Clank--!

"Haaa... Haaa..."

I felt a lump in my throat as I heavily gasped for air. I felt lightheaded and my muscles were screaming from the strain.

Even so, I felt satisfied.

"It's something..."

I could see myself progressing. There was still a lot of work to do, and I was still far from reaching something concrete, but...

"I'm getting there."

I wasn't sure when, but I knew it was bound to happen. But the question was, "How do I progress from here...?"

I had the concept down in my mind. What I wanted to achieve, and where to begin. However, what I lacked was a fundamental understanding of the concept.

How exactly was I supposed to improve this new technique that I had just started learning?

Step--

I stepped forward and let the mana flow around my body. Unlike last time, I didn't call for the chains and simply moved my feet.

Forward, and left...

The entire time I simply focused on the mana flow. There was a certain mana flow that I needed to follow for this to work.

For what reason was the mana flow necessary?

The answer was simple. To reinforce the muscles and build up power. There was a massive difference between doing a regular punch and punching with a mana flow.

In this case, the flow was necessary to smoothly transition the power of the action between each movement.

Transitioning between each movement without a mana flow typically led to a loss in power and momentum. The mana flow was added to supplement such a flaw.

"Hmm."

I yet again stopped.

"....Something isn't quite right."

Ignoring the pain that was currently gripping my hands, I thought back to the mana flow and movement. I felt like there was something missing from the entire action.

The problem was that I couldn't quite grasp the reasoning behind the feeling.

"Is it the movement, or myself?"

I wasn't sure, but it felt as though something was missing from the entire movement.

An extra step?

"....Is it?"

I tried and frowned. From the left to the right step. It flowed smoothly, but I felt like something was missing.

'The transition can be better...?'

I ruffled my hair.

"Am I being paranoid?"

I tried again, but nothing changed. It was obvious that I wasn't skilled enough to understand. I tried a couple of more times, but the result was the same.

In the end, I could only give up.

"....I'll leave it at that for now."

Such little detail was for the more skilled version of me. Right now, I was far from skilled enough to tell.

'I think the flaw exists, but I'm just too weak to tell... I'll leave it at this for now.'

Stretching my arms, I went ahead and started practicing again.

Swoosh—!

I only stopped when I heard the professor's voice echo from the distance.

"Time's up. Everyone, place your report cards on the table over here. You may collect them after everyone has handed theirs in."

I looked at my report card with a frown. Although I tried my best, I wasn't sure if it was enough.

The report card comprised four categories: observations, pros, weaknesses, and Conclusion.

This task wasn't just to help us learn about ourselves, but it was also to help us better understand how others practiced and learned.

It was an exercise that benefitted all parties involved.

I had a hard time filling the weaknesses area considering that it was an area that was outside of my expertise. Even so, thinking back to the movements that he had shown me, I could deduct a few things.

'Good thing I spent some time observing him....'

I placed my report card on the table where all the other report cards were placed. There were quite a few.

In the end, I was rather grateful for this training session. I was able to learn something due to it.

".....I guess I should start observing others as well."

If I could learn something from Leon, then could I also learn something from the others?

Quite frankly, I didn't care about my pride. If it meant helping me grow stronger, I was prepared to ask those who disliked me for some advice.

Pride was meaningless when one had a goal.

"You may collect your report card."

Once all the report cards were handed over, the Professor mixed them up a bit and ordered us to form a line to pick up our own cards.

I sort of understood where he was coming from by making this an anonymous observation report.

With everyone not knowing who their observer was, they could be as harsh and critical as possible.

The harsher one was, the more critical they were of someone's flaw. In a way, if a cadet took the criticism seriously, then there was a chance that they might be able to improve a lot.

Such were my thoughts as I headed for the desk and picked up my card.

"This one."

[Julien Dacre Evenus - Observation Report]

Picking up the card, I moved the side before carefully opening it.

"As expected."

It was harsh.

[Observation :

Julien appears to be practicing a new movement technique. From how rigid his movements are, I believe that this is the first time that he's tried such a move. There are glaring flaws in almost everything he is doing...

It went on a long rant about how I was doing a lot of unnecessary movements and that I was overreaching.

Nothing I didn't expect.

[Pros :

—Interesting concept.

[Weaknesses :

—Unstable control of mana.

—Poor form and lack of connection between movements.

—Lacks physical fitness to follow up on the movements.

—A lot of wasted movements.

[Conclusion :

Maybe due to his experimentation with a new technique, his manipulation of mana and physical form fell far below par. His actions lacked fluidity, and the mana seemed disjointed in its flow. My recommendation is for him to prioritize refining his control. Once he hones his ability to concentrate on mana flow and prevents it from dispersing between actions, then...

The note ended there.

"Hm?"

Then what?

I flipped the paper over to check if there was more to it, but...

"Nothing."

What?

I flipped the paper again, but regardless of where I looked, the note ended there. I frowned and stared intently at the report card. I thought about reporting it to the professor but chose against it.

".....Are they implying that when I fix this problem it'll be something good?"

That was perhaps what the pause implied. Either way, I knew what to do now.

"Practice my mana flow and control."

I noticed it too while I was practicing. I wasn't quite able to get a grasp on what it was that was making it hard for me to connect the forms, but the report card made it clearer to me.

"Huu."

Taking a deep breath, I put the card away and looked into the distance.

There, I caught a glimpse of Leon.

Staring at the report card in his hand, he wore a frown.

"Hah."

I almost laughed as I recalled what I had written. 'Does he think I'm spewing bullshit...?' He could very well be. I wouldn't blame him.

But I thought it was something that I needed to write.

Perhaps there was some truth to what I had written...?

"Maybe he'll come to thank me later, or maybe he'll completely ignore it. "

That was up to him to interpret.

***

Leon looked at the report card in his hands and carefully read it. While he wasn't sure who his analyst was, he had an idea.

He was curious as to what he'd say.

[Leon Ellert- Observation Report]

[Observation :

Leon practices a sophisticated technique characterized by a seamless flow and interconnected movements that focus on small movements and low mana exertion. It's...

The report was long and detailed. Leon was a little surprised by what he saw. However, it was just the standard talk.

There was nothing new to him.

[Pros :

—Seamless transition.

—Well practiced. It's apparent that the cadet has practiced the move thousands of times in the past.

[Weaknesses :

—None that I saw or am capable of seeing.

Leon paused there.

"....I can't fault him there."

The technique that he was practicing was called [The Dance of the Whirlwind]. Unlike mages who learned spells that were ranked from beginner to perfected, users who practiced the [Body] classification learned 'Techniques' or 'Arts'.

They too had ranks to them. From one to five stars.

And unlike spells, they also didn't require a person to have a certain level of strength to practice them.

[The Dance of the Whirlwind] was a secret art that he had managed to chance upon.

The rank was unknown, but Leon was sure that it was high.

It'd be odd if Julien saw any flaws with his art.

Not impossible, but also very unlikely.

He continued to read the report.

[Conclusion :

There isn't much to elaborate on. It appears impeccable in every aspect. It could be my limitations preventing me from identifying any flaws or offering constructive feedback. However, I do notice a concealed issue within the movement

—a segment appears to be absent in the progression from the left to the right step. While some attempts have been made to remedy it, there still seems to be some lag...

"Uh?"

Leon's eyes paused on the last remarks.

His entire body shook.

"Flaw...? Left to right step?"

He found a hard time trying to describe the current situation. It wasn't because he was wrong, but because he was... right.

"How did he know?"

Leon recalled that he had only spent ten minutes observing him.

Had he figured something out in the ten minutes that he had been observing him?

....Or was there something else?

"How does this make sense?"

Leon wasn't shocked because he didn't know about the flaw. He did in fact know about the flaw. The 'Art' was incomplete with a few missing pages. He had already done his best to mend it and cover it.

That being said...

"How did he figure it out?"

It wasn't something that was supposed to be figured out with just a few moments of observation.

An idea suddenly struck Leon all of a sudden.

"Does he...?"

He stopped there and took a deep breath. He didn't jump to conclusions immediately. However, he couldn't stop himself from breathing more heavily.

Perhaps...

***

10 P.M.

I reached the entrance of the Academy where all that greeted me was the vast forest that loomed around it. A figure stood waiting for me near it. Dressed in all black, she seamlessly blended with the darkness.

"Do you have it?"

"I've got the goods."

I took out a bar and handed it to her.

She nodded in satisfaction.

No, wait... Why does this feel so wrong?

"Come with me. I'll lead you to a place."

"Where ar-"

Before I could finish speaking, she placed her hand over my shoulder and the scenery changed.

Swoosh! Swoosh—!

The heavy sound of water falling echoed within my ears as a large waterfall appeared in my vision.

"Where..."

"This is where you'll be training."

Delilah said in a flat voice.

I looked up at her unsure of what she was trying to imply. We were perched atop a modest hill overlooking a basin of water below. A waterfall cascaded into it, its steady rumble echoing all around us.

"You said you wanted to grow fast, correct?"

"....."

I swallowed before nodding.

Cracks displayed on her indifferent face as she pointed toward the waterfall.

"There's something beyond there. Beyond the waterfall. It'll be what you're looking for. However..."

She paused and looked at me.

A thin smile displayed on her face.

"It's going to push you to your limit. It might even be quite dangerous. Are you sure you want to do it? I'm not forcing you. The decision is up to you."

"No, I'll go."

I didn't hesitate with my answer. This much was obvious to me.

Delilah nodded.

"Okay."

And nudged toward the waterfall with her chin.

"Go."

I quietly nodded my head.

Without hesitation, I jumped down the small cliff.

Splash—!

....For growth.