A full month had passed since the terrifying freezing incident. Every single training session for Emmett was now conducted far outside the protective boundaries of their secluded village.
His teacher had finally discovered the unusually large amount of mana that Emmett possessed, along with his incredibly intense sensitivity to magical energy.
She immediately established a strict rule for Emmett, absolutely prohibiting him from ever using the dangerous ice magic.
Even though the freezing power had only activated uncontrollably during that very first time and was now seemingly under his complete conscious control, she simply did not want to take any unnecessary risks with his life or the village.
Now, Emmett could be seen constantly firing the basic offensive spell Zoltraak toward a distant target positioned over the rocky cliff edge.
His rigorous training routine looked somewhat similar to the precise methods Fern would use in the distant future.
However, unlike Fern and her standard firing practice, Emmett was actively being forced to defend himself against sudden surprise attacks from his master.
She would completely conceal her own magical signature until the exact moment of firing her spells directly at him.
"This intense training would not happen this early if you had a normal magic affinity," his teacher explained to Emmett, answering the specific question he had asked regarding her dangerous training methods during their very first day outside together.
"But you are not like a normal human. You are the first case I have ever seen possessing a magic affinity similar to a literal demon.
If not for my own personal knowledge about who your human parents were, I would honestly think of you as a monster who had taken a human form. Even your mana is extremely dense, bearing much more physical weight per spell."
Day by day, his strict master drilled him with many different kinds of magical theories. She maintained a harsh discipline that ensured Emmett would never grow lazy or complacent in his studies.
They also engaged in active combat sparring. During these grueling fights, Emmett would constantly train his tactical ingenuity by exclusively using the simple offensive spell Zoltraak.
Furthermore, he was heavily trained by his teacher to completely suppress his mana from the very beginning and flawlessly hide his physical presence.
This specific stealth technique was a strict discipline that she had carried over from her own youthful days as a combat mage.
Emmett also never neglected his physical conditioning. He would perform the exact same exhausting physical routines as warriors like Stark every single time he finished his magical training with his master.
Emmett would rigorously practice his sword forms using the pointed rapier wand that he had been given. He trained with intense dedication.
He knew he was not quite as naturally talented in the physical aspects like true vanguard warriors, but Emmett absolutely did not want to leave such an obvious weakness for his future enemies to exploit.
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"Teacher, may I please ask for your real name?" Emmett suddenly asked aloud.
They were in the middle of eating a quiet lunch together when he realized he had never actually learned his master's true identity.
"I just realized that I have never addressed you by your actual name, only by the respectful title of teacher or sensei. Even the other local villagers have never called you by your own name."
At first, Emmett thought her name would just naturally come up in casual conversation.
However, over the entire period of him spending his time living with his teacher, the topic never once surfaced.
He was always so incredibly busy keeping up with her difficult teachings that he simply had not remembered to ask until right now, during this brief and rare moment of total peace.
"You may ask for my name, and I will gladly tell it to you," his teacher replied softly. "But I would strongly prefer if you still continue to call me by the title of teacher. My given name is not something I am very proud of."
As she spoke those heavy words, Emmett saw a deep shadow of regret wash over his teacher's aging face and solemn expression.
This visible sorrow made Emmett immediately pick up on the delicate social cue.
"You do not need to tell me, Teacher," Emmett quickly said, gently stopping her from continuing any further. He lowered his eyes and simply went back to eating the warm food sitting in front of him.
His teacher looked at Emmett gratefully for a brief moment before silently turning her attention back to her own meal as well.
After finishing their meal, Emmett returned directly to meditating in the open yard and continuously cultivating his magical energy.
This highly focused meditation would naturally increase his total energy reserves, while he also actively practiced suppressing his aura exactly like his teacher had strictly taught him to do.
The more he was carefully observed by his teacher, the more she realized that her young student was absolutely not normal.
Even after just one single month of continued mana refinement, he already possessed massive mana reserves completely equivalent to an experienced mage who had been actively refining their energy for over an entire year.
Not only that, but his mana was unusually heavy and incredibly dense. It behaved exactly as if a standard magical container were somehow being occupied by exactly three times the normal volume of raw mana.
'If this talented kid ever becomes an official member of the Magic Special Forces, he would easily replace Frase as a unit captain in only a short matter of time,' his teacher thought quietly to herself.
She watched in sheer amazement at how easily Emmett controlled his vast mana.
He suppressed the volatile energy perfectly, ensuring that there was absolutely no magical leakage or any of the dangerous instability that a normal beginner would typically display.
'He is truly like a terrifying demon wearing human skin. Not only that, but he is a demon wielding a specialized element that behaves almost identically to a powerful curse,' his teacher added darkly to her inner thoughts.
'The striking parallel he currently shares with the legendary Macht of the Golden Land is extremely uncanny. The only real difference between them is the specific type of magic they choose to wield.'
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Several long hours had passed by since that previous training session ended. Now, Emmett was completely free to do exactly what he wanted.
It was finally his designated free time, with his strict teacher deeming his magical progress for the day to be more than sufficient.
Seeking absolute privacy, Emmett ventured into a much deeper and isolated part of the surrounding woods.
He firmly planned to secretly practice the forbidden abilities of his Demon's Extract.
He paused and took a very deep breath to center himself.
He then activated the immense power of his Ice Teigu, which immediately froze the entire surrounding landscape solid, looking exactly like the secret training sessions he had been conducting over the past several days.
Seeing the environment perfectly prepared, Emmett then deliberately created multiple humanoid ice soldiers to serve as his ruthless sparring partners.
This specific method was exactly how Emmett consistently practiced his complex combat techniques.
He actively combined close-quarter combat, mid-range magic, and long-range fighting into one seamless style.
This intense routine was also exactly how Emmett discovered the remarkable changes happening within his physical body.
He was rapidly becoming much stronger physically. His total stamina was being pushed to its absolute limits because he constantly had to create more and more animated ice soldiers.
This heavy continuous summoning spent his vast mana reserves to an incredibly great limit, forcing his body to adapt and rely on physical endurance just as Rob had warned him back in the reincarnation void.
Without warning, one of the massive ice soldiers aggressively attacked Emmett right at his torso.
Meanwhile, the other animated constructs perfectly coordinated their movements to strike at Emmett by throwing sharp ice spears.
Reacting instantly to the danger, Emmett created a thick defensive shield made entirely from solid ice to block the heavy physical blows while simultaneously counterattacking his cold enemies by firing the offensive spell Zoltraak.
Every five minutes that Emmett successfully lasted in the brutal fight, he would deliberately summon even more ice soldiers to fight against himself.
The absolute maximum limit he could currently face without being totally overwhelmed was exactly ten ice soldiers attacking him simultaneously.
After surviving another grueling hour of endless sparring against his own icy creations, Emmett finally finished his exhausting day of secret training.
He completely dispelled the remaining magic so he could finally rest properly and prepare his tired physical body for the very next day of difficult instruction.