Chapter 103

After a brief commotion, Candy Star returned to her place, and the real class began.

“Through our last session, you roughly understood Mana, right?”

[Is that so? Only four of you seem to actually get it, Professor.]

[Ah, it’s a class for only four students, after all.]

Whoosh.

“But it seems like many students are still struggling, so I’ll provide a bit more assistance.”

Blue mana rose up.

Mana floated just above my hand.

The gooey substance that looked almost like slime swirled around my hand.

[Liquid monster?]

“This is pure mana, without any manipulation or special form. All I did was pull the mana that dwells within my body.”

“Hmm…”

“First, let’s try this. Everyone, including the four in front, please give it a shot, without using any skills, of course.”

The four students who witnessed the pure mana began to summon their own.

It looked easier than expected, and everyone boldly took on the challenge, but…

Splat.

“Why isn’t it working?!”

“…?”

“Why is this…?”

They raised their hands and shook the mana, but only the remnants of the mana swirled around them, and they continued to face failures one after another.

If they used skills, they would probably succeed immediately, but summoning mana without any skills was the problem.

[?]

[Why can’t everyone do it?]

[Aren’t they all successful students?]

[Oh, stamina runs out way too fast.]

[Mana consumption is crazy, huh?]

[Energy… I have no energy…]

[It was super easy when using skills, but why can’t we just do it?]

[Hahahahaha]

[Feeling dizzy.]

It was the expected outcome.

Unlike the academy students who started from scratch, the users were accustomed to the automation of skills, so they never learned the direct methods of use.

In other words, they had only been using shortcuts without any of the processes.

It’s not easy to start using something just because you know a shortcut.

To succeed at this, one must completely break free from the existing mold.

For example…

“I did it!”

Or not being human, perhaps.

[As expected, Leo.]

[Leo is on another level.]

[Yena’s spot as the top student is in danger.]

[Lololol]

[Yena Yena…]

With a thoughtful expression, Leo conjured a light of mana.

The various attributes gracefully orbited around his tiny hand.

The hand was spinning.

“Well done. At this rate, I think we can move on to the basic level right away.”

“Hehe.”

Feeling bashful, Leo scratched his head and bounced the thoughtful mana like a bouncy ball.

Though it was his first time using it, Leo’s control surpassed that of several academy students who had gone through a few processes.

“Ugh… me too! I want to do it too!”

Yena’s hands surged with red energy in a panic.

But only a faint smoky form danced around, lacking the shape that Leo had achieved.

Leo chuckled.

[So cute, Leo]

[Lololololol]

[Leo can’t be beaten]

[Meanwhile, the other two are trying really hard, but it’s not working]

[Looks like Leo is just on another level]

[Oh, over there]

Poof.

“I did it.”

“That’s impossible!”

“…What do you mean it’s impossible?”

The second successful one was Beriard, who was lifting pitch-black mana.

They hadn’t expected much from that side, but surprisingly, he accomplished it in a short amount of time.

The size was quite decent too.

“Is this enough?”

“For the basic level, that’s plenty.”

“……”

Something seemed to twitch in the darkness.

Beriard retracted the mana and leaned back in his chair.

Now the only ones left were the despondent Candy Star and Yena.

Both were trying their hardest, but success was still out of reach.

[Just hard work, huh? lol]

[Yena, it’s tough to even be second now…]

[It’s unexpected that Beri-something succeeded]

[Candy, let’s transform one more time]

[Lololololol]

[For real lol]

[If you transform, you’ll definitely succeed, but you’re stubbornly refusing, huh? lol]

Come to think of it, she had quickly released the transformation because she felt embarrassed.

The amount and depth of magical power in her transformed state were significant, so if she really wanted to, she could do it anytime.

“Candy Star?”

“…I’m concentrating, so don’t interrupt me.”

“I think you’d do well if you transformed.”

“Ugh, seriously.”

With her nerves frayed, Candy Star turned her back completely.

That pitiful backside was a bit pitiable.

“Whoa… huh…”

Next to her was Yena, drenched in cold sweat.

She was trying so hard to the point that her stamina was visibly draining.

“You don’t have to push yourself too hard.”

“I can’t… be last…!”

“Straining like that won’t make it happen.”

[Oh, that’s not how you do it]

[Advice from Ria]

[Advice ON]

[Lololololol]

[Oh, calling you an advisor is something]

[But since you’re a professor, it’s not advice, right? lol]

[Since he’s a professor, it’s not a suggestion, lol.]

[For some reason, I feel like Yena will come in last.]

[Let’s just transform and call it a day, lol.]

Both sides, with their pride, should have given up by now, but they didn’t stop calling forth mana.

Leo, too, has stopped moving mana and is watching the situation.

Everyone’s watching closely.

And in the end, the winner is…

“Got it!!”

“Ahhh!!!”

“Congrats, Candy Star!”

Yena’s coming in last again.

[Yeah, 4th place.]

[Yena, 4th place, haha.]

[Yena, 4th place, lololololol.]

[So funny, lol.]

[Hahahahahahaha.]

[???: I’m aiming for the top.]

[Yena, don’t cry; you just lost the competition.]

[Yena is perfectly 4th place.]

■

The use of mana can be divided into two main types.

One is ‘manifestation’, which uses mana itself to produce phenomena similar to magic.

The other is ‘teleportation’, which involves infusing mana into weapons or objects for use.

“And the first thing we’ll learn is teleportation. We saw it last time, right?”

“Yes~”

Blowing wind into a stick and then ‘teleporting’ that wind into a book.

It’s the basics and fundamentals that the academy students learn first.

[Teleportation, manifestation notes…]

[Manifestation looks harder.]

[Isn’t manifestation a skill?]

[Clearly, manifestation is an advanced course, lol.]

[That’s how you made a snack blade, huh?]

[I feel like doing a spiritual sword training, ah.]

[If we attend the class, can we use the sword of the heart?]

“The reason I wanted you to extract mana is to learn teleportation. Excessive use of mana quickly depletes stamina and health.”

The penalties for mana are already well-known even within Deoen.

The most notable ones are ‘mana reflux’, a side effect of excessive skill use, and the ‘mana constitution’ unique to certain users in the mage class.

In addition, there are various side effects like mana overflow and mana distortion.

No matter how much rankers recover, they can’t withstand extreme consumption.

The way to manage this is to extract a certain level of mana and use just that mana.

This way, additional mana consumption won’t occur, allowing for longer maintenance of condition.

Yena diligently took notes with a burning determination, stacking up numerous potions, while Leo had a spirit do the writing for him.

‘Is the spirit just a messenger?’

The other two were a bit more focused compared to before when they were gruff.

I took out a wooden stick, just like before.

I took out a stick.

A stick that has no effects or abilities whatsoever.

With my right hand holding the stick, I pulled out a sphere of mana with my left hand and teleported it as it was.

Before long, I found myself holding a glowing blue stick.

[Oh]

[Oh]

[Is that a sword aura?]

[I heard knights can split rocks with a twig]

[LOL]

[That’s hella cool, though LOL]

[That’s sick]

Unlike the responses in the chat window, the reactions of the four in front of me weren’t particularly surprised or worried.

They probably practiced this a lot on their own.

Whether through skill or by adding a little mana manipulation to their skills.

As expected, after an average of 2-3 tries, the four had no trouble pulling out spheres of magic and turning their sticks into glowing ones.

[Surprisingly, this is easy]

[This part isn’t hard]

[For real, LOL]

[If you use a skill, it’s quick, LOL]

[Yena is really struggling, LOL]

[Yena Land…]

Ah, it seems Yena is having a bit of a tough time.

I nodded at Yena, who finally succeeded, and gave her a compliment.

“Phew… this is basic stuff…”

Yena gulped down potions and gave a thumbs up.

…I wonder if she can hold out until the end of class.

Anyway, this is something we covered last time, so it’s an expected result.

If they were people who couldn’t do this, they wouldn’t have been called here in the first place.

“This is just the beginning.”

And one more time.

The light from the stick connected with the stone condensing stone that was under the table.

The gray orb trembled, connected to the stick, then absorbed all the stick’s energy and regained its blue glow.

The expressions of the four changed simultaneously.

“This is the last part of the second class. Anyone who manages to do this can leave right now.”

[?]

[Huh?]

[Wait, the pace just suddenly ramped up, teacher]

[The kids’ faces are so funny, LOL]

[? LOL]

[It’s hilarious how they’ve got question marks over their heads]

[???: This is just the beginning. Now, this is running.]

[Rankers = basically just cute babies]

[LOL]

[Ah haha, just run, LOL]

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