The change in the way mana gathered around him was obvious.
Mana that had previously remained tantalizingly beyond reach suddenly felt accessible, not as something separate but as an extension of his own existence.
"Good," Lola murmured, her approval carrying genuine satisfaction.
"Now maintain that expansion while guiding small amounts of energy. Don’t force it—invite it to move with your will."
Noah attempted to follow her instruction, but the moment he tried to direct the mana, it slipped away like water through his fingers.
Damn it. I lost it already.
His expanded awareness contracted back to normal perception, leaving him frustrated and slightly dizzy from the sudden change.
"Again," Lola said patiently.
"You’re still thinking like you need to control it. Stop trying to be the master. Become the medium."
Become the medium. What does that even mean?
Noah closed his eyes and attempted the expansion technique once more. This time, he managed to hold the state for nearly thirty seconds before his natural instincts kicked in once again, and he tried to grasp the flowing energy.
The mana scattered instantly.
"Better...much better," Lola observed.
"You held it longer that time. But you’re still fighting your own conditioning. Months or perhaps years of thinking about magic as something external won’t disappear that quickly, but you are showing very fast progress."
This is harder than I expected. She made it look effortless.
For the next twenty minutes, Noah cycled through the same steps.
Expand his consciousness, feel the mana respond, and lose control when he attempted to direct it. Each attempt lasted slightly longer than the previous one, but progress felt awfully slow.
"I’m not getting anywhere," he muttered, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"You’re progressing faster than most people," Lola replied calmly. "Most people take days to achieve what you’re doing in minutes. The plants are also accelerating your development significantly, don’t give up."
"Once you get that good connection...it doesn’t go away.
"Try this," she continued, moving to stand next to him. "Instead of thinking about controlling mana, imagine you’re conducting an orchestra. You don’t force the musicians to play—you guide them to create harmony."
Orchestra conductor. That’s... actually a useful metaphor.
Noah adjusted his mental approach once again. Instead of reaching for the mana with grasping intentions, he imagined himself as a conductor’s baton, existing to facilitate rather than dominate.
The change in perspective after the metaphone showed immediate results.
There. That’s the feeling I was missing.
"Excellent," Lola said softly.
"Now maintain that state while attempting small movements. Don’t think about moving the mana—think about suggesting directions it might want to flow."
Noah held his conductor’s mindset while gently encouraging a small stream of energy to move in a clockwise circle around his body. The mana responded with surprising willingness, creating a visible shimmer in the air.
It’s working. Actually working.
But his excitement broke his concentration, and the effect collapsed immediately.
"Emotional stability," Lola noted with amusement.
"Another challenge for new practitioners. Success creates excitement, excitement disrupts focus, disrupted focus kills the technique."
Damn it, that was stupid. I need to stay calm during breakthrough moments.
The pattern repeated itself over the next thirty minutes. Noah would achieve a stable connection, attempt something slightly more complex, then lose control due to some sort of variable.
Each cycle taught him more about the delicate balance required.
"Your problem isn’t technique anymore," Lola observed after his latest attempt. "It’s mental discipline. You understand the mechanics, but your emotions keep interfering."
"Close your eyes," she instructed.
"This time, don’t attempt any mana manipulation at all. Just expand your awareness and sit with the sensation. Get comfortable with the state before trying to do anything with it."
Noah followed her guidance, allowing his consciousness to expand without any agenda beyond simple observation. The mana flowed around him, but he resisted the urge to interact with it.
Just observe. Don’t interfere.
Minutes passed in peaceful meditation.
The awareness became familiar rather than exciting, settling into his consciousness like a comfortable piece of clothing. His breathing steadied, his mind quieted, and the mana around him stabilised into harmony.
"Now," Lola whispered.
"Without opening your eyes or changing anything else, guide a small amount of energy to flow from your left hand to your right."
This time, Noah’s approach carried no urgency or excitement. He simply suggested to the ambient mana that it might find flowing between his hands to be an interesting direction to explore.
The energy responded with gentle cooperation, creating a visible stream that connected his palms.
It’s stable, actually stable this time.
"Hold that for sixty seconds," Lola instructed.
The minute passed without incident. Noah maintained the mana flow while keeping his emotions carefully neutral, treating the achievement as simply another step in a longer process.
Now make it flow faster.
The energy responded to his suggestion, accelerating its movement between his hands.
Of course, these commands were mainly in his head and to himself. Mana wasn’t actually listening to his verbal commands.
Again, immediate compliance.
"Perfect," Lola said with genuine satisfaction.
"You’re ready for the final step. You got this, just break the dam."
Noah’s awareness suddenly encompassed flows he couldn’t see before.
Mana revealed itself with startling clarity, and his control over magical forces transformed from theoretical into reality.
[Your Mana Control skill has levelled up to Level 5!]
The notification blazed across his retina as power flooded through channels that had been blocked since his arrival in this world.
His intelligence attribute spiked from 7 to 20, bringing its enhancement with it.
I’ve reached Level 5...Finally.
But the changes weren’t finished.
Mana flows that had been visible but untouchable suddenly became responsive streams he could guide with conscious intent.
Mana pathways revealed themselves as highways rather than obstacles, pathways for power instead of barriers to breakthrough.
The channels are open. Actually open.
"Congratulations," Lola said, her smile carrying genuine pride.
"Now you are a novice mage."