Raii stepped to the front of the class.
"Today we will begin Water Magic training."
He raised his hand and continued,
"First, feel the flow of mana. Let it gather in your palm. Then shape that mana into water."
He demonstrated calmly.
"Water Magic — Aqua Sphere."
A sphere of clear water formed above Raii's palm and slowly floated in the air.
The students stared in amazement.
Raii looked at them.
"Now, all of you try."
The class immediately began practicing.
Some students struggled to control the flow of mana, and Raii patiently walked around correcting their mistakes.
After a few minutes :
"YES! I DID IT!"
Jimmi suddenly shouted loudly.
A small ball of water floated above his hand.
"I actually did it!"
He looked extremely happy.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the training ground, Horobi quietly raised his hand.
"Ice Magic — Ice Sphere."
A sphere of ice instantly formed and shot forward, hitting the target and shattering into pieces.
The entire class froze in shock.
"Wait…!!"
"We're practicing water magic!"
"How did you create ice?!"
Everyone stared at Horobi.
Horobi calmly explained,
"Water and ice are the same element. The only difference is temperature."
He pointed toward the broken ice.
"I simply converted mana into water… then reduced its thermal energy. When the energy decreases, the molecules slow down and freeze into ice."
The class looked confused.
Raii suddenly smiled.
"Well done, Horobi."
"You've already learned to change the state of an element."
Horobi scratched his head slightly.
"When I was younger, I spent most of my time reading books. I understood the theory….. but I couldn't actually use mana."
He continued,
"But thanks to Lord Omon, I can finally control my mana properly."
Nearby, Liora raised her hand.
"Water Magic — Aqua Sphere!"
A water sphere formed above her palm.
She proudly looked at Horobi.
"See? I did it too!"
"Now I'll learn another element… and master all three."
Mio failed to create anything!
She crossed her arms and said irritably,
"Try mastering one first before dreaming about three."
Liora glared at her,
"Just because you couldn't do it doesn't mean you have to be jealous."
Mio snapped back immediately.
"So what if I couldn't do it today?"
"I'll just try again tomorrow."
"And maybe I'll master an even better element than you."
Raii suddenly interrupted.
"Enough."
"You two are building castles in the air."
He folded his arms.
"It's extremely rare for someone to learn two elements."
"And mastering more than two is almost impossible."
The class became quiet.
Raii continued slowly.
"Long ago… there was a mage known as the Destroyer."
"His Destruction Magic was so powerful that even his own Creation Magic could not compare.
He was the only known mage capable of using every element."
"And yet… his most terrifying ability was still Destruction."
Even Demon Lords feared him.
Mare raised his hand.
"Who was he?"
"And where is he now?"
Raii shook his head.
"No one knows."
"He disappeared one day."
"Some rumors say… he was killed."
Horobi frowned slightly.
"If he was that powerful… then the one who killed him must be even stronger."
Raii shrugged.
"That's possible. But we haven't had any problems so far."
"So perhaps that person has no interest in harming anyone."
He clapped his hands.
"That's enough for today."
"If you want better control over water magic, borrow books from the library."
"But if you couldn't do it under my guidance…"
He smirked slightly.
"I doubt you'll succeed alone."
"Class dismissed."
—--
After Class
Horobi walked toward Mio.
"Do you want to practice after class?"
"I can teach you."
Mio's eyes sparkled.
"You'll teach me, Master?!"
"Yes!"
She immediately agreed.
From behind them, Liora spoke.
"I should practice too… I didn't do very well either."
Mio teased her.
"I thought you were going to master three elements?"
Liora blushed.
"Well… I need practice first!"
The three of them left together and continued practicing water magic for hours.
– -
Evening – Horobi's Home
Later that evening, they returned home.
Horobi's parents were waiting for them.
Irish immediately walked toward him.
"You're back, my son."
"Go freshen up. Dinner is ready."
Mio followed Horobi toward the hallway.
Liora quickly stopped her.
"Where are you going?"
Mio made a teasing face.
"To bathe with Master."
"Why? Are you jealous?"
Liora immediately became flustered.
"W-Why would I be jealous?!"
"And why would you bathe with him?!"
"You're not even married!"
Mio laughed.
"I was joking."
"I was just going to the other side."
"You're so easy to tease."
Liora turned red in embarrassment.
"Who jokes like that?!"
"Shameless!"
A while later everyone gathered for dinner.
Irish asked kindly,
"So, how was your day?"
Mio excitedly began explaining everything that happened in class.
When Irish heard how Horobi created ice using water magic, she hugged him proudly.
"I always knew my son was special."
Horobi awkwardly tried to escape her hug.
At that moment, Abyss jumped onto Horobi and clung to him as well.
Mio and Liora both looked jealous.
They secretly wished Horobi's parents would leave soon.
During dinner Horobi spoke.
"Mom, Dad… I'm already feeling better."
"You should return home."
"You probably have many responsibilities waiting."
Mio and Liora secretly felt happy hearing that.
But Irish shook her head.
"I'm not leaving yet."
Their faces immediately fell.
Chem suddenly laughed.
"Actually… Horobi is right."
"We should return."
"And it seems someone here might be feeling uncomfortable."
He glanced playfully at Mio and Liora.
Horobi quickly waved his hands.
"No, Dad! That's not what I meant!"
But Irish eventually agreed.
– –
The Next Morning
Early the next morning, Chem and Irish prepared to leave.
After saying goodbye, Horobi left for the academy with Mio and Liora.
When they entered the classroom, Mare greeted them.
"So, how are you today?"
Mio replied coldly,
"Better than you."
Mare sighed.
"You could at least pretend to be nice sometimes."
Horobi smiled.
"After class we'll practice again."
"After water magic…we'll move to earth magic."
"And Raii will probably teach wind magic next."
Mio looked curious.
"Which element do you want to master next, Horobi?"
Horobi thought for a moment.
"I already have fire.… and now water."
"If I get either earth or wind next… that would be interesting."
Mio smiled confidently.
"You'll definitely get one."
"I'm sure you'll end up with more than two elements."
Liora nodded.
"You're already A-Rank. Of course you can do it."
At that moment Raii entered the classroom.
"We'll repeat yesterday's training."
"Go to the field and begin."
The students headed outside.
But Horobi led Mio and Liora toward the library instead.
"We'll study first," he said.
"Then we'll practice."
Mio immediately grabbed one of his hands.
"As you say, Master."
Liora quickly grabbed his other hand.
"Then I'm coming too."
The three of them walked toward the library together.