Well, attending the class wasn't for naught. I learned something. That little furball? Terrifying as fuck. Never fuck with him. Ever. Just thinking about his eyes made my knees weak. Cute creature? Sure, but his kind were those who can stare straight into your soul.
I started tossing the mana stone in the air.
Catch. Throw. Catch. Repeat it again.
Supposedly, this stone was mana in solid form, condensed and pure. Professor Thimblecroft's farewell gift for us, "For practice," He said.
How much could I sell this? A piece of rock that cost a fortune. It's about the size of a finger. Probably only strong enough to charge a battery. Maybe even a television?
"Make sure to make good use of it," The furball said, tossing them like they're pieces of candy. "For the love of my sanity, please, don't eat it, don't stab yourself with it, and lastly, don't inject it into your body."
Stab?
Huh?
Say what now?
A few people laughed. I didn't.
When he dropped mine into my hand, it was cold and heavy for how small it is. He called it a mana stone. He said we could practice with it. By logic, this stone could be use as a piece of medium to grant normal people a taste of mana, like a borrowed one. That's probably what he meant by it. But how? Moreover, I don't remember a character that exists...
Of course, the stone wasn't some sort of unlimited energy. Like a battery, when it's empty, that's it, you can't just recharge it. Once the mana's gone, that's it. Turns into a useless pebble.
We were at the training grounds now, baking under the sun. Everyone else sat cross-legged on the dirt. Faces scrunched like they were trying to pass a kidney stone.
In the meantime, I was taking my time, leaning against the railing with one heel hanging off the edge, watching everyone's struggle. Nothing. Not a single one had managed to do it yet. Just grunts and failure.
Can't blame them.
The tiny furball only showed it once. No tutorial. No explanation. Just poof. Light. Like magic was supposed to make sense. No. He did say something, "Be creative with it." Did it make sense? Hell no The furball probably forgot, not everyone had "experience" with mana.
Reminded me of oil and electricity. Same principle. Burn it, power something, run dry. That's basically mana. In technicality, it makes sense since they're energy.
The stone clicked against my palm.
"Hard to believe this thing's actual mana," I muttered, flicking it up again.
It existed in the game too. Never mattered much, except that one time someone attempted to detonate a kingdom with it. And that rich archer girl.
Out of everyone to end up with one, why me?
If my brother were here, he'd already have it cracked open, turned everything inside out, probably living the best life ever. That guy remembered every line of lore, every hidden strat, every dialogue. Just picturing his face if he were in my position... That stupid smile of his. He'll flourish here.
I squeezed my eyelids shut with my fingers. "Fucking shit."
"Aren't you gonna practice?" A voice called out from the side.
I turned. A slightly smaller guy was beside me, with sunflower buzz cut hair, big round glasses sliding down his nose. The guy looked like a walking filler episode. Or a human version of an afterthought?
"Arse Home?" I said.
He frowned. "Lars Homs."
"Ah. My bad." I flicked the stone again. "What'd you say?"
He gave me the look. The look people give when they're not sure if you're joking or just simply brain-dead. "Did you hit your head or something? You're about to fail. Maybe even get expelled. And you're still screwing around."
Ignored it.
"You've lost it." He leaned against the railing beside me, arms crossed."So, you still gonna use that?" He pointed at the stone.
I looked at him, confused. "What?"
"That," Lars pointed again, "You're not even using it."
"And you can't even use it." I pinched it between my index and middle finger and pointed it at him.
"I surely can." Lars tilted his head, lowering his voice. "Could… a… wea…"
Sure, you can, champ.
"I saw you earlier. Not even sure if you're passing a kidney stone, or even trying. Not fooling anyone." I said. One more toss. I caught the stone, staring through it at him. "Just being real. You're probably gonna sell it anyway."
"What else?" Lars said. "It's not illegal. And you—" He looked me in the eyes, "You don't seem like you'd care."
"Then what can I use to practice with?"
"You've been doing nothing since we got here."
"Why do you care so much anyway?" I asked.
"Money's money."
"Can't argue with that." I nodded.
He didn't leave. Just stood there beside me, watching the others struggle like he wasn't part of them earlier. I flicked the stone up again, but caught it midair.
"If only I could," I muttered.
He blinked. "What?"
"Nothing," I smirked. "Keep standing there. You make a good background prop."
He scoffed, shaking his head. "You're impossible."
I tossed the stone again. It flashed once more. For a second, I almost saw something move inside it. Like smoke trapped under glass. A shape. Then gone before I could blink.
I tilted my head, chortling, "Look at you guys. Sitting cross-legged, pretending t—Nope. Everyone here looks like they have constipation."
He sighed. "While you're here, making the rest of us look bad."
I looked at the others. Dozens of them, sweating under the heat, breathing like they were giving birth. "Pretty sure you manage that fine on your own." I retorted.
Lars rolled his eyes. "Have you ever taken anything seriously?"
I looked down at the stone that sat in my palm.
"I'm taking it seriously," I said, deadpan. "Look. I'm holding it. That's effort."
"Unbelievable."
I shrugged
He snorted but didn't argue anymore.
"If this thing wants to work, it'll work," I tossed the stone one last time, then caught it with a soft slap. "Not like I can sweet-talk mana into liking me."
Lars gave me a sideways look. "You're hopeless."
"Efficient," I corrected. "You really think this thing works?"
"Worked for the Professor," Lars said. "And I don't see why not? Why would he give us defective ones?"
"I mean, for us." My gaze lingered on his wrist—obsidian, like mine.
"No idea. Probably. Probably not. He's hard to read." Lars said, resting his back against the railing, "However, the professor was a logical guy. I don't believe he simply gave it us on blind faith. There has to be something rationale behind it."
"Is that so," I replied. "Wouldn't put it past him. That knee-high sadist who probably gets off watching us be miserable."
Lars smirked. "That's some issue, right there."
"Experience," I said, spinning the stone between my fingers. "Not issues."
Lars hesitated, then crouched down. "Alright, you do you, and don't laugh." He muttered. He tried to mimic the Professor's breathing thing. Slow inhale, slow exhale, like he was about to give birth. "In through the nose," He murmured to himself, "Out through the mouth..."
I watched him for a bit. "Any results?" I asked.
"Shut up," He muttered, eyes still closed.
He cracked one eye open. "At least, I'm trying."
"I am," I said, tossing the stone once. "Trying to stay awake... Ah!"
I put my arms over his shoulder. "By the way," I said, glancing over. "You know the training grounds for the other division?"
Lars blinked. "Yeah. Why?"
"Really?" I leaned forward, a grin creeping up. "Show me."
He looked at me like I'm the most despicable in the entire world.. "...Why?"
"Come on." I gave his shoulder a little shake. "You're not even a little curious? They've got the best-looking women over there. Don't you want to see those noble girls there?"
"Why...?" He didn't move, just blinked. "You're serious."
"As a heart attack."
He sighed through his nose, slowly. "You're something else. Can't you see I'm doing something here?"
"Doing a lot of nothing," Then I asked, "What's it gonna be? Do you prefer hearing those grunts as if old people were fucking here, or join me?"
"I know you also want it." I added, bumping his shoulder.
He rubbed his neck, probably out of annoyance. "You're insane."
"You an idiot or what? What's insane about that?"
Lars sighed, shoulders sagging. "Fine! It's because I'm bored. Not because of what you said,"
"There we go!" I clapped my hands, grinning like an idiot. "No one can resist—Their dick!"
"Shut up..."
We slipped out through the back gate, where the dirt path bled into polished stone. The air changed. I could feel it. Their training grounds were massive, rows of targets, stone dummies, with the ground torn up, like a war had passed through.
One guy flicked his wrist, and the ground split open like paper. Another girl waved her hand, and fire curled into a perfect ring before snapping out of existence. A hammer user swung, and the dirt jumped, shattering a target into dust. Arrows whistled past with mana trailing behind them. A single punch hit the ground, and the earth cracked open effortlessly.
Every hit, every step, left marks.
Power like you only see in superheroes.
The spirit-users moved differently. No grunting, no hesitation. Just flow. Control.
Meanwhile, Lars and I stood behind the fence like two lost stray dogs.
Lars crossed his arms. "Happy now?"
I didn't answer. Just watched. Where's Shin? I don't him anywhere. As my eyes searched the crowd, I found myself distracted by something else entirely. Mana flared from their hands, warping the air around it, like light bending pressure, or the air distorting at their will. I didn't have the words for what I was seeing.
No—
I had the words. I just couldn't believe they were real. What's so different? It wasn't even close. This was something else. A whole different league. This was raw. Breathing. Every time they use mana, there's intent. The stones could store mana, maybe even release it, but these people shaped it. It bends to them.
I watched a student lift their hand, and the air warped. Thin streams of light coiled around their fingers before sinking into the ground. The stone under their feet then fractured clean down the middle.
Just will.
How do they do that?
Pure instinct?
No.
"Oi."
No answer.
"Oi."
Still nothing.
"OI!" Lars shouted, right next to my ear.
"Eh?" I blinked, snapping out of it. "You're loud."
Lars didn't answer right away, his eyes fixed on me.
I kept my eyes on the field. "You know that guy—Shin Morino?"
"Oh, the famous guy? Yeah. What about him?"
"Famous?" I turned my head.