The class exited the classroom and proceeded into the central part of the school. They followed Instructor Rufus along. They passed through the small parks and soon arrived in front of a large building. On top of it was a sign read as “Training Center”.
The class went inside following their instructor. There were only guards stationed around the building. They wore silver armor and silver sallet helmets. In their waists were their unsheathed swords, with their hands placed on the sword grips.
Since the building was empty right now, Instructor Rufus chose the first training field. The hallway was spacious. It was 5 meters wide. An ambient light shone from the ceiling.
Instructor Rufus arrived in front of a large door. There was a pedestal beside the doors and a slot that resembled his teacher’s emblem outline could be seen. He inserted the emblem into the slot.
After a few seconds, the emblem was ejected out of the slot and a magic screen was displayed. In the interface were settings that would allow him to modify the areas inside the training field. He chose the default setting.
The doors opened and he went inside, followed by his students.
Instructor Rufus went to the center. In it were crevices around a rectangular-shaped area. It was an indication that it was a separate area from the rest of the training field.
There was another magic screen stationed right outside the crevices.
He gathered everyone to the center of the field. He navigated through the magic screen and increased the height of the platform. The students were a bit surprised about the function of that magic screen, and what those crevices signified.
“Everyone, gather around and listen up. What we’re in right now is the default training field setting.”
“As you can see on my right side is the armory that stores the weapons you will use for your training. You can choose any weapons you want for now but you are required to bring your own weapons on your second year here.”
“Right where I’m standing is the platform for practice fights with other students. Note that you would require the permission of the instructor before you can start your bouts.”
“On my left side is where the dummy field is. You can try using your weapons there to test them out. They are similar to the dummies you’ve faced in the school selection event. There is also an archery range large enough for 5 people to simultaneously train their archery skills. Your targets could either be set to a stationary setting or combat setting.”
“If you set them to combat setting, their strength defaults at lower copper-level. If you want to increase the difficulty, approach me and I’ll change their settings using this magic screen here.”
The students engraved what Instructor Rufus has said just now.
Instructor Rufus clapped his hands.
“Alright, go get your own weapons in the armory.”
The students walked to the armory. The armory was actually larger than expected. The weapons were neatly stacked on the weapon racks. The scent of metal and wood permeated the room. It was an alluring sensation for the students.
They began picking up a weapon. Most of them chose bladed weapons, while the rest either chose spears, polearms, bows and arrows, or blunt weapons.
Zachariel chose a sword. Sabrina noticed that her rival chose the same weapon as her. She snorted and went to the dummy field. Zachariel followed close after her.
The students started their own session of training. Instructor Rufus would come by occasionally and help them with the stances, attack patterns, and other things.
“What’s with that sword swing? Do you think you’re fighting against thugs in the wild? Put some muscles in that swing!”
“You! Why are you not pulling a distance away from the dummy when you’re holding a spear? Do you think the spear is like a sword? Dumbass, distance yourself against the dummy and don’t let it get inside your range!”
“You think you’re a Prospect if you’re holding a heavy polearm one-handed? Look at that force, even a ten-year-old could do better than that! Use both of your hands or I’ll chop one of them for you!”
“Don’t use your entire hand to draw your bowstring! Only use three of your fingers, not the entirety of it! Also, don’t lean backward every time you draw your bowstring! You’re messing your accuracy every time you do that!”
Bellows filled the training field. Many students were handling their weapons in an extremely awkward way. Instructor Rufus had to advise them time and time again so that they could engrave it inside their heads.
The class ended after two hours. Most of them were tired from continuously waving their weapons around the dummies. Only Sabrina and Zachariel were left standing straight on the field.
Instructor Rufus approved of their performance.
`Zachariel Strom. Good endurance, high comprehension, fast application. Even the strength he could release now rivals those regular students who are in their 3rd or 4th year. Gold-level fighters definitely have no chance against him. Though some parts are rusty about him, he still has time to polish them all.`
He concluded in his mind. He imagined what kind of strength this student of his could unleash once his flaws were perfected.
`That Sabrina Rossi is impatient. Though she has the skills and strength, it would be a problem if she does not cooperate well on a team.`
He looked at the other students who were panting on the ground. Their performance earlier was not satisfactory either. Only a few had passed his standards.
`Vargas Mendez. He has great strength and good endurance, though his aggressive and domineering behavior is somewhat a problem.`
`Luiz Carrico. He is agile and fierce at the same time. He does not have good control of his mana, though the amount he releases is a bit over the top. His protective nature is a double-edged sword.`
`Iria Usenko. She has good control over her mana essence. Patient and observant. She is lacking in her physical strength, but her intelligence is something to look at. Impartial, fit to be a leader. Her perfectionistic self could be a bit of a problem when things do not go her way.`
`Narek Mher. His passive behavior is something. Good enough to be a scout with his dark mana essence. He is rather inconsiderate to others, which could be a problem if he is to become a scout in the future.`
`Diega Tarella. Her strength could rival Vargas’s, though her shy behavior is a bit contradicting. Lacking confidence in oneself.`
`Lia Milelli. Good eyesight, great arm strength. Her curious and precise behavior fits her archery skills perfectly. Extremely talkative, could pose a problem in the future.`
“Alright, stand up now. Return the weapons. We’ll go out once everyone is done.”
The exhausted students had to obey his instructions. Their muscles were so weary that they would pass out anytime now. Some even had to help others to stand up. They looked at Sabrina and Zachariel who still had some strength to spare.
“Damn, those two are something.”
“Of course, they’re Prospect candidates after all. Let’s not waste our time comparing against them.”
Everyone agreed to that. It looks like the two Prospect candidates in the class were not all just for show. Vargas gritted his teeth in indignation. He still couldn’t accept the fact that he couldn’t keep up with them.
`Damn it! I don’t believe that I won’t be able to surpass the two of you.`
His wish was absolutely ridiculous. If the students heard that, they would avoid him.
They went back to their classroom and rested for an hour. Their uniforms were filled with array formations that would clean themselves, so they did not have to worry about getting dirty or smelling bad.
The next instructor soon entered their room. Everybody went back to their seats.
The instructor was fairly handsome, if not for his appearance. He looked like someone who had not slept for many days with those eyebags and wrinkled pale face. His black hair that reached to his shoulders was a bit messy. His dull black eyes felt empty.
He wore a long black robe that covered his entire body, except for his face.
He kept on yawning ever since he had stepped on the classroom. The students were weirded out by his behavior.
`What kind of instructor is this? Is he not embarrassed?`
The students asked within themselves.
After a few more yawning, the instructor finally said something.
“Hello, I’m Jonas Ferenc. Your instructor for mana theory.”
His voice was hoarse.
“For today, we’ll talk about the theory of World Rule and world essences.”
`World Rule? World essence? Wait, mana theory? Shouldn’t this be taught to the students of the Historic School?` The students were confused. It looks like this instructor was lost, but not one of them reminded him of that.
They were rather interested in him discussing world essences and World Rules. Instructor Jonas was rather oblivious of the fact that he was lost and entered the wrong class.
“It’s already a stated fact that any living being in this world will form their mana core 16 years after they are born. Plants, demon beasts, humans, demi-humans, even the void creatures. None of them were able to violate this.”
“The Eldens, in the early years of the Conflict Era, strived to search for an answer about this mysterious phenomenon. Mutation, cross-breeding, and any other activity that they could think of. Unfortunately, none of it worked.”
“It was not until they had started excavating the ancient ruins found in the Central Continent that they had found a new path. After spending months decrypting the archives and texts that laid in those ancient ruins, they were finally able to gather a piece of new information.”
“Pandragea did not have such restrictions until the start of the Destruction Era, 1 billion years ago.”
