Great Mage Mirlie handed out a series of forms for all the students. The forms although rather long required each student to fill out certain information. Nora wanting to speed things along quickly jotted down her information
[Class Organization Form]
Name: Nora Redblood
Age: 6
Affinity Type: Fire Affinity
Elective: Defence Against the Dark Arts
Nora was rather surprised at the archaic manner that the school obtained its information. If it were up to her, she would've used some form of an array instead, streamline the process. The train of thought brought Nora into more questions. 'How common are arrays in this world? Surely they could've used on right? Isn't this a prestigious academy?"
Nora's thoughts were interrupted by Great Mage Mirlie, "If you all wouldn't mind, could you all pass the forms down?", her rather kind tone setting the migration of papers into motion. Once the forms had made their way down to her, she quickly sorted them by affinity types. Then, leaving the papers on a table, which Nora could only discern as the teacher's desk, Great Mage Mirlie asked the students to once again follow her.
She led them down a series of rather confusing corridors before turning to face them. "This hall leads towards the student dormitories. On the left are the girls on the right are the boys. Each dorm holds eight people and are separated into affinities in order to encourage friendships and provide a beneficial learning environment with those who will study similar magic.". In the brief moments between Great Mage Mirlie's instructions, Nora proposed a question, "Where do the Knight students live?"
Mirlie probingly asked, "Why? Is one of your friends a Knight student?"
"I'm just curious"
"They live in a series of barracks around the academy. They're training to be strong and durable, cushy dorms wouldn't suit them."
"Well anyway, classes will start in three days. Some more students from other cities will be joining the school over these next few days as they arrive get tested. Later on in the day, you will all receive your schedules." Great Mage Mirlie then guided the group down the hall and instructed certain students to enter each dorm. Somehow remembering their affinities from the forms.
The first few dorms were for those with Water and Earth affinities, then came Fire. Nora was instructed to enter a dorm along with six other students. The dorm was circular in nature and vigorously decorated with the colour red. Nora couldn't help but thinking, 'I know it's for the fire affinity but do they really have to be so over the top?' A series of eight fancy wooden twin sized beds circled the room.
Nora was rather surprised by the size of the dorm. If all the dorms were this size, how the hell were they fitting them all inside the academy? From what she could recall they had gone through way too many corridors. Something weird was going on. Nora's respect for the school increased as she came to the conclusion that they must've created a spacial array to contain such a vast school-ground within such a disproportional building.
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Nora and the other girls settled rather quickly into the dorm. The other five girls had been avoiding Nora, probably due to Emilee's influence, but it didn't really bother Nora as she thought it would be rather annoying to have to deal with shenanigans of so many little children.
Nora had claimed the furthest bed from the door and the girls rather humorously fought to see who would be the one who had to claim the bed beside Nora.
Nora rather enjoying the display decided that although she still didn't have all the information she desired about how the empire felt about Demons, she would need to increase her strength. The perverse smile on the Headmaster's face had rather deeply disturbed Nora. With her current strength, she could guarantee that no matter how good she was in combat she would be completely outclassed by someone with a mana quantity at the Soul Completion Realm.
Since it was still early in the day, Nora simply waited for the five girls to leave the dorm. Nora reading their desire to become 'friends' Emilee. Once they left, Nora with a few simple movements, unsealed her affinities. The array she created was completely rushed and had innumerable flaws, and in turn, it had felt rather uncomfortable to have a portion of herself sealed under the messy array.
Nora realized that with the presence of other girls in the dorm she may not be able to cultivate at night due to them potentially realizing the weird and unworldly methods she used for cultivation. With that in mind, Nora began to inscribe an intricate array on the bottom of the bed, hidden from prying eyes.
The array covered the entirety of the beds bottom surface. Inscribed were over a hundred languages in a hundred diagrams. Several Mana collection diagrams were strewn into the mix with countless other indecipherable diagrams. Nora was not willing to risk being discovered with perverse and lecherous eyes hunting her. In breakneck speed, Nora finished the array. The system recognizing its perfection let out a *Ding*
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[Skill Gained - Array Mastery]
Array Mastery: 8
[Profession Gained]
Array Grandmaster - One who has approached the very heights of arrays and comprehended the very nature of arrays. The intricate and complex mind required for such a feat, cannot be contained. 30% Bonus Experience. 20% General Improvement to all Magic Skills and Spells.
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Seeing the new title, Nora was rather content but noticing the skill only reaching level 8 slightly bugged her. Although this array wasn't near her limit, it was extremely complex. Something very few beings could ever create. Using the system's evaluation Nora estimated that her 'Array Mastery' probably truly lied around level 9. Still lacking perfection.
Disgruntled Nora stepped back and activated the array. A perfect illusion of her appeared within the room. Seemingly minding its own business. Nora walked towards her doppelganger and tested the array by applying some force onto the illusion. Once, Nora felt applied the force and felt resistance she once again felt satisfied. She hadn't been sure if the array would act the same way with mana but everything appeared to be working fine.
Content with the array, Nora hopped on top of her bed and sat in a lotus position before beginning to cultivate.