Jody toyed with the storage ring on his finger, watching the black-robed old man ride the wind ahead of him. His mood was undeniably light.
Along the way, the man explained the broader structure of this world, especially matters concerning mages and the Magic Academy. Jody gradually formed a general understanding.
The black-robed man was an executive instructor of the academy, known as Feng Xing. After hearing his explanation, Jody quickly grasped the role. It was essentially the equivalent of a disciplinary dean from his previous life. Someone who did not teach regular classes but oversaw discipline, punishment, and external security. He had been on another assignment this time and merely passed through Jody's village, which led to their earlier encounter.
"Elder Feng, what rank are you?" Jody asked innocently after Feng Xing finished explaining the mage ranking system.
"Eighth rank. In the academy, I can count on one hand those who outrank me."
"So that means there are ninth-rank mages."
"There are. A few old fossils buried in their laboratories."
"And above the ninth rank?"
A trace of reverence flashed through Feng Xing's eyes as his tone hardened."Why ask so much? That realm is not one you are meant to glimpse."
Jody was not offended. He had merely wanted to confirm that realms beyond the ninth truly existed.
Upon returning to the academy, Feng Xing led Jody directly to the Fire Spirit Class. Along the way, Jody learned that nearly all mages possessed elemental affinities belonging to one of four types: wind, fire, lightning, or water. As such, each cohort was divided into these four major classes. Specialized courses were taught separately, while general courses brought all four classes together.
Since Jody had only demonstrated a fireball, Feng Xing placed him into the Fire Spirit Class. After a brief exchange with the class instructor, Jody was inserted as a transfer student. The term had only just begun, and with Feng Xing himself making the request, the instructor asked no questions and ushered Jody inside.
There were not many students in the class. Roughly twenty or thirty boys and girls, most around seventeen or eighteen years old. Jody was already younger than them, and having grown up an orphan in a remote village, his nutrition had naturally been inferior to that of the wealthy youths from the royal capital. He appeared noticeably smaller, almost two frames slighter than his peers.
Fortunately, the imagined scene of arrogant bullies never materialized. Instead, the class regarded the transfer student with curiosity more than anything else.
Jody found a seat in a corner just as the instructor entered the classroom.
"Today is our second lesson on fire-element magic. Since we have a new student, I'll briefly reintroduce myself. You may call me Instructor Wade. I will be your class advisor, and I am a seventh-rank fire mage."
As he spoke, his gaze settled briefly on Jody.
Jody examined his "homeroom teacher." Unlike the fiery image he had imagined, Wade wore a plain, well-fitted mage robe. His dark hair was neatly combed, his face square and dignified, though his eye sockets were deeply set.
Before Jody could think further, Wade had already looked away.
"Based on last lesson's content, everyone, condense a fireball beside you."
At once, the students focused their minds, sensing the fire elements around them.
One by one, fireballs flickered to life throughout the classroom. Jody scanned the room and could not help but sigh inwardly. This was hardly fireball magic. Calling it flame-spark magic would have been more accurate. The largest fireball was no bigger than a baseball, while the smallest was barely the size of a coin. Each student wore a strained expression, as though exhausting every ounce of strength.
Jody had no desire to stand out. He quietly split a bit of carbon monoxide and formed a fireball the size of a ping-pong ball. Aside from burning slightly more vigorously, it looked no different from the others.
The class showed little surprise, assuming Wade had simply given Jody some extra instruction beforehand.
Seeing this, Wade nodded and continued,"Today, we'll be learning a spell incantation that increases the activity of nearby fire elements. Listen carefully."
He recited a string of arcane syllables, and the students dutifully followed suit.
Jody's heart skipped. Increasing the activity of fire elements? The elements he sensed were not fire at all. Would this incantation even work for him?
With no choice but to try, Jody repeated the spell.
To his astonishment, the elements he could perceive also became more active. When he used his mental energy to split and recombine molecules, the process became noticeably easier, as though the incantation acted as a catalyst.
The other students were all rare talents who had awakened magical aptitude, far from mediocre. After practicing the incantation several times, the fireballs before them grew significantly larger.
Jody subtly adjusted his own fireball to match the class average, though his thoughts churned.
"Damn it. I didn't know the general magic level of this world back then. I showed off way too hard in front of Elder Feng. I didn't even use an incantation and made a washbasin-sized fireball. Looking at it now, trading that for a storage ring was a loss. A total loss!"
At that very moment, Feng Xing was discussing the matter with the vice principal, praising the fortune of having discovered such a prodigy. The vice principal marveled repeatedly, saying that if this were true, the academy head might personally take Jody as a disciple upon returning.
Of course, Jody knew nothing of this. He was still immersed in experiencing the changes brought about by the incantation.
By midday, most students were mentally exhausted from practice. The academy was considerate enough to provide mana potions with lunch to help them recover.
On the way to the dining hall, students walked in small groups, discussing insights from the morning. This was not limited to the fire class; students from other elemental classes filled the paths as well.
As Jody passed two wind-element freshmen, he happened to hear them reciting their newly learned incantation. His heart jolted. Large portions of it overlapped with the fire incantation he had just learned.
In that instant, Jody seemed to grasp something, though he dared not confirm it yet. He hurriedly searched for students from other classes to test his hypothesis.
Just then, a tall girl with long purple hair and a flowing violet robe walked past him. Between her slender fingers danced arcs of purple lightning.
Without overthinking, Jody dipped his head slightly and asked,"Excuse me, are you a lightning-class freshman? May I ask you a question?"
The girl stopped. Her expression remained impassive as she replied coolly,"Yes. But you'll have to fight me first."
"Huh?"This time, Jody was completely stunned. He had assumed that despite the presence of magic, students here would still be devoted scholars. Yet he had barely stopped someone before running into a violent maniac.
"Beat me, and I'll be your friend," the purple-haired girl said with a faint smile. "If you don't dare, then stop blocking your big sister's way to lunch."
Only then did Jody realize what was happening. He had apparently mistaken the attitude of some noble young lady, who now thought he was just another suitor trying to strike up a conversation.