Courses

As soon as they entered, they were stunned by the sheer amount of people inside. They were now in a big hall illuminated by some glowing orbs on the ceiling. It seemed bigger on the inside than on the outside, if that was possible. Weird stands filled both sides on the hall, while the middle was filled with people walking around. At the back, you could see a huge stand with the word "Reception" floating above it.

They looked around before finding a relatively empty corner where they could have a bit of quiet time. They opened the booklets to have a look at the available courses.

"Wow, so many!" exclaimed Aisha as she continued reading through the courses. Each of the courses had a very brief description followed by the requirements.

"The girl at the entrance said that we must choose at least two cultivation courses and one magic occupation. What even is that?" asked Andrew confused.

"Ah, found it, page 12. It seems to be some kind of job one must have as a supporting role to their cultivation. Some of the more common ones are Blacksmith, Alchemist, Beastmaster, Doctor, Array Master. These five seem to be the main ones but.." she stopped for a second as she flipped the page.

"Wow! Besides those five there seem to be quite a lot of others, though it says here that one must have a certain aptitude towards these ones. The five main ones can be walked upon by most cultivators who put in hard work, but for the others it seems like certain stricter requirements must be met, such as elemental affinity, mana root grade, soul perception...what even are this...Hey! Are you listening or am I talking to the walls?" she suddenly noticed Andrew wasn't really paying attention to her.

"Oh sorry, yeah I got most of what you said." he said hesitantly. In fact his attention was focused one some interesting courses he found.

[Mech Design - designing devices powered by both electricity and mana. The current era is seeing an increasing need in combining magic and science to create machines which can be used even by those less talented in cultivation. Today, these machines play an incredible role in mining for resources and are even used for war purposes. The course covers both autonomous devices and controllable devices. Requirements: Advanced Physics, Nanotechnology, Quantum Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Advanced Theory of Pure Mana, Mana Core Structure. Core Formation Mage cultivation required.]

[Wow, this looks amazing. Though, those requirements seem unbelievable...it's best if I don't risk it. After all, there are so many interesting things here. It would be a shame to fail in the first semester.] Andrew thought.

[But then, there are so many, what should I even choose?] he was in a dilemma. But then his eyes brightened.

[System, can you analyze the information in this booklet and suggest the best path for me to take?] he asked expectantly.

[Affirmative, host. Do you also wish to absorb the information?]

[N-no!] he said quickly. It would be hard to explain why the booklet suddenly disappeared and why he fainted. Aisha should be fine, but what if other people saw him? Good thing that after that night, he found out that the system was capable of taking out the information from a book he was holding and display the important bits to him, without the book being absorbed. Though, by doing this, the information would only be stored in the system and not his mind. He didn't see the problem with that though, as he could just ask the system whenever he needed something.

[Understood. Analyzing...]

[Based on host's abilities and preferences, and the requirements imposed, the following are the most suitable courses.]

[1. Mana Theory For Beginners

2. A Cultivator's Elemental Affinity

3. Mechanics

4. Thermodynamics

Due to possessing the time attribute and high Intelligence and Wisdom, host is suited for multiple occupations, in this exact order: Array Master, Soul Physician, Musician, Mechanical Designer and Mana Purifier. If host manages to obtain an Average affinity with the fire element then Alchemist would be most suited for host. Host's time element can have a significant boost effect on these occupations. Host can pick any of the above.

Host is also advised to take the System's capabilities into consideration. If the system is involved, the courses host can take can be as advanced as possible.]

[It's fine, if I start with the harder courses I might attract too much attention. Uncle Coral was also very adamant on secrecy. Even though I don't really understand why, it seems like it is best to avoid being in the spotlight, at least for now.]

Then as he waited for Aisha to make her choices, Andrew thought about which occupation he should take. In the end he chose to become an Array Master.

[Congratulation, host! You have picked a magic occupation.]

[Occupation: Array Master(Lv 1)]

[Achievement: First Occupation

The journey of cultivation is hard and involves both one's body and soul. People can use Mana to strengthen the body but for the soul, an occupation is needed in order to progress fast. Choosing your first occupation is a big step in any cultivator's journey.

Reward: Success rate of array creation is increased by 20% permanently.]

[Host will be able to pick another occupation at the Scholar stage.]

[This system is really a cheat. I'm really wondering who was so generous to give me this.] Andrew thought. He had heard of some people possessing certain abilities from birth. The common name for those kind of people was evolvers.

Andrew heard that evolvers started appearing after the Cataclysm almost twelve thousands years ago. Many speculate that they appeared as a result to the now excess mana in our atmosphere. They suspect the mana agglomerated into these individuals while they were in the womb, giving them special abilities immediately after birth.

He thought that he might be one of those, but in the end, his ability appeared for the first time at 17. Any evolver would have their powers since their birth so Andrew dropped that thought.

"I'm done. What did you choose ?" Aisha's voice snapped Andrew from his thoughts.

"Ah, I chose Mana Theory For Beginners, A Cultivator's Elemental Affinity, Mechanics, Thermodynamics and Array Master. What about you?" Andrew answered.

"It was pretty hard, there are so many things which seem really interesting. In the end we're only allowed five courses in our first semester so I chose Mana Theory For Beginners same as you, Spell Structure, The Manipulation Of Mana, Botany and for my occupation, I chose Doctor." she said happily.

"Predictable..."

"Eh, did you say anything?"

"Nah, nothing."