On the third night, Calum decided it was time.

  Calum and John were in their room.

  John sat on his bed in the lotus position, nervous. His hands trembled slightly as he placed them on his knees.

  Calum stood beside him, voice calm. "Breathe. Just like we've practiced."

  John nodded and began and inhaled the mana.

  "Good," Calum said. "Now hold it."

  John's eyes widened slightly. "Hold it?"

  "Don't exhale. Press the mana inward. Keep it inside."

  This was the key difference.

  Most cultivation techniques focused on circulation—drawing mana in, cycling it through the body, expelling impurities.

  But Calum had identified the real problem: MANA LEAKAGE.

  That's why advancement was so agonizingly slow. Mages spent years trying to compress mana into stable circles, but most of it simply leaked away before it could solidify.

  (If you can't hold it, you can't form it.)

  John followed the instruction.

  He held his breath. Pressed the mana down, forcing it to stay. His face reddened. Veins bulged on his forehead.

  "Keep going," Calum said

  The process continued for two hours. But John's condition has worsened.

  Pain radiated through every part of his body—sharp, stabbing sensations like needles piercing his organs.

  "Ugh..." he groaned.

  But he could feel the mana was condensing. Slowly forming into something solid.

  Calum stood beside him, voice steady. "You can do this. Just a little more."

  But then—

  The pain became unbearable for him.

  "AAAHH! AAAHHH!"

  Bloody tears streamed down on John's face.

  Calum's eyes narrowed. "System. What's happening?"

  _______

  [ANALYSIS: Subject experiencing mana overload. Pathways unstable. Physical constitution insufficient for standard compression rate.]

  [RECOMMENDATION: Reduce intake speed by 30%. Extend formation time.]

  _______

  Calum relayed the instructions quickly. "John, slow down. Don't force it—"

  "AAH, CALUM, HELP ME! THIS... PAIN..."

  John's voice cracked.

  ______

  [UPDATED ANALYSIS: Subject approaching critical threshold. Success probability: 60%. Outcome depends on subject's willpower.]

  ______

  Calum paused for a moment.(It depends on him now.)

  The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  John was crying, face contorted in agony. "Please... I can't... it hurts..."

  Calum thought quickly.

  (Pain alone won't motivate him. Fear won't work either. He needs...Emotion. May be lov..”

  Calum's expression shifted.

  He laughed suddenly. "Hahaha! Are you already crying just because of a little pain? I also felt pain the first time. This is nothing."

  John's sobs didn't stop.

  Calum continued, voice light and casual. "Oh, by the way... I heard Mimi is in the same house as Edrin."

  John's crying faltered slightly after hearing what just calum said.

  "Yeah, Griffin House, right? Didn't she tell you?"Calum smiled. "Hehe. Maybe they're staying in the same room.”

  John stopped crying. His mind went blank.

  Images flooded his thoughts—Edrin and Mimi together. Laughing. Talking. Close.

  "Aaaah…” he cried softly, a different kind of pain far worse. He placed both hands on his chest, as if trying to dig out his own heart.

  Calum watched his reaction carefully.

  (Good. Emotional distress overriding physical pain. Adrenaline spiking.)

  "Yes, John. Yes. You can do this."

  Calum's voice became encouraging again. "And when you succeed, I'll help you. I'll hold a grand marriage ceremony between you and Mimi."

  He leaned closer. "Do it. Endure it!"

  "AAAAAAAAHHH!”

  …………………

  The Next Morning.

  John did not attend the classes. A small note was left on Professor Gilbert’s desk by Calum, stating that John was sick and would not be present today.

  Back inside the room, John lay unconscious on his bed. Beside him was Calum, using the new cultivation technique. He'd made with several modifications based on what he'd observed with John.

  While using it, he was still feeling pain sensations, but his endurance and willpower were far higher than John’s.

  After an hour, he opened his eyes. The result was exactly as expected.His magic circle had become noticeably denser. Progress was significantly faster than before.

  Right then, John woke up with a groan. “Aah.”

  He placed one hand on his forehead as a severe headache struck him.

  But Calum immediately called out, “John, John, are you all right? Here, drink this potion. It will help your headache.” He handed him a small vial—a standard headache remedy from the academy infirmary.

  John drank the potion, and the effect was instant.

  “Haaaaa…” John breathed deeply as he calmed down.

  He then looked at Calum and asked, “Did it work?”He was talking about whether he had become a mage or not.

  Calum instructed him, “Close your eyes and feel inside your body. You will see a white-colored circle rotating inside.”

  John did as told, and suddenly he jumped in happiness. He hugged Calum, thanking him.

  Then paused. "Wait. What you said last night... about Mimi and Edrin being roommates. Was that true?"

  Calum laughed. "I was lying."

  John sighed in relief, then immediately complained. "You shouldn't have said something like that!”

  Calum ignored this comment.

  And started instructing john in a serious tone.

  "Listen carefully,You cannot tell anyone you've become a mage. Not yet."

  John frowned. "Why not?"

  "Because if someone finds out you used a different cultivation technique, the academy will expel both of us. And if you tell Mimi, she'll be expelled too for hiding it."

  John's face went pale. "I... I won't tell anyone.”

  He then made a promise which Calum didn’t really believe, but there was nothing he could do except wait for a month.

  One Month Later.

  During this time, Calum and John attended classes continuously. Both of them read the books they had received, and Calum also gave John a decent cultivation technique.

  John used that technique, while Calum continued using the new one himself. Every night before going to sleep, both of them cultivated.

  Then, one day in the classroom, Professor Gilbert gave everyone the official cultivation technique with a warning.“Practice it first, or you will die.”

  Everyone got scared and seeing the reaction

  Professor Gilbert laughed at their reactions but still instructed."I'm serious. Only when you feel ready should you attempt full circulation."

  A brave student stood. "Professor... can't a mage help us?”

  But professor Gilbert's expression turned cold. “If you cannot even start your cultivation on your own, then return home. This academy is not for cowards.”

  The student's head lowered and professor Gilbert sighed when he saw it.“But you can ask help from those six students. Where is she.. ah, like Jena, they can help you.”

  Everyone turned to Jena and the other five.

  Jena held her head in frustration and agreed to help. Seeing this, the four other students with Calum—also gave a nod of agreement

  After classes ended, Calum and John went to the canteen. The place was noisy, students were talking and eating everywhere. Calum took his food and sat at a corner table. John sat beside him.

  Soon, two girls and three boys approached them. They looked hesitant.

  “ Calum,” one of them said, “we’re having trouble with the cultivation technique.”

  Calum kept eating while speaking. “ You’re forcing the mana too much,” he said and explained in simple steps.

  About half an hour later, Calum stood up. “That’s enough for now. If you still don’t understand, come again tomorrow after class.”

  With that, he left the canteen with John.

  The two of them then headed toward the training ground. They had heard that some seniors were having a duel today, so they went to watch it

  John was especially excited.

  When they arrived, a battle was already underway—two male students, one wielding a spear, the other a longsword.

  Their weapons clashed.

  Clang!

  John shouted loudly, cheering for the spear wielder.

  The fight intensified. Then surprisingly both the weapons started to glow as mana surged through them, and once again they attacked.

  Clang.

  Another deadlock.

  After a moment, the supervising professor raised his hand. "Draw!” Both fighters stepped down from the stage quietly, glaring at each other as they left.

  The professor then climbed onto the stage

  .

  “I am Professor Gazeff,” he announced. “I welcome all the newcomers of the academy.

  I know many of you wish to become like the seniors you just saw. If so, you may come to my office and register your names. Starting tomorrow, the training will begin.”

  Hearing this, the students stirred with excitement. Along with Calum and John, they followed Professor Gazeff toward his office.

  After both of them registered their names, they stepped outside and noticed some familiar faces. Salena, Edrin, Lola, Mimi, and Roy were standing together, talking among themselves.

  John immediately waved at them.

  “Hey, here, here!”

  Edrin and the others noticed Calum and John and waved back.

  Edrin walked over first and hugged Calum, asking how he was and how his studies were going. Calum replied casually, keeping things brief.

  At the same time, Mimi went over to John and started talking with him. John looked relaxed, happily chatting back with her.

  After the short reunion, and knowing that they would all be meeting again in the training ground, the group slowly separated.

  That night, Calum sat on his bed and started cultivating while John was asleep.

  He followed the new technique carefully, and mana flowed into his body, staying there, no longer leaking away. The magic circle inside him slowly grew, thickening and thinning as it became denser.

  Pain hit his body and his face turned red, veins bulged.

  After some time, the mana suddenly surged. The magic circle tightened, started rotating faster then stabilized.

  Calum opened his eyes and let out a slow breath. He had broken through in such short time. The magic circle inside him had reached the middle stage.

  And the next second he fell asleep.