Chapter 53: A Year at Sea
It had been a year since the Legacy set sail toward Black Rock Academy. Twelve months of training, challenges, discoveries, and frustration had turned William from a stubborn rookie into a real fighter... even if he was still far from being called a mage.
The waves had become part of the daily scenery, and the creaking of wood as it moved with the current felt as natural as a heartbeat. William spent his days training on deck, facing off against the sailors who, over time, stopped seeing him as a lucky kid and began treating him like an equal—or at least like someone who could put up a real fight.
"Incoming fireball!" one of them shouted right before rolling across the deck in a cloud of smoke.
The fireball had become his signature move. He hadn't just mastered the spell—he'd made it part of himself. He could cast it faster, aim it better, and even curve its path to strike from unexpected angles. Some of the sailors joked that when he turned his back to you, it was just to aim more precisely. And, well... they weren't wrong.
Thanks to all the experience he'd racked up, he could now take down level-1 knights—so long as he caught them off guard. It wasn't about brute strength anymore; it was about wit, precision... and a well-placed burst of flame.
But it wasn't all wins.
The mana shield... that damn spell still refused to cooperate. Day after day, night after night, William sat cross-legged, the scroll hovering in front of him, chanting the incantation, activating his mana flow... and still nothing.
Angel did what she could to help.
"Brain configuration correct. Neural pathways aligned. Synchronization complete. Result: activation failed."
"Then why!?" William would shout in frustration again and again.
The answer came after many weeks of reflection, late-night talks with Aurus, and deep, exhausting meditation.