LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 27
EP.27 The First Class (3)
BAM!
With that one word, silence descends.
The gathered mages in the auditorium were expecting her to show them something. However, what unfolded before their eyes was beyond their imaginations.
Wasn’t this supposed to be the basics of Mana Trading Studies?
Wasn’t it a class about the fundamentals?
Yet, the girl standing on the podium started by presenting the ultimate goal of Mana Trading Studies—Balance.
“Ah.”
A gasp escapes from the audience.
The scale, shimmering with starlight, is beautiful. The radiant starlight captivates the crowd, stealing the gazes of mages everywhere.
A platinum-colored scale.
“I have a question.”
With the scale in front of her, Rania spoke up.
“Do you all know the three stages of spell casting?”
Everyone nods in response.
Even those who haven’t studied magic know the three stages of casting—it’s the most basic knowledge.
Writing the circuit that contains the spell.
Paying the mana required for the casting.
Specifying the direction of the spell.
The most fundamental aspects.
After briefly listing these elements, the girl lets a pause linger before speaking again.
“What I am going to show you is precisely those basic three stages.”
At her words, some mages’ expressions soured.
They came here to witness Mana Trading Studies. And yet, she’s talking about the basic three stages of spell casting?
The three stages of spell casting are the foundation of everything.
Anyone who has learned magic cannot be unaware of this. To cast a spell, one must be proficient in it.
And, of course, none of the mages present had failed to master the three stages of casting. Even the youngest students had been walking the path of magic for several years.
But.
Did she really have to teach what should only be taught to complete novices here?
Ha!
The heightened expectations dampen.
The responses that return are cold.
Amidst those sharp gazes.
Swish.
The girl moves her finger.
Mana lingers at her fingertips, swirling in the air to weave a circuit.
The speed is neither too slow nor too fast.
“One, drawing the circuit.”
The completed circuit is intricate. The girl places the interwoven curves and lines onto the scale.
Creeeak.
The scale tips slightly.
Once balanced, it leans toward the circuit. The audience’s gazes also tilt in unison with the scale.
A scale without a circuit.
Placing her finger on the scale, the girl states.
“Two, paying the mana.”
Mana fills the scale.
Not too little, not too much. Just the right amount of mana to achieve perfect balance. The calculations are spot on.
Soon, the scale begins to shine.
“Three, specifying the direction.”
Snap!
She flicks her finger.
Ignite.
The basic spell of fire-based elemental magic. Since it’s also a spell used in everyday life, reporters recognize the completed spell.
However.
“…Huh?”
“What?”
“What’s that…?”
The audience expresses their confusion.
The completed spell is indeed Ignite. There’s no way they could be mistaken about that. Yet, the version brought to reality feels different somehow.
Fwoosh.
The flame burns brightly and doesn’t seem like it’ll be easily extinguished.
Even though it’s a lower-level spell, the fire is fierce.
And within that blaze flows a gentle light.
Most mages don’t understand what it is. But the professors know. The masters of the towers recognize the subtle glow.
“Pinnacle…”
The Master of the White Tower mutters in a daze.
After casting the same spell dozens, if not hundreds, of times, there are rare occasions when the spell is imbued with starlight. When the spell encompasses starlight, its concept is elevated to a new level.
Pinnacle.
That’s what this special phenomenon is called.
“Ah.”
The White Tower’s master exclaims involuntarily.
The light emitted by the spell that has reached its pinnacle is beautiful. It captivates the mages’ attention.
Faced with that light, the White Tower master blinks.
She wanted to think of that pinnacle as a coincidence. That it was merely the luck of the draw for the starlight to be present.
“Next.”
However, in mockery of the White Tower’s wish, the girl moves her finger. As if once was enough to show, this time the circuit is completed in an instant. It rises onto the scale.
Filling the leaning scale with mana.
The scale achieves perfect balance.
The magic is cast.
Fire Ball.
A bright red ball of fire.
It too sparkles with starlight.
“Ah…”
The White Tower master gasps.
Once could be coincidence, but twice is not.
I’m intentionally creating pinnacles.
At that realization, the White Tower master blinks in astonishment.
The audience shares the same reaction. They are entranced by the starlight encapsulated within the spell. They become immersed in the series of events unfolding before the girl on the podium.
Drawing circuits.
Placing them on the scale.
Filling the scale with mana to establish equilibrium.
Casting the spell.
It’s a process no more special than what they themselves had known.
A familiar process they had repeated hundreds and thousands of times.
However, something feels different.
Everything feels different.
The girl’s touch is effortless.
It flows without interruption. It feels as if the segmented actions are not separated but are all interwoven into one streamlined sequence.
Smoothly, seamlessly.
Thus, the completed spell is more beautiful than any they have ever seen.
“…”
Mages trust only what they have observed.
They learn from what they have seen with their own eyes.
And thus, those who watched suddenly realize.
“This is the basic of spell casting.”
That they had yet to master even the basics themselves.
—
2.
The Master of the Black Tower, Yetual, blinked blankly.
What was he hearing right now?
What does he understand?
Do I even understand?
He couldn’t tell.
Confusion filled the place where understanding should have been. Yetual, as if enchanted, stared at the girl.
The girl’s finger moves.
She casts a spell. An infinitely beautiful and infinitely perfect spell. There’s no extraneous detail in that spell.
“■■■ and ■■■■ to ■■■■■■■■.”
Captured by the flow of mana contained in that spell, Yetual couldn’t catch her words.
He didn’t need to hear it in the first place.
It was fine not to understand her words.
What comes next will force understanding upon him.
Understanding descends suddenly.
Where does this understanding come from?
It arises from everything he has built up until now.
The processes repeated hundreds, thousands of times. The routine he had never questioned now stirs questions within him.
The basics I’ve practiced until now…
Could it be…
Was it truly a correct process? Can I genuinely say I am proficient in it?
Doubts begin to sprinkle over his confidence regarding even the most basic things.
“Ah.”
The Black Tower master felt as though he had been struck on the head. Something felt strange. The foundations of his most basic beliefs were shaking. He thought he shouldn’t listen any longer.
Yet he continues to listen.
He still watches as the girl shows her magic.
“Ahhh.”
That process embeds itself in his memory.
This isn’t just a lecture; it’s almost a form of brainwashing. A forceful embedding of knowledge into his mind.
What is this?
Yetual wipes the saliva that dribbled from his mouth.
His head is hazy.
What am I even looking at?
He has dedicated his entire life to the advancement of magical studies.
It has already been half a century since he walked the path of magic.
The road he has traveled is long. It’s a legacy passed down from his teacher to their teacher, and it directly embodies the history of the Black Tower. Hence, his magic is solid.
It should be solid…
Tick-tick.
Yet there are cracks forming at the base.
Doubt takes the place of certitude regarding basics.
Ah, ha.
Suddenly, Yetual chuckles bitterly.
He had seen many geniuses born from the times. The Ashen Mage Raniel was one, and the Belnoa he discovered in the slums was another.
They aren’t bound by the passage of time.
They easily surpass the realms another mage would take a lifetime to achieve in an instant.
How is that even possible?
He had once pondered this question.
“Do you understand?”
The answer stands right before his eyes. In that girl before him lies the answer he sought.
She negates the fundamentals.
She overturns what is supposed to be obvious.
Thus, she walks a completely different path.
The road forged in this manner is one that dismisses a lifetime’s worth of achievement in an instant. With a sense of disillusionment, Yetual mutters.
“I’ve wasted my life.”
“…”
Normally, the White Tower master would have interjected with some comment, but now she remains silent. She too seems entranced by the lecture.
Watching this, the Black Tower master smiles bittersweetly.
—
3.
The lecture continues.
In less than an hour.
During that brief time, they found their foundations negated. Yet their gazes remain fixed on the podium.
They watch as the girl showcases her magic.
“Ah.”
Someone gasps.
“…”
Another blinks wordlessly.
The girl continued showcasing spells.
She merely demonstrated them. Though there were fitting explanations attached, few were actually listening.
Everyone simply focused on the magic being displayed before them.
Perfect magic.
The flow of mana, control of mana, the pace at which mana circulates through the spell—all perfect. They squint, trying to find a flaw, yet it proves futile.
Flawless.
The most impeccable example stands before them.
Mages learn from that example.
They gain insights on their own.
What perfect magic truly is, becomes apparent. It’s as though by merely watching, something within them awakens.
Fidget.
Someone moves their finger.
That hand begins drawing circuits. They are unconsciously mimicking the example before them.
Many are doing just that.
They are sketching circuits in their notebooks.
Those without notebooks draw on their robes. Fearing they will forget if they don’t do it now, they keep their hands busy.
And then.
“That’s all.”
The clock signals the end.
With those words, the mana that filled the auditorium dissipates. The platinum scale that had been shimmering scatters and vanishes. What remains is silence.
Even after the lecture has concluded, no one leaves their seats.
Everyone stares blankly ahead, blinking.
“Hmm.”
Those who have awakened from their trance confront reality.
Before them stands the girl.
She opens her mouth.
“Some of you might wonder why the three stages of spell casting relate to Mana Trading Studies.”
Though no one asks that question.
Still, she continues.
“Every spell is a transaction with the stars. Every process you’ve done unconsciously is a transaction with the stars.”
She offers a gentle smile.
“That even if it has been simplified or is merely a shortcut… every mage has engaged in trade with the stars.”
And with a clap, she concludes.
“You needn’t think of it as anything difficult. It’s a chance to reaffirm what you already know. I hope this time serves that purpose.”
Then she steps back.
“Thus, I conclude the first week of Mana Trading Studies.”
Clap.
Someone starts applauding.
The first to clap is the Master of the White Tower. She rises from her seat, clapping with a dazed expression.
Clap-clap, clap!
Applause follows.
Even those who had envied her joined in. Among students, words aren’t necessary.
Clap-clap, clap! Clap-clap!
They set aside their envy and jealousy.
What replaces it is admiration.
The mages have witnessed.
Magic beyond imagination.
The realm they should pursue.
Thus.
The fragments of truth.