Tuesday, Day 25:
Zane woke up after a three-hour sleep and immediately checked on the post from yesterday. Unfortunately, there was no response from the tower about that issue. "How disappointing," he thought. "Could it be that they don't care? Or, is there something else at play?" It didn't make sense for the tower not to care — not because of how much they love the recruits — but because of the resources invested in them. The longer a recruit lives, the more they can return in investment to the tower, so it makes no sense to allow Earth governments to maltreat or even kill them — especially since allowing it once will embolden the others.
"Let's keep an eye on the situation and see if there is any new development in the future," Zane thought. He then swiftly finished his morning routine before heading to class. Today, they talked about all the different alternate magic and knight paths in detail. And as usual, the mage group headed to the library for a study session.
Zane and Tom Nguyen were discussing mathematics and basic magic theory. As such, they only had a few books in front of them. Meanwhile, Evans was in his own world, with countless books open on his table, and he kept bringing more.
"You look distressed. What's going on?" Zane finally asked.
"I'm looking for the definition of a word, and it's driving me crazy."
"Let me see," Tom asked, and Evans showed it to him. However, the math genius frowned, baffled as well.
"It means achieving perfection through asymmetry — through imperfection," Zane explained.
Evans tapped his head. "Asymmetric Architecture? Why didn't I think of that?" He immediately rushed back to his book, instantly losing himself in the content. Meanwhile, Tom Nguyen glanced at Zane.
"What?" Zane asked, feeling his intense stare.
"I just realized — I've never seen you use a dictionary."
"Now that you mentioned it, that's true," Zane nodded. Every time he saw a word he didn't know, he would immediately deduce the answer, even if it was just a specific field-related jargon. However, Zane knew it wasn't because he was some linguistic genius—it was all due to the language book the tower gave him, which he now knew was an Inheritance Book.
"What's your secret?"
Zane smiled, but didn't answer.
"It's an inheritance book, isn't it?" Tom asked, not hiding his jealousy. "So unfair."
Zane didn't think so. From what he could gather, knights and warriors only received the most basic Language Potion, which allows them to speak and read Gremorian at a basic level. Mages received a [Transmission Book] and Three Astral Guide Potions, which grant them greater mastery of the language. However, only mages who performed well during the first shift received an [Inheritance Book] and seven Astral Guide Potions. He didn't know what advantage high-performing knights and warriors received, but he knew the tower was fair in its reward.
"Don't focus too much on the small stuff," Zane said.
"Easy for you to say," Tom Nguyen snorted.
Zane continued the day, and nothing interesting occurred. The Elite Class arrived, and everyone continued the normal training routine. Although there were now 10 individuals in the class, it was apparent that there were skill differences between the newcomers and the original four. Zane, Sergeant Rhode, Keesha, and even Evelyn can now defeat the orc; in fact, they are now starting to win more than they lose. However, the newcomers, such as Tom and Evans, were struggling. None of them had even mastered [Motion Casting] yet.
Boom!
An orc kicked Tom Nguyen in the stomach, and he flew a few meters before landing on the ground. He stood while grunting in pain, but instead of returning to his position to continue the training, he said in a slightly raised voice: "Instructor, isn't this unfair? Everybody else can use mana channeling to enhance their physical abilities, but what about us, Necromancers?"
His voice was loud enough that everyone heard him, eliciting countless shocked looks. Many people lost their focus, resulting in countless defeats. However, no one cared. Someone was brave enough to challenge Instructor Seiya's authority. Such major news was worth the pain. The instructor slowly walked to Tom Nguyen, but the Necromancer resisted the urge to flinch, glancing at his oppressor directly in the eyes.
"Do you know the number one cause of Necromancers' death?" Instructor Seiya calmly asked.
"Um, I don't know."
"Assassination. They are so used to hiding behind a horde of undead that most of them have lost the ability to use [Mobile Cast]. On top of that, with their weak bodies, their reflexes can also become dull. So, in many dimensions, Necromancers are easy prey for Shadow Mages and Rune Assassins."
"B-but, don't they have enchanted protective items?"
"Many," Instructor Seiya calmly stated. "And that's one of the problems. They think they don't need high mobility or to learn such a basic magic skill, such as [Mobile Casting], as long as they have enough defensive magical artifacts. Unfortunately, those are not absolute — nothing is.
"Necromancers have a reputation for being rich because of how many protective items they have, which means a lot of people target them. When people are motivated, there are a few things they cannot achieve. In the Astral Cosmos, there are too many ways to deal with defensive magic. My job is to train you to survive even if this were to occur. Do you understand?"
Tom Nguyen was quiet for a moment. "I understand, sir, but my argument is still valid. Negative energy can only weaken the body, which puts me at a disadvantage."
"First of all, who told you to fight like everybody else?" Instructor Seiya coldly asked. "Did I forbid you from using your undead?"
"N-no."
"So, you could have used it to distract the orc, and then use your negative energy to weaken his physical prowess and deal with him, couldn't you?"
"I-I guess so."
"Second of all, who told you negative energy cannot enhance the physical body?"
Tom Nguyen's mouth was slightly agape: the limit of negative energy was common knowledge that everybody learned in the very first class.
"The process requires a higher level of mana manipulation and, more importantly, a high enough life energy, which is one of the reasons I forced all of you to train your physique."
Tom Nguyen was silent.
"Anything else?"
"No, sir."
"Good. Now, continue your training. And since you're so enthusiastic, you can stay an additional half hour after class."
Tom Nguyen didn't dare say anything else and rushed back to his position to continue his training. Zane glanced at him, but he didn't approach or say anything. Right now, his priority was the [Flow State]. He had realized that the key to mastering was to build a "neural system" between many parts of his brain using mental energy as the medium. The neural system involved the prefrontal cortex, the hippocampus, the brainstem, and much of the limbic system, which controls emotion.
Zane was used to utilizing the channeling for one part of the brain, either focusing on enhancing focus, memory, or something else, but the [Flow State] requires an entire system, which elevates the level of mental energy manipulation required. However, the benefits were too tempting, so Zane wanted to master it.
Class soon ended. Zane and Evans waited for Tom before returning to their dorm. As all the students exited the premises, Instructor Seiya and Miss Luna met to discuss the students' current progress.
"Zane's talent for mental energy is truly absurd," Miss Luna reported. "He seems to have discovered Mental Networks."
"He's indeed improving at an alarming rate," the instructor nodded. Not only did Zane discover mental channeling of his own, but he also started developing [Mental Neural Networks], or Mental Networks for short. In most civilizations, the development of those two steps is usually a few generations, but he did it in a few weeks. Of course, his success is mostly because of his circumstances.
In most dimensions, the study of biology and anatomy is considered taboo, which has delayed the development of Life Magic and, alternatively, mental channeling. However, Earth is a modern world with a decent enough understanding of the brain. With access to this knowledge and talent, and a bit of luck, to enter the [Flow State], Zane began to walk a path that took many civilizations countless generations.
"He's not the only one improving at an alarming rate," Miss Luna added. "Keesha's soul seems very malleable; both her psychic offensive and defensive capabilities are in a class of their own. Adding her innate extraordinary reflexes, she has the potential of a Mind Slayer."
Instructor Seiya nodded. He still remembered how Keesha won the previous championship. Weak Telekinesis cannot put enough pressure on rocks to force them to explode — at least, the majority of apprentices cannot do that. Yet, Keesha did it with ease.
"As for the sergeant? His stats are growing the fastest, but that's only because of his abundant resources. Besides his willpower, he does appear a bit lackluster compared to the other two."
Instructor Seiya wasn't surprised by this comment. After all, he understood there was still a significant difference between an A- and S-class talent, not to mention that Zane and Keesha were unique even among S-Class talents.
"His time to shine hasn't arrived yet," the instructor replied, and Miss Luna nodded. She knew they had many different training plans to gauge and classified all the recruits based on their talents and abilities. The sergeant hasn't shone too brightly now, only because the current focus is purely on magical abilities and battle.