Ch 21 : Spell Casting

Wearing a tight dress that accentuated her curves, her fiery red hair cascading like flames, the teacher stood before the class.

"What the hell is she wearing? Is she some kind of creep trying to seduce kids?" Auron thought, silently disapproving. It seemed highly inappropriate for a teacher to dress like that.

"Good morning, kids. My name is Mathilda Flameheart. I'll be your instructor for mana core and heavenly rune studies. Can anyone tell me what they know about it?" she asked with a confident smile.

"Mana core is the heart of a magus. It stores and supplies mana throughout your body, especially when casting spells," Cedric responded smugly from the front.

"Thank you, Cedric, right? Not bad for someone from the House of Stoneforge. Seems like they've trained you well," Mathilda praised him slightly, acknowledging his effort.

She then began to explain the intricacies of mana cores and heavenly runes, everything aligning with what Auron had studied the night before. Her teaching was clear, yet there was something captivating in her demeanor.

"Any questions before we wrap up the class?" she asked, scanning the room. "You there," she pointed at Auron.

"What's the highest number of enhancements an advanced heavenly rune can offer?" Auron asked, curious.

"Oh, you're already thinking ahead? We haven't covered that yet, but since you asked—currently, the highest number of enhancements a heavenly rune can provide is three. That's the limit we've reached so far. Maybe one day, we'll discover runes that offer four or even five enhancements. Good question, kid. What's your name?" she said, smiling warmly.

"Auron... my name is Auron," he replied, feeling a bit shy under her gaze.

" That's all for today," said Mathilda then leaving the class.

"You were really studying at the library last night, huh? I thought you were joking about it," asked Thyra.

"Wow, this is rare. You usually don't say much," said Auron with a small smile. "Yeah, I studied last night. The library felt like a treasure trove to me—so much mysterious knowledge waiting to be uncovered."

"What class do you have after this?" asked Alice.

"I've got arcane arts class after this. What about you guys?" replied Eliot.

"Thyra and I only have arcane arts too. Only the genius Auron has two more classes. He's both a conjurer and an augmenter, after all," Alice teased.

"Really, Auron? I forgot to ask yesterday. What were your recruitment results?" asked Eliot, curious.

"He's a genius with high fire and light affinity, plus 7-star comprehension!" Alice chimed in loudly, casting a glance at Cedric.

"Really, Auron?! That's incredible! Why didn't you say anything?" Eliot asked, his excitement obvious.

"Just light element? What can you do with that besides healing and buffing others?" Cedric muttered bitterly.

"Sounds like someone's jealous," Alice teased, not missing the opportunity.

Moments later, the teacher entered the room, and everyone settled into their seats.

"Good afternoon, class. My name is Eleanor Clearwater. Nice to meet you all, and I'll be your instructor for the arcane arts. Oh, Auron is here too? I didn't expect to have such a talented student in my class," Eleanor said with a smile, her eyes briefly resting on Auron.

The rest of the class turned to look at Auron, who gave them a modest smile.

"Spellcasting occurs when a conjurer visualizes a specific magic spell while channeling mana from their mana core, forming the spell externally. As you've learned in your mana core class, the core acts as a storage unit, supplying mana to cast spells. In this, we are similar to augmenters. However, what gives us an edge over them? Can anyone tell me?" Eleanor asked.

Silence filled the room. Even the typically vocal Cedric remained quiet.

Eleanor turned her gaze to Auron. "Auron, care to share your thoughts?"

"Maybe because we can also draw on external mana—the mana in the air—to make our spells more powerful?" Auron suggested. He had noticed during his practice that his celestial aura seemed to harmonize with the ambient mana when casting spells.

"Very insightful. Have you had experience with this?" Eleanor asked, impressed.

"Not really. I don't even have a Grimoire or spell blueprint yet. I'm just a commoner," Auron admitted humbly.

"What do you mean you haven't received a Grimoire yet? Didn't you just have a class on mana cores and heavenly runes?" Eleanor asked, concerned.

"Teacher Mathilda hasn't mentioned anything about giving us Grimoires yet," Alice answered.

"Mathilda? I see. Wait here a moment." Eleanor left the room, disappearing for a brief time before returning with a stack of books and papers.

"Alright, everyone. I'll call you up one by one since each of you has different elemental affinities. I want to ensure you receive the correct Grimoire."

One by one, the students collected their Grimoires. Auron, however, received only one, as light affinity was rare, and there was no basic light Grimoire available. He would need to visit the Trading Hall to purchase it.

As the class continued, Eleanor began to explain the fundamentals of spellcasting.

"You need to master these basic spells to build a strong foundation. The structure of a spell consists of four core elements: imagination, form, fuel, and intention.

"Imagination is where it all begins. You create the framework of the spell in your mind, but it must stay within the limits of your capability. This is determined by your affinity, mana core, mana control, and concentration. Mana control and concentration are often the most challenging aspects, and both require continuous training."

She paused for a moment, her eyes sweeping over the students to ensure they understood.

"Next is form. You need to shape your mana into the desired form. Is it big? Does it have edges? Is it long or small? Maintaining the form you imagined requires focus and precision.

"The next step is fueling the form with mana. The more mana you channel into it, the stronger the spell becomes, but maintaining its shape becomes increasingly difficult. You're managing multiple aspects simultaneously."

Eleanor demonstrated by forming an orb of red mana in the air. The orb shifted from large to small, transforming into a rod, then into a sword, before reverting to its original orb shape.

"Finally, your intention. Intention gives the spell its instruction—what you want the spell to do. Should it explode? Spin? Stay still? Your intention defines the spell's behavior."

The red orb began to spin, emitting flames before Eleanor concluded with a small explosion, showcasing the spell's final execution.

"Boom," she said, smiling as the class gasped.

"That's how you cast a spell. Now, it's your turn to practice."