158: Test (4)

Jamie looked at the two screens.

Taking in a disciple meant taking both of them under his wing and he had to check how far they could learn the whole-body breathing method.

“Can they learn it in one day?”

It took less than a day for Jamie.

Of course, he was assisted by Black but that was to improve the technique Linmel gave into his own.

And now he was making them learn Linmel’s technique and not his own.

Unless they had a familiar like Black, they couldn’t use the same method like Jamie.

Of course, the technique now was slightly modified to match Ann and Lennon.

‘Ann is gifted in scholarly works, but her talent in magic is poor. So even if it is slow, she can build up slowly.’

Ann had the ability to copy what she had seen once.

If it were her, she would quickly learn the technique. However, her energy and the core in her heart wouldn’t be able to handle the mana absorbed in her body.

So, instead of slightly reducing the amount absorbed, it was designed to last for a long time.

It will take longer to meditate than others, but it will be more than 3 times effective than a normal breathing method.

‘On the contrary, the breathing method I gave Lennon is an accelerated one.’

Lennon’s magical talent wasn’t lacking compared to any magician.

It could be said that he was a Great magician.

So, without being slow, the whole body breathing method divided into 5 steps was designed to start from step 2.

As Lennon, who had already received much help from the family, had his core far superior to that of his peers.

However, it was impossible for Lennon to learn this today. It was true that he was talented in various fields of magic, but Lennon wasn’t a genius.

Ann’s insight would see the essence of the magic, but Lennon had to read, memorize and understand it.

Although he learned faster compared to others, he couldn’t be on par with Ann.

‘But in the end, they will be on the same level.’

Ann stacks up one by one, and Lennon climbs up explosively.

It was known that Lennon surpassed Ann in an instant the moment he learned of this method.

Of course, in the long run…

“Lennon. It will depend on how far you go.”

Jamie enjoyed watching the two compete.

12 hours passed.

The children who should be running around and playing were now with a book in their hands.

Ann was reading it for the tenth time.

She understood it.

She looked through every detail of how it has to proceed and how the interaction was needed to maintain the whole body breathing method, and how to handle it.

Yet, the reason she kept reading it over and over was that understanding it didn’t seem enough.

‘If I want to, I can do it right now.’

No, she could do it the first time she read it.

The problem was that there was a difference between doing it, and perfectly doing it.

Ann wanted it to be perfect, and knew that ambiguity in success was worse than doing it.

‘Splitting mana is the difficult thing here.’

To split mana required a delicate control over it. This was the part most difficult for Ann, who lacked talent in magic.

It wasn’t just Ann. The mana control was always proportional to the state of the magician, so it was natural of excellent magicians to have good mana control.

Lennon had a higher level of magic than Ann, but looking closely at the society as a whole, Lennon had a mediocre talent.

He, too, won’t be able to overcome it so easily.

‘To feel the mana particles as grains and break them down to a size which the skin can absorb… Mr. Jamie does this?’

In the book, it was written, ‘in a safe place, sit cross-legged and do not move and meditate.’

However, Jamie maintained this method in his daily life. How it was possible was something Ann’s brain couldn’t understand.

She realized once again what this nickname of the greatest talent actually meant.

‘I am stuck here… the second condition is too harsh for me.’

Ann wept.

The first was to break the mana into sizes which the skin could absorb.

The second condition was the limit of the core to store mana.

The whole body breathing method stores an overwhelming amount of mana in the core compared to other methods. In other words, if frequently used, it would put a strain on her heart.

And it only slightly shortens the time compared to the normal breathing methods.

There was only one way of shortening it.

‘I have to extend the core to several places.’

The act of destroying the common sense of a magician.

But Ann’s eyes, lacking in magic, saw potential.

Lennon, on the other hand, was able to do both unlike Ann, but was stuck in the other area.

“… damn it.”

Split particles?

Increase core?

He didn’t know why he should do it.

“Why split mana? If breathing through skin is possible, why split it?”

“Increase the core? It is an impossible concept. The heart acts as a mana core thanks to the vessels which all merge there and not other organs.”

It was a stereotype he had to hold since he was a magician.

Lennon’s thoughts were so strong that he couldn’t accept this new one.

He even wondered if Jamie was doing this to tease him.

It was a pity that he was a 9 year old boy, but it was Lennon who grew up like this.

‘It can’t be. Even if he doesn’t like me, there is no way he would do this.’

Lennon trusted Jamie.

Above all, the breathing method is the only answer to maintain the ridiculous amount of mana that was accumulating in the body.

“Phew- terribly difficult.”

How far did Ann go?

She had an unusual brain, so she might understand the technique.

In fact, Ann had understood the theory was what he thought.

“Yes. The parts that require comprehension are pushed. Let’s admit that and move.”

Being stubborn always worked for him. Lennon gave up understanding what Ann was up to.

Looking at the books.

“Let’s hit it up now.”

If he followed what was written in the book, he would be able to do something.

It was better to see than hear, and do it yourself than to see.

And feel it with the body and understand it little by little, even if you don’t understand it.

Lennon sat cross-legged and began to meditate it.

Without thinking whether or not he could, he focused on splitting the mana particles.

His surroundings were dyed in blue.

“Nice.”

Ann understood the technique.

As Lennon expected it happened, and he couldn’t understand the technique, but it seemed to work for him.

Lennon began to use the whole-body breathing method.

“Is he the one to hit it and see for himself?”

Jamie smiled.

Because this was unique. Because there was a great difference between heaven and earth when experiencing it directly or not.

Jamie thought Lennon lacked the will to act. He liked to act like a black screen. A black screen was something where one listens but they wouldn’t move ahead.

Simply put, they hated actions. They preferred someone else doing it and didn’t move.

So Jamie thought Lennon wouldn’t beat Ann.

‘I don’t know if there has been a change in the past, or if this was who he really is.’

Positive.

It was especially good for things he had to do himself. Like the method. If he was unlucky, he may have an unfortunate accident where his core could be twisted, but he was acting confidently.

As long as he had confidence, Lennon wasn’t a bad one.

“Ann. Might need to get a bit more excited?”

Ann was a smart child.

The problem was that when she sees magic which exceeds the level of hers, she is at a loss.

And Ann was the kind who couldn’t get a 50m run in 10 seconds and even if she understood the concept of dance, she would be confused with the left and right coordination.

It meant that even if she worked hard, she wouldn’t be able to achieve the excellent level.

With that said, it would be better for Ann to give up as a magician, but that was why Jamie brought her.

“I will turn her into a Great magician.”

The first would be the breathing method.

If she successfully masters the whole body breathing method, she can perfectly master the control of mana.

As she levels up, the most important thing would be mana adjustment, and that would be control.

Even if the innate mana was insufficient, a magician with excellent control can handle it.

If the mana core can be extended to the other parts of the body, then the mana shortage can be resolved.

Whole body breathing method was an essential thing to compensate for Ann’s shortcomings to some extent.

‘If that didn’t work. I can help with her core expansion, but…’

Jamie wanted her to figure it out for herself.

Helping wasn’t a bad thing, but if she was going to be his disciple, then she needs to be able to figure it out.

“Even if it is slow. Find your own pace and complete it.

And another 12 hours passed and the test was done.

Jamie clicked his tongue as he looked at Ann and Lennon.

He didn’t expect that the two of them would hang around without sleeping and because of them even Jamie couldn’t sleep.

‘They are still 9 to 10 years old.’

It didn’t matter if one hadn’t slept for a day, but staying up was still an ignorant action for young people according to Jamie.

The head turns clear with a good rest.

Sleep is essential, unless one was at Jamie’s level.

But he didn’t say anything about it. He was someone who learned this within a day, and now he was looking at the children working hard in front of him.

“…”

“…”

However, regardless of the effort, the both children had dark expressions on their faces.

Jamie said,

“You both failed.”

Ann and Lennon didn’t fully master the method.

They worked hard and the results could be pass or failed.

And Jamie wasn’t the type to praise the hard work. Rather, he was a cold-hearted person who thought the others had no talent if they failed.

“What did you think I would say?”

“…”

“…”

This time, neither of them said anything.

From the moment they received the book, they were told that they could only become disciples if they somehow learned this.

But they failed.

There was no shame in it. The level of this method was so high that even a veteran magician couldn’t master it.

Children who are new to magic couldn’t learn it.

But the two kids couldn’t say that it was an unfair test in front of Jamie. He did tell them that it was difficult, and they still accepted this.

“Sorry. I did work hard…”

“You don’t become a magician by just working hard.”

He cut off Ann’s words.

“If you give me a little more tim…”

“You didn’t understand it properly and tried to do it and you seem exhausted. But do you think giving you more time will lead to some dramatic realization?”

Lennon’s words were blocked, two children were upset and Ann actually burst into tears.

Lennon was also patient, but the expression was no different from Ann.

Jamie said to them.

“But-”

The two children looked up at Jamie with red eyes.

Like his younger sisters,

“You have shown your will.”

“… will?”

“Will?”

“Yes. Will.”

The will to do it, the tenacity to hold on and learn it.

Patience which doesn’t want to give up.

In the end, they didn’t achieve it, and they had a sense of deprivation and resentment which came from it.

Jamie believed that they must be there to create an ideal human being.

“You have failed. And that isn’t deniable.”

Both of them frowned at the word ‘fail’.

Since they were young, they couldn’t hide their faces.

Jamie continued.

“However, if there was no time limit, you would have tried to learn it, even if it meant to call you death? Right?”

“Yes.”

“True.”

Both answered right away. And Jamie knew that they weren’t bluffing.

Which meant they were good enough to be his disciples.

“It’s a pity that you didn’t learn the method. Because I was hoping you could do it to some extent. But apart from that, you exceeded the standard.”

“Standard…”

“From today on, both of you are my disciples.”

At Jamie’s calm words, Ann and Lennon both looked at each other. Lennon, cautiously asked to confirm what he thought.

“Disciple?”

“Why? Don’t want to? Leave if you don’t want to,”

“I wont leave!”

Lennon spoke with a red face.

Ann too looked at Lennon and then cheered.

“Wow! Passed!”

“Passed! I passed!”

Ann and Lennon hugged.

24 hours of harsh time on them. And the emotions they had accumulated had burst out.

The two cried and laughed and couldn’t believe it.

To the extent that one would wonder if they really didn’t like each other.

‘Yes. Hell will unfold in the future so have fun now.’

Jamie smiled looking at the kids.

14,000,605 drills flashed through his mind.