The day after the registration, the air in the International Magic School felt different. The initial chaos had settled, leaving behind a cold, professional atmosphere. One from All walked toward the Year One lecture hall. He wasn't thinking about the crowd; he was looking at the walls.
The architecture was built entirely from Obsidian. It wasn't just for show. As he walked, he could feel his own energy being subtly tugged toward the stone. It acted as a natural sponge, pulling in the stray, leaking Anym that every student naturally radiated. It kept the environment stable, ensuring that the heavy concentration of magic in one building didn't interfere with the city's natural flow or cause accidental damage to the structure during training.
He entered the hall and took a seat in the middle row. The room was large, but with only sixty-seven students remaining, there was plenty of space.
Almost immediately, two people sat on either side of him.
To his right, the girl with fire-red hair, Elara, leaned in. "Hey. I saw you yesterday," she said, her voice low. "You were one of the few who didn't look like they were about to pass out. I'm Elara."
To his left, Riku, the boy who had been shuffling his feet, gave a small, nervous nod. "I'm Riku. Nice to meet you."
One from All gave them a short, simple nod. Before a conversation could start, the front door swung open.
A woman stepped in. She moved with a sharp, disciplined gait. She wore a dark, fitted military-style uniform and thin-rimmed glasses that gave her an air of absolute authority. She didn't look like a typical mage; she looked like a commander. She placed a folder on the desk and looked out at the class with eyes that seemed to calculate the worth of every person in the room.
"I am Instructor nobara," she said. Her voice wasn't loud, but it cut through the room perfectly. "In this school, your history doesn't matter. Only your ability to learn and adapt does. Today, we begin with the basics of the world you live in: The Six Foundational Minerals."
She picked up a glowing blue crystal from the desk. "Anymite. This is the primary fuel source for our world. It stores and provides the energy needed for everything from streetlights to long-distance travel. It is the lifeblood of our economy."
Next, she tapped the obsidian desk. "Obsidian. This is what this school is made of. It is an absorber. Its purpose is to stabilize. Without it, a facility like this would be impossible to maintain because of the constant magical discharge from high-level users. It absorbs the 'waste' energy you give off and keeps the environment neutral."
She then showed a dark, metallic ore. "Onsaiden Steel. This is a conductor. It's used to forge weapons and tools that need to channel magic without breaking or degrading. If you want a sword that survives your power, it's made of this."
She pointed to a pale green stone floating in a glass case. "Levidite. It naturally resists gravity. It's what allows our heavy transport carriages to move at high speeds without wearing out the horses. It is rare and requires careful handling."
She tapped a gray slate. "Echo-Slate. It records and plays back sound frequencies through Anym. It's our primary method of long-distance communication and record-keeping."
Finally, she held up a dull, white stone. "Null-Stone. This is the opposite of everything we've discussed. It repels and kills magic. It is used for containment and security. If you are ever shackled with this, your magic is effectively gone until it's removed."
One from All looked at the Obsidian walls again.
"The absorber," he thought. "It drinks in the energy around it to keep things stable. My Anym is exactly like that."
He looked down at his hands. While the other students had colorful or glowing auras—reds, blues, and golds—his was different. When he focused, a pure black energy flickered around his fingers. It didn't give off light; it seemed to consume it. It was a void that mimicked the nature of the Obsidian around him, pulling in the abandoned scraps of magic in the air and making them his own.
"Theory is only half the lesson," Selene said, her eyes scanning the rows. "Now, we see if you can actually control the flow. I want you to pull the raw Anym from the air and form a sustained, stable loop around your hand. No flares, no spikes. Just a perfect, steady circle."
The hall became quiet as students focused. Elara produced a sparking, jagged ring of energy that looked difficult to hold. Riku struggled, his loop wobbling like water about to spill.
At the back, a noble named Valen—his blonde hair perfectly styled—managed a bright, golden loop. He looked around with a smug expression, clearly proud of his control.
One from All didn't need much effort. He didn't force the energy; he simply opened his "void" and let the surrounding Anym flow toward him. A perfect, pure black ring formed around his palm. It was silent and so stable it looked like it was made of solid glass. It didn't hum or flicker. It just existed, absorbing the light around his hand.
Instructor Selene walked through the rows. She passed several students without a word, but she stopped at One from All's desk. She looked at the black loop, her expression unreadable behind her glasses.
"Clean," she said simply. "But stability is only the beginning."
Valen, seeing the instructor stop at One from All's desk, felt a surge of irritation. To him, someone with a nameless background shouldn't be showing such effortless control. He narrowed his eyes and purposely let a spark of his golden energy fly out, aiming it at the back of One from All's head.
He expected a flinch or a small explosion.
He got neither.
Before the spark could even reach the boy, Selene's hand slammed onto the desk. The sound was like a gunshot in the quiet room. Valen's spark shattered instantly, neutralized by the force of her movement.
"I said 'loop'," Selene said, her voice dropping to a dangerous, icy level. "If you want to fight, Valen, wait for the combat season. If you attack another student in my classroom again, I will personally see you expelled."
She looked at the whole class.
"The rules here are absolute. We do not tolerate internal conflict that isn't sanctioned. If you feel the need to break that rule, remember who is watching this school. You would be challenging the authority of the Five Emperors. And they do not offer second chances."
The mention of the Emperors brought a cold shiver to the room. The memory of the previous day's crushing pressure was still fresh in everyone's mind.
One from All let his black loop dissipate. He understood now what the "Endure" meant at the end of the previous day. This school wasn't just about getting stronger; it was a test of mental discipline. You had to endure the constant, suffocating pressure of being surrounded by rivals, the strict rules of the teachers, and the looming shadows of the Five Emperors. It was a long-term grind designed to see who would crack under the weight of it all.
He sat back, his eyes fixed on the front. He wasn't cracked. He was just getting started.
End of Chapter 4