"We're here!" Zach said happily,

Zorian surveyed the grass in front of him, his eyes full of suspicion. At first glance, this area is just a large meadow, surrounded by a ring of trees, the grass is too wild and too high, and the crevices of the trees are full of small saplings, which is a great place to practice combat magic and hide corpses. Even under the most normal circumstances, Zorian would not follow a complete stranger into such a creepy, isolated place. Oh, what a shift in his perspective......

"This meadow should be a forest by now."

Zach blinked. "I never thought about that," he admitted. "You've noticed the strangest thing, Zorrian."

"I also wonder how such a place could exist," Zorian continued. And they let this place deteriorate like this? ”

"Oh, it's easy," Zach said. "This is my land. It is part of the Novita family estate. Private garden, so no one can use it unless they have my explicit permission. ”

"Hmm," Zorian agreed. "You're close to here, aren't you?"

"Do you know where I live?" Zach asked, with obvious surprise in his tone.

Nonsense. "Of course I know where you live," Zorian said, looking at Zach, idiot. "Who doesn't know where the Novida estate is?"

"Huh. I'm famous, aren't I? Zach said with a smile.

Self-reminder: Zach is easily distracted by grabbing his self-esteem.

Zach snapped his fingers, apparently remembering why they were here. His hands vaguely made a series of gestures, and several humanoids made of dirt rose from the ground on the other side of the clearing.

Zorian stammered. Now that's impressive. Zach doesn't even need to chant any spells to cast them, he moves so fast that they move. (Extremely good mage, ha)

"Wow," he exclaimed.

"They're great targets, they're very resilient, and they reform every time you mess them up."

Zach demonstrates by firing a quick magic missile at one of the statues, hitting the statue in the chest. The earth structure took a step back from the force of the bolts, and cracks erupted at the point of impact, but the cracks quickly closed on their own, and the structure completely ignored the attack.

"I can't believe it!" Zorian said incredulously.

"What do you mean?" Zach asked. "They're just animated globes, so it's-"

"Not them," Zorian protested. "Magic missiles! No spells, no gestures, nothing! You just point your finger at the target and you've created a magic missile! ”

"Oh, that," Zach said, waving his hand contemptuously. "It's nothing special. It's just reflex magic. When you've cast enough spells—"

"Mana shaping is instinctive, and you can omit the spell component," Zorian concluded for him. Any serious mage has at least a few familiar spells that they can omit a few words and gestures but still have a role to play. "But it will take years!"

Zach just smiled from ear to ear.

"Well, I guess you've done that," Zorian concluded, feeling stupid. "This crossing thing, it's really convenient, isn't it? How many reflex spells do you have? ”

"Shields, throws, recalls, firearms, and a few other simple battle spells. There are a lot of spells I'm familiar with, but I'm not skilled at throwing fireballs. ”

"All right," Zorian said sourly. "So where do we start?"

"Chiron gave you a spell wand to practice magic missiles, didn't you?" Zach asked.

"Yes," Zorian confirmed.

"Okay, fire a few missiles at the mud man."

"Clay figures?" Zorian asked incredulously. "That's it-"

He pointed the spell stick at the nearest ...... 'clay man'...... Then fire. He was a little surprised when the construct tried to avoid his magic missile, but Zorian was not intimidated and continued to fire. His next shot was a piercer aimed at the head of the construct, which managed to hit it in the forehead, but failed to actually penetrate the animated globe. He tries to mold the next bolt into a cutter, but all he gets is a diffuse cloud of colored light that bursts like a soap bubble on the way to the target. The next two are ordinary smashers, one of whom didn't hit at the last moment before lightning struck him because the target leaned to one side.

Zach applauded exaggeratedly, completely ignoring the gentle gaze that Zorian threw at him.

"You've only been practicing for a few days?" Zach asked. Zorian nodded. "Are you already in control of your bolts? You're so much better than I thought. ”

"Let me ask you a question: How many magic missiles can you fire before your mana is exhausted?" Zach asked.

"10," Zorian replied. "Yes! The larger your mana reserves, the longer you can train each day," Zach confirmed. "This means that mages with more reserves tend to learn faster than their less gifted compatriots."

Do you know how many magic missiles I can fire before my mana runs out? ”

Zorian hadn't forgotten the seemingly inexhaustible reserves of mana that Zach had displayed during the invasion, and knew that the number must have been quite high. Still, your mana reserves are limited. Karen's pamphlet to him says that ordinary mages can fire 8 to 12 magic missiles before their mana is exhausted, while very gifted mages can fire up to 20 to 30. Also, while mana reserves increase with age and practice, they don't. The potential is limitless – most people have about 4 times the maximum mana reserve they had when they started, assuming Zach is in an above-average range and he reaches his maximum due to the time loop......

“50？” He tried.

"232," Zach said triumphantly.

Zorian was so shocked that he almost dropped the spell wand, 232? me!?

"Admittedly, I'm at the extreme end of the spectrum in terms of mana reserves," Zach said. Century understatement! "Unlike you, I've spent years building them, so they've reached unprecedented heights. Even if you've practiced all your life, though, you'll probably never exceed 40. This will make my reserves almost 6 times as large as yours. This is a shortcoming that needs to be remedied very much. ”

"No kidding," Zorian agreed. "I guess that's where you come in. Unless you brought me here just to tell me how bad I am compared to you? ”

"Hah! I admit the look on your face when you realize how great I am is absolutely priceless, but it's just an added bonus," Zach said.

He motioned for Zolian to come closer, and Zorian agreed, allowing Zach to cast a spell on him that was completely unfamiliar.

Zorian felt the spell seep into his eyes, the alien magic fighting the innate magical resistance that every creature possessed, and he briefly considered destroying the spell before it could take root. Note that it's not because he thinks the spell is harmful, but out of principle. Zach cast a spell on him without asking for permission or explaining what the spell does, which, no matter how you look at it, is a major violation of magical etiquette. In the end, he decided not to be so vicious anymore, and simply put away his magic resistance and let the spell work unhindered.

"Is your magic resistance under control?" Zach asked. "Sweet! I usually have to teach people how to do this first. Gosh, I don't know what to do until I recover. ”

Zorian frowned, ignoring Zach's comments and instead trying to figure out what exactly the spell did. It's concentrated in his eyes, so he should ...... See......

Oh.

A luminous, incredibly large pillar rises into the sky, twisting and undulating like a creature, occasionally producing brief vortices of luminescent matter along its length. It only took a moment for Zorian to realize what he was looking at.

"This is what the hole looks like under the mage's sight?" He asked, focusing on Zach again.

"Fantastic, isn't it?" Zach said. "Watching that huge mana geyser rise into the sky always gives me a clearer view of things."

"But the mage's eyes are on Cyo

IA shouldn't work," Zorian commented. "Too much environmental mana saturates everything. Why am I not blinded by the painful glow of everything in front of me? ”

"It's an experimental variant that tries to filter out that 'noise' and only show what's important," Zach said. "It's not very reliable, but it serves our purpose."

"Those exist?" Zorian asked.

"I'd cast magic missiles over and over again, and you'd observe what I'm doing and then try to replicate me," Zach said. "This time I'm going to use the right summoning and do it as slowly as possible. Try to memorize the words and gestures as you will be using them instead of the stick that Karen gave you. Spell sticks are more useful in combat, but for training purposes, it's best to use actual spells. ”

Zorian couldn't agree more than that—he's been trying to find a call for a battle spell for a while anyway. However, Zach underestimated him. "Trying" memory? Zorian may not have the ridiculous mana reserves of Zach, but he has a pretty good memory. It only took Zach one correct casting, and Zorian had already stuck the casting process in his memory.

Unfortunately, the rest of the meeting was less impressive. Zach continued to cast the spell a few more times before instructing Zorian to give it a try, and he found that casting battle magic with a classic spell was not only slower than using a spell wand, but also much more difficult. Thankfully, in Zack's demo, he did see how mana was formed, which greatly increased his learning speed, so he finally managed to launch a passable magic missile. However, by that time his mana had been completely depleted, and Zach thought it was a good time to stop today.

Zorian walked back to his apartment, lost in thought. Zach's comments about the huge pillars of mana also seem to strangely apply to his situation. Whether time loops or not, he will never beat Zach and his own game. Obviously, Zorian couldn't force his way through with combat magic as Zach wanted. No, if he wants to get out of it in a favorable way, he has to forge his own path.

But if only he knew what that path was. At the moment, figuring out the source of the time loop and how this damn thing works seemed to be the only thing he could do to help himself. This is unfortunate because he does not have the ability to solve the mystery. It seems that he will have to spend some time improving his magical abilities. At least, he still has plenty of time. Probably. He could never be sure that the time loop would continue to happen, but Zach's performance certainly wouldn't be as it would be anytime soon, and Zorian decided to follow Zach's lead in this regard.

He really wanted someone other than Zach to ask him for advice on how to continue to improve himself. Usually, that's what the student mentor is for, but he already knows what Xvim will tell him: more shaping exercises. Then he would throw marbles at him.

Though...... Ilsa did offer to take over his mentorship after a couple of reboots, didn't she? Not.

-Rest-

Despite Zorrian's desire for some extra help, he postponed contact with Ilsa until he actually had a few talks with Xvim. It takes a long wait, but it makes it easier to complain about Xvim's coaching method because he doesn't have to explain how he knows so much about the person. It's not like he has nothing to entertain himself during this time - if anything, it's that Zach is more enthusiastic about their combat magic practice classes than Zorrian, insisting on seeing each other every day after school. After two weeks of practice, Zorian was not only able to weave a proper homing function in the Magic Missile spell, but also learned how to cast shield and firearm spells. He was acutely aware that his ability to cast such spells was simply zero for a human battle mage, but he also knew that they weren't the only threat he faced. These spells may allow him to win a second or two against a winter wolf or troll, which can be the difference between life and death.

Zach returned to class the day after the first training session and apparently made a full recovery. For a man who has lost most of his memory, he is surprisingly interested. Zorian admires his fellow Time Traveler for his ability to keep a pleasant mood in hostile environments, but Zach's conspicuous behavior only makes his inexplicable skill progress more noticeable. It's pretty much the first time he's experienced a repeat of the month, except that instead of hanging out with Neolu and another mystery girl, Zach hangs out with him. This, of course, makes Zorian the target of every curious classmate, who wants to know how Zach suddenly became so good.

"What should I tell them?" He asked Zach. They were both in the cafeteria, and he noticed that several students were looking at him frequently, no doubt an opportunity to talk to Zach while he was waiting for him to leave. "I can't tell them for sure you're a time traveler."

"Why not?" Zach asked. "Time travel. Whenever they ask me how I managed to achieve such great results, I say that. ”

"You really told them you were a time traveler?" Zorian asked incredulously. He didn't know whether to laugh or bang his head on the table.

"Yes," Zach confirmed. "What's the worst that could happen?"

Zorian felt a phantom pain in his chest as a masked assassin impaled him and killed him in an alternate timeline. Honestly, did Zach never experience such consequences when trying to convince people to believe his story? Then again, he said he was trying to convince them that he was a time traveler instead of telling them about the invasion. In fact, he doesn't really tell Zorian this either—he dances around the topic whenever Zorian tries to steer the conversation in a particular direction.

"If you exercise a little restraint in class, all of this can be avoided," Zorian sighed.

"I kind of like the attention," Zach admits.

"Really?" Zorian asked. "I've only experienced it once, but I'm tired of it. Are you saying that more than a decade later, the freshness of all this attention still hasn't gone away? ”

"Oh, please, do you really think I'm going to spend these returnees in class?" Zach scoffed. "After the third restoration, it became very old. I spend most of my time doing my own thing. Gosh, usually I'm not in Cyo

IA Nearby! I only take classes when I want to relax or get nostalgic. The only reason I'm here now is because I was roughed up a bit the last time I returned, and I'm still trying to sort out the holes in my memory. Oh, because you piqued my interest. ”

"But why did I get you interested?" Zorian asked. "I'm not complaining about anything, it's just that why are you willing to invest so much time in me? Won't it all be useless the next time we return? ”

"It's a very cold way of thinking," Zach said. "I really don't think so. I tried to get to know all of our classmates in these recoveries, although some of them were very uncooperative with the idea, and I never thought it was a waste of time. It's the first time I've been so kind to you, and I don't know what exactly I've done to cause this. It's best to take advantage of it while I still can. ”

Now he's starting to feel terrible. During his return to school, not only did he never try to get to know any of his classmates, but even the idea never crossed his mind. This isn't the first time Zach has hinted that Zorian is a jerk to him. What exactly happened between Zach and the former Zorian that made such an impression?

"I see," Zorian said uncertainly, not knowing how to respond.

"I really want to know about you, though," Zach continued. "You're so different from the Zorian I know, I'm starting to wonder if you're really the same person."

"Who else would I be?" Zorian asked, honestly, he didn't know what Zach was going to do next. As he said, he doesn't seem to realize that Zorian is "returning", so what exactly is he trying to say?

"I think I might have changed the schedule, or something," Zach said.

Zorian gave him an incredulous look. Timeline changed? That's his explanation? Are you sure? Really, really? He exposed himself almost instantly, just to show him how stupid it was. Almost.

"Or something," Zorian said with a blank face.

"What?" Zach protested. "It can happen. Do you know how the mechanics of time works? No? Unexpectedly. ”

"After we first met, I did look up a couple of books about time travel," Zorian said. It's a lie, of course, but it's just a small lie – he's already sifted through texts related to time travel, just not in this particular reboot.

"But nothing was learned," Zach concluded. "It's a complete wasteland. They write about all sorts of moral dilemmas and time paradoxes, and so on. It was my first and last time in the college library, let me tell you. ”

Zorian gave him a strange look. "That's a joke, isn't it?"

"Which part?" Zach asked.

"You've only been to the part of the college library once." Zorian clarified.

"Uh, okay......" Zach laughed nervously. What can I say? I don't really like to read......"

Zorian stared at Zach, wondering if the boy was joking. If old Zach, whom he knew before the time loop, told him that he had never set foot in the library, he would have fully understood. He's not particularly unique in this regard – a lot of students never visit the library before third year because they can't access the spell repository until they're certified anyway. But this Zach has been through more than 200 times this month and is able to use spells buried deep within it. He never tried to find it. Because he doesn't like to read.

There was a mess in my head. Well, Zorian's mind was in turmoil.

"You read our textbooks clearly," Zorian noted. "You can't be as good as you can do if you don't."

"yes, well, I didn't say I didn't read at all," Zach retorted. "It's just that I'd rather avoid it if I could. In any case, I learn better by example. ”

Interestingly, the opposite is true for Zorian - he tends to learn better when he has the opportunity to research the topic himself before trying it. He still thinks that avoiding books is a rather serious flaw for a mage, but Zorian must remind himself that Zach has clearly achieved some degree of fruition. Come to think of it, there is a severe shortage of dangerous items in the Academy's magical collection, so a mage who is primarily interested in a more limited field of magic will find the library of very limited use.

"So you learn mainly through mentoring?" Zorian guessed. "I'm amazed that you were able to convince a mage to teach you in less than a month. Aren't they all going to have to learn for a few years before they agree to teach you something useful? ”

"Well, that's usually the case," Zach said. "But I'm the last Novida, you know? I have some very respected mages who have gone out of their way to teach me throughout my life. Usually I just have to show up and tell them who I am, and they're all happy to help me. ”

Zorian suppressed the wave of jealousy that welled up in his heart. Zach just made the most of his unique situation, just as Zorian did in his position. Still, it haunted him, remembering how Demon and Fortov had asked their teacher for all kinds of help and concessions, but Zorian had failed to get the same help and concessions for himself. His parents taught him endlessly, and the difference was in their attitudes – if Zorien was more sociable, more polite, more everything...... He can enjoy the same benefits. For Zorian, his brothers always had some sort of invisible tattoo on their foreheads that only mages could see, which marked them as something more special than him.

Zach is not his brother, though, and shouldn't be the target of Zorian's personal frustration.

"Convenient." Zorian said loudly, while giving a somewhat reluctant smile to his fellow Time Traveler. Zach didn't seem to notice.

Jealousy aside, he really began to wonder if there was any truth to his assumption that Zach was an accidental stowaway like him. Zach has an extremely large mana reserve, probably the most of all the students currently enrolled in the academy. He is the last member of a famous aristocratic family and enjoys all the prestige that comes with it without having to deal with nosy parents who may be frightened by Zack's sudden transformation. In addition to the power inherent in his name, the boy is quite charismatic and outgoing, which further increases his chances of getting help from other unapproachable high-circle mages. In any case, he is not your average spoiled prince - the boy has a lot of potential, as long as he has enough time to play it. Zach has time now. It's too ...... It's convenient. It's a little too convenient,

That's why, despite Zach's apparent friendliness, Zorian doesn't feel comfortable with the boy. In any case, it is not enough to expose yourself as a stowaway. Now, his main strength is that he is a peripheral element in this game that Zach plays. Variables not considered. He intends to take full advantage of and abuse this advantage.

Whatever power Zach has behind him, Zorian doesn't plan to reveal his identity anytime soon.

-Rest-

"You may be seated, Mr. Kaczynski," Ilsa said. "I have a slight suspicion that I'll see you soon."

"You did it?" Zorian asked.

"Oh yes," Ilsa said. "Normally, after one of Xvim's sessions, students come knocking on my door right away. You've waited for the second one, so be patient. ”

"All right," Zorian said sourly.

"However, I can't transfer you to another mentor right now, so I'm afraid you'll have to put up with him now," she said.

"I kind of expected this," Zorian said. Why was her answer any different from the last time he asked her? "That's not what I'm here for."

"No?" Ilsa asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No," Zorian confirmed. "Since everything I've heard and experienced about Xvim shows that we can never go beyond the basic three, I decided to be proactive and self-taught. I've been hoping to get some instructions from you – where should I start, what should I pay attention to, things like that. ”

Ilsa sighed heavily. "It's hard to give such advice, Mr. Kaczynski. That's why colleges provide mentors to students – because there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Still, I thought I could give you some advice on my own topic. What are your basic triathlon results? ”

"Depends on who you ask," Zorian said. "Most of my teachers in second grade told me that I had mastered them. Xvim says I'm a disgrace to the mages everywhere. ”

She snorted and handed him a pen. It was actually handed to him, not thrown to him like Xvim did. Ah, the fun of interacting with a sane teacher......

"Let it levitate," Ilsa said.

Before she could finish her sentence, the pen was already spinning above his outstretched palm.

"Oh, so you can already spin levitating objects?" Ilsa said, sounding delighted. "I bet Xvim is very happy with that." No, not really. "Do you know of any other variants?"

"No," Zorian said. "Is it standard procedure to learn these?"

"It's not like Xvim taught them," Ilsa said. "But yes, most tutors will give students variations of the basic three to improve their shaping skills."

"How many of these variations are there?" Zorian asked.

"Oh, thousands," Ilsa said, confirming Zorian's suspicions. "But most students have only learned about six by the end of their third year. Over here. ”

She shoved a rather heavy book into his hand and waited patiently for him to flip through it. This is apparently a book that describes 15 "particularly fun" variations of the basic three exercises, with 5 of each.

"Let me guess: you want me to learn everything in this book," Zorian sighed.

"It's going to be a very clever trick," Ilsa snorted. "Didn't you hear what I said? Most people study 6 or fewer ...... in a year. By the time you've studied everything in this book, you've probably finished college. Of course, assuming you want to – I'm not going to force you to do anything. ”

"Six times a year, huh?" Zorian asked cautiously, a thought coming to mind.

"That's right," Ilsa confirmed.

"What if I could master all 15 by the end of the month?" Zorian asked.

Ilsa stared at him for a moment, then burst out laughing. It took her a few seconds to calm down.

"Gee, aren't you the confident guy?" Ilsa chuckled. "If you are really that good, I will fill out the transfer form now, regardless of the regulations, and accept you as my apprentice. I would never pass up the opportunity to teach such a rising legend. Mind you, I don't think you can do it. ”

Zorian just gave her an evil smile.

-Rest-

Of course, Zorian had absolutely no chance of mastering all 15 exercises in this particular reboot, but that's not the point. Thanks to the wonder of the time loop, he had far more than a few weeks to learn the contents of the book. It's even in the academy library, so you won't have to go to Ilsa to get it next time you restart. Who knows, maybe if he learns this, he'll be able to get Xvim to let him go. One can dream.

Also, the book is actually quite interesting. It not only explains in detail how each variant is performed, but also explains why each specific exercise is included, and provides context to understand why the basic three exercises are taught to students in the first place. Zorian simply familiarized himself with each version and then began to read carefully from the beginning.

Makes objects glow, levitate, or burn...... These are very simple effects that only require basic shaping skills. For example, levitation is just the repulsion emanating from the mage's palm. It doesn't get any simpler than that. There are actually a lot of these simple effects, certainly more than the three they teach, but these three are considered to be prioritized. The production of light, heat, or kinetic energy is a common component of many spells, which gives the basic three spells a universal use that most other simple exercises lack.

The variations listed in the book do not fall into the same category as these simple or introductory exercises. Although Xvim, Ilsa, and the book itself refer to them as "variants", Zo

ia

Realize that they are more like "upgrades", or maybe "premium versions". He didn't realize it at the time, but the spinning pen practice – the first variant outlined in the book, albeit with a more fancy name – was a completely different difficulty category than simply hovering the pen above the palm of your hand. Not only did he have to keep the pen levitating, but he also had to shape an additional effect that made the pen rotate. This change is intended to teach mages how to multitask at once, allowing them to maintain both effects at the same time.

Although Xvim may disagree, Zo

ia

He is thought to have mastered the practice of turning the pen, and the guidelines in the book seem to agree with him. So, he started working on the other 4 variants of the levitation exercise, trying to figure out which one was the easiest. He quickly realized that not only were they in ascending order of difficulty, but that mastering the later changes might require mastering the earlier ones first.

Vertical levitation requires him to stick the object to the palm of his hand with an attractive force, place the palm vertically, and then separate the object from the palm without falling. The sticky part is simple, and Zorian can already do it, but getting the object to float off the palm without falling requires him to balance the attraction that binds the object to the palm and the repulsion that separates it from the palm. Without the multitasking skills he gained from pencil spinning exercises, it could take him a long time to master this task.

Next is fixed-position levitation, which needs to be able to maintain the position of the levitating object in space in the event of disturbances and changes in initial conditions. In other words, he must be able to move his hands up and down, left and right, while keeping the suspended object still in space. This requires his ability to balance attraction and repulsion in vertical levitation exercises, but this time he has to constantly adjust his balance according to the changes.

Wait a minute. Seeing that there was only one correct learning sequence for these exercises, Zorian began to practice vertical levitation. Unfortunately, he didn't achieve much in this particular reboot.

The summer festival is just around the corner.