Chapter 40 - Ordinary Or Genius
"Good good. Continue," said the old woman as she observed Theo's progress with great interest. "I can feel your magic power coming out. Although it's very small and unstable, at least you can get it out."
Theo took a deep breath before opening his eyes. His forehead was covered with sweat as he panted a few times. "This is really hard. It feels like something is stopping the magic power from coming out."
"Of course, it's hard. Do you think you can become an expert overnight?" The old woman flicked his forehead. "As I said, magic power is like gas. If you want to release them, you need to open the valve. For now, you can barely open the valve in your hand, but I guess that's good enough for a newbie who has never practiced this."
"What is the ideal age for the children from a big family to practice this?" Theo asked with an innocent face as if he wanted to compare himself to people such as Alea or Laust.
"What? Don't be sad or overconfident because of a little progress like this." She sighed and shook her head helplessly. "Well, I will just tell you this one, so you can become a bit proud of yourself. It's seven years old. That's the ideal age to start. Of course, most families emphasize Techniques and Breathing first because these are the most important things and easy to brag about. Young people love it, right?"
"I see. With your in-depth knowledge, Master must come from a big family as well. I don't know whether you are related to the military or not though." Theo narrowed his eyes as he just outsmarted her once.
Even the old lady widened her eyes with a dumbfounded look before messing with his hair. "Haha, I really like you. Immediately applying what you learn, eh? You brat."
"I just have a good master." Theo shrugged.
"Alright. Enough with flattery. Let's continue."
Theo nodded and closed his eyes. Luckily, they had moved to another location since the last place was reeks of blood, making him unable to focus.
Suddenly, a thought appeared in his mind as he remembered the explanation about magic earlier. He gently raised his hand and used his usual magic bullet.
"!!!" When his master saw it, she took a step back and couldn't contain her smile.
What Theo did was taking advantage of his own magic. Since Magic Power would come out every time he used Magic Bullet, the process should be similar if not the same.
Although he could only observe a portion of it, he only needed to repeat the process a few times to understand the process.
'This technique is not an official way to learn it because everyone's talent is different, but this process can indeed improve one's understanding. My initial plan is to teach him after he gives up, but it seems blood never lies, eh.' The old woman closed her eyes while smiling. 'Besides, neutral magic like this is far better for practice than fire magic and the like.'
Because Theo had been focusing on his Strength and Magic Power every time he leveled up, he had enough reserve to last him for a while. During this process, he felt like he had been watching a few-second movie so many ten times.
After three minutes passed, Theo's back was already drenched in sweat after using his magic power excessively.
"I think I have grasped it," Theo muttered as he began focusing all his attention on his hand. He channeled his magic power like a running river. His heart became the higher ground while his entire body became the lower ground, so the magic power could flow naturally.
And right before he released it, he imagined a waterfall. The water fell and splashed when it hit the water on the bottom.
"Ha!" Theo was suddenly woken up and gasping for air. His hands supported his body as he raised his vision, looking at his master.
"Hehe, do you want me to call you a genius?" His master smirked, wanting to tease him again.
"No. If I were a genius, I wouldn't have to experience bullying in school. I'm just an average guy who relies on tricks to speed up the process." He shook his head with a serious expression.
Theo truly meant what he said because his life wouldn't be this miserable were he a genius.
"You know yourself well. I have seen many geniuses, and you won't believe what they could achieve when they are in front of you. However, there is one thing that you need to know… It's the method to beat genius."
"A method?"
"Yes. This is a way for an ordinary person to defeat a genius. You see, a genius can understand everything perfectly and use it right away. However, we, ordinary people, analyze what they see with our wisdom and apply it to make ourselves stronger.
"We seek magic geniuses to learn magic. We seek spear geniuses to learn their moves. And then, we use both of their skills to overcome them. Instead of getting swallowed by your pride and refuse to be taught by them, you should ask this question to yourself. Who is the one getting the last laugh?"
She raised her hand as her lips curved, showing her teeth. Her eyes were wide open, brimming with excitement. If one took a closer look, they would feel goosebumps from that stare alone. She clenched her fist and said, "I am!"
"Trick? Mind Battle? Whatever you want to call it, as long as you get the last laugh, you don't need to care about people's opinions? That's how you become a true expert. And this is the true meaning of why hard work will allow you to beat geniuses. It's not aimlessly working hard. You need to have a clear vision of what you want to achieve and work hard by doing everything that can bring you to your goal. If one trick is not enough, then use two. If two are not enough, use four." She pressed her forefinger on Theo's forehead. "Polish that rationality of yours, so you, an ordinary person, can beat those geniuses! I will help you by training your basic abilities to open that possibility. Are you prepared for hell, Brat?"
Theo took a deep breath to stop panting. He looked at his master's deep eyes with a serious expression. He didn't know why but his heart was filled with excitement, yet, his head became calmer. "Yes, Master."
"Good. Now stand up. We will hunt the Leaf Rabbit until your magic power is empty before starting your next training." She rose from the ground and stretched her hand to Theo, helping him up.
For a second, he forgot the suspicion he had in this master of his and took her hand, rising from the ground. Little did he know that the magic power he released earlier that ended up with his hand touching the ground would leave a palm mark on the ground. Theo's focus remained on his master as he said.
"I'm ready, Master."
