The next morning, it was finally time for Alec's first lesson. Unfortunately, he didn't know where it was held since he had spent yesterday in the library instead of walking around and learning where all the classrooms were. Fortunately, he had made a good friend, who picked him up.
Alec still couldn't stop thinking about Taryeon's importance level, though. He was curious about what the ambitious young mage was hiding. But it wasn't like he could ask about it, so he stayed silent and listened to Taryeon explain the different buildings and classrooms until they arrived at their destination.
Alec followed Taryeon to the front row. It wasn't just because the other seats were taken by the 40-50 students in the classroom. He wanted to learn.
His life was at stake. The more he learned, especially about things like magic, the better his odds of saving the world.
Of course, the beautiful, curvaceous, dark-haired teacher helped him focus. He might have been trapped in the body of a kid, but he was still a grown man at heart, whose strings were being tugged at when the teacher smiled at all the students before walking over and closing the door.
"I am Reina Woltz. You may address me as Teacher, Miss, Miss Woltz, or, if you have a death wish, Reina." Her smile was warm, but her eyes were cold. She was establishing hierarchy.
"I am a fourth circle mage specialized in shadow magic. I will be teaching you elemental magic and monsterology. I am also the teacher in charge of this class, so if you have any questions regarding your studies, your time here at the Royal Academy, or anything else related to the Academy, feel free to find and ask me outside of class.
"Now then, let's begin." She picked up a cloth on the desk behind her to reveal a stone slab similar to the one Hugh had used to test the students' Aether affinity yesterday.
"Before I start teaching you about the different elements of magic, I want you all to know what your affinities are. One at a time, come up here and put your hand on this slab. Let's begin with you." Reina pointed at a girl in the second row with light brown hair and round, kind eyes.
"Face your classmates and state your name. You can add an introduction if you want. You all will be spending the next four years together, overcoming challenges and facing life-and-death situations together. Getting to know each other won't hurt.
"I'm Maura. I come from a small village on the outskirts of the Kingdom. I'm here to learn magic. I hope to make a lot of friends and get along well with everyone!" Maura bowed slightly to hide her shy smile and rosy cheeks.
"Thank you, Maura." Reina gestured at the slab.
Maura placed her hand on it. After only a few moments, the stone lit up with orange and red lights.
'Fire?'
"Congratulations, Maura, you have a strong affinity for fire. You should have an easier time learning fire-attributed spells, though you might struggle with other elements."
Maura's lips were spread wide in a bright smile as she shook her head.
"No, this is perfect."
"...Alright." Reina looked at her for a moment before gesturing for her to return to her seat as the next person made it to the front.
The next person oozed nobility from every pore and strand of hair. Her posture was perfect, and her expression was expertly controlled. She looked at the empty spaces between the students as she spoke.
"My name is Victoria Fosra, the first daughter of the Fosra family. Pleased to make your acquaintance." She curtsied, also with perfect etiquette and form.
'Okay, that's pretty cool.' It was the first time Alec saw someone perfectly embody nobility like that. Surprisingly, it was one of the things that helped him solidify his realization that he wasn't on modern-day Earth anymore.
However, Victoria's perfect manners only made Maura's lack of them stand out even more. Maura's head shrank as her shoulders slumped.
Fortunately, everyone was too busy looking at the blue and light blue lights that appeared on the slab when Victoria touched it.
"Mhm, ice and water."
Victoria returned to her seat, and the next student took the floor.
"Hello, everyone, I am Paul Rivermore. I'm happy to be here, and like Maura, I hope we get along."
"Stone."
…
"My name is Taryeon. My background and my past don't matter. I am who you see before you. It might sound a little audacious, but I want to become the greatest mage in the Kingdom. It is nice to meet you all." Taryeon finished with a bow before turning around and putting his hand on the slab.
'Is that why his importance level is so high? Because he becomes the greatest mage in the kingdom in the future?'
Reina raised an eyebrow.
"Lightning." It was a pretty rare attribute, but not enough to cause a fuss.
…
"I'm Alec. It's nice to meet you all." That was his introduction. He put his hand on the slab while looking at the symbols. They were different, both in design and in arrangement.
The Aether sensitivity slab's runes had been engraved like an accumulating snowfall, with more at the bottom and the rest stacked on top.
The affinity testing slab, however, had a clear pattern. There was a ring in the center, where the hand went. Around it were sections of different runes.
Alec wondered what it all meant, but he had to stop himself before his head burst. The affinity testing slab was more advanced, which meant [Reader] had to work harder to try to read it for him. But his Skill Energy, Intelligence, and Resistance stats were the same as yesterday, so it didn't work.
Instead, he focused on the grey lights that appeared from the runes.
'Metal maybe?' He tried to guess what it could be before Reina could reveal it. He turned to look at her.
"Hmm."
That was not the answer he was expecting.
So far, more than half of the students had been tested. None of them had gotten a 'Hmm.'
'That's a little worrying.'
"Ahem." Reina cleared her throat when she noticed Alec's stare.
"You don't have any affinities, Alec."
"Is that—"
"It's rare, but it's not necessarily something to worry about. It just means your body doesn't have a preference for the type of mana it condenses from Aether." Reina looked at Alec before turning to the class.
"I guess this is an opportunity. We'll continue with the rest after a little lesson on elements."