Reader Mage-Stubbing August 10! Chapter 15: 15-Depth And Solace

Read chapter 15 of Reader Mage-Stubbing August 10! by A_Random_Turtle on NovelPedia.

Merlin kept no secrets from Nora. It was physically impossible for him to do so. He always told her everything he had on his mind, every time, which now included his reason for not wanting to train at a regular boxing gym, but instead with someone close by. And that was because of the structure of rules he believed he would have to follow, the time, and, most importantly, the future. Basically, he wanted to be able to coordinate himself and decide when and where he could practice, and, if possible, continue even later on—if he got into Prestige Academy. That was also true for his System. Nora knew about every single thing going on with it, its Quests, and, of course, his constant failures with meditation. That was why she had been able to help get him the meditation classes he’d needed from Sunny. It was not like Merlin hadn’t had any plans on that front, but his had just been the direct approach of asking, and, most likely, paying if Sunny had requested for a fee. Nora’s method had been more effective, though—and frugal, too—and he had no problems with that. Now, he was seated opposite Sunny, cross-legged, and trying to fall into a deep state of trance. “No,” Sunny voiced, frustration bubbling in his tone. “Not a trance. You’re trying to meditate.” Merlin was not exactly sure what the difference was. Meditating put one in a half-conscious state, didn’t it? If all his years of school hadn’t deceived him, then wasn’t that what a trance did as well? “Why is this so hard for you to get?” Sunny sighed, rubbing his hand over his forehead. They had been at it for almost an hour. Janeth was long gone now, with the claim that she had somewhere important to be—Merlin had hoped that it was not a date with someone else—while Nora had succumbed to sitting on the floor at a corner of the studio-shrine, headsets on, and phone horizontal. Honestly, Merlin was getting exhausted about this whole thing. It was infuriating. He could be using this time to do something else that could favor him, like working on leveling up his other Attributes. Merlin wondered what Attributes meditating pertained to, but since the whole Quest schtick had not been in Singularity Mage, it was hard for him to figure that out. However, he’d guessed that it was probably related to Perception, since they were both…mind induced? If he was to add one more Attribute, that would be Intelligence. But, unlike Perception, which was related with sensation as a whole, Intelligence didn’t share any particular similarities with meditation. He could be wrong, though. But, he would have to get something out of this for him to find that out. Which was one of the reasons why he was yet to give up. “I’m not really understanding you,” said Merlin. “I’m doing everything right, aren’t I? If I’m falling into a trance, then doesn’t that mean the method is wrong, not me?” Sunny looked so frustrated that it almost seemed like he would rip off the headband tied around his forehead. Merlin had a feeling that it was not because he kept falling into a trance, but because of the money the man had missed out on snatching from them. It was really eating into him, wasn’t it? And Merlin not being a fast learner wasn’t exactly helping. “Alright. Let me explain this slowly for you.” Sunny became animated, moving his hands around with every word uttered. “Trance and meditation do seem similar at first glance, I understand, I really do. But they aren’t the same, okay? Don’t make that mistake. Yes, they both involve altered states of consciousness; trance, though, is characterized by deep relaxation and focused attention, allowing one to access deeper levels of their consciousness. So basically, it is what someone falls into when they’re hypnotized. Get it?” Well, that made things easier on that front. This was what a detailed explanation could do. Merlin nodded. Sunny sighed and continued, still animated, “Meditation, on the other hand, is aimed at achieving mental clarity and a deeper connection with one