Chapter 14: Magic Practice Class

Chapter 14: Chapter 14: Magic Practice Class

In the afternoon, Lilia returned to the classroom.

Victor glanced at Caius, who walked straight to the front row without sparing him a single look, and then turned his head to look at her. The girl’s expression was as calm as ever, making it impossible to tell what had happened.

He hadn’t seen them in the cafeteria. He wondered if Lilia and Caius had gone somewhere to eat alone at noon. Just the two of them, alone... Realizing where his mind was wandering, Victor immediately reined in his thoughts.

Past experiences had taught him that he must draw a clear line with those Nobles, or else it would only bring him disaster. However, perhaps it was because they were both commoners, sharing a sense of mutual sympathy, that he couldn’t help but pay a little more attention to Lilia.

She was always with that guy named Caius. They would eat lunch together, and go to and from school together in the mornings and evenings. Even though they seemed to have a close relationship, he had never seen them exchange a single word—at least not in the classroom.

Lilia would occasionally ask him questions. Judging from her performance, her grades should be very good, but her Magic Talent was just too poor. Victor had once tried asking her and learned that her Magic Talent was only C, which was in the absolute lowest tier in all of Lien Academy. Logically speaking, it was impossible for her to have the opportunity to attend classes in Class A.

So... was the reason she was here to conveniently take care of Caius, to act as his "study companion"? Victor didn’t voice this question. For two people who could barely be called friends, it would be crossing the line a bit too much.

Early morning.

Everyone in Class A gathered at the training ground. Today was a Magic practical class, and the one in charge of teaching them was a High-level Mage.

"Everyone should have received today’s teaching props." A woman who looked to be in her thirties wore a green robe, a dark green braid hanging down to her waist. Holding a "teaching prop" in her hand, she introduced it in a monotonous voice, "This is an ash tree seed encased in a Demon Crystal.

"Demon Crystals are one of the best carriers for storing Magic Power. A one-cubic-centimeter Demon Crystal can store exactly one Mana of Magic Power. Once this limit is exceeded, a Magic Power riot can easily occur, leading to an explosion.

"Ash trees are extremely sensitive to Magic Power. The artificially ripened seeds will immediately take root and sprout upon contact with Magic Power. Their growth state is related to both the amount and speed of the channeled Magic Power.

"If a Mage’s control over their own Magic Power is strong enough..." She held up the tiny seed in her hand. Invisible Magic Power was channeled into the Demon Crystal, and the seed quickly broke out of its shell upon contact with the Magic Power, first poking out a tender green sprout, then sprouting branches and extending at an incredible speed, growing into a lush sapling in just a few dozen seconds. "...then the seed will be able to grow up healthily."

She stopped channeling her Magic Power and affectionately stroked the tender green leaves of the ash tree.

"However, achieving this is not easy. Channeling Magic Power too fast or too slow will have a significant impact on the ash tree’s growth.

"Furthermore, if there is any leakage of Magic Power during the channeling process, the outer crystal casing will explode with a BANG.

"If such a situation happens to anyone, it’s a pity, but that student’s grade for today’s practical class will undoubtedly be zero.

"Right now, everyone has three seeds, which means you have a total of three chances. You can experiment to your heart’s content to figure out the most suitable amount and speed for channeling. Before the end of the class, choose the sapling you think has grown the best, write your name on it, and hand it in to me.

"Your final grade for this class will be determined by the condition of the sapling’s growth. To put it in more layman’s terms, the more evenly and beautifully the sapling grows, the higher the score you will receive."

The teacher looked up at the students before her, her expression indifferent. "I believe I’ve made myself sufficiently clear. Do I need to repeat myself?"

As her words fell, she didn’t even give the students time to reply, lightly nodding. "Very well.

"Since you are students of Class A, I don’t think I need to stay and offer guidance. I will return before the class ends. Remember, if I sense any Magic Power riots that disrupt my tree planting... the student who made the mistake will get a zero for their final grade in this course."

Leaving those words behind, the teacher walked away with a brisk pace, cradling her precious sapling in her arms.

"Planting trees, huh..." Lilia thought. She first looked at the three seeds in her hand, then looked up and scanned her surroundings. Sure enough, except for her and Victor, everyone else was calm and composed, looking entirely confident.

This wasn’t just because their Magic Talents were high enough, but also because stimulating seeds with Magic Power was one of the most common methods for testing a novice’s level of Magic Power control. These Nobles had enjoyed the most superior educational resources since childhood. Some parents, in order to let their children win at the starting line, would even hire specialized tutors for them as early as six years old. They had long since done this kind of basic control training countless times. The only ones who were truly unfamiliar with it were Lilia and Victor.

However, there was a big difference between one type of unfamiliarity and another.

While Lilia was silently observing, someone nearby had already completed the task. Just as she had guessed, the Nobles were all too familiar with this; they didn’t even need to use their two chances for trial and error. Among them, Caius was naturally the one who did it the fastest and best. The saplings of the others had more or less some flaws; either they looked malnourished because of too little Magic Power, or they grew too messily because the channeling was too fast. Only the one in Caius’s hand formed a perfect fan shape, boasting lush branches and leaves. It grew exceptionally vigorously, almost indistinguishable from the one the teacher had used for her demonstration.

Around him, many people looked at Caius with envious gazes. If it weren’t for his foul expression, some Nobles probably couldn’t wait to shower him with praise and compliments.

As for Victor, who, like her, didn’t know much about this and was perhaps entirely clueless... He did encounter a few hurdles during his first attempt, but his A-plus Magic Talent allowed him to quickly grasp the trick. He picked up the second seed and steadily channeled Magic Power into it without rushing. The tender green sprout continuously grew, and an equally near-perfect sapling was born in his hands.

Some Nobles nearby noticed this scene, their brows furrowing tight with subtle disgust. That was exactly the mentality of the Nobles. They could accept peers of noble birth being stronger than them, but they could not tolerate a lowly commoner stepping on their heads.

However, this was not something Lilia should be concerned about right now. She retracted her gaze and picked up a seed. Attempting to draw upon the pitifully meager amount of Magic Power within her body, she channeled a little bit of it into the seed.