Kaiho tried to push his thoughts away, but Dove's cold shoulder lingered in his mind. "Why is she ignoring me? Did I do something to offend her? Ugh, stop thinking about her, just distract yourself," he muttered under his breath.
[5 minutes later]
He let out a long sigh, realizing nothing was working. "I'm still thinking about her… and this guy won't stop talking about food!"
Next to him, Lucky was on a rambling spree about his favorite dishes. "Blah blah… food… blah blah… the best meat I've ever had…"
"Lucky, look! A buffet!" Kaiho blurted out, a desperate lie to stop the never-ending chatter.
Lucky's eyes lit up instantly. "Where?!"
Before Kaiho could breathe a sigh of relief, another student sprang up with equal enthusiasm. "A buffet? I'm in!"
Kaiho blinked. What is wrong with this class? Half of them have dark aura sitting in cool pose and not speaking to anyone , while the other half seemed completely clueless filled with idiots .
"The buffet's mine!" the second guy declared, eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Not if I get there first!" Lucky shot back, already on his feet. In seconds, the two of them were squaring off, fists ready for action.
"Wait… there's no buffet here…" the second guy muttered, realizing they'd been duped.
Lucky whipped around, glaring at Kaiho. "Hey, why'd you lie, man? That's not funny!"
"You lied to the Fire King Nat!" the other guy growled, puffing up his chest dramatically.
"Fire King?" Kaiho raised an eyebrow. "You actually call yourself that?"
"Is that funny to you?" Nat shouted. "I'll show you what's funny—my fist!" He clenched his hand, ready to swing.
Before things could escalate, a deep, commanding voice cut through the noise. "Everyone settle down."
The entire class went silent. Someone gasped from the back of the room. "Wait… isn't that…"
"Yeah, it's him," another student whispered. "Merlin the Great Sage… the one who's rumored to rival even the gods."
Kaiho's eyes widened. Merlin?!
The man in the front stood tall, radiating authority. "I'll be your class teacher starting this year," he said calmly, his gaze sweeping across the room.
"No way!!" the class gasped in unison.
"So, let's start with introductions," Merlin said as he stood at the front of the class, hands clasped behind his back. His sharp eyes scanned the room. "I am Merlin, and I'll be your class teacher. Also, I'll be teaching you magic."
Before Kaiho could even process the idea that someone named Merlin was going to teach them magic, the bell rang, signaling the official start of the class.
"Does anyone here know what magic is?" Merlin asked, his voice commanding the attention of every student in the room.
A hand shot up confidently from the front row. "May I, sir?"
Merlin smiled faintly. "You're Yashoda, right?"
"Yeah."
"Go ahead."
Yashoda stood, her posture confident and voice firm. "Magic is nothing but the ability to absolutely control mana."
Merlin nodded. "And what is mana?"
"Mana can also be called the 'true atom,' which has the ability to change into other matter or substances."
Merlin's smile grew a little. "Smart answer. You may sit down."
Kaiho blinked, completely lost. "True what?" he muttered under his breath, his confusion evident.
Merlin's gaze sharpened and landed on him. "I guess Mr. Kaiho here is confused," he said, folding his arms.
Kaiho immediately straightened up in his chair, caught off guard. "Uh, what, sir?"
Merlin didn't look particularly pleased but continued nonetheless. "It's alright, I'll explain. You see, the structure of an atom consists of electron orbs, a nucleus, protons, neutrons, and electrons. For example, oxygen's atomic number is 8, meaning it has 2 electrons in its first shell and 6 electrons in its second shell. If you take away the 6 electrons from the second shell and 1 electron from the first shell, what do you get?"
Kaiho stared blankly. "Uh…"
"Hydrogen," Merlin said, looking somewhat amused at Kaiho's bewilderment.
Kaiho's brain short-circuited. "Whaaa…?"
"It went over your head," Merlin stated dryly, turning back toward the class. Yashoda and another student, Kalki, both shot Kaiho looks of disapproval, as if he were making a fool of himself on purpose.
Merlin continued, pacing slowly. "Mana is simply a more flexible form of atoms. They can change states, much like water turns into ice when frozen. Mastery of magic is about learning how to manipulate these true atoms, or mana, to change into different forms or substances. And for that, you'll need to study."
Kaiho sighed internally. Isekai stories make this look so easy, he thought with frustration. They never mention needing to know science!
He was about to completely give up when his eyes wandered to Lucky, who was already halfway asleep, and Nat, who looked equally dazed.
Kaiho thought, Wait… if I don't get it, there's no way these two do.
Merlin clapped his hands, drawing the attention of the class. "Magic is fundamentally rooted in the laws of nature, specifically in how we manipulate mana—the building block of everything. It is similar to chemistry and physics, but with one key difference: you must feel it. Today, we'll begin with the basics—awakening dormant mana within these stones."
He gestured toward a table lined with small, plain-looking stones. "Each of you will take one of these mana stones. Your task is to initiate a reaction, making the stone glow by focusing your internal mana."
Kaiho hesitantly picked up a stone, turning it over in his hands. It felt ordinary, almost disappointingly so. Beside him, Lucky grabbed a stone as well, his usual carefree attitude replaced by curiosity.
"Focus your energy," Merlin said as he moved to the front of the class. "It's not enough to just wish for it. Imagine mana as a subatomic particle—like an electron—but far more flexible. It can take on different forms and energies depending on how you manipulate it. Concentrate, and channel that energy into the stone."
Kaiho blinked. Subatomic particle? What is this, a physics lecture? He sighed inwardly, already feeling a headache coming on. Okay, Kaiho, focus. If this is like controlling electrons… then…
He closed his eyes, trying to picture the stone in terms of particles, imagining tiny threads of energy weaving through it. He focused harder, trying to will his mana to connect with the stone, to make something happen.
Beside him, Lucky stared intently at his stone, his brow furrowed in concentration. "Come on, stone," Lucky muttered, pressing his finger into it like it was a stubborn video game controller. "You gotta glow."
Minutes passed. In the front of the class, several students managed to get their stones to emit faint glows. Yashoda's stone was already shining steadily, and others followed suit. But for Kaiho and Lucky… nothing. Not even a flicker.
Kaiho groaned internally. Why isn't this working? He glanced at Lucky, who was now shaking his stone lightly, as if it might help. This guy doesn't seem to be getting it either.
As Kaiho sat there, staring at the dull stone in his hand, Lucky suddenly strolled over, wearing his usual carefree expression. "You're overthinking it, man. Look, it's simple."
Kaiho blinked, watching as Lucky confidently grabbed Kaiho's stone. Wait… is this guy actually good at magic? he thought, surprised. Maybe I misjudged him. He might act clueless, but maybe he's got some hidden talent.
Kaiho leaned in, watching Lucky carefully, expecting some profound magical technique. Lucky held the two stones in his hands for a moment, then, without warning, smashed them together with a loud clack!
Sparks flew from the collision, and Lucky grinned, clearly proud of himself. "See? I made a spark!" he said, a mischievous smirk plastered on his face.
Kaiho's jaw dropped. "What are you, a caveman!?" he shouted, unable to believe what he'd just seen.
The noise caught Merlin's attention, and he walked over, arms folded and an unimpressed expression on his face. "What's going on here?"
Kaiho pointed at Lucky, still in shock. "He just smashed the stones together to make sparks!"
Merlin raised an eyebrow, looking from Kaiho to Lucky, who was still holding the stones. "While that may technically produce a spark, Mr. Lucky, we're trying to activate mana flow here, not start a fire."
Lucky shrugged. "Hey, a spark is a spark, right?"
Merlin sighed deeply, rubbing his temples. "This is going to be a long semester…"
Kaiho sighed. "Yeah… I'm trying to think of mana as some kind of subatomic energy like you said, but nothing's happening."
Merlin gave a small, thoughtful nod. "Your problem is exactly that—thinking about it too much. Magic is both a science and an art. You need to understand it, but you also need to feel it. You can't force mana like electrons in a circuit; you need to allow it to flow naturally."
Lucky and Kaiho exchanged defeated glances.
"Let me put it another way," Merlin continued. "Think of mana as a fluid. You can't grab it with your hands, but you can direct its flow. You'll need to find your own way of making that connection. Some people take longer than others—don't let that discourage you."
Merlin walked away to check on other students, leaving Kaiho staring at his unlit stone. Fluid? I'm supposed to feel it flow?
He looked over at Lucky, who was now poking the stone again, as if something might change.
"This isn't going well, is it?" Lucky said flatly, dropping the stone back onto the table.
Kaiho sighed. "Not even a little."