Chapter 39: A Serious Talk Part 1

Amador left with his warriors, subtly signaling Bran to keep watch and remain alert. His departure was swift, but not unnoticed by Maydee. Her sharp eyes caught the gesture, and she shook her head with a sigh.

Her powerful yet incredibly reckless disciple lay sprawled on the ground, a foolish grin still lingering on his lips. She crossed her arms, exhaling deeply.

"My powerful but incredibly stupid disciple… what should I do with you?"

A moment of silence passed as she observed him. He was still dazed from his earlier stunt, but the excitement in his eyes hadn't faded. Maydee's expression hardened. This was no time for praise.

Gathering energy, she spoke with a calm yet firm tone, her words infused with magical power:

"Fior i'ma fe'shal, cera no'mun ve'hal—Ventus Flagellum!"

A thin wisp of wind formed in her outstretched hand, twisting and condensing before lashing out like a whip. It struck Joshua's face with a sharp crack!.

"Ouch! What the fuuuuuuck!"

The sharp sting jolted Joshua upright, his eyes wide with shock. He furiously rubbed his head to relieve the stinging sensation. But the moment he sat up, exhaustion overtook him, and he slumped back onto the ground, groaning.

He turned his head slowly facing his fuming Master. He winced. "Did you see it, Master? I did it! I finally proved that my theories are correct! For as long as I can imagine it and calculate an estimation on the formulation and compression of energy, I can do pretty much anything with my blank attribute!"

His voice was filled with triumph, his eyes gleaming with a manic intensity. But Maydee's face darkened. She folded her arms and narrowed her gaze.

"Don't get too drunk with power," she warned. "Your spells might be powerful, but you faint immediately after casting. What good is power if you collapse before the fight is over?"

Her words hit like a hammer, and Joshua blinked, his smile fading. He opened his mouth to argue, but before he could say anything, Maydee was already moving. She extended her hand, drawing in the surrounding energy, her voice resonating with authority:

"Elara'mi shen'thal, vera lumina'se—Spiritus Restora!"

Soft, shimmering light enveloped Joshua's body, warm and soothing like a gentle embrace. A wave of relief washed over him, his exhaustion fading as his strength slowly returned.

Joshua took a deep breath, feeling the renewed energy coursing through his veins. "Thank you, Master… and I'm sorry for making you worry."

Maydee huffed, her expression still displeased, but she said nothing. Joshua, now steady enough, pushed himself up with effort. As he turned, his eyes fell upon the devastation he had caused, and his jaw went slack.

The training ground was unrecognizable. Where once stood proud trees, there was now only ruin. A massive crater scarred the earth, the center of the explosion completely obliterated. The force of the blast had torn apart trees, their trunks shattered, some reduced to splinters. The ones that remained standing had their bark stripped away, their branches hanging limply as if in surrender. The destruction extended outward in a circular pattern, evidence of the overwhelming force Joshua had unleashed.

Joshua imagined a concussion bomb exploding with enough destructive force levelling this part of the forest.

"Holy…" he whispered, eyes darting across the wreckage. He ran a hand through his hair, disbelief settling in. "I did… this?"

He looked down at his hands, still feeling the lingering echoes of the spell's power. The realization left him breathless.

Maydee observed his reaction closely, arms still crossed. "Now do you understand? You are playing with forces beyond your control."

Joshua swallowed hard, then turned back to her, his face filled with determination. He dusted the dirt off his clothes and retrieved his round shield from the ground.

"I'm sorry about the trees, Master," he said earnestly. "I got carried away. Rest assured, I will be more prudent in the future. I'll focus on mastering smaller spells first, making sure I can cast them efficiently, until my lines become stronger and my core expands."

Maydee studied him for a long moment before letting out a quiet grunt. "Good. Then come—we have a lot to talk about."

Joshua let out a weary breath and followed her, his body still sluggish from the overuse of energy. His mind, however, was sharper than ever. This experiment, despite the near disaster, had given him invaluable insight.

"I used up too much energy again," he muttered to himself as he walked. "Now I know how it feels… how much damage each attack can cause. I can use this to refine my combat strategy."

A plan was already forming in his mind. If he could master instantaneous casting, learn to control the compression and release of energy without overloading his circuits, he could increase efficiency and precision. His blank attribute gave him unlimited potential, but potential meant nothing without mastery.

Maydee led her disciple to the library, the heavy scent of aged parchment and ink filling the air as she stepped inside. The towering shelves of books loomed around them, a sanctuary of knowledge passed down through generations. She gestured for Joshua to sit across from her as she settled behind her desk, her sharp eyes locked onto him with a mix of curiosity and expectation.

"Explain," she ordered, folding her arms. "Start with the shield. What did you do?"

Joshua pondered for a moment, carefully choosing his words. He needed to translate his understanding into the terminology of this world—no scientific jargon, just concepts that Maydee could grasp within the framework of her own knowledge.

He took a deep breath and began. "I structured my defense in three layers, each serving a different purpose."

Maydee raised an eyebrow but said nothing, waiting for him to continue.

Joshua lifted his round shield, the edges still faintly humming with residual energy. "The first layer—the outermost barrier—is a repelling force. Instead of simply blocking an attack, it oscillates at a high frequency, deflecting the impact away before it can fully make contact. This minimizes the force that reaches the second layer."

Maydee's expression remained unreadable, but he could tell she was intrigued.

"The second layer absorbs the remaining energy of an incoming attack. Instead of letting it dissipate into the shield, I redirect the force, converting it into heat and dispersing it harmlessly. This prevents sudden impact damage from overwhelming the defenses."

She nodded slowly. "And the third?"

Joshua tapped the center of the shield. "The final layer is what I call the impact cushion. Rather than relying on a single surface to stop the attack, I structured it using multiple compressed layers of energy. When an attack gets past the first two defenses, these layers slow it down gradually, dispersing the force over a wider area before stopping it completely. This prevents blunt force trauma from overwhelming me even if the shield itself holds."

Maydee leaned back, deep in thought. "And how did you incorporate all this into your shield?"

Joshua smirked slightly. "I enveloped the entire shield with these three layers, reinforcing them with my own energy control. Instead of embedding the shield with fixed enchantments, I actively maintain the layers, adjusting them depending on the force of the incoming attack. This means I can shift the repulsion field's oscillation, redistribute absorption, or modify the impact cushion as needed."

Maydee exhaled, rubbing her temple. "You're insane."

Joshua blinked. "Excuse me?"

She gestured at the shield. "You devised an adaptive, three-layered magical defense without runes, without pre-existing spells, and using only your own control over energy flow. Do you realize how ridiculous that is? Defensive spells are meant to be stable, predictable! What you're doing is dynamically adjusting them mid-battle—something that even experienced mages struggle to achieve."

Joshua scratched his cheek. "Well… it works."

Maydee groaned. "It shouldn't. But somehow, with your blank attribute, it does." She tapped a finger on her desk. "You need to refine it further. Your control is impressive, but it's also risky. If you miscalculate, your shield could collapse under pressure."

Joshua nodded. "I know. That's why I need more practice. I need to strengthen my energy reserves, improve my reaction time, and refine the layering process to make it more efficient."

Maydee sighed but couldn't hide the hint of admiration in her eyes. "Then you better prepare yourself, because we're going to push your limits. Your control is impressive, but true mastery requires more than just raw talent."