Throughout life, a person can find a few people who they call friends. But what does that mean? Some say that it's a person you can trust with your life, while others say it's just someone you like to a certain extent.
In one version of earth, two people consider themselves close friends. Their names were Leo Viator and Hikari Kowa. Leo and Hikari grew up together, their parents being close friends. They went to school together, made friends together, and applied for the same colleges.
"What class do you have next, Hikari? I have Monster Fighting: Safety and Training I at 3:45. I've been waiting for this class for so long. You got it last semester, you lucky bastard."
Leo showed Hikari his schedule on his phone, swiping away a notification at the top.
"I don't know why you showed me your whole schedule when you're asking me for my next class, but I have Magic studies: Complex spells and safe inscription III in fifteen minutes."
"Ah you have professor Sennai then. That's rough. I have the night class with professor Lecroi."
Hikari sighed and pulled out his headphones.
"I know what I signed up for. He's harsh but a really good teacher. Good luck with professor Silug, though. His teaching style is… Unique. It's a practical course, so have fun."
"Ah… thanks! See you!"
Hikari waved his hand as he walked towards the portal, turning on his phone's bluetooth with the other.
~Di da da da
Da di di da
Da di da da
Da di di da
Diiii diii diii~
The clock tower's bell chimed, signaling the change of the hour. Some students ran to their classes, while others walked out, stretching or talking with their friends.
One unique thing about this world is that it has magic. Nobody really knows how it happened, but magic was discovered some time after the pandemic, and monsters followed shortly after. Due to the dangers they posed, magic, which was once heavily regulated, was taught to the public, and guilds and magical organizations were created for humanity's self-preservation.
This specific university, Arale University, is a top-notch university focused on Magic and monsters, the perfect place for guilds to be born. Boasting a graduation rate of 98% with most of the graduates becoming guild members/leaders or world-renowned scientists, this could be called the world's best university related to magic. The school's motto is "Forging the path for the leaders of tomorrow."
There are two sectors in the school: the part that focuses on studying magic and its properties, and the part that focuses on fighting monsters and leading guilds, though they are deeply intertwined. The fighting sector provides materials and test information for the science sector, who in return provide information and technology to make fights easier and safer. In part, the university simulates a guild's function, with students acting as members. This not only prepares the students for work outside of the university, but also helps manage the school easier due to the fantastically organized setup.
Right at 3:15, a man in a black collared shirt and a silver tie walked into the room, plugging in his laptop. "Welcome back, I hope all of you had a nice winter break. I am professor Senai, and everything else you need to know about me is on the syllabus. This is Complex spells III. I'll give you a moment to leave if you aren't supposed to be here."
There was a moment of silence, then a single student scurried out of the room, looking quite embarrassed. At the same time, another student ran into the class, looking out of breath. Professor Senai sighed, muttering under his breath.
"Every year. There's always one every year."
The professor waited another moment before continuing.
"Now before we begin, who can remind me how spells work?" The professor asked the class of 25 students. A few hands shot up, one of them waving excitedly. The person in the seat next to them glared at them, which caused them to slowly lower their hand.
"You in the middle row."
Hikari lowered his hand and moved towards the mic on the table.
"Sorcery circles are inscribed onto a surface, which are then activated with mana to create a spell. The shape of the runes on the circle act as a conduit and control the output and quality of mana, manipulating it to release a specific spell. The more intricate the runes, the more complex and/or powerful it is." Hikari answered.
"Good. Can anyone else tell me the benefits and drawbacks of using spells instead of using mana directly? Yes, you over there." The professor pointed to someone else in the room.
"Spells give a wider range of effects, and they're easy to activate. Directly manipulating Mana to do something is extremely difficult for anyone who doesn't have an affinity to the specific type of magic being used, but you just need to pour mana into the Sorcery circle to activate a spell. The downside is that sorcery circles take a lot of time to inscribe and learn to do it safely, as there have been cases of severe injuries due to spells backfiring from some error in the inscription. Not only that, but it is said that spells from sorcerers are not as potent as the magic from mana manipulation, but it greatly depends on the specific spell and the caster." The student answered with a smile
"Wonderful job. Everyone here has already taken Spells I and II, which means you understand how to modify spells safely and stack them. This class will not only teach you how to do even more complicated spells, like transmutation and summoning spells, but hopefully will give you some insight on conjuring sorcery circles. The second part will all depend on you, though."
There was a long silence that swept through the room. It was widely known that the act of conjuring Sorcery circles, which means having them appear without being drawn on a surface, was an extremely difficult task. It was crucial for those who wished to become true sorcerers to be able to do this, as it was their main method of magic usage.
"I'll give you a moment to look over the syllabus. Since today is the first day, I'll use it as a review, even though most of you probably have been testing out spells in your free time. You need a copy of Spell Conjuration and Complex Spell Modification. I don't care how you get it, whether it be pirated or legitimately bought. Just have it by the next time we meet."
Professor Senai gave the students a moment to pull out the syllabus and do whatever they needed on their computers. After that, class proceeded as normal, with the professor reviewing safety procedures and different spells.