Mana—an infinite resource that forms the foundation of this world and serves as a power source for nearly every conceivable aspect of human imagination. Among all beings, mages were, naturally, the most familiar with mana.
On the battlefield, they conjured flames and summoned lightning, while in times of peace, they brought great convenience to the daily lives of the kingdom’s people. In fact, many mages prioritized research for practical applications rather than engaging in warfare. However, unlike such mages—
「We are the sword and shield of the kingdom. Always remember, overwhelming force is the simplest way to grant peace to His Majesty and our people.」
Knights had only one purpose: to fight on the battlefield. Their duty was to lead soldiers at the vanguard, protect mages from enemy shock troops attacking the rear, and ensure the safety of their allies. They could fulfil these roles, of course, because they too could wield mana. And then—
Until just a day ago, Henry Hamilton had shown no trace of talent.
“……?”
His mind was still foggy. The sound of birds chirping reached his ears. Where was he? What time was it? What had he been doing? He remained dazed for a moment longer before realization struck.
“It’s morning.”
The memories returned. He had returned to his worn-down quarters from the training ground. After that, he had struggled to accumulate mana.
“So that’s what I was doing… clutching a broomstick.”
A faint chuckle escaped his lips.
Had he ever been this deeply immersed in something before?
He thought about it, but no—never. Not even when swinging a sword had he ever lost himself so completely for hours on end.
So, what came of that immersion… huh?
Like a bolt of lightning, Henry froze.
“This is…?”
His right hand groped at his chest. But that wasn’t the right way to confirm it.
“Mana!”
He had only moved reflexively—purely out of shock.
“Did I really…? I actually accumulated mana?”
When he focused, he could sense it even more clearly—faint but undeniable, mana had ‘taken root’ around his beating heart.
“…It wasn’t a dream!”
He blurted out something ridiculous, but anyone would have reacted the same way. The moment he fully regained his senses, everything that had happened had felt like a dream. Mages? Broadcasts? He had wondered if it had all been a fleeting illusion conjured by his own desires. A habit formed over three years of failure. But today was different.
“It really happened. I really accumulated mana. This is… ha. How in the world… was it this simple?”
A whirlwind of emotions surged through him—awe, elation, confusion, and—
“No, this isn’t the time for that.”
Henry quickly straightened up and sat properly. He forcefully calmed his boiling emotions. It wasn’t easy, but controlling his emotions had always been one of his strengths.
「Now that you’ve accumulated mana, what comes next? You must learn to use it. You’ve seen it countless times—knights stepping onto the battlefield, cloaking their weapons and armor in mana.」
The voice of Instructor Pike echoed in his mind. A voice he had memorized from repetition. Back then, those words had meant nothing to him. Now, Henry recited them again.
「Of course, the techniques they use are beyond your reach for now. You wouldn’t even be able to imitate them. But even if you possess less mana than they do, you can still achieve comparable output.」
「The key lies in the quality of your pathways. It might sound vague, but it’s not complicated—think of it like your blood vessels. Start by moving the mana in your heart.」
Just a few hours of focus had led to mana accumulating in his heart. That meant the breathing techniques he had learned in class, combined with the ‘sensitivity’ granted to him by the mages, had worked. If that was the case—
He needed to open a path.
To properly utilize mana, he had to carve out a path for it to flow through his body.
「It will be difficult. Right now, you have no pathways. Your heart is merely acting as a vessel for mana—nothing more.」
「Visualize the path. This step, too, hinges entirely on your concentration. Your goal is to make a path from your heart to the hand that wields your sword.」
Visualize the path. That was Pike’s instruction. The only hint given was to use razor-sharp focus to create a mental image. But—
It wasn’t working.
It was no easy task. When he had attended Pike’s lessons, the first trainee to succeed had done so on the third session. By the seventh session, half the class had succeeded. By the twelfth session, everyone had.
Except Henry Hamilton.
He had no expectations this time, either.
It didn’t matter if it took days or months. As long as he achieved it within the year, he wouldn’t mind.
He had no talent. That was a fact he couldn’t afford to forget.
The excitement from his sudden stroke of luck completely faded. He crushed even the slightest trace of hope. He etched the same thought into his mind once more—he would persist until it worked, no matter how long it took. That was the only reason he had endured until now.
The mages had gifted him sensitivity to mana, but he couldn’t expect them to do any more for him. He had to prove his worth before they would have any reason to invest further.
That left him with only one option. Effort. Just as always, relentless effort.
Let’s do this.
He closed his eyes. He focused all his senses on his heart. Sounds grew faint, and even the light beyond his closed eyelids blurred.
Move the mana.
That single thought filled his entire mind.
Time passed.
Thirty minutes. An hour.
And then, at some point—
Ding!
A sudden sound jolted Henry, making him flinch.
“…?”
His deep concentration shattered. Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, he felt no regret—he hadn’t made any progress anyway.
[The broadcast is resuming!]
“…Ah.”
So that was the source of the sound.
The Grand Mage was still interested in him today.
“Good evening.”
There were zero viewers, but the grand mage overseeing the broadcast would surely be watching. Henry greeted politely and waited for a moment. However, no mages entered.
It’s still morning. The daily routine of a mage and a knight must be different.
Henry left without hesitation. It was 6 AM—the time he was allowed to leave his dormitory, which also meant he could use the mana training room.
Let’s try again.
It was a place he had stopped visiting at some point. But today felt a little different.
The instructors at Ballaran Royal Academy fell into two categories. There were “instructors” responsible for martial disciplines such as weapon techniques and horseback riding, and there were “professors” who handled everything else. The professors also managed key facilities within the academy.
One such facility was the mana training room, and its overseer, Professor Minerva, tilted her head at the sight of an unexpected visitor.
“Henry? What brings you here?”
Henry Hamilton. Even though Minerva had little connection to swordsmanship, there was no way she hadn’t heard about him—the trainee entirely devoid of mana talent, facing his final chance this year.
“I came to use the training room.”
“Ah, of course. You may enter.”
That was why she had asked a question that wouldn’t have been necessary for any other trainee.
Honestly… His reason for coming was obvious.
If he was visiting the training room, it could only be to train his mana. Minerva thought Henry’s posture looked somewhat disheartened.
He works so hard… Sometimes the gods can be too cruel.
Just as she had heard the rumours about his lack of talent, she had also heard about his relentless efforts. But her concern didn’t go beyond that. It wasn’t within her ability to help, and she saw it as nothing more than gossip. Her disinterested gaze returned to the cheap magazine she had been reading.
Meanwhile, Henry—
Good, it’s quiet.
Regardless of anything else, he was satisfied with the silence in the training room. During the academic term, the place was usually so packed that there wasn’t even room to step inside. Everyone flocked here, desperate to increase their mana reserves, even by a little. More mana meant better results in the next exam.
Students from Class C and below, who had no private training rooms, gathered here daily to accumulate mana.
The mages still haven’t arrived. Good. Let’s get started.
Henry settled into position and sat down. The space was entirely white, completely cut off from the outside world—silent, isolated, the perfect place to focus.
It’s definitely different.
He could tell the moment he stepped inside. The mana in this room was on an entirely different level compared to his dormitory. The density, the quality—it was overwhelming. At least ten, no, maybe twenty times greater.
It should be more efficient than gathering mana overnight. I’ll spend the entire day here.
His schedule for the day was set. But just then—
[‘King Garosh’ has entered.]
[lol you really started right at 6 AM]
A mage had entered. Henry recognized the name—it belonged to someone who frequently bickered with mages from other schools.
“Good morning, Mage King Garosh. You’re up early.”
[lol gotta head to work~]
[but you’re streaming alone? lol are you recording?]
“Recording…? Apologies, I’m not sure.”
[Maintaining the character, I see~~]
[Let me get ready for work first, haha]
Work? That was an odd term. He was probably referring to heading to his research lab at the Mage Tower.
And soon after—
[‘Dregi’ has entered.]
[‘tlsql1234’ has entered.]
More mages flooded in as if they had planned it.
[Gia~ (short for ‘greetings, knight’ lol)]
[Didn’t expect you to actually go live right at 6 AM!]
“Good morning.”
[A 6 AM stream is rare, haha. Will you be streaming until the evening again today?]
“Yes, I believe so. But I can’t say for certain, as it’s not entirely up to me.”
[That’s fair lol if your body gives out, nothing you can do about it]
[Gonna wash up, brb!]
[Same, gotta get ready for work. I’m exhausted.]
The chat went silent again.
They seem to have a more structured routine than I expected.
Of course, it likely varied from person to person, but it was still surprising.
But what do I do now?
Henry hesitated. Based on yesterday’s experience, once he started focusing on mana, he would lose all awareness of his surroundings. But now, three mages were watching him.
Thankfully, they seemed to enjoy watching my swordsmanship training, but I don’t know if they’ll find mana training interesting. They do it every day themselves.
Henry was well aware—something he had spent years struggling with had been solved in an instant with the help of these mages. Of course, accumulating mana was important. But keeping these mages entertained was even more critical.
What should I do?
The mages had gifted him with sensitivity to mana. To make the most of it, training here was the right choice. But if he could receive another gift…
I should focus on increasing my mana sensitivity. It’s tied to subscriptions. Each subscription raised my sensitivity by one.
His mind was a tangled mess. Prioritizing what he had already experienced was simple. But streaming? That was completely foreign to him. So was the “opportunity” these mages had given him.
But do I even have a way to entertain them? I don’t even know what they want yet.
Then again, how many people could effortlessly handle an unfamiliar situation like this? Henry was certain of one thing: this moment of hesitation was not an interesting spectacle.
Would physical training be better? The mages might prefer something new over something familiar. I should ask first.
These mages were still an unknown factor to Henry, so checking their preferences first would be the safest move.
“Uh…”
Just as Henry was about to speak—
Bang!
The training room door swung open.
“Huh? Well, look who it is.”
“…Good morning.”
An unwelcome guest had arrived. Instructor Pike—the man who taught Mana Training and Application—was looking down at Henry with a mocking gaze.
