Miss Mina Daper sat down on her chair and asked in a firm tone,
"Tell me, students—after learning about Aetherbound, their rare abilities, and elemental cores, how many of you felt jealousy... or even a moment of worthlessness?"
The classroom fell silent.
Harry immediately understood what Miss Mina meant. She wanted the students to understand the position of their competitors. Even though Aetherbound and non-Aetherbound were different, competition would always exist between them.
Miss Mina stood up and continued.
"Students, let me tell you something. It will help you understand why non-Aetherbound are just as valuable as Aetherbound."
She slowly walked across the classroom.
"As I explained earlier, some Aetherbound possess rare abilities. But have you ever wondered why we don't only focus on them? Why do we bother training Aetherbound with simpler abilities?"
She paused for a moment before continuing.
"The answer is simple—power comes with a price."
"Rare abilities are extremely difficult to control and maintain. If mishandled, they can cause permanent damage... or even death. That is why only a small number of those Aetherbound are trained seriously, and teams are often formed around them to ensure they do not go out of control."
She looked around the class.
"And in many cases, even if someone becomes an Aetherbound, they cannot use magic properly because they are too weak mentally or physically."
She paused again.
"Do you know what happens to them?"
No one answered.
"They die from Aether poisoning."
A chill ran through the classroom. Several students felt goosebumps on their necks. Miss Mina noticed their reactions and continued calmly.
"As I explained earlier, a fragment contains its own energy—or what we can call life force. An Aetherbound's main goal is to saturate their life force into the fragment's life force, allowing them to merge with and control it."
"But if the person is weak, the fragment's life force becomes stronger than the human's. It becomes unstable."
She folded her arms.
"And when that happens, the fragment tries to escape the body and return to nature—the source of natural energy."
"During that process... the human body is completely destroyed."
The entire classroom fell into dead silence.
Miss Mina took a sip of water and sat down.
"Now," she said calmly, "you may ask questions related to Aetherbound, non-Aetherbound, or anything related to today's lecture. I will try my best to answer."
For a brief moment, no one spoke.
Then suddenly, a hand rose.
It belonged to a girl sitting in the third row, second bench.
Miss Mina nodded.
The girl stood up and asked,
"Miss, as you explained, Aetherbound must saturate their cores and train their abilities. It's already complex and time-consuming. So why do they also bother learning fighting styles?"
Miss Mina gave her a warm smile and stood up.
"That is a very good question, young lady."
She paused thoughtfully.
"I can tell you the answer... but to truly understand it, you would have to witness war."
The classroom became attentive.
"In war, the battlefield becomes a playground with only one goal—victory. People will do everything in their power to achieve that goal."
"That is why Aetherbound are trained in weapon combat and fighting styles. It adds another layer to their arsenal."
She continued,
"A long time ago, mages were considered the strongest class. But as humans grew more intelligent and technology improved, the dominance of mages declined. Today, they often serve as powerful support rather than absolute rulers of the battlefield."
The girl nodded respectfully.
"Thank you, Miss."
She sat down.
Soon after, another hand rose.
It was Ethan.
Miss Mina nodded for him to speak.
Ethan stood up and asked,
"Miss, if Aetherbound are trained in weapon combat and fighting styles just like us... and they also have magic... doesn't that mean they are simply better than non-Aetherbound?"
Miss Mina smiled slightly and stood up again.
"Let me explain this with an example."
She pointed toward Ethan.
"Suppose you only play one sport."
Then she looked at him again.
"Now give me the name of one of your friends."
Ethan quickly replied,
"Harry."
Harry was a little surprised to hear his name, but he remained calm.
"Very well," Miss Mina continued. "Now imagine that Harry plays three sports."
She walked slowly between the desks.
"One day, a competition is held where both of you must demonstrate your skill in one sport."
She looked back at Ethan.
"Ethan, you have spent all your time and effort mastering one sport. Meanwhile, Harry divided his time among three sports."
She raised a finger.
"So even if Harry knows how to play three sports, it is very likely that you will be more skilled in the one you specialize in."
She smiled.
"That is the advantage of non-Aetherbound."
"Simplicity."
"Because they focus entirely on weapon mastery and combat training, they often become more refined and efficient fighters."
Ethan nodded, clearly satisfied with the answer.
"Thank you, Miss."
He sat down.
Miss Mina drank a little more water and looked at the classroom clock.
"Sadly, time is running out. I will take only one more question."
"Please raise your hand."
After a brief moment, a hand slowly rose from the last row, third bench.
It was Harry.
When Miss Mina saw him, she raised her eyebrows slightly and softly murmured,
"So... he is Harry."