The academic building was even noisier in the afternoon than it had been in the morning. The new students had just gained Magic Power of their own, and the sense of novelty and strength that sprang from the depths of their souls swept away any fatigue from the morning's Meditation class.
The air was filled with an irrepressible excitement. Everyone was eagerly anticipating the moment they would unleash their first true miracle.
Vera walked beside Allen, her cheeks flushed with excitement. She kept flexing her hands, as if savoring a memory.
"Allen, did you feel it? The… the feeling of Magic Power flowing through your body. It's so light, but so real. It's like… like a warm little stream running through me."
Colin followed on Allen's other side. He wasn't as expressive as Vera, but his tightly clenched fists and constant swallowing betrayed his nervousness.
He said in a low voice, "I'm more worried about this afternoon's class… TA Carl said they'd teach us our first Witchcraft. What if… what if I can't learn it?"
"If you can't learn it, just practice more." Allen's reply was as calm as ever. His attention wasn't on the wisp of Magic Power inside him.
DSeek was running calculations in his mind, replaying the entire process from the morning where the Mind Mage had guided them to construct the "anchor point." It was analyzing the consumption at each node and calculating the functional relationship between Spiritual Power input and structural stability.
"But…" Colin tried to say more.
"Worrying won't solve anything," Allen cut him off. "It only drains your mental energy and makes it harder to concentrate in class. Save your focus for where it's actually needed."
They walked into a lecture hall. The layout was identical to the Meditation classroom from the morning, except that now a six-inch white candle stood silently on a metal holder on each desk.
Nearly a thousand new students quickly filled the seats, their noisy chatter merging into a buzzing din that lasted until a figure appeared on the stage.
The newcomer wasn't TA Carl, but a man who didn't look very old.
He wore a loose, gray Wizard Robe dotted with a few stains of a suspicious color. His hair was a mess, but his eyes were astonishingly bright.
He walked up to the lectern and casually tossed a book thick enough to brain someone onto the desk. It landed with a loud THUD, successfully silencing the entire room.
"Good afternoon, kiddos."
He spoke, his voice resonant and infectious, a stark contrast to his disheveled appearance. "My name is Colvin, a First-level Wizard of the Witchcraft School, and your instructor for 'Logic and Spell Models.' I know what you're thinking."
He grinned, flashing a set of white teeth. "You all just got a gun this morning, and now you want to know how to fire it, right? Itching to throw a fireball or something?"
A wave of good-natured laughter rose from the students, and the tense atmosphere eased considerably.
"Patience, patience."
Colvin waved his hand. "Witchcraft—or Magic, Spells, magical arts, whatever you want to call it—isn't that simple. The Magic Power in your bodies is the raw material. It's the gunpowder."
"And your Spiritual Power is the hand, the tool. Witchcraft is the process of using your Spiritual Power to build a temporary 'factory' in your mind—a Rune. This factory processes the raw material, your Magic Power, into a product that can affect the real world. Then, you project it."
He dipped his finger into a glass of water on the desk, then swiped it lightly through the air.
A simple, shimmering symbol made of water vapor hovered in mid-air.
It consisted of just one curved hook and a straight line, looking like an abstract question mark.
"See? This is a Rune. It has its own structure, its own meaning."
"The 'anchor point' you inscribed in your Sea of Consciousness this morning is an extremely complex, self-operating, permanent Rune. What we're learning now are temporary, disposable ones—the kind you use once and then toss."
"Since you haven't systematically studied the internal meaning and logic of Runes yet, we won't be diving deep today. You just need to 'copy the homework.' Now, let's experience the simplest form of Witchcraft."
Colvin flicked his finger, and the watery Rune disintegrated.
He drew another symbol in the air with his finger, this one made of pure light.
This Rune was even simpler, consisting of only a sharp arrowhead shape.
"This Rune means 'release' or 'push.' Its function is simple: to push out the Magic Power you've guided, completely unmodified. Your task is to trace this Rune in your mind with your Spiritual Power, then guide a wisp of Magic Power through it. Use the resulting force to blow out the candle in front of you."
"Begin. Don't be afraid to fail. You don't have much Spiritual Power or Magic Power, but completing this Rune isn't difficult."
With a wave of Colvin's hand, all the candles instantly lit themselves.
The classroom immediately fell silent, leaving only the sound of heavy breathing.
Everyone closed their eyes and began their attempt.
Allen closed his eyes as well, his consciousness sinking into his Sea of Consciousness.
In that dark void, the "anchor point" Rune emitted a soft glow. It drew in wisps of raw Magic Power from the outside world, converted them, and channeled them into his control.
'DSeek, record the Rune model from the lectern, establish a three-dimensional structure, and help me construct the path.'
[Task received. Target: 'Release' Rune, a basic Rune. Structure: Unidirectional vector path. Spiritual Power construction sequence generated. Total steps: 2. Estimated time: 0.5 seconds.]
Allen already had a precise template in his mind that he could complete in less than a second. But he didn't act immediately. Instead, he first observed the others around him.