Albion and the rest of his year walked to the swordsmanship training ground. The fine dirt beneath their feet. Some people didn't get changed in time or woke up late feeling the dirt in between their toes. Complaining as they walked. While walking through the training ground some older students looked at them. Gossiping about them.
"Who do you think would be the strongest student in that year?"
"I heard that there's a country bumpkin in this year. I can't believe they still let commoners in. Isn't having commoner teachers enough? I mean at least the teachers are strong."
"Isn't the Sword Saints daughter in this year?"
"I heard that too. The shining diamond of his family."
"What about General Askis twins? I heard they're as strong as orcs."
Albion was listening in. This year sounded like a great lineup. A family line of Sword Saints. Those who master the sword so much that they become the sword they wield. Showing immense power. Twins that were already as strong as orcs despite being human. A few magic prodigies and disciples of famous people he doesn't know. Nobles that Albion didn't even want to bother to remember.
Albion: {Though who's this country bumpkin there all gossiping about? No one seems to like him very much. Have they made a bad name for themselves? I wonder what they did before even entering the school.}
Albion and his class got onto the swordsmanship area they would be taking their test on. There were multiple dummies made of a variety of materials. All had a magic circle on them. The same magic circle. But Albion looked at the teacher and was shocked with who it was.
???: Welcome! Today's an easy test. Once you're done you can go to your next test. All you have to do is one by one pick up a training sword and cut these dummies clean in two. You stop at whichever one you can't cut in half. Who wants to go first?
The person he would least expect was standing in front of him. The nice guy he punched as hard as possible and threw a small fit at.
Albion: Your… Your a teacher here?!
It was Heart.
Heart: Albion! I knew you would volunteer first! Come on forward!
Heart said with a big smile. But every student then looked at Albion. Many glared at him as he walked over to the sword rack. Many swords that were all the same. Albion picked up the sword. A plain steel sword. With a leather grip hilt and a plane steel cross guard.
Heart: Now start at the Hay and work yourself up.
Albion walked towards the hay dummy. A dummy made of hay and held up by sticks. It had a stand, a main body and small hay arms. Raising his sword and sliced it in half easily. Nothing compared to slicing at real flesh.
[Basic Swordsmanship Mastery (F) has reached max level. Basic Swordsmanship Mastery (F) has become Intermediate Swordsmanship Mastery (C).]
Next was the wooden dummy and he wasn't so sure he could do this one. Wood being significantly harder than the flesh of a goblin. So he used his Body Mana skill which some students wowed at and Heart smiled. Albion repeated the similar motion he had trained and cut the wooden dummy in half.
Then it was a stone dummy. Albion was a whole less confident with this. It was made of solid stone. So he poured more and more mana into the Body Mana skill as its aura got so big it also covered his sword and the area around him. He slashed at the stone dummy in the same motion. But instead of slashing it in half, it shattered into small pieces along with the sword he was holding.
Albion looked down at the hilt of the sword. The only thing left of it, as other students looked in shock. Others glared at him. The blade of the sword completely shattered a stone dummy. Something sharp and thin acting like a blunt weapon in his hand. None had ever seen that before. Albion looked back at Heart.
Albion: Do I move forward, or is this a fail?
Heart: Sorry buddy. The aim was to cut the dummies in half. Not shatter it into pieces. And your sword broke. So you cannot progress further. You can head to your next test. Next person up!
Albion sighed as he placed the hilt of the sword with the rack and walked away, another person passed him. A girl with white hair and red eyes. Glaring at Albion as they passed.
???: Watch how it's done, country bumpkin.
But Albion didn't watch the white-haired girl. He didn't bother to make a smart remark back. He just left for his next test. Now acknowledging that he was the country bumpkin no one liked. Though he was confused as to why no one liked him.
Scene change
Albion walked into a long room as he was happy this was his next test. Again something he was very interested in. Magic. The teacher writing something down on a book. Albion walking behind her.
???: Oh! You're here! Let me introduce myself! I'm Sylvia. I'll be helping you take the test regarding your magic. Please…
As the woman turned around she looked at Albion and Albion looked at her. They both looked at each other as it became a stare.
Albion & Sylvia: {She's/He's really pretty/handsome.}
The woman had long, straight, blond hair. Standing at 6ft with a skinny body. Longer ears, that of an elf and crystal white eyes. Wearing tight silk green clothes. Revealing much of her wider hips and smaller chest. She had a small red blush on her fair face.
They were both staring at each other as time seemed to stand still. But Albion shook his head snapping out of it.
Albion: {She seems nice. And… pretty.} Nice to meet you. My name is Albion.
Sylvia kept staring at Albion as she blinked a couple of times.
Sylvia: What… OH YEAH! Nice to meet you! C-Could you please pass me your hand? {He has a great face shape. His features are nice.}
Albion didn't feel reluctant this time as he passed his hand to Sylvia. Sylvia gently held onto it with her soft hands. Mana injecting into his body.
Sylvia: Hold on. Aren't you a half elf with those smaller pointed ears? Why do you have a dragon heart?
Albion: Because I'm a quarter elf. Part human, spirit, orc and dragon.
Sylvia looked at Albion. Albion looked at her white eyes.
Sylvia: {That's so cool! I've never seen such a hybrid in my more than 500 years of life! Does he have the racial skills of all his races? Does he have a natural affinity with spirits? AWWW I WANT TO GET TO KNOW HIM! HE'S SO INTERESTING!} *Ahem* I have checked the amount of mana you have. Now pointing towards that crystal could you use any offensive magic you know? I'll give you a quick demonstration since your first.
At the other end of the room, there was a rainbow crystal with a magic circle etched into it. Sylvia pointed her finger towards a rainbow-coloured crystal in front of the wall.
Sylvia: Thunder Bolt.
A single strike of lightning hit the crystal as some smoke came from it. The crystal was completely fine and undamaged.
Albion: Wait? Lightning isn't an affinity. And you didn't have a magic circle.
Sylvia: Correct. It is a spell made of multiple affinities. The fire affinity creates a strong negative charge in the atmosphere, the wind affinity controls and directs that charge and then a small spark to ignite the process.
Albion: What about the magic circle?
Sylvia: As long as you remember the magic circle perfectly you don't need to form it with mana. Just a perfect image in your head. Saying the name of the spell helps create a flash of the circle in your mind to activate the spell. However, you can still use a chant while removing the magic circle. But that's redundant. Soooo take your shot.
Sylvia smiled as she moved over. Giving Albion a straight line to fire any offensive spell at the crystal.
Albion: {Might as well show off a little.} Can you show me the magic circle for Lightning Bolt?
Sylvia: Of course! {DOES HE HAVE A STRONG DRIVE TO LEARN TOO?! AWWW IF HE WAS A COUPLE HUNDRED YEARS OLDER I WOULD HAVE MOST DEFINITELY ASKED HIM OUT! HANDSOME, LIKES MAGIC, PROBABLY LONG LIFESPAN AND BY THE WAY HE SPEAKS HE SEEMS NICE!}
Sylvia smiled while a magic circle appeared. It was complex. Completely different from everything Albion had seen. Even compared to the one offensive spell he knew, Fireball.
Albion: Thank you.
Albion took a breath. He pointed his finger towards the crystal as a strong bolt of lightning bigger than the one previously fired struck it. A similar trail of smoke coming from it but no damage.
[Your Main class Apprentice Mage has turned into Mage (Growth).]
[You have gained the skill increased Mana Capacity (Growth).]
[You have a dragon heart. You are part spirit. Mana Capacity (F) (Growth) had become Mana Body (F) (Growth).]
Albion looked at his status screens pretty happy. But annoyed by one thing.
Albion: {Damn. I put more mana in it hoping…}
Sylvia grabbed Albion's hand as he looked at her. Sylvia had a large smile on her face.
Sylvia: THAT WAS AMAZING! HOW DID YOU DO THAT?! IT TOOK ME 30 YEARS TO CREATE THAT TECHNIQUE! AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN SAY THE SPELL NAME FOR A COMPLEX SPELL. DO YOU WANT TO BE MY DISCIPLE?! WAIT ARE YOU ALREADY SOMEONE'S DISCIPLE?! IS THIS A PRANK BY THE PRINCIPAL?! {DAMN IT! WHY ISN'T HE A COUPLE HUNDRED YEARS OLDER! I… I JUST CAN'T DATE SOMEONE THAT YOUNG! Can I?}
Albion: You created this technique! That's awesome!
Albion was genuinely surprised to meet someone who made such a useful and cool technique. If he didn't meet her he probably would have still been doing the slow process of making a magic circle with his mana. Sylvia blushed red. The tips of her ears also turned red. It looked really cute on her.
Albion: Also what's a disciple? I've heard that term but don't exactly know what it entails. {People were saying it in the halls.}
Sylvia: YOU HAVEN'T BEEN TAKEN YET?! Wait *Ahem* So you don't know what a disciple is. Well… a disciple is someone that a master teaches personally. You would be following me around. When you don't have classes. I'll be your personal teacher out of class. And depending on how well you do I may put you in a higher class than A. Do… Do you want that? {PLEASE SAY YES! EVER SINCE MY LAST DISCIPLE BECAME MEAN AND POPULAR NO ONE REMEMBERS THAT I'M THE ONE THAT TAUGHT HIM! PLEASE! PLEASE!}
Albion: {So it will be like learning from Mrs Winchester but with magic?} Yeah sounds great!
Albion smiled as Sylvia looked ecstatic.
Sylvia: YES YES YES! THANK YOU! AWWWW WE'RE GOING TO BE THE BEST MASTER AND DISCIPLE!
Sylvia jumped and hugged Albion. Albion found it cute her reaction and there was something comfortable about the hug but he had more tests to do.
Albion: Ermmm. I need to do the rest of the tests and it seems like more are coming for yours.
Sylvia backed away blushing.
Sylvia: Oh yes! Good luck! I'll make sure you have all the stuff you need to be my disciple!
Albion walked out of a different exit. Going to the next of many tests he had.
???: Wait!
A white-haired girl shouted but Albion was gone. Already leaving.
???: ARRRR! That guy didn't even look at my performance! {I was trying to prove a point to him!}
Sylvia: Nice to meet you! This is a really simple test. Just let me measure your mana and fire an offensive spell at that crystal there.
The white-haired girl looked at Sylvia as she stared blankly at the crystal.
???: I… I don't know magic like that.
Sylvia: Oh… do you know other magic or want to learn magic?
???: Not really.
Sylvia: Then you can proceed to the next test. {They're all going to be boring after my disciple aren't they? I wonder if he'd want to be a friend. We have similar interests in magic and similar lifespans. But I don't know what he looks like besides the basic structure of his face! Though he looked handsome with his face and build. And that long hair. I forgot to touch his face because I was so surprised by the dragon heart! DAMN IT SYLVIA!}