Chapter 17: Practical Training!

Eric's body suddenly shifted forward, teleporting one meter in an instant. At the same time, it felt as though a large portion of his mana had been drained away.

However, Eric wasn't the least bit disappointed. His eyes sparkled. "I did it!"

This was Phantom Step its effect was simply to teleport one meter forward and consume a significant amount of mana in the process.

On the surface, the spell seemed straightforward, but Eric knew its real value would shine through in critical moments.

What was even more important was that Eric had learned it in just two attempts!

[You have successfully learned a new Magic, Progress: 10]

[Triggering ten times critical hit, Progress +100]

[Skill: Magic user (Proficient)]

[Progress: (210/1000)]

[Description: A skilled Magic user who has begun to develop combat capability!]

[Effect: Enhanced understanding, faster mana recovery speed! Magic power becomes stronger! Speed of learning new Magic halved!]

…

Now, Eric had mastered five magic skills, three of which were C-level. His combat ability was now so formidable that no one in the entire school could match him.

But Eric wasn't proud in the slightest.

For so many years, he had been mocked as a useless waste. What he sought to reclaim from fate was far more than just this small achievement.

So, after learning Phantom Step, Eric didn't rest for even a moment. He immediately dove into more Magic practice.

"Keep going! Keep going! Only through constant practice can I become stronger!" Eric clenched his fists.

In the backyard, a shadow moved tirelessly, practicing Magic over and over again.

Finally, after draining every last drop of mana from his body, Eric staggered back to his room, utterly exhausted.

The moment he hit the bed, he fell into a deep sleep.

…

The next morning, Eric woke up. The first thing he did was open his progress panel.

[Skill: Magic user (Proficient)]

[Progress: (300/1000)]

The progress was impressive he had reached 300 overnight. But Eric began to notice that as his progress increased, the amount of progress he gained from repeating the same tasks grew smaller and smaller.

In other words, the further he went, the slower his progress would become!

"Keep at it. After all, every bit of progress strengthens my abilities!" Eric looked at his hands, his gaze steady and determined.

"If the pace continues like this, I should be able to break through to the next level of Magic user in about a week…" He muttered, then refocused, heading to the kitchen for breakfast.

Just after finishing his meal, Eric's phone buzzed, and he received a notification from his class.

[Professor Lester: Everyone should practice diligently over the next few days. In three days, we will organize a practical training event. Be sure to report to school on time!]

[Andy: Awesome, I love practical training!]

[Lilith: Got it, don't worry, Professor. I'll make sure to put in the effort!]

[Kevin: Heh, some people probably won't even qualify to participate in this event...]

Eric glanced at the messages and then turned off his phone.

"A practical training event in three days?" Eric muttered to himself. This worked out perfectly, as he had decided to focus on intensive practice in the next few days. "Alright, I'll just stay at home and go into closed-door training for the next three days!"

Eric had realized something important. Even though he had learned several magic skills, he now understood more clearly after reaching the level of a proficient Magic User.

Learning a magic spell was just the starting point nothing more!

He walked into the backyard, which, in truth, wasn't fenced off. This area was essentially a rundown part of town. Behind Eric's house was a stretch of abandoned land, and not far from there was a scrap yard. This made it a perfect place for him to freely practice his magic.

"Water Sphere Technique!" Eric aimed at an old, discarded tractor tire in the distance and cast the spell.

"Boom!" The water sphere shot out like lightning, exploding upon impact.

If this had been the initial Water Sphere Technique Eric had learned, it would have been too slow and the explosion would have left only a shallow crater on the tire's surface.

But now… after the water sphere struck, the tire was blown apart like it had been hit by high explosives. The massive tire was sent flying into the air!

In the end, only a few small, palm-sized chunks of rubber fell back to the ground, emitting black smoke.

"Just like that…" Eric muttered. "So this is how the power of a magic spell can increase as the Magic User grows stronger!"

This was why learning a magic spell was just the beginning.

As Eric grew more powerful, even a low-level, D-grade spell like Water Sphere Technique could yield impressive results!

And for other C-level spells, the potential was even greater!

"What I need to do now is focus on refining every single magic spell!" Eric said to himself, then immediately began chanting another spell.

"Phantom Step!"

After a brief delay, Eric appeared one meter away from his original position.

Though he had already mastered Phantom Step yesterday, being able to use it didn't mean he had mastered it yet.

What struck Eric most was the brief delay in his movement before teleportation. In real combat, even this tiny delay could be fatal!

"In the next three days, I need to practice and further improve the proficiency of all my magic!" Eric whispered to himself, and then once again began his intense training.

For the next three days, Eric barely stopped practicing.

He would only rest once his mana was completely exhausted, and as soon as it recovered, he would immediately return to his training.

If a normal person had tried this, they surely wouldn't have been able to withstand it.

In fact, if any of Eric's teachers from school had watched his training method, they would have undoubtedly shouted, "Madman! You're destroying your body!"

But Eric didn't care. He never cared. After all, during the years he had been seen as a worthless nobody, how many days had he spent like this?

Before long, three days had passed.

On the morning of the fourth day, as the sunlight bathed the world, Eric walked toward the school with a steady, determined step.

Once Eric entered the school, he hadn't even made it to his classroom when he noticed Kevin and his group standing nearby, all of them staring at him.

Kevin wore a mocking expression, with a hint of anger in his eyes. He raised his fist and said, "You, coming to school today? Looking to cause trouble?"

Thinking back to what had happened a few days ago, Kevin's temper flared. Behind him, a red-haired boy suggested, "Boss, why not just deal with him here and get some payback for the other day?"

Kevin punched the red-haired boy on the head. "Shut up, idiot Andy! The groupings for the practical event are about to start! We don't have time today!"

The practical event was extremely important, and all the students preparing for the entrance exam had been training like crazy over the past few days Kevin, of course, was no exception.

"You're lucky today, you little brat! If I see you again, you're dead!" Kevin sneered and pointed a finger at Eric before turning away with his friends and heading for the classroom.

Eric didn't say a word. In his eyes, someone like Kevin wasn't even worth paying attention to.

With a blank expression, he continued walking toward the classroom.

"Students, I'm glad to see that you're all here so early today!"

When Eric entered the classroom, he noticed that many students had already arrived. At the front of the room, Professor Lester was speaking loudly to the class.

There were about 20 students in the classroom, and aside from those who felt they would never become extraordinary beings, everyone else considered the practical training event to be very important.

After all, it was a great opportunity to assess their abilities before the entrance exams!

Eric said nothing as he walked to his seat, sitting behind Alicia.

Professor Lester turned around and, spotting Eric walking into the classroom, was immediately surprised. "What is he doing here?"

He remembered the ridiculous thing Eric had said last time about signing up to become a Magic User.

But since Eric had shown up, there was no point in dwelling on it. Lester quickly refocused and addressed the class: "In a moment, we will be dividing you into groups!"

"This time, each group will consist of five students, and the top-performing group will receive a scholarship as a reward!"

Upon hearing this, the students below began to buzz with excitement.

Kevin raised his hand and asked, "Professor, how will the groups be assigned?"

Lester replied, "The groups will be assigned randomly. Who your teammates are will be purely a matter of luck!"

As soon as he finished speaking, several students started whispering, curious about who they might be paired with.

Kevin rubbed his hands together excitedly. "I hope I get to be in a group with Lilith, or Alicia would be good too!"