The other boys nearby watched with astonishment as the old man made the perfect shot.

'Whoa. I'm almost a little jealous that Cody gets to train with such an amazing instructor.', Logan thought.

While the Colonel was certainly a well trained soldier and likely an experienced veteran, for Logan he was not a man who could teach him much about the skills of a rogue.

He would have to learn from what he could figure out on his own. He could learn the basics from the Colonel, but everything else from there would have to be self taught.

Of course, this wasn't exactly a problem, but it meant that he would likely fall behind his comrades if he didn't work twice as hard.

The man wearing the labcoat, who was known as Lorenzo, stood forward.

"Wow.... quite the impressive presentation, Mr. Gherbalt. As expected of the champion of multiple archery competitions. It's almost as if you have some sort of sixth sense."

The man spoke with a sly tongue, as if he was plotting something, and slithered over to Abel like a snake.

"But what do we have here? You know, my acquaintance stirred up quite the fuss over a hatchling who apparently is more skilled than I am. To be completely honest, I didn't really want to come here, and I had no intention of taking on an apprentice at first. But....."

"But?", Walter asked.

"But..... I suppose I can't let something like this slip by me. Hahaha! The Colonel understands me too well. Could I even call myself a man of research if I didn't run out as soon as some sort of abnormality appears? What does it mean to be a scientist? It means to be an explorer of the unknown. To approach previously unapproachable fronts, and defeat them by experimentation. To determine the laws which govern these seemingly abstract occurrences, and thus take the terrifying unknown and twist it until it becomes a well understood phenomena. One which is not feared, but utilized. I believe as a scientist, that everything we fear...."

Lorenzo held out his open hand, before grasping it.

"Can be contained and controlled. Everything we consider to be evil.... whether it be magic, or the dark arts.... everything can be contained through knowledge. Even monsters and demons can be used to our advantage with no risk, if we can only understand the laws which govern them, and how to properly utilize those laws."

"That sounds like playing with fire.", Logan commented.

"It is. But is it not the job of a magician to do exactly that?", Lorenzo replied, while holding out his hand and closing his eyes.

In front of his hand, a very small flame appeared. It was just a small ball, but it moved around in a circle until it created a ring due to how fast it was moving.

Dispelling the ring quickly, the man opened his eyes with a playful smile.

"Haha! Just a bad little habit of mine. But which one among you is it? Which one among you is the so called genius? I'd like to see what you can do! Just how is it that you can do magic better than myself, who has been training in the field for years? I want to know! I want to find out, so that I can produce more geniuses.... to the point where being a genius is commonplace. I want everyone to be able to use magic.... I want everyone to understand that the strength which lies behind these dark arts is not something to fear, but rather something to embrace!!! It is not heresy, nay!!! It is rather, the light which we are too scared of approaching, for fear of getting burned! We magicians, we scientists who like to study magic, we are the ones who are willing to drive ourselves forward fearlessly, without considering the potential burns we may suffer. Is there nothing more noble than that?"

Abel stepped forward.

He had a gleam in his eyes, as if he was impressed by Lorenzo's speech.

"Sir, I am the one who can use magic. I.... I wouldn't dare call myself a genius, though.", Abel said humbly.

"Oh??? This one right here, eh? The scrawny one? Well, I suppose that's the way it is, right? If we scrawny guys aren't good at magic or studying, then we aren't good at anything! You know, life is so complicated for us if we don't do something about it. Everyone else can do all the heavy lifting, but we're pushed aside! Can you believe that? Despite how important my field is, people push it aside, saying that it's some sort of black and evil magic, calling me a heretic, but at the same time that's just because they're too scared of guys like us gaining power!!! I want to show them. I want to show those guys that just because you're strong or fit doesn't mean you can push us around! That through magic, everyone can become equal! That these jocks don't have to rule the world! We can take our share too, and even the playing field! What do you say, kid? Do you wanna help me fulfill that dream?"

"Well.... if it means becoming stronger and being able to protect my friends... then I will do what I can."

"Good enough. Let's get started, shall we? Come back with me to my laboratory. Boy, do I have a whole load of things to show you!!!"

"Ok. Thank you very much, Sir! But, do you not want to see my magic first before we go?"

"Hmm..... I suppose that should be fine. More data is always a plus. Let me see. Go ahead. Use the staff and whatever gear you have, and show me your best shot. Why don't you aim at the targets over there like the old man just did?"

"Alright."

Abel then closed his eyes in concentration, and began imagining the objects around him while holding both ends of his staff.

He could feel the flow of mana in the ground. It was as if there were a set of surfaces around him, and he could tell exactly where the mana was- even with his eyes closed. This was what it meant to be a genius.

He spun the wand around as if he was ordering the earth itself, to create a single large ball of earth. He then split it into multiple smaller balls, the size of baseballs.

He created tens, and eventually hundreds of them. They were all hovering in the air, and suddenly the balls started spinning, and their shapes formed so that they were no longer spheres, but pointed like spearheads.

It looked like a series of drills spinning about all around Abel.

He could feel the mana of the people around him, so he didn't have to worry about hitting them.

He then thrusted his wand forward as if ordering the drills to attack, and they all converged on the target.

The target was pelted left right up down and center by the drills, completely destroyed in a violent attack. The wood pieces flew about, however the target was at a great distance from the group, so these pieces did not risk harming anyone. He had aimed perfectly at the target from long range, with his eyes closed, while multitasking and drawing out the paths of hundreds of projectiles all in a single moment.

'This kid.... he's far beyond just a genius.... he might even be able to make it..... could it be possible??? Could he break the 8th tier??? No, there's no way.... his current strength is probably only 4th tier at best. But if he is properly trained.... heh heh heh.... this kid might become someone far beyond imagination. I have to get ahold of him. I have to convince him to come into my laboratory!!! Oh.... how much I would love to experiment on him.... but I suppose that might be too much.... if he were to disappear, it would cause a ruckus.... but maybe.... just maybe.... no, I can't."

Lorenzo seemed to be mumbling to himself incoherently while biting one finger.

'This kid has parents and friends who would obviously notice that he has left..... but what if??? Oh!!! What if he were to willingly tell them that he was going to leave on a journey to research along my side?? If he were the one telling them, then they wouldn't suspect anything when he went missing!! If he agrees to become my assistant, then there wouldn't be any problems!!! All I would have to do is relocate, and then nobody would come looking for him! I can do it! I just have to convince him! I have to wiggle my way into his heart! And based on the look in his eyes....'

Lorenzo looked over to Abel, to see that he was somewhat worried.

"Forgive me, Colonel! I didn't mean to destroy that target there.... I'll pay for it! I.... I didn't realize I would be able to destroy it.... just yesterday I was able to do this perfectly fine, but.... I guess they got a lot bigger and more powerful...."

'In just a single day! But anyways.... look at his eyes..... he's submissive! He doesn't even realize how much power he holds within him! This is perfect! I can be the one who shows him this power, and I can make it so that he thinks it's because I trained him! It's perfect! I can make him indebted to me, and then force him to agree to come with me! He won't reject it, because he will owe me too much to do so! He's the type of kid who will follow what others tell him to do, even if he thinks otherwise.'

Lorenzo held back a snicker as he plotted.

'The only reason he's been able to survive in this magic hating world is because he has these friends who support him. But I can use that against him. I can expose him to the cruelty of this world.... to the pain we magicians have truly had to suffer.... I'm lucky just to be alive today after being chased from town to town, until I made it here to Porta. Hah! I know that Emperor made magic legal, but there are sure a whole lot of people out there who seem to ignore that! But that's fine! I can show him just how cruel this world is, and get him to come running to me! He'll abandon his friends in a second if he thinks that they will be targeted because of him!', Lorenzo thought.

The Colonel merely laughed in response, while holding his head, seemingly hung over in surprise.

"Haha! There's nothing wrong, kid! These grounds are meant for people to show off their strength! All that shows is that you've grown too strong to be training here in the first place! That's great! I don't know how much stronger you'll grow, but you had better move onto a ground more suited for a genius like yourself! Don't worry about the other guys, and forget about paying for the target. Me and Gherbalt will make sure the others are taken care of over this next month. You just focus on yourself."

"I-is that really alright?"

"I said don't worry about it! Now get out there and train!"

"Thank you, Sir!", Abel said while bowing.

Cody and Gherbalt had returned to the group by this time after witnessing the show that Abel put on.

"Abel."

Walter walked up to Abel and held out his hand.

Abel grabbed it and shook it.

Byron slapped his hand on Abel's shoulder, and grabbed the other three guys in for a group hug.

"We train for a month. We continue to do our farmwork weekly, but outside of that we focus only on training. After that, we meet up together and we all head to the Legion Commander to get approval to become official mercenaries. Don't forget this."

The five interlocked their hands together in a promise.

"Alright. One month!"

And with that, Abel temporarily parted ways from his friends.

"I'll do my best not to fall behind.", he said sheepishly.

Logan looked at him with a funny expression as he said this.

"Fall behind? You're the one that we all need to catch up to."

----

Abel walked alongside Lorenzo to the laboratory.

"Kid, do you understand how much we're hated?"

"I.... I do."

Abel seemed to be looking down with shame.

"Do you understand what the witch hunts are?"

"I..... do."

'What's this? The kid seems down. Could it be? Does he already know about the painful reality that we magicians have to face? Should I pry further?'

"Have you ever been hunted?"

"Me? Oh.... no, not me. I.... well, I've always been scared to admit to anyone that I can use magic. The only ones who know about it are my friends, and the people you met today."

"Not even your parents?"

Based on the facial expression of the kid, it felt to Lorenzo as if he had just thrusted a spear into his heart.

"My father doesn't know. Nor would he ever want me to become a magic user."

"Ah, I see.... I see..... so your father is one of them too, eh? The ones who call us heretics? Haha! I've never really been bothered by the word, you know. I actually take it as a complement."

"A complement?"

Abel seemed bewildered at Lorenzo's lighthearted view on the derogatory term.

"You know what I get out of it whenever I hear someone use that word? I don't hear the word 'heretic'. I hear a pathetic cry. The cry of someone who fears the loss of power. The cry of someone desperately clinging to maintain the status quo. But it's our duty as magicians to break through that status quo."

"I.... I think that is admirable. But Sir, you're wrong about my father. He doesn't hate magic users because he fears them, or because he doesn't want them to have power. He.... well, he has other reasons."

"Well, if you don't want to go into it I won't force you. Haha... I bet I brought up some nasty memories, didn't I? Sorry bout that! As a scientist, I have to study everything, no matter how unpleasant it is! Even a single facial expression or reaction is a valuable piece of data! Anyway, it looks like we've arrived at my laboratory! The building above the ground is where I do all my experiments. It's underground that you would be looking for. The secure facility."

The building in front of Abel was a medium sized building that seemed to be made completely from stone. It had no windows, and a single metal door in the front. Lorenzo led Abel to the side of the building, where there was a wooden double trapdoor with a set of rings to open it, which Lorenzo took hold of, opining both doors, revealing a staircase into what looked more like a dungeon than a training facility.

"What's wrong, Abel? Your face looks a little pale. Don't worry! This is all just because the facility is secure, so it can't be some aboveground building that's build shoddily! It has to have a strong foundation, one that can withstand even your magic attacks! Of course, I'm leading you here so that you can become stronger and help your friends. You want to keep that promise, right?"

Abel gulped.

"Yes, I do Sir. I want to become stronger so that I don't hold them back. Thank you for taking me here."

Abel entered after Lorenzo, into the dungeon.

After closing the door, Lorenzo used a small bit of fire magic to create a light.

The two walked down a short corridor before entering a room, which had metal walls all around that were strengthened to be resistant to magic. There were dummies that seemed to be made of steel and targets made from stone rather than the wood or straw ones from the outdoor facilities.

The stone targets seemed to be somewhat worn and dented in certain places, but they were still in tact.

"I was the one who did this. I'm not a genius in magic, so I can't do anything close to you, but I've refined my craft! Take a look!"

Lorenzo created a small fireball which he then aimed and shot at one of the dummies. It exploded with a flash, and the metal head of the dummy seemed to deform and mold just a bit from the impact.

"See? That's about what these guys can withstand. More than the ones in the training yard, that's for sure. Magic is powerful, but only if the right people use it. I taught myself everything I know, and to be honest I lost interest in my own magic long ago. I hit a limit. There was a point that I reached where no matter how much I studied or practiced, I never improved. It was complete stagnancy. But fortunately, I began experimenting with other things. Things that ignored my own abilities and limits. I tried to discover the very essence and properties of mana."

With nostalgia, Lorenzo began explaining his own reason for focusing on research as opposed to personal training.

"What makes mana? How does it flow? How does it effect everything it comes into contact with, and why? Through long years of experimentation and trial and error.... I was able to come up with something. It's a spell. A spell contained within a jar- somewhat like a potion, but a bit different. Anyone can use it, but this spell.... well, I need a test subject. I've used it on rodents and birds before, and it was a complete success! But I still need someone to test it on. Only after I find that person, can I begin to refine the spell and perfect it! But... enough about me. Why don't you go ahead and try to use some magic, but this time try to control your power. Try to fire a single shot at the dummies, and see if you can limit yourself so that you don't actually damage them. Can you do that?"

Abel nodded, after patiently listening.

"I'll do my best, Sir."

He closed his eyes and imagined the single drill bit. He started to shrink it, and it became smaller and smaller. The dirt which it was made of actually was composed only of his own mana- not of the dirt around him, as he was in a stone room.

When magicians cast spells, there are two types of spells. Spells which use mana to manipulate the elements around them, and spells which are created from their mana itself.

For example, Ashley's fire is created from her own mana, and whenever she lifts objects or people into the air, this is also a use of mana to create a forcefield. However, when she created a vortex in the water she was merely using her mana to stir up the already existing water. Technically, she could have created the water on her own, but since it was already there, there was no need to do so.

The drill created by Abel here was made using his own mana. He fired it in a straight line, where it burst into dust on hitting the metal dummy, creating a dent with a loud 'clang' sound.

"Well done, my boy! I certainly look forward to teaching you!!!"