Training (1)

"Alright, class!" Mr. Wang announced, clapping his hands together. "From now until the beginning of the Advancement Exams, class time is your training and planning time! The Magic Training Room on this floor will be open to all 2nd Years during this time. In addition, I will not be teaching anything more, but feel free to come find me if you have any questions. That's all, get to work!"

Cheers erupted in the confined room, and everyone quickly grouped together with their team members and dashed out the door, eager to be the first ones in the Magic Training Room. Space was limited, after all. Mr. Wang also left the room.

As for me? Well. I stayed behind as usual, and began drafting a plan. The girls, however...

"Big Brother Xuan Kai, what are you doing?!" Qing Yue cried, jumping up and down. "We have to train for the upcoming exams!"

I looked at her exhaustedly. "What's the rush? We have plenty of time to train - a full week."

"Um, yeah, but the more training time the better, no?" Feng Mian argued.

"Er...by standards, yes," I replied. "But there's no point fighting for it in this case."

The four girls stared at me, puzzled. I sighed.

"Look - everyone else has the exact same thought process as you right now, so they are all going to be rushing to the Magic Training Room. And so, there's no doubt it's going to hella crowded, and skirmishes between different classes will definitely occur," I explained.

"That's true, but..." Yu An Yan trailed off.

"Meaning," I continued. "Even if we go there now, there's little chance we're going to get any actually effective training in."

"Quality over quantity, huh?" Feng Mian said, finally understanding what I'm getting at.

"Um...then what do you suppose we do now?" Yu An Xue asked shyly.

I smirked. "Mr. Wang said that class time would be used for our training..."

"...And planning," Qing Yue finished.

"Aha! So when we're planning, everyone else will be training. And when we are done, they will be as well - and that's when we begin our own training," Yu An Yan summarized.

I nodded. "That way, not only do we get quality training time, but also a sufficient planning stage to make sure nothing goes wrong. Time management, people."

"Hehe~ as expected of my Big Brother Xuan Kai!" Qing Yue complimented, and threw her arms around me as the other girls watched with slightly uncomfortable expressions, for whatever reason.

*****

- Meanwhile, The Magic Training Room -

"Tch...did he not come?" Li Yi Fei said with his hands shoved in his pockets as he spat on the floor arrogantly.

"Doesn't seem like it," Zhang Zhe Rui replied, scanning their surroundings.

"Hmph! That bastard is clearly too scared to even come!" Pang Zi, Li Yi Fei's other lackey, punched his own palm loudly, as if asking for a fight.

The three of them had been one of the firsts to arrive at the Magic Training Room of the 2nd Years. They had originally wanted to witness Xuan Kai's magic once more just to make sure what they saw at the duel was really his own magic, but unfortunately for them Xuan Kai had not shown up.

They sat in the Fire Dimension together on a burnt log. Surrounding them was a miniature magma river that abruptly cut off at the end of the dimension, where the fiery orange barrier stood. There used to be a mini volcano across this river as well - used to, because after one night a huge hole had been punched through it. Now, it could hardly be called a volcano. No one knew what happened to cause that, but apparently remains of fire magic being used were found. Still, whoever did it, must've been exceptionally powerful at Fire Magic to be able to do that.

The Magic Training Room was a very special place. It was divided into 21 separate dimensions, with narrow pathways that intersect and form a massive array: 3 rows, 7 columns. Each dimension was literally almost like a separate world. Apart from a massive barrier that surrounded each dimension, it was completely as if you were really in the scenery that the dimension depicts.

The sky, ground, and environment overall are all strikingly realistic. But the most fascinating part about it was that the barriers were see-through - you could see what's going on in another dimension. And as soon as you walked out of the barrier, the sky was replaced by the familiar ceiling, and the ground with normal floor tiling.

Such a room was used to train mages. It contained 21 dimensions as mentioned before. Each dimension was based on one element, and within it was an abundance of mana for that specific element, making it especially good for training. There was one Magic Training Room for every year at Shenzhen Magic High School, with the higher years having more mana in their dimensions compared to the lower years, since the difficulty of spells and enlightenment rise.

Since all three of them had a Fire Element affinity, Li Yi Fei and his two lackeys had decided to enter the Fire Dimension. That was how they were able to use Conjoined Release to cast that Level Two Fire spell weeks ago against Feng Mian, after all. And since Li Yi Fei was a young master of one of the Four Great Families of Shenzhen, no one bothered them. In fact, they had plenty of space around them compared to other people.

Had they been some nobody, there's no doubt they would've been cast out by the other students who also wanted to use that space. It was really crowded in the Magic Training Room, due to everyone wanting to train as much as they could. Space was valuable and limited.

"Hm...I don't know why, but I feel like it's not that he's scared of coming here..." Zhang Zhe Rui muttered, vetoing Pang Zi's conclusion.

"Then what is it?" Li Yi Fei asked, arching an eyebrow.

"...I'm not sure exactly, but I can feel it," Zhang Zhe Rui replied, pushing up his glasses. "Xuan Kai...he's dangerous."

"Dangerous? You mean...that actually was his own magic at the duel?" Pang Zi asked.

Zhang Zhe Rui nodded. "There's a 90% chance that is the case."

Li Yi Fei clenched his fists tight. "That bastard...just how did he become able to use magic all of a sudden...?!"

"...My apologies, master. There isn't any data on such a scenario at all, since it has never happened before," Zhang Zhe Rui responded, bowing to show his sincerity.

"Never mind that. We can use Level Two Magic now as well, but even then I don't know if we'll be able to beat that bitch..." Li Yi Fei said, and slammed his fist down on the log. "If what you say is really true, then he is really a problem we have to get rid of..."

"I agree with boss. All the beauties of the city are flocking towards him!" Pang Zi added.

Zhang Zhe Rui's calm smile quickly twisted up into an evil sneer as he sensed his master's intentions.

"I see...if THAT'S what you need...heheheh," he laughed darkly. "Just leave it to me, master."

Li Yi Fei's grin turned ominous as well. "Then I will leave it to you. It's what you do best, after all..."

*****

- Back in the Classroom -

"Our first step should be to gather information," Yu An Yan said thoughtfully. "You know, about the other contestants."

I nodded. "She's right...but before that, let's just go over what WE can use."

"Fair, come to think of it, we don't really know each other's real battle capabilities, despite being such close friends," Feng Mian added.

Close friends...? Uh...did they do something without me? Since when did they become able to call each other 'close friends' so naturally?

"Okay! Then I'll go first~" Qing Yue said, raising her hand up.

...We aren't in class, my cute little sister.

"My name is Qing Yue, and I can use Blessing, Light, and Psychic Magic!" she carried on excitedly. "Oh, but I'm best with Blessing, heehee~"

"So...she's a healer - support," I summarized.

"Alright - my turn!" Feng Mian cut in. "I can use Ice, Poison, and Shadow magic - Level Two spells included."

"Oh yeah, I can use Level Two Blessing Magic, working on it for Psychic and Light," Qing Yue added, having been reminded by Feng Mian to say what level magic she can use as well.

"Qing Yue is very talented at Blessing Magic...it won't be long before she can use Level Three spells," I supplemented.

It wasn't a lie - I believe she definitely could use Level Three Blessing Magic very soon. And considering the level of the mages we would have to face...Level Three Blessing Magic was equivalent to a free immortality card.

"Ehehe...you're overpraising me, Big Brother Xuan Kai..." Qing Yue said shyly while fiddling with her beautiful white hair.

"Well - anyway. Back on topic..." I muttered. "Feng Mian can be an assassin, used to take down the enemy team's supports and backliners. With her skillful use of Vanishing Shadows, that should be an easy task."

"Hm...as long as they don't cast area of effect Light Magic such as Illumination, I should be fine," Feng Mian replied.

I nodded. "Next...Yu an Xue." I signaled for her to begin introducing her abilities.

"Um...I can use Water, Ice, and Space Magic..." she said almost inaudibly. "I can cast Level Two spells as well..."

"Water Ice, and Space...okay. You can be our rearguard then," I said as she looked at me with a confused expression. "Ah...basically, your role is to protect Qing Yue at all costs. And also help out with offense when you can," I hurriedly explained what a rearguard was to her.

"...I see," she murmured in reply.

"It's a very important role," I added, seeing her slightly sad she wasn't assigned an offensive position. "Without it, Qing Yue would be left exposed to danger - and once she is wiped out, our team wouldn't have any healing left."

"Ah...okay," she responded, now smiling happily. "I will do my best...!"

I sighed in relief, but-

"Hey, what about me?" Yu An Yan asked, pulling on my ear. "Don't tell me...you forgot I existed?"

"Er, no. Of course not," I answered, which was far from the truth.

...Yes, I had forgotten about her. But I wasn't going to tell her that.

"Hmph! You better not have!" Yu An Yan let go of my ear and folded her arms in a pouting gesture.

"Uh...let's see. You're a Fire-Sky dual element..." I trailed off.

"Yeah! Oh, but not a dual element. I'm a Tri-Element - Fire, Sky, and Time! I can use Level Two Magic as well."

This caused all of us to gawk at her in shock. "Wait, you can use Time magic?"

"Yeah. I discovered recently that I could use it, when flipping through some spell books in the Yu family storage. Only Level One spells though."

"You...never...told me," Yu An Xue muttered, displeased. She didn't even tell her own sister, apparently.

"Eh? I didn't?" the other sister scratched her head. "Erm, sorry! I totally just forgot. You know me, I'm a bit of a klutz, hehe..."

...What an obvious excuse. But Yu An Xue seemed to believe it, so whatever...

"You can be our main attack force then," I decided. She also seemed happy with my decision, so I guess it's a win-win situation. I didn't get my ear pulled off, and she got a role she wanted. Hooray...

My role assignments weren't just random, of course. Each element had their own specialties. Blessing Magic is obviously going to be a support role, and Qing Yue's Psychic Magic can be a nice support as well, albeit not necessarily supporting us directly, but more interfering with the enemy's mind, making it easier for us to attack. Light Magic also had more utility spells than offensive, fitting for a support role.

Feng Mian's Shadow Element affinity is great for wrapping around the back as a flanker, and taking out the enemy supports. Furthermore, she was extremely proficient with Vanishing Shadows, strengthening her power as an assassin even more. Paired with her other elements - Poison, which was used for killing without a trace, and Ice, which was used for quick executions just as much as defense, she made a great killer from the shadows in general.

Yu An Xue had Water, Ice, and Space Element affinity. The Water Element is great for attack, but also for defense. With the variety of shield spells in its library, it made Water Magic users a great choice for rearguards. The Ice Element can also be used for creating walls that could block attacks - especially useful for rearguards. Besides, she could also help with offense, and even perhaps use Conjoined Release with Feng Mian to cast a powerful Ice Element attack should it be necessary. Space Element is also useful for defense - space manipulation can help put distance between yourself (plus allies) and the enemy.

Yu An Yan possessed the Fire, Sky, and Time elements. All three were great for attack. Fire Magic was the most destructive, while Sky was a combination of mobility and power. Time Magic was very helpful overall - time manipulation was definitely something you would want for offense. Besides - Yu An Yan, being a talent and able to cast Level Two spells, should be able to break through the opponent's defenses with raw power alone.

"What about you, Big Brother Xuan Kai?" Qing Yue asked, interrupting my thoughts.

"Hm? Me?" I scratched my head, and after going to the door and looking both sides to make sure no one was listening in, I came back to my seat and spoke. "Well - I can use every element, and as for Level Two spells...I know how to cast some. Only the ones taught in class though."

The school taught Level Two spells this year, and I memorized all of them. However, there are also many other Level Two spells that the school has not taught. But obviously, you couldn't rely only on the school for learning magic. Most families had their own library of spells, obtained from generation to generation. All the student had to do was request their family for some Level Two spells, and they would be granted them. Another option was to ask their own family members to personally teach them some spells.

Me? I didn't have that luxury. I was cast out of my family a long time ago, and my parents never had the chance to personally teach me anything. Thus, I only knew how to cast the few Level Two spells that the school taught everyone.

"Heh...you left out a lot of important details there," Feng Mian scoffed.

I raised an eyebrow. "Like...?"

"The fact that all the spells you cast are somehow amplified in power?" she suggested.

"Well..." I trailed off.

"And the fact that your magic is all black and red for some reason?" she continued.

"Er..." I didn't have any excuse.

She sighed. "Well, I suppose we already knew all of that though. I'll let you off this time."

"Thank you...?" I asked uncertainly.

"However!" Feng Mian began, and I tensed up once more. "That bad habit of yours, always telling some and hiding some, you need to get rid of it."

"Yes, ma'am..." I succumbed to her demanding tone, and sighed in defeat. "Anyway - I'll also be an attacker then, I guess. We are lacking in offense as of right now, after all."

So far, Yu An Yan was our only main attacker. We had a fairly solid defense already - I didn't have to worry with Yu An Xue protecting Qing Yue, but we definitely needed to strengthen our attack power.

"Okay, then all the positions are assigned!" Qing Yue declared.

Yu An Yan nodded. "Next step...gathering information on the other contestants," she said with a wink.

"Um...we should also teach Xuan Kai some more Level Two spells, I think..." Yu An Xue added.

"That's right," Feng Mian agreed.

"Huh?" I blinked in surprise. "Wait, I appreciate it, but that really isn't necessary-"

"Then it's decided!" Qing Yue announced.

And unsurprisingly, that, signaled the end of our conversation.

Still...it seemed all of us could cast Level Two magic, meaning we would all probably pass the exams, even if we don't win the tournament. Plus, the four of them could all use three elements - such talents would obviously pass the test.

...That's one less thing for me to worry about, at least.