Derivan was walking through the city, thinking about what kind of training he should do next.
"You know, instead of wandering around the city without a goal, you should get to training."
Hearing a familiar voice, Derivan turned around and saw a familiar girl. "You don't have to worry about me, Nohara. I'll manage."
"I'm not worried about you at all, idiot!" shouted the red-haired teenager, her cheeks slightly tinted pink. "(Cough) I mean, I just don't want you dragging down our class's level."
"Hey, I'm not dragging anything down," the teenager protested.
"If you're telling the truth, then prove it. You haven't forgotten that I already beat you once," Nohara said with a confident smirk.
Derivan clenched his fists, remembering that defeat.
"I wasn't in shape back then, but I swear that if we get to fight during the exam, I'll beat you this time."
"I'd like to see that."
Derivan and Nohara went their separate ways, and the teenager decided to get to training immediately.
"Hey, Derivan, what is it? Don't you recognize old acquaintances?"
Hearing the familiar voice, the teenager immediately recognized who it belonged to. "Mr. Ronibo, what are you doing here?"
"You asked me to train you. Don't tell me you forgot?"
Derivan laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.
"I guess I did. Never mind your timing is perfect. The magic exams are next week. I have to become stronger."
"Next week, huh?" said the Ultra-class mage thoughtfully.
"I don't know if I'll be able to teach you much in less than a week, but I'll do everything I can."
Derivan practically jumped with excitement.
"Great, thank you!"
"You'd better go to bed early, because we're starting first thing in the morning."
"Alright," Derivan said, then ran home.
The next morning…
Ronibo arrived at Derivan's house and poured a bucket of cold water over him.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!" the terrified teenager screamed.
"Why do you look so surprised? I warned you yesterday to go to bed early. Now stop whining and get dressed."
Derivan muttered something under his breath and went to get dressed. When he was ready, Ronibo led him to the river.
"Why did we come here?" the teenager wondered.
Ronibo walked over to a spot where two buckets filled with water were lying. "Do you see those buckets?"
Derivan nodded. "Yes, and what about them?"
"Your task is to climb that hill over there without spilling a single drop."
Derivan couldn't believe what he'd just heard.
"You can't be serious."
"I absolutely am."
"And what exactly is this training supposed to do?"
"It will help you with concentration. Now, less complaining and more work."
Derivan grabbed the two buckets and headed toward the river, which he first had to cross to reach the hill.
As soon as Derivan stepped into the river, he immediately slipped and fell into the water.
"Damn it."
"Fill the buckets and start over," Ronibo said.
Derivan began filling the buckets.
"Hey, only as much as there was before. I remember very well."
"Damn it…" After filling them, Derivan started crossing the river again. "I have to be careful."
It took the teenager over two hours to reach the opposite bank. In the meantime, he fell three times and spilled a few drops of water ten times, so he was forced to repeat the task.
"I finally crossed this damn river. Now all that's left is climbing the hill."
Derivan moved forward. At first he had no problems, but at one point he didn't notice a stone, tripped over it, and fell, spilling the water.
"For fuck's sake…" Derivan glanced at Ronibo, who looked as if he were sleeping, leaning against a tree.
"Hey, if he's asleep, he probably won't notice," the teenager thought with a confident smile as he started walking forward.
"Not with me. I see everything," Ronibo said, opening one eye.
"Damn it were you pretending to sleep?"
"Maybe. Now go back, fill the buckets, and start climbing again from the beginning."
Derivan cursed in his thoughts but decided to go back and try again. Several hours later, in the middle of the night, Derivan finally managed to climb the hill without spilling a single drop of water.
"FINALLY! I did it!" Derivan collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily.
"Good job. Who would've thought he'd fall asleep right away? Then again, he trained for many hours, so it shouldn't surprise me. He's earned a bit of rest."
Ronibo picked up his student and carried him to another place.