Las Vegas VIP Club (1)
The corner of the table, sliced cleanly off, gleamed with a smooth, flawless cross-section. But the instant his concentration broke, the mana scattered and dispersed with it.
"Whew. That's seriously hard. No wonder they call it fierce mana."
"W-wait, what was that just now?"
"It's one of the higher techniques knights use to control fierce mana."
"Whoa…"
Colt stared at the broken-off piece of tabletop, turning it over in his hands with open disbelief.
"Mana doesn't clash with itself, so even I, as a magician, can learn it. Controlling it is another story, though. That's brutal."
"You called it a higher technique… and you're just using it?"
"You and I haven't spent anywhere near the same amount of time learning mana. How can you compare us?"
"Cheh."
"If you want to learn this and actually use it, it'll take you years of training at the very least."
"...I'm a long way off, huh."
Fierce mana didn't begin in the mana vessel of the chest; it had to come from the mana vessel that started in the abdomen. Of course, James still hadn't formed a mana vessel in his belly. All he had done was borrow power from the sea of mana and imitate a knight's technique. That was why controlling the mana had been so difficult.
"From now on, follow exactly what I tell you. Until you get used to it, I'll guide your mana along the path to the knight's vessel."
Colt glanced at the tabletop corner James had cut away, then hurriedly answered.
"Got it. Let's start."
"First, the beginning of the breath is the same. And then…"
For more than two hours, James taught Colt a new breathing method and opened a new path for his mana.
Why is he taking to this so well?
In truth, it hadn't taken anywhere near two hours. Even though it was a knight's breathing method he had never learned before, Colt adapted as quickly as if he had been practicing it for years, and the path of mana never once veered off course, as though it had found where it was meant to go after only a few artificial guidances.
So maybe I should start too?
Seeing Colt's breathing fill the knight's vessel, James decided to make one of his own. So, standing before Colt, he drew in and released the same breath, shaping the knight's vessel for himself.
...
The breathing was so quiet it was almost impossible to notice, but from the very beginning James was guiding the sea of mana into the knight's vessel.
There was only one additional step for him, since he already possessed the mage's vessel.
The mana overflows and overflows, and into the knight's vessel it goes…
The high-purity mana that passed through the mage's vessel in James's chest was forming the knight's vessel.
Because of that, building the vessel took even longer, and that was why more than two hours had passed.
Fwoooosh.
At last, James's completed vessel revealed itself in full.
Hah. Mine takes forever.
He opened his eyes and, with a gaze that had sunk deep and still, looked at Colt, who was lost in the knight's breathing.
Is this another difference in talent?
James thought he had talent for magic, while Colt had talent for the knight's path.
And my vessel…
But as James felt the vessel he had created, it became clear that his talent for mana was something else entirely.
...Mine is cleaner, more transparent.
Not only was it clearer and more transparent, its size and solidity couldn't even be compared to Colt's vessel.
Crackle, crackle.
Now, even controlling fierce mana with the tips of his fingers felt easy. It had been created through the proper method, passing through a proper vessel and along a proper path.
I might even be able to grow it further...
Just then, James felt signs that Colt was waking, and he quickly scattered the mana at his fingertips.
"Hoo."
"Is it over?"
"Yeah. I could feel my vessel."
"Really? Then you must have remembered it properly."
That was the result of two straight hours of breathing and of continuously supplying mana through its path.
"It feels like someone bolted a car engine onto my body. And not just any engine—some insane high-output one."
That was how Colt felt the power overflowing from the knight's vessel.
"I want to run outside."
"Now?"
It looked as though fire was burning in Colt's eyes.
"Yeah."
"Let's go. I was just thinking I wanted to run too."
"What's the route?"
"The same one as always. We're in Las Vegas, aren't we?"
"Cool."
The two of them changed into light clothes and left the hotel for a belated jog.
Thump. Tap. Tap.
Colt's brisk footsteps showed no sign of tiring.
James had already been using mana with skill for a long time, so he didn't feel a dramatic change, but Colt could feel a tremendous difference.
"Haha. Feels like I could fly."
Before, he would be out of breath after just thirty minutes of running; now, he felt like he could run all day and never tire.
"Yeah!"
With a cheer, Colt kicked lightly off the ground and rose high into the air before dropping back down.
"Hahahahaha! This feels amazing!"
"Knight breathing isn't something you can only do while sitting still. You can do it while you run, too."
"If I keep running while replenishing my strength, I could probably run forever."
"Heh. I think so too."
I'm glad because Colt's happy.
He didn't regret teaching Colt the knight's breathing method and helping him form his mana vessel.
I'm not alone on the path of mana anymore.
He was still the only magician, but in the broader world of mana, he had found a comrade. That made his heart feel warmer than when he was alone.
Even the barren, jagged mountains visible in the distance from Clark County Park looked beautiful to him now.
"How about we climb that mountain over there today?"
"...Whoa, easy there. Calm down, Colt."
Colt had formed his vessel, yes, but after only a single day of mana training, that was hardly something to boast about. He might feel like he could do anything and own the world, but knight training was only just beginning.
So what if the engine's high-output? The body that has to carry it is still the same old frame.
If he pushed himself too hard, he'd be laid up sick for days. Right now was the time to train the knight's body to match the knight's vessel at the center of it all. And that would take a very long time.
"Then how about running all the way to Hoover Dam?"
"You want to run thirty miles?"
Thirty miles came to about forty-eight kilometers, more than a marathon course.
"That'd bring us back at dawn!"
It wasn't impossible to make the round trip, but James already had plans for tomorrow.
"I told you, I have something scheduled for tomorrow!"
"What a shame. Hahaha. Then maybe I'll go on my own."
"We didn't even bring water."
"Ah, right."
Today's run had been meant to test Colt's newly formed knight's vessel, not to see whether he could survive an ultra-marathon.
"Let's head back. The test is plenty enough now."
"Too bad."
"We still have plenty of time."
But it was less time than they expected.
The next day, James met Tom of Citibank Investment.
"Tom."
"James! Hahaha."
Tom shook their clasped hands vigorously, delighted to see him.
"It feels like I've run into a long-lost family member."
"By now, James, you're my biggest client."
"Really?"
That was because James's auction payment, which came to more than two billion dollars, had been deposited the day before.
"Among the people James is meeting today, there's no one who has entrusted more investment deposits than you have. So yes—you're my biggest client."
"...Heh."
That was only natural, perhaps. Most of them owned companies, so the bulk of their assets were tied up in stocks and real estate, while James's wealth was entirely in cash.
"I'll show you in."
"Do they know I'm coming?"
"They know a new member is joining, but they don't know it's you."
"A surprise?"
"Something like that. Hahaha."
Tom led James toward the meeting place. As befitted a private gathering, it was guarded at the door by private security personnel.
Tom hurried ahead before James could say anything, and explained.
"This is James Kane, the new member joining today."
"...Go on in."
When they entered through the door that was opened for them, a cozy space came into view.
...
James had thought that, if he appeared, the existing members would all turn their attention to him, but they were gathered around one table, heads together in conversation, with no spare attention for the new arrival.
"...Wow."
"I didn't think I'd ever get to see this in person."
"It's truly an incredible piece."
"Haha. I had an expert verify its authenticity, and the results came back yesterday. They said it was definitely genuine. You should've seen how hard they begged me to sell it to them…"
Oh. Tony… So we meet again here.
The item Tony Anderson was showing off to the others was Arthur's gold coin, displayed inside a small transparent acrylic box.
James didn't find it strange that Tony belonged to this sort of gathering.
For Tony, calling him VVIP wouldn't be an exaggeration.
He was one of the region's wealthiest men and a familiar face in Las Vegas, someone everybody knew. James walked up behind them, where they were all focused on the coin, and asked,
"What's so interesting? I'd like to know too."
...
...
...
...
At James's appearance, every member turned around and saw a young, handsome man. In a room full of older members, his youth stood out all the more sharply.
"Oh... James!"
"Tony. I didn't expect to run into you here again."
"Hahaha."
Tony greeted James as warmly as if he'd met an old friend, and the two shook hands.
"What brought James all the way here? Are you planning to put on a magic show for us today?"
At Tony's words, Tom, who had arranged the meeting, stepped forward.
"Didn't I tell you a new member was joining today? Mr. James Kane is the newest member of the Citibank VIP Club."
"Hahaha. So you hit it big at the casino this time... and came straight here to join, did you?"
Tony was assuming that James's assets came entirely from the money he'd won at poker.
"Well..."
When James didn't answer, Tom stepped in again.
"James's Citibank deposit is larger than the combined deposits of everyone here, Mr. Tony."
"...!"
...
...
...
...
The look the existing members gave James changed. They no longer saw him as a magician, but as a massive asset holder.
"...Hah!"
Tony looked at James in disbelief, clearly wanting an explanation.
"James. What does that mean?"
"It seems I hadn't mentioned it. I had quite a bit of success with the places I invested in. Thanks to that, I was even able to give you that coin as a gift."
Everyone's eyes turned back to the coin, and then to Tony, its owner.
That coin was a gift from James Kane?
The Arthur's coin that sold for seven million dollars—given as a present?
And he succeeded so massively that it exceeds all of our combined investment deposits…
"It's a pleasure to meet you all. Let me introduce myself again. I'm James Kane, the telekinetic magician who worked in Las Vegas."
"Well, then. Nice to meet you, James."
After Tony's acknowledgment, the other members followed with their own greetings.
"This certainly brings the average age of our club down a bit."
"You're welcome here too. Seems you've had a magical success in investment, hmm? Hahaha."
"Thank you. Then I suppose I'll take a seat."
Once James sat down, simple refreshments and tea were brought before him.
"I was worried in case there were people here I didn't know, but it was needless concern."
James knew not only their names, but the companies each of them owned as well.
"Mr. Roy Well's department store seems to be doing well these days. I went there a few days ago to buy a gift for my girlfriend, and there were so many people I had a hard time of it."
"Haha. If I'd known one of our club members would come in, I'd have arranged a VIP shopping room for you."
For these men, James was not a magician anymore. He was a wealthy man they needed to get to know.