Chapter 18 - LEARNING MAGIC

Scarlett's shock and disbelief were evident as she processed the unexpected assessment, her reaction echoing throughout the classroom with a resounding "Ehhhhhhhhhh? What the fuck?"

Zenith, with a composed demeanor,

"Ahem, ahem student scarlett nova, do not use such inappropriate words in front of everyone."

"Now go back to your seat"

Scarlett went back to her seat in a daze, she didn't even though that her affinity in elements turned out to be next to nothing, Aoto was also laughing looking at her but he did not say anything, cuz he knows he'll be beaten to death of he try to say something.

"Now, onto the lesson. Despite some of you coming from esteemed families with prior magical education, we'll start with the basics," Zenith continued.

"Others among you may be completely new to magic. We'll begin in the light sparring room to push your physical limits, helping you tap into your latent mana reserves."

As everyone followed Instructor Zenith towards the sparring room, Scarlett's mind raced with anxiety.

'There's something amiss in this kingdom,' she thought to herself. 'They've kept us in the dark about the kingdom's history. Zenith mentioned that even the goddess couldn't defeat a true dragon, so why does a hero summoned by her possess power comparable to that of a true dragon?'

'And what about Kael Bloodhound? They've concealed details about him and his abilities. Something's definitely suspicious. Well, I'll uncover the truth eventually.'

Upon reaching the sparring room, sturdy training dummies lined the walls, while enchanted braziers cast a warm glow across the polished floor. Weapons racks stood at the ready, and an assortment of magical artifacts adorned the room, hinting at the breadth of training to come.

As everyone entered, Zenith clarified that they weren't there to spar with each other, but rather to push their physical limits.

PLACE : ROYAL PALACE OF DARWITZ

The King of Darwitz sat alone on his imposing throne in the vast hall, anticipation hanging heavy in the air. As the doors creaked open, a figure entered, breaking the silence.

"My Liege, I apologize for my tardiness. Circumstances delayed my arrival," spoke Clare, the saintess.

"Did you carry out my instructions?" the King inquired, his voice weighed down with authority.

"Yes, my liege. I have successfully placed the 9th class seal on Scarlett Nova," Clare replied.

"Excellent. I trust you weren't considering protecting her?" the King questioned sharply.

"Of course not, my liege. Upon laying eyes on her, I discerned her as an exceedingly dangerous individual. Her power rivals that of an awakened demon king," Clare affirmed.

"And the second task?" the King pressed.

"Yes, my liege. However, assembling an army of seasoned adventurers, high elves, and fighters from various species will require at least two and a half months," Clare reported.

"Two and a half months? What if she were to acquire numerous magical abilities and skills during that time, becoming unstoppable?" the King voiced his concern.

"Fear not, my liege. This is precisely why I placed a seal on her. Scarlett Nova believes she controls the seal I placed, but she remains unaware that, for one hour, we can nullify all her skills, limiting her mana usage to a mere 1%," Clare explained confidently.

"After 2 months we just have to get her out of the kingdom somehow, and we will able to kill that filthy succubus." Clare Unlike her clam and charming expression, she has a truly evil mischievous smile on her face.

HERO ACADEMY : SPARRING ROOM

The atmosphere in the sparring room buzzed with activity as everyone engaged in rigorous exercises to push their physical limits. However, amidst the determined efforts, all eyes were drawn to Scarlett's remarkable display.

"Ten thousand... ten thousand and one... ten thousand and ten... ten thousand and fifty..." Scarlett's rapid-fire push-ups sent shockwaves rippling through the air, captivating onlookers with her extraordinary speed and endurance.

"Hey, that's enough!" Zenith intervened, halting Scarlett's relentless exertion.

Approaching her, Aoto expressed his sentiments, "Hey Asta, don't show off too much, man. Think about the rest of us."

"I'm not showing off," Scarlett retorted earnestly. "I'm genuinely trying to exhaust myself, but no matter how many push-ups I do, I don't feel any fatigue.

"Come to think of it, you haven't eaten or drank anything since you arrived in this world," Aoto observed, his gaze shifting to Scarlett's's physique.

"But still, look at you. When we first met, you were a bit muscular woman with six packs, but now... Five, six, seven, eight... Uhhh, I can't even count how many abs you have. You've become an extremely muscular woman."

"Yeah, I don't feel the need to eat or drink, or even breathe for that matter. But it doesn't mean I can't enjoy food and drinks. I love trying different dishes," Scarlett admitted with a hint of excitement.

"That's so cool. I'm kinda jealous," Aoto confessed, marveling at Scarlett's unique abilities.

"Okay, now everyone, we will start weightlifting," Zenith announced to the gathered students. "But no one will lift those dumbbells."

In one corner of the room, several dark blue, hefty-looking dumbbells were arranged, each crafted from different materials, their imposing presence unmistakable.

"Those dumbbells are for elite members of the 2nd-year students who specialize in physical enhancing magic," Zenith explained, pointing towards the reserved area.

However, as Zenith's gaze fell upon Scarlett, his expression shifted once more to one of shock.

Scarlett was effortlessly bench pressing the heaviest dumbbells meant for elite students, defying all expectations.

"What are you doing, Student Scarlett Nova?" Zenith demanded, taken aback by Scarlett's actions.

"What? I'm bench pressing, just as you said," Scarlett replied innocently.

"Of course not! I said don't touch those dumbbells. And can you explain how you're bench pressing a 500-ton dumbbell without any physical enhancement magic?" Zenith questioned, disbelief evident in his tone.

Silence fell over the room as everyone processed the revelation, whispers spreading among the students.

"Uhhh... all the dumbbells felt so light, so I thought, why shouldn't I use this," Scarlett chuckled nervously, attempting to downplay the situation.

'Of course, that's not the only reason. I wanted to show off in front of Introvert-chan,' Scarlett admitted inwardly, a mischievous grin creeping onto their face. ' I sure she will be thinking, how manly..... So cool....Nova-san hahahaha.'

After half an hour, Zenith announced, "Okay, now everyone, we will head to the academy grounds to learn magic."

Upon reaching the garden, numerous circular target boards were set up, resembling targets for shooting arrows.

"Listen carefully, everyone. Now, you must tap into your inner mana and project it outwards, forming an aura of mana around your body, like this," Zenith instructed.

Closing his eyes briefly, Zenith concentrated, and upon reopening them, a flow of mana began emanating from him, enveloping his body in a yellow aura extending about 30 centimeters.

"I've restrained myself, as extracting mana from your body and creating an aura not only enhances physical abilities but also exerts pressure on those nearby," Zenith explained further.

"Had I not held back, you all would be lying on the ground right now, stunned, and some may have even fainted," he warned, emphasizing the potential impact of unchecked mana manipulation.

As the students followed Zenith's instructions, they began to manifest auras around their bodies, each varying in size and intensity.

Princess led the pack with a substantial 40cm aura, followed by Elminia, Prince Richard and after that Aoto also formed around around 20cm in length, chiyoko was also formed aura around 15 in length.

"You all did well, especially aoto and chiyoko, forming an aura like that in your first time, you both sure are talente–

Before he could say anything, In an instant he and every student was subjected to a huge amount of pressure. Not only in the ground but also all people's body in the academy found themselves slammed onto the ground before they could even comprehend what had happened.

" What-?"

" I Can't Move."

" Is this a attack from Demon king?"

In the midst of confusing people the people who were pressed to the ground were struggling to withstand the invincible force that bore down on them.

Even zenith frostfire, who have been training for his whole lives for this kind of moment could feel the strain and it was as if dozens of mountains had been pressed upon his shoulder.

Under the immense pressure of mana, he struggled to lift his head, only to witness a colossal aura emanating from Scarlett. It surged from her body, piercing the sky as if there was no end to it.

"Cough...cough... Asta, please, I can't endure this. My dream of forming a harem will be shattered," Aoto coughed, blood staining his lips.

180k

,

"Oops... Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to," Scarlett replied, quickly halting her aura upon realizing the harm it caused. A collective sigh of relief echoed through the crowd.

"Student Scarlett Nova, I forbid you from releasing your aura," Zenith exclaimed with a hint of anger.

"I am sorry, sir... Sorry, everyone," Scarlett apologized, acknowledging his mistake.

Zenith cast a healing spell, bringing relief to the injured students. As they began to mend, whispers filled the air.

"So, this is the power of an instructor."

"As expected of Zenith Frostfire."

However, a sense of fear crept into their hearts as they avoided Scarlett's gaze, realizing the magnitude of her power. It was a relief that it was for only few seconds, if mana pressure had any longer then some of the students have died as well, and all blame were placed on Scarlett.

"Listen closely, my students," Zenith began, his voice resonating. "To wield magic effectively, one must first understand its essence and channel it with precision."

"Now, observe carefully as I demonstrate," Zenith continued, gesturing towards a target board several paces away. With a fluid motion, he conjured a shimmering orb of energy, It was a ball of water, directing it towards the board with pinpoint accuracy. As the magical energy collided with the target, a burst of light erupted, leaving a vivid impression in its wake.

"Now everyone make a ball of water and shoot towards that target board, water magic is easiest to perform plus the higher your imagination, the easier it will be to perform any magic, So do your best."

Everyone channeling their inner energy into a swirling vortex of magic. With a incantation, they unleashed thier spell, directing it towards the target board trying to hit it.

' huh-? Why are these people saying magic names before doing magic?, It's so cringe, I can't do that.' aoto was embarrassed to say those cringe words.

He started imagening ball of water and channeling his mana in his arms and chanting magic in his mind he unleashed the water ball with preciseness and ended up hitting his target.

Zenith surprised to see that he used magic without incantation.

"Aoto did you really used magic without incantation?"

"Huh? Y-yeah so what?, It's no big deal."

"No big deal? What are you saying, there are very few individuals who can use magic without incantation."

"I thought princess ingrassia is the only one who can use magic without incantation." Zenith thinked.

'ughhh fuck.... Why is this a big deal?, Are they all idiots?,you just have say in your mind and imagine it, easy-peasy.'

A voice comes from behind interrupting them.

"I can do it too." it was chiyoko hiiro.

He also shooted ball of water without any incantation. But to thier surpriseAnother person added.

"I can do it too." It was Scarlett's with high-energy and enthusiasm.

She also channelled her mana through her palms and made a ball of fire and shooted towards target board.

But a thought strucked on Zenith's mind," Wait a minute, I told everyone to cast water magic, So why the hell are you using fire magic?"

"Ehh? But you said that I have no talent for any magic element and just a little affinity with fire element, So I am using fire magic to improve my efficiency."

"Sighh do whatever you want."

Place : ???

In the dimly lit hall of the dark, gloomy castle, a demon lord sat upon his stone throne, his features obscured by the shadows cast overhead.

Suddenly, as if materializing from the very shadows themselves, a demon girl emerged, her presence commanding attention as she gracefully knelt before the figure on the throne.

Her features were striking, with piercing eyes that glowed with an otherworldly intensity, framed by long, flowing locks of midnight-black hair that cascaded around her shoulders like a cloak of darkness. Her skin, pale and flawless, seemed to shimmer in the faint light, giving her an ethereal and otherworldly beauty.

"Seraphina, did you bring the news?" the figure's voice echoed through the hall, cutting through the silence with an edge of authority that sent shivers down the spine.

"Yes, my lord," Seraphina replied, her voice steady and unwavering despite the gravity of the situation. "The mana wave we sensed originated not from our realm, but from the Human Realm. It emanated from a kingdom known as Darwitz."

The figure leaned forward, his interest piqued. "Darwitz, hmm? I had assumed it to be the awakening of a demon king. Could it be the work of a hero?"

"I doubt it, my lord," Seraphina replied, her voice tinged with skepticism. "The summoned heroes are merely level 1, hardly a threat."

"Nevertheless," the figure declared with a decisive tone, "preparations must be made. We shall eliminate these heroes before they have the chance to grow in power and pose a threat to our reign."

"A wise decision, my lord. But what preparations do you speak of?"

"You may have heard of it... the Gravity Sword."

Her eyes widened in astonishment, yet a chilling grin crept across her lips.

"As expected of you, my lord."

???