For three hours, the 16 and 17-year-olds of Everish Academy were pushed to their very limits.
Their training maniac of a teacher had activated a four-times gravity sigil and pumped it full of mana.
Simply breathing had become a chore, let alone the full-blown workout they were forced to complete.
They received a five-minute break every 20 minutes, and when the three-hour training was over, they got 20 minutes of rest.
Slowly, the effects of the sigil wore off, and they were finally able to function normally.
Looking at the students sprawled before him like pathetic starfish, the professor felt disappointed.
'Too bad it would be illegal to make them keep training. If only it was like before, and I could just-'
"Professor, I was confused about question 21 on last night's homework?" A student with a shaggy head of red hair, eyes, and complexion approached him, her fox tail practically dragging on the floor from exhaustion.
"Question 21?" Professor Avastalyn approached her and peered at the system panel she held up. "That question is asking for you to map out the best escape route given your circumstances. So because there is a mountain behind you and a…" The girl focused carefully on his words, and it didn't take long until she managed to comprehend what she should have done, and how she had gotten it wrong.
"Thank you, Mr. Avastalyn!" She smiled gratefully before walking away, her steps tired and heavy but nearly unintelligible.
It didn't take long for another student to approach with questions, and he explained each one carefully.
After the break, they gathered back in the classroom.
Each student sat where their systems had laid that morning, their legs crossed carefully.
Their teacher sat in front of them on a raised platform, and they all began to meditate.
"Today we will be trying the four-fold technique. This technique has four levels, and the first one begins by taking your mana and forming it into one thin string through your veins, and connecting it from end to end."
A projection of a human body formed from mana appeared in front of him, a shiny stream running through it carefully.
"When you have completed this step, it should look like this."
"Once this has been completed, you absorb outside mana, and then weave it within your string until the string has doubled in size."
Specks of glitter soon surrounded the figure, and the students carefully watched as it sunk into its skin and swam to its heart where it was then purified and further circulated, ooze expelling from its pores.
"The purpose of this technique is to expel the impurities your body has gained through the consumption of mortal food, dirt, debris, and toxins which are found in your blood, mana, and simply the air around us.
"Though technically this method of expelling impurities can go on for an intimate number of folds, for most species it is not recommended.
"This is because while stretching your veins and meridians can be a good thing, making them too wide can cause them to weaken. It also makes them more likely to become damaged in a fight, greatly hindering your potential and future success."
The image in front of them disappeared as the mana dissipated back into the professor's body.
"You do not need to worry about the impurities you expel as it is highly unlikely you will be able to accomplish the first step here with us today."
He smiled lightly, "I also feel the need to remind you that your impurities are going to stink, but that they have value as well.
"If you collect the impurities you expel, you can sell them for a decent amount. Impurities are used in all kinds of things including poisons, sigils, cursed weapons, and even antidotes to those very same poisons. It can be turned into armor with an immunity to toxins, or as a way to kill light-based creatures."
The students looked stunned momentarily.
It sounded gross, but… hey, money is money, no?
Besides why not sell it if you can profit and you were going to throw it away anyways?
A student raised their hand. He had bright blue hair and a skinny blue monkey tail sticking out of the top of his shorts.
"Mr. Avastalyn, where can we sell it?"
Their dark-hearted guide smiled. "You can sell it to the school, the alchemy guild, or any pharmacy. However, if you sell it to the school you will not only receive monetary compensation but Everincy as well."
Glancing around the room, he took in their expressions one by one before saying, "Now if there aren't any more questions, let us begin with today's meditation. You will have a five-minute break after an hour, followed by another hour-long session and lunch."
One by one, students closed their eyes and began forming their strings of mana.
- - -
At Everish Academy, lunch was two hours long.
This was because the director firmly believed in the need for children to spend time relaxing in nature, with their friends, and eating nutritious meals chocked full of energy.
Following a much more in-depth lecture regarding the uses and consequences of impurities, it was time for a certain teacher's favorite part of the day: combat.
After starting with some light stretching and jogging, the students were put into pairs and told to spar, practicing what they had last learned when he taught their group five days ago.
Their teacher taught three different groups of children.
The exceptional sophomores, juniors, and seniors. The freshmen were under the tutelage of another group of teachers.
And today he was working with his juniors.
These three groups would rotate every day, and on the days they did not have him, would be put into specialized classes for their species or professions.
Today's class seemed to drag on for eternity, and yet never seemed to be going slow enough.
The students picked up their weary bodies and stretched them to their limits. They had learned the hard way what happened if you skipped cool-down exercises.
- - -
Everincy: Everish Academy's exclusive currency. Students and personnel can use it to purchase items such as medicine, poison, armor, weapons, herbs, and corpses of monsters. They can also use it to reserve private lessons, gain access to techniques, skills, and recipes, and have a cultivation plan designed for an entity of their choosing.