"Start your concentration!" his shout echoed from afar.
"Yes, Master!" I shouted back.
"Don't yell at me!" he barked with anger.
"Yes, Master!" I repeated, still loud.
"Shut your mouth!" he snapped again.
I sighed and resumed my mana concentration. One minute passed. Then five. I couldn't hold it anymore and let go. My body, not used to this much concentrated mana, began to weaken. I could barely stand. My legs felt like jelly.
Just then, I remembered the stick—Master's favorite surprise weapon.
I turned my head to scan my surroundings.
[Not from the left... Not the right... Not the front or back... Guess I'm safe this time.]
Relieved, I took a slow, cautious step forward.
Then a voice rang out from the forest's edge.
"Above!"
I looked up just in time to see the stick plummeting toward me.
"Damn it!" I cursed—too late.
The stick struck me square in the middle of my forehead, and once again, everything went black. I was unconscious for almost five hours and even managed to dream during that time.
In my dream, sticks danced around me, beating me gleefully as if performing a festive ritual. I awoke screaming in terror.
By the time I opened my eyes, night had fallen. I was lying in front of the hut. My master was cooking near the campfire, just as always.
"You're awake?"
"Yes," I muttered, trying to stand. My head throbbed with pain, and I dropped back down, holding my skull.
"Your head hurts? Sorry—I went a bit overboard. I'll be more careful next time."
"How did you do that?"
"Do what?"
"How did you throw the stick without even seeing me?"
"Ah... I sensed your mana. I aimed based on that."
"Specifically how?"
"When you concentrate your mana, its flow either stops or slows around you. During meditation, I told you to keep your mana from leaking, to use it for yourself. Through concentration, you circulate that mana through your body over and over. This strengthens it and enhances its effectiveness. Meditation and concentration exist for this very reason."
"I understand now."
"Fire is one of the five primal elements in this world. Because of that, it must be handled differently. If you don't wrap your body in fiery mana while using fire magic, your body will simply burn to ashes."
I froze. Did he say burn to ashes?
"Burn to ashes?!"
"Yes. Like I said, mastering Elestar techniques requires complete self-control. If you lose focus even for a moment, your own flames will consume you. The same goes for the other elements. That's why Elestars are considered elite mages. Even the First Emperor was an Elestar."
"The First Emperor? Wasn't he just a legend?"
"Many believe so. But he was real. He lived about a hundred thousand years ago."
"A hundred thousand years?!"
"Yes. Back then, the Elven Kingdom didn't even exist. That's why there's so little information about him."
"Elven Kingdom?"
My last question seemed to drain the color from my master's face. He looked at me as if I'd deeply disappointed him.
"You don't know that either? What era are you even from? You've never heard of elves?"
"I've heard about them in bedtime stories my parents told..."
"Where is your village?" he asked, genuinely confused.
"It's about a day and a half's walk west from here."
"I've never heard of any village in that direction... Do you know where the nearest city is?"
"Yes. It's a one-day journey from the village along the main road."
"I see. Your village must be extremely close to the border, deep in the forest. That would explain your lack of knowledge."
[Strange... I've never heard of a village where this boy says he's from. Especially not that close to the 'Flame Kingdom' border, near the Demon Realm. Is it even possible for people to live there? Something's off... Could it be the demons themselves who placed people there? It's not unheard of—in the Vampire Nation, humans live by offering their blood in exchange for protection. But Attu said his village was attacked. That doesn't line up. I'll need to investigate this further.]
"If it's possible, can you tell me everything you know?"
"Sure. I'll tell you when we have free time. What do you want to know first?"
"Tell me more about the First Emperor!"
"Alright, listen carefully. Like I said, the First Emperor lived a hundred thousand years ago. I read about him in a book once. He was the strongest mage—an Elestar. There were other mages before him, but none as powerful. He built an enormous empire. While he was rising in the east, demons were establishing their own kingdom in the uncharted west.
The Demon King launched a war. The Emperor led his people into battle and emerged victorious. The first Demon King was slain, but his descendants survived. Demons, like elves, live long lives—but unlike elves, no demon has lived past 2,500 years. Elves can reach up to 3,000. Have you ever seen one? They have long, sharp ears. If you touch one—"
"Wait—you were telling me about the war. Why are we talking about elves now? You said their kingdom didn't even exist back then."
"Oh, right. Sorry. My thoughts drifted... Where was I?"
"The Demon King..."
"Ah, yes! The Demon King was killed, but his children lived. Meanwhile, the First Emperor suddenly died."
"What happened to him?"
"What always happens—human greed."
"What do you mean? What kind of greed?"
"Sometimes humans are worse than demons. Their greed brought down an entire empire. After the Emperor's death, his empire splintered into separate nations. Thankfully, the Demon King's children weren't very strong. They attacked, but couldn't conquer any of the new kingdoms. However, later generations grew stronger and stronger. This led to the rise of some nations and the fall of others. None of the nations that formed after the Empire have survived to the present day. Every kingdom eventually crumbles. Remember that, Attu."
Just as he said those words, a soft snore interrupted him. He looked over—Attu had already fallen fast asleep.
Valorant considered waking him but thought better of it. Seeing the boy sleeping so peacefully, he simply pulled a blanket over him, turned back toward the fire, and whispered:
"You had a hard day. Rest well."
The sun had risen.
I was completely exhausted from the previous day. I hadn't thought mana concentration could be this difficult. Circulating mana throughout the body, moving it from one point to another, or keeping it gathered in a specific spot—it was all incredibly challenging.
Master Valorant had explained how important mana concentration was for an Elestar. You could say Elestars were knights who could use magic.
They were primarily trained to fight demons. Mana wasn't just for casting spells—it could also be used to strengthen the body. "That's the key difference between mages and Elestars," Master Valorant had said.
So, my training for the day began again. Today, I managed to maintain my mana concentration for a longer time. My stamina during concentration was growing with each passing day. And so, time kept flowing.
It had now been one month since I met Master Valorant. During this time, I'd done nothing but train in mana concentration—no physical training whatsoever. As a result, I got to know more about my master.
Turns out, Master Valorant was a fan of elves—specifically elf women. If you could even call it fandom. One day, I entered his room while he was asleep and found him clutching a book titled Journal. Curious, I took a look and discovered it was full of model photos of elf women. That's when I realized my master was deeply fascinated by elves. Honestly, elf girls were really beautiful.
"Starting today, you'll be training your body alongside mana. Can you feel your mana now?"
"Yes, I'm feeling it much better now."
"Good. Then we'll begin real training from this moment on."
So we began the real training. That month-long period of calming and sensing mana had come to an end.
Today, I ran through the forest. I didn't expect the master to make me run that far. After that, I did 100 pushups—until I had no strength left. Whenever I collapsed, he would strike me with his favorite weapon: his stick.
"Master! Can I take a break?"
"Of course!" he said, which made me happy. "After thirty more." he added.
That joy quickly disappeared. Truthfully, Master's training was very harsh and intense.
"Remember what I told you!"
"Which part?"
"Only someone who has felt the pain of stillness can understand the value of movement. You've done nothing for a month—now you must pay for it."
That didn't really motivate me, but I kept going anyway. I didn't get far before collapsing face-first into the ground.
"Come on, twenty more!" he said as he struck me again.
"Master… I can't… I'm out of strength…" I muttered weakly.
"Don't die! We still have one more thing to do."
"What?"
"Fine, rest up. We'll continue once you've recovered."
Master gave me a break and walked off. Normally, he didn't do that. Lately, though, he'd been doing it more often—going somewhere and coming back. Whatever. After resting, I had to get back up. Master had returned by now. I should ask him what he's been up to.