Chapter 269
Chapter 269
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 269
Chapter Title: Advance (Foreshock) (2)
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Kevin asked him to explain.
He showed considerable interest and curiosity in the training method Oliver had described.
It was a highly unusual reaction from someone who rarely got surprised by anything.
Oliver responded in kind, explaining his unique training approach in detail.
It emphasized self-directed practice for skill improvement, with gentle guidance to help grasp the knack when students hit a wall.
Kevin asked,
"What exactly do you mean by helping them get a feel for it?"
"It's about lightly touching their body to let them indirectly sense my technique... Like someone holding the back of a bike to steady you when you're learning to ride a two-wheeler."
Oliver spoke plainly, without false modesty or arrogance, sharing his thoughts unfiltered.
It was effective, but ultimately not much different from holding the bike steady.
However, Kevin's reaction was a bit different from what Oliver expected.
He seemed even more shocked and intrigued than Oliver had anticipated, as if he'd never heard of such a thing.
"I... I don't quite get it."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah, it's the first time I've heard of anything like that."
Kevin was sincere, and Oliver was a little surprised himself.
The first time he'd heard of it...? Oliver hadn't given the ability much deep thought originally, but he hadn't realized it was that rare.
Especially from someone like Kevin, whose breadth of experience should have exposed him to something similar...
It felt like exaggeration, but Kevin's reaction was genuine. He was clearly struck with shock and admiration at what Oliver described, like he'd uncovered something extraordinary.
When Oliver asked about it, Kevin cautiously opened up.
"...It's not a field I know much about, so I can't offer a firm opinion. But personally, I think it's incredible."
"Is that right?"
"Yeah. It can dramatically boost training efficiency."
Dramatically boosting training efficiency... It wasn't wrong.
After all, he'd used it to rapidly advance Marie and the rest of Joseph's Family, along with the Fighter Crew.
'Huh... Now that I think about it, I used it pretty conveniently, didn't I?'
Reflecting on the smooth training process, Oliver glanced at his own hands.
Lost in thought, Oliver heard Kevin speak up.
"Do you have any specific examples of using it in training? Not doubting you or anything."
He was sincere again. Kevin took Oliver's word at face value.
"I can't get into specifics, but it's happened a couple of times."
Oliver deliberately avoided mentioning Joseph's Family or the Fighter Crew.
It wasn't a promise of secrecy, but blabbing about it felt rude anyway.
Thankfully, Kevin didn't press for details.
"I see... Do you have any training logs or records?"
"No, I don't."
"That's a shame."
"I regret it a bit myself."
Oliver meant it. He'd only realized too late, while training the Magic Tower students, just how valuable training logs were.
Kevin paused before speaking again.
"Hmm... Could you try it on me, then? It's so novel—I'd like to see it with my own eyes."
Oliver thought for a moment, then condensed mana at his fingertip and flicked it.
Snap—
Two spells activated simultaneously.
One was a soundproofing barrier to prevent any noise from leaking out of the room. The other was a sensor spell to alert him of anyone approaching.
It held little meaning for Oliver, with his Black Light eyes, but better safe than sorry.
"If it's not too much trouble, could you hold out both hands?"
Kevin extended his hands without hesitation.
Oliver pulled a test tube from his pocket, extracted some emotion, and placed it between Kevin's palms.
"Do you feel anything?"
"No. I'm not a black mage, after all."
The moment he heard the answer, Oliver slipped his hand outside Kevin's and overlaid it.
This was uncharted territory for him, so he wasn't sure if it'd work, but there was no real loss if it failed. He started with a relaxed mind.
"Oh... It's working."
A moment later, Oliver spoke up.
The intangible, smoky Black Light emotion between Kevin's hands had formed a perfect circle under the overlaid touch.
"...Ho."
Kevin let out an intrigued sound.
"What is this?"
"It's one of the basic drills I learned back when Master took me in."
"Basic drill?"
"Yes. Just as mages learn to handle mana, black mages must learn to manipulate emotions. First, we check if they have the eyes to see emotions, then extraction, then control—in that order."
Oliver explained, dredging up old memories.
Two or three years ago? It hadn't been that long, but it felt like ages had passed.
"Fascinating... I've faced black mages on battlefields and in cities, but I've never given thought to how they're trained."
"Really?"
Oliver asked in surprise.
That made sense, though. He'd always been interested in how mages were trained himself.
It was one reason he'd readily agreed when Merlin suggested he go to the Magic Tower.
But on second thought, it was probably natural.
Comparing mages and black mages on the same level was unfair anyway.
Not that one was superior—he'd long since stopped thinking that way.
Simply put, mages still had the edge in organizational scale and structure.
Oliver, having indirectly witnessed the Magic Tower's might, thought as much.
"What's next?"
Kevin asked, pulling Oliver from his reverie.
Oliver refocused and moved to the next step.
"Gradually forming more complex shapes."
Oliver manipulated the emotion through Kevin's hand, changing its form—from circle to square, triangle, star, cone, spiral, and even a spiderweb...
"That's how I taught it. Most picked it up quickly... Can you feel it?"
Kevin responded by manipulating the emotion himself.
Impressively, despite being a mage with no prior experience, he controlled it quite adeptly.
"Oh, excellent. You have a talent for this too."
"You think...?"
Kevin replied with a hint of doubt.
His lack of confidence puzzled Oliver, but he encouraged him anyway.
"No, really. From what I've seen, you do. Few can handle it this smoothly right away."
Kevin stared at the emotion writhing in his hands, seemingly unmoved by the praise.
"...And after that?"
"Once they can form emotions reliably, the next step is manipulating them faster."
Oliver raised his index finger to Kevin's hand and controlled the emotion once more.
The emotion between Kevin's palms flowed like a living, amorphous creature, freely shifting shapes in a steady rhythm.
Too fast to follow with the eyes.
"But it's not just about speed—the shapes have to be precise too."
"Got it... It's like magic."
"Oh... I agree. Magic and black magic seem so different, but personally, I think they're connected at the root."
Oliver lit up. A mage agreeing with a long-held belief of his... It was oddly thrilling.
But Kevin just stared at him blankly, thinking differently.
"Did I say something out of line again?"
"No, not that. More importantly, could this be applied to magic?"
"I'm not sure. This is my first time teaching a mage, after all."
It was true, but the brazen reply left the listener a bit flustered.
Fortunately, Kevin was used to Oliver by now and didn't get rattled.
"Good. Then experiment on me."
"...You sure that's okay?"
"Of course. I'd even ask you to."
"Ah, then I'll gladly give it a try."
Oliver rolled up his sleeves and placed his hand on Kevin's.
"...By the way, is there any magic you can't do?"
Oliver belatedly remembered a key point.
Kevin was a Magic Tower mage—a Master, no less.
The rank just below Grand Master and One Master.
Teaching magic indirectly to him? Absurd.
Kevin seemed to realize it too and hesitated.
"Hmm... Spatial magic?"
"I can't do that properly either... What about ice or wind magic?"
"It's just a matter of proficiency. I can use all elemental magic, and pure mana too."
"Ah..."
Oliver let out a sound at the sight of Kevin's overwhelming competence.
Too capable for his own good. Tricky. Then, a good idea suddenly flashed through Oliver's mind.
"Excuse me."
Oliver overlaid his hand on Kevin's again.
"What are you doing?"
"Just a moment, please."
With permission, Oliver focused, manipulated Kevin's mana through his hand, and conjured a small flame between his palms.
"This is—"
"—No ordinary flame."
Kevin cut off Oliver's explanation.
"Willeth's flame."
"Do you know him?"
"No. Just heard rumors during my time as a field mage. Some guy using a vicious flame that devours mana... And here you are, wielding it."
"I worked with him on a previous outing and copied it after seeing it."
Oliver said it casually, but Kevin's head spun.
He'd researched that spell out of interest but got nowhere, and here Oliver had replicated it with a half-hearted "I copied it."
But even more shocking was that he was now teaching it to Kevin.
Imparting such a complex formula and subtle knack with mere touch... Words failed him.
"Do you get it? The formula and how to handle it."
Oliver asked, and Kevin answered.
"...I think so."
To prove it, Kevin carefully controlled the flame that could swallow even a sorcerer whole.
A bit clumsy, but incredible for a first try.
"Glad to hear it... So, using this method, could I help the students you're overseeing?"
"You plan to guide them from start to finish?"
Oliver shook his head.
"No, not at all. Just nudge them on the parts they struggle with. Like showing them how to make a circle if they can't. The rest, they learn on their own."
"I get the gist... Did you teach the other black mages you trained the same way?"
"Yes."
"...Out of curiosity, why that way? Why not teach them everything from start to finish? It would've been faster and easier."
"...? I was just helping them after they put in the effort. Doing it all for them would defeat the purpose, no?"
Oliver replied with a look of utter confusion.
"So, what did he say?"
In the study inside the grand mansion, Merlin asked while searching for a book.
Kevin replied.
"Same as before. He asked if he could use that method to help Felix and the other diligent students. He said helping a few motivated ones would inspire the rest."
"Not a bad idea. What did you tell him?"
"I asked him to wait. Said I'd consult you first."
"My opinion?"
"Yes. You're the one in charge here, aren't you?"
"Though if it goes wrong, I'll play dumb right away?"
Merlin joked, but as usual, Kevin didn't play along.
Especially not this time.
"This isn't something to joke about."
"Is it not?"
"No. I did say we should throw them into various situations, but this... It's beyond imagination."
Kevin said it with the resolve for some backlash. It truly was.
"If you're saying that, Dave must have some insane talent."
"Master... Talent in people doesn't mean being stronger or faster than others. It's not a phrase for flying to the heavens."
A stranger might call it hyperbole, but Kevin—the man himself—didn't see it that way. This was him holding back.
"Dave thinks he's just helping them get the knack, but that's not how I see it."
"Then what?"
"...I never thought I'd use such sentimental words, but it's like he's sharing talent... No, that's wrong too. Sharing implies giving away part of your own. He's just bestowing it... Like a blessing."
"That's not like you at all."
"I know. But nothing else fits."
Kevin shared his honest thoughts.
Imparting the knack for advanced magic with a single intervention? Only "blessing" or "miracle" could describe it.
Talent wasn't commonplace like that.
"Depending on what Dave sets his mind to, he could single-handedly build a school with centuries of history or a Magic Tower with decades—in no time... Still no idea what he is? Any relation to the prophecy books, doomsday theories, Archive chronicles, or demon tomes you're digging through now?"
Under Kevin's questioning, Merlin pondered before answering.
"Not certain, but I've got a few hypotheses."
"What are they?"
"Later. They're just hypotheses."
Kevin started to protest, but dropped it at Merlin's expression.
It had been a while. The same face he'd worn when officially inheriting the Archive.
"...How serious is it?"
"Could be serious, could not. Everything's a comedy from afar."
"...Dave asked if there's a way to contact you. He wants to meet."
"Me?"
"Yes. Something about the World Tree. What should I tell him?"
"Hmm... Perfect timing. I have something to verify anyway, so I'll head back soon. We can sort out our questions then. I'll handle the training matter too. You're dismissed."
With that, Merlin pulled an ancient tome from the shelf.
Etched on its spine: The Sleeping Princess in the Forest.