Playing With Fire
Ervin and Harvey stayed silent for a moment. There were numerous questions they could ask at this moment.
Just why hasn't this source claimed the valuables for themselves if they already know the general area of the valuables?
Why give it to a mere Early Stage Novice Mage at all?
Just how did the source know that the demonic criminal died without leaving the Twilight Wood and separated his valuables before death?
All legitimate questions to ask.
However, Ervin didn't ask or want to ask any questions. At the very least, if the trio actually had more sinister plans, they wouldn't continually talk to themselves about gaining the courage to enact their plans.
Their reasoning of also not wanting superiors to take all the credit seemed genuine enough. Ervin could safely say he has the same mindset on many matters.
There was no doubt in Ervin's mind to take the leap of faith. He turned over to Harvey and said, "Come on. Let's give this a shot. This could be a break for you to reach the Middle Stage. We can also invite Kane and Jane to increase our chances of survival. Risks need to be taken if we want to get anywhere in our lives."
Harvey stared directly into Ervin's calm eyes as he spoke. Many questions were flashing in his mind. But at the front of his mind was how Ervin constantly helped him battle and had just saved his life. It was near impossible to just reject Ervin putting his best foot forward for the both of them.
In the end, he relented with a sigh. "Fine. I'll convince the others since I'm closer to them. I'm sure they'll pull through."
"Great!" Glenn widely smiled. "Then, let's exchange contact info. We'll be leaving the day after tomorrow, so be prepared. After this, we'll go about and scout to see if anyone else wants to potentially join us. Although, I'm not really expecting other new recruits to take a leap of faith like you guys."
The process was smooth and quick. With their phones exchanged, they said their goodbyes, and the two groups split off.
Ervin and Harvey walked in the opposite direction for a few moments until Ervin suddenly stopped.
Ervin simply said, "I want to take the extra time to prepare. You should do it too and if you manage to convince the others, get them home early to prepare as well."
"Right. I'll go see them now and stay around just a bit more to calm my nerves before preparing. See you later." Harvey waved Ervin off.
His goal was completed almost seamlessly. There was no reason for Ervin to stick around at this party.
Ervin quickly left the manor to go straight back to his nighttime magical studies.
...
The time spent getting home was relatively quick.
Ervin was filled with eagerness and trepidation for the days ahead. He can tell if everything goes well, this will be one of the best lucky chances he ever had in his life!
But the danger was ever-present on this trip. A single mistake can easily end everything, possibly leading him down a roar far worse than simply death.
Ervin knew he could only do what he could in this situation. Prepare as much as possible for anything that'll come his way.
When reaching his living room, Ervin first started refining his Telekinesis Control.
Waves of Mana flowed out of his fingertips. The faint flow of Mana could barely be seen even to the most trained man's eyes.
These flows of Mana phased into several objects, chairs, tables, and utensils around Ervin's living room.
A considerable weight pressured down on Ervin's mind. He felt greatly sluggish from trying to control numerous items.
But Ervin focused his mind, persisting on maintaining his flow of Mana. He was still as a statue for only a couple of seconds. Afterward, he slowly raised his hand.
His control was excellent. The raising of his hand caused the table, chairs, and utensils to slowly into the sky.
Sweat poured down his brow from greatly straining himself. A slight headache began to creep into his mind.
In exchange for such hard work, Ervin became more and more familiar with the sensation of Telekinesis Mana. His control expanded with each second he stayed in this state.
With a thought, Ervin released his Telekinesis, allowing the pressure to alleviate from his mind.
A deep sigh released from his mouth as he could feel the tension leave his body.
The small state of calm only lasted for a moment.
Ervin went right back to exercising his Telekinesis nearly immediately.
From the smallest of forks to the large couch behind, Ervin experimented with nearly everything in his living room and kitchen.
A couple hours went by while in his heavily practiced state. It was only until now that Ervin released his Telekinesis and took a Mana Vial potion.
The sweet, refreshing drink of Magical energy swept through Ervin's entire body. A small smile curled his lips.
Just a couple of hours allowed Ervin to maintain his Telekinetic state for up to 30 seconds already. Additionally, he can already support a weight of around 40 pounds going by the fact he can easily lift up his couch.
If faced with a low-grade Common Magical Art skill such as Fireball, Ervin was more than confident in using Telekinesis to completely take control of an Early Stage Novice Mage flow of Mana!
Ervin felt his progress was fine enough for now. Telekinesis can now be used in battle with greater efficiency.
Now, Ervin finally turned his attention to the Frantic Fire Storm Art.
This was the far more dangerous Art, but one that would allow Ervin's attack power to increase by numerous times!
The power behind any Noble Mage Art was immense.
Telekinesis allowed Ervin to take hold of anything trying to come his way. The force wouldn't even matter if it was a large mountain.
Frantic Fire Storm allowed Ervin to manipulate Fire Mana to such an extreme degree that a thought from him could bring down a Fire Storm powerful enough to incinerate anything in its path. City, mountains, island, anything weaker than Ervin would be burnt to utter ashes!
The description sounds incredibly enticing. But Ervin knew the serious subject matter behind trying to manipulate Fire Mana.
He immediately experienced the very first moment he opened up the scroll and began his comprehension.
His soul force linked to the principles of the Frantic Fire Storm Art. With it came a massive rise in temperature that engulfed his entire body!
Beads of sweat from the heat rolled down Ervin's face. His skin faintly turned red, and trails of light smoke flowed out of his body.
The heat was nearly unbearable. Studying Fire Mana principles was truly akin to getting closer and closer to the very source of all flames in the world.
But to control these divine flames, one would need to get really close and intently study them.
It did not matter how high the heat had gotten. Ervin's focus never slipped up.
In his comprehension, he had also used Complete Invisibility within his mind to make the principles much clearer.
This didn't help alleviate the heat pressure as it drilled into Ervin's soul. But he wasn't as helpless as other red-color talents would be when wanting to comprehend this Art.
Ervin's determination was powerful. It could last for a long time, but his body wasn't some machine. He was eventually forced to call off this state when the heat became too much.
Ervin only gave himself a couple seconds of rest before plunging right back into the fiery pits of Fire Mana comprehension.
Time passed quickly just like this. Ervin focused his all on grasping the Noble Art.
When numerous hours went by, a change glimmering on Ervin's fingertips. Faint sparks of orange, fiery wisps gleamed at random fingertips. Every trace of fiery orange radiated the unfathomable magical power of Fire Mana.
The study could be considered hellish. Yet Ervin never bothered to stop for a single moment.
...
A state of bustling excitement swept through Lightwall City.
Many newly formed Mages were beaming through their lives with an infinite amount of confidence.
The day since the New Mage Enforcer party passed and many had life-changing moments during the event. New relationships formed while others lives changed for the better and others had it for the worst.