Class Division

The first-year students stood in the massive auditorium, their conversations mixing into a low hum of excitement. A large floating screen at the front flickered to life, displaying a long list of names.

The academy was dividing the 500 first-year students into 10 different classes, labeled A1 to A10. The highest-ranked students were placed in A1, while the rest were distributed accordingly.

Artic stood with his arms crossed, waiting for his name. The moment it appeared, he frowned slightly.

Artic – A9

Adam – A3

Andrew – A7

Patrick – A3

Aaron – A4

Eliza – A1

Vincent – A2

Derrick – A5

Some students celebrated being placed in A1 or A2, while others looked disappointed.

"Man, I wanted to be in A1," Andrew muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

Artic didn't really care about his class ranking. What mattered was getting stronger.

As the students murmured amongst themselves, a tall professor with graying hair and sharp eyes stepped onto the stage. His long, dark blue robe swayed as he walked, and when he spoke, his deep voice silenced the entire hall.

"The first six months of your first year will focus on building your foundation—combat techniques, mana control, and magical theory. However..." He paused for a moment, letting the tension build.

"At the six-month mark, there will be a competition among all first-year students."

A ripple of excitement spread through the students.

"The top 10 will earn a reward—either a C-rank armor, a D-rank sword or artifact, or an E-rank skill of their choice."

Artic's fingers curled into fists. A competition.

That was exactly what he needed.

"Now, move to your assigned classes," the professor ordered.

---

A9 – The Classroom

Artic walked through the academy halls, following the golden signs that directed students to their classrooms. The corridors were wide, with high ceilings and floating orbs of light illuminating the path.

When he reached Class A9, he pushed open the heavy wooden doors and stepped inside.

The classroom was nothing like an ordinary lecture hall.

The walls were dark oak, polished to a fine shine.

The ceiling had a glass panel, allowing sunlight to filter in, creating a soft glow inside the room.

Each seat was cushioned and lined with golden embroidery—far more luxurious than he had expected.

A mana detection system was built into each desk, likely to help with training in the future.

Artic took a seat near the middle, scanning the students around him.

Some were chatting excitedly. Others sat in silence, sizing up their classmates.

Then, the professor walked in.

---

Professor Reegan and the First Lesson

The man who entered was tall, lanky, and wore thick, round glasses that magnified his eyes slightly. His long black coat swayed as he moved, and his hands were full of books and papers. He looked like the kind of person who rarely left the library.

He placed his materials on the desk, adjusted his glasses, and spoke in a calm yet firm voice.

"Good morning," he said, his eyes scanning the class. "I am Professor Reegan, and I will be teaching you Magiphysics and the Logic of Magic."

Some students furrowed their brows.

Reegan smirked slightly. "I see some of you are confused. Simply put, we will be studying the scientific principles behind magic—how mana interacts with the physical world, the laws that govern its use, and how you can apply this knowledge to improve your abilities."

He turned to the floating chalkboard behind him, and with a flick of his fingers, arcane symbols appeared in glowing blue text.

"Let's start with a basic principle," he said, pointing at the first word.

[Mana Inertia]

"Mana follows a principle similar to Newton's First Law," he explained. "An object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by an external force. The same applies to mana flow—once you release it, it will continue in its trajectory unless controlled or countered by another force."

A student raised their hand. "Does that mean spells can be redirected?"

"Yes," Reegan nodded. "With enough control, one can alter the path of a spell mid-flight. However, it takes time to become skilled enough to do it effectively."

Artic leaned back, resting his chin on his hand. The concept was interesting, but halfway through the lecture, he noticed some students sleeping.

A guy with dark hair was leaning back in his chair, arms crossed, eyes shut. A girl with blonde hair had her head resting on the desk, barely awake.

Artic sighed. It hasn't even been an hour.

His own mind drifted as well.

---

Thinking About the Competition and Silia

The competition.

That was his goal.

But his true advantage wasn't his own talent.

It was Silia—the godlike being he had met just two days before the academy started his ability.He gave her the name after he told her to choose any form she preferred and she choose a female form that's why he gave her the name silia.

Silia could do almost anything—create weapons, summon creatures, manipulate reality itself.

But she couldn't give him skills.

Every godlike creature must have some form of limitation, Artic thought. If she could simply grant him abilities, he would already be unstoppable.

Instead, she had given him a summonable creature and an artifact to control it.

Everything had been rushed.

If he had more time, he could have summoned multiple creatures, asked for stronger artifacts, or even developed a better plan for himself.

But he had only two days before entering the academy.

And now, Silia was staying at his parents' house to avoid being discovered.

If only I had more time...

---

Break and the Next Class

"Class dismissed," Professor Reegan announced, snapping Artic out of his thoughts.

The bell rang.

Students stretched and yawned as they stood up. "One-hour break before the next class," the professor reminded them before walking out.

Artic exhaled and left the classroom. He wasn't hungry. Instead, he went straight to his dormitory.

---

Training Before Sleep

The dorm was quiet. Artic didn't waste time—he changed into his training gear and entered the private gym inside the dormitory.

For the next two hours, he pushed his body to its limits.

Mana-infused push-ups

Weighted squats

Shadow combat drills

His muscles burned, sweat dripped down his face, but he didn't stop.

He had to get stronger.

Yet, no matter how much he trained, his mind kept going back to Silia.

He needed to meet her again.

She was the key to his strength.

But the real question was…

How?