Marcus stood at the front of the room, facing the members of the club. "Thank you all for coming today. It's great to see so many new faces joining us this year. I hope you'll all find our activities interesting and fulfilling. Our first meeting will be next week, and we'll be diving straight into our research and experiments."
As Katherine approached, her presence commanded attention. The members of the club subtly shifted to make room for her as she gracefully made her way towards Damian. Her status as a noble was evident in the way she carried herself, but it was her stunning beauty that truly captivated everyone's attention.
"Hello," she said, her voice melodic and sweet. "I couldn't help but notice we're in the same class for edges. Would you like to go together?"
Damian was momentarily taken aback but he quickly regained his composure and nodded with a faint smile, "Sure".
Katherine couldn't help but think that Damian was similar to her friend Leo; the way he acted gave off a similar air, despite his low rank in the academy as G-rank 271. However, Damian's intelligence shone through with his perfect scores on the written exams and the way he carried himself in the club.
Katherine smiled, "Great, I'll go grab my stuff and we will head there together."
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I watched in awe as Aric and Artorious continued to spar with each other, their awakened auras allowing them to move with incredible speed and power. They were in a level of their own, with skills that far surpassed those of their peers.
Meanwhile, I spent most of my time meditating, trying to sense my own aura. I asked Artorious for some sort of advice, but his response was vague and different from how Aric achieved his aura. I realized that each person had their own unique path to awakening their aura, and that patience and diligence were the most important factors. After all, it was not normal to even consider awakening one's aura before the age of twenty, those two were monsters.
Even when I asked Aric and Artorious to spar with me without using their auras, I still ended up losing miserably. They were two of the most skilled fighters in the academy, and their abilities had earned them the top two spots in the rankings.
As the training session came to an end, Artorious spoke up, "so anyway, the score is 3-1 to my favor," referring to the number of spars he had won against Aric.
Aric grumbled in response, "no worries, we will tie the score now."
But before they could continue their friendly rivalry, I interrupted, "tie it later, we will be late for class." She took a swig of water, feeling exhausted but also determined to continue improving and catching up to her skilled classmates.
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Leo's talent in archery was undeniable, and it didn't take long for the archery club to see it as well. With his innate sense of timing and aim, he quickly became a top member within the club, impressing everyone with his accuracy and skill.
But Leo's pride got the best of him when he decided to show off his skills by shooting arrows from a range of 200 meters. He was the type of person who likes to show off but acts like he doesn't care, he smirked underneath as he landed the arrow successfully, but his pride was quickly shattered when he saw someone else hitting a target of the same distance, he checked the identity of the shooter. He was taken aback by her beauty – she had striking blue eyes and silver hair that flowed like a river in the wind framing her soft, flawless skin. it was Rachel Montrose, ranked 6th within the academy and known for her great talent.
Leo couldn't let a girl be equal or surpass him, so he pushed a button and increased the target's distance to 250 meters. He landed the arrow successfully, but Rachel also hit the bullseye with ease, showing no reaction on her face. Leo's eyebrow twitched, but he still maintained his poker face, he pushed the button again, adding another 50 meters.
As the crowd gathered, thinking that it was a mini competition, Leo kept increasing the target's distance. He landed arrows at 300 meters, but Rachel kept going without even paying attention to the crowd's cheers. Leo was the only one having the competition in his head.
Even after hitting the 500 meter target, Rachel kept going. The crowd had grown larger and was cheering them on, but Rachel seemed to be paying no attention to the spectacle she had created. As they reached the 700 meter distance, Leo started sweating from the inside. "Fuck, I already surpassed my record by 200 meters," he thought as he was looking at her.
"Is her father Green Arrow or something?" Leo still had one arrow left on his back, and he managed to hit the last two targets barely, while Rachel was hitting the targets bullseye non-stop. He wasn't confident he could land the last one, as it was getting harder. The crowd was cheering became louder.
A thought suddenly pooped up in his head, Leo remembered his edge, a mysterious ability he possessed but didn't fully understand. It was named "probability manipulation" by the academy's researchers.
Given the reports of the events of when his edge was used and after doing some tests, a story from Leo's childhood surfaced. It was a hot summer day, and Leo was craving an ice-cream. But he didn't have enough money on him to buy one. Suddenly, a person walks by and drops some money, and Leo feels tempted to buy the ice-cream. But being the good boy he is, he returns the money. Then another person walks by and drops some money, and Leo returns the money again. And then, more people keep dropping their money, and Leo is getting frustrated.
"Are these shitheads flexing with their money or what" he thought to himself.
And just when he was about to just go home, he suddenly lost consciousness because of mana exhaustion. After hearing this tragic story, the academy ran some tests and they were finally able to give his edge a name: probability manipulation.
Leo had never used it intentionally before because he didn't understand what it was in the first place, now it could be the best time to use it, he has to land the shot to equal the score.
Leo started to focus on his breathing, trying to calm his nerves. He closed his eyes and began to circulate his mana around his soul core. It was a process he had never consciously done before, He tried to visualize himself hitting the target from such a long distance. He could feel his mana responding to his thoughts and his body began to feel lighter, as if he was being lifted by the wind. The air around him felt charged with energy, and he felt like he was on the verge of something incredible.
But instead of a straight and true shot, the arrow went completely off course, flying up in a zigzag pattern, surprising everyone. It went up and hit the roof before suddenly dropping down and hitting the target dead center, a bullseye.
As the arrow hit the target, the crowd erupted in cheers, amazed by the unexpected shot. Leo couldn't believe his eyes, his mouth hung open in surprise before quickly regaining his composure, trying to act like he had meant to do it all along. Even Rachel, who had been expressionless for all this time, had a dumbfounded look on her face.
Leo couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and accomplishment as he walked off the range, with the sound of the other members' praise ringing in his ears. However, as he took his first step, he stumbled on his feet, almost falling over. It was then that he realized that the shot he had just made had consumed more than half of his mana reserves.
Leo's face turned pale, he had pushed himself too far, but never the less he tried to play it cool. He quickly tried to regain his composure and left the range.
**********************************************************************************************
As they walked down the hall, Katherine couldn't help but comment, "You got perfect scores on the written entrance exams,"
Damian shrugged nonchalantly. "I studied hard for them. It's not really that impressive. Besides you also got perfect scores"
Katherine nodded, smiling faintly. "Yes, I did. But it's still impressive, especially since you're ranked so low in the academy."
Damian's expression remained bored. "Rank doesn't necessarily equate to intelligence."
As they continued walking down the hall, Damian couldn't help but notice the glances they were receiving. "Does this happen often?" he asked, his gaze flickering to the people around them.
Katherine let out a soft sigh. "Yes, it does. But I've grown used to it over the years," she replied, a hint of weariness in her voice. "Does it make you uncomfortable?".
Damian shook his head. "Not really. I've been ignored for most of my life, so it's a new experience for me," he added "I'm just curious as to why. Is it because of your status or your looks?" with a wry smile.
Katherine gave a small sigh. "It's a bit of both, I suppose. My family's status is well-known, and I've been told I have... pleasant features."
Damian raised an eyebrow, a small smirk playing at the corners of his lips. "Pleasant features? Is that how you describe yourself?"
'You are openly boasting about it'
Katherine rolled her eyes, playfully swatting at him. "Oh, shut up. You know what I mean."
Katherine glanced at Damian with a raised eyebrow. "You don't seem to care much about my status or my looks."
Damian shrugged. "Why should I?, you don't seem to care about mine. Not that I'm saying I'm ugly though".
Katherine chuckled. "I suppose you have a point there."
Leo, Aric, and Artorious were undoubtedly the most handsome men in the academy, with sharp features that made heads turn wherever they went. Their chiseled jawlines, deep-set eyes, and tall stature made them stand out in a crowd.
On the other hand, Damian didn't quite have the same striking appearance as the others. While he wasn't ugly by any means, he didn't have the same sharpness to his features that Leo, Aric, and Artorious did. He was rather short, standing at the same height as Katherine and Anastasia, and his black hair often fell messily over his forehead. His warm brown eyes looked slightly glazed over at times, giving him a baby-faced look that didn't quite command attention like the others.
It was also quite the surprise for someone ranked so low ( rank 271 ) to have an edge. She knew from her own experience that having an edge was an incredibly rare occurrence, one that only a few individuals possessed. In fact, she remembered that only eight students in the entire first-year classes of three hundred had an edge, she also knew that the number of people who possessed an edge with the older years was significantly lower than it was with the first years, there only existed one or two edge users.
She turned to him and asked, "So, what's your edge?"
Damian hesitated for a moment before answering, " I can forge objects with mana, more precisely weapons"
Katherine's eyes widened in surprise. "Forging? That's quite rare, isn't it? I've never heard of anything like that before".
Damian nodded. " Well you probably know that my general stats are very low and even through I got perfect scores in the written exams, it won't be enough to make into Lumina. So having an edge was the reason why I got in, they think that when I get hold of my ability I will be able to forge weapons for others , but it doesn't work like that. I have to control the flow of mana when I use this ability, if I hand the weapon that I forged to someone else, the weapon will loose its shape and turn into mana particles."
He added " But they don't know all that so you can say I scammed them ".
But when he looked at her, he noticed her eyes had widened. "Is there something wrong?" I asked, tilting my head slightly.
Katherine hesitated for a moment before replying. "Ah, no, it's just that I'm surprised you shared so many details about your ability," she said, looking at him curiously.
Damian shrugged. "Why not? It's not like it's a secret or anything."
he then added , "What's yours? Ah, don't worry if you don't want to tell. I'm not going to gaslight you."
Katherine let out a chuckle. "Thanks for the reassurance, but it's not necessary," she replied. "My ability is non-casting,"
Damian winks. "Non-casting?"
Katherine nods. "I can cast spells without doing the enchanting."
In most magical systems, the process of enchanting involves imbuing an object, substance, or spell with magical properties or attributes. The process typically involves the use of mana, a form of magical energy, which is channeled into the object or spell through a variety of methods, such as incantations.
Enchanting can be a complex and time-consuming process, depending on the complexity and power of the spell being cast. It requires precise control over the flow and manipulation of mana, as well as an understanding of the underlying magical principles involved.
Due to the complex and time-consuming nature of enchanting, and the high cost of magic scrolls, becoming a mage isn't as popular as becoming a weapon wielder. While magic scrolls are extremely expensive, they are more efficient than having a mage who needs time to cast their spells. A skilled mage can be a valuable asset in certain situations, especially when it comes to magical defenses and specialized spells.
Damian scratched his chin. " It makes sense now why someone within the top ten chose a mage as a specialty, your edge is a game changer "
Katherine smiled, "Yes, it definitely has its advantages. But it's not just about having an edge. Mana control and magic in general can be complex. I still have a lot to learn and improve on," she added. "That reminds me, you're a mage as well."
" It's the best specialty I had," Damian continued, "I didn't want to waste my time waving a sword for nothing. Archery seemed interesting, but nah, it's better to have practical classes in magic and mana control, and focus on my studies and resear.."
Just as he was about to finish his sentence, they were both interrupted by a sudden sound echoing through the hall, calling out Katherine's name. It was her friend and the princess, Anastasia.
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As we left the training site, we met with Leo who left the archery range and was looking tired. When we were about to ask him what happened, he just said don't ask.
As we were walking down the hall, I spotted Katherine. I raised my hand and called out to her, "Oi Katherine!" She turned around and smiled when she saw me.
Then, I noticed someone else walking beside her. I asked, "Who is that walking with her?"
As his figure became more clear, I was able to identify him. "It's that guy I was talking about, the one who left the class that day."
As they walked closer, Katherine smiled and introduced the guy beside her, "This is Damian. He is in the same club as me, and he is actually with us for edges class."
"Nice to meet you," Damian said with a friendly smile.
I spoke up with a surprised tone, "You are the guy who left the elemental class."
Damian's face fell, and he rubbed his shoulder as if recalling his teacher Serena scolding him. "That's me."
Artorious stepped forward and shook Damian's hand. "Nice to meet you."
Damian nodded and responded, "You too."
Then Aric walked up and shook his hand, tightening his grip. "Nice to meet you, I'm rank 2 Aric Ironheart."
Everyone one there except Damian sighted, but he quickly caught on, it was like a jungle ritual when he tried to assert dominance.
"Ah, that makes Artorious rank 1. That's amazing," he said with a smile.
"Nice to meet you, rank 2. My name is Damian." He added, provoking Aric.
Aric's expression tightened slightly at Damian's words, sensing the underlying challenge in his tone. But he quickly regained his composure and responded with a smile, "Nice to meet you too, Damian."
Just then, Damian finally looked at Leo, who was acting like an old person, and asked, "What's wrong with h-"
But he was cut off by Leo, who shook his head and said, "Don't ask."
With Leo's last remark ringing in their ears, the group made their way towards the edge class.
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As we arrived at the edge training field, we noticed that it was more like an open field with various terrain types. As we walked, The teacher, a tall, imposing woman with fiery red hair, greeted us with a nod. We took our seats and waited for the class to begin. It was none other than Elizabeth Harrison, an S+ rank swordswoman and one of the great adventurers within the empire.
As she looked over the class, a small smile played across her lips. "This year's first years look promising," she said, her voice carrying easily across the open field. "It's the first time we've had this many Edge users in a single year. But don't let that make you complacent. You still have a long way to go if you want to make a name for yourselves in this world."
The students looked at Elizabeth as she addressed them. "Usually, we don't have this many edge users," she said, her voice carrying across the open field. "That's why this class consists of students of different years. But for this year, they assigned me to supervise the first years, and they assigned another professor for the other years."
She paused for a moment, scanning the faces of the students. "Now, let's do a roll call" she said, pulling out a list of names. "When I call your name and edge, respond with a 'here' or 'present'."
Elizabeth cleared her throat and began the roll call "Anastasia Astaseul, mana regeneration," and I responded with a clear "Here."
"Artorious Roland Blackwood, mana conversion," Elizabeth continued and the students kept responding.
"Here."
"Aric Ironheart, magic body strengthening,"
"Here."
"Damian, mana forging,"
"Present."
"Katherine Whitmore , non-casting,"
"Here."
"Henry Romanov, shadow step,"
"Here."
"Rachel Montrose, invincibility,"
"Present."
"Leo Nathan Grey, probability manipulation,"
"Here."
Elizabeth finished calling out the names and edges of each student. "Excellent," she said, nodding to herself. "Now that we have all the introductions out of the way, it's time to get down to business. As I have reviewed your reports, I have decided to split you into pairs based on your understanding of your respective edges,"
She pulled out a sheet of paper and began to read out the pairings. "Anastasia and Aric, Artorious and Katherine, Damian and Leo, Henry and Rachel."
Each of us looked at our respective partners with anticipation. Katherine seemed devastated the most out of us all after ending up with Henry. Aric and Artorious ended up together wasn't a surprise since their edges were similar and they also were at a similar level. Rachel had a particularly curious look on her face as she looked at Leo.
Leo noticed her gaze and said, "What?"
Rachel replied, "Probability manipulation, huh?"
Leo replied, "Invincibility, huh?"
Rachel then asked, "What do you mean by that?"
Leo responded, trying to keep his composure, "I don't know, what do you mean?"
Rachel knew that Leo's strange way of landing the 700 target at the range was probably because of his edge, but Leo tried his best to deny it.
"I'm saying that you used your edge to land that last shot in the range," Rachel spoke up.
"No, I didn't. And you used your edge 'invincibility' to land all your shots. You go invisible, get closer to the target, land the shot, and then go back to your original spot," Leo responded with an expressionless face.
Rachel was speechless for a moment, then said, "It doesn't work like that."
Leo replied shamelessly, "How do I know that?"
Their conversation was interrupted by Elizabeth, who clapped her hands to get their attention. "Alright everyone, it's time to start the lesson. I want each pair to discuss and analyze the each other's edges. I'll be circulating the groups one by one to answer any questions you may have."
Even though their conversation sounded interesting, I couldn't help but feel a little nervous about being paired with Damian. I had never really spoken to him before, and I didn't know what to expect. When I took a glance at him, he was looking up the stairs. Curious, I followed his gaze and noticed many other students looking at us from afar.
Then he finally broke the silence, "Why are they looking at us?"
I replied, "Ah, well, I think Katherine told me that edges are rare, so they're probably here to watch us and for other reasons."
Most of the students there to watch were males, so the other reasons were probably them fawning over the beauties in our class.
Damian said, "This place is weird. Even earlier at the hall, they were like pets." He added, "Well, it's time to work."
I couldn't help but chuckle at his attitude, he then closed his eyes and began to circulate mana around his core, and mana particles coalesced around Damian's hand, a practice spear materialized in his grip. It was made of polished wood, about six feet in length, with a blunt, rounded tip. The spear was intricately designed, with ornate carvings and engravings decorating its surface. Its weight felt balanced and Damian held it with confidence. He gave it a few practice swings.
I couldn't help but be impressed. "Wow, that's amazing. Can you create any weapon?" I asked him.
He responded, "Yeah, pretty much, but the issue isn't what weapon. The issue is the material. As you can see, this one is only a practice spear made out of wood. It's possible to make it with other materials, but even this one consumed a lot of mana. My mana reserves are garbage."
"Well, it's still impressive. Besides, you can still increase your mana capacity with time," I said.
"Yeah, you are right. What about you? Your edge is called mana regeneration or something, right? I didn't really understand what that means," Damian asked.
"It's exactly what it means. My edge helps me regenerate mana at a rapid pace," I replied.
Damian looked confused and said, "Wait, aren't edges supposed to consume mana, you know like the process of circulating mana around your core, then the edge consumes the mana enabling the ability?"
I replied, "Mine is an exception. I have to circulate a bit of mana around my core, and then my mana reserves start filling up."
"Huh," Damian said with a dumbfounded look.
"Here, I'll show you. Just back away for a second," I said, holding up my sword. I focused my mana and summoned a great amount of flames, shooting them towards the sky. Miss Elizabeth paid me no mind, as she already knew what my edge was. I kept shooting flames until where I felt my mana reserves reaching about half which was showed on the watch on my hand.
Then I started circling my remaining mana around my core and my mana reserves started filling. And after about 5 minutes of the process, I was back to full.
"here" showing him my watch indicating the percentage of mana "all my mana is back "
Damian was speechless, he then broke his silence "Wow, that's insane"
I felt a bit embarrassed by his reaction. "Well, it's certainly useful when it comes to using my elemental powers, but it doesn't help much when someone rushes at you fully armored with aura," I replied.
"No, you have no idea how amazing your edge is," he said excitedly. "You practically have infinite mana. It's not just useful for elemental magic, but also for spells and artifacts that consume mana. Even a scroll can consume one's entire mana capacity to create. Aura is nothing compared to that advantage."
As he continued to praise my edge, he suddenly stopped and said, "Wait, you're not a mage though."
I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I know. It's weird, right? My edge just randomly manifested one day when I was practicing my swordsmanship."
Damian looked at me with a mix of awe and confusion. "That's so strange. Anyway, it's fine you can just quit and become a mage".
I chuckled at his suggestion " haha, thanks for the offer".
He then said " no, really I'm serious. You have a stupidly insane talent for a mage", he added "Besides, you're not cut for the sword like your brother."
At the sudden mention of my brother, I couldn't help but weakly utter, " huh".