Even though I saw Sol sitting there drawing during class, I didn't stop her for a single second. What I was doing was far worse than her—she was just drawing, but she could still hear the professor's lecture. Me? I was fast asleep, hearing absolutely nothing.
However, this period was strange. I managed to stay awake for every single second without nodding off once. It would be great if every day were like this. But as soon as the period ended, the "Time of Torment" arrived: five straight hours of training. It seemed Sol had headed to the training hall ahead of me. The moment my foot stepped onto the training hall floor, a high-speed bolt of lightning shot toward me. I dodged it, of course, and immediately lunged in to strike her back...
5 Hours Later...
My body felt like it was falling apart. I couldn't even stand up, let alone do anything else. I was done—I needed rest. There would be no absorbing the Darkness element tonight. I glanced over at Sol and saw she had passed out, likely because the Lightning element consumes a massive amount of mana.
At that moment, I didn't even have the strength to walk over and wake her up. I couldn't even use my ice to wake her because my mana was completely drained. But then, an idea struck me... or rather, I just didn't care anymore. I drifted off to sleep right then and there. When I woke up, it was already 8 PM. I rushed to wake Sol, but she wouldn't budge. Shit...
I ended up hoisting her onto my shoulder and carrying her over to the girls' dormitory, leaving her there for the staff to carry to her room. After that, I walked back to my own room, only to find an envelope waiting at my door. It wasn't surprising—I was the one who was late, after all. I picked up the letter and read it. The message inside gave me an instant headache. Seriously? Who does this...
Then, the questions I had folded away in my mind began to unfold themselves. Wait... how does Sol have two elements? Doesn't that take decades? Sol is from Earth too, so she shouldn't have been able to absorb them for that long. Wait, I need to reorganize this. Let's look at what happened.
When Ignis appeared, it was red—Wait, why was it red? The surface was covered in grass, which should be green, right? What made it red? What is there that is red? I feel a sense of agony when I have questions but can't find the answers; it's like being in hell. Wait... hell? Yes, hell is red. Perhaps this planet has a "hell," but if it were hell, it should be underneath, shouldn't it? Okay, scratch that possibility.
Eh... or could it be an illusion? If this world has magic, that should be possible, right? But the planet is massive! Wait! Stop! How did I get onto this topic? I was supposed to be questioning Sol's elements! When Ignis arrived, it merged with Earth, but that shouldn't have had this effect. A portion of the people survived, were warped to the surface, and had their forms changed. Wait! Changed forms!
If their forms were changed, it's no different from a total body reconstruction. That means elements and mana quantities were likely randomized. According to the rules, you shouldn't have two elements... but what if you were given a massive amount of a second mana type during the change? I get it now! Sol having two elements is likely because during the reconstruction, she received such a vast amount of the second element that it only took a few days of absorption to turn it into a primary element. Yes, that's it.
And wait... if I want to sleep comfortably while also absorbing the Darkness element, is that possible? Wait, it's not exactly "muscle memory"—that's not the right term since mana requires feeling to control. Let's call it "Automatic Brain Memory" maybe? Haha. Whatever it is, as long as it works, I'm good. After that, I sat in meditation, absorbing the Darkness while trying to fall asleep at the same time. My head hurts... Stop thinking. Stop thinking. But the act of "stopping thinking" is still thinking, isn't it? So...
In that moment, Phukan focused entirely on absorbing as much of the element as possible. He ignored his surroundings—no sound, no light, nothing. The only thing he cared about was the Darkness. And then, he fell asleep. His body continued to absorb the Darkness for another 30 minutes before the process stopped, and Phukan drifted into a deep slumber.
Moonlight filtered through the open window. A breeze blew past, making the leaves rustle against each other. The faint chatter of students echoed from the roommate-style dorms, but in the single-room dorm, there was only absolute silence. This night was long—exceedingly long—but Phukan was completely unaware of it. As time passed, rain began to fall and lightning flashed. In a moment when no one was watching the sky, a streak of crimson-red light flashed across the heavens. When the rain stopped, only the Starry Sea remained—beautiful beyond comparison. Something beautiful, mysterious, and worth searching for; it was far away, yet felt so close.
A shame that Phukan could not witness this night.
I woke up at 3:30 AM. I glanced up at the sky; it looked like I could only see a few stars tonight. (Or so I thought—in reality, the sky was absolutely covered in them, but hey, give me a break, haha). I rushed through my usual routine: showering, brushing my teeth, changing, doing laundry, and heading to practice. Even though I felt less exhausted today, my muscles were aching more than usual. But then again, that makes sense considering how much I've been overusing them.
My first class was Alchemy. It wasn't anything too special—just brewing potions. Even though some students managed to blow up the room, it didn't actually take any damage because it was reinforced with strengthening magic. Wait... what element do they even use to cast that kind of magic?
Whatever. When we got to the Magic Theory class, Professor Marcus suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Everyone! Listen up! You are strictly forbidden from falling asleep in this period! You can sleep in other classes for all I care, but not this one. What I am about to teach is only taught once a year, so pay attention!"
I sat up straighter than usual. Even Sola put down her pencil and turned to listen to the professor. I scanned the room; not a single soul was doing anything else. Every eye was locked on Professor Marcus. Every ear was tuned to the vibrations he released (his voice). Then, the professor spoke again.
"This period, we will study All Types of Energy Sources. You might think you already know this, but you don't. There are many forms of energy you aren't aware of because the laws of this kingdom forbid teaching them to children before they enter magic school. Millions of children have died from trying to use these powers recklessly."
"The first thing we will study is Life Force. This is vital for those who use the Plant element because they can use Life Force to augment their power. Because of this, they are born with significantly more Life Force than others. But that doesn't mean it's useless for other elements. Life Force is what sustains our existence; if you infuse it into your element, it will produce positive results. And for you curious types—don't even think about trying it now, or you'll end up dead."
Wait, Life Force? If you infuse it into an element, what kind of 'positive results' are we talking about? Whatever, I'll just keep listening for now.
"The positive result I'm referring to is the ability to empower yourself. But I warn you! Do not do this yet, or you might regret it for the rest of your life."
Regret it for the rest of my life? Is it really that bad?
"The next type is Essence. Essence is a part of our soul. Of course, it can be regenerated; otherwise, people wouldn't use it as a power source. Essence enhances the efficiency of an element in every aspect. However, it only increases each aspect by a small amount—but if your element is already massive, that 'small' increase becomes quite significant."
Ah, the balanced type? Not really my style.
"And of course, there are countless other energy sources. Energy from living creatures can also be used if you absorb enough of it until it becomes a part of your body. But there are limits to how much you can absorb; our bodies aren't indestructible, after all."
Essence and Life Force... interesting.
"Now, listen closely to what I say next. The elemental classifications you know are just the basics. Elements can be fused with various energy sources. But once fused, it is permanent. You cannot undo it. An element can only be fused with one source, so choose wisely. You might create the strongest element in the world through a strange combination. Who knows? For example, my element is Fire Level 1, Phoenix type. It's a fusion of Fire cultivated to Stage 1 and the Essence of a common Phoenix. It took me 13 years to absorb enough of its Essence. So, if you're going to do it, choose carefully and see it through. As for Life Force, it's a type used to strengthen others and oneself. What specifically it strengthens depends on what creature's Life Force you use."
Wait, does that mean I could fuse my element with the Essence of a Dragon? Come to think of it, does this planet even have dragons? Probably not, since they're just legends on Earth. (Phukan completely forgot that the Phoenix the professor mentioned is also just a legend on Earth.)
When the class ended, everyone was buzzing about Essence, but I kept it in the back of my mind. The "real hell" was coming. Five hours of training passed.
I was dead tired but could still barely stand. Sol was in the same state. She excused herself to go back to the dorm first. I sat and rested for five minutes before heading back myself. When I reached my room, exactly five minutes had passed. It was time. Someone opened my door and handed me an envelope. We spoke for a brief moment before he left.
I checked my wallet: 15 Ignis, 15 Aqua, 1 Ventus. I definitely need to go make some money. I walked outside but ended up stopping at a shop that sells staves.
"Hello, customer. How can I help you?"
"I'm looking for a staff suitable for the Plant element, something with good Life Force conductivity."
"Certainly."
The merchant walked to the back of the shop and brought out a staff that looked like it was made from some kind of sacred wood. The core in the middle looked very special.
"That will be 5 Ignis."
So expensive. Regardless, I paid him and ran back to the roommate-style girls' dormitory. I asked the staff to deliver this staff to "someone" using John name. After that, I walked out to go make money... for the rest of the night.