Zane walked to the board and observed the diagram. "Lightning and Life Runes — both manipulation," he first thought. "The Lightning Runes are located in the Disfra Quadrant while the Life Runes are in the Alleric Quadrant: such a simple composition indicates this is likely a 0-ring spell."
Zane immediately drew an X-Y graph in his mind to calculate the exact position of the runes. "The exact positions suggest this is either a basic attack spell or a detection spell — I think." Although he wasn't completely sure, he proceeded with the next step. With the previous basic information, Zane then focused on the mana directives. After taking them into account, he realized he was right:
"Yes, this is indeed either an attack or detection spell, and it uses the eye. The directives used are for stabilizing a highly sensitive area such as the eye to prevent the spell from destroying it."
Zane took all the information he had gathered and combined them: "There are three possible answers: first, this is a spell that modifies the eyes to see the body's electric pulses to detect enemy or maybe determine signs of life. Second, this is a spell that just releases electricity through the eyes. Thirdly, this is an aesthetic spell that makes the eyes look as if they were releasing electricity."
Zane frowned; he couldn't tell which was correct. However, he suddenly remembered a method Professor Malida had taught for such a situation: the Finayla Method of Uncertainty. It wasn't some advanced method, but more of a way for analysts to remove the wrong answers. Without wasting a moment, Zane immediately used this method.
"Well, now I know it's not the third option," Zane thought. That was good news since he was now down to two possible answers. Unfortunately, no matter how he used the Finayla Method, he couldn't eliminate either of those two possibilities.
"Well?" Professor Burbank suddenly said.
Zane exhaled; he decided to go with his intuition. So, he turned to the professor and said with the highest confidence that he could fake: "It's a 0-ring Lightning detection spell; it modifies the eyes to detect electrical pulses." His eyes remained glued on the professor, desperately hoping to see any signs that he was correct. Unfortunately, Professor Burbank remained calm and composed.
"Show me how you reach this conclusion," the professor said. He knew some individuals had a talent called [Rune Intuition], and he wanted to know whether Zane had it or whether he had built a solid foundation in magic theory. Zane tried to remain calm as he walked to the board and showed step by step how he had reached this conclusion. Once he was done, he turned to the professor and waited.
"You're correct," Professor Burbank said, eliciting a triumphant smile from Zane. "However, your math is rough, with more than five mistakes. On top of that, your conclusion is based on many assumptions and probably even guessing."
Zane blushed, but only for a moment.
"Regardless, it's remarkable that you were able to learn so much in just a few weeks," Professor Burbank sighed; he was slightly envious of this lad's talent and dedication.
"Professor, you wanted me to do this for…"
"I want to sponsor you."
"Sponsor?"
"The tower has a sponsorship system," Professor Burbank explained. "As a professor, I'm allowed to select a student — similar to a mentee — and provide additional aid or assistance."
Zane's eyes lit up, but he swiftly controlled his urge to agree immediately. "Can you tell me more about this sponsorship system?"
"Why do you think so many people want to join the Dimension Tower?"
"Access to higher education and rare resources," Zane explained.
"That's two of the three top reasons, but you're missing one: connection," the professor explained. "Most of you, Earthlings, haven't realized how valuable your existence is. The way the tower operates is that the first generation of recruits is the most talented. Although a lot of people are accidentally left out, the truth is this generation will be the most talented."
"First generation?"
"This is a war — a lot of you will die. So, of course, more people will be recruited."
"…That's true."
"The first generation of recruits is full of future Grand Mages — maybe even a few Archmages; you are the future leaders of Earth Civilization — its future guardian. The tower knows this. The people working for the tower also know this. So —"
"The sponsorship system exists to form connections with these future leaders," Zane finished. "Is this why the club activities contain the children or family of staff members?"
"That's right. Every teacher and staff member has a limited number of sponsors. And the best way to bypass this limitation is to have their descendant or family members form connections with the Earthlings through club activities."
Zane nodded as he finally solved one mystery.
"So, what do you say?"
"Sir, the sponsorship is so valuable. Isn't it a bit risky to use it so early? For all you know, I might die in the next shift."
Professor Burbank didn't answer him immediately. He walked back to his seat to rest. Then, he glanced at the back of his hand. Despite his masterful application of mana channeling, Professor Burbank could still see the signs of old age.
"You know, I share one thing in common with all of you, Earthlings: I started magic late. I was 20 years old when my teacher discovered my talent while traveling through our little village. With his tutelage, resources, and my talent, it only took me 5 years to become a 3-ring mage. But then, I was stuck in that meditation stage for 43 years."
Zane resisted the urge to show his shock. However, he still helped ask: "Is it really that hard to become a Grand Mage?"
"Yes, and no," the professor replied. "It is challenging, but I was under the tutelage of a Grand Mage myself, so I had greater opportunities. Unfortunately, I suffered from a nasty curse during an outing in a ruin, which almost killed me and ruined most of my potential. In fact, it was completely ruined."
"I'm sorry, professor."
"No need since I still have hope," Professor Burbank said, turning to look at Zane. "In the past 40 years, I've lived through 4 counter-invasion training sessions and sponsored 7 students. All of them died young except for one, who eventually became a Grand Mage. He is the one who cured the wound on my soul and reignited my hope.
"…You're a lot like him: talented, smart, driven, intuitive, and blessed by luck. Back then, I hesitated to sponsor him, which almost caused me lasting regret. I won't make the same mistake. Anyway, I don't have long to live, so I'm going to trust my instinct again and bet on you."
"Professor, what do you mean by that? Surely someone of your background could find a way to expand your lifespan?"
"Life expansion — at least, beyond the human limit of 120 years — is not as common as you think."
"Why? Is it because of rarity?"
"Yes, but not entirely," Professor Burbank explained. "Before becoming an Archmage, the body and the soul must remain in harmony. So, any drastic, permanent change to either of them will ruin a mage's potential, forever preventing them from ascending to higher stages of meditation.
"So, most mages would only wait until their life is about to end before trying those extension methods. Furthermore, many of them would rather die than ruin their magic potential."
"That's harsh."
"The magical world is quite hierarchical, and for many, having power and high status means more than living longer," Professor Burbank calmly stated. "Anyway, what do you think of my proposal?"
"I would love to. But how does the sponsorship work exactly?"
Professor Burbank activated his soul crest and sent him a document. The sponsorship can be described in two major points. First, Professor Burbank will provide Zane with a certain amount of Academy Points each month to use, but these points will not count toward his class rank. Second, Zane can schedule tutoring time with the professor. There are many other rules in this document, including that Professor Burbank cannot show favoritism to Zane in class after the sponsorship. Still, Zane didn't care about anything else once he saw how many points the professor would give him. A grin appeared on the corner of his mouth, and no matter what he did, it wouldn't go away.
"Don't be too happy yet," Professor Burbank added. "Every week, I will check on your progress, and if you don't meet my requirements, I will take away the sponsorship."
"That's fair," Zane nodded.
"Go on your student profile and fill out the form I sent, and everything will be set," the professor continued. "And you came here for the Elvish Language, right? Don't use your points on that. I have an Elvish Inheritance Book in my study. I'll bring it to you tomorrow."
"Excellent. Any chance you also have some unused Astral Guide Potion?"
The professor was immediately speechless. He sighed to himself, "I can give you two. If that's not enough, you should buy the rest yourself."
"It's more than enough," Zane smiled.