Since Ashton started coming to school, he had to adjust his training schedule.
He spends most of his time in the mornings sparring with training dummies at his home and as time passes, he's becoming more and more experienced in dealing with them.
No, he hasn't been able to defeat even a single one in a real spar since at base, the Training Dummies are more durable than him and the techniques they execute are programmed to performed skillfully.
This of course didn't bruise his ego too much. He knows that he has a long way to go still. He only needs time and he'll eventually get there, especially with the help of the System.
Speaking of time...
The Inscription Class is about to begin at any minute now. Ashton was already on the classroom waiting for the professor to arrive.
As the clock hits 10am, Ashton sensed the familiar sensation of someone appearing in front of them.
This time, their Professor is someone that Ashton was familiar with.
"Good morning, 1st year Class C. My name is Leonardo Cestus. I'll be your Professor for Inscriptions. Nice to you meet you all."
Leon showed them his profile and the class greeted their new professor.
Ashton was quite surprised. He didn't know that Chief Leon was going to be his Professor on top of being his supervisor as well. Why didn't he say anything.
Their gazes met for a brief moment and Ashton could've sworn that Leon was teasing him. Whether this is true or not, he'll know later when his shift starts.
Leon placed his stuff on the table and took a seat. Because he's so tall, Leon still towered over the students even while sitting. His looks were quite intimidating too especially with that scar on his face, nevertheless he's soft-spoken which calmed the students down.
"Following the traditions on my colleagues, I'll be setting your expectations about how I will handle your class." Leon stated, "It's basically the same as them."
"I will not force you to do anything, not even attending my class for that matter. So long as I see a student inside this classroom when I arrive, I will teach."
"Results are the thing that matters the most here. I'll record what you guys give me so don't blame me if you fail, I did my job and you didn't so it's your fault."
"Due to the nature of our class, I will be strict when it comes to Practical Activities. I'd say that I will do you good to pay attention to my class but that depends on you anyways. Since I'll only be recording your results, don't blame me if you get stuck in your cultivation since that's on you."
"Just reminding all of you, unless you pass my class and the other two, you won't be able to enroll to other subjects since these are your basics."
"With that being said, let's proceed to our discussion shall we?" Leon adjusted his monocle again.
"Inscriptions are one of subjects that is forced upon you to learn along with Magic 101 and History. Does anyone have any opinion on this is so?"
Beside Ashton, Mary raised her hand. Leon nodded to her so she stood up and answered: "It is because Inscriptions are integral part of cultivation."
"Excellent." Leon smiled and nodded. He adjusted his monocle and said: "Such is indeed the case."
"But does anyone here know Inscriptions became important when it comes to cultivation?" He asked. "In your own opinion class, why are Inscriptions important for cultivation?"
This time, nobody could answer. Not even Ashton knows why this was the case. He noticed this earlier but he never gotten the answer.
"Nobody?" Leon looked around once more. "Alright, that is fine. It's understandable that none of you knows since this is not something you can learn from books that can be released in the public."
"The reason why Inscriptions are closely related to our Cultivation is because Inscriptions are considered to the 'Language of the world'. It is something that could accurately represents all parties that involves the very existence of the world."
Leon stood up and waved his hand.
All of a sudden, the classroom transformed under the eyes of the students. Intricate patterns and symbols appeared at every inch of the room, some where over-lapping, some made sense while others didn't. Some were small, some were big. They all come in all shapes and sizes as well.
"Nobody could really say when Inscriptions appeared. Some says that they've always been there while some argued that they appeared when our world was besieged."
"Still, it doesn't matter when they appear. What matters is their purpose." Leon waved his hand again and the projection disappeared. "With years spent researching the purpose of Inscriptions, we eventually discovered what they represent and how it affects us."
"Just as I explained before, everything that makes up the system of the world, all is made of Inscriptions. Even the mere interaction with mana will result in the formation of Inscriptions."
"So long as we understand what they mean, we will be able to accurately control the path we have chosen. In addition to this, understanding Inscriptions is what allows us to cultivate in the first place. It is the reason why we could strengthen ourselves in order to protect our home."
"This is why Inscriptions became an integral part of Cultivation in general. Be it a Mage or a Knight, everyone has to learn them. The deeper your understanding is, the more knowledge you'll receive, and with more knowledge under your belt, the more easier cultivation gets. Do you all understand?"
Majority of students nodded. Ashton was similarly enlightened as well.
"Now, as you all are trying to achieve your breakthrough to the Apprentice Realm. It would be a good time for you to learn about Basic Inscriptions that you can possibly use to improve your foundations."
Leon then waved his hand to change the environment inside the classroom.
Next thing the students knew, they were already standing in the middle of a traditional looking room. The floors transformed into glossy wood. The walls turned into sliding doors where light can pass through.
Rows of tables and cushions appeared in front of them. On top of the table, there were stacks of papers, inks and quills.
The theme of the room reminded Ashton of those traditional Asian infrastructures back on Earth.
Leon cleared his throat and said: "Pick a seat, use the cushion to make yourselves comfortable."
As he said that Leon also moved to his own spot which is of course in front of the class. He too has a same table as the students has, his is bigger of course.
The students moved. Ashton sat on his usual spot, he took the cushion placed it on the wooden floor, he then sat on it with his back straight.
His eyes then darted forward and saw Leon writing something using the quill. His hands moved fast and before he knew it, he was already done.
Five papers floated beside Leon in a single file. Each paper has a drawing on them. It looked like a symbol of some sorts. Beneath every symbol, there are words written by Leon in the language that everybody knows, it's the translation of this Symbols.
"Each symbol that you see here represents something. As you can see, they are: Breath, Life, Mana, Strength, and Wisdom."
"These are the basic symbols that all of you will learn for today." Leon stated, "Additionally, these symbols will be the ones you'll see very often when you start cultivating for real so familiarize yourself into them as much as you can."
"For that aspect, I want all of you to try and replicate those symbols using your own efforts." Leon's gaze roamed his class as he said this. "You have the materials needed in front of you so I want you all to give a shot."
"Don't crumple the papers if you fail. Just set it aside, I'll collect them all later since they'll be useful for reference. Just try your best to make a set of these symbols before our period ends."
"You may begin whenever you're ready."
Once he said this, Leon didn't pay attention to the class anymore and decided to use his tablet, probably working on other things that comes along his duties.
Well, he already gave the students something to do so this is understandable.
Ashton could here some students whining quietly because there's an activity already. He didn't concern himself with any of that. Instead, he used his senses to study the symbols and memorize them to the best of his abilities.
The first symbol he focused on is the Symbol of Breath.
It looks simple enough, it's a circle with what looks like gusts of air inside. It didn't take him long to memorize it so he took the papers and dipped the quill into the ink to begin.
When he's done with his attempt, Ashton couldn't help but show a scowl on his face. He then murmured:
'This is harder than what it looks like, huh?'