Chapter : 19

  Ken pulled his right hand out of his pocket. He let out a loud, fake sigh. "Alright, alright. Don't rush me. I have to concentrate. I am very sensitive, you know."

  Naomi scoffed loudly from the sidelines. "Just hit the stupid wood, farm boy. We don't have all day to watch you cry."

  "I am focusing!" Ken whined back at her, sticking his tongue out like a little kid.

  Ken raised his right hand and pointed his index finger directly at the target dummy. He closed his left eye, pretending to aim very carefully.

  Underneath his skin, Ken performed a high-level biological transmutation spell. It was a very advanced piece of magic, but he kept it completely hidden. He shifted the bones and muscles at the very tip of his index finger, turning the end of his finger into a tiny, literal gun muzzle. It was small, metallic, and completely hidden by his normal skin.

  Then, he reached deep into his soul. He bypassed the massive, ocean-like seal of his true power and simply gathered a tiny, tiny drop of basic mana. He pushed that small drop of energy down his arm, into his hand, and out through his finger muzzle.

  "Pew," Ken said out loud, actually saying the sound effect with his mouth.

  Bang.

  A small, bullet-sized ball of blue mana shot out of his finger. It flew across the room and hit the dummy right in the center of its chest.

  Thwack.

  The tiny mana bullet hit the dummy's thick magical shield. It didn't explode. It didn't shatter the shield. It didn't break the ironwood. It just made a dull sound, like someone throwing a small pebble against a brick wall. The dummy rocked backward just one inch, and then settled back into place. There was a tiny, barely visible scorch mark on the blue shield.

  Ken slowly lowered his hand. He turned his head and gave the group a goofy, proud smile. He blew on the tip of his finger as if blowing smoke away from a real gun.

  "Ta-da!" Ken announced, doing a small, lazy bow. "Did you see that? Right in the middle. I am basically a magical sniper. Please hold your applause."

  For five seconds, the entire training hall was perfectly quiet. Nobody clapped. Nobody cheered. Even Princess Iris looked slightly confused.

  Then, Naomi exploded.

  She threw her hands up in the air and marched forward. "Are you absolutely kidding me?!" Naomi yelled, her face turning red with anger. "That was it? That was your big spell? A little finger spark?"

  Ken blinked, dropping his goofy smile and looking perfectly innocent. "Hey, I hit the target. That counts, right?"

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  "You didn't even scratch the shield!" Naomi shouted, pointing angrily at the dummy. "You are pathetic! I knew it! I knew you were just a useless commoner! You have zero power. You have zero combat skills. If we take you on a mission, you are not just going to be uncool, you are going to drag us down! You are a total burden to the 13th Unit!"

  Ken saw his chance to play his favorite role. He immediately covered his face with his hands and let out a loud, fake wail.

  "Oh, the cruelty!" Ken cried out dramatically, peeking through his fingers to see her reaction. "She is so mean! Your words are like sharp little knives stabbing my tender heart! I am trying my best! My finger hurts from shooting that! I am going to tell my mom that the scary red-haired lady yelled at me!"

  "Stop acting like a baby!" Naomi growled, looking like she wanted to punch him. "You are an embarrassment to the Princess!"

  Ken actually felt very happy on the inside. "Perfect," he thought. "She hates me. She thinks I am weak. She will never ask me to do anything hard. Operation 'Be a Lazy Background Character' is a massive success."

  But just as Naomi was about to yell at him some more, a calm, steady voice cut through the noise.

  "Stop it, Naomi."

  Everyone turned to look. It was Sayma. The tall Vice-Captain stepped out from the group of girls. She walked over and stood between angry Naomi and fake-crying Ken. She pushed her glasses up her nose and looked at Naomi with a serious expression.

  "There is no need to be cruel," Sayma said firmly. "He is a new recruit, and he has not had the training we have."

  Naomi crossed her arms and scowled. "Sayma, you saw that pathetic attack. He is useless."

  "No, he is not," Sayma replied smoothly. She turned her head and looked directly at Ken. Her intelligent eyes scanned him from head to toe. "You are only looking at the impact, Naomi. You need to look at the technique."

  Ken paused his fake crying. He lowered his hands slightly. "Uh oh," Ken thought. "Did she notice? She is the smart one. I knew she was going to be a problem."

  Sayma walked over to the target dummy and touched the tiny scorch mark left by Ken’s finger gun.

  "Look at this," Sayma instructed the group. "His attack was weak, yes. But his form was absolutely perfect. When he raised his arm, his breathing was completely steady. He didn't waste a single drop of mana. Normally, when a weak mage tries to cast a spell, their mana leaks out everywhere, creating a messy glow. Ken’s mana was entirely focused into one single, dense point."

  Sayma turned back to look at Ken. She gave him that same wholesome, polite smile.

  "He did not use a chant. He did not use a wand. He fired pure, concentrated mana from his bare finger with perfect aim," Sayma explained to the group. "That shows an incredible level of natural control. He still has great potential. He is young, and there is plenty of room for him to grow. With Grandmaster Finlay’s training, he could become a highly accurate marksman."

  Ken stared at Sayma. His fake scared act completely dropped for a second. He was actually quite amazed. She was completely wrong about his total power level, but she was incredibly accurate about his mana control.

  "She is sharp," Ken mentally noted. "I need to be very careful around the Vice-Captain. She pays attention to the small details."

  Princess Iris smiled warmly. "Thank you, Sayma. That is exactly what I saw in him too. Potential."

  Finlay let out a deep grunt. "Very well. He has control, but he lacks raw power. We will fix that. Starting tomorrow, Eliot, you will run fifty laps around the courtyard before breakfast to build your stamina."

  "Fifty laps?!" Ken yelled, quickly returning to his slacker persona. He dropped to his knees and clasped his hands together in a begging motion. He looked up at Sayma with giant, glittering puppy-dog eyes. "Please, Vice-Captain Sayma! Save me from this giant silver bully! My legs are too short for fifty laps! I will die of exhaustion!"

  Sayma chuckled softly and shook her head. "You will be fine, Ken. Just drink plenty of water."

  Naomi groaned and turned away. "Whatever. Just don't get in my way during a real fight, weakling."