They repeated this exercise numerous times. Flowing mana into the wand, maintaining it, then pulling it back. Each repetition made the process slightly smoother and more natural.

Although it was sometimes difficult to use exact quantities of mana, even when Eden accidentally flowed more or less than he intended, he felt no issue which required him expelling the mana.

Only when Eden could perform the circulation without any disasters did Lumi decide they were ready to move forward.

"Now we’re going to try an actual spell." Lumi announced.

Eden’s heart rate picked up. Already? On his first day? Magic already?

"We’ll start with something simple." Lumi said. "A basic light spell. It creates a small orb of illumination."

Ironically, this was a spell Lumi himself couldn’t cast. Not because he didn’t know how, nor because it was difficult. It was extremely simple, one of the most basic spells in existence.

But because Lumi could only cast spells he knew through the system. Even after everything he’d accomplished, even with all his knowledge, the system still restricted him to its predefined spell list.

He couldn’t freely cast whatever magic he wanted.

Not yet.

Of course, Eden wasn’t a player. Therefore, he could cast anything he wanted. Once he learned the principles, the world was open to him.

"Regarding spells," Lumi began explaining. "This is the one part I can’t directly teach you."

"Huh?" Eden blinked. "How so?"

"Spells," Lumi explained. "Aren’t a matter of mere intuition or emotions. You must follow a specific formula to create with your mana to bring your spell into existence. Therefore, better than direct instruction, is a book."

Merath had countless books lining the walls. In the reading rooms, such as the one they were in right now, you were free to pick up any and read them on the spot.

Lumi eyed the covers until he found one labelled, ’Five basic spells for Beginners.’

He picked it up, and opened it, scrolling through the pages. His gaze landed on the first spell. ’Lux’, a simple illumination spell. He read through the spell formula. After making sure it was extremely simple, he closed the book, handing it to Eden.

Before Eden began reading, Lumi instructed. "I must say something beforehand, though. Being a magician is not about casting random spells. Although Lux is a simple skill, and you can learn it freely, we follow paths called classes."

"I’ve heard of that." Eden nodded. "Down in Macres, where I bought and sold stuff for my farm, there was a Bowman Instructional school. They had two separate class lines for people to learn. I’m confused on that, though?"

"I can’t speak for bowmen, but for magicians," Lumi explained. "one way to think of magic as a collection of different languages. It makes no sense to learn one word from ten different languages. It’s much easier to learn words, and to be better at words, if you focus on one language. Classes is like taking all the words of a language, compiling them together, and making new words to bridge the gaps."

Eden blinked. "I’m so confused."

Lumi sighed. "Classes are a collection of spells that are similar to learn. It makes it easy to learn spells that work together rather than starting from scratch for minimal gain."

"Oh." Eden nodded. "Okay."

He looked down at the book, then up at Lumi. "Should I start reading?"

Lumi nodded.

"Right." Eden opened the book, reading the table. "Lux..." He flipped to its page, and began reading through.

Occasionally, he would stop at a part, and test out a theory with his mana flow. As he read, he would occasionally ask Lumi a question, and Lumi would clear up any doubts. After just a dozen minutes, Eden closed the book. I’m ready."

"Good." Lumi nodded. "Don’t panic. Just relax, and do your best. It’s an easy spell."

Eden raised his wand into the open air, gripping it tight. He felt the mana, guided it to the wand’s tip, and constructed the spell formula.

"Lux." Eden carefully whispered.

Nothing happened.

"Again." Lumi encouraged. "With more confidence. Believe it will work."

"Lux!" Eden said louder, pouring his will into the word.

A tiny spark appeared at his wand’s tip. Eden’s eyes flew open in shock, and the spark immediately vanished.

"I did it!" He exclaimed. "I actually did it!"

"You lost it." Lumi pointed out, but he was smiling. "Try again. This time, maintain your focus even when you see the result. You’ll remember that Lux is a channeled spell."

Eden took a breath to calm himself, then closed his eyes again. He built up the mana, compressed it gently at the wand’s tip. "Lux!"

The spark appeared again. He maintained his concentration, feeding more mana into the spell. The spark grew into a small orb of soft white light, hovering just above his wand.

He was casting magic. For the first time in his life, Eden was performing real magic.

"Woah..." His emotions surged as he shuffled through countless emotions. There was pride, wonder, disbelief, and excitement.

He could hardly believe that this was real. This was actually happening. He wasn’t just a farmer anymore. He was a magician. Someone who could bend reality with will and energy.

It was especially surreal for him, because he lived near Macres. He figured if he ever trained or fought, it would be with a bow, like the bowmen of Macres. Standing here, holding a wand, casting a spell... it felt legendary.

Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes. His parents would have been so proud.

"Excellent work." Lumi’s voice broke through his thoughts. "Just maintain the flow of mana."

Eden stared at what he had done. The orb of light was still there, floating gently above his wand, casting a warm glow across his face.

"I’m doing it." Eden breathed. "I’m really doing it."

"You are." Lumi confirmed. "Congratulations on your first spell."

And when Eden had done so, Lumi saw something on Eden change.

[Eden: Level - 10]

Silently changed to...

[Eden: Level - 11]