Today I am highly motivated. I take my breakfast quickly and go to the library. Here I try to learn about that combat system. I find out that we should be able to gain levels when defeating enemies or training. I understand that the system rewards our achievements and that our skills can develop. We should have natural affinities with different combat styles based on our personalities. All of these facts seem surreal to me.

I continue my research, hoping to find a way to defeat these wolves. The system gives us two sources of power: an inner mana pool and an outer mana pool. Our internal mana pool is the resource we use to enhance our physical abilities; we use it unconsciously. Our external mana pool is the resource we use to cast magic; we can operate it using spells that we activate consciously. The two pools communicate and slowly balance themselves.

The interface to define the spells should be available on our wrist and is different for every user. I open the “spell” app on my device; it is empty. When I choose the add option, it opens me a text editor and nothing else. I look into the “Magic for beginners” for some example spells.

I read the entire “Fireball” chapter, which explains how to use magic to create heat. There are many “concentrate on” and “focus your energy on” instructions that appear unclear. I give it a try by focusing on my hand, trying to heat the air above it. I suddenly get notified on my wrist: “Warning: use of magic is prohibited here.” I give up for now and take my lunch break.

After eating, I grab the “Magic for beginners” guide and head outside. I find a nice clearing inside the woods that border the first floor. I install myself and try to perform the “Fireball” spell. After multiple attempts, nothing. It seems that it only warms the air above my hand. I research and find possible causes: I don’t have enough affinity with the spell, or my outer mana pool is too small.

I read a passage from the book: “To grow your mana pools, you must use them intensively. But be careful; empty your physical pool, and you won’t be able to move. Empty your mental pool, and you will lose consciousness.” Since mana pools take time to refill, I decide to train myself daily to grow them. I try again to cast the spell for a few hours. The air is getting hotter and hotter, but I can’t create a flame. By the end of the day, I have a powerful hairdryer spell. I give everything I have for the last attempt of the day. I focus hard, and this time a tiny flame appears! But my vision suddenly blurs, and I fall to my knees. It seems I used most of my outer pool.

I head back to the cafeteria since it is time to eat. I find my friends at a table and join them. I tell them about the talk I had with the Bureau. “Sorry I brought you that,” says Lilly. I react as if I was kind of pissed, but in fact, not really. Apparently, “Harper” came back from the isolation. That was a relief for everyone. The guys seem tired today; we finish the dinner and head back to our rooms.

I check my spell app before going to bed. The system added my new spell to the list: "Fireball". It has a short description and a few stats; I choose the edit option, which surprises me by opening a code page. Every step of the spell is written as a code instruction. I can see that I was excellent at the heating up part, but I struggled to create the explosive. It seems that I have a lousy affinity for creation magic. It gets way more complex as I dive into the subfunctions, so I decide to stop here for today. I lie down on the bed, thinking how crazy this place is.