Training Addict Magician in a Growth-Focused Story

Training Addict Magician in a Growth-Focused Story

EP.31 Arrival at Widia

Two weeks had passed since Rowen returned to Widia.

That day, after escaping from the lair and ascending to the surface, they were protected by Rowen’s master and then returned to Widia on a newly arrived sky ship.

Rowen spoke to her master, Merlin.

She pleaded to save the boy who hadn’t returned from the lair.

She said the boy had drawn the monsters’ attention to save them and then disappeared.

Merlin agreed and informed the party inside the lair of the situation through a communication orb.

After that, there was nothing Rowen could do.

It was incredibly frustrating.

All she could do was ask her master to save her comrade.

Rowen had known since she was young that she was born with a talent for magic.

It was natural for her to be stronger than her peers, and it was natural for those around her to admire her.

So when Ria appeared, she resented her for taking away that attention.

It wasn’t the strength that mattered, but the attention she received because of that strength.

However, Rowen realized the true importance of power.

It wasn’t just about admiration, reverence, or standing above others.

It was a means to protect those she wanted to protect and to bear the risks.

That was what power was.

The personal disciples and academy apprentice magicians around her kept their word as soon as they returned to Widia.

They proposed, through their connections, to commemorate the person who had sacrificed himself for them.

The response to that proposal was ambiguous.

It wasn’t dismissive.

It was just that more important matters had arisen.

In Widia, the priority was dealing with the aftermath of Berford’s unilateral decision to violate the Vasprion Kingdom’s Tower Treaty and embark on a relic exploration.

The Protal School had won first place in this exchange festival, and according to the agreement, they should have had the priority to explore the ancient magician’s lair.

Other schools could participate only after 15 days.

Widia broke that promise with a flimsy excuse.

As a result, the relic exploration turned into a mess.

Other schools, following Widia’s lead, began to explore the relics as they pleased.

It was natural for Widia to be in turmoil.

Even Raidera had to come out of seclusion temporarily.

There was no lack of complaints about the tower master who appeared after the incident had already occurred, but no one in Widia at that time could voice such harsh words to him.

The chaotic atmosphere somewhat calmed down after the news arrived that Berford had been expelled from the lair.

All the magic towers were expelled from the lair, leaving only the Witch of Destruction there.

It was an anticlimactic ending, but some were relieved that it didn’t lead to a major conflict between the magic towers.

However, the price for breaking the agreement would undoubtedly have to be paid.

Around that time, the proposals from the personal disciples and academy students were accepted.

“A statue, you say?”

Gail looked troubled at the words of his disciple, Felix.

In front of him were not only Felix but also other personal disciples.

Since their masters were just returning to Widia, the high-ranking magicians listening to their proposals were Gail and Merlin.

Merlin nodded beside him.

“Let’s do that.”

“But…”

“Imagine if your disciple had died in that lair.”

“Hmm…”

Gail recalled the moment he first discovered this brilliant gem.

His hesitant heart began to lean.

“Let’s talk to Raidera about it.”

*****

“Ugh…”

Leon, who had teleported to the entrance of the Herb Mountain, finally bit his lip at the pain radiating from his left arm.

His skin was severely reddened, with blisters and some areas where the skin had peeled off.

Even without exerting force, his muscles had contracted and hardened.

Leon poured basic healing magic, a common spell, onto his arm.

Although it improved slightly, it didn’t get significantly better.

He would need a long time to heal or receive high-level healing magic.

High-level healing magic was of the light attribute, so it was hard to expect.

‘At least it’s bearable now.’

Leon clutched his arm and moved deeper into the Herb Mountain.

There were guards near the entrance.

He had to hide and wait for a moment when the guards were less vigilant to slip out of the Herb Mountain.

Leon, who had worked there, knew best when those moments were.

‘Still, it would be more credible if I said I fell far from Widia and made my way back…’

Even if he had been caught in a teleportation magic circle, falling into the Herb Mountain near Widia would arouse suspicion.

‘Still, since the lair itself is close to Widia, it should take about a week.’

With nutritious fruits available, he could hide for that long.

Since the area was managed with mana stones, it was also a good place to train if he was careful of patrols.

Leon settled deep within the Herb Mountain and entered the Orb.

Inside the Orb, the giant golem lay on the ground, collapsed.

Leon pulled out the wooden sword embedded in the giant’s leg and climbed behind the giant, taking his time to extract the core.

The giant’s skin was already too damaged to recover.

‘It doesn’t look like I can use it as is…’

If he could use it, it would be a great asset, but it seemed impossible for now.

Leon recalled the golem’s blueprint.

Although it was blank, there must have been some magical measures taken.

‘I wonder if there’s a blueprint for Gigantes as well.’

Since he planned to stay in the training room for three months anyway, he could examine it step by step.

However, creating golems wasn’t as simple as potion-making; it required more than just magical talent, so it would take some time.

‘Speaking of which, how long is Kito going to keep exploring?’

She hadn’t come out of the Orb, so it must have been five years inside by now.

‘Is the Orb really that spacious?’

Leon, who was looking around, only took the wooden sword and put it in his subspace before coming out of the Orb.

After hiding in the mountain for a week to stabilize his state, Leon slipped out of the mountain at midnight and made his way to the main gate of Widia.

He didn’t bother to hide his shabby appearance.

He adjusted his state to Apprentice Rank 1 with the Bracelet of Hidden Magic.

The guard, who was keeping watch at the gate at night, widened his eyes when he saw Leon.

“Huh?”

After scrutinizing Leon for a while, the guard opened his mouth with a bewildered expression.

“Leon?”

It wasn’t strange for him to recognize Leon.

He was also a common disciple, and after completing a year of intensive training, he was now working night guard duty.

Leon limped closer, clutching his burnt arm.

“You survived?”

“I was lucky not to die. I even ran into Lord Berford…”

“Lord Berford hasn’t returned yet… uh…”

The guard looked confused, clearly not expecting Leon to return alive.

Leon was puzzled.

He hadn’t expected Berford to not have returned yet.

Leon tilted his head and then spoke.

“I’ve used all my strength to get here. Can I rest?”

“Oh, uh… go in.”

As Leon limped inside, the guard suddenly shouted as if he had just remembered something.

“Th-thank you! Thanks to you, I survived. I’ll tell everyone. They’ll be thrilled to hear you made it back alive!”

“Ah… yes.”

Leon awkwardly responded and returned to his personal room.

He hadn’t been entirely unprepared for such a reaction.

Since he had disappeared with the golem, he thought they would at least be grateful.

That was why he had decided to reveal that he had awakened his mana.

Considering Forn, who had tried to use him as a test subject to find out how he had awakened his mana alone, that decision had been made after much deliberation.

“I felt like I didn’t have enough training time.”

Given the ruthless nature of a magician, he thought that was about the extent of it.

But the reaction seemed more intense than he had expected.

“Maybe they felt more attached because we’re all common disciples.”

The next morning, Leon found himself in a difficult situation.

He had planned to visit Ria and Rowen, but his path was blocked.

Leon looked bewildered at the crowd of people who had come to his room.

Mabel, who was at the front, extended his hand for a handshake.

“Thank you so much. Your courage saved many lives.”

“…”

A boy who looked to be around Leon’s age also approached him.

He fidgeted with his fingers as he spoke.

“I thought you were dead for sure… I mean, not that I wanted you to die… I was going to mourn you… but I’m really glad you came back alive.”

“Who… are you…?”

“Oh, I’m Felix, Gail’s disciple…”

Then, someone pushed through the crowd to approach.

It was Rowen, the girl with red hair.

“Hey!”

Rowen almost hugged him as soon as she saw him, but she stopped when she saw the severe burn marks on one of his arms.

Leon, who had been dreading the hug, felt relieved.

“…This happened in the lair, right?”

“Yeah.”

She bit her lip.

“Are you hurt anywhere else?”

“Just twisted my leg a bit from running away…”

“Alright… It’s good that you’re alive. I can take care of the burns somehow. And…”

Rowen hesitated for a moment, then spoke with a determined expression.

“Thank you… really.”

Leon awkwardly received Rowen’s gratitude.

It was awkward for her to say thank you, and it was awkward for Leon to receive it.

An uncomfortable silence hung between them for a moment.

Feeling the awkwardness, Leon asked.

“Where’s Ria?”

“She’s… in another city with her master. She heard the news and is on her way.”

“Does she think I’m dead?”

“The tower probably didn’t tell her that.”

Leon sighed in relief internally.

If Ria had misunderstood, it might have caused a lot of trouble.

“Can you tell me what happened?”

As Rowen cautiously asked, someone interrupted them.

“Um, the tower master wants to see you…”