As expected, Sophia was curious about which students hadn't attended class today, especially since it was an important day. However, she knew that the class couldn't be delayed just for them, so she began the lesson promptly.
The topic of today's lesson was mana, the spiritual power that enveloped the entire world. It served as the primary reason why the rankers could cast magic spells and achieve physical enhancements. Everyone was well aware of the existence of mana; in fact, some of them already knew how to cast skills.
Sophia turned her attention to the woman with blond hair, blue eyes, and an innocent face named Sandra. "Could you release your mana, please?" Sophia requested. Sandra possessed the power of the Raging Pigeon, an air-type monster with the ability to harness the wind element.
Sandra rose from her seat and promptly began materializing her mana. She closed her eyes for a few seconds, and when she opened them, a green, gleaming magical aura enveloped her body. While her power wasn't exceptionally strong, it wasn't weak either.
The soothing air that emanated from Sandra's mana touched everyone's skin, and they all recognized it as her contribution.
Sophia approached Sandra, explaining, "This is mana. With it, you can cast various skills, such as Wind Blade or Whirlwind. To harness mana effectively, your body needs to become accustomed to it. This requires training and meditation, as clearing your mind is one of the best ways to learn."
Sophia introduced mana to them, knowing that providing a visualization was the quickest way for them to grasp the lesson. "We have four primary elements: Wind, Water, Fire, and Earth. Additionally, there are some rare elements like Thunder, Dark, and Light. Awakening your monster's power is tied to these elements, which are determined by the characteristics of the monster you possess."
Everyone in the room listened attentively, hesitant to interrupt the class with questions. Then, Sophia revealed Crystal, the tool used to determine an individual's elemental affinity.
"I understand that some of you might already know your elemental affinities, but for those who'd like to discover theirs, please step forward," Sophia invited as she placed a crystal ball on the table.
While students approached the crystal to check their elements, some secretly harbored hopes of having dual affinities. In their minds, their parents possessed different elements, making it seem possible. After all, a few high-ranking individuals had dual elements, and they aspired to join their ranks.
Wind
Fire
Earth
Water
Certainly, some students didn't possess elemental affinities, their mana instead concentrated on enhancing their physical abilities. To identify these individuals, the magical crystal would turn red.
Zing!
Suddenly, a brilliant orange light filled the room, leaving everyone dazzled. As the light subsided, Alexa stood atop the magic crystal. They all watched in amazement, realizing that the intense light she had emitted signified her possession of immense fire magical power.
However, this occurrence wasn't particularly surprising, given that Alexa possessed the power of the Fire Dragon. She casually resumed her seat and directed her attention to the last person attempting to use the magic crystal, Quira.
As expected, the other students began to criticize him, well aware that as a slime, he didn't possess any elemental affinity. Nonetheless, both Alexa and Sophia remained curious about his result.
Is he not ashamed?
Let him be, he wants to embarrass himself.
Don't blame us if you become a laughingstock
Quira paid no heed to the others and focused solely on Sophia, seeking her permission. Sophia nodded in approval and uttered, "Go ahead."
Without delay, Quora placed his hands on the magic crystal, and the device immediately responded with a slight vibration. Following that, the magic crystal emitted a vivid red light, akin to a lit match. Despite its intensity, it served the purpose of identifying his unique power.
Physical enhancement? But how?
This is not right!
How he could have that ability?
Not all the students were shocked by the result, including Sophia and Alexa. In their minds, Slimes were not associated with physical strength, so they were perplexed by Quira's unique ability.
Sophia couldn't help but wonder, "What's going on with this guy? No matter how I look at it or research different types of slimes, having physical enhancement skills seems impossible," she mused to herself.
Quira, on the other hand, had a desire to discover if this slime possessed an elemental connection. However, he realized he had unintentionally placed himself in a more precarious situation. Why? Because it was evident that Ridge held the key to the reason behind this unusual ability.
Quira couldn't help but click his tongue in frustration. He then turned to Sophia and said, "Miss Sophia, may I try it once more? This time, I'd like to use a different magic crystal. I believe the device broke after Alexa used it."
As he voiced his request, other students quickly chimed in, agreeing with him.
"That's right, Miss Sophia! Alexa unleashed so much power; it must have broken the device!"
"Someone like him shouldn't have that kind of power."
"He only has the power of a slime; no matter how you look at it, this result doesn't seem possible."
It seemed like these students were envious without reason. In fact, they were well aware of the reliability of this ability when applied to martial arts. In this world, martial arts had evolved as the primary means of enhancing one's power. Researchers had even established that practicing martial arts could strengthen muscles and bones, a process beneficial for evolution.
Evolution was the term used to describe the process when a ranker became familiar with their monster's DNA. This would grant them access to new monster abilities and increase their mana pool.
Sophia, although certain the device was not broken, decided to humor the request and handed Quira another magic crystal. "If that's the case, give it a try."
However, no matter how many times Quira attempted to use the device, the emitted color remained unchanged. At this point, it became evident to everyone that Quira possessed the ability to enhance his physical strength.
Quira shook his head, disappointment evident on his face. He knew that revealing this ability could lead to significant problems. Currently, everything appeared normal, but he anticipated trouble once they began searching for those individuals, especially if Ridge's father discovered his similar ability.
At first, many of the students watched Quira with envious eyes, realizing that he might have an advantage in a one-on-one battle.
Sophia, noticing the situation, addressed Quira, "Can we talk later, Quira? There's something I'd like to ask." She then directed her gaze toward him as he returned to his seat.
Quira returned her gaze and nodded in agreement. It seemed like complying with her request was his only option, and he couldn't help but be curious about what this woman had in mind. A fleeting concern crossed his thoughts: 'Don't tell me they found out what I did yesterday?' He paused for a second, then shook his head, dismissing the idea. 'No, that's impossible. If they had already discovered what I did, they would have detained me at the entrance.'
"Yeah, sure," Quira replied.
"Then, go to my office after this," Sophia instructed him.
The class resumed, and Sophia delved into the essential aspects of utilizing mana and how to increase one's mana pool. While special items could significantly impact mana growth, it was preferable to achieve natural increases. Additionally, the students received information on martial arts, of which there were six disciplines at the Academy, each with distinct abilities.
Sophia made it clear that students could choose one of the six masters to study under. However, there was a catch; they had to pass the trial or exam set by their chosen master. Masters in this Academy held their pride and dignity high, and teaching someone without potential was seen as a sign of disrespect.
If the students didn't pass the exams set by the masters, they could still learn martial arts, but they wouldn't have access to the advanced martial arts or the benefits of personal instruction from the masters.
Sophia provided this information to the students, and after that, she left the room. The students were left to train their mana and explore martial arts on their own. Some of them headed to the training ground to find suitable weapons or martial arts techniques, while others sought out masters who would accept them as disciples. Despite the high standards set by the masters, the students believed in their own potential and were determined to meet the masters' qualifications.
Quira went to Sophia's office and knocked on the door.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Come in," Sophia responded.
Upon hearing her invitation, he entered and asked, "What would you like to ask?"
Sophia tapped her finger on the desk, and then asked Quira to take a seat. After that, she looked at him with a serious expression on her face. "Well, upon seeing it today, it wonders me about your power. As you can see, to keep confidentiality the only thing we know is the creature, but not the true characteristics of it. Would you mind if you could tell me what is it?"