Zane felt a slight pain in his left hand, but did not immediately check. Instead, his eyes focused on the half-finished circle under the magic circle, wondering its purpose. He could sense it was mana, and with each passing second, it was dissipating, but he couldn't sense where.
Zane shook his head. Ultimately, he was just an apprentice with little to no knowledge: how could he figure out the mysteries of a Grand Mage? No longer bothering with the mana circle, he finally glanced over at his left hand and noticed his crest radiating a purple light. A minor throbbing pain emanated from the hand, but it was bearable.
Since they had already been warned, everybody calmly waited. The environment became quiet, even a bit oppressive, resulting in the sound of light breathing reverberating through the walls. The light show from the crest lasted for a good minute before a hologram manifested in front of every student.
[Welcome to the Dimension Tower Magic Network — Earth Dimension Branch. Here is your student profile, which is attached to your Soul Crest. Please verify the information is true before proceeding with the student orientation video.]
Zane checked the profile, and at first, he didn't care. The information available was basic: a picture, his name, age, education, background, extraordinary path, etc. However, something near the bottom caught his attention.
[Meditation Stage: Apprentice]
[Mana: 0.2]
[Mental Energy: 0.4]
At first, Zane was confused, but there was an asterisk next to this section of the profile, and after concentrating his mind on them, some information popped into his mind. The mana and mental energy levels used a system similar to the Spell Kosa System. In other words, once Zane's mana reaches 0.9, it means he has reached the end of the Apprentice Stage and is ready to condense his first [Mana Circle].
As for mental energy? Well, Mages also need a certain amount of mental energy to increase their meditation stage. For the first ring, the minimum requirement is 0.6 mental energy.
"The ability to detect the meditation progress is a great motivator," Zane thought. Why do many people quit an activity or hobby they have just started? It's because they could not notice their progress. The tower's approach will greatly benefit earthlings who need positive encouragement to persevere in their tasks.
"On another note, it seems I may have some talent in the mental energy department," Zane pondered. Based on the fact that the mental energy requirement for advancing to the first ring is lower than mana, it's not hard to deduce that raising mental energy is more challenging. But now, Zane's mental energy was 0.2 points higher than his mana, which could be a sign of his talent. Well, it could also be because of the Battle Mage Title.
After clicking to verify his profile, the page changed to a new screen with two videos. The first one was a 30-minute video introducing all the main staff at Dimension Tower, including the 17 Region Directors and the Directors of departments such as Knight Commander, Mage Commander, the Alchemy Department, the Runescribe Department, and so on.
There was a lot of information, and the descriptions of each department were vague, but Zane absorbed every piece as if he were a man in the desert who desperately wanted water. Zane finished the video and prepared to watch the second. However, he thought of something. Removing his eyes from the screen, he prepared to apologize for the loud sound when he realized the auditorium was relatively quiet. There were many murmurs and other quiet, small noises, but for the most part, there was no sound from the video.
"Sound isolation? Or did they transfer all audio effects directly into my mind?" Zane analyzed. He couldn't help but think that such technology would have countless applications: from day-to-day life to military applications, to everything, including medical applications.
"Before the invasion, if used correctly, magic can do a lot of good for the world," Zane thought. For now, most trainees or recruited mages are probably thinking about how to acquire the most powerful spell to survive. But Zane was reminded of other possible applications of magic.
Zane retrieved his phone to record his thoughts in the Notes app before continuing the student orientation. The second video was a virtual tour of the school, along with an explanation of the rules, the proper class conduct, the facilities, and so on. The entire video was an hour and a half, and afterward, there was a short quiz to ascertain whether someone was paying attention.
Once Zane finished with those, he briefly accessed the magic web, and he was immediately disappointed. The entire thing was lackluster, and that was an understatement. Besides the student posting board and school website, which students can use to contact their professors, check class times, email each other, hand in assignments, and do other school-related stuff, there were no other websites: no social media, no video-sharing apps, no entertainment whatsoever.
The good news is that there was a Search Engine, but most of the content was online tutorials or academic papers, which were blocked by a paywall. "You would think with something as wonderful as magic, they would somehow escape the clutches of capitalism. But no," Zane complained. So much information was in front of him, but he couldn't access it because of money.
Shaking his head, he stood in disappointment as he canceled out the hologram. Looking around, he saw a few tower employees waiting at the different exits of the auditorium. Locking on the one with the word [Group A] floating above their heads, Zane prepared to leave. However, he first said goodbye to the young woman he was talking to. The conversation soon turned awkward when she asked for his number, and he declined.
Zane wasn't socially inept. As such, he could tell this young woman already had eyes for him. Unfortunately, she was too young for his taste, so he shut down the conversation before she had any hope. Without wasting another second, Zane slowly approached his guide.
"Are you one of mine?" Xi'Ke, a human mage in a blue robe who resembled a handsome Eastern Asian man with delicate features, asked with a smile.
"I think so," Zane nodded, subtly glancing at the two-star badge on the latter's black magic robe. By now, he had already figured out the hierarchical system of the tower of labeling the meditation rank of every mage and knight.
"As expected, I can't sense his mana," Zane thought. By now, he had figured out that higher-level mages have ways to block detection; this was true for Lysana, the bank clerk, Elvira, and all the other powerful hunters he had met in the guild.
"Let me do a quick check. It's protocol," Xi'Ke said, revealing a scanner that resembled a transparent smartphone.
"No problem," Zane nodded, showing his left hand. The scanner flashed over his soul crest, and after looking at the screen, Xi'Ke nodded. "One of mine. Alright. Go outside and wait for everybody to arrive."
Zane exited the auditorium and immediately saw a small group with a hologram with the letter [A] floating above their heads. After a swift scan, Zane found someone approachable in the back of the group and joined them, immediately starting a conversation. With someone accompanying him, the wait passed in a jiffy, and it was a good way to gather information.
"Welcome everybody," Xi'Ke said, his smile as wide as the sky. "I am your tour guide, Xi'Ke Zeluo. With the utmost sincerity, I say to you all: it's my honor to guide you, the future leaders of Earth Dimension."
Many of the earthlings blushed as this man's handsome face and bright smile were infectious. And someone as suspicious as Zane began to suspect this person was using some kind of magic. No one can be this handsome, charming, and jovial at the same time.
"The honor is ours," someone said.
"That's right. We are new here and know nothing. We will be relying on you."
"Yes, you're a powerful mage, but we know nothing about magic."
"Don't devalue yourself," Xi'Ke said. "While your situation is dire, it's also an opportunity. With hard work and a bit of luck, all of you will one day stand at the same level as me and even surpass me." A look of loss flashed in Xi'Ke's eyes. The path of magic is long and arduous, and oftentimes, resources are more important than talent — especially for the first three rings. While these Earthlings are in constant danger, they will have access to the best resources the Astral Cosmos has to offer — resources that even money cannot buy.
"Well, I guess he's not just a bundle of joy," Zane thought, having detected the hint of envy in Xi'Ke's eyes,
"Alright. Let's not talk about such topics and focus on the tour. The earlier we finish, the earlier you can rest," Xi'Ke said. "Now, follow me. If you have any questions, feel free to ask."
"I have a question," Zane immediately raised his hand.
"Zane, right?"
"You know me?"
"Don't be surprised. I have a pretty good memory and remembered everybody assigned to me."
"Well, he's indeed charismatic," Zane thought.
"What's your question?"
"I'm not quite clear on Departing Day. Can you clarify?" Departing Day was one of the most vital pieces of information from the orientation; as such, Zane wanted to clarify to ensure his understanding was correct.
"No problem," the handsome guide nodded. "Every 12 days, students can return to Earth, and only 12 hours will have passed on Earth. For example, you guys arrived on August 5th at 8 AM, and twelve days later, it will still be August 5th, but 8 PM."
"Time Manipulation? Is that possible?"
"Magic is truly magical."
"How does this even work?" someone asked.
"I don't know. Time Magic has always been the domain of Archmages, and even then, only a rare few have mastered it," Xi'Ke replied. Numerous murmurs echoed through the group as people discussed this information and Archmages.
Xi'Ke coughed to silence the crowd. He then looked at Zane: "Does that answer your question?"
"Yes, thank you."
"Don't mention it. I should remind you that the first session is 24 days, meaning you won't leave after 12 days, but 24."
"It is?" Zane asked; he had never heard of such a thing.
"The news hasn't spread yet, but you should be receiving a web messenger, I mean, email, about it tonight at the latest."
"I see. Thanks for the info."