"Black mana," Instructor Seiya said.
"What?"
"Use the term black mana instead of dark mana," he explained. "Dark mana is what those vile creatures, such as demons and devils, use. If you want to integrate into the circle of Dark Mage, use the term black mana."
"Oh, is that so? Thanks, I won't make the same mistake."
Instructor Seiya nodded, "To answer your question, the answer is no. In the past, 'dark' mana could subtly influence Dark Mages, making their souls easier to manipulate or corrupt. However, at some point in this epoch, countless Dark Mages assembled and formed a coalition; they pooled their knowledge and resources together to optimize the Dark Mage Meditation Runes and created [Black Mana]. They then freely spread this knowledge throughout the Astral Cosmos. Now, as long as you don't actively absorb and use the negative emotions of other people, your soul will be stable and can even use your own negative emotions."
"That's a relief."
"Sir, sir, what about Necromancers? Didn't our predecessor find a way to fix our problem?"
"No."
"W-Why not?"
"Your question is a complex one," Instructor Seiya replied. "Socially, Dark Mages and Necromancers are different. Because of their ability to exploit negative emotions, Dark Mages are sociable and master manipulators; they enjoy mingling in large crowds. Meanwhile, due to the stigma associated with them, Necromancers prefer to live alone and hate interacting with others. So, you would be dreaming if you expect many of them to band together. Some may have independently developed a solution, but the final product is useless without countless people working tirelessly together to spread it.
"Of course, the greatest reason is money and safety. After being corrupted, Dark Mages would exchange countless souls with Devils or open passages to the Demon or, worse, the Abyss Plane, resulting in increased invasions across countless dimensions. The cost of dealing with these invasions was too much, and since it was virtually impossible to wipe out all Dark Mages, a different solution was required.
"Necromancers, on the other hand, will not cause tremendous damage to a plane because their bodies are frail or not. If they do so, it's purely a matter of choice. Not to mention, the issue can easily be solved with regular exercise and a healthy diet. There is really no need to go above and beyond to create a brand new Meditation Rune to solve the problem."
"Sir," Zane raised his hand. "What about the Gremor Empire — did they solve the Necromancer issue?"
Instructor Seiya glanced at him, "Are you trying to show how smart you are?"
"Huh, no."
"Then, why are you asking about the Gremor Empire? Does it matter whether they had solved the issue or not? They've been gone for so long. Who knows if they have solved it or not?"
"True," Zane nodded. He only asked in the hope that the instructor would reveal more information. The history class will not be until next week. "I have another question: do different energies influence the physical body?" Zane's gaze shifted to the instructor's ruby hair.
"If you're talking about negative influences, the answer is no. If you are referring to physical changes, then yes. After interacting with certain energies for long enough, or if you suddenly come into contact with a potent energy source, you may experience a physical change, primarily in your hair follicles. However, the change is not guaranteed, and it depends on a person's DNA."
"That explains the different hair colors," Zane thought. "One more thing: can Light Mages absorb positive emotions?"
"Clerics can, but Light Mages cannot."
"Why not?"
"Light Magic used to be the Domains of the Gods," Instructor Seiya calmly explained. "Until Mages reclaim a part of it."
"What does that —
"Such things are beyond the level of an apprentice — in truth, they are beyond even my scope of understanding," the instructor stated. "And you've asked too many questions."
His gaze shifted back to the students who failed the physical test, "I need you to register your name with Assistant Luna. From now on, I expect to see you in the gym once a day, five days a week. My class also operates on a point system, and every time you miss a day or laze around during training, I will deduct your points."
"What?" Many voices or murmurs of complaints emanated from the students.
"Once you meet my requirements, these classes will no longer be mandatory. But you will be sent back if you fall below the line," Instructor Seiya stated. He then turned to the passing group: "The same goes for you, too. Don't meet my requirements, and you will be sent to the remedial class."
Ms. Luna slowly approached the failed group and, using a transparent magic pad, registered their names from their soul crests.
"Alright, we've already wasted too much time," Instructor Seiya groaned as he checked his beautiful gold pocket watch. "Alright, start running again, but this time, use your maximum speed. You can only stop once you've reached your limit and are about to pass out. Leave your staff and other arcane focuses on the ground; I'll keep an eye on them. Now, go, go, go."
Zane placed his staff in a secluded corner before sprinting at full speed. Less than five minutes later, Zane heard the sound of a whip behind him, forcing him to slow down and look back. In his horror, he saw the instructor whipping a student with a flame whip and yelling, "I said run until you're reached your limit — this is not your limit."
"Hmm? There is no burn mark? No, not even a scratch on the skin tissue," Zane realized upon closer observation of the student's state. Soon, more students were disciplined, and the result was the same; they screamed in pain, but they suffered no injuries.
"I'd better do my best," Zane thought. The scream of those students sent a shiver down his spine. He didn't know what level of pain someone needs to experience to make such shrieking sounds, but he didn't want to experience it. So, he ran; he ran until his legs weighed a ton; he ran until his lungs burned hotter than lava; he ran until his body collapsed, and he puked on the ground for more than a minute.
"He has quite the decent willpower," Ms. Luna commented while looking at Zane. "Well, that's expected of someone in the High Potential List." Besides talent, the two things that determine whether a person is on the list are their achievements during the shift and their willpower.
"After what he's experienced in that prison, that's expected," Instructor Seiya calmly stated. "However, he's only decent." His eyes shifted to another student in the North America Potential List. A white man in camo pants, a green shirt tucked in, and military boots was the last person to fall, but even after collapsing from fatigue, the man continued crawling on the track field.
"Well-trained, disciplined, and ruthless — although he only has an A-Grade Talent, he indeed has a lot of potential."
"You don't like him?" Instructor Seiya asked.
"This kind of person can be turned into a killing machine, but that's the only thing he can do," Ms. Luna shook her head. Unlike Zane, Sergeant Rhode not only killed his magical beast alone, but he also strategically annihilated the entire lizard village during his second shift.
"I don't think so, and even if that were true, isn't the academy's purpose to teach them new things?"
"True," Ms. Luna nodded.
"Alright, let's wrap this up."
Ms. Luna nodded before walking toward the students. When she was near the field, she cast the 2-ring Mind spell Grand Telekinesis. With a single thought, all the students who had passed out at different parts of the track field flew into the air before being slowly dropped onto the grass in front of Instructor Seiya, all packed into one large group.
However, this was just the beginning. Ms. Luna proceeded to cast the 1-ring Life Spell, Mass Stamina Rejuvenation. A green light spread over every student's body, and suddenly, everyone who had been breathing as if they had asthma felt a rush of energy. The students did not completely recover, but it was enough for everybody to barely stand up.
Zane wiped his mouth while groaning softly. Under normal circumstances, he would have been amazed to have just flown, but now his body ached too much to appreciate the wonders of magic. Right now, the only thing on his mind was the hope that the physical aspect of this training was over.
Once every student was on their feet, Instructor Seiya grinned devilishly, "Remember what I said about the three requirements to become a proper Battle Mage? Body, mind, and magic."
Zane suddenly felt a sense of foreboding, and he was right. Before he could react, a terrifying pressure descended on him, rendering him immobile. A feeling of dread slowly overcame him, and, without realizing it, Zane found himself lost in his memories.