After a night of sound sleep, Allen followed the map to Public Classroom Building A-3.
A crowd of new students had already gathered in front of Lecture Hall 07. Vera and Colin were standing at the edge of the crowd, waving at him.
The oppressive feeling from yesterday's opening ceremony still seemed to linger on their young faces.
No one was laughing or talking loudly. There were only hushed conversations and, for the most part, silent waiting.
"Allen, did you stay up late reading that book last night?" Vera's eyes had dark circles, a clear sign she hadn't rested well.
Colin was in even worse shape. His gaze shifted between the closed classroom door and the students around them. "I was up all night thinking about those fourteen courses, and that fourteen percent..."
"Thinking about it is useless," Allen replied, simple and direct. "Thinking it over a hundred times won't reduce the number of courses or change the elimination rate. The only thing that matters right now is focusing on this class."
They exchanged a look and fell silent, simply standing quietly with Allen.
The classroom door slid open without a sound, revealing a tiered lecture hall. It was devoid of extra decoration, with only neatly arranged Runes lining the walls.
Nearly a thousand new students filed in, finding their own seats. The dark mass of people reminded Allen of a large assembly from his previous life. His seat was in the middle section, offering a wide, unobstructed view.
The bell for class rang, and Carl, the teaching assistant, appeared on the podium right on time.
He was still wearing the same Advanced Apprentice Robe, his expression holding its usual weariness, but his eyes were sharp. He scanned the students below, confirming everyone had arrived.
"Today's lesson, *Meditation Magic (Universal Edition)*, is your first step toward mastering extraordinary power."
No pleasantries, he cut straight to the chase.
"Don't underestimate it just because of the word 'universal.' This Meditation Magic is the result of generations of White Wizard scholars analyzing tens of thousands of Meditation Methods from different planes. They refined it down to its essence, creating the most stable and safest introductory system."
"Its strength isn't power, but compatibility and low risk."
"Regardless of your race or the specific traits of your soul, it can build the most solid foundation for you, and it won't conflict with any Advanced Meditation Method you might encounter in the future. The downside is its mediocre efficiency. There are no shortcuts."
After speaking, Carl raised his hand and swiped it through the air.
A complex, three-dimensional symbol made of pure light materialized, hovering above the podium.
It wasn't any two-dimensional text or symbol Allen recognized.
It was a dynamic, three-dimensional structure composed of over a dozen smooth curves and sharp, straight lines, interwoven and connected in a way that defied intuition.
One part of the structure resembled a twisted Möbius strip, while another consisted of several nested, unclosed spherical shells. It looked different from every angle.
A collective gasp echoed through the classroom. This was going to be incredibly difficult.
"This is the first Rune you need to inscribe in your Sea of Consciousness. We call it the 'Anchor Point'."
Carl's voice held a hint of almost imperceptible mockery. "Look closely at every detail. Memorize its structure.
"Your cultivation will consist of using your Spiritual Power to replicate it completely and precisely in the depths of your consciousness."
'DSeek,' Allen commanded in his mind, 'capture the target's three-dimensional model, perform a topological analysis, and reverse-engineer its construction path.'
[Command received. Commencing optical recording... Model construction in progress... Structural analysis: Target contains 7 key nodes, 15 primary paths, and 4 curved surface loops. Deducing construction logic... Optimal construction path generated. Total steps: 18.]
While the other apprentices were racking their brains trying to memorize the blasted thing, a complete "blueprint" was already stored in Allen's mind.
"I know this is difficult for you."
Carl looked at the expressions on the students' faces, seemingly satisfied with the effect. "Memorizing it requires exceptional spatial imagination, concentration, and memory. For an untrained new student, successfully constructing it for the first time generally takes one to two months."
The new students' expressions grew even more somber.
"However," Carl's tone shifted, "as is customary, for the first Meditation class of every new cohort, the academy invites a Second-level Wizard from the Mind School to remotely and freely guide each of you through this first Rune inscription in your Sea of Consciousness."
An uproar ensued. The oppressive atmosphere was instantly shattered by a wave of immense surprise, and faces of relief appeared throughout the crowd.
"Don't celebrate too early."
Carl coldly poured a bucket of cold water on their excitement. "This is just to get you started, to let you experience the process of constructing with Spiritual Power and the feeling of possessing Magic Power. After this, you're on your own."
"Now, everyone, close your eyes. Empty your minds. Don't think about anything. Just follow the guidance of that power."
Allen closed his eyes as instructed.
Soon, the surrounding noise faded away as his senses turned inward.
An endless, absolute darkness and void unfolded within his consciousness.
There was no up or down, no left or right, no concept of time or space. This was his "Sea of Consciousness," an undeveloped land of chaos.
A few seconds later, a "presence" descended.
It was a precise, immense, and irresistible will that simply appeared out of thin air in Allen's Sea of Consciousness.
This will carried a lofty indifference, like an experienced engineer examining a blank circuit board.
It didn't communicate with Allen in any way; it simply began to "work" inside his mind.
Pure Spiritual Power, like a mechanical arm, reached into Allen's Sea of Consciousness.
Then, this external power began to guide his own Spiritual Power, moving and shaping it along an incredibly precise trajectory.
It was like an invisible 3D printer, using his Spiritual Power as the filament and the blueprint within that immense will as the model, beginning to print the first Rune.
The first stroke was a smooth arc. Allen felt his Spiritual Power being stretched and solidified, and a faint sense of fatigue washed over him.
The seventeenth stroke was a sharp-angled turn. A needle-like pain pricked his mind, like he had pulled an all-nighter.
The others were perhaps only passively enduring the process, some even losing focus from the pain.
But Allen forced himself to remain completely lucid.
'DSeek, record everything! Record the guidance path, the Spiritual Power consumption value at each node, and the energy fluctuation frequency when the structure stabilizes! This is the "installation manual"—I want it recorded!'
[Recording initiated. Real-time analysis of the 'Anchor Point' Rune inscription process is underway... Data stream established...]
Under his "observation," every action of the external power was broken down and recorded.
How it used the least amount of energy to complete the most complex twists, how it injected extra power at key nodes for reinforcement, how it adjusted the overall balance as the Rune neared completion...
All of this was converted into raw data and flowed into DSeek's database.
An unknown amount of time passed. When the final curve connected perfectly with the starting point, the entire three-dimensional Rune structure trembled lightly.
HUMMM—
A low hum echoed from the depths of his soul.
The complex, three-dimensional Rune solidified completely within Allen's Sea of Consciousness and began to emit a soft, faint glow.
It no longer needed external force to maintain its form; instead, like a perpetual motion machine, it began to rotate on its own.
As it rotated, a wondrous connection was established.
Allen "felt" that beyond his Sea of Consciousness, there existed a boundless, surging ocean of energy—the Sea of Magical Power.
And this "Anchor Point" Rune, like a tiny pump, was drawing an infinitesimal strand of raw, violent energy from that ocean, pulling it into his Sea of Consciousness, and then converting it through the Rune itself into a gentle, pure energy that he could control.
This was his very own Magic Power.
Though it was just an insignificant wisp, it truly existed.
At the same time, the immense external will completed its task and, without the slightest pause, instantly withdrew and vanished without a trace.
Allen slowly opened his eyes.
Throughout the classroom, most of the new students' faces were pale. Many were sweating, clutching their foreheads, and gasping for air.
Vera and Colin were no exception. They looked as if they had just run a marathon, their eyes a mixture of exhaustion and wonder.
"Did you feel it?" Carl's voice rang out again. "The consumption of Spiritual Power and the sensation of Magic Power being born—that is Meditation."
He waited for most of them to recover before continuing his explanation. "The 'Anchor Point' Rune in your Sea of Consciousness has now begun to operate automatically. It will spontaneously absorb Magic Power from the outside world and convert it into your own."
"However, the amount of Magic Power a single Rune can attract and maintain is limited. To increase your total amount and upper limit of Magic Power, you will need to inscribe more Runes."
"Throughout the entire junior apprentice stage, your goal is to inscribe a total of thirty-six basic Runes in your Sea of Consciousness. When all thirty-six Runes have been inscribed, your Sea of Consciousness will have reached the limit for its current stage. You can then apply for promotion to Advanced Apprentice and switch to a more Advanced Meditation Method."
"Here's a reference point for you. According to the talent assessment reports, an apprentice with a 'quad-A' aptitude rating, without the aid of any external objects, needs about a month to independently inscribe one new Rune. Completing all thirty-six would take exactly three years."
"As the total amount of Magic Power in your body increases, it will gradually permeate and transform your body, enhancing your physical fitness, reaction speed, and even your lifespan. The process of inscribing Runes is, in itself, a way to train and increase your total Spiritual Power. The difficulty will increase with each new Rune you inscribe."
Allen felt the Magic Power slowly accumulating, drop by drop, in his Sea of Consciousness.
'One a month? That's too slow.'
He already possessed the complete "installation manual" and "source code" for the first Rune.
In theory, as soon as his Spiritual Power recovered, he could immediately try to inscribe the second one. The only bottlenecks were the recovery speed and total amount of his Spiritual Power.
And those were things that could be bought with Magic Stones. For example, by purchasing Magic Potions that could accelerate Spiritual Power recovery.
A clear plan began to form in his mind.
'Use DSeek to compress the study time for theoretical courses. Use Magic Stones to increase efficiency in practical courses. And earn Magic Stones by leveraging knowledge. It all connects.'
"Alright, that's all for today's class." Carl walked toward the door. "You now possess Magic Power. It may be faint, but you are now Quasi-Casters."
He reached the doorway, stopped, and turned back to leave them with one last sentence.
"In this afternoon's practical class, someone will teach you how to use it. Your first Witchcraft."
With that, he turned and left.
The classroom was silent for a moment, then erupted into a flurry of excited, irrepressible discussion.
Fatigue was forgotten as everyone became unbearably excited, itching to start learning Witchcraft right away.
Witchcraft.
That single word held more magic than any grand theory or cruel elimination rate. Waves crashed in Allen's heart, though his face revealed nothing. Only his clenched fists betrayed a hint of his thoughts.
Allen stood up, not joining the discussion.
He glanced at Vera and Colin, whose faces were flushed with excitement, then pushed back his chair and walked out the door.