Chapter 6

The information about the marital status of the former childhood idol was slightly shocking for Krystian. However, upon reflection, it solidified, or rather justified, Gargamel's determination towards the goal of Smurf Village.

Krystian once decided to visit Gargamel again, but now he had something much more interesting to work with.

In the trailer, there was a mattress on which an old perverted woman had probably been sleeping. And thus, the smell emitted by the mattress material was not very pleasant. So he decided to throw the mattress off the island and make a makeshift mattress for himself. Fortunately, the woman had several sheets in her assortment, and all he had to do was put two furs inside, which people, in theory, were supposed to wear as a coat.

However, now it's a floral-patterned mattress, quite comfortable. So after setting up the mattress on the ground next to the carriage, Krystian lay down comfortably and began to read the handbook received as a reward from the Old Sorcerer and began studying it for the time being in the theoretical scope.

Time passes, and the daily routine is determined by the watch found in the carriage. Two days since the start of theoretical training, Krystian focused on understanding the basics of sensing magical power, mana, and inner energy. However, he was unable to, and for literally a week, he made little progress.

No matter how focused he was, he couldn't detect anything unusual about his body. So he added physical training to ensure those days wouldn't be a waste of time.

He performed a simple set of exercises such as push-ups, sit-ups, runs along the edge of the "island," and similar activities. Overall, the physical training aimed to improve his physical condition.

After a week of fruitless training in the magical realm, when Krystian was about to give up training alone and seek help from Gargamel, he came up with a completely new idea. A week earlier, he had killed a yellow magical creature that was attempting to steal his carriage. He had discarded the meat due to its foul smell, but he had kept the bones and, especially, the magic core intact.

Krystian developed a new method that was simple yet effective. The magic core, in addition to its physical composition, contained condensed magical power, the same power that Krystian hoped to sense within his own body. He placed the core on his lap and covered it with his hands, focusing on his sensations. He took note of the texture, temperature of the object, as well as the temperature of his own body and the bumps on the surface of the magic core. He made an effort to memorize every detail, ensuring that he wouldn't miss any subtle changes, even in the current state where the magic core seemed devoid of magical power.

He remained constantly focused on the core and his body, searching for new sensations, a sense of something foreign and new. Of course, he took breaks for food, sleep, and personal needs, but let's not delve into those private details.

Only after a week and a half, which adds up to a total of two and a half weeks since his return from the first mission, Krystian started to feel a gentle chill emanating from within the magic core. At first, he thought he had somehow damaged the core. However, he gradually realized that the slight coolness, akin to a gentle breeze inside his body and the core, was so delicate that it felt like the touch of a single blade of grass on his skin. As time passed, the sensation grew stronger. Krystian could sense this unique energy more and more, and by chance, he was able to channel the magical power from the core to flow into his arms. When he realized what had happened, he tried to accumulate as much of this energy as possible.

It is safe to say that such training proved to be fruitful. However, its progress was not entirely smooth. Every "evening," Krystian felt a strong desire to give up the tedious training. Yet, it was not the end goal that motivated him, but rather his own self-motivation. He envisioned himself as a great and powerful bounty hunter emerging from a portal, instilling fear in the onlookers who beheld his terrifying presence.

Krystian's vivid fantasies about his potential future and his visits to other worlds served as his motivation, especially when he consumed some of the magic potions he had found in one of the chests.

In the following weeks, Krystian focused on honing his magical powers. He engaged in activities such as placing the magic core at great distances and attempting to sense it from afar. He also practiced channeling excess magical power from the core into his right hand and balancing the energy throughout his body.

Many may wonder why he didn't venture into another world, as it didn't quite fit his character. The reason was that ever since he started sensing these energies, he had been playing and training with them. It brought him a series of pleasurable and absorbing sensations that couldn't be fully explained. In summary, the training not only increased his strength but also ignited a passion for magic within Krystian. He was thrilled by his progress in this field. The training consumed him to the extent that he didn't consider embarking on another mission. Instead, he preferred to dedicate his time to "playing," training, and self-improvement.

However, it is true that he often pondered going on another mission. Yet, he set himself a goal that served as an excuse to continue his "training" and pursue his personal growth.

The spell that Krystian chose as his first offensive spell was the cutting spell. It involved the sorcerer making an arc, a straight line, or any desired angle of cut in the air using only their hand or finger. The spell essentially involved gathering magical power in a chosen body part, fueling it with the intention of cutting, and visualizing the object being cut while evoking aggressive feelings or a slight sense of anger. While emotional intensity wasn't necessary, it could enhance the spell's surge of magical power. Finally, the magical energy would be manipulated into the shape of a blade, creating a structure within a short period of time. Without sufficient proficiency, the resulting magical attack would activate on its own without the user's control, often with a random shape such as a small ball or a curved line. As Krystian's skills were not yet able to sustain the spell for more than two seconds, let alone give it the desired shape, he adopted a different strategy. He infused his entire index finger with magical energy and used it as a projectile, activating the spell only upon hitting the target.

This was how he developed his first offensive spell, but he soon discovered that the number of shots was limited. Unfortunately, Krystian had yet to master the precise distribution of magical power for spells, resulting in each cutting spell containing a varying amount of magical energy. Consequently, he now needed not only items to aid in his magical training but also equipment and weapons to refine his abilities.

Currently adorned in an elegant black noble leather coat, according to the standards of Gargamel's world, Krystian approached the computer responsible for operating the portal and began browsing through numerous articles in search of something that would help him improve himself.

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Author-If you have any suggestions for dawns and missions, write them in the comments. I will gladly listen to your suggestions and ideas.