Vision of Ryuji Takeshi Iwahara
After the fight, I finally allowed myself to relax a bit. The following Saturday, Rei and Katsu organized a small celebration and invited the whole group.
Unlike the more reserved gathering with Hana, this one was much more laid-back. Seeing everyone together was, at the very least, entertaining: Aiko complained incessantly about Mei Ling's attitude in the infirmary; Hana, as usual, ate as if she were trying to win a competition; Daisuke did his best to keep the atmosphere calm; and Katsu, stubborn as ever, kept trying to flirt with Rei despite a cringe-worthy streak of failures.
The only downside was the cost. Even with the recent bonus I'd received, paying the bill wasn't cheap. Maybe I need to reconsider and start eating more in the cafeteria.
Days passed: one, two, three… And now here I am, sitting in the classroom, waiting for the teacher to arrive.
Not long ago, my mind was occupied with strategies and scenarios for defeating Lee Min. Now that it's over, I realize how hard it is to keep growing without an immediate goal. Of course, I want to become a Lance—that's non-negotiable. But how exactly do I get there? Obviously, I need to get stronger, but right now, the only concrete thing I can focus on is strengthening my core.
The fight was so intense that I feel like regular training alone won't be enough to push me further. Do I need something else? I sighed. At least I'm paying more attention in class now, and not having Hana constantly nagging me about my academic performance is a huge relief.
My gaze drifted to her, sitting beside me. Hana was silent, meditating. Bright elementals floated around her, slowly moving toward her core. It was mesmerizing to watch. Each tiny particle refined her core, making it more powerful. The effort she poured into strengthening herself was inspiring.
For a moment, I considered doing the same. But the thought vanished as quickly as it came. I'd spent the entire previous day meditating, and my core needed rest. Still, my eyes stubbornly stayed fixed on Hana. She seemed to glow, surrounded by that radiant energy that made her almost… magical. Not that she wasn't already.
I don't know how long I sat there, but at some point, I noticed Aiko watching me. Her eyes flicked between me and Hana, curiosity etched on her face. Then, suddenly, she smiled.
There was something about Aiko's smile—the glint in her eyes, as if she were encouraging me—that reminded me of the restaurant owner where we'd celebrated. He'd had that same knowing look, like he understood something I didn't. Instinctively, I smiled back, feeling a faint blush warm my cheeks. I have no idea what they're thinking.
Aiko waved me over, seeming ready to say something, but before I could move, the sound of footsteps caught my attention. Min-Jae entered the room, followed by Professor Tanaka.
Min-Jae had been acting strange since yesterday. After revealing all that information, he'd started ignoring me completely. I needed to talk to him as soon as possible, but the only thing he'd say was that it wasn't time yet. Plus, it's weird seeing Professor Tanaka walking in like nothing's wrong. Maybe something's going on.
"I see everyone's in their seats," Tanaka said as he entered, scanning the room. "Apologies for the delay. Professor Takeda won't be able to teach today." He began arranging materials on his desk, but as usual, a hand shot up. Of course, it was Rei. With a slight nod, Tanaka gave her permission to speak.
"May we know why he's absent?" she asked bluntly, without hesitation.
Tanaka looked at us, sighed softly, turned on the projector, and began explaining:
"Professor Takeda has been assigned to assist students in a portal-closing mission."
There was something in his tone that suggested this wasn't the whole story.
After his response, silence hung in the air. I noticed Hana, Kenji, and Daisuke had stopped meditating and were patiently waiting for the teacher to continue. Meanwhile, Tanaka fiddled calmly with the projector, almost distractedly. For a moment, I wondered if I should be concerned about his expression, but he soon finished and grabbed our attention by approaching the students.
The projector flickered to life, illuminating the room with the image of a mana portal. It was a glowing blue circle surrounded by dense forest. The sight was stunning, almost beautiful—which made it even stranger to think this was humanity's biggest problem today.
"Essentially, we're dealing with an outbreak of portals opening in the Eastern Union. Fortunately, most are low-level, so we won't face major issues yet. But you all need to prepare." Tanaka pointed at the projector, which now displayed the portal in 3D as the lights dimmed and curtains closed.
A murmur of awe swept through the room, and someone muttered:
"Could it always do that?"
The holographic feature was genuinely impressive. The professor walked toward the projection, his figure swallowed by the darkness, making his expression impossible to read.
"Takeda simply disliked using this technology. But look." He quickly changed the subject, gesturing at the hologram. "You already know the basics: portals appear, but initially, only one side is traversable—ours. That means once you enter, there's no immediate way back."
A small animated character, straight out of a children's show, appeared in the hologram. It crossed the portal and tried to return but hit an invisible barrier.
"There's only one way back…" The professor gestured again. The character ran through the environment until it found a mana beast. After a brief fight, it defeated the creature. The portal, once blue, turned red and began shrinking. The figure sprinted back and leaped through just before it closed.
"This is slightly outdated. Today, we have specialized machines developed by the Portal Studies Department that use runic tech to stabilize portals even after the beast is defeated. This gives us valuable time for research and sample collection. But there's another way back." Tanaka held up a remote I hadn't noticed and rewound the hologram to the moment the character entered the portal. "You wait."
The character spent days near the portal until the blue hue shifted to red.
"When that happens, it means the mana beast has opened the portal to both sides. But there's a problem."
In the hologram, the character tried to exit, only to be trampled by a horde of beasts invading "our world." The scene turned chaotic, with creatures destroying everything until another team arrived. They fought off the beasts, but the battle against the original creature was far harder. It was larger, stronger, and surrounded by guardians. Even after victory, casualties were inevitable.
Tanaka paused the hologram and reset the simulation.
"I think you get it. Letting a portal collapse isn't an option." He stopped and surveyed the class.
He gave a slight nod, as if permitting something, and a voice from behind me spoke up:
"Professor, why do they get stronger? They even seemed smarter, like they were cooperating." It was Haruki. Rare to hear him ask questions in class.
Tanaka answered without hesitation, reactivating the remote. The hologram now showed only the red portal.
"When a portal collapses, this happens." Bright elementals began funneling into the portal, converging on the core of the main beast. "This accelerates core refinement, making it significantly stronger. Plus, in the animal world, there's a direct correlation between portal level and creature intelligence. They start distributing refined elementals among allies, forming complex strategies."
In the hologram, elementals stopped flowing solely to the main beast and began spreading to others.
"This is especially important for you, as you're about to embark on your first mission," Tanaka continued, scanning the room. "Any hesitation or mistake could have grave consequences. Remember what you saw here today."
With that, the hologram vanished. The lights flickered back on, and the curtains opened, sunlight flooding the room.
"Any questions?" Tanaka asked in his usual calm tone.
"When do we go on our first mission?!" Katsu shouted, jumping up eagerly. Sometimes he's so impulsive.
Tanaka glared coldly at him, but before he could respond, Rei shot Katsu a sharp look and yanked his collar, forcing him into a quick bow.
"Apologies for my companion's lack of discipline," she said, bowing her head. "I'll ensure he doesn't speak without permission."
Tanaka stared at them until he finally spoke. "I'll accept your apology. Sit." Katsu muttered something inaudible, crossing his arms and looking away, while Rei maintained a stern expression, ready to scold him again. He really knew how to follow hierarchy.
"But to answer the question: we don't yet know when a mission will be assigned to you. Since it's your first, it'll need to be low-level to minimize risks." The professor pulled his phone from his pocket. "When your turn comes, this will send an alert. Just follow the instructions."
After that, the professor led us to the training field for combat simulations. It was a bit different today—normally, we started in individual booths. They were fairly large, stretching about 100 meters from end to end, surrounded by tall white walls. Usually, upon entering, we'd find human-shaped dummies to attack. They moved, but it wasn't too hard. Afterward, the booths would merge, grouping teammates for simulated sparring.
Today, however, the human dummies were gone. Instead, I faced a familiar creature: a boar. The professor's voice echoed through the booth:
"Today, your target is different. Remember, fighting an animal is nothing like fighting a human. Focus on adapting. This training will also be evaluated to determine what portal level you're ready for. One last reminder: check your phones."
The transmission ended, and my phone buzzed. I opened it to find the interface completely altered. A holographic image of the Imperial Boar appeared. Clicking it revealed options for other low-level mana beasts, along with data from our creature studies. Deciding to stick with my old nemesis, I hit "Start."
Instantly, the stone-like boar solidified. The walls shifted, simulating a forest. The beast began moving. The booth was spacious, but I doubted there was enough room to run. This time, I'd face it head-on. I didn't know if they'd replicated its magic-absorption trait, but I'd fight as if they had.
I did what I knew worked: forming a 10-centimeter knife. "This'll have to do," I sighed, frustrated by my inability to craft something better quickly. I coated the tip with dark magic. The boar was halfway to me—maybe five seconds away. More than enough.
I channeled pure mana into my legs and chest, bracing for impact. As the beast charged, I leaped lightly, planting my feet on its crown. I felt pure mana being sucked away. Without wasting time, I leaned in to drive the knife into its back. Halfway in, the blade shattered, throwing me off balance. Thankfully, I'd reserved some pure mana in my left hand, so I gripped its crown tightly. That opening was enough. With a touch of my right hand to its forehead, fire erupted inside the beast. Easy enough.
But then something slammed into my back. Even with reinforcement, my head hit the wall. "Pay attention to your surroundings, Ryuji. If this were a duo, you'd be in trouble," Tanaka's voice warned.
"Ah, here's the first problem of winning that fight," I muttered, standing and brushing myself off. "Gotta take this seriously, Ryu," I reminded myself.
The boar's remains had turned back to stone. Tapping my phone reset it to its starting position. The app's timer showed I still had an hour left here.
"This'll be fun."