12 Elemental Crystal 1

After the ceremony everyone went and minded their own business. As for Alex they went straight to their house.

His mother went to the kitchen to prepare their food, to celebrate Alex's victory in the tournament.

Alex then ran to the bathroom to wash himself clean of the dusts that had accumulated on his body during the fights.

A few minutes later, he went to his room and wore a new pair of clothes. Even though he liked the white shirt and khaki pants attire, he still had to 'let them go'. Even as a rag, it wouldn't be of much help. He could only throw the clothes away reluctantly.

As a straight A student he was on the past; after every class, he would read and remember everything that was taught to them. So he applied the same thing after he sat on his bed.

He tried to recall every bit of the scene that happened, from his fight with Von to the fight of the others and lastly, to his fight against Kael.

When he fought against Von, it felt quite good as a newbie mage. But he only won because of playing too much computer games in his past life. If it weren't for that, then maybe he would perform poorly against his opponent.

That was because when he tried competitive gaming as a mage, he would always be cussed and blamed for his poor performance and lack of information about the game.

Since then, he became addicted to the game. He often played the game with his friends, but mostly his brother, who was a paladin. Together, they played every day and even skipped classes just to play the game.

Now that he has a new brother, he will make sure to not leave him behind because he knew that with the system, he will surely be able to rise really fast.

'Ahhh. Let's stop thinking of the future, and start dealing with the present.'

Before he went out of his room, he grabbed the worn-out cape that he got as a reward.

It was comfortable to wear actually, it was fluffy and silky, and he would really like to use this as a quilt.

He couldn't focus when he was on his room, so decided to go out. He sat cross legged in the backyard even though it was hot for others, it wasn't for him.

He tried to recall everything again, as his mind was distracted of different thoughts earlier.

He soon remembered the fight of the others. How Kael outclassed everyone with just his magical talent. That was the thing that he couldn't do because of being over reliant on the system. He knew that he should've played and practiced with the spells himself.

When he thought of that, he tried to replicate what Kael did and tried to input more mana towards his spell.

He concentrated really hard, raised his right hand and invoked the spell [Take Root]. As soon as he finished invoking the spell, he was pushed backwards and flew for 5 meters.

'Wadohek!'

Alex loudly exclaimed. He wasn't sure what happened, but when he casted the spell with his right hand, he was thrusted far back. Good thing that he aimed it slightly lower or he would have ended up with not just scratches from the ground but a lump and badly shaken head.

He wanted to experiment on it again and again, since there was a saying that constant practice makes it perfect.

"What? What is wadohek?"

He was surprised at the familiar voice. It was his brother, Arthur. He looked around and found that Arthur was on his right, sitting at the grass near the door entrance to the house. He was wondering if his brother saw everything that he did.

"How long have you been there?" he asked.

"I was here like, after we got home? Did you not see me?"

Arthur answered with an incredulous look, not really believing that his brother did not see him.

"No." Alex flatly answered.

"Anyways, let's eat. Mom's been calling us for 3 minutes already."

"Really?"

"Really. Now wash your hands and go in. You don't want mom to be angry."

Alex acceded to his brother's order and washed his hands clean of filth and dirt. Then he went in and sat and waited for the food to be served.

Mari, as the youngest was always tasked to pray before eating. So after Mari thanked God for the blessings they received, they started eating their dinner.

Even though they talked about it in the awarding ceremony, they still discussed the matches held in the morning.

Arthur did not comment on the fights, though he could've given his brother a tip or two, he didn't. It was better for someone to learn by themselves than teaching someone everything they knew.

'Things should be comprehended by oneself' Arthur thought.

Eating always makes one happy. With a happy mood, Alex went to his room and fiddled with the Wood Crystal he got earlier.

He removed his shirt and sat cross legged on his bed. He brought out his maroon cape and wrapped it around his body. He did it at the thought that it will probably help him meditate much faster.

He meditated for two hours straight which was very surprising for him. In the past he only meditated for about 30 minutes and gave up.

Now however, there was a clear jump in his time of meditation. He attributed it with the awakening of his mana.

He went out of his room (with the cape still on him) and looked if everyone was asleep. After checking out the house, he went back to his room quietly.

He didn't want to be disturbed once he started using the elemental crystal. Then he brought out the Wood Crystal, that lightens the room with a green glow amidst the dark night.

Looking at it, it brought a smile to his face.