Training Addict Magician in a Growth-Focused Story

Training Addict Magician in a Growth-Focused Story

EP.5 Apprentice Mage

Leon showed the verification token to the guard at the entrance of the mountain and stepped inside. He compared the drawings on the paper in his hand while searching for the herbs. There were three types of herbs, Planetia Dew Herb, Moonlight Moss, and Puan Sand Grass.

It seemed these herbs were quite common, as he quickly found one. The difficulty of finding herbs for making an elixir was surprisingly low.

“Moonlight Moss…”

The problem was that these might not be all the herbs needed to make an elixir. Even if all the necessary herbs were required, it didn’t seem like the old man had listed them all.

“Suspicious old man.”

Leon recalled the old man’s suspicious expression. However, he didn’t show it. He didn’t have the power to verify his suspicions, nor did he have anyone to ask for help at the moment.

After three hours of gathering herbs, Leon descended the mountain as dusk fell. Although the number of herbs required wasn’t much, and he could have finished today, he damaged the roots of the herbs he was gathering for the first time, so he decided to return the next day.

Returning to the dormitory, he washed up and had a quick meal of bread before training until noon to receive his quest reward.

▶ You have obtained Essence of Gnoll (F-).

Essence of Gnoll? The name alone didn’t give much away, but the grade in the parentheses gave him a rough idea of its value. A very small yellow bead fell into his hand. He didn’t plan to consume it immediately. He intended to save it for after he awakened his mana.

The next day, after completing his daily routine, Leon gathered all the herbs the old man had requested.

And the day’s end was marked with a gacha pull.

▶ You have obtained F-Grade Elixir Recipe (E).

“Yes!”

Leon felt a thrill as the reward he had hoped for actually appeared. Unlike attribute constitutions, a fairly high-grade reward had come up quickly. Well, luck played a part in this.

‘I definitely made the right choice by changing the rewards.’

While the importance of attribute constitutions was overwhelmingly high, focusing solely on them could mean an unpredictable amount of time spent. Moreover, even a low-grade elixir didn’t need to be discarded. And who knows? He might even get an elixir recipe someday.

‘Should I really try growing herbs in the orb space?’

He brought the extra herbs he had gathered into the orb space. He had already noticed that the clothes he wore remained the same when he entered the orb space, which meant he could bring items in as well.

One hour in this space equated to one minute in reality. In other words, even if only one minute passed in reality, an hour would have passed here. If things worked as he imagined, it would be ideal for growing herbs. The rapid passage of time for herb cultivation was an excellent condition. Additionally, the overwhelming mana density in the orb space was a significant advantage. Herbs used for making elixirs naturally grew better in mana-rich environments.

Even if it took a lot of time to establish the initial foundation, once stabilized, the elixirs could be produced in abundance.

‘I’ll experiment later to see if time continues to flow here when I leave the orb space.’

Leon couldn’t plant the herbs immediately. To create a space for planting herbs in this dense forest, he needed to clear trees and prepare the soil. For now, he left the herbs wrapped in cloth in place and exited the orb space.

Leon unfolded the scroll of the F-Grade Elixir Recipe he had received earlier.

‘Planetia Dew Herb…’

This overlapped with the herb the old man had requested. However, none of the other herbs matched.

‘Is the old man trying to make a different elixir?’

The herbs needed to make an F-Grade Elixir were not many.

‘Planetia Dew Herb, Tear Mushroom, Petals of Rainflower, Mist Dew.’

He confirmed the detailed illustrations, exact quantities, and the manufacturing process. Most of the ingredients were related to water.

‘Water is a common element, so it’s not surprising.’

The issue was the manufacturing process. Boiling the roots, steeping the petals, and mixing with dew at the right timing—these were techniques that couldn’t be mastered just by reading. However, he could learn them through a few attempts.

‘Elixir Manufacturing Magic.’

He needed magic related to this. Although any manufacturing magic could be used for the lowest-grade elixir, the problem was that such magic was hard to come by.

Then a thought struck him.

‘The magical archive!’

There was no way the vast magical archive wouldn’t have manufacturing magic. Even if the spells were outdated, magic was still magic. Any manufacturing magic would suffice for the lowest-grade elixir.

Leon decided to deliver the herbs to the old man the next day and then immediately search the magical archive. With this plan in mind, he returned to the dormitory and closed his eyes.

*****

“You really gathered them all in two days. Was it difficult to dig them up?”

“I failed a few times, but I quickly got the hang of it.”

“Well done. Then, as promised, you can read whatever you like. Of course, if you want to copy or borrow anything, you’ll have to pay.”

The old man wore a warm smile, but Leon no longer trusted it. After the old man went back into his room, Leon immediately began wandering around the first floor of the magical archive.

‘Elixir Manufacturing Magic… Elixir Manufacturing…’

Since he hadn’t yet awakened his mana, he didn’t need any other magic. He avoided using the book search artifact placed at the entrance of the archive. It left a record, and he was cautious, thinking the old man might check it.

After about 30 minutes of searching, Leon finally stopped in front of a bookshelf.

‘Brem System Elixir Manufacturing Magic (Lower).’

He didn’t know how outdated Brem System magic was, but the important thing was that it existed. Leon memorized the book’s location. He planned to learn it the moment he awakened his mana.

Returning to his spot, Leon resumed his mana perception training with renewed focus. It was finally time to awaken his mana.

*****

Leon targeted his one day off per week for intensive training. During the five working days, he didn’t use the orb space, saving his time. The elixir rewards he received over the five days were all one-star elixirs.

Essence of Gnoll (F-) X 2

Essence of Orc (F-) X 1

Essence of Goblin (F-) X 2

At first, he thought the elixirs might drop from killing monsters, but he soon realized they were simply named after the monsters. Being the lowest-grade elixirs, they were named after the lowest-grade monsters. He would have to consume them to understand the differences between each.

Anyway, the accumulated orb time amounted to 101 hours. Leon planned to use all of this time in one day. If he got too sleepy and his concentration wavered, he would come out briefly to sleep and then re-enter the orb space. It didn’t matter how much time he spent inside the orb; even after spending all 101 hours, only 101 minutes would have passed in reality. The key was to allocate appropriate rest periods to relieve his body’s fatigue.

Upon waking up, Leon declined his roommates’ invitation to hang out and headed straight to a secluded spot to enter the orb space. The space was densely packed with trees. Leon sat down in a small clearing between the trees. He closed his eyes and began to breathe.

Inhale. A breath to calm the mind.

Exhale. A breath to empty the old.

Inhale again. A breath to fill with the new.

Exhale again. A breath to circulate the newness.

One hour… two hours… the sense of time began to blur. The consciousness that had been focusing on chasing faint mana in reality now eagerly absorbed the mana that filled the space, as if it were welcoming it with open arms. The exchange of mana reached a state of ecstasy.

At some point, the intangible energy began to swirl rapidly through his body at an indiscernible speed, making it impossible to tell what was coming in and what was going out. This was not merely air but mana. The fullness that inflated his body was the source of wisdom, the mysterious order of nature, the wave of energy resonating with our will.

Leon soon felt as if something was whispering to him, trying to communicate.

Was this a message of wisdom conveyed by mana? Or perhaps a connection to the source? Leon felt a fullness that swirled through his body, different from any fullness he had felt before. It was the fullness of ‘mana.’

A tingling sensation spread from his solar plexus, followed by a sudden, cracking sound as if something had split open. Leon’s eyes snapped open. A tiny core, the size of a bean, squirmed at his solar plexus.

“Ha…”

Mana spread from his mouth like a breath. He saw the flow.

“Heh, haha… hahaha!”

He had awakened his mana. Leon’s face was filled with ecstasy at the sight of the shimmering particles that filled the world. He finally understood just how incredibly dense the mana concentration in this space was. A child who had lived without knowing mana could now see its flow.

Without the guidance and teachings of any mage.

Self-taught!

Of course, he couldn’t forget the help of the Growth Assistant.

——————————————————

[Growth Assistant]

Information

▶ Name: Leon

▶ Rank: Apprentice 1st Grade

▶ Mana Quality: E-

▶ Attribute Constitution: Tri-Attribute (Water, Wind, Earth)

General Quest

▶ Mana Perception Training (Completed)

Breakthrough Quest

▶ Mana Awakening (Completed)

——————————————————

The general quest was marked as completed even though Leon hadn’t progressed it in reality. Did completing the breakthrough quest also complete the general quest? His attention then turned to his rank and mana quality.

Apprentice 1st Grade was the lowest rank for a mage, which made sense since he had just awakened his mana. The only slightly disappointing aspect was his mana quality. Mana quality determined the strength and efficiency of magic, and an E- grade was somewhat lacking. However, it was still mana quality. Unlike the immutable attribute constitution, mana quality could be improved by consuming elixirs. Given Leon’s plan to produce elixirs in large quantities, this wasn’t a major concern.

Leon happily received the reward for the general quest.

▶ You have obtained Essence of Gnoll (F-).

A reward that now felt expected. He then received the reward for completing the breakthrough quest.

‘Hmm…?’

▶ Reward probability increased due to rank advancement.

▶ 100 hours of Orb of Time provided.

‘Increased probability? Orb of Time?’

Leon immediately exited to reality and checked the orb. The orb displayed the number 179. Leon originally had 101 hours.

Including the time received from completing the general and breakthrough quests, the total was 211 hours.

‘So, I was in there for a little over a day?’

He had continued his breathing technique for 32 hours straight. He had been in a state of deep concentration without taking any rest. Although he had expected to use most of the time he originally had, he hadn’t anticipated awakening his mana all at once. It seemed the change in his attribute constitution had a significant effect.

‘So, this orb is called the Orb of Time.’

It was only then that Leon realized how heavy his eyelids felt.

‘First, I need to sleep.’

Leon returned to the dormitory and closed his eyes with a joyful heart.

*****

Someone visited the old magical archive where Leon worked for the first time in a while. It was a familiar face to Leon.

“Ria!”

Leon stood up from his seat in excitement.