Chapter 15: Refinement Complete

Suddenly, a fierce wind swept across the entrance of the dining hall. In an instant, two towering whirlwinds enveloped both Rollin and Tracy, the spirals expertly controlled so as to restrain only the two of them, without so much as disturbing any of the surrounding students.

Rollin felt his body tighten, unable to move a muscle, his cheeks stung by the raging wind. Through the swirling air, Rollin saw Tracy opposite him, equally shocked and furious, held just as firmly as he was.

“Hmph! How dare you fight in a public space at the entrance of the dining hall!” A voice, tinged with anger, called from behind the crowd.

Students parted to open a path, and a squad of five strode in, led by a man with a dark complexion. With a casual wave of his hand, the two binding winds vanished as if they had never been.

“The Academy Patrol!”

“They’re incredible! If that wind had hit me directly, I’d have been blown away in an instant.”

“Of course, they’re all advanced magicians. We haven’t even reached the first rank yet.”

As the binding winds disappeared, Rollin felt his body relax, movement restored. Looking at the patrol leader before him, he could not help but feel a lingering dread. When that restraint descended, he had been utterly powerless to resist. Clearly, his meager abilities were worlds apart from this man.

Tracy too stared wide-eyed at the patrol.

The leader was satisfied with their reactions. The seventh-level wind spell—Wind Bind—had been cast to intimidate them, to make them wary. Judging by their expressions, he had succeeded.

“You two, do you not know the academy’s rules? To fight here in public—how reckless!”

“Sir, I promise it won’t happen again. I was just carried away by anger,” Tracy replied respectfully.

“Sir, I too will never act in such a place again. Please forgive me,” Rollin pleaded.

The man gave them a stern look. “This is your first offense. If I catch you again, you will be severely punished!” He scanned the surrounding students and raised his voice. “All of you, listen! Porter Academy is not your private home to do as you please. This is a thousand-year institution blessed by the God of Light, the cradle of talent for the Europa Empire. Anyone who disturbs the peace will answer to the patrol. Do you understand?”

The crowd murmured assent, none daring to contradict.

Sant had served in the patrol for over a decade. He knew well that many of these new students were unruly, so he had begun with a seventh-level Wind Bind to intimidate them, then followed with a warning. Once these students spread word among their peers, managing this batch would be easier. Pleased with the effect, Sant nodded and led his four team members away.

“Phew... This man is even tougher than my magical beast, Blackie. With him here, I didn’t dare breathe too loudly. Let’s hurry in and eat,” said their leader, Malle, shaking his hefty frame as he entered the dining hall.

Gebaz, Bill, and Karina followed.

Rollin glanced aside and caught Tracy’s gaze, clearly marking him as a future rival. Rollin smiled faintly and walked after Malle and the others.

“Fourth brother, I owe you today. Without you, I’d probably be lying in the infirmary right now! Come, let me toast you!” Malle raised his glass.

“Malle, that’s unnecessary between brothers. For that, you owe me three drinks!” Rollin teased.

“Brother Rollin, today Malle and the others only clashed with Tracy because of me. It’s all my fault,” said Karina, her sweet voice tinged with sadness.

“Karina, don’t say that. If a pest keeps buzzing around you, we’d surely help chase it off!” Gebaz winked.

Karina giggled, her mood immediately brightening.

The atmosphere at the table lightened. Malle, ever boisterous, quickly banished the unpleasantness from his mind. He slapped Bill’s shoulder and laughed, “Say, Bill, when will you bring your sister to join us for a meal?”

Bill rolled his eyes. “My sister’s a training fanatic. She’s working hard to break through to the fifth rank, no time for eating and drinking!”

“Fifth—fifth rank? That’s so fast! Last I heard, she was only fifteen!” Gebaz exclaimed.

Everyone at the table drew a sharp breath. Victoria was only four or five years older, yet already at the peak of fourth rank, about to step into the fifth. Among them, only Rollin had just become a first-rank magician; the others were not even close.

“Boss, stop chasing girls and focus on your training, or you won’t even qualify to pursue my sister!” Bill said seriously.

“Hmph, don’t think I don’t know—you spend all your time in the library ‘accidentally’ meeting scholarly girls!” Malle exposed Bill’s secret.

The group burst into laughter.

After their meal, Rollin rode his donkey to the back mountain. The confrontation with Tracy’s fireball, the binding spell from the patrol captain, and news of Victoria’s imminent breakthrough made him realize how paltry his own strength was. If he wanted to protect family and friends, he needed to train much harder.

Night was when the dark elements were most active. Rollin sat cross-legged, absorbing the darkness and refining it as Cous had taught him.

With growing familiarity, Rollin’s refining speed increased. The first magical filament took two hours. Three days later, he could produce one in an hour.

Time slipped by—three and a half months passed. In that period, except for one lightning class daily and biweekly dark arts lessons, Rollin spent all his free time training in the back mountain. His mental strength and lightning magic grew steadily.

Most gratifying, the magical filaments he painstakingly refined were finally complete. Now, 1,024 black strands floated in his middle dantian. Sensing them, Rollin was deeply moved; he had poured his heart into them, sometimes training late into the night.

“Alright, you’ve rested enough. Now it’s time for the second step—constructing the magical array!” Cous declared, sending a complex, mysterious array design into Rollin’s mind. “Remember, you must weave these 1,024 filaments exactly according to this diagram. A single error and all your work will be destroyed—you’ll have to start refining from scratch!”

It was a tangled hexagram array of black lines, so intricate Rollin felt dizzy just looking at it. “Uncle Cous, where should I begin weaving?”

“Where you start is up to you. Everyone has their own approach—the best path is the one that suits you,” Cous replied meaningfully.

Rollin took a deep breath and focused all his attention on the array.

One hour passed; Rollin studied it carefully.

Two hours passed; Rollin’s brow furrowed.

Three hours passed—it was dusk. The donkey brought dead rabbits for roasting, but Rollin remained motionless, barely blinking, as he had instructed the beast not to disturb him during training.

Five hours passed; Rollin’s eyes were bloodshot, still unmoving. The hungry donkey, seeing no other option, ate raw meat.

Eight hours passed—it was deep night. Rollin’s eyes blazed red, his eyelids never flickered. He was at his limit—though, as a first-rank magician, his body was stronger than ordinary men, this intense mental effort was overwhelming.

Just as he was about to collapse, his eyes suddenly gleamed with hope—he had finally found the path most suitable for himself within the array.

“Hahaha... I finally see it!” Rollin laughed, trying to stand, but collapsed with a thud; his legs were numb from prolonged sitting.

Floating nearby, Cous watched with a smile. “Only eight hours—better than I did. Damn, this kid really has talent!”

Lying on the ground, Rollin felt no pain, only immense joy—he had cracked the array. Suddenly, his expression changed, joy surging anew: “My mental strength—it’s grown so much!”