As soon as the first day's training ended, I dragged my exhausted body to the dorm and collapsed onto the bed. Fortunately, the rooms had nameplates, so finding mine wasn’t difficult.

As for the results of the team sparring, we won all our matches.

Ray was impressive too. She really lived up to her words about finishing quickly—just like Guan Yu, charging in and ending the match with a single punch. And then, she even raised her hand triumphantly...

Did she misunderstand my outstretched hand as some kind of victory pose?

'No way, right?'

In any case, thanks to Ray and me fighting like brutes, Leaf didn’t even have to fight. She decided to forfeit without a match, and just like that, our team’s sparring came to an end.

Now, about this two-person room situation. This could be a problem.

Back when I stayed at inns, I always insisted on getting a single room. It was my final line of defense, so to speak. Unlike me, people in this world are shockingly indifferent about hygiene.

I can tolerate snoring with earplugs, but sharing a living space with someone who might be a breeding ground for bacteria? No way.

"Maybe I should pray for a decent roommate."

Since I’m a Demon Summoner, I guess I should be praying to Seir instead of any gods.

Just as I was about to start my daily ritual of communicating with Seir, the door suddenly swung open. I sat up and scanned my new roommate.

'One of those strong ones from the duel earlier...'

I clearly remembered that blue hair—there was only one person with hair that color. He had won his match using only body reinforcement magic, just like Ray.

Up close, I realized he was tall. I’m just shy of 180 cm, and he was definitely taller than me, probably around 185 cm or more.

"And you are?"

He asked first. I responded casually.

"Roommate."

"Ah, I wasn’t clear. My name is Arthur Carlisle. Class: Battlemage."

After his introduction, I offered mine in return. Lately, I’ve been saying my name a lot.

"Roman Son. Demon Summoner."

"Demon Summoner, huh."

Ah, yes. That all-too-familiar reaction.

It’s gotten so boring by now that I wasn’t even curious about what would come next.

But Arthur’s response was different.

"You fought recklessly during the duel."

"...Recklessly?"

Well, he wasn’t wrong.

"As long as I won."

"That’s true as well."

Arthur nodded decisively.

"Anyway, I used this bed first, so take the other one. I assume you wouldn’t want to use a bed someone else has already claimed?"

"That’s right. What about the wardrobe?"

"I haven’t opened it yet."

"Then I’ll choose first."

Without waiting, Arthur walked over to the wardrobe by my bed and opened the left one. He hung up his coat and started changing into more comfortable clothes.

I should probably change too... Wait.

"...Isn’t that the wardrobe by my bed?"

"So?"

"Well, I’m not complaining, but don’t people usually choose the wardrobe by their own bed?"

"It’s one more step. That’s part of my training. 'Turn every part of your daily life into training.' That’s what my master taught me."

Got it.

You’re not normal.

I decided not to argue about the wardrobe anymore. Continuing this conversation would only give me a headache.

Instead, I steered the conversation into more productive territory.

Luckily, Arthur and I had more to talk about than just our room situation.

"Do you know the training curriculum?"

I shared some information I had gathered before coming to the training camp.

The training was divided into two categories, each with two subjects.

The categories were academic and practical—basically, theory and application.

Under the academic category, there were Abyss Geography and Abyss Ecology. For practical training, there were Combat Skills and Exploration Skills. These four subjects were taught at the training camp and would be the basis for the final exam to obtain the Explorer’s license.

"I already know that."

"Oh, do you?"

Of course.

Arthur exuded that “I know everything” aura, so it wasn’t surprising he was already aware of basic information that even I had managed to gather.

In fact, Arthur knew even more than I did.

"Since you shared that, I’ll return the favor and tell you something useful."

"Ooh..."

I take back what I said earlier.

You’re not as weird as I thought.

"I heard that tomorrow, we’ll be doing exploration training."

"The one in the underground simulation?"

Exploration Skills Training.

It was a practical course designed to mimic the environment of the Abyss, where we’d hunt monsters, find our way through mazes, and generally simulate an actual expedition.

"Exactly."

That wasn’t really groundbreaking news, though.

"It’s the perfect place for training. The simulation includes the Abyss’s mental erosion effects and its intense atmospheric pressure, so it’s a great opportunity to train both your mind and body. I heard there’s a high-pressure spot in the simulation where training is especially effective."

Arthur added that last bit like it was a closely guarded secret.

I take back what I said again.

Day 2 of Training.

I found myself at the training facility.

It wasn’t a proper building, just a series of roughly constructed grids to separate different areas for personal or team training.

While practicing mana control—something I’d done every day since acquiring mana—I noticed a change.

'My total mana capacity has increased.'

Not just that. The flow of mana through the contract sigil had also increased.

Maybe pushing myself to the limit the other day helped.

'If I keep charging up my mana and releasing it in one go, will it keep increasing?'

I wasn’t sure. It felt too simple. It was probably the heightened focus I had during the duel that played a bigger role.

Still, I decided to keep experimenting. I began to move the mana within me.

It gathered easily in my palm now, ready for use.

Compressing it.

'Without magic spells, my only weapon is Matan (magic bullets).'

The first thing I focused on was increasing the power of Matan by compressing the mana more tightly.

I would have to sacrifice some of Matan's instant firing capability, but with practice, I could minimize that drawback.

And so, I spent the rest of the session compressing mana, shaping it with one hand while trying different forms with the other.

Bang!

"Again."

The compressed mana exploded in my hand, sending a jolt up my arm.

I massaged my now-tingling arm, taking a break.

'This is harder than I thought.'

The training camp, the team, the magic—it wasn’t going to be easy.

Not only was I constantly being looked down on for being a Demon Summoner, but even though I had expected to win, I knew part of my aggression during the duel was from pent-up frustration. The way they treated me when we formed the team had really pissed me off.

While I didn’t need to worry about their prejudice since I wasn’t a typical Demon Summoner, it still bothered me. Even after a clear victory in the duel, their attitudes hadn’t really changed.

And then there’s the team.

‘Hmm, will we be okay?’

Leaf wasn’t a problem. She was reliable, didn’t cause trouble, and seemed like a good-natured person. Being a Spirit Summoner was a bit of a wild card, but as long as she didn’t take on a crucial role, we could manage.

'The real issue is Ray.'

Ray had joined our team for a reason. She had specifically confirmed that I was a Demon Summoner before agreeing to team up.

So, what was her reason?

"I really don’t know."

Maybe it was the competitive streak she showed during the duel?

But getting all worked up over a Demon Summoner seemed a bit ridiculous.

"I’ll figure it out eventually."

It’s not like you can fully understand someone after just one day.

I’d have plenty of time to learn more about her, especially since we’d be working together again today.

"Exploration training, huh."

The Exploration Skills course was the centerpiece of the training camp. It combined the knowledge from Abyss Geography, Ecology, and Combat into a comprehensive exercise.

Exploring the Abyss was about both discovery and survival.

Not only would we face the alien environment of the Abyss, but the real threat was the monsters that lived there. These creatures were extremely hostile to intruders and were the leading cause of death for explorers.

Naturally, exploration training accounted for this. It would include combat.

'I’ll need to get used to fighting.'

I’m a magic user now, after all.

Everything boils down to training.

If I become strong enough, the rest of these issues won’t matter. As the saying goes, if strength doesn’t solve a problem, it’s because you’re not strong enough.

Time to get back to it.

As I scratched my head, a thought suddenly hit me.

"Wait, if I’m compressing the mana, why do I have to gather it in my palm?"

I had been focusing on compressing a large area. What if I started with a smaller area from the beginning?

Instead of trying to compress a wide surface, why not start with a narrow point?

When you fire a gun, you don’t use your palm—you point with your finger.

I straightened my fingers, creating what’s called a palm spear stance.

'Instead of shooting from my palm, I’ll shoot from my fingertips.'

My whole arm would be the barrel, and my fingertips the muzzle.

I’ve gotten a bit more skilled at controlling mana now. The key is to have a clear image in mind.

The clearer the image, the sharper the control. With that image in place, the mana moved according to my will.

Swooosh—bang!

The training dummy shook violently. This was the strongest impact I’d made so far.

"Nice!"

Both speed and power had increased.

'That was with all five fingers.'

I folded down one finger, leaving only four.

'Let’s try with four.'

Swoosh—bang!

Another increase.

Although it took a bit more concentration to fire with fewer fingers, the increase in destructive power more than made up for it.

'This might just work...'

I’d found a way to get stronger.

I kept firing Matan.

One finger down at a time.

Until it was finally time to stop and head to training.