The pressure on Kain was enormous.
Kain's path to finding magic was like a maze, he had gone down countless dead ends, each time he had to backtrack and start over.
It's like a cyclical process of trial and error.
However, if it was a process then at least progress could be seen, but Kain didn't even know where he had gone wrong.
"After all... what am I missing?"
Kain muttered, staring at the wall that was now covered with torn pieces of paper from his notebook.
These pieces of paper were sorted, separated, and then arranged, forming something like a matrix. The order and arrangement also showed how chaotic Kain's mind was at this moment.
Hardy sat on the other side of the room, afraid to move, but his eyes still found it difficult to take their eyes off Kain, or rather, the paper-covered wall he was standing in front of.
Hardy had never seen anyone study as frantically as Kain.
Those pieces of paper were the teacher's lectures on magic, all copied down without missing a single word.
In Kain's hands, they were the pieces that would help him uncover the true nature of magic, and Kain was only a step away from the truth.
But this last step is impossible to take. All the roads he built to get to his destination were always missing a step.
Because it is lacking, it is impossible to pass through. He cannot step on something that does not exist.
Kain pondered, theories building and collapsing in his head at a rate measured in seconds.
Magic, originally defined as follows.
The human body is a lock, and magic of different systems is a different key. Only when the key is suitable can the magic potential be unlocked and the person can use magic.
This also perfectly explains why some people have extremely good talent in one type of magic but cannot perform another type of magic. Even though all magic is equal and does not differentiate in difficulty.
The question here is, why do they inherently have no distinction between high and low but become differentiated when "falling" into humans?
What makes Magus special?
Kain only needed to answer this one question.
But he still had no clue.
He had even investigated cases where people without talent for this magic were still able to perform it. But their experience was even more obscure than Kain's.
Kain sighed, another day without any results.
Suddenly, Mera sent him an invitation.
"No need to wear uniform."
Kain frowned, then looked at the sky that had completely turned black, momentarily unable to guess why Mera called him out at this hour.
However, he still went out.
At this moment, Kain saw Mera standing downstairs, wearing a long dress that reached past her knees, looking simple yet very elegant and youthful. She waved to Kain.
Kain asked suspiciously, Mera didn't say anything but pulled his hand. Reluctantly, he had to follow.
It wasn't until the two of them left the academy grounds that Mera let go.
"Okay, can you explain to me what's going on?"
"Of course it's just going out."
Mera smiled, then calmly raised both hands to caress Kain's wrinkled forehead.
Her soft fingers moved, making Kain feel slightly comfortable.
Seeing his face relax, Mera spoke softly, her tone as if she was blaming him.
"See... I just did this and you're already... Don't you see you're pushing yourself too hard?"
Even though it was a reproach, one could hear Mera's regret expressed in it.
Kain fell silent for a moment.
Yes, of course he knows, right? But what other choice is there?
Mera's voice rang out.
"I know you are a very opinionated person, you won't change your mind and everyone respects that. But... I will still help you in my own way."
The young man's heart suddenly beat fast.
"Alright, let's go out. Don't think about those things today, just have fun."
Mera said softly, Kain nodded unconsciously.
So, the young woman took the young man's hand and walked down to the bustling street below.
The place Mera led Kain to was a famous entertainment street in the city.
As soon as he entered, Kain was stunned by the sight before him. Long lines of people moving on the street, colorful lanterns hanging in the air, many food stalls giving off a nose-aching aroma,...
While he was bewildered, Mera pulled his hand again.
"What are you standing there for, let's go!"
The girl smiled, like the focal point of the entire beautiful painting. The young man was also stunned by this, then smiled as well.
It seemed that in this moment, there was no longer the strategist Kain, nor the hunter Kain, only the teenager Kain.
Whatever magic, whatever pressure,... suddenly disappeared. Kain and Mera just wandered around the streets, occasionally buying street food to enjoy and then exclaiming how delicious it was.
Kain was also very gentlemanly when paying for everything, after all, since entering the academy until now he had been eating the food provided by the academy, and this was free so he had not used a single cent.
The two of them played around until they were bored, and finally walked to a park.
After choosing a comfortable seat, the two sat down next to each other. Mera murmured.
The two of them just stared at the night sky for a while in peace. Suddenly, Kain spoke.
"Is the training hard?"
"Still can't fool you."
Mera smiled, but her eyes flashed with fatigue.
Kain noticed Mera's state as she moved differently than usual.
"Is it physical training or combat?"
Mera hesitated, but Kain saw nothing shameful in this.
Unlike Myra, Mera had almost no physical training before coming here, so it was normal for her to not be able to keep up in the beginning.
However, Kain believed that the girl who had been rolling around in the Dungeon would eventually catch up.