"Not bad, not bad."
Professor Alexander walked across the classroom, examining each Cadet with an intense gaze. His eyes flickered a faint blue; he gauged the mana surging from person to person as if he could stare into our very souls.
We'd spent every class last week in a gruelling fashion after the demon-sealing demonstration. According to both Professor Alexander and Professor Aluis, we had nothing more to learn. Both professors had us focus on refining our mana control through hours upon hours of rigorous practice and familiarising ourselves with our techniques by sparring.
As such, I had spent the past few days solely working on mana practice and sparring. Though I was a bit bitter that I couldn't work on deciphering the runes I had finally encountered, I couldn't risk falling behind the curve.
Since the first assignment is close, I need to be in top shape.
I lamented and let out a peeved groan just as Professor Alexander passed through; his eyes lingered on me.
"What do we have here?" He bent down and dragged his black aviators lower till his eyes met mine.
"Cadet Reed. Your mana fluctuations have grown. Very impressive. Have you been practising outside of class times as well?"
I straightened in my seat, meeting his gaze. "Yes, sir. Every day in the training halls after class."
Professor Alexander's blue-flickering eyes studied me for another moment before he nodded approvingly. "Good. Dedication shows." He straightened up, addressing the class as a whole while keeping one hand on my desk.
"Speaking of which, I hope all of you have been as diligent as Cadet Reed here." His voice carried across the room with that familiar authoritative tone. "Because what you've endured this week, the gruelling mana control sessions, the relentless sparring, the physical conditioning—wasn't arbitrary."
He began pacing toward the front of the classroom, his carefree and charming smile shifting to something smouldering and sombre, his eyes losing their usual playful glint and hardening into something far more dangerous.
"You'll be going on your first field assignment soon. Very soon." His voice dropped an octave, carrying a weight that made several students straighten in their seats. "And out there, hesitation kills. Sloppy technique kills. Weak mana control kills."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop as his words settled over us like a shroud.
"The enemies you'll face won't give you time to think, won't wait for you to gather your composure, and certainly won't show mercy if your spell falters." He stopped at the front of the classroom, his piercing gaze sweeping across every face. "This week was preparation. Tomorrow, you'll find out if it was enough."
A heavy silence stretched through the room. I could feel the shift in atmosphere—what had started as a routine class assessment had transformed into something far more serious, more real.
"But before we discuss your imminent field work," Professor Alexander continued, his tone regaining some of its professorial cadence while retaining that underlying grit, "let's talk about something that will determine whether or not you succeed as an awakened: creating magic that truly reflects who you are as a fighter."
He clasped his hands behind his back, beginning to pace again with measured steps.
"I've said this many times. Magic is not just technique, it's an expression of your will, your instincts, your very essence as a combatant. If you can form a clear concept of what you need and how you want to achieve it, that intent can manifest into reality through focused mana manipulation."
His eyes found mine briefly before moving on. "However, understanding this principle and successfully implementing it under life-or-death pressure are entirely different challenges."
I found myself leaning forward despite my fatigue.
"I don't expect any of you to develop truly unique magic immediately," he continued. "That pursuit can take years. I created my signature techniques when I was seventeen, and even then, it took three years to perfect them. But what I learned during those three years was simple: know your priorities."
Professor Alexander's eyes flickered blue again, more intensely this time. "My priority was speed and momentum. I wanted to fight with absolute mobility, to engage any enemy on any terrain without limitation. So I stopped studying spells where mobility was secondary and focused entirely on magic that considered movement the primary advantage."
His gaze shifted to different students as he spoke. "Some of you are natural melee fighters, pursue magic that enhances that instinct. Others," his eyes found Elias, "prefer to fight as battle mages, combining elemental forces. Learn to blend those elements in ways no one has before."
The intensity in his voice grew. "Because if you rely solely on pre-existing spells created by others, your growth will eventually hit a ceiling. The strongest Awakened are those who forge their own path."
He moved toward his desk, gathering his materials. "For now, use the Grand Library's spell catalogue to find techniques that complement your natural fighting style. I won't teach you these spells directly, but I'll guide you through the learning process during my office hours."
Professor Alexander paused at the door, his expression shifting to something sharper, more dangerous.
"Class dismissed. Tomorrow, you'll receive the details for your first assignment." His smile was predatory. "And these missions will establish the initial rankings for your class. I suggest you prepare accordingly."
The door closed with a decisive click.
The silence that followed was deafening. Then, slowly, whispers began to spread through the classroom as the full implications sank in.
As the lecture finally ended, Kai let out an exaggerated yawn and stretched his arms above his head. "That was perhaps the longest class I've ever sat through," he complained, slumping forward on his desk.
I sighed, "That's because you're too restless and can't sit still to listen at all."
Kai considered this for a moment, then shrugged. "Maybe that's true." He perked up suddenly, his energy returning. "Well, since the assignment is tomorrow, there's still an opportunity to practice. Want to join us for a last spar tonight?"
I shook my head. "I can't. I'm still working on something on my own."
Kai's expression shifted downcast. "Really? You've been working on this mysterious 'something' for days now. Is it really that important?"
Before I could answer, Nico chimed in with his usual dry tone. "Don't bother asking. He probably plans to stick his head in the library and not come out at all." He shot me a knowing look. "He quite likes acting mysterious."
I narrowed my eyes at him, though I couldn't help but find his comment somewhat amusing.
"You should be the last one saying that, Nico."
With that exchange, we gathered our things and left the classroom together, though we'd headed in different directions once we reached the bottom of the magic tower.
-
Once again, I found myself in the battle dome, but this time, instead of the sparring capsules, I made my way to the cages. I used [Insight] on myself, studying the numbers that had been gradually improving over the past week of intensive training.
[NAME]
NOAH REED
[STATS]
Strength: F
Agility: F
Constitution: F
Intelligence: D
Perception: E
Charisma: F
[VITALS]
Vitality: E
Stamina: E
Mana: E
[GIFTS]
INSIGHT: EX
HERO: F (DORMANT)
[SKILLS]
Endurance: D
Knife Work: E
Spear Mastery: E
Basic Footwork: E
Sevenfold Strike: E
Mana Control: F
[Magic]
Mana Sorcery: F
-
All my Vital stats have improved significantly.
This was definitely a welcome change. And though I still hadn't dented any major stats except [Intelligence], I was expecting them to increase, too.
I deactivated [Insight] and walked to the centre of the cage. The cage flared to life, and discs shot toward me from multiple angles, their whirring filling the air.
I gripped my spear tightly, my body moving with instinct and practised grace.
There was only one reason I had been trying out the cages for the last few days. It was perhaps the best way to simulate a real life combat-scenario, aside from sparring. Though I wouldn't have minded a spar, I wasn't confident enough to fully control my magic to use it against the others.
However, integrating magic in combat style as I dashed around the cages was an entirely different and exhilarating experience. It was perhaps the best decision I had made to help adapt to my growing list of skills.
As a disc ricocheted and shot towards my face, I raised my arm and channelled my mana.
[Mana Sorcery: Shield]!
A translucent shield manifested just in time, deflecting the projectile with a sharp clang.
[Auger]
I immediately thrust my spear forward, piercing through another disc, as it crumbled under the enhanced force. I had grown quite adept at weaving in my basic spells within combat. But I wasn't done experimenting. There was still one more thing I was working on.
[Mana Sorcery: Chain]
An ethereal chain materialised, linking to my left arm as I swung it in wide arcs; it clashed against the discs and shattered them before they could close the distance.
An adaptable style is necessary. If I can't strike the discs until they're in range, I just need to use something that can.
As if sensing my inherent advantage, the cage's mechanism immediately intensified, firing out tens of discs simultaneously. But I was prepared.
[Divum]
My body blurred, and I darted, zipping between the discs at enhanced speeds.
[Auger]
Power flowed through my spear, augmenting each strike with devastating force as I unleashed a flurry of thrusts on every object within a wide handspan.
My score climbed steadily—60, 65, 70, 75, 78—then suddenly, I jerked back and ground to a halt.
My mana reserves had hit their limit. The magical chain I had conjured flickered and vanished, leaving me vulnerable. And without the reinforced movement, I was but a sitting duck. Three discs struck me in the legs simultaneously.
I collapsed against the cage wall, breathing heavily.
I've gotten quite far. But I can only maintain this level of combat for maybe five minutes before my mana runs out completely.
A part of me was ecstatic that I had reached a higher score, because I felt that it truly did indicate my mastery over my magic. However, some part of me was frustrated. I had been training madly, and yet my mana reserves were still unbelievably shallow.
A few minutes of combat time was all I could force myself to go through before collapsing and running out of mana entirely.
As if responding to my training, familiar notifications appeared in my vision:
[Mana Capacity has increased slightly]
[Mana Control has increased slightly]
[Agility has increased: F → E]
A wry chuckle escaped my lips. It was as if my own body had heard me and decided to finally heed my words. But I couldn't complain. Improvement was improvement nonetheless.
By the time I finished training, an icy night had settled over the academy like a heavy shroud. Bone-deep exhaustion weighed on every muscle; each step back to the dormitory felt like I was dragging lead weights. My limbs trembled from mana depletion, and I could barely summon the strength to prop my spear against the wall and peel off my sweat-soaked uniform before collapsing onto my bed.
Sleep claimed me instantly, pulling me into its depths before my head even fully hit the pillow.
-
Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt!
"Noah! Wake up!" Nico's urgent voice pierced through my unconsciousness. "The band, it's flickering."
I jolted awake, immediately noticing the band on my wrist pulsing with an irregular red light. Only one word was projected on the band's sleek surface.
'Courtyard.'
An emergency?
My heart skipped a beat.
Within minutes, both Nico and I donned our uniforms and grabbed our weapons, rushing toward the main courtyard where we'd been summoned.