basics of mana.

However, the answer written on the paper Gareth was holding far exceeded those expectations.

It didn't just hint at basic water magic—it went as far as suggesting the concept of fluidity. Though the final conclusion wasn't explicitly stated, the logic leading up to it was nearly perfect.

The logical structure was incredibly clean, as if the candidate fully understood the essence of the magic but was deliberately pretending not to.

"No matter how I look at it, this seems impossible..."

If this answer were given as an assignment to a current academy student, could they come up with something similar? They would likely reach the conclusion of water magic more easily, but it would be difficult to achieve such a clean logical structure in the process.

Gareth carefully scrutinized the neatly written answer sheet and clicked his tongue.

"For someone so smart, it's a pity they haven't acquired any magical talent."

But that was beyond Gareth's concern.

He decided to summon both candidates for a final interview. He wanted to conduct one more check of their constitutions and ensure they weren't spies from another magic tower.

Especially Leon, the owner of the answer sheet he was currently holding—Gareth resolved to scrutinize him closely.

Just as he made up his mind, someone burst into Gareth's office.

"Who...!"

Gareth frowned and looked up, only to leap to his feet when he recognized the intruder.

"Ah, Lady Arpina! What brings you here?"

Arpina Winterfritz, the Mystic Mage, held a position just below the Tower Master in the hierarchy within Wydia. Gareth's face was filled with confusion. This was a place she had no reason to visit, and he wondered why a high-ranking mage would waste her time on such trivial matters.

"Have you finished the general disciple interviews?" Arpina asked.

"No... I was just about to start."

"There's a boy named Leon, right?"

Gareth glanced at the paper and quickly nodded.

"Yes, he's here."

"Just pass him. I've already conducted the interview."

"Oh... I see."

Gareth barely restrained his head from tilting in curiosity. If Arpina said so, then that was the end of it.

"Understood. Shall I proceed with the interview for the other candidate?"

"Yes, do as you wish."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Gareth responded energetically, but Arpina, having finished her business, immediately turned to leave.

'What's going on?'

Gareth looked once more at the name "Leon" written on the answer sheet.

'Is he someone of interest?'

Otherwise, there would be no reason for Arpina to personally come for such a trivial matter.

'It makes sense...'

No ordinary person could have written such an answer. Gareth decided to remember the name Leon, as anyone Arpina took an interest in was likely to have a promising future.

The list of successful candidates was posted on the notice board. Among the two names written there was Leon's.

Despite not having had an interview, it seemed Arpina had spoken favorably on his behalf.

The first was basic telekinesis, a spell that allowed Leon to exert physical force on objects out of his reach.

The second was detection magic, which spread mana to detect the presence of people or traces of magical energy, and could also be used to gauge the level of an opponent.

The third was appraisal magic, which allowed the user to infuse mana into an artifact to easily discern its functions.

The fourth was mana infusion, the same technique used by Porun and Leah, known as the activation word, Infusion. It allowed one to spread mana throughout their body, temporarily granting physical abilities beyond that of an ordinary person. However, this technique required an incantation.

And the fifth was the technique of dividing consciousness, a spell that enabled the use of multiple spells simultaneously by dividing one's awareness.

For example, it allowed one to hold an artifact in place with basic telekinesis while casting another spell, or to simultaneously calculate and cast two or three spells.

Of course, at Leon's current level, he could only manage to hold an artifact with basic telekinesis while memorizing a spell. But it was a common magic that became increasingly important as one progressed to higher levels of magic.

There were also other useful spells like levitation magic, basic healing magic, and cleaning magic, which made Leon regret not learning them sooner.

"Levitation magic consumes a lot of mana..."

Leon’s feet touched the ground again after floating in the air.

Leon spent two weeks focusing entirely on mastering common magic. Since common magic was included as part of basic magic, the quests proceeded just as before.

Once he became familiar with levitation magic, Leon finally emerged from the training room.

He had only left to get food, otherwise remaining locked in the training room, even sleeping there.

Since reaching the 3rd rank, he could go without food for three days without any issues, which made his secluded training more effective.

Leon stretched and headed down to the first floor.

There, he encountered his fellow disciple, whom he hadn't seen in two weeks.

‘What was his name again... Oh.’

It was Aaron.

The brown-haired man looked at Leon with a surprised expression.

"Have you been cooped up in your room practicing the mana absorption method all this time?"

"Yes."

Leon still spoke politely to him. He was wary of people who tried to be overly friendly from the first meeting.

"That's impressive. Are you seeing any results?"

Aaron’s eyebrow twitched slightly. He was asking out of curiosity, but there was a faint hint of wariness in his expression.

"I think so... but I'm not sure."

Leon answered ambiguously, pretending not to know, and Aaron responded with relief.

"Take it easy. Robert said that rest is more helpful than overexerting your mental strength, remember?"

"You're right."

Just as Leon was about to return to his room, Peter, the senior from a year ago, came rushing in.

"You're here, Leon. You have a visitor."

"A visitor?"

"Yes, it’s a girl about your age."

"Oh."

‘Is she here to congratulate me on becoming a general disciple?’

Naturally assuming that Leah had come to visit, Leon turned toward the door, but he was surprised when he saw a flash of red hair peeking through the door.

"Why are you here?"

"Well... Why? Can't I come?"

It was Rowen.

"No, I just mean, there's no reason for you to be here. You said you didn’t even want to talk to ordinary people."

"Uh..."

Judging by her flushed face, it seemed she remembered how she had behaved before.

Seeing her reaction, Leon tilted his head even further.

‘Why is she really here?’

Suddenly, Leon's gaze shifted to something she was holding in her hand.