"Thank you for the dishes, sir," Arun said, retrieving his pouch to pay the man for his passionate work. Yet, the old cook extended his palm before him, signalling to stop.
"Seeing youths interested enough to train and eat well in a magic academy is all I need to brighten my day. If you really want to repay me, come from time to time to order again. It's on the house." The man answered, a reminiscing glint flashing in his eyes. He once was a powerful mage, too, unbeatable on the same tier.
With nostalgia, he gazed at Arun tenderly, causing the boy to shudder. The kid was unknowingly treading the same path he did in the past. That's why he wanted to give him a hand and let him discover the benefits a trained body yielded for a mage.
After all, mana ran through it, using mana circuits as channels and the heart as storage. Obviously, a stronger body translated to a better capacity and flow!
"Thank you, but I don't like to owe people. Tell me what you want. In exchange, I'll come daily." Arun answered, seriousness lacing his words. Every work deserves a salary. That was one of his mottoes, and he would never abuse an honest person. However, despite his sincere words, the cook's response astonished him.
"I want you not to give up on body training! Even if it is hard and boring, keep going and eat healthily. Trust me, you won't regret it." The man said, his fist clenched before his chest, revealing his shredded biceps and surprising Arun.
'Was he a body cultivator in his youth?' He wondered before smiling in gratitude at the man's encouragement and said with determination, "It's true it's hard, but I won't give up! I'll return daily to show you my progress."
With an exchange of nods, he took the packed food and left. No more words were needed between them. It was a promise made from one man to another.
As his steps took him out of the kitchen, the old cook stroked his moustache, his lips curling into a smile as he muttered, "So young, yet already a real man."
"What took you so long!" Adam said, his brow twitching upon seeing the boy return leisurely after disappearing for half an hour.
"You won't believe me. The head chef proposed to cook my dishes daily. He is a real pro and knows about diet, too!" Arun said, his eyes glowing with excitement as he tried to explain his unique discussion.
"Yes, yes. I don't care! We have a tight schedule to follow. Sit down and eat while trying to understand your spell and decompose the incantation into components." Adam said, intending to deliver on his promise to make the boy become an apprentice in half a year.
After hearing his mentor's stern words, Arun sat, his head lowered and ate silently, remembering his spell.
However, Julius suddenly whispered in his ear with a smirk, "He is jealous because he can't eat. Don't mind him and recount what happened to me after classes."
"Thank you, Julius," Arun answered with a smile, genuinely grateful for the Enjoy reading on NovelHub - your free online novel platform. Then, he focused on his tasks, trying to understand how his mana reacted to each word of his fire arrow spell. Despite his unfamiliarity with this method, he guessed that was how Adam could use them without casting.
Time slowly passed until Adam spoke again. "Walk around the garden for an hour to cool down and digest before class. Don't forget to build blocks until you run out of mana."
"Why walking?" He asked, confused by the instruction as he gazed into Adam's luminous eyes.
"To reduce your muscles' stiffness by making your blood flow. Just do it and stop questioning everything." Adam answered, holding the bridge of his nose.
Simultaneously, Julius gazed at his big brother, bitter memories filling his mind. Even when he taught him, it was the same. After each question or each time he didn't understand something on the first try, Adam would become increasingly impatient and frustrated until he called him an idiot.
"I'm glad you're not teaching me anymore," he suddenly said aloud, lost in his reveries and unaware of the blunder.
Upon hearing the words, Adam's eyes narrowed into slits, as he answered, his voice filled with displeasure, "We can change that tomorrow if you insist."
"I-I would love to, but tomorrow I need to go to..." He stared before closing his mouth as Adam's lips curled into a grin.
"Continue. Where do you need to go tomorrow? I'm sure it's a faraway place I can't go to, right?" He said, his voice oozing sarcasm.
'I Won't speak to him anymore. He's too infuriating when he acts like that,' Julius thought, falling silent, unwilling to waste time trying to win verbally against his brother. Then, he rose to his feet and accompanied Arun out.
After bidding the boy farewell, they returned to their room to train and wait for the end of classes to resume Arun's education, agreeing to avoid Shepard's place for the next month.
As the sun followed its course in the sky and started its descent, the bell signalling the end of classes finally rang.
Arun swiftly joined them and reported he had eaten twice more and that his stomach would burst if he tried to shove anything more.
"Try to eat a little more each day until your body adapts. Anyway, your last meal is for tomorrow morning." Adam advised before explaining what followed. "We need to fix your most glaring problem: your stamina. Go out and find a leisurely pace to run for one hour nonstop. Then we'll return to mana control training for one hour before you shower and go to bed at height p.m."
It was a strict and demanding program, but if the boy could endure it, Adam was convinced he would witness incredible results. Unlike Julius, Arun already possessed a mana-breathing technique and could eat magic beast meat daily to fuel his progress.
Upon thinking that, Adam's eyes glowed in interest as he gazed at the departing boy, curious to see what he would look like in a month.