I made a mistake, Julius is actually Julian. Sorry for that, when I first introduced his name, autocorrect screwed me over.
Slow-paced chapters but at a more rapid update schedule. Some more powerstones
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"The main focus of this exercise," I said, placing a hand on Julian's chest, "is to find your mana."
He blinked at me, confused but attentive.
"I don't have much experience helping others find their mana," I admitted. "For me, I was able to see it the second I got here."
Julian frowned. "So how are you going to do that? Help me find my magic, I mean."
I smirked. "Have some faith, will ya? I've already run through three simulations in my head to figure out which method'll be most effective."
He looked unconvinced. "And those methods are…?"
"Option one: combat," I said matter-of-factly. "I blast magic at you until you force yourself to awaken it."
Julian laughed nervously. "R-right… What are the other options?"
"Option two," I continued, "is meditation. You focus, expand your mana pool until it's so big you can't ignore it. But…" I shrugged, "we don't have time for that."
Julian sighed. "So that leaves…"
"Option three," I said, smiling. "I'll channel mana directly into your system. The foreign energy should feel strange and there is a possibility you could get sick. Let me know if that happens."
"Your job is to find the mana, latch onto it, and try to replicate it by yourself by finding a similar energy in your body."
It was mostly a theory, but it was worth testing. Despite his absurd mana reserves, Julian was still completely unaware of how to control it.
"Alright," I said, resting my palm on his chest again. "If anything feels off, try to grab it. Focus on the sensation, see if you can find something similar inside you."
I pushed mana into him slowly. He flinched at first, the sensation probably burned, but soon his breathing steadied. The mana inside him began to stir, faint but unmistakable.
After hours of trial and error,some yelling, a lot of frustration, Julian finally opened his eyes, panting.
"Finally," he said, a small grin spreading across his face. "But for some reason… I can't use it like you!"
"Of course not," I replied, folding my arms. "Fundamentals first. You've got to understand theory before you can get practical."
"Alright, that's enough for today," I said, pointing at the window. "It's getting dark, and rest is just as important as work."
"I'll be going out. You can sleep on my bed," I added. Julian nodded quietly, still exhausted from training.
And now, onto the main event of the evening.
I appeared in front of the restaurant. Prices here were always ridiculous, but no one could deny the food or the information I picked up while eating. It would be the perfect spot if they didn't keep raising the prices, but there wasn't another place in this entire village that came close to their cooking.
"I probably should've brought Julian too," I muttered, walking through the streets. "Meh, I've done enough for him today."
The moment I stepped inside, the rich scent of grilled meat and spices hit me. No matter how many times I came here, that smell always caught me off guard.
"They've got a new favorite customer," I said under my breath, taking a seat.
I ordered a steak and a few desserts. The presentation here was always top-tier, and while I kept expecting the food to taste worse each visit, it somehow never did. Sometimes I wondered if I could convince one of the chefs to come with me on my travels. Probably not.
A few minutes later, my food arrived. I didn't waste any time, slicing into the steak and letting the flavor take over. It melted on my tongue perfectly.
But just as I was about to take another bite, a sharp noise cut through the chatter of the restaurant. I turned to the window and saw a man being beaten in the street.
"Give me back my money! I need it!" a guy with short black hair shouted. He looked tough, muscles visible under his plain black shirt. He grabbed another man by the collar, shaking him violently.
"I-I don't have it," the other man stammered, his voice weak and trembling. His brown hair was a mess, his face pale.
I sighed, stabbing a piece of steak with my fork. "Oh whatever," I muttered. "Not my business."
Still, my eyes lingered on the scene a moment longer than I'd like to admit.
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In another corner of the world, near the edge of a forest, a man in a dark cloak stood over the corpse of a dragon. Its crimson wings were shattered beyond belief, ruby scales scattered like gemstones across the dirt, and its once-majestic fangs lay broken and twisted.
"Incredible," the man muttered. "Who would've thought someone could take down a dragon in a backwater forest like this?"
He stepped closer, gazing at the creature's mangled body as it lay in a pool of its own blood. "Well, I'd better clean this up before other monsters start piling in."
Lifting off the ground, the man began to hover, his cloak billowing in the rising wind. His eyes glimmered a deep, unnatural red. "It seems we've got another mysterious warrior wandering these lands."
He raised his hand toward the sky. "There are no members of the Hero's Party anywhere near here except for Heiter, and he's just a priest, a rookie at best."
The man chuckled, the sound low and distorted. "I'm truly amazed… I need to find this mysterious man."
He rose higher into the air, chanting words that twisted the air around him. The wind howled, the sky dimmed, and the space near his hand began to warp. With one final word, a blinding beam of energy burst from his palm, striking the dragon's body and disintegrating it completely.
When the light faded, nothing remained but a scorch mark on the forest floor, and a man with glowing eyes.
He slowly descended toward the scorched patch of land where the dragon once lay. The air was still thick with smoke and the scent of burnt scales. With his hands clasped together in a quiet prayer, he whispered, "May you live on peacefully."
For a brief moment, his crimson eyes softened. Whether it was respect for the creature's strength or pity for its death, it was hard to tell.