Vision of Ryuji Takeshi Iwahara
My outrage at the evaluation methods simply evaporated. The possibility of mastering a new, powerful technique consumed my every thought—nothing else mattered now. I listened intently as Takeda spoke.
"Let's rewind to the moment when everyone first awakened. As children of mages, you probably never felt it because you've been training since you were young. But for those without that habit, the change is abrupt. The elemental cycle strengthens your muscles, though not to superhuman levels. Pure mana amplifies that to the extreme. Tanaka, please demonstrate."
In a flash, Professor Tanaka materialized in the room as if emerging from thin air—I've often wondered how he always seems to know what's going on.
"Create a compact rock for demonstration," Takeda ordered. At once, a rock began to form in midair; particles of earth and stone gathered until they solidified on the floor.
"This rock has been reinforced for demonstration purposes. Haruki, with your raw strength, you are the strongest in the class—please come forward." As soon as he heard that, Haruki stood and said, "Yes, sir," while I recalled my grandfather's words about what I'd once used. A colleague had just arrived beside the professor.
"Now, try to break it," Takeda instructed, pointing at the rock.
Haruki nodded, positioned himself in front of the rock, and after taking a step back, a layer of stone appeared on his right foot. With a low roar, he unleashed a powerful kick against the rock. The impact echoed throughout the room.
I prayed I'd never have to take such a hit myself, yet the rock remained unscathed—almost as if it were forged from steel. A murmur of admiration swept through the room.
"Man, imagine taking a kick like that," Daisuke exclaimed beside me, his eyes wide with surprise. It seemed the feeling was mutual.
Although the demonstration was impressive, nothing happened to the rock; one day, I vowed, I'd be able to do something similar.
Takeda then mimicked Haruki's kick—with a strength even greater than before. I barely saw the motion; all I heard was the sound of impact, which startled me. As the professor resumed an upright stance, he pointed at the now intact rock.
"Even I can't break it with brute force," he remarked.
"That's exactly what I'd never want to experience," I joked back.
"Now, as you can see, the rock remains intact. Observe closely." Tanaka clenched his fist, and the air around him began to vibrate as though distorted by the intense concentration of mana. With a swift motion, he struck the rock. A deafening crash reverberated through the room as the rock split in two, and a shimmering aura of pure mana enveloped him like an invisible halo.
Katsu, who had been watching the demonstration with a distracted air, suddenly leaned forward, his eyes fixed on the sphere of pure mana. A slight smile curved his lips. "Wow, that's incredible!" he exclaimed in awe.
As Takeda signaled Haruki to return, the mana aura around his hand dissipated. While Haruki resumed his seat, murmurs rippled through the room. Everyone seemed confident—except for Katsu, who appeared utterly confused.
"I see you're all excited. Now, for another demonstration: Hana, please come forward."
An immediate, respectful "Yes, sir," came from behind me, and soon Hana was standing before Takeda.
"This ability is not just offensive; its capacity to boost defense is even more remarkable. Hana, show us your most powerful attack—I'll be ready to receive it."
"Understood," she replied, and began to channel her energy. A sphere roughly the size of her fist materialized in front of her, surrounded by dancing flames. The once pale red ignited into a deep, intense hue, and the heat in the room became nearly unbearable.
With a nod, she hurled the sphere at the professor. It engulfed the upper part of his body in a brief, fiery explosion—enough to make even Hana break a sweat.
After the impact, the flames continued to burn, and smoke thickened the air, obscuring everything. I rushed forward to help Hana, who appeared to be struggling as her legs gave out.
"Are you alright?" I asked, concerned.
"Thank you—I can manage on my own," she replied, giving me a light push as she steadied herself. "I think it's best if you head back to your place now." Her cool tone didn't surprise me.
When I returned to my seat, the smoke suddenly cleared—as if some professor had activated a dispel. Takeda stood calmly, his body seemingly unscathed, not even his clothes showing any damage.
"As you've seen, I didn't have any trouble," he said, pausing to survey the class. "But it appears many of you did—everyone is sweating." With a wave of his hand, the room's temperature dropped noticeably. "I've replenished the lost moisture. I want all of you to be well. This is crucial. Pay attention."
After another round of checks, he looked satisfied. "Now, let me ask: did anyone notice anything unusual besides the fact that I emerged unscathed?" Silence fell as I watched him, and in that instant, I sensed something.
"Professor, is it because you don't have an aura around you?" I ventured, noticing nothing out of the ordinary.
"Good question, Ryu. The answer is simple: I am completely enveloped by it, though you cannot see it." Suddenly, a radiant aura surrounded Takeda, as if he were encased in a bubble of light. "Now, you all can see," he declared, his voice echoing through the room.
A chill ran down my spine. The intensity of the pure mana was reminiscent of the energy he'd used in our first feedback—the very air seemed to vibrate.
"If an aura appears, it means the pure mana hasn't been properly refined. It's like a poorly tuned engine—right now I'm just wasting energy. I could maintain this for days, but before I delve into that, I'll address something no one noticed. Hana, turn to your classmates." All eyes shifted to her, but she held her ground without hesitation.
I scanned Hana's body, searching for any sign of burns or injury. Before I could spot anything, Lee Min's sarcastic voice cut in.
"You made it easy, professor. She doesn't have any burns. That level of heat bothered me from here, but there's no sign of injury on the princess." I realized I'd been looking in the wrong place—nothing had changed.
"Correct. Many of you use pure mana without even realizing it. Everyone who has the ability to harm themselves does so unconsciously as a form of self-defense." Immediately, Rei raised her hand and was granted permission to speak.
"That basically only applies to Fire and Electricity, right, sir?"
"These are the most common, but as you progress, other elements can also harm you. I'll let you discover that on your own."
Before moving on to the next topic, Takeda said, "Let me show you a good example. Hana, please take your seat." As she returned to her place, I tried to speak with her, but even the threat of speaking out made her avert her gaze, a challenge sparkling in her eyes—as if daring me to do the same.
Takeda began fiddling with his desk, and an image of a forest appeared on the screen. As soon as Hana sat down, the lights dimmed.
"Watch carefully," the video began, and it took me a moment to realize that the demonstration was of Hana. A flashback of my first day came to mind: my friend had rushed toward a huge beast. When she had climbed atop it, I understood what the professor intended to show us. The video continued, and when the boar was killed by my hand, Hana fell to the ground unscathed. The professor then resumed speaking.
"As you can see, even after being dragged, thrown, engulfed in flames, and falling, she remained uninjured." He turned off the video and switched the lights back on, continuing, "Pure mana is the foundation of all mages. The reason we can maintain peace—even with limited manpower—is that this protection greatly reduces the risk of death."
"Now, what you all want to know most is how to harness this ability." The atmosphere shifted instantly; everyone knew this was the most important part of the lesson.
"It's simple to create pure mana, but the real challenge lies in controlling it." Takeda extended his hand, and a sphere of water materialized over his palm. "This sphere is formed by gathered elementals. All you need to do is merge them like this." The water sphere pulsed gently, like a beating heart. Gradually, it contracted, growing smaller and denser until it condensed completely onto Takeda's hand.
"Professor, is that pure mana?" A much smaller, transparent sphere now hovered over his hand.
"Correct." As soon as he said that, the sphere descended onto his arm, and a similar aura—like the one that surrounded him when he shattered the rock—enveloped him. "Essentially, pure mana is formed by fusing various elementals into one, thereby greatly increasing the energy density."
My classmates and I were eager to start practicing immediately.
"Since you're all so anxious, let's head to the training room." Turning to the door, he ordered us to follow him. Finally, this lesson would be more than just meditation. As I rose and followed down the corridor, I felt a slight tug on my clothes; looking back, I saw Katsu staring at me.
"Hey, Ryu, how's it going?" he greeted, a smile on his face.
"I'm fine, though I must admit it was strange to see you here. The last time was rough for you," I replied.
With Katsu by my side, we headed into another room.
"That day was really tough—when I sat in that chair, it was as if my life was decided in an instant." Katsu's eyes began to fill with tears. "I saw all my classmates fail, one by one… it was like watching a nightmare in slow motion."
We walked a few steps until he stopped in front of me, wiping his tears away as he looked deeply into my eyes.
"When you sat in that chair, you had a look of fear, but before that cursed machine was activated, I saw something new on your face—a smile of confidence. Soon after, the entire room lit up, and you succeeded." Tears welled in his eyes again, though he didn't seem to notice as he turned and ran over to Rei's side.
Katsu's words echoed in my mind, and I felt my heart race with joy. For a moment, I felt as though I were floating. I never imagined that a simple smile could save someone's life.
"Looks like you're more respected than you think, boss. Come on, we're falling behind," Daisuke said, giving me a light tap on the back as an encouragement.
When we finally caught up with the group, I noticed that most had already entered the room—the same one we used for combat simulation class. Outside, waiting for me, was Lee Min. We hadn't spoken since he challenged me to a duel.
He approached, his eyes fixed on mine. His expression was cold, and his normally casual tone now carried an unexpected weight. "How's it going, Take? You're not thinking about giving up, are you?" Before I could answer, Daisuke stepped forward, positioning himself between us.
"I thought you two couldn't even speak before the duel," Lee Min remarked calmly, hands in his pockets, then flashed a sarcastic smile over Daisuke's shoulder as if he were insignificant.
"It seems you've managed to gather a loyal follower. But now, send him away—I need to speak with you alone." For the first time, I detected a serious tone in him, and I decided to listen.
"Daisuke, go ahead; I'll just have a few words with him," I said firmly, channeling the resolve my grandfather always showed.
Daisuke nodded and stepped away, his gaze fixed intently on Lee Min as he entered the room.
"At least one person in this group respects you; I can't say the same for the others," Lee Min said confidently, his gaze burning into me as if I were a helpless target.
"I don't understand what you mean, Lee. Unlike you, I have the trust of my comrades; you're just a little dictator," I shot back, relying on the image Rei had of me.
A mocking smile curved on his lips as he leaned forward. His finger pointed directly at the scar that Hana had inflicted on me, sending a shiver down my spine.
"Do you really think I don't know, Take? I know everything about you—your elements, your fighting style…" He trailed off as he traced my chest with his finger, and a strange warmth spread through my skin.
"Your fight with Hana yesterday gives me an advantage, and unlike you, I do what I want—I don't have to please anyone in my group because of this pathetic notion of trust. I'm going to master pure mana and drag your face through the mud. If you decide to back out, I'll be merciful. Honestly, I have no interest in you," he finally spat, then turned and stormed out of the room.
It was likely just a bluff—most of it. It's not hard to tell that Hana and I haven't exactly been on the best terms lately. As I steeled myself, I moved toward the room, joining the groups lined up in front of the professor. I hurried to get to the front of my group.
As we waited for Takeda, I couldn't help but notice the changes in the room. Thoughts swirled in my mind—if what he said is true, someone must have spoken up. The only ones who know for sure are in my group.
The idea of betrayal was unsettling; not being able to trust them would ruin my training. I decided it was best not to dwell on it.
Glancing around, I realized that the training field looked different now. The floor was covered with lush green grass, and the ceiling above mimicked a perfect blue sky—just like the training field near our dorms, a surprising illusion within the building. Previously, there was a metal wall dividing the room where the professor usually evaluated each student individually; now, there were four identical areas, seemingly designed to hide each student's elemental signature from one another. It was clear the school was taking this very seriously.
Well, now it was time to begin training—getting stronger was the only goal.