The next morning, I went about my usual daily exercise at dawn.
Ever since I started, I slowly felt my body becoming lighter.
I had never seen improvements like this in such a short span of time. Normally, on Earth, progress like this would take at least a year of consistent training.
My lower-body strength seemed to grow with each run. Day by day, my legs felt sturdier, more reliable.
Perhaps it was time to diversify my workout, push-ups, curl-ups, maybe some pull exercises, to strengthen all aspects of my physicality.
Most mages I'd observed were muscular, sure, but compared to the warriors I'd seen in this world, they were nothing.
For now, I wanted to train lightly, careful not to strain my body. Yesterday's combat still weighed heavily on me. My heart had pounded so violently I half-expected it to burst.
Even now, I was sweating, tired, hungry… and most of all, smelling.
Time for a bath.
The cold river I reached washed away most of the fatigue. The icy water stung pleasantly, sending tingling shivers through my body.
I remembered now this river was where Sebastian had first introduced the principles of mana control.
He had injected water mana into my body, concentrating it at one point, then circulating it throughout my system.
In essence, mana circulation in a mage's body was like blood flow. You start with small amounts, gradually increasing them day by day, strengthening your internal currents. Without understanding this, a mage's control would remain crude, almost like a warrior's method: amassing mana to harden the body muscles, skin, and organs, releasing it when necessary.
I mused over this. As a warrior, each bout of training damaged the body. Mana reinforced it, making it sturdier and more resistant to injury. The more seasoned the warrior, the stronger, the harder to break.
Monsters followed a similar principle. Naturally, their biology gave them an edge, but survival in the wild, constant life-or-death struggles, further honed their strength.
Returning to my own mana circulation, I considered the river's abundant water mana. This would make my training more efficient.
Settling onto the riverbank, I meditated, drawing mana from the environment. Inside me, the water mana felt sluggish, like a trickle through a narrow pipe. Its current lacked strength, reflecting my limited mana flow.
No wonder my water balls lacked power. Without enough mana, my circulation couldn't sustain the spell.
Today, I didn't attempt any offensive casting. I simply focused on gathering and circulating mana. The river made the process far more efficient than meditating behind the school; next time, this spot would be my go-to training ground.
After a few hours, I opened my eyes. It was time to head to school. Step by step, progress would come.
I walked slowly along the bustling street. Adventurers passed in waves, laughing and chatting as they went about their day.
Suddenly, a woman with fire-red hair collided into me. She looked clumsy, hurried, almost reckless. Her hair blazed in the morning sun, her fair skin marked with a healthy robustness. Her eyes glimmered with fiery determination, matching the intensity of her expression. A sword rested at her waist, and light armor hugged her frame.
"Hey! Watch where you're going!" she snapped before darting toward the adventurers' guild.
Woah… she must be rushing somewhere important.
I continued to class. Nothing new awaited me; lessons felt repetitive. But something caught my eye. Miss Erica seemed down today.
"Miss Erica, you seem troubled. Is there anything I can do to help?" I asked, concern threading my voice.
"It's nothing. Just something on my mind," she replied, evasively.
"Well, if you ever need help, you know where to find me," I said with a warm smile. She must know about Sebastian, but the root of her concern remained opaque.
After class, I headed to the back of the school to train.
Water balls. Again. Still, progress was minimal.
Perhaps reducing their size would allow them to travel farther. I experimented. A small sphere of water formed in my palm, then shot forward.
"Splash!"
It hit a tree ten meters away, fast, yet weak.
So my hypothesis held: smaller water balls increased speed and distance but sacrificed impact. Adjusting the size of my spell compensated for my lack of mana.
Was it truly a shortage of mana, or simply poor circulation? Sebastian had said my mana volume sufficed for a few intermediate spells. The problem lay in circulation, not quantity. Faster internal flow could improve my spellcasting, but that would take months. For now, small spells were all I could manage.
I considered the implications. Water, in its natural form, was non-lethal. Pressure changed that, but without physical density, even small water attacks had little effect.
If only I had Earth or Fire magic… manipulating bullets of rock or flame would be simpler. Liquid was formless; it lacked hardness.
Hmm… what if I made it solid, like ice?
True ice magic might exist, but I couldn't control the temperature of my water. Freezing was out.
But molecular manipulation… if I could compress and realign the water molecules, perhaps I could craft a solid, crystalline form. Not cold, but rigid. A form dependent on molecular alignment and pressure rather than temperature.
I focused, forming a small water ball. Slowly, I rearranged its molecules. It began to crystallize, though it still cracked and shattered.
"Maybe it needs more mana," I muttered.
I poured more energy into the formation. This time, the crystal held. Stable. Solid.
I flung it forward. It traveled three meters before landing a short distance. The problem now was weight. Heavier than a liquid water ball, it demanded more force to cast.
Making it smaller, like a pebble, solved the issue. This compact crystal darted through the air like an Earth bullet, shattering against a tree with a sharp crack and leaving a small mark.
Every crystalline shot required significantly more mana than a liquid ball. Still, I could see the path forward.
A solid step into controlling water in ways no ordinary mage would think possible.