Ric, who had been observing with crossed arms, staggered back slightly, his eyes wide in disbelief. "Yota! What in the world was that?!" he exclaimed, his voice rising over the ringing echo of the destruction.

  Yota stood frozen, the scorched remains of his attack still lingering in the air. "Uh... I don't know! I just did what I usually do, It's your barrier's fault!"

  "How is it my barrier's fault?! You were the one who poured mana and attacked!" Ric roared, his anger palpable.

  "I just tried to put more mana, because I wanted to shatter it in one shot..." he realized his mistake "Uh... Maybe I overdid it,?" he said, his voice tinged with nervous pride as he glanced sheepishly at Ric.

  Ric groaned, pointing at the destruction. "You didn’t just overdo it—you turned training into deforestation! You’re lucky we’re not in Academy grounds yet; they’d probably have expelled you on the spot."

  Yota scratched his head awkwardly, a crooked grin spreading across his face. "But it worked, right? I mean... the barrier’s gone."

  Ric glared at him for a moment before letting out a resigned sigh. "Next time, aim for precision, not annihilation," he muttered. "Let’s fix this mess before someone comes looking for the source of that explosion."

  But it was all in vain since many children started gathering out from the orphanage. Ric groaned audibly, shaking his head as he saw the approaching group from the orphanage. "Great. Just great. This is exactly what I wanted to avoid," he muttered under his breath.

  Yota looked around nervously as more children gathered, their curious chatter growing louder. "Uh, Ric... think we can just, you know, pretend this didn’t happen?" he whispered, his sheepish grin faltering.

  "Yota," Ric replied with a deadpan expression, "there’s a literal crater where a boulder used to be. You think they’re not going to notice that?"

  Among the crowd, Alden's sharp eyes zeroed in on Ric and Yota. Her mischievous grin widened as she pieced together what had happened. Without a word, she spun on her heel and dashed back toward the orphanage, shouting, "I’m getting the teacher!"

  Ric’s face paled slightly, and he turned to Yota. "We’re doomed. You just had to turn training into a fireworks display, didn’t you?"

  Yota held up his hands defensively. "Hey! You were the one who said to attack it! I just—okay, fine, maybe I overdid it a little."

  Ric sighed deeply, rubbing his temples. "Look, we’ve got maybe five minutes before the teacher shows up and starts lecturing us for the next hour. If you have any bright ideas, now’s the time to share them."

  Yota thought for a moment before offering a nervous laugh. "Run?"

  Ric shot him a withering glare. "Brilliant plan, genius. Let’s just hope the teacher doesn’t give us double training for this."

  As the voices of the approaching teacher and Alden grew louder, Ric resigned himself to the inevitable. "Guess we’re about to find out."

  After all the commotion caused by Ric and Yota, the teacher finally gave them a much-needed lecture. An hour later, Ric and Yota found themselves lying on the practice field, reflecting on the events.

  "That lecture felt like an eternity," Yota sighed, feeling exhausted.

  "Yeah, that old man may be a healer, but his disciplinary methods are evil. He beats us with his stick and then magically heals the bruises, then repeats the process." Ric replied, rubbing his sore backside.

  "Alright, enough dwelling on that. Let's get back to our training, Ric!" said Yota, determined to make the most of their time.

  "Well, if you insist," Ric responded, mustering up his energy.

  However, before they could resume their practice, Ren and Jim approached them, walking with purpose.

  "Hold on a minute, Yota," Ren interrupted, his expression serious. "I need to tell you something."

  "What's the matter, Ren?" Yota asked, raising an eyebrow.

  "Ric wasn't training you, Yota. He was using you as a test subject for his magical experiments, and that explosion was probably his barrier's fault, not yours." Ren explained, his tone revealing a hint of anger.

  Yota looked at Ric, seeking an explanation. "Is that true, Ric?"

  "Actually," Ric began to speak, but before he could explain, Jim interjected.

  "Yes, my friend, the curious mage,

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Using you as his magical stage,

  Through words and spells,

  his experiment goes,

  Crafting rhymes, as his power shows," recited Jim, gleefully joining Ren.

  "Haha! Ric, you've been exposed and outsmarted!" Ren boasted, a sense of triumph evident in his voice.

  Ric attempted to interject once again, but Jim took over, reciting another verse.

  "We've unveiled and outwitted thee,

  Claiming wits, we'll always decree!"

  Yota, growing impatient, looked at Ric sternly. "Ric, if you have something to say, now's the time."

  "Haha! If you have something to say, say it!" Taunted ren

  "Yes, I do actually," Ric began to speak but was once again interrupted by Jim who said another rhyme from Jim.

  "Speak all you may, the truth holds its sway,

  Yet we prevail, our triumph to display!

  In our superiority, we firmly believe,

  Our victory resounds, for all to perceive!" said Jim while posing triumphantly.

  "Speak up, Ric. We deserve an explanation," Yota demanded, crossing his arms.

  Ric took a deep breath. "Listen, Yota, the training was indeed for you, but it was also an opportunity for me to experiment with my magic and since it was an experiment I didn't know that would happen. I apologize if it hurt you in any way. If you don't want to continue training together, I understand."

  Yota paused for a moment, contemplating Ric's words. "Nope! Let's keep training together," he finally declared, a smile spreading across his face.

  With that settled, Ric and Yota left Ren and Jim behind, who were still striking dramatic poses, revelling in their self-proclaimed victory.

  ****

  Fifteen days later, as night fell, Ric sat on his bed, reflecting on the progress he had made and the discoveries he had made about his abilities.

  "After these intense 15 days, thanks to my experiments, I've gained a deeper understanding of my abilities. So far, here's what I've learned: First, I still struggle to create larger barriers. Second, the smaller the barrier, the stronger it becomes and the higher the enhancement of mana poured into it. Making it my fault why that blast happened." he sighed "Third, I've discovered the ability to make the barriers adhere to my body. Fourth, I've determined that I can only create a maximum of seven barriers simultaneously. And finally, the barriers don't deplete my mana when left undisturbed and naturally fade away after approximately 10 seconds," Ric summarized, jotting down his findings in his notebook before retiring for the night.

  With a sense of accomplishment, Ric closed his eyes, ready to embrace the challenges and growth that awaited him in the days to come.

  As Ric continued his training with Yota, he found himself delving deeper into the intricacies of his abilities. Ric pushed himself to explore new techniques and experiment with different ways to manipulate his barriers.

  One morning, as the sun peeked over the horizon, Ric and Yota stood in the training ground. The air was filled with a sense of anticipation as they prepared for another day of training.

  "Today, let's focus on your ability to manipulate fire to protect your body," ric suggested, a glint of excitement in his eyes. "Imagine the possibilities if you can use your magic not just for offense, but also for defence or mobility."

  Yota nodded, intrigued by the idea. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, visualizing the fire surrounding his body. Slowly, he extended his arms, allowing the mana to flow from his fingertips, enveloping his entire form.

  At first, the fire clung to him loosely, as if unsure of its purpose. But with each attempt, yota concentrated harder, willing the fire magic to adhere to him with greater strength and stability. He could feel the energy coursing through him, connecting him to the fire as if they were an extension of his own body.

  After several hours of focused practice, yota opened his eyes, his body now encased in a fiery suit of protective fire He took a tentative step forward, testing his newfound mobility. To his surprise, the fire responded to his movements effortlessly, shifting and reshaping with each step.

  Ric grinned, impressed by yota's progress. "Well done, my friend! You've managed to merge with your fire, turning them into an extension of your own being. This opens up a world of possibilities for your combat strategies."

  Yota, overjoyed, started to jump around and ran from here to there with lightning speed until ric stopped him and said "Don’t be so happy yota, as this method only increases your mobility not defence"

  Yota exclaimed with joy and proud that "Ric come on! Are you saying that this fire defence is weak? See! It's surrounding my whole body! Leaving no way to attack me, as the fire is hot for others, they will get burned if they get close!"

  "Haha" ric slightly laughed and challenged "if you believe that much in your fire suit then dont move!"

  yota nodded, proudly accepting ric's challenge, he stood there while ric pointed his figer towards yota creating a small barrier at his finger tip while concentrating his mana in a single point, He launched the barrier as a gun launches a bullet, ignoring all the fiery defences, the barrier hit yota's stomach!. "GAARGH" yota Screamed in pain as he fell down grabbing his stomach. Ric hurriedly took yota to the teacher for healing and once again got scolded.

  After that, days turned into weeks, and Ric's abilities continued to evolve. He honed his control over his barriers, summoning and dismissing them with ease. He grew more confident in his combat skills, blending agility, defence, and offence seamlessly, Finally, the day for the exam was near.

  Ric sat on the edge of his bed, twirling a pencil in his hand as he glanced over the notes he'd scribbled throughout his training sessions. He let out a small huff of satisfaction and began talking to himself quietly.

  "Alright, let’s see what I’ve got so far," he muttered, flipping through the pages. "First, I can’t make large barriers yet—still too much of a mana drain, quite surprising. Second, smaller barriers pack way more punch and enhance mana more efficiently. Third, I figured out how to make barriers stick to my body. Fourth, I’ve hit a limit—can summon seven barriers max at once. Fifth, as long as I leave them alone, they don’t burn through my mana and disappear on their own after about ten seconds."

  He paused, tapping the pencil against his chin. "Sixth, I can launch barriers offensively—useful. Seventh, sticking them to my feet gives me a decent speed boost. Eighth, sticking all seven together creates a solid directional shield. Ninth, I can make them float, though not very high. And tenth... barriers aren’t limited to my hands; I can create them anywhere on my body."

  Ric leaned back with a satisfied nod. "Not perfect, but it’s a solid start. It should hold up for tomorrow’s exam." He let out a short laugh, tossing the pencil onto the desk. "And if it doesn’t, well… tough luck. Not much I can do about it now."

  With that, he closed his notebook, placing it on the nightstand before lying down. His body sank into the mattress as he let out a long breath, thoughts of the exam swirling in his mind. Despite the nerves, a small, confident smirk tugged at his lips before sleep finally took over.