novelraw Chapter 79 : New Benefits (4)
Chapter 79 : New Benefits (4)
Chapter 79: New Benefits (4)
Balak’s intention behind the lesson was simple.
It was a lesson meant to teach how to use the surrounding environment.
Balak demonstrated first.
“Now, this is magic when I don’t use this campfire.”
Whoosh!
When he spread his palm, a small flame flared brightly in his hand.
“And this is magic when I use the environment called that campfire.”
Whoosh!
“Woooah…….”
The magic burning in Balak’s hand grew even larger, and its brightness became more vivid.
Naturally, I could feel that the fire energy(火氣) had also become far stronger.
Hei stared with eyes full of awe, his mouth hanging wide open, unable to close it.
As evidence that the campfire had been used, the flames had disappeared from the logs that had been burning earlier.
It was already a natural flame.
Because Balak had taken a natural flame—namely, a flame without an owner—and made it his own, that kind of phenomenon had occurred.
This was called Tap-Taking(Tap-Taking).
However, he omitted the terminology.
For an elementalist, an environment suited to oneself acted as a booster for magic.
Even though the same amount of mana was consumed, the power of the magic differed that dramatically due to a single environmental difference—one could call it a secret technique.
As befitting the start of the intermediate class, the lesson content could not be compared to that of the 1st Class.
However, this was a lesson with a very high entry barrier.
“My lesson ends here. I want to move on, but I can’t, as you can see.”
Balak said this while pointing at the other students.
I subtly observed how the other students were trying to use the surrounding environment.
More than half of them had taken a meditative posture, keeping their eyes closed while trying to bring the campfire into their magic.
A small number of students stood with their arms crossed, pondering how they might be able to use it.
There wasn’t a single student properly using the campfire.
Perhaps because of this reality, he seemed to have omitted the terminology.
Just like magic circles, Tap-Taking also had stages, so he likely thought it was too early for students who hadn’t even stepped onto the threshold of that stage yet.
“How are we supposed to do it?”
When Hei asked, Balak scratched his cheek.
“Well, there’s no single right answer to how you use the environment. Just like clothing sizes and shoe sizes differ from person to person, you have to find your own way of using it.”
What he said was correct.
As he said, there was no fixed method for using the surrounding environment.
Discovering a path that suited oneself.
As proof, even now, despite being a 3rd Class, there wasn’t a single fire-element student who knew how to use the surrounding environment.
‘Now that I see it, I get why Keled is the top student.’
Keled used the environment as freely as if it were his own home.
He truly deserved the title of top student.
“Alright, then you all start as well.”
Balak stated the lesson content, dragged over a chair, sat down with his legs crossed, and watched the students.
To an outsider, it might look like a class of irresponsible observation, but he was, in his own way, diligently conducting the lesson.
“Hmm…….”
At the same time, Hei fell into deep thought.
His expression clearly showed that he was thinking about all sorts of ways to use the campfire to add to his magic.
Then, he also glanced around to see what the other students were doing.
‘That’s right. Since he doesn’t know anything, exploration is the correct answer for now.’
He might have been thinking of copying them, or perhaps just using them as reference.
Either way, as long as he found a path that suited him, it wasn’t wrong.
I thought carefully about how I had first begun to learn Tap-Taking.
It was back when I realized what Flewd was, rejoiced at the words that Flewd could exert its greatest power in any environment, and spent a long time researching it.
At the time, Flewd was the only thing I had to boast about.
I wasn’t showing extraordinary talent in the application of magic.
That kind of thing was far off back then.
At least until the 4th Circle.
After surpassing the 4th Circle and living as a 5th Circle Mage, I met my master, and my life underwent a drastic upheaval.
Anyway, the method I used back then was…….
‘Ah, I remember.’
I immediately crouched down in front of the campfire.
Then, I manifested a small flame at the tip of my index finger and merged the campfire with my own magical flame.
“What are you doing, Artel?”
Hei reacted right away.
“Well, when I think about it. Using the surrounding environment is basically about making my magic stronger, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Doesn’t that mean the environment and my magic are combining? So I figured that if I keep merging my magic with the campfire like this, I might naturally grasp it.”
That was actually how I grasped it.
Though the title of former Archmage felt embarrassing, if I were to confess something, it would be that I wasn’t that smart.
I was just like any ordinary student, merely possessing the special trait called Flewd.
At least up to the 4th Circle.
Anyway, I repeated this crude method for nearly a year and eventually mastered Tap-Taking.
Hei immediately followed my lead.
He trusted every action and word of mine to an almost burdensome degree.
“Hmm…….”
Just like me, he manifested a small flame at the tip of his index finger, merged it with the campfire, and closed his eyes.
I didn’t know what he was thinking in this state, but all I could do was hope he would find the right path.
‘It took me about a year, but considering Hei’s adaptability, it could be a bit faster.’
As I turned my gaze, I met eyes with Balak.
He rounded his mouth as if letting out an “Oh ho,” staring at the two of us with an intrigued look.
That must have meant no student had set out to find their path in this manner.
‘When should I let him know that I already know how to use Tap-Taking?’
I turned my gaze away from him and thought only about that.
I already knew how to do it, but pretending not to was the harder part.
Since I couldn’t yet judge the appropriate timing, I thought I’d just watch the progress of the other students and act accordingly.
“Artel.”
Suddenly, Balak called me.
“Yes.”
“You know that starting tomorrow, all subjects begin simultaneously at 10 a.m., right? But since you’re a double caster, you can only attend one element’s class.”
“That’s right.”
“So, which class are you thinking of attending? I’m really curious.”
He asked with his characteristic air of playful nonchalance.
It was refreshing that he didn’t bother beating around the bush about his curiosity.
“Here, the fire element.”
I answered without any hesitation.
Balak, wearing a kindly smile, asked back for the reason.
“The darkness element doesn’t do lessons like this. From the 1st Class, they only teach formulaic magic, so it’s boring.”
In truth, the biggest reason was because Hei was there, but I made a rough excuse.
“That’s fortunate, that you found it interesting. Then, keep going. You’re approaching it in a fairly innovative way, so it’s quite entertaining for me to watch as well.”
“Yes, thank you.”
‘Why is he so curious about my class plan?’
He was clearly satisfied with my answer.
When evening came, the three of us regrouped.
Kiena’s expression was particularly bright.
No, to be precise, she kept smiling foolishly as if she’d become some kind of airhead, even making strange sounds like “Heheh.”
It seemed something good had happened during class.
“Kiena, what’s up?”
When I asked, Kiena, as if she’d been waiting, started listing everything that had happened during her lesson.
“The teacher first looked at my two relics and praised them! The other students couldn’t properly summon their relics!”
She was boasting.
But that kind of confidence-filled 모습 was nice to see.
And with this, one thing became absolutely clear—Kiena was displaying uniquely outstanding talent among summoners.
When she first summoned her relics, I had guessed they’d be around the level of a 3rd Circle Mage, but seeing them in reality, Kiena’s relics were on a level that couldn’t even be compared to those of other students.
“How many people are in the summoning subject?”
“Four!”
“And among them, Kiena is first place?”
“Yeah! And the teacher said I even beat the top earth-element student, so maybe, exceptionally, a top student might come out of the summoning subject! They said they’d teach me everything!”
“…….”
She was so excited that her voice stayed loud the entire time she explained.
But even Kiena, smart as she was, failed to notice the ambiguity in the teacher’s words.
Whether she forgot due to the joy of praise, or whether she was simply still a young student whose thoughts hadn’t reached that far yet, I couldn’t tell.
What was certain was that in the 1st Class, summoners had been taught to be stronger than elementalists.
And yet suddenly, in the 3rd Class, there might exceptionally be a top student coming from the summoning subject?
That meant that for a very long time, no top student had ever appeared from the summoning subject.
If summoners were stronger than elementalists, then as classes increased, the gap between them and elementalists should naturally widen.
As expected, even though the era had changed, the limits of summoners still clearly remained.
Still, seeing how happy she was, I had no intention of pouring cold water on it, so I quietly ate my meal.
“Kiena, how’s the 3rd Class lesson? We’re learning how to use the surrounding environment.”
Hei asked.
Since our subjects were different, he looked genuinely curious about what kind of lessons were conducted in the 3rd Class, known as the intermediate class.
“Hmm…… there’s nothing like that. Compared to the 1st Class, I don’t think there’s a big difference. They just tell us what kinds of relics there are, their characteristics, or what kind of environment their ancestors grew up in, stuff like that.”
“That’s totally different from us.”
Unlike elementalists, summoners had no way to utilize the surrounding environment, so that was only natural.
And Kiena saying she couldn’t really tell the difference from the 1st Class was a little unexpected to me.
There was definitely a difference, but Kiena was a student with an unusual level of interest in study, to the point where she could understand the ancient summoning grimoire possessed by Banshi.
That influence was probably at play.
After finishing dinner, it was time for everyone to return to their dormitories and rest.
The 3rd Class dormitory was clearly more spacious than the 1st Class’s, and the beds were comfortable.
Above all, the moment when it stood out that there wasn’t a single piece of old furniture was particularly memorable.
“I wonder if Banshi is doing well? I want to see her.”
These were days where I didn’t yet feel Banshi’s absence, but still, she was someone from the same era as me, a mage who shared the same pain.
It didn’t feel very pleasant, as if I’d left her alone in the 2nd Class.
“What am I even worrying about. She’s Flewd and already a 6th Circle Mage—there’s no way she wouldn’t do well, right?”
Then I lay down on the bed and forced myself to sleep.
It was to clear away stray thoughts and greet tomorrow.
The next day.
Due to the changed school rules, all subjects began simultaneously at 10 a.m.
I entered the fire-element class together with Hei, and the lesson content was exactly the same as yesterday.
Merging the lit campfire into one’s own magic.
It might have been a headache-inducing lesson for the other students, but for me, it was practically a break.
Just like yesterday, I manifested a single small flame on my index finger and left it inside the campfire, staying still.
After spending the morning class like that, and even passing lunch time—
I learned the total number of students in the 3rd Class.
Fifty-two.
It was a much larger number than the 1st Class.
But it was a truly strange phenomenon.
Usually, as classes went up, the total number of students tended to decrease, but the 3rd Class was the opposite.
Well, since the total numbers of the 0 Class and 1st Class had been abnormally low, maybe this was actually normal.
Either way, among those fifty-two people, only the top six could advance to the next class.
It was a graduation condition with far greater difficulty than in the 1st Class.
Even so, today as well, there was no news from the mobs.
The students still seemed to be gauging each other, engaging in their own psychological warfare and battle of nerves over whom to challenge to a duel.
[Ranking Board]
Artel, Kiena, Hei - 101
The ranking board hadn’t changed either.
‘Should I just challenge someone first?’