I Became the Protagonist's Best Friend in a Bishoujo Game

Ahri sent me instructions on how to train my buffing and debuffing skills—and the best method to apply them to someone, is to imagine the effects I want to put on them.

I read through her detailed text message multiple times, taking in every piece of advice she laid out for me about mental visualization and mana control.

For example, if I want to make Zion faster—I need to think how so... I can think of a fast animal, or a light feather being carried by the wind.

Instead of just forcing raw mana onto his body and hoping for the best, I had to project a clear mental image of effortless speed and weightlessness to guide the energy properly.

This will make the effect of the buff stronger.

By shaping the mana with a focused concept in my mind, the spell would naturally attach itself far more efficiently to the target’s physical form.

And if I want to make the enemy slower, I need to think of making their body heavier—like imagining every part of their body as leads. I needed to picture thick, heavy weight pressing down on their shoulders, turning their limbs into solid iron that took massive effort just to shift an inch.

That’s the basics of it.

It sounded almost too simple on paper, but in the realm of specialized status magic, mental intent was everything when it came to amplifying spell potency.

And so, I started over my training again, and once I started applying buffs and debuffs on myself with Ahri’s teaching...

I took a deep breath, sitting back down on my bed and clearing my head of all unnecessary distractions before channeling my internal mana once more.

I definitely felt the effects immediately.

A sudden, sharp surge of lightness coursed through my legs as I cast the speed buff on myself, making my entire body feel as light as a stray feather.

It was stronger than before when I was just applying it without any imagery.

The difference in output was night and day, showing me just how much potential I had been wasting by casting the spells blindly without proper technique.

Ahri also told me to also cast the skills with different output and multiple targets. This will help me get better at them faster.

She emphasized that controlling the intensity of the spells across several targets simultaneously was the absolute best way to expand my mental capacity and mana output.

I have no way of applying this skill on multiple targets for now, but tomorrow—when we meet up in the training grounds to train; I can use the training dummies as targets.

The outdoor training grounds had rows of enchanted wooden dummies specifically built to absorb magic spells and register status effects for practice sessions.

’I know from the game that it’s possible... I remember trying everything with the dummies to see how strong the characters really are.’

I thought to myself, recalling how I used to test different party setups and spell interactions on those exact same training targets during my playthroughs.

*****

Vael spent the day training on his own, honing his skills as far as he can.

He stayed inside his dorm room for hours, cycling through different mental images and adjusting his mana distribution until his arms were practically glowing with pale magic light.

Of course he still trained his ice powers and swordsmanship, but he focused more on his secondary skills for now.

He made sure to keep his sword swings clean and his ice barriers sharp, but the vast majority of his energy went straight into perfecting his buffing and debuffing routines.

And just like that, a day had passed.

The sun slowly set beneath the horizon and rose once again, bringing a cool, crisp morning that signaled the start of our official group practice.

... ... ...

The next day, Vael, Zion, Cindy, Crystal, and Cordelia met up in one of the training grounds.

The arena was wide and empty when we arrived, surrounded by high stone walls and reinforced barrier posts designed to contain heavy magic output.

Vael and Cordelia ended up looking at each other from time to time, but they didn’t really say anything toward each other about what happened yesterday.

Their eyes crossed paths as we put down our weapon bags near the side bench, both of us keeping our expressions completely neutral in front of the others.

Vael just nodded his head at her with a smile on his face.

He offered a light, polite acknowledgment from across the arena, keeping his posture relaxed so as not to draw any unwanted attention from Zion or Cindy.

And Cordelia, she just returned the gesture.

A tiny, subtle tilt of her chin was all she gave back, keeping her cool, aristocratic composure intact as the rest of the squad gathered around the center circle.

The five of them practiced together, trying to coordinate with each other.

They spent the first hour running basic movement drills, learning how each person moved in combat and making sure we didn’t step on each other’s toes during chaotic engagements.

Cordelia and Zion will be the vanguards—their attack powers were off the charts for freshmen, after all.

Zion’s explosive physical strength paired with Cordelia’s crushing high-tier water spells meant they could obliterate anything standing in the front line without breaking a sweat.

Crystal is a mage-type, so she will be in the middle of the formation; blasting magic from afar.

She stood directly behind the primary fighters, using her ranged elemental attacks to bombard enemy clusters before they could close the distance.

And joining her is Vael—he will be a support as well.

Positioned right alongside Crystal, he was tasked with throwing up ice walls to protect the flanks while casting speed buffs on the vanguards and slowing down incoming mobs.

Then Cindy will be an all-rounder, her main priority though is protecting the supporters.

With her nimble dagger work and swift movement speed, she patrolled the perimeter of our backline, ready to intercept any fast monsters that managed to bypass Zion and Cordelia.

After training a bit together and deciding on their formation; they started planning.

We gathered around a small wooden table near the edge of the training grounds, wiping off sweat and taking quick drinks of water before getting down to tactics.

Their goal is to reach the second floor of the dungeon before the first day ends, they can’t do that without a plan.

Breaching the first floor’s mini-boss zone required speed, efficiency, and zero wasted time wandering around blind turns or dead-end passages inside the tower.

Crystal took out a map of the dungeon, she said she got it from a senior she’s acquainted with—it was actually from Cordelia, she bought it from one of the seniors.

She unrolled a detailed parchment map across the table, showing the layout of the lower levels along with marked monster spawn points and shortcut corridors.

This wasn’t against the rules. Information gathering is essential for dungeon diving, after all.

The academy actively encouraged students to use every resource at their disposal, including purchasing layout notes from older years who had already cleared the trial, or even finding out about the test before it actually annouced.

... ... ...

... ... ...

... ... ...

After training together and forming various plans for the test, the group went on separate ways to continue their days.

The finalized their entry routes, memorized the signal phrases, and packed up their equipment after hours of non-stop coordination practice.

They stopped around 3 PM, by the way.

The afternoon sun was still high in the sky when Crystal officially called an end to the session, giving everyone plenty of time to rest and handle their personal errands.

And Vael, instead of resting and going back to his room... He secretly went to the training targets and started practicing his buffing and debuffing skills.

He waited until the others walked off toward the main academy gates before quietly slipping deeper into the facility toward the isolated spell-testing arena.

He doesn’t really have that much time left till the test, so he’s doing whatever he can to improve and not be a burden with the main characters.

Standing in front of a row of heavy wooden dummies, he raised his hands, focusing his mind on heavy lead and light feathers as he cast spell after spell onto the targets.

And so, just like that... This became the routine of the five everyday.

Every morning was spent running squad drills, every afternoon was dedicated to reviewing dungeon maps, and every evening Vael stayed behind to push his support magic to its limits.

And before they even knew it... The end of the month came and it was time for the test.

Time flew by in a blur of endless training and preparation, until finally, the day of the freshman dungeon trial arrived.

*****

"Fuhh..."

Vael let out a sigh as he got up of his bed, then looking at his phone--

"It’s finally time to enter my first dungeon, I hope everything goes well."

He mumbled that as he read the messages he got from his teammates and from Ahri.

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