Chương 6: Academy Days (3)

"If you can't explain your plan in three lines, you don't have one." – Seiran Farritz, the Second Vazaag of Korsivir Teacher Daisor raised his eyebrows at Yibleen.

"Even though you come from a rich merchant's family, do you really think you can afford enough mana pills to use them so wastefully, especially these days?" He chuckled.

"If any of you were still confused about it, let me reassure you that with no new dimensional rifts opening up on the continent for uh... sixteen years now, there is a serious shortage of mana cores everywhere. The old rift sites were picked clean years ago, and with no open portals left, no fresh mana cores are coming in now. That means, none of you will be provided with any mana pills made from those cores when you are assigned to a mission just so you can regenerate your mana in a pinch.

That does leave you with the option to buy them yourself from the city's armory, but I'm quite sure that even those amongst you who come from a wealthy clan can't buy enough pills to use them frivolously. Even that option will likely be closed before long, because I'm hearing rumors that the city will soon put a complete prohibition on the sale of mana pills and other core-based products from the armory.

That's why learning how to be less wasteful of your body's limited mana reserves is something you all will have to focus on a lot after you graduate." Once Yibleen gave a nod in understanding, the teacher clapped his hands sharply.

"Alright, back to the original topic. I already gave examples of water-type mana, so who wants to explain earth-type mana?" Ignoring Arla's raised hand once again, the teacher's eyes finally landed on the tall and lanky Velron Rudox. Trying to move his black bangs in front of his eyes, Velron stood up at the teacher's gesture, while glaring at everyone like he was ready to fight at a moment's notice.

"It's the hothead this time," the twins commented, but a single glare from Velron was enough to shut them up. Nobody wanted to get in a fight with the class champion in sparring, after all.

"Earth-type mana is said to be the most defensive-focused of the five major mana types," Velron grunted.

"Beginners learn to make a wall of mud — which can be turned into a wall of solid rock in the case of higher-ranked mana users — and it can defend against most types of attacks if you have poured enough mana into the technique."

"Good answer," Teacher Daisor praised, while gesturing for him to sit down.

"Just like I explained earlier, any mana type can be used offensively or defensively. In the case of earth mana, you can quickly create sharp spikes of rock near the enemy, which will distract them enough for your squadmates to injure or capture them. But if your mana control is good enough, you can create those spikes right under the enemy, which can easily kill them if no healer reaches them in time.

That is a very effective offensive mana technique, which you can do with what is said to be the most defensively focused mana type." The teacher spread his hands as he finished, "So as you go out into the world outside Korsivir's walls, keep in mind that a creative application of mana techniques matters a lot more than the usual defensive or offensive assumptions about a mana type you have heard until now." He walked around the front of the classroom once again.

"Now the last major type of mana. Who can give a quick explanation of that?" Arla Farritz was the only one to raise her hand this time, so the teacher reluctantly nodded to her. She stood up while smirking at Nemirie, who probably didn't even notice it, and began her explanation.

"Nature mana is the most diverse type of mana. Those who have nature mana affinity have a very good understanding of animals from childhood, and they usually bond with an animal while they are still young, or even when they are toddlers." She continued while glancing with obvious revulsion at Sulia Rumiosi, the only insect user in their class.

"It can be a dog, a cat, a snake, or even an insect that becomes their companion. With animals, it is usually just one companion they bond with, while with insects, they can even control a whole colony once they have good control over their affinity."

"Very good, Arla. You can sit down now." Teacher Daisor paced at the front of the classroom as he explained, "While that explanation is accurate enough, those with nature mana affinity can also become mana-based healers, though it is very rare. Such healers can use their special understanding of nature-type mana to weave together cuts and wounds in minutes, making them our best doctors in the city and life-savers out in the field." He continued, "This is what makes nature-type mana the most diverse affinity of all.

Depending on their specialization, nature mana users can work in frontline roles as assault specialists if they have a strong animal companion to fight with, like Sikkar does with Karro. Or they can work as tracking specialists or scouts if they have a bond with an animal that can track, like a dog, or with insects that can help with scouting, just like Sulia does with her ash beetles.

Lastly, they can also be in support roles if they have specialised in healing, but very, very few nature mana users have mana control good enough, as well as the necessary anatomical knowledge, to become healers. That should show you the variety of tasks that can be accomplished with nature-type mana. So don't go around underestimating it, okay?" The Rumiosi twins smirked at that, being praised by the teacher openly.

However, as diverse as its applications were, Aloric was still glad he didn't have nature-type mana, since that was the only mana type that was usually obvious to recognize from childhood, and he knew that he had never felt any special connection to animals — certainly not enough to make them his lifelong companions. He surely didn't have the focus, or even the patience, required to read the anatomical books and become a healer. And that still left room for the possibility that he might really have fire-type mana!

"Is it possible for someone to have more than one mana affinity?" Hovaru — the only student from the Yaboli clan — asked, while munching on snacks at the same time, which were probably made in one of the many restaurants owned by his uh... chunky clan.

"See, the fatty is asking idiotic questions again!" one of the Rumiosi twins commented with a smirk, before the other twin added, "Were you munching on snacks when the teacher taught us about this?" The so-called snack-muncher began to stand up to his full height while glaring at the twins. He was huge, and easily looked intimidating to anyone.

"Sit down, Hovaru," their teacher ordered sharply, and the chubby boy sat down again while still glaring at the Rumiosi twins. This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Aloric just shook his head at the childish antics of the twins. He couldn't wait until he graduated so he wouldn't have to see their annoying faces again. Apart from the tall Velron—who was easily the best fighter in their class—no one was able to make the twins shut up.

Suddenly, he got a pang of dread. What if he was put into a team with the twins when the squads formed after graduation? No, no, no! It can't happen! It really, really cannot happen! He prayed to whichever deity watched over manaweavers not to make those bastards his teammates. Teacher Daisor looked at the twins in exasperation.

"You both have to learn to stop insulting others like that... Hovaru might very well be drafted into the same squad as both of you after graduation, and then he will be the one who is going to have your back!" The twins gave mock shudders, while their teacher looked at the snack-muncher.

"As for your question, yes, it is certainly possible for someone to have more than one type of mana affinity, and some of Korsivir's best Siurim are known to have good control over two mana types. But it simply doesn't happen for the vast majority of manaweavers. Even when a second affinity manifests, it still takes a lot—and I do mean a lot—of hard work to be able to use it effectively in battle. Of the few who develop a second affinity, most give up long before they can achieve even passable control over it."

He added, "However, while it is extremely difficult to get control over even a second mana affinity, there are exceptions to every rule. We all know that our Vazaag, Sir Ganisaar Hagnaar, is said to have full control over three mana types, although it took him most of his life to master them. That was one of the main reasons he became such a legendary S-rank manaweaver, and why he is feared throughout the continent. Most of us can't even imagine the kind of hard work it would have taken for him to achieve it.

So don't start daydreaming about a second affinity before you've even started learning your primary affinity."

"Woah... The Vazaag has three affinities...?" one of the students who didn't hail from a clan muttered loudly.

"I would consider myself lucky if I could learn to control just one type of mana properly!"

"So would most manaweavers!" Arla commented, before she grinned.

"But I'm gonna learn two types!"

"Keep dreaming," one of the Rumiosi twins scoffed.

"Even most Tarim barely have good control over a single mana type! You'll learn two types? Hah!" Arla just shrugged in response. The blonde beauty Yibleen raised her hand again, and at their teacher's nod, she stood up.

"Will we really not learn any mana techniques in the academy? We are going to graduate in a few days!" She asked the question with a small frown, which just looked cute to Aloric. No, stop it! He immediately scolded himself for getting such weird thoughts. What was he even thinking about right now? He had to focus on the upcoming graduation exams! However, before the teacher could give an answer, Aloric noticed the Rumiosi twins getting huge grins on their faces.

Never leaving any opportunity to have fun at the expense of others, Sikkar Rumiosi taunted Yibleen immediately, "Another stupid question... So she's a blonde bimbo after all!" He ruffled the fur of his dog.

"Isn't it, boy?" His dog just woofed in reply. Yibleen just looked too stunned to say anything. She was always amongst the top-scoring students in the written tests, but the troublemaker twins didn't care about simple things like facts.

"You bastard!" Hovaru stood up immediately, loosely holding the half-eaten packet of chips in one hand.

"How dare you insult Yibleen like that? Didn't she get more marks than you last time?"

"Oh, the fatty is also a fanboy!" Sulia Rumiosi smirked as both twins stood up, ready to fight.

"Sit down, everyone!" their teacher bellowed while slamming his fist on the lectern.

"I said no fighting in the classroom! You'll get to settle it during sparring practice, not here!" Hovaru glared at the Rumiosi boy after sitting down and started munching again.

"Better pray we don't face each other this time," he called out with his mouth half full, "or I'll beat you up for sure!"

"Keep dreaming," Sikkar taunted again.

"Nobody can defeat me in this class in sparring! Isn't it, boy?" His dog woofed once again. Aloric snorted. The Rumiosi boy had never been able to defeat Velron though. Nobody had, for that matter. Although that didn't stop the dog's human companion from boasting as usual. Teacher Daisor waited until the class had become quiet again before he began.

"As much as it hurts me as a teacher to say this, not all of you will graduate from the academy and be drafted as registered manaweavers of Korsivir, especially those from the lower-ranked classes. Classroom One usually sees most of its students graduate, but far more students fail in the lower-ranked classes. And we don't want unregistered mana users to be able to use mana techniques—that's how rogue mana users and bandits are made.

So after a certain incident around a decade ago, it was decided by the Vazaag not to teach any mana techniques to academy students for security reasons." He looked at the whole class.

"For every student who gets passing marks in the graduation exams, their whole background will be vetted to make sure that they aren't going to leak Korsivir's secrets to any enemy nations. Only then will they be allowed to register as manaweavers, receive their rank-markers, and start learning mana techniques. So don't worry about not having learnt any mana techniques by now." Daisor smiled.

"As long as you learn not to hurt yourself when using pure mana, we will consider you to be successful students of the academy. That's why we have drilled the basics into you for four years: weaving pure mana without harming yourself, making a simple ball of light, and getting familiar with all fourteen hand signs. That's the reason the academy mainly focuses on giving you other necessary skills for survival out in the field.

That overall competence is what makes a manaweaver different from a roadside thug who can use some mana. You all know who would win in a fight between them, even if neither side was allowed to use mana." Aloric nodded at that. As much as it had annoyed him in the past, what the teacher was saying today indeed matched their academy curriculum over the last four years.

Apart from way too many theory lessons and practicing how to make hand signs again and again, they had spent a lot of time increasing their physical fitness, weapon throwing accuracy, and survival skills. The class had gone on countless miniature survival tests in one training ground or another—it had started from overnight stays in comfortable tents when they were in the first year, to week-long survival tests while being alone in the final year of the academy. Even those had been too easy though, in his opinion.

They still hadn't gone outside Korsivir's city walls yet, but that would change once they graduated and started going on missions. He may never have been able to do well in the written tests—just looking at a book gave him a mighty headache—but he had never been short on stamina or thinking out of the box. That's why he had always done well in those survival tests, and thankfully, those tests had a small share in the final graduation scores.

Aloric still felt that rule was stupid, but he didn't make the rules—the Vazaag did. He smirked. However, if he had been allowed to learn real techniques here, maybe he would already be an expert manaweaver by now! But no matter, it was only a matter of days now before he could finally start learning them. The teacher smiled at the class.

"After you graduate from the academy, those of you who do well enough in the exams to be assigned to a four-man squad will get more than enough time to learn all kinds of mana techniques from your squad leader. If you get a Siurim as your instructor, it means the city thinks you might go far."

"Wait, won't we all be assigned to a squad with a Siurim instructor?" Aloric asked with confusion from the back bench. He did think that the topic had come up in one of the classes in the past, but graduation seemed to be far away at the time, so he probably hadn't focused on it.

"How will we participate in the Tarim exams in the future if we aren't even in a four-man squad?"