Noa grinned and nodded immediately.
He wanted to learn how to collect mana particles outside of his being and turn them into his fuel.
Because he had yet to awaken his mana core, it could only hold enough mana for three attempts to shape it.
But before Darrik started his explanation, Noa glanced at Thalia.
The young girl sat beside him, her palms fully covered with ice as she played with them.
She looked immersed in the lesson, and Luna hopped around her shoulders.
"Is there something wrong?" she asked, noticing Noa's peering eyes.
"Nothing," Noa answered. "It's just, I am glad you are having fun."
Thalia giggled.
"I am in a great mood. It's thanks to you, Young Master. But I think you are doing excellent as well. Your talent is definitely exceptional."
She tried to lift his spirits, thinking that Noa might be dejected just because he couldn't do any spell work.
Thankfully, Noa wasn't that narrow-minded.
He understood very well that this was only the beginning.
Then he glanced at Darrik, gesturing for the man to continue his lesson.
The mage nodded.
"We already established that mana is everywhere, right? But depending on your affinity and environment, the amount varies.
In my case, being in nature aids my speed of recovery because I can just harvest wind particles with ease."
"So if I find a perfect location for my affinity, I can fight with advantage?" Noa asked, considering how to use shadows.
'That means I should be stronger at night. The darker the world is, the more particles I can find,' he thought and realized why he found it easier to manipulate mana at night.
Darrik continued.
"Now, close your eyes and concentrate on the world around you. Let all of your senses locate familiar mana."
The only thing Noa felt was emptiness.
Nothingness surrounded him—the kind he expected.
But then…
Something shifted.
The nothingness wasn't empty anymore.
His senses caught floating specks in the void behind his vision.
They were weightless and formless, yet they completely filled his senses.
After that, Noa tried to find them in the shade, and as expected, shadow-born particles fully enveloped his mind.
Noa said nothing, letting Darrik and Thalia think that he was still looking for them.
But in his stillness, Noa focused harder.
He allowed shadow-born particles to linger toward him.
"When you see them, try to breathe them in. Think as if you need oxygen and fill your lungs with the air," the mage added, not surprised by Noa's silence.
Hearing what to do, Noa breathed in.
His core, previously almost hollow, was filling fast.
They flowed inside him, flying through his lungs and reaching all the way to his heart.
The particles came to him like he were the darkness itself.
He exhaled slowly but inhaled with controlled rhythm, following the patterns Darrik showed him before.
He was a quick learner, stunning his teacher again.
Noa wasn't just gathering mana—he was claiming it as if it already belonged to him.
It took him less than fifteen minutes to fill his core, and even though it was smaller compared to the awakened one, it was an unbelievable speed.
Before Darrik could say something, Noa heard a faint ringing sound in his ears, announcing his awaited progress.
[Ding!]
[First Mental threshold unlocked]
[Mind development progress]
[Description:]
[Overall efficiency in focus, mana perception, memory retention, and mana manipulation slightly improved]
[Progression:]
[Threshold 1 out of 7 unlocked. (Threshold 7 represents the peak of human potential) Further growth requires regular effort and recovery]
Now he had even reached a threshold for his mind, further increasing his progress.
'I did it,' Noa thought. 'I developed my mind as well.'
It was only the first step, but feeling how his thoughts became cleaner, Noa couldn't help but grin.
His senses felt more polished, too, and he could notice more details than before.
'But I am not smarter. I am just in… better control.'
"You unlocked the First Threshold, right?" Darrik asked directly. "That's amazing. This is the fastest progress I have ever seen."
Noa tried to deny the claim, afraid that the word would get out, but the mage said it first, his tone serious.
"This is serious. Don't tell anyone else. No matter who they are, don't trust them. This has to stay between us."
"What about my parents?" Noa asked.
"They are exceptions," Darrik said. "I will talk to them. But only to them, understood?"
Both Noa and Thalia nodded.
The former clenched his fist, noticing how nervous Darrik suddenly became.
The latter kept her mouth shut, as if afraid she might say something she shouldn't.
"What about your affinity? Do you still not know what it is?" Darrik asked again, this time his eyes sparked with a mix of curiosity and urgency.
It was a moment when Noa had to decide.
Either he would blindly trust Darrik and Thalia and risk everything, or he would wait a couple more days and then decide what to do.
For someone who lived their entire life alone, trusting people was hard.
Be it adults or his peers, everyone on Earth used him for their own personal gain.
Just because Noa escaped his last life, it didn't mean he could just change how he thought about people.
So he shook his head.
"I don't," he lied. "Is it bad?"
"Not bad, but unusual. Generally speaking, the harder it is to find your affinity, the rarer it will be. However, there are a couple of exceptions to this rule.
And it's not like the world would end if your affinity is rare. It just means the resources you will need are harder to find."
Listening to his explanation, Noa nodded.
Asking about the shadow would just sell himself out, that's why he posed another question Haric never answered.
"Can you tell me the difference between a warrior and a mage?"
Darrik seemed to be in a hurry.
The mage wanted nothing more than to meet the baron and his wife and tell them everything about Noa.
"I have a book written on that topic. You can find it in the library. Just search my name and you will find it," he said, almost running.
"Now, if you excuse me, Young Master, I think today's lesson is done here."
As soon as he completed his words, Darrik stormed out of the courtyard, leaving Noa and Thalia alone.
"Do you want to eat, Young Master?" Thalia offered. "I will bring snacks into the library."
"Yes, please," Noa answered.
Meanwhile, Darrik stood before the baron's office door, his expression unreadable.