In this world, all monsters are known as Nartheis, an ancient term that means "the Renegades of Creation."
"Nartheis are creatures of all kinds of shapes and forms. Some resemble zombies, others look like mutated animals. There are those with intelligence comparable to humans, and those that act purely on instinct like wild beasts. They first appeared when the evil god Roro decided to punish humanity."
Virelle explained the lesson to the entire class while drawing different types of Nartheis on the board. The illustrations were grotesque enough to make several students look away for a few moments.
"They are divided into four categories, each representing a completely different level of threat."
She pointed to the first drawing.
"The lowest category is Zara. Any Zero Circle mage who has reached around 60% progress can defeat one, since their cores are exposed."
As she spoke, she ran her finger across the drawings, indicating the possible locations where those cores could appear.
"But don't forget one thing. Level Two Zaras have much tougher cores. Even if you manage to deal minor damage, only a First Circle spell will be able to destroy them completely."
Next, Virelle pointed to another creature drawn on the board.
"After them come the Faizes."
"Unlike Zaras, their cores are hidden somewhere inside their bodies. They are also divided into two levels, and normally only mages between the Second and Fourth Circles are capable of defeating them."
She then drew a creature much larger than the previous ones.
"Above them are the Ranvil."
"These Nartheis possess intelligence far superior to that of the previous categories. Their cores do not exist in a physical form from the beginning. You must first defeat them before the core materializes. They range from the Fifth to the Eighth Circle and are divided into three levels."
Finally, Virelle pointed to the last drawing.
"And at the top of the hierarchy are the Kairom."
Her voice became more serious.
"There is only a single level in this category, and to this day only four Kairom have ever been found. To defeat one of them, at minimum, a Ninth Circle mage is required. Even then, there is still a high chance of defeat."
Like the Ranvil, their cores only appear after their bodies have been destroyed.
"However, there is one important difference."
The entire classroom fell silent.
"The Kairom always resurrect every ten years."
Virelle paused briefly before continuing.
"To this day, no one has discovered a way to kill them permanently."
She crossed her arms and looked back at the class.
"Every ten years, Ninth Circle mages gather to eliminate those that have been reborn. The next one will appear next year, while two more will emerge three years later. So, for now, you don't need to worry about them."
Enrico silently watched Virelle.
'I need to prepare for them... especially the fifth one. I still haven't experienced that increase in difficulty the System mentioned.'
[The increase in difficulty will be activated when the next arc begins.]
Enrico turned to the System.
'So not even the characters in the story will notice it... what a terrible situation.'
If that were really the case, he would have to find some way to warn them without raising suspicion. Perhaps an anonymous message, or even some kind of disguise.
Letting out a quiet sigh, he organized his thoughts once more.
'The next arc is the first dungeon arc. There will be many Zaras. If they're stronger than they should be, some students might die.'
In truth, he had already analyzed the attributes of practically every student in the class.
With the exception of the protagonists and a handful of other people, almost none of them would play a truly important role in the future.
'Even so... I need to strengthen as many of them as possible.'
The first dungeon would begin in just three days.
Every year, Astrong Academy sent students from Classes S through E to face real dungeons as part of their practical training, allowing them to experience real combat for the first time.
When the class ended, Enrico stood up and walked straight toward the student ranked 121.
Cris Rolf.
'I need to create what I have in mind as quickly as possible. It'll literally be something I've created myself, so I have no idea what the result will be.'
Thinking that, Enrico walked over to Cris. The boy noticed him approaching and shifted uncomfortably, unable to understand why Enrico was coming toward him.
'But until then, I'll try to help the others evolve.'
Meanwhile, a few minutes later, at one of the training fields, Valença continued practicing her magic, trying to grow as strong as possible.
A massive fireball tore through the air and struck a training dummy, completely consuming it in flames.
'The power of that spell is greater than my Fireballs.'
She stared at the destroyed dummy for a few moments.
'But I don't think he used his full strength against Kai. Should I give up...? No... I still have a chance.'
In her hand, Valença held a staff that had arrived from her village the day before.
The villagers had gathered part of their savings to commission the weapon from a craftsman. She had always been reluctant to use it because she wanted to prove her strength using only her own magic.
However, after seeing the difference between herself and Enrico, she decided to set her pride aside.
"I'm at 82% of the Zero Circle. This staff strengthens my magic and also grants a bonus equivalent to another 10% of progress. Looking at it that way, I can launch attacks close to the First Circle."
Not far away, Kai was training under Elaris's supervision.
Having finished her latest attack, Valença turned her gaze toward the two of them.
Elaris effortlessly dodged every one of Kai's sword strikes, as if she could predict all of his movements.
'Those two disappointed me a little... but they can still be useful.'
The next instant, Elaris leaped.
With the back of her hand resting on the flat of Kai's sword, she balanced herself for a brief moment. Then she kicked him in the chin, launching him into the air.
Even while airborne, Kai remained calm.
'Remember the stance. Control your breathing. Tighten your muscles... and release everything in a single movement.'
Recalling the teachings written in his father's journal, he drew his sword, and a slash of energy cut through the air toward his opponent.
Elaris's eyes widened for an instant, and she immediately had to dodge. Behind her, a tree was cut cleanly in half.
"When did you learn that?"
"Huff... huff... from my father's journal."
Kai answered while lowering one knee to the ground to catch his breath. Shortly afterward, Valença walked over to the two of them.
"Your father... had something like that?"
Elaris silently stared at Kai. Enrico's words immediately resurfaced in her mind.
'He knew...? How?'
Her gaze slowly shifted down to the sword Kai was holding. Even if it had been a coincidence, it was far too suspicious.
'Besides... that's not his magic. That technique uses Kai's mana and transforms it into another type of energy. But... into what?'
She looked back at the boy.
"And that sword? It looks like a magic weapon. Where did it come from?"
Kai and Valença looked at the weapon almost simultaneously. They knew Kai's father had been strong, especially because of the great feat he had accomplished in the town where they had lived. Even so, it was astonishing that he had possessed a magical weapon.
"It belonged to my father. I was surprised too, but I still don't know what kind of magic it has."
Valença carefully observed the sword.
'That's really impressive.'
Meanwhile, Elaris sank into thought, resting a hand on her chin while carefully observing the sword.
'Who exactly was Kai's father? And how did Enrico know all of this? Interesting... very interesting.'
----
Serenya trained, trying to use her Control Magic to make her own body fly.
However, that was precisely one of the most difficult aspects of that affinity. Unlike controlling external objects, using magic on her own body required extremely precise balance. A slight excess of mana was enough to turn her into a projectile, while an insufficient amount caused the spell to fail completely. It was a technique that demanded absolute control, making it far more difficult to master than most other forms of magic, even for someone who had already reached the Third Circle.
Even so, she had no intention of giving up.
She took a deep breath, stabilized the flow of mana throughout her body, and concentrated her magic around herself.
This time, she managed to lift her feet off the ground for a brief moment.
"I did it..."
Before she could celebrate, the amount of mana exceeded what was necessary.
Her body shot upward with far more force than she had expected. She tried to reduce her momentum in midair, but completely lost her sense of direction. The world began spinning before her eyes, and before she could regain her balance, she slammed hard into the ceiling.
"Ow!"
A moment later, the magic dissipated, and she fell back to the floor.
"Damn it... why is Control Magic so different from the others? And why is it so difficult to use it on my own body?"
Rubbing her head, Serenya stood up once more.
"At least I managed to stay suspended for a few seconds..."
Despite her complaints, she took another deep breath and tried again. This time, she remained only a few centimeters above the ground before losing control and landing awkwardly.
"...That's still progress."
Her mind drifted back to the fight against Elaris, and the memory of that defeat made frustration tighten in her chest once again.
However, that feeling gradually faded as she remembered what had happened immediately afterward.
All of her subordinates had stayed by her side.
A small smile appeared on her face.
"They started training because they don't want to fall behind Enrico... especially Caelan."
She slowly crouched down, resting her arms on her knees.
In the beginning, only Caelan and Elian had been true subordinates.
Enrico was more... like a court jester who showed up to say something ridiculous, make her lose her patience, and somehow entertain her at the same time. Even so, he was undoubtedly the one who showed her the greatest loyalty.
But ever since that Sunday...
He had changed.
There were still moments when he acted like the old Enrico, but those moments were becoming increasingly rare.
The more she thought about it, the more one hypothesis began to make sense in her mind.
Serenya suddenly stood up.
"Could it be that, on that Sunday, he received a letter from his family and decided to change? Could it be that he went back home wanting to make them proud... only to be mistreated? After all, he himself said that his family doesn't treat him well."
She began pacing back and forth, completely absorbed in her train of thought.
"What if they told him he'd never amount to anything?"
Her eyes widened.
"Or worse... what if they compared him to some more talented sibling?"
She placed both hands on her head.
"That's it! My poor subordinate..."
In her mind, Enrico was already surrounded by cruel relatives who criticized him over everything.
"He must have decided to fight against all of that... that's why he changed."
She pressed one fist against her chest.
"I promise I'll help him."
A small tear appeared in the corner of her eye. Serenya quickly wiped it away with her fingers and walked over to the window, remaining silent for a few moments as she looked out at the scenery.
"Maybe he'll manage to escape his family... unlike me."
The memory of Enrico's fight against Kai resurfaced in her mind, especially the new magic he had revealed during that battle.
Taking a deep breath, Serenya returned to her training stance and concentrated mana around her own body.
"Well... I can't let my subordinates surpass me."
As she looked toward the arena, she watched the four low-ranking knight subordinates. However, only one of them truly caught her interest.
The reason was simple.
During the training, the girl named Bruna was performing far better than the others. She had already defeated two opponents and was now facing the group's leader, Jil.
'She...'
Jil attacked first, wrapping his sword in a small tornado. The current of wind was still weak, a normal characteristic of someone whose magic was still in the Zero Circle, but it was enough to increase the speed of his strikes and make it harder for his opponent to approach.
Bruna, on the other hand, kept her eyes fixed on every movement her opponent made. Her Hunting Magic sharpened her instincts, allowing her to predict her enemy's intentions more easily and find the best opportunity to counterattack.
When Jil's sword came down in a swift strike, Bruna blocked it with the sword in her left hand. The impact deflected the blade just enough to create a small opening.
Without wasting the opportunity, she spun her body and unleashed a horizontal slash with the sword in her right hand.
Jil tried to retreat, but the blade still reached his chest, forcing him to lose his balance. Taking one final step backward, he ended up crossing the boundary of the arena.
The victory belonged to Bruna.
"I won."
Jil stared at the girl with a look of complete astonishment. He had never imagined he would lose like that. On the other side, Bruna celebrated her victory with tears streaming down her face, mixing joy, pain, and suffering as she remembered the hellish training Enrico had put her through over the past few weeks.
'With this... maybe Enrico will finally reduce my training.'
She had now reached Rank 151. The only thing left was to officially register the change of positions with Jil at the academy administration.
Serenya continued watching the scene with some surprise. Gradually, she remembered Enrico's words when he had promised to turn Bruna into a knight worthy of serving her.
A satisfied smile appeared on her face.
With a proud expression, she lightly rubbed the side of her nose with her finger.
'As expected... Enrico is my most loyal subordinate.'
Bringing one hand to her mouth, she let out her characteristic aristocratic laugh.
"Hohohoho... my dear subordinate truly is impressive."
A moment later, however, she remembered Elian and Caelan.
Her gaze shifted toward their subordinates, and her proud expression was quickly replaced by visible disappointment.
"They don't even properly train their own subordinates."
In reality, Serenya wasn't exactly the best person to make that criticism.
After all, Jil was also her subordinate, but he ranked below her three direct subordinates. Furthermore, none of them had ever received any kind of training from Serenya herself.