"You look fully recovered—youth has its perks," Im said, watching Leon stack plates after breakfast. He'd been skeptical; mana backlash, even mild, shouldn't fade overnight. But Leon moved with the same energy as before, no trace of dizziness or fatigue.
Leon stretched his arms and neck, testing his range of motion. "I feel fine. Better than fine, actually." He still couldn't believe how quickly his body had bounced back—his strong mental strength must have accelerated the healing.
"Let me check to be sure," Im said. He cast a detection spell, its soft blue glow washing over Leon. The spell revealed steady mana fluctuations, calmer than before—unusual for a novice, whose mana often wavered with inexperience. "No dizziness? Nausea? Ringing in your ears?"
Leon shook his head. "Nothing. Just normal."
Im frowned, puzzled. "Even weak backlash takes days to fully pass. Maybe children heal differently." He'd never studied the intersection of mana and child physiology—most apprentices were older, their bodies more settled. "Rest for two more days anyway. No meditation, no strenuous magic. We'll resume once we're certain there's no relapse."
With nothing to do but rest, Leon wandered to his mushroom plot. The herb garden's rune circle didn't just gather mana and regulate temperature—it condensed dew at dawn and dusk, acting like an automatic sprinkler. Leon had covered his mushroom logs with grass to retain moisture and block excess sunlight, even though the forest canopy already shaded the area.
It had been twenty days since he'd transplanted the mycelium-covered logs. He'd avoided checking, afraid of disappointment—wild mushrooms usually sprouted in days, not weeks. But this morning, something had urged him to look.
He brushed aside the grass gently. There they were: small, creamy caps peeking through the moss, and clusters of tiny black wood ear fungi clinging to the logs. Only two mushroom varieties had survived, and the wood ears were still too small to eat, but several mushrooms were plump enough for harvesting.
Leon carefully plucked the largest ones, being careful not to damage the delicate mycelium beneath. He replaced the grass, then raced back to the house, mushrooms clutched in his hand. "Master! Master!"
Im looked up from his spellbook, raising an eyebrow. Leon held out the mushrooms triumphantly. "I grew them! They sprouted!"
Im took one, turning it over in his palm. "You actually succeeded. Most people just forage mushrooms—no one thinks to transplant the mycelium." He smiled, clearly impressed. "Show me."
Dahlia and Flower, drawn by the commotion, followed them to the plot. They gasped as Leon lifted the grass, revealing the growing mushrooms. "You can grow mushrooms?" Dahlia said, eyes wide. "I've never heard of that."
"It's not true cultivation," Leon admitted. "I just moved the logs with wild mycelium here. Real cultivation would use spores. But it works—sort of."
"Mushroom spores are tiny, nearly invisible," Im explained. "They're carried by wind, so collecting them is nearly impossible. This method of yours is clever—safer than foraging, and more reliable." He clapped Leon on the shoulder. "Keep experimenting. Once you master magic, you could write a paper on this. No apprentice has published a research paper in years."
Leon's chest swelled with pride. A paper would mean recognition, maybe even rewards from the academy. For now, though, he was just happy to have fresh mushrooms for dinner.
With the rest of the day free, Leon returned to practicing Tai Chi. He moved cautiously at first, still wary of another mana backlash. The first two rounds felt stiff, his movements forced. But then he relaxed, letting his mind go blank, and everything shifted.
Mana swirled around him, ebbing and flowing with his breath. It didn't surge or roar—just a gentle tide, soaking into his skin, nourishing every cell. His spirit felt light, as if merged with the world around him—like the "heaven and man as one" described in old martial arts tales he'd read in his past life. There was no shock, no excitement—just a profound calm, as if this was how things were always meant to be.
He adjusted his posture instinctively, making each movement smoother, more in tune with the mana. One round, two rounds—each iteration felt slightly different, more refined. When he finished, he exhaled slowly, and the spell broke.
"Wow! Wow! That was insane!" Leon whispered, his heart racing. The calm faded, replaced by a flood of excitement. He'd had an epiphany—something straight out of the novels he loved. "Did I just achieve enlightenment? Am I a genius?"
He practiced again, but the magical state eluded him. He wasn't discouraged—rare things were meant to be cherished. He grinned, humming a silly song from his past life as he walked back to the house. He needed Im's opinion—even if the old mage didn't understand Tai Chi, he knew mana.
Flower was outside, practicing sword swings, when Leon passed. "Still doing that soft dance?" he teased. "It won't make you strong. Let me teach you knight training—look how much bigger I am."
Leon had considered knight training once. The idea of wielding a flame-engulfed sword as a magic-warrior hybrid had appealed to him. But he'd abandoned it after learning the truth: knight training was just physical exercise, enhanced by potions, armor, and horses. No "qi" or "battle aura"—just brute strength and discipline. Back on Earth, he'd joined a gym but only went swimming twice a month.
"Thanks, but my 'dance' is magic now," Leon said, grinning. "I'll be invincible soon."
Im overhearing, scowling. "Invincible? You're a babe in magic. Stay humble."
Leon shrank back, then explained. "Master, when I practiced Tai Chi, I felt mana in my body. Like soaking in cool water. What does it mean?"
Im's curiosity piqued. "Show me."
Leon performed the form again, slow and deliberate. Mana swirled around him, rising and falling with his breath. Im studied him closely, then nodded. "Your movements stir mana. It soaks into your body, but you can't use it for spells—mages draw mana from their mental sea. Still, this will boost your elemental affinity and magic resistance. That's the effect of top-tier alchemical potions, not a simple martial art."
Flower's face fell with envy. "That's like a magic talent!"
"It's not talent, but it's useful," Im said. "Pair it with a good meditation technique, and you'll have an edge. But don't force it—you could damage your mental sea trying to manipulate body mana."
Leon nodded, sobered by the warning. He'd be careful—but he wouldn't stop practicing. Tai Chi was a link to his past, and now it was a secret weapon for his future.