If you don't want to just drift through life, you have to go through time.

A little distance from the mountain cabin in Haita, there is a waterfall with a pool at its base. The surrounding area is covered with lush green grass and the water is crystal clear, serving as both a source of drinking water and a place to fish for food.

And now Truman and Philon have arrived here.

"Little Philon, you said you wanted me to watch you dance, is there any necessity for you to come here?"

"Yes, Mr. Truman, you know I have a very low profile."

"You said it's a great thing too."

"But this wasn't something I was born with... No, to be precise, I didn't become this way from the beginning; I was trained—trained in magic control."

train?

Haita's profession is a monk, and his expertise should be healing rather than magic, so the so-called training means that she was taught by someone else, and it is self-evident who it was.

"At first, I climbed trees, and then I waded through water. It was quite difficult at first, but I learned it in just one week. Master Truman also said that I was very talented."

"Yes, if it were me, I would definitely feel that way."

This is a chakra control training method.

Whether climbing a tree or wading in water, it's about concentrating the right amount of energy in the right place. The energy required for both is very subtle, and the energy is difficult to control with the feet.

In addition, it also aims to train endurance.

Although mages are turret characters and can generally output damage without pressure as long as there are front-line characters, this does not mean that mages will not be attacked. They can also be ambushed or beheaded.

Therefore, self-protection is necessary when needed.

For many mages, controlling and maintaining their damage output becomes even more difficult when forced to move and dodge. Furthermore, unlike stationary trees, maintaining damage output on flowing water is even more challenging. In other words…

"Next, I'm going to dance on the water."

Her words confirmed my suspicions.

This is probably a lesson she left herself, just like how Haita told her that only by breaking the rocks on the cliff could she be considered truly capable, and how the future Truman told her that only by performing a magnificent dance on the water could she be considered a master...

To say which is more difficult

Truman thought dancing on the water would be more difficult.

Even though Philon had great control over her own magic, maintaining a gorgeous dance while controlling the rhythm and beat, and constantly moving on the water's surface...

Multitasking is not an easy feat.

Its difficulty is no less than drawing a circle with the left hand and a square with the right.

Philon remained unmoved. She didn't complain about the difficulty of the project, nor did she say whether she could succeed. She simply took off her little boots and socks, then stretched out her delicate white feet and dipped them into the water, seemingly testing the water's temperature.

She frowned subconsciously.

The water seems a bit cold.

However, Philon did not back down. After adjusting her breathing, she stepped onto the water. Surprisingly, she did not follow the laws of physics and stepped into the water. Instead, she stood steadily on the water and then slowly walked towards the center of the pool.

seriously.

Even Truman couldn't do that.

His control was comparable to Philon's, but his endurance was frighteningly weak. For example, the fire control he just taught Philon could be used to create a flaming sword out of thin air if he could maintain it continuously.

"Is it really okay for a teacher to set goals for students that even they themselves cannot achieve?"

Truman couldn't help but mutter a soft complaint.

But he knew that just because he couldn't do it now didn't mean he couldn't do it in the future. And since he had left Philen with this task, it meant he believed Philen could do it, nothing more.

Soon, Philon stepped onto the gently rippling water and arrived at the center of the pool.

Superb control and endurance of magical power.

Her genius is beyond question.

Then, Philon slowly began to dance—

"It's the Pure Land of Bliss!?"

Truman couldn't hold back any longer.

What exactly did I teach her?!

Indeed, Gokuraku Jodo is a very famous anime dance, and its movements and steps are excellent standards for evaluation. But is this really a good dance for a child like Philon?

He instinctively covered his cheeks, but then spread his ten fingers wide apart; in the end, he gave in to his nature.

Because Philon was really serious and hardworking.

She was putting in her best effort to perform the dance perfectly, which made it impossible for Truman to look away.

Just then, soft footsteps came from the edge of the pool.

I glanced over instinctively.

"...It's Frillian." Truman spotted a flash of silver and said, "Your work on deciphering the spellbook is finished for today...no, it seems it's not over yet."

"I'm tired, so I'm taking a break."

"yes."

Frillie's twin tails became high ponytails, and she wore a pair of black-rimmed glasses, giving her a scholarly look.

She looked at Philon dancing gracefully in the center of the pool and asked in confusion:

"What are you doing?"

"Watching Philon dance, this seems to be the assignment I gave her... How was it? Pretty good, right? I taught her!"

"You must have been taught that by your future self, what are you so smug about?"

"I taught them that too!"

Truman held his head high with pride.

Frilian glanced at him, then stared at Philon dancing in the center of the pool. Her arrival did not disrupt Philon's rhythm; both her movements and postures were quite perfect.

"Wow, that's amazing. To have such control and endurance with magic at such a young age. Other mages would be stuck in the same bottleneck, but she doesn't seem to have any problems with that."

"This is probably what they mean by God opening a door and a window for you."

"Although the magical power is still insufficient."

"I can't argue with that."

While some are born with extraordinary magical power, possessing far greater magical strength than ordinary people, and can reach unattainable levels with just a little training, most people... especially humans, don't actually have that much magical power, especially compared to other races.

However, magical power increases with continuous training, and is also greatly influenced by age and physical condition. Philon is still young and will grow stronger in the future.

"Looks like everything's fine."

Truman smiled.

Philen performed very well, maintaining emotional stability and demonstrating excellent magical control. Her dance continued well into the latter half, provided she didn't make any mistakes…

"Speaking of which, Frilian, you're planning to stay, right?"

"Hmm. The magic book that Haita asked me to decipher is quite difficult, it will probably take quite a while, 3... no, about 4 years."

"Is that so? Then there's nothing we can do."

"What?"

Let's part ways here.

"...Huh?"

—Thump!

Frillie's soft exclamation was drowned out by a sudden sound from the center of the pool—Philon had accidentally fallen and landed in the middle of the water. Fortunately, the pool wasn't deep, only reaching her chest.

Philon silently stood up and spoke expressionlessly.

"I'm sorry, I failed."