"I have to get back to work. Thanks for the guidance, I managed to make a test dagger and the result was very good... Oh you have it in your hand, do you like it?" The boy seemed not to be fully awake yet.
Giving a loud laugh, Hephaestus dropped the dagger on the table and approached Ezra.
The forge master slapped the boy hard on the back, waking him up instantly.
"Of course it was good! You are my student! Hahaha. I'll want to forge with you all day tomorrow brat!" Hephaestus shouted.
"Y-yes ma'am!" Ezra shouted in shame.
Hepha then said goodbye and walked out the door of Ezra's room.
"How far will this boy get?" she said to herself.
***
The conversation between Luke and Erwin was extremely fruitful for the half-wolf. He now possessed a new idea for his next confrontation, although he did not know where the duels would be allocated, Luke remembered what he heard Megan talking about during a brief strategy conversation.
"Your duel against Max will probably be held in one of the training coliseums"
"And how many are there?" Luke questioned.
"There are five coliseums in the melki academy. Two are on the beach, one in the center of town, and two others near the elevation of Crystal Mountain." Megan said, placing one of her hands on his chin.
"Is there a problem that location can cause? Something like a territory advantage?" Luke questioned.
"Yes... The dueling centers in the mountains are favored by the time of day. If you use light magic on the crystals, it is possible to blind the enemy" Megan then stopped talking for a moment, as she looked up with a face that showed annoyance.
"I think the biggest challenge you will face will be in the case of the duel on the beach. One of the battle centers is in a region with little wind movement, which would weaken you since that is your main magic... The other is in a place with too much wind, which would be to your advantage, but Max is a very efficient fire mage, so he can use that to his advantage."
"Then the best I can do is duel using water..." Luke concluded.
His training with water magic was already a necessity, but it was surprising how he somehow managed to resolve this situation by this stroke of luck.
All this made life much easier for the half-wolf, who now only needed to continue training in water manipulation. Now that he still had the advantage of understanding how to use the sea to his advantage, the duel against Mr. Max was a little less challenging. At least that's what he thought at the time.
*
As soon as Luke finished his conversation with Erwin, the half-wolf moved again to the center of the academy. Meredith was taking magic classes along with the beginner class, so, because of the proximity to Luke's destination, he decided to pay a visit.
Walking through the academy was without a doubt a relaxing task for the half-wolf, the way the place was quiet and at the same time well organized made Luke feel calm, even though his senses were active all the time, his worry was not constant.
[I can't exactly explain how Luke's gene power came about, that kind of historical knowledge shouldn't be passed on to someone so young. I believe it is a part of history that has already been lost by the people inhabiting this world, so I don't imagine it is safe for you to contain this information.
Genes use a kind of energy of the individual, connected with an external energy. This energy rules over the world we live in in various ways, what you can imagine is just that the civilizations that have inhabited this world have cultivated the power in different ways. Through talismans, through the use of genes, through the use of magic, and even through writing.
If I tell you more than that, I'm afraid you will even come into danger].
'Danger? But how would I be affected by that?
[There are enemies that you can't even imagine the level of power.]
This line left Luke surprised, but with a smile on his face he just continued his walk to the center of the academy.
Several thoughts were swirling around in his head as he recalled some of what Megan had explained to him. Now Megan's research into the connection between the different types of energy manipulation that existed within that world made more sense. This was a confusing question to understand.
What surprised Luke the most was undoubtedly the fact that Megan was able to connect this information by herself. A knowledge that for Luke had been given by a goddess, came to Megan only through her reasoning and intelligence.
She was able to understand, even if in a small way, how that mystical energy manipulated the real world. By studying several different peoples she was able to understand and make connections to how magic behaves.
Now, Luke created a greater interest about Megan's knowledge. He became even more interested in learning about magic and developing within this discipline, not only because of his need to become stronger, but also because of the sheer desire to learn and understand more.
[Hahaha you are an interesting boy Luke.]
'What do you mean?'
[It's just fun to see what you're thinking, your feelings are too sincere.]
Balance realized that in the end, the feeling the boy was feeling was no different than when he first became interested in learning to read. He is driven with this constant fury to evolve, to become stronger fit.
Both learning and fighting, it is something in his nature, something instinctive within his essence. Luke was getting closer and closer to reaching the apex of power in the world he lives in.
**
A few miles ahead, in another part of that archipelago, a group of girls were trying to help a friend with rabbit ears.
"Does she always look like that?" Meredith said.
"Don't worry, it's just part of her rabbit instinct" Ruby, the girl with red hair, replied.
"What does that mean?" Meredith questioned.
"This airhead is entering ovulation season, she is having a very strong sex drive. I think you better watch out, contact with a half-bunny's hormones can be an aphrodisiac."
That sentence gave Meredith a rather dangerous idea.