Chapter 195: Learning Magic
Evernight Academy, Primary Magic Training Ground.
This was a vast open field specifically designed for low-tier students, the ground paved with special fire-resistant stone slabs, surrounded by magic pillars generating protective barriers. At this moment, over thirty students of varying ages stood in a line, listening to the elf instructor explain the essentials of casting Fireball.
"Remember, the flow of mana must be smooth. Imagine your palm is a furnace; let the mana condense, compress, and ignite within it..."
The elf instructor was named Elwyn. He was a male elf who looked to be in his early thirties, though his actual age was over two hundred. He wore the academy's standard deep-blue robe, clutching a short, wooden teaching wand in his hand. The students below listened intently, some whipping out notebooks to record his words rapidly.
Only on the very edge of the line was there a blue, gelatinous mass staring with two bead-like black eyes, utterly perplexed, at the fireball Elwyn had manifested in his palm. That was Bochi.
"Guchi?" Bochi tilted its body, signaling its confusion. It had listened for a long time but hadn't understood a word of the elf's mumbling. What furnace? What compression? It was just a slime; its anatomy didn't even have something like a palm!
"Alright, let's begin the practical session." Elwyn clapped his hands, signaling the students to disperse. "Everyone, try to cast Fireball. Don't be nervous; failure is normal. Magic requires repeated practice to master."
At his words, the students scattered, each finding a spot to attempt the spell. Bochi also bounced around to find a corner, starting to mimic the others' movements. It extended two small tentacles, imitating the human spell-casting posture. Then, it began to channel the mana within its body.
As a Tier 2 slime, Bochi's mana reserves were actually not small; after all, Kaito hadn't skimped on feeding it good things lately. But the problem was...
"Guchi... Guchi..." Bochi strained for ages, its body swelling into a ball, mana rampaging inside, yet it couldn't condense a fireball no matter what. Only a few wisps of green smoke emerged from the tips of its tentacles before fading away. Bochi collapsed onto the ground in defeat, its entire body deflating. As expected, I'm just too stupid.
Just then, an exclamation came from nearby. "It's out! My fireball is out!"
An elf child wearing an academy uniform shouted excitedly. Hovering above his palm was a fireball the size of a fist. He was a young elf boy who looked only seven or eight years old, named Noah, the youngest of the batch. He was dancing with joy, completely failing to notice that the fireball was wobbling erratically in his grasp.
"Noah! Steady! Control the direction!" Elwyn's voice came from afar, laced with urgency.
Unfortunately, it was too late. Noah lost control, and the fireball slipped from his hand, flying toward a human boy nearby. The boy, about ten years old, was focused intently on trying to condense his own mana and hadn't noticed the danger approaching.
"By the Gods!" Elwyn's pupils contracted violently. He instinctively raised his wand, and a translucent shield instantly appeared in front of the child.
"My teaching license!" Elwyn's voice hit a frantic, high-pitched note. Kidding me? If a student gets hurt in my class, this teacher is waiting for the academy to fire him!
The fireball struck the shield with a sharp pop and bounced off in another direction.
It headed straight for where Bochi was positioned. Bochi looked up, seeing an orange-red fireball flying right at it. "Guchi!" Bochi was startled, instinctively trying to dodge. But the next second, it froze. Because it smelled... something savory?
The fireball radiated scorching heat, but to Bochi's senses, it felt like a freshly roasted piece of meat. Bochi's body uncontrollably secreted a large amount of digestive fluid. So fragrant! I want to eat it!
And so, to the shock of everyone present, Bochi leaped into the air, opening its soft, squishy body and swallowing the fireball in one gulp.
"Bochi!" Elwyn's face turned deathly pale; he scrambled over, nearly tripping over his own feet. Finished! That was a Fireball spell! Even if it's a primary magic, the temperature is several hundred degrees! Slimes are resistant to physical attacks, but they have a natural weakness to fire! If this slime gets burned to death... Elwyn could already imagine himself being dragged away by the Punishment Legion.
This slime wasn't an ordinary student. It was the only slime student in the entire academy, and when it first enrolled, General Greed himself had brought it in! That was one of the Seven Generals of the Evernight Empire!
Elwyn rushed before Bochi, his entire body trembling. "Bochi! Are... are you alright? Do I need to take you to the infirmary? Quick! I'll take you right now!" He reached out, trying to pick up the slime.
But Bochi just tilted its head, its two black-bean eyes filled with confusion. "Guchi?" Why go to the infirmary? I feel perfectly fine. Not just fine, it felt... like there was something extra inside its body.
Bochi looked down at itself. The fireball it had swallowed was now slowly spinning within its body, radiating a warm glow. That mana was being absorbed, digested, and transformed by its body, bit by bit. Bochi blinked. It seemed to... understand something.
The next second, Bochi closed its eyes and began to channel its inner mana. This time, it didn't try to imitate the human spell-casting method. It simply concentrated that fire-attribute mana it had just absorbed.
Then... "Guchi!"
Bochi snapped its eyes open, its body swelling. A small, black fireball slowly condensed above its head. That fireball was different from a normal Fireball spell—the color was deeper, like burning charcoal, emitting an eerie aura.
Everyone in the training ground froze. Elwyn's eyes widened, standing rooted to the spot. "This... how is this possible?"
He had taught for so many years, but he had never seen such a situation. A slime... knows magic? And it learned it immediately after swallowing a fireball? What kind of genius learning method is this?
Bochi bounced around in excitement, the little black fireball bobbing along with its movements. "Guchi! Guchi!" I finally learned magic! So magic is meant to be eaten!
Bochi turned around, looking expectantly at Elwyn. The meaning was obvious: Any more? Give me another one!
Elwyn's mouth twitched, utterly at a loss for words.
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