"Ah…." A soft sigh slipped past Alice's lips as she withdrew her hand from Veronica's back.
A faint pulse of mana rippled through the training arena, signaling that Veronica's advancement to the second stage had succeeded.
"I did it, Miss Alice?" Veronica asked, pressing a hand to her chest as she felt the new power coursing through her body.
"Yes," Alice nodded, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "Remember what I taught you this morning? Try it now!"
Veronica didn't hesitate. She closed her eyes and raised her right hand.
Her teeth clenched, the effort carved into her face. A moment later, her eyelids snapped open just in time to catch a crimson flame flicker to life in her palm.
"I did it!"
Before she could finish celebrating, the flame collapsed into a wisp of smoke, drawing a defeated sigh from her.
"It's okay, fufufu~~" Alice let out a soothing laugh. "It took me almost a month just to generate my first flame. You did it in one morning."
