Life in the valley was dull and long, and Carlos strictly forbade him from going outside. No matter how mature his mind or how steady his personality, Starlight was still just a youth, and spending over ten years here had left him feeling quite stifled.
To alleviate this boredom, he could only continuously hone the basic spells he already knew by heart as a form of pastime.
Just as he was directing a flame to change into various shapes while cooking lunch, the main door suddenly creaked open, and Carlos walked out while yawning.
“Master, you’re here! Lunch is almost ready. Please wait a moment.” Seeing Carlos come out, Starlight stopped what he was doing and gave a cheerful greeting.
Carlos smiled and nodded at him, making his way to the stone table to grab a fruit from the bag and begin eating.
A few minutes later, Starlight used a breeze to lift the pot in front of him, slowly moving it onto the table. With his other hand, he skillfully summoned a splash of clear water to extinguish the flames in the stove before sitting down at the table.
“How is your research going, Master?” Seeing Carlos serve himself a bowl of steaming porridge from the pot, Starlight suddenly felt curious and asked.
“Not bad. It’s about the same as I expected.” Carlos paused for a moment before smiling. “Little Star, why the sudden interest today? Are you getting impatient to learn new magic?”
Having his thoughts seen through by his master, Starlight gave a shy smile and nodded, speaking with a hint of embarrassment.
“Yes, Master. After all, I rarely see you come out on time for meals, so I just felt like asking.”
Carlos raised an eyebrow and replied, “True, you’re almost fifteen before I even realized it. Since you’re so interested, I’ll teach you a new move right now. Do you remember basic light magic?”
Hearing that his master was going to teach him a new skill, Starlight immediately put down his bowl and chopsticks in excitement. He extended his right hand, quickly gathering a small ball of light in his palm.
The small orb, emitting a white glow, rotated slowly in his hand, radiating a dazzling light. This was a clear sign that the spell had been condensed with sufficient solidity.
Carlos nodded with satisfaction and extended a hand in front of himself. Soon, an identical ball of light condensed in his hand.
“Although light magic is usually used as a means of healing, I am not particularly good at that. What I am going to teach you today is its application in offense.” As Carlos spoke, he extended his index finger forward.
The ball of light in his hand instantly transformed into a beam of light shooting forward, with a diameter only as thick as a strand of hair.
Starlight stared at the thin beam of light at his fingertips, appearing somewhat dazed. But while he was wondering, Carlos casually swung his hand downward, and the fine beam of light sliced down following his gesture.
To the boy’s astonished eyes, a boulder as tall as a man beside Carlos was neatly split in two, falling to the ground with a sharp crack.
“Did you think that you couldn't do anything with just this much of the light element? Little Star, remember this: if light magic is to have enough offensive power, the most important word is: Condense!”
Seeing Starlight walk over in surprise to look at the smooth cut on the rock, Carlos withdrew his hand and spoke.
Starlight reached out to touch the rock before him, his brow furrowed. He gathered a ball of light in his hand again and threw it at the half-rock on the ground. The ball of light hit the rock, creating only a shallow dent.
Unwilling to give up, he gathered the mana in his body again, creating a larger ball of light and throwing it at the rock once more. This time, the light ball shattered the rock, but the result was still vastly different compared to what Carlos had done.
“Condense? Master definitely didn’t release that much mana just now, but the lethality was completely different... Then how about this?” Starlight muttered to himself as he tried again.
After several attempts, he finally succeeded in condensing the circular light ball into a pillar about the thickness of a finger. However, this pillar of light was constantly shaking, as this shape was clearly not easy to maintain.
Before the elements in his hand could slip out of his control, Starlight directed this branch-like pillar of light to swing at the rock. But the pillar of light only sliced off a corner of the rock before shattering in the air.
Watching the youth continuously attempt the spell, Carlos gave a loving smile and said, “Don’t be in a hurry. You’ll need a long time of practice to reach my level. Calm your heart and feel the light flowing in your hand.”
Hearing this, Starlight turned his head and nodded to Carlos, then stopped his movements and began to study it silently.
Seeing this, Carlos didn't disturb him and lowered his head to continue eating his lunch.
However, to his surprise, before he could even finish his bowl of hot porridge, Starlight looked up and gathered the elements in his hand once more.
This time, he had clearly made even greater progress. A strand of light as thin as a toothpick floated slowly in his palm. Although it wasn't as fine as Carlos’s, it was undoubtedly a massive leap.
With a gentle flick of his wrist, that needle-like spike of light was thrown at the rock. This time, it pierced straight through the entire stone and left a black, scorched pit in the grass behind it.
Watching the developments from the side, Carlos’s expression stiffened, and his gaze instantly became sharp.
Although he had always known that his disciple was a natural magical genius—which was exactly why he was unwilling to let him enter the stage of learning high-tier magic too early—this was still unexpected.
However, for Starlight to grasp the general direction and technique in such a short time based only on a simple sentence and a single demonstration was truly shocking to him.
Even with his exceptional affinity for the light element, Carlos absolutely could not have achieved this at that age. If he had to deduce it from the most basic magic, it would have taken at least three days... no, likely a week.
“Has Little Star become this powerful without me even noticing? It seems I’ve paid too little attention to him lately. However, I still can’t let him become too arrogant.” Carlos thought to himself as he met the boy’s hopeful gaze.
“Ahem... well done, Little Star. But there’s still room for improvement. Take a break and come eat.”
Looking at the boy’s expression that clearly yearned for praise, Carlos originally wanted to say something a bit more stern, but the words turned into encouragement as they reached his lips.
Starlight was in a visibly good mood after receiving the praise. He quickly returned to the table and began to enjoy his portion of the lunch with great relish.
Even though it was just simple fruit and sweet potato porridge, Starlight felt it was particularly sweet and delicious.
“If I can finish my research as soon as possible, I’ll have more time to spend with him.”
Carlos glanced at the smiling youth, and his gaze softened again. He reached out to pat Starlight’s head before leaving the table and heading toward his room.
Starlight didn't mind his master’s departure. He just quietly watched the man’s figure disappear through the doorway with his black eyes.
Soon, he finished his own lunch. After a routine cleanup, he entered the next training segment Carlos had arranged for him.
According to the plan, the afternoon was for meditation and reading. For most youths, this would undoubtedly be a painful process; getting them to stay honestly at a desk was harder than almost anything else.
But for Starlight, this was a simple matter. He could set a goal for himself every day, and that goal happened to be slightly more than the tasks Carlos assigned him.
After all, in his view, reading was no difficult feat if one were even slightly serious. One only needed to categorize and organize the content, making his master’s little tests a breeze to pass.
He pulled out a notebook he carried with him and meticulously recorded his insights for the day, which was one of the habits he had always maintained.
Carlos had given him this notebook when he first began teaching him basic magic. Over the years, it had gradually become almost full.
After completing his tasks ahead of schedule, Starlight would have his own free time.
Whenever this time came, he would choose to exercise in the valley. Although this wasn't part of a mage's typical training, living in a deserted valley made it essential to keep his body coordinated and strong.
...
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