"We really aren’t hiding anything at all!" Caelum declared immediately.

Naturally, he completely ignored the fact that he had robbed local wildlife of their fruits to survive.

Surely that was not important enough to mention.

The old dragon stared at him suspiciously but ultimately said nothing.

Meanwhile, the gigantic Yeti suddenly spoke.

"I’m borrowing this child for a moment."

The next instant, ice rapidly rose beneath Bonjour’s feet before lifting him upward until he was directly in front of the Yeti’s massive face.

Then the giant carefully observed him.

"Now that I look closely... you truly do carry the spirit of Mab’uk." the Yeti muttered.

A moment later, a glowing pearl floated out from the Yeti’s palm.

"Take this," he said.

Bonjour carefully caught the pearl.

"Give it to Big Ice when you return."

Meanwhile, the old dragon’s gaze shifted toward Caelum again.

"Your physique somewhat resembles someone I knew," the dragon commented thoughtfully as his slit pupils narrowed slightly.

"I met him a very long time ago, though by now, he should no longer exist within this world."

The dragon clearly sensed something else unusual within Caelum as well, but for some reason, he chose not to mention it aloud.

Instead, he asked another question.

"You truly possess absurd fortune," the dragon muttered.

"Tell me honestly... have you perhaps come into contact with a Philosopher’s Stone before?"

"Philosopher’s Stone?" Caelum repeated, thinking carefully.

He had only interacted with his classmates, a suspicious dog, some Ice Monkeys, an angry gorilla couple, a dead knight spirit, and several strange fruits.

Nothing sounded remotely similar to a Philosopher’s Stone.

"I don’t think so," he finally answered honestly.

"But can you teach me magic?" Caelum asked directly.

The old dragon blinked once.

"What a bold request."

There had been many people throughout history who sought audiences with dragons.

However, most modern humans usually begged for artifacts, scales, treasures, blessings, or shortcuts to power.

Very few directly asked for knowledge itself anymore.

"You are already considered a First Circle Mage according to current human standards," the dragon replied calmly.

"So teaching you is not particularly difficult, although your affinity toward ice is average."

Nearby, the Yeti remained busy doing something incomprehensible with Bonjour.

Meanwhile, the dragon continued.

"Before that, answer me this first."

His gaze sharpened slightly.

"How exactly does magic work?"

Caelum immediately looked confident.

"Something that basic? I already know plenty of theoretical knowledge anyway."

Then he began explaining seriously.

"First, a mage senses the mana within the surroundings, afterward, that mana is stored within the energy core, then the next part is the most important one."

Caelum pointed toward his chest.

"We construct circles around the heart because the heart conveys human intention most strongly."

The dragon slowly nodded.

"Not bad, but that still isn’t the full picture."

Then he asked another question.

"If that is the case, why can’t one simply manipulate raw mana directly from their core?"

The dragon sounded genuinely interested because he sensed Caelum would likely answer that.

"Because it’s inefficient," Caelum replied immediately.

"Trying to directly use raw mana is like attempting to control lightning straight from thunderclouds."

He continued confidently.

"Magic circles help organize and refine mana properly, which is why different mana methods exist in the first place and finally, magic circles themselves are built through runes."

Then he added another point.

"The runes represent the World’s language, while the mage’s personal interpretation determines how the spell manifests."

Caelum folded his arms slightly smugly afterward.

"Although after reaching the Third Circle, or if someone possesses overwhelming elemental affinity, magic can still be performed without formal circles."

The old dragon quietly observed him for several moments.

"Alright, now at the very least, I understand your perspective towards magic." he admitted.

Then he dragon tapped one finger against Caelum’s forehead.

A tremendous stream of knowledge instantly rushed into Caelum’s mind.

The sensation resembled receiving information through a knowledge talisman.

Caelum nearly staggered from the sudden overload.

Meanwhile, the dragon looked toward Bonjour, who was now descending back downward from the Yeti.

"I suppose it’s finally time," the old dragon muttered.

It was not like he would step-by-step teach Caelum, how to do magic.

***

"Alright, sending the two of you out of this place is somewhat complicated," the old dragon said calmly.

"First, stand atop this circle."

As he spoke, the dragon raised one hand and began drawing an enormous magic circle across the cavern floor.

Unlike ordinary magic formations, this circle appeared extremely irregular.

The mana pathways twisted in strange directions while the runes engraved within it looked ancient and incomprehensible.

Even Caelum, who had just received advanced knowledge regarding magic, immediately realized something unusual.

This did not even look like a normal teleportation spell.

The circle itself seemed to interact directly with the world’s Cause and Effect.

"Now then, barbarian child, place your blood into the center of the circle."

Bonjour immediately retrieved a small dagger from his school badge.

Without hesitation, he made a cut across his palm before allowing several drops of blood to fall into the circle.

The moment the blood touched the ground, the entire cavern changed.

A mysterious atmosphere silently spread throughout the surroundings as the circle slowly began glowing beneath both boys.

The runes lit up one after another.

Meanwhile, the old dragon calmly observed the process.

"I modified the transfer capacity from one individual to two," he explained.

"Once the transportation completes, both of you should arrive somewhere near Big Ice."

Nearby, the gigantic Yeti looked toward Bonjour once more.

"Remember what I told you earlier," the ancient being said seriously.

Bonjour immediately nodded while holding the glowing pearl carefully.

Then, the magic circle activated completely.

Countless mysterious lights erupted throughout the circle while Caelum and Bonjour suddenly felt an intense sensation of weightlessness.

Their bodies no longer seemed connected to the ground.

The surrounding space itself distorted violently.

And the next moment.

BOOOOM!

A pillar of light shot upward toward the sky, piercing through everything in its path as the figures of Caelum and Bonjour disappeared alongside it.