Morning sunlight slipped gently through the gap in the closed curtains. Its warm glow fell perfectly across the surface of the large bed inside the quiet dormitory room.
A young man, seventeen years of age, was still sleeping soundly. His black hair was messy, and while his face wasn't particularly handsome, it was slightly above average—youthful and unremarkable in an endearing sort of way.
As he turned in bed, blinking groggily, he slowly opened his eyes and let out a soft yawn.
"Hahh... It's morning already," he muttered, rubbing his eyes as he sat up.
The sleep he'd gotten the previous night had been incredibly peaceful, more restful than anything he'd experienced in a long time.
"Today is Thursday, the 11th day of the First Month," he said aloud to himself.
There were still very few students at the academy. Since it was vacation time for the upper-year students and most of the new first-year students hadn't arrived yet, the grounds were relatively quiet. That was why, when Amon had visited the canteen the previous night, it had been nearly empty.
Even the nobles' section had only two or three students, none of whom had paid him any attention.
"The food was so amazing... I can still taste it," he said with a dreamy smile.
He headed to the bathroom, brushed his teeth, washed his face, and quickly got dressed in a simple set of casual clothes.
He had already decided to spend the next four days training regularly until the opening ceremony on the 15th.
Stepping outside into the soft morning light, Amon took a deep breath of the fresh, mana-rich air and began jogging around the academy grounds.
His goal? One lap around the entire academy.
"Let's do it~ You can do it, Amon!"
Half an hour later…
Amon was sitting under a tree, gasping for breath.
"F-Fuck... This—this academy is damn huge," he wheezed. "I may not be strong, but I was at least confident in my stamina and running ability. But just one lap around this place, and I'm nearly dead…"
He leaned his head back against the tree trunk and rested for a bit. Despite his exhaustion, he wasn't one to give up so easily.
After a few minutes of catching his breath, he got back on his feet.
"I'm not going to give up that early!"
With renewed determination, he pushed himself and began jogging again.
Along the way, he saw several other students walking or jogging like him. Perhaps they were early risers or simply just as dedicated to their physical routines.
After completing three more laps, Amon finally called it quits.
"That's enough running for today," he said, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
He made his way to a nearby wooden bench and sat down, letting his body relax. After resting for a while, he stood up and headed toward the cafeteria to grab some much-needed breakfast.
Later that morning, inside the academy's training grounds…
"This place is awesome!" Amon exclaimed, his face lighting up with excitement.
The training grounds were massive, easily large enough to accommodate dozens of students practicing at the same time. At this hour, only a small number of students were around, likely for the same reason as him.
Attached to the main grounds were various training rooms, designed for different types of practice.
There were racks filled with weapons of all types: swords, spears, axes, and even guns. The sections were neatly divided: one for melee weapon training, one for ranged weapons, one for magic training, and another for marksmanship.
Walking toward the weapons rack, Amon rubbed his chin.
"What should I choose for training today?" he pondered, weighing his options. "Should I go for weapon practice... or focus on physical training?"
Eventually, he made his decision.
"Let's do both. First, some physical exercises—weights, body drills, and then weapons."
With that, he headed toward the gym section of the training grounds.
There, he began his regimen: push-ups, stretches, bodyweight drills, muscle-control routines, and repetitions. After that, he moved on to some weightlifting.
His legs were already a little sore from his morning run, but he ignored the discomfort.
"I need to work hard."
He gritted his teeth and powered through his soreness, pushing his body to its limits.
After his physical training, he took a short break and walked over to a quiet, secluded area of the training grounds, designed specifically for mana control and meditation.
It was a peaceful space, with softly humming mana stones embedded in the walls, creating an ideal atmosphere for focusing one's mind.
Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Amon began meditating. He drew in mana from the ambient energy around him and circulated it through his body.
Mana control was essential. It determined not only the strength of one's spells but also one's overall growth as a mage.
Amon had been practicing this for the last two years, but the results were... well, less than impressive.
Despite all his efforts, his mana capacity had only increased from 30 to 50 in two years.
"Talk about being real trash," he muttered internally.
Still, he didn't let it bother him too much. Progress was progress, after all.
After a full hour of meditation, Amon stood up and stretched before moving toward an area with several trees.
"All right. Let's try casting my basic spells... Just to make sure I haven't forgotten them."
He extended one hand and began channeling mana toward the tip of his index finger. The mana energy flowed through his body, along his veins and blood vessels, before reaching his fingertips.
A small black sphere began forming at the tip of his finger.
It crackled and shimmered with dark energy, while a faint, smoke-like aura drifted from its surface.
"Gloom Orb."
Although spell chanting wasn't necessary, Amon liked to say the names aloud. It just made things more dramatic.
The small orb shot forward and collided with a nearby tree trunk. Upon impact, it exploded in a puff of dark particles, accompanied by a soft popping sound and curling wisps of shadow.
"Not bad. It's definitely easier now," Amon noted. "Though it still takes 5 mana points…"
That was a bit annoying. Gloom Orb was one of the most basic darkness spells out there, and most beginner spells consumed at least 10 mana points. His other spell, Shadow Clutch, consumed more than double that amount.
But then again, he only had 50 mana points in total. Not exactly a luxury.
Still curious, Amon decided to test his second spell.
He extended his hand toward the tree again and whispered, "Shadow Clutch."
The shadow cast by the tree began to ripple unnaturally. From within the dark silhouette, a shadowy hand slowly emerged, its long, clawed fingers reaching upward as if trying to grab the tree's roots.
Satisfied, Amon waved his hand and dismissed the spell. The hand dissipated instantly, melting back into the shadow.
He gave a small nod.
"All right. Not bad for the morning."
And with that, he turned back toward the dorms, already planning which part of his training he'd tackle next.