《Mage》Chapter 9 - Endurance
Advertisement
"Arret?"
"Huh?"
I looked up at my teacher, who was holding a book in her hand, the one about the knight. I knew I could probably listen and learn more about the world, but at the moment I couldn't. Why? Because everything hurt. It has been a few days since I discovered my new muscle building exercise and I got bored so I decided to use it in school. Now I was trying not to act as if I was in pain to not make people question what the hell I was doing.
"I asked, what did the knight need to use to save the princess?"
"A sword?"
"Good, but can you tell me the name of the sword?"
I internally sighed, for this was the most confusing part of this curriculum.
"… Sapphire."
"Correct! Now why was this?"
This is unusual, our teacher didn't ask someone this many questions, I must have really been out of it.
"Because it was made of magic crystal that…"
"Shone like sapphire." The teacher and the entire class repeated, one much more excited about it than the other. I looked around at my peers and saw most of them trying not to sleep. I looked behind me and saw Rohan trying to pay attention, but looking as if he was failing. I get it buddy.
Miss kept going on about the latest chapter in the story about the knight and it was apparently important for us to know a sword made of magic crystal was called sapphire, because it shone like it. That was stupid, name it something cool like Lucifer, slayer of dragons, or Goliath or even Magic Crystal Sword, something that makes sense, not Sapphire.
What kind of knight names their sword anyway? Seems a bit bizarre.
I stood up straighter and kept trying to lessen the pain. I immediately put my head in my crossed arms and gripped the thin cloth I had as clothes to hide the shaking. I wonder if this world had pain killers. The story of the knight was not only boring, but it was so generic that what little historical knowledge I could gain from it was drowned out; it was so generic not even I could tell what was made up or real. So, this knight gains this sword and named it Sapphire, before setting off to fight the dragon holding the princess hostage, hungry for gold. Apparently dragons loved money, and I guess it held the princess hostage so it would be paid to release her? Anyway, the knight I currently heading for the dragon's dungeon. I don't know which dungeon this is, the one from video games or the prison. Maybe both?
It was so infuriating that my class was so slow, I mean I guess they can barely read. It's been almost a week and we barely made a chapter, with 2 hours of reading a day. The book couldn't have been thicker than like 20 pages yet it felt like we were reading the entirety of a bookcase. Maybe I should also ask for the book?
I had an idea, a day ago. Why don't I tell the teacher I am too smart for this stuff? The only reason not to would be it might give away my real identity of a reincarnator, but I doubt the first thing the teacher would think when I tell her will be that I'm from a highly advanced society in another world. And if she does question it, I have an 'excuse': my siblings. Olivia is going to an academy, has a trainer and is well on her way to becoming a Knight, and Otto is about to go to an Arts academy.
Advertisement
I think it's safe to say my excuse checks out.
Eventually, the teacher closed the book and told us it was break time, letting everyone leave. She waited until everyone had left their seat before sue would walked behind everyone. I, and Rohan, didn't stand up, the teacher giving us a questioning look until everyone left the classroom. I stood up and walked over to her.
"Miss."
"Yes Arret?"
"I don't know how to say this but I think school is a little bit easier."
Miss stayed quiet.
"I already know the alphabet, and how to read, and count, and every thing else."
"That's amazing, Arret. You'll do so well on this month's test!" She then began to walk away but I stopped her.
"W-wait miss. I just, uhm, is there any way for me to get harder stuff?"
The teacher stopped and thought.
"Arret, I can't do much, you will have to prove you know everything in the test. Until then I cannot do much."
"C-Can I at least get harder questions?"
Miss just shook her head, before walking towards Rohan.
"Yes, Rohan?"
"Uhmm. I uh, I wanted t-to say the same, same thing."
"Oh, it's surprising to gave a class with 2 smarties! Now come to break!"
...
I looked around the house, but there was nothing to do. I read all the good books, all the books teaching fighting were taken by Olivia, all the books teaching tailoring or sewing went with Otto, meaning I probably won't see the fighting books for a few months or the tailoring books until the weekend. I could keep training but just the thought of it made my body shudder. Maybe Septem would teach me something useful? Not sewing, perhaps another time, when I was less bored. Something I would need... cooking?
I stood up from the bed, opened the door, and headed downstairs. I could not only hear, but feel Aunt Ferrar make a brand new weapon, or armour, or horseshoe. I reached the ground floor and went into the kitchen area, where Septem sat, sewing a surprisingly good sweater.
"Uncle Septem?" I said in my cuter voice.
"Whatchu want?"
"Well I have nothing to do, so I was wondering-"
"Go help Ferrar."
"Can you teach me cooki-"
"Fu- Gods no. You need some bulk, look how skinny you are, even when you eat our food."
That's cause four food is full of bread and potato like vegetables, barely any protein, maybe some fish or egg, and the main meal is a disgusting broth. And that's for muscle, let alone ant actual fat. I didn't say that out loud, of course. But I thought it so loudly, I wouldn't be surprised if he looked at me weird.
"But Otto didnt-"
"Otto already had skill before, no point making a horse be taught how to scale a wall when it can run like the winds. Go help Ferrar." And he focused fully back on his cloth.
I slouched away and put on my leather shoes, before leaving the house and entering Ferrar's Blacksmith shop. There was a few men waiting by the counter, who turned to look at me. I quickly made my way towards the side of the counter and opened the little gate before entering the actual forge. Ferrar was hard at work, making... nails? Though she seemed finished with the process and was currently just putting them in some kind of wooden box that she then seemed to sign. She finally saw me and breathed out.
Advertisement
"Yeah?"
"Septem said I should help you."
"You can't help me. You can barely walk with that strength of yours."
"That's why Septem told me to come here."
Ferrar seemed to sigh.
"Alright, here," she took a hammer off of a wall, with the shaft being around 15 cm long and the head another 5. All made of a metal. She then helf it out so I would grab it. I reached out and she gave me the hammer. It was heavy but I could hold it.
"Alright here is what you'll do."
...
I slouched onto my bed. I said I would use my magic muscle training but I should've just used it, because today felt like a training session. Everything hurt more and I groaned at every movement. However it gave me some insight into my training: I lacked stamina. Not stamina as in breathing, I had plenty of that, but I lacked muscular endurance. Yes, I got strength from my training, but considering it lasted a minute, I got no endurance. I had to find a way on how to get endurance. I could just do what I've been doing, but spread put the mana in little dots to make it so my muscle gets less damage and more excersise. Or I could move the mana around so I could damage one part of the muscle at a time, or-
Wait...
If my body lacked endurance due to my training methods, what about my magic? I've always thought about how I could get more mana but never how to lessen the cost of a spell. I thought I couldn't, but maybe.. what if I lose mana? I sat up.
What if every time I cast a spell, when mana is taken out of my core and moved into my finger to draw a circle, I lose mana? Like it seeps off into other parts or maybe meets more resistance as it has to move through my body, due to it not having been moved around a lot. Maybe thats why me moving my mana to muscles is becoming easier and easier. Not just due to me getting better at it, but it meeting less and less endurance the more I use the same path. I decided to test it out, and if its true, I believe I had another challange to complete. I felt so stupid for not thinking of this before.
...
"Alright everyone, time is up! Please, no talking, hand over the papers."
I awoke from my dlumber and quickly handed the piece of paper in. I have been, impatiently I might add, waiting for this test. Finally, I could get more challenging work, to learn. I finished it all in the first 5 minutes and just slept the rest of the lesson. It was fair to say that it was literally child's play. The most basic of arithmetic, mixed in with questions about the alphabet and the seasons. I got 100%, 100%. I yawned. Yes I was tired, but not because I studied, I didn't study at all, but because I stood up all night practising and practising. Magic, endurance, magical endurance, breathing, strength, everything. I just had to keep practising, specifically the more practical stuff, such as magic circles; the better I memorise the drawing process, the easier it'll be to repeat it. And last night, I achieved a goal. I achieved auto drawing.
Of course I practised under the blanket with circles as small as I could draw, but it doesn't take away the rush. I don't have to draw the circle anymore, it slowly auto draws itself in. Of course this is only for the candle spell but now that I practised with that I believe that the other magics will be drawn easier as well.
Now I think the results arrive either tomorrow or next week, and whenever they do, I shall be prepared.
...
"Arret come with me."
As I walked towards my classroom, the principal called out to me, standing on the stairs opposite the staff faculties. I followed her upstairs, a place I've never been to before. I finally got to see it and it seemed to be the same as downstairs, except much nicer. There was even carpet.
"Well done on your test, Arret. You got the highest of your class, and therefore you can have your request granted. Up here, advanced classes are taught to those that have prior education. Usually, these are nobles, but sometimes non-nobles, like you, get up here. Let me introduce you to the class." She walked towards the first classroom and I followed.
Finally I might learn something new and exci- wait I'll be introduced, in front of the whole class? Before I could say anything, the principal entered, interrupting the auburn haired teacher I saw before rallying up the students on the first day. I didn't fail to notice the higher class clothes and most importantly: a weapon at her waist, specifically a mace.
"Hello, class 1A," I'm guessing my class was 1B, "I shall introduce a new student joining you due to their high score." I couldn't just stand outside so I walked in and looked over the class. I got many looks, but everyone looked bored. Some sneered or smirked, or even grimaced but no one reacted over the top.
"This is Arret-"
"Hello,"
"-and he got the highest score on last week's paper in class 1B. Please welcome him." She began to call, very quickly followed by everyone. When it stopped, the principal continued.
"Treat him well." The command silenced any noise, a pressure seemingly placed upon us. She then turned to me. "Miss Sotsuc shall show you your seat."
The principal then proceeded to leave.
Advertisement
- In Serial169 Chapters
Paths of the Chosen (Rewritten, Revised, and Reinvigorated)
Daniel Stewart was chosen to alpha test a brand new Immersive VR game, "The Realms". What he doesn't know is that he has also been Chosen by one of the Powers of a far-off world, and is now a pawn in a game much bigger than any he thought he would ever participate in. Will he survive and thrive in this strange new world, or will he stumble and fall, shattered by the ambitions of another? Does he have what it takes to walk the Paths of the Chosen?---Inspired by the Chaos Seeds novels, TheDespaxas's The Gamer, and a wide variety of games and books, although the world, characters, and systems are my own. Expect high fantasy, magic, combat and intrigue, love and loss, grief and passion. This story is intended for adult audiences and contains explicit sexual content, profanity, and violence (including sexual violence, although not by the protagonist and not as a focus of the story). Chapters with such content will be clearly marked, and all explicit sexual content will be behind spoiler tags. I prefer my stories to have happy endings, and especially in these uncertain times, I feel that it is important to maintain hope. While this tale will reach some dark places, I promise to you that, when all is said and done, the villains will be justly punished and the heroes will prevail and prosper. Remember: it is darkest before dawn, but dawn always comes. Please note also that although this story does not have the [Harem] tag, it does have an extremely slow build into a polyamorous relationship. Additionally, starting with Champion (book two of the series), the [Multiple Lead Characters], [Female Lead], and [Non-Human Lead] tags would also apply to varying degrees.This is a complete, ground-up rewrite of the original Paths of the Chosen, following feedback from here and elsewhere. It is now written in the third-person limited omniscient perspective and in the past tense. In addition, while the major plot beats are unchanged, most of what comes between them has been reconsidered and rewritten, with pacing and characterization as a special focus.---Update schedule: 2 chapters per week (Monday and Thursday), not counting bonus chapters. Chapter length is roughly 2,500 words on average, +/- 1,000 words. Chapters with explicit content tend to be longer so that they are still worth reading for those who would prefer a fade to black. --- Cover art by Agri Karuniawan (@artofagri). View more of their work at https://www.deviantart.com/iamagri.
8 184 - In Serial23 Chapters
A D&D Gamer in Garweeze Wurld
He doesn't know how he got here, and while the trappings are familiar, he doesn't actually know where he is, either. From the perspective of those around him, Duromar is a half-ogre barbarian, an uncivilized brute by any standard you care to use. But from his perspective, he's a character created in a gaming system. From either one, he must live within the rules of that system. This is the story of a gamer who ends up in a game that's just a bit off from what he knows. ---- I wanted to write something a little bit old-school. Most of the LitRPG I've found seems to be based on computer RPG styled stories. Progression through levels is fast, and depending on the game, skills and even attributes can be trained with or without class levels. This wasn't true with the older pen and paper games, and that's the style of leveling I wanted to write.
8 189 - In Serial9 Chapters
A villainess Reborn
Bai Mei Li is a woman that is grounded in reality and science. What happens when a woman science falls into a world where science reason don’t prevail and instead might makes right? Jin Hong Hui a man more beautiful then any God ever created and certainly more powerful descends on the lower bound hell on recovering the precious treasure stolen from his family… burning to ash anything that dares get in his way. Jin Hong Hui “Where are you going.” He asked looking at her with a wicked grin curving his thin and sexy lips. “I uh… just um… I thought I’d go for a walk. You know know to help my digestion.” She said looking at his perfect face nervous as she slowly backed away. His grin deepened as he crowed her. “I have a better way to help with that.” She didn’t even bother trying to argue and just directly made a break for it. He laughed as he watched her run. A game of seek and capture before dessert always made his appetite bigger…
8 98 - In Serial17 Chapters
i Hunt Mansters?
In the year 2030, humans became victim to a war started by the inhuman creatures called the 'Mansters'. Humanity was slaughtered and forced to live in massive underground vaults for survival. After 3 years, a new threat capable of destroying the world peace arrives yet again. This time around, Earth has a new hero capable of stopping the catastrophe with the only issue that he is still a level 1 'dismantler'.
8 136 - In Serial42 Chapters
Memoirs of an old traveler:First Rebirth
If life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. Life sometimes gives you handouts and sometimes not, how would you take control of your life or would you let yourself be adrift on the sea. This is my story of rebirth, the start of a journey between the worlds. Will you take heart from the lessons I have learned or will you take without giving and continue the cycle? ___________________________________ A story with my take on reincarnation, expect somewhat of a more serious writing style but still a bit casual. I like to story build, to craft a universe, so don't expect quick action. Can be a bit of a heavy info read at times so if you don't like that best steer away. Chapters are expected to be at least 1 a week perhaps 2 a week depending on response and how much of an inspiration I get. Credits to multiple authors(too many to count/remember) of both web/light novels and the authors here on RRL for inspiration.
8 460 - In Serial23 Chapters
Game on
"I think Y/N is pregnant with my child." he said it as if he was admitting that he had a disease.-"YOU CAN'T KEEP ME AWAY FROM MY SON!" He yelled as if he had any rights to claim my child as his.-"Then we will see what the court will say about this." He spoke angrily before walking out the house not forgetting to slam the door.
8 179

