Talented and Hardworking

Even among the people Theodore knew, few could grasp and control magic like this so quickly.

Bang!

The Magic Shield vanished. Clearly, Wang Yang could not control or stabilize it yet, but achieving this speed on his first attempt had already exceeded Theodore's expectations.

"You-you must have encountered magic before!"

Theodore looked at Wang Yang and frowned as he voiced his doubts.

Wang Yang breathed heavily. Using magic had drained quite a bit of his stamina, but he still shook his head.

That sent a jolt through Theodore.

Talent certainly played a part in learning magic, but wasn't this kid a little too gifted?

He had never encountered it before, yet he could cast it on his very first try?

After recovering a little, Wang Yang looked at Theodore's expression, unable to tell whether he was pleased or dissatisfied, and asked uncertainly, "Senior brother, how... how did I do?"

Wang Yang's words brought Theodore back to his senses.

Seeing the humble look on Wang Yang's face, Theodore could not help marveling.

He had never expected to encounter someone so talented, much less someone who could remain so humble. People like that were truly rare.

His fondness for Wang Yang grew considerably.

But he also knew that praising a gifted apprentice too much would only make him overconfident and arrogant. It would do him no good.

So he suppressed his amazement and said with a perfectly calm expression, "Not bad."

Theodore continued, "The Magic Shield has many uses. The more powerful the mage, the stronger the magic he can gather. You still need plenty of practice. Also..."

Theodore paused, then raised his head and adopted a knowing air. "Magical energy can form more than shields. It can form sharp weapons, swords, and whips, too. All you've made is a shield. You still have much to learn, and you'll need to figure out these transformations, spells, and energies for yourself!"

Theodore spoke earnestly, and the apprentices nodded along.

They marveled at how profound magic was.

Wang Yang nodded as well. He understood that he had only just begun learning, and he knew exactly where he stood.

Unfortunately, the system that had allowed him to absorb talent yesterday had shown no changes.

So he still did not understand what had happened with yesterday's Talent Fragments.

Whatever the case, he was already ahead of most of the apprentices.

He also had a stronger foundation than the others.

But this was only an introductory spell. He still needed to work harder to learn other, more powerful magic.

"I understand, senior brother. I'll practice diligently!"

Wang Yang nodded as he spoke.

Seeing how earnest and eager to learn Wang Yang was, Theodore nodded too. "Very good!"

Then he looked around at the other apprentices. "Those who have learned to draw a Magic Light Line can try drawing a Magic Shield, then some other shapes. Those who haven't should keep practicing. Studying magic requires you to learn more, observe more, and feel more!"

"Practice on your own, everyone!"

With that, Theodore turned and left.

The apprentices all began practicing on their own.

"I never imagined someone could draw a Magic Shield right from the start. It's unbelievable!"

"We can't even form a Magic Light Line. We're such failures!"

"Looks like we all need to work harder, or we'll get left behind!"

"..."

The apprentices could not help discussing it among themselves.

Once Theodore left, some of them chatted while they practiced.

Most were discussing Wang Yang's performance.

Belar, in particular, had never imagined that she, the descendant of a mage, would fall behind a mere magic apprentice.

That thought drove her to work even harder.

Then she looked toward Wang Yang, her gaze burning with anger. From now on, this man is my rival.

After an afternoon of practice.

"Ding! Magic Talent Fragment detected. Merge?"

Wang Yang saw a fragment appear on Belar, just as one had the night before, but none had dropped from anyone else.

"Merge!"

As soon as Wang Yang spoke, the Magic Talent Fragment flew over and merged with him.

A powerful surge of magic and mental energy flowed into his body.

His mental strength increased.

And at that moment, several things fell into place.

The system worked randomly, allowing him to obtain Talent Fragments from others, but only from people with considerable talent.

Yesterday, he had obtained Talent Fragments from El and the others. The reason he could not sense any today was that he could not obtain Talent Fragments from those same people a second time.

Or perhaps their talent simply was not high enough.

As for Theodore, he was powerful, yet Wang Yang could not obtain a fragment from him. Perhaps his talent was too great, and Wang Yang could not collect fragments from someone so far above his level.

Whatever the case, he needed to work hard.

Having obtained this system made it all the more important for him to put in the effort.

Early the next morning.

After getting out of bed, Wang Yang headed straight for the training grounds.

His knowledge of magic barely scratched the surface. He still needed to work hard at everything.

The training grounds were deserted, with Wang Yang the only one there.

Without the slightest hesitation, he began practicing diligently.

A while later, another person arrived at the training grounds.

Belar!

Belar was a little surprised to see Wang Yang. She had thought she was early enough, but he had arrived even earlier.

Watching Wang Yang practice with his eyes closed, his hands moving without pause, she could not help feeling a trace of admiration.

Talent itself might not be frightening. What was frightening was someone talented who also worked harder than you.

Belar felt certain that this man would be a formidable rival.

Inside the Kamar-Taj Library.

Wong was engrossed in a book on magic.

Theodore walked in.

"How are this year's apprentices?"

Wong seemed to have noticed Theodore's arrival without even looking up.

Theodore nodded and said, "This year's apprentices are much better than the previous groups. There's even a young fellow with quite a bit of talent!"

"Mm. Every year has a few talented apprentices."

Wong gave a noncommittal response, unconcerned.

With so many apprentices, each year was bound to have at least a few talented ones. Very few, however, could meet their standards.

Those who could endure hardship and were willing to work hard were rare, too.

"Then please put in the effort to teach the talented ones properly."

Still perfectly at ease, Wong turned a page and spoke with a smile.

"Of course. But Wong, aren't you curious who this talented apprentice is?"

"Probably our old friend's child, Belar!"

Wong remained noncommittal. In his opinion, she was the only one in this year's group who could be considered the most talented.

"Wong, you guessed wrong!"

Theodore laughed, then continued, "The most talented apprentice this year is someone who has never encountered magic before. He seems to be from the East. His name is Wang Yang!"